Open or Closed? Technology Sharing, Supplier Investment, and Competition

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Hu, Bin; Hu, Ming; Yang, Yi
• 署名单位: University of North Carolina; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; University of Toronto; Zhejiang University
• 刊物名称: M&SOM-MANUFACTURING & SERVICE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1523-4614
• DOI: 10.1287/msom.2016.0598
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 132-149
• 关键词: open technology; technology choice; competitive strategy; supplier investment; procurement

摘要

Competing technologies in emerging industries create uncertainties that discourage supplier investments. Open technology can induce supplier investments, but may also lead to intensified future competition. In this paper, we study competing manufacturers' open-technology strategies. We show that despite the risk of intensifying future competition, open technologies by competing manufacturers may constitute an equilibrium and can indeed induce supplier investments. In addition, we identify a technology-riskpooling benefit; namely, by opening technologies, competing manufacturers can induce supplier investments in both technologies and later adopt the one preferred by the market. However, manufacturers may also exhibit the prisoner's dilemma and close their technologies despite the risk-pooling benefit. In this case, there is potential for collaborative technology sharing through cross licensing. Finally, we show that manufacturers may sometimes close their technologies to force supplier investments.