Knowledge and competitive advantage : the coevolution of firms, technology, and national institutions / Johann Peter Murmann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Murmann, Johann Peter, 1967- author.

Series:

Cambridge studies in the emergence of global enterprise.

Cambridge studies in the emergence of global enterprise

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dye industry--Germany--History.

Dye industry.

Dye industry--Technological innovations--Germany--History.

Dye industry--Great Britain--History.

Dye industry--United States--History.

Competition, International--Case studies.

Competition, International.

Comparative advantage (International trade)--Case studies.

Comparative advantage (International trade).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (294 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Knowledge & Competitive Advantage

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

A comparison of the development of the synthetic dye industry in Great Britain, Germany, and the US. The rise of this industry constitutes an important chapter in business, economic, and technological history because synthetic dyes - invented in 1857 - represent the first time that a scientific discovery quickly gave rise to a new industry. British firms led the industry for the next eight years, but German firms came to dominate the industry for decades before WWI, while American firms played only a minor role during the entire period. This study identifies differences in educational institutions and patent laws as the key reasons for German leadership in this industry. Successful firms had strong ties to the centers of organic chemistry knowledge. The book also argues that a complex coevolutionary process linking firms, technology and national institutions resulted in very different degrees of industrial success for dye firms in the three countries.

Contents:

1: Introduction

The puzzle

Is this book for you?

Key ideas in evolutionary theory

Evolution of technology

Evolution of institutions

A sketch of coevolution

The economics and science of dye-making

The road ahead

2: Country-level performance differences and their institutional foundations

Intriguing questions about industrial leadership

Performance under the microscope

Background information on the three countries

National research and training systems

Supporting organizations and the state

The academic-industrial knowledge network

Social organization of production at the shop floor

Intellectual property right regimes

3: Three times two case studies of individual firms

Purpose of the matched comparisons

The cast of firms

The world of pioneers (1857-65)

Science unbound (1866-85)

The age of Bayer (1886-1914)

Did managerial action make a difference?

4: The coevolution of national industries and institutions

Overview of collective strategies

Forging a national science capability

Lobbying for a supportive patent system

Influencing tariff laws

5: Toward an institutional theory of competitive advantage

Theoretical gaps

Evolutionary interpretation of the key findings

A theory of coevolution

Implications for industrial organization studies

Opportunities for future research on industrial development

A technological history of dyes

Short description of databases on firms and plants.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-107-14451-5

1-280-44928-4

0-511-18541-3

0-511-18458-1

0-511-18721-1

0-511-30894-9

0-511-51095-0

0-511-18628-2

OCLC:

171138427