Key paper 3 Powell, Kogut, Smith-Doer 1996

Question 1

4 reasons for increasing collaboration

Answer 1

• risk sharing
• obtaining access to new markets and technologies
• speeding products to market
• pooling complementary skills

Question 2

2 forms of technological change

Answer 2

1) advances build on existing know-how (established firms benefits most)
2) new discoveries (incumbents can be robbed of advantages)

Question 3

2 different stands on collaboration and learning

Answer 3

1) strategic approach: firms collaborate to acquire resources and skills they don’t have internally
2) learning is a social construction process: participate in interstices between firms, uni’s, suppliers, customers, this is a source of innovatoin

Question 4

exploitation

Answer 4

refinement and extension of existing competencies –> predictable returns

Question 5

exploration

Answer 5

experimentation with new alternatives –> more uncertain and costly