Browsing by Subject "Business logistics--Management"
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Item Competition and collaboration issues in technology development and deployment(2007) Erzurumlu, Sadik Sinan; Gilbert, Stephen M.In today's marketplace firms have to become specialized in specific technological aspects in product development due to intensifying competition. Further, the increasing complexity of offerings make firms become more dependent on other value-chain contributors such as providers of complementary and component technologies. Therefore, in addition to the inherent market of appeal of product, a successful introduction may depend on the firm's interactions with suppliers and even "competitors". These interactions with other firms in the marketplace present a unique set of challenges to firms. In this dissertation, we explore how a firm's approach to interacting with supply chain partners and/or competitors may depend upon how its product provides value to customers. In the first essay, we look into how a firm should design the interdependence between a durable good and a consumable such as a printer and a cartridge and utilize the benefits of an industry of generic consumable suppliers. In the second essay, we analyze the different approaches that firms adopt while commercializing their technologies to competitors in a networked environment (such as telecommunications). We identify the impact of the competitor's development capabilities on the trade-off between the increased competition and network benefits. In the third essay, we explore situations in which firms collaborate to develop a component innovation that they later market individually; they codevelop and jointly market; and they choose to individually develop and market. We consider how competitive strategies between development partners should consider the influence of supplier formation on the investment incentives of an OEM. In summary, this dissertation examines how the management of interactions with supply chain partners and competitors can play an important role in technology development and deployment. Our results highlight key trade-offs and provide insights for managers who are involved in developing and deploying new products.Item Competitive and collaborative supply chains: the strategic role of product innovation, secondary markets and channel structure(2006) Bhaskaran Nair, Sreekumar Radhadevi; Krishnan, Viswanathan; Gilbert, StephenInnovation in product and process development is regarded as a key avenue for growth, profitability, and competitive advantage in many industries. With lifetimes of products shortened by both the accelerating pace of technological change and global competition, firms are forced to invest continually and ever-increasing amounts to maintain their competitive edge. However, due to increasing complexity of offerings and intensifying competition, successful development and distribution of products also depends on the strength of a firm’s relationships with its partners. In this dissertation, we examine the strategic interactions between a firm’s technological capabilities, its product offerings and collaborative and competitive forces in supply chains. Specifically, this dissertation examines three stages of a product development problem and characterizes the role of product innovation, secondary markets and distribution channels in determining the structure of inter-firm relationships. In the first essay, we look at the different approaches that firms take while collaborating with suppliers in new product development. Following the development of a new product, a key decision for a firm is its product positioning strategy. The second essay of the dissertation analyzes the product positioning problem of a firm under both monopoly and competition. Secondary markets also play a significant role in determining the nature of inter-firm relationships. The final essay of the dissertation probes this issue further and examines the strategic role of intermediaries upon the distribution strategy adopted by a firm. In summary, this dissertation illustrates how product characteristics and inter-firm relationships play a crucial role in the success or failure of firms. Hence, it is important for firms to recognize these factors while making design, development and distribution decisions.Item Managing vertical and horizontal supply chain relationships in the absence of formal contracts(2005) Xu, Xiaohui; Gilbert, Stephen M.The dissertation consists of three essays that explore signaling mechanisms for coordinating inter and intra supply chain relationships when formal contracts either are not used, or cannot be used. In the first essay, we examine the role of performance based compensation in encouraging strategic investment from suppliers. By altering the senior management’s incentives, a compensation plan can serve as a credible commitment to higher levels of output from the firm. Such a commitment can motivate suppliers to enter the industry and invest in capacity. The analysis shows that, by providing managers with appropriately designed compensation, a firm’s shareholders can increase the return on their investment. In the second essay, we consider the technology licensing in the context of complementary interactions. We investigate how the firm with patent protection can benefit from licensing its technology to other manufacturers even if these other firms do not enjoy a cost advantage. Licensing can provide a credible commitment to the availability of the patent protected product, thereby encouraging output of the complement. We show the conditions under which a firm can earn more from licensing its technology to firms than it can by serving the market as a monopolist. In addition, we explore alternative types of license arrangements in the study. In the last essay, we investigate the product line strategy under complementarity. If the product is differentiable, a monopolist under strong enough complementary effects would provide a broader product line than he would if the demand for his product was independent of other markets. In addition, we show that providing a broader product line and technology licensing are strategic complements to each other. Finally, the quality decision is studied when the firm licenses the technology to other manufacturers.