IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envira/v42y2010i9p2109-2130.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Missing Link between Technological Standards and Value-Chain Governance: The Case of Patent-Distribution Strategies in the Mobile-Communication Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Hu Wen

    (School of Economy and Trading, Hunan University, Zhangsha, Hunan, China)

  • Daniel You-Ren Yang

    (Department of Sociology, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC)

Abstract

In this paper we explore the effects of technological standards on the governance structure of production networks by investigating patent-distribution strategies in the global mobile-communication industry. Through a comparative analysis of two mobile-communication technology standards—GSM and CDMA—we find that there exist significantly different patent-distribution strategies which result in varied governance structure as well as power relations within seemingly similar production networks. Furthermore, the different social–institutional processes of standard setting and implementation of GSM and CDMA contribute to this varied governance structure to a significant degree. Thus, we highlight the role of patent-distribution strategies in influencing value-chain governance, and provide a dynamic view of technological standards.

Suggested Citation

  • Hu Wen & Daniel You-Ren Yang, 2010. "The Missing Link between Technological Standards and Value-Chain Governance: The Case of Patent-Distribution Strategies in the Mobile-Communication Industry," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(9), pages 2109-2130, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:42:y:2010:i:9:p:2109-2130
    DOI: 10.1068/a41203
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/a41203
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1068/a41203?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Timothy J. Sturgeon, 2002. "Modular production networks: a new American model of industrial organization," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 11(3), pages 451-496, June.
    2. Richard N. Langlois, 2003. "The vanishing hand: the changing dynamics of industrial capitalism," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 12(2), pages 351-385, April.
    3. Henrik Glimstedt, 2001. "Competitive Dynamics Of Technological Standardization: The Case Of Third Generation Cellular Communications," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 49-78.
    4. Timothy J. Sturgeon, 2003. "What really goes on in Silicon Valley? Spatial clustering and dispersal in modular production networks," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 3(2), pages 199-225, April.
    5. Neil M. Coe & Peter Dicken & Martin Hess, 2008. "Global production networks: realizing the potential," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 271-295, May.
    6. Funk, Jeffrey L. & Methe, David T., 2001. "Market- and committee-based mechanisms in the creation and diffusion of global industry standards: the case of mobile communication," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 589-610, April.
    7. Daniel You‐Ren Yang & Neil M. Coe, 2009. "The Governance of Global Production Networks and Regional Development: A Case Study of Taiwanese PC Production Networks," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(1), pages 30-53, March.
    8. Catherine Dolan & John Humphrey, 2004. "Changing Governance Patterns in the Trade in Fresh Vegetables between Africa and the United Kingdom," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 36(3), pages 491-509, March.
    9. Carliss Y. Baldwin & Kim B. Clark, 2000. "Design Rules, Volume 1: The Power of Modularity," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262024667, December.
    10. Takahashi, Takuma & Namiki, Fujio, 2003. "Three attempts at "de-Wintelization": Japan's TRON project, the US government's suits against Wintel, and the entry of Java and Linux," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(9), pages 1589-1606, October.
    11. Bekkers, Rudi & Duysters, Geert & Verspagen, Bart, 2002. "Intellectual property rights, strategic technology agreements and market structure: The case of GSM," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 1141-1161, September.
    12. John Humphrey & Hubert Schmitz, 2002. "How does insertion in global value chains affect upgrading in industrial clusters?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(9), pages 1017-1027.
    13. Khalid Nadvi & Frank Wältring, 2004. "Making sense of global standards," Chapters, in: Hubert Schmitz (ed.), Local Enterprises in the Global Economy, chapter 3, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Khalid Nadvi, 2008. "Global standards, global governance and the organization of global value chains," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 323-343, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. McWilliam, Sarah E. & Kim, Jung Kwan & Mudambi, Ram & Nielsen, Bo Bernhard, 2020. "Global value chain governance: Intersections with international business," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(4).
