Shukuan Zhao

Strategy for technology standardization based on the theory of entropy

Technology standardization has received a lot of attention in industries. Effective standardization strategies can bring many business benefits and help firms to achieve and sustain competitive advantages. In this paper, a systems perspective is proposed that may help in understanding the strategies for technology standardization. Based on an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of technology standards and industrial innovation, this paper applies the theories of entropy to technology standardization and analyzes the interrelationship between technology standards and industrial innovations. We found that applying the theory of entropy to the analysis of technology standardization can help firms to better understand the interrelationship between technology standards and industrial innovations.

Research on open innovation performance: a review

Under the economic globalization, traditional closed innovation cannot meet the demand of enterprises for shorter R&D cycle and lower R&D cost. Consequently, enterprises have paid more attentions to open innovation which is more important. Based on previous studies, this paper systematically analyzed key factors which affect the relationship between open innovation and innovation performance. We also discussed the managerial implications and risks during the open innovation implementation. Finally, we suggested several future research directions for open innovation.

Business model innovation: an integrated approach based on elements and functions

Abstract Business model innovation can be used to acquire competitive advantages. In this paper, we applied an integrative approach to study business model in terms of elements and functions. In the paper, three types of business model innovations were discussed: original innovation, induced innovation, and imitative innovation. The major contributions of this paper are: (1) improving the understanding of the business models; (2) providing a new perspective on business model innovation; and (3) proposing the paths for business model innovation. The paper also discussed how new information technology may promote business model innovation.

Relationship-specific investment, value creation, and value appropriation in cooperative innovation

Abstract The rapid development of information technology (IT) makes it possible for different organizations to ally with each other for cooperative innovation. In this paper, two critical issues involved in enterprise cooperation are addressed: (1) how organization value is added via cooperative business and how the profit from the cooperation is appropriated among the cooperators; and (2) how the cooperative innovation can be implemented effectively. The resource-based view is combined with the transaction cost theory, the equity theory, and the risk-return theory to analyze the influence of the relationship-specific investment (RSI) on the value creation and appropriation in cooperation. Based on our theoretical analysis, a number of hypotheses are made to measure the influence and these hypotheses are tested using empirical data collected from 187 high-tech enterprises in the Northeast region of China. The verification has shown that RSI allows information sharing among collaborators for effective coordination and thus improves the performance of cooperative innovation. RSI positively affects the value appropriation based on investors’ contributions and the risk level involved in the cooperation. RSI increases the value appropriation through the performance promotion effect in cooperation. Minor adverse impact is identified on investor’s dependence. In addition, value creation positively affects value appropriation. The drawn conclusion is significant for developing cooperative innovations under the circumstance in which IT is widely applied to enterprises’ business environment.

Interaction between technology standardization and technology development: a coupling effect study

Technology standardization and technology development interact intimately. Understanding these interactions is fundamental to being able to seek the right solutions to questions about stimulating the advance of science and technology. After analyzing the impact that technology standardization and technology development have on each other, this paper asserts that coupling effects exist between technology standardization and technology development. A coupling model is proposed to examine the mechanism of the interaction between technology standardization and technology development. A seven-level scale for measuring coupling degrees is developed, as well. Furthermore, data from 38 industries in China are collected, in order to validate the proposed model. The newly developed scale is adopted to measure the degree of coupling in the selected industries. Finally, these industries are categorized into three groups based on their coupling degree values. Strategies about how to improve the coupling effects between technology standardization and technology development for each category are provided.

The role, formation mechanism, and dynamic mechanism of action of technology standards in industrial systems

This paper asserts that industrial systems are a kind of complex system and that their evolvement mechanism fits a dissipative structure well. By applying complex system theory, this paper explores the role of technology standards in industrial systems from the perspective of order parameters. In addition, by adopting a low concentration trimolecular model to study how technologies transfer and diffuse, this paper illuminates the formation mechanism of technology standards and their dynamic mechanisms of action. Furthermore, this paper provides scales for the evolvement of industrial structures and attributes from the perspective of entropy theory. It also discusses organization formats and principles for promoting technology standardization in industrial systems.