Mahmood, Ishtiaq P. Zhu, Hong-Jin Zajac, Edward J.
Abstract
While strategy researchers have devoted considerable attention to the role of firm-specific capabilities in the pursuit of competitive advantage, less attention has been directed at how firms obtain these capabilities from outside a firm's boundaries. This study analyzes how firms' network ties represent one important source of capability acquisition. Theoretically, we go beyond the traditional focus on network structure and offer a novel contingency model that specifies how differences in the content of network ties (e.g., buyer-supplier, equity, and director ties) will differentially affect the process of R&D capability acquisition. Empirically, we also seek to provide an original contribution to the capabilities literature by utilizing a stochastic frontier estimation to rigorously measure firm capabilities, and we demonstrate the value of this approach using longitudinal data on business groups in emerging economies. The supportive results of our analysis show that the effect of network ties on the acquisition of new affiliate capabilities is clearly and predictably contingent on the content of the ties.
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Paper provided by Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University in its series CEI Working Paper Series with number
2008-14.
Length: 37 p. Date of creation: Apr 2008 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:hit:hitcei:2008-14
Note: An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2006 National Academy of Management meetings, Atlanta. Contact details of provider: Postal: 2-1 Naka, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8603 Phone: 042-580-8405 Fax: 042-580-8333 Email: Web page: http://cei.ier.hit-u.ac.jp/ More information through EDIRC
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References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-De-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 1999.
"Corporate Ownership Around the World,"
Journal of Finance,
American Finance Association, vol. 54(2), pages 471-517, 04.
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