    2. Linqing Liu & Shiye Mei, 2016. "Visualizing the GVC research: a co-occurrence network based bibliometric analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 109(2), pages 953-977, November.
    3. Marta Gancarczyk & Jacek Gancarczyk & Joanna Bohatkiewicz, 2017. "SME Roles in Modular Value Chains: Perspectives for Growth and Innovativeness," Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, Centre for Strategic and International Entrepreneurship at the Cracow University of Economics., vol. 5(3), pages 95-117.
    4. Cédric Durand & David Flacher & Vincent Frigant, 2018. "Étudier les chaînes globales de valeur comme une forme d’organisation industrielle," Revue d'économie industrielle, De Boeck Université, vol. 0(3), pages 13-34.
    5. Leonhard Plank & Cornelia Staritz, 2013. "‘Precarious upgrading’ in electronics global production networks in Central and Eastern Europe: the cases of Hungary and Romania," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series ctg-2013-31, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    6. Roger Strange & John Humphrey, 2019. "What lies between market and hierarchy? Insights from internalization theory and global value chain theory," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(8), pages 1401-1413, October.
    7. Frigant, Vincent, 2014. "Une comparaison de la fragmentation internationale des chaînes d’approvisionnement automobiles allemande et française," Revue de la Régulation - Capitalisme, institutions, pouvoirs, Association Recherche et Régulation, vol. 15.
    8. Vincent FRIGANT, 2013. "Une comparaison de l’internationalisation des chaînes d’approvisionnement automobiles allemande et française," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2013-09, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    9. Emanuela Todeva & Ruslan Rakhmatullin, 2016. "Industry Global Value Chains, Connectivity and Regional Smart Specialisation in Europe. An Overview of Theoretical Approaches and Mapping Methodologies," JRC Research Reports JRC102801, Joint Research Centre.
    10. Jean-Luc Gaffard, 2003. "Coordination, marché et organisation. Essai sur l'efficacité et la stabilité des économies de marché," Revue de l'OFCE, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 85(2), pages 235-270.
    11. Vincent FRIGANT & Stéphanie PERES & Stéphane VIROL, 2012. "How do SMEs to rise at the top of the supply chain? An econometric exploration of the French auto industry (In French)," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2012-16, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    12. Carlo Pietrobelli & Cornelia Staritz, 2018. "Upgrading, Interactive Learning, and Innovation Systems in Value Chain Interventions," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(3), pages 557-574, July.
    13. Vincent Frigant & Damien Talbot, 2003. "Convergence et diversité du passage à la production modulaire dans l'aéronautique et l'automobile en Europe," Post-Print hal-00246171, HAL.
    14. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/6491 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Vincent Frigant & Damien Talbot, 2007. "Proximites Et Logique Modulaire Dans L'Automobile Et L'Aeronautique : Vers Une Dualisation Des Espaces D'Approvisionnement," Post-Print hal-02376436, HAL.
    16. Henry Wai-chung Yeung & Neil M. Coe, 2015. "Toward a Dynamic Theory of Global Production Networks," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 91(1), pages 29-58, January.
    17. Vitor Trindade & Johannes Moenius, 2007. "Networks, Standards and Intellectual Property Rights," Working Papers 0705, Department of Economics, University of Missouri.
    18. Paulina Ramirez & Helen Rainbird, 2010. "Making the connections: bringing skill formation into global value chain analysis," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 24(4), pages 699-710, December.
    19. Thorpe, Jodie, 2018. "Procedural Justice in Value Chains Through Public–private Partnerships," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 162-175.
    20. Lechowski, Grzegorz, 2019. "Beyond "dependent development" in a high-tech industry? The interplay between domestic institutions and transnational sectoral governance in the trajectories of emerging Polish IT firms [," Discussion Papers, Research Group Globalization, Work, and Production SP III 2018-302r, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, revised 2019.
    21. Staritz, Cornelia, 2012. "Value chains for development? Potentials and limitations of global value chain approaches in donor interventions," Working Papers 31, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:42:y:2010:i:9:p:2109-2130. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.