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Corporate Governance and Firm Strategy in the Pharmaceutical Industry

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  • Steven Casper
  • Catherine Matraves

Abstract

Using the case of the pharmaceutical industry, this paper assesses how the leading German and UK firms are adapting to changes in their competitive environment, at both the national and international level. We attempt to link how firms create governance structures (management decision-making, the organisation of the R&D process, etc.), and the national system of innovation, impact the innovation strategies adopted in leading German and UK firms. Our results show that first, the firm competencies created in order to compete globally may still originate within national economies, in part because the generation of R&D remains relatively national. Second, towards the end of the 1970s, the scientific basis in the pharmaceutical industry began to change rapidly. The evidence presented shows that UK firms rapidly developed new competencies in biotechnology and other research areas in response to the structural changes. However, German firms tended, until very recently, to maintain and in some cases strengthen competencies in traditional research methods based on organic chemistry. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG - (Corporate Governance und Unternehmensstrategie in der pharmazeutischen Industrie) Am Beispiel der pharmazeutischen Industrie wird in diesem Beitrag aufgezeigt, wie führende deutsche und britische Firmen sich an Änderungen in ihrer Unternehmensumwelt anpassen, sowohl der nationalen wie auch der internationalen Umwