A Comparative Study on R&D Organizations in Specialized Manufacturer and Generalized Manufacturer: A Case Analysis in the Vacuum Fluorescent Display Industry

• KOSAKA Genjiro

  Faculty of Economics, Sophia University

抄録

It is often noted that a specialized manufacturer (or “specialist”) is more competitive than a generalized manufacturer (or “generalist”). This paper examines how a specialist could maintain a long−term competitive advantage, and especially in technological development. An explanatory case study was conducted by comparing a small specialist, Futaba Corporation and a large generalist, NEC, in the vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) industry.<BR>Two types of R&D organizations were identified based on an analysis of firm−level and individual−level patent data: a successive, cross−sectoral, and closely cooperative R&D organization in Futaba, and an R&D organization in which personnel can be flexibly reallocated in NEC. The composition of NEC's four technological VFD fields radically changed, while Futaba Corporation's remained stable. This finding differs from the common understanding that typical large Japanese firms have succeeded in incremental innovation using a close−knit group of engineers. This paper instead demonstrates that the technological capability characteristic of Japanese firms has been maintained by a small specialist.

収録刊行物

• 組織科学

  組織科学 49 (5), 1-18, 2017

  特定非営利活動法人 組織学会

キーワード

• specialized manufacturer
• generalized manufacturer
• R&D organization
• co-development
• personnel relocation

詳細情報

• CRID: 1390001205509213184
• NII論文ID: 130006135334
• DOI: 10.11207/soshikikagaku.49.5_1
• ISSN: 2187932X
• ISSN: 02869713
• 本文言語コード: en
• データソース種別:
  • JaLC
  • CiNii Articles
• 抄録ライセンスフラグ: 使用不可