DO SWITCHING COSTS MEDIATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENTRY TIMING AND PERFORMANCE?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gomez, Jaime; Pablo Maicas, Juan
• 署名单位: University of Zaragoza; University of Zaragoza; Universidad de La Rioja
• 刊物名称: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0143-2095
• DOI: 10.1002/smj.931
• 发表日期: 2011
• 页码: 1251-+
• 关键词: first-mover advantages; switching costs; entry timing; performance; mobile communications industry

摘要

The purpose of this paper is to test the effectiveness of switching costs as an isolating mechanism in the context of the first-mover advantage theory. Whereas both the literature on switching costs and on pioneering propose this as a mechanism through which firms could obtain sustainable competitive advantage, other authors offer a rationale for thinking that this is not the case. We test our hypotheses in the context of the European mobile telecommunications industry. This is a sector that has been characterized by high rates of growth in the number of subscribers, which could reduce the effectiveness of switching costs from being effective as an isolating mechanism. Our results show that switching costs are an important tool through which first-mover advantages materialize. Copyright. (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.