The current transformation of technology strategy : the attempt to create multiple avenues for innovation within the large corporation

"Revision of December 19, 1984.""December, 20 1984"--Prelim

The Effect of Business Interdependencies on Product R&D-Intensive Business Performance

One of the major decisions that firms face regarding R&D-intensive businesses is a structural one: establishing the appropriate level of internal strategic interdependency within and among business units. The current discussion over the effectiveness of creating small, independent, and entrepreneurial venture units in multi-business corporations is part of this larger structural concern. The aim of the present research is to study the efficacy of different structural linkages for achieving market share and ROI objectives in product R&D-intensive businesses. The study focuses on interdependencies between business units in product R&D-intensive businesses that produce consumer products or industrial products. A sample of 641 businesses (221 consumer products and 420 industrial goods) is drawn from the PIMS data base. A cluster analysis is run to identify natural groups of homogeneous businesses. For each of the seven identified groups (established suppliers, fast movers, high-tech job shops, stalled giants, established diversifiers, dominant specialists, and laggers) a multi-way analysis of variance is performed to study the influence of various interdependencies measured in term of vertical integration, shared facilities, and shared marketing on two criteria of performance: market share and ROI. The findings indicate, first, that the interdependencies required to achieve high performance are contingent upon the nature of the product R&D-intensive business and its environmental characteristics. Second, for a given business configuration, high performance interdependencies are influenced by the type of performance objectives selected by the business, such as market share or profitability. Finally, the results imply that a multi-business corporation which possesses a portfolio of product R&D-intensive businesses probably requires a more diverse set of interdependencies than, for example, simply mainstream centralized industrial R&D organization, on the one hand, and independent entrepreneurial units on the other hand. Effective competition for a firm with diverse R&D-intensive businesses may often call for a capability to support concurrently multiple levels of internal interdependencies and to reject, create, or modify this set of interdependencies as the situation warrants.research and development, technological innovation, technology strategy, innovation

Panel 18 Electronic Commerce and the Internet: Platform for Resource Redefinition

In the past few years, much attention by the popular press has been focused on the commercial development of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW). Indeed, it is difficult to pick up a business news publication and not have at least one article on the Internet and electronic commerce. However, much of the journalistic work to date falls into two categories: (1) exploring the evolving technologies supporting this environment and (2) describing how various companies are currently using the WWW. There have already been several noted successes and failures as new and old companies begin to position themselves for competing within this digital domain. However, there has been painfully limited analysis of why these successes and failures have occurred, especially from an academic perspective. The purpose of this panel is to serve as a forum for such a discussion

The Evolution of the International Coal Trade: A Strategic and Decision-Making Perspective

The paper analyzes decision making in a specific subset of the energy sector—international coal trade—in order to contribute to the understanding of the problems faced by the actors involved. The actors in this global stage are the producers, consumers, and intermediaries in coal trade play. The decisions or the lack of decisions of these actors will ultimately influence the comprehensive scenarios and forecasts shaping the future of this specific area within the energy field. The clarification of the operational problems should also make a contribution toward the improvement of decision making in this area.© 1983 JIBS. Journal of International Business Studies (1983) 14, 85–101

A cost-benefit analysis of the deep-draft dredging of coal ports on the East and Gulf coasts of the United States

HD28 .M414 no.1496-, 83, Coal shipping terminals United States Cost effectiveness, Dredging Cost effectiveness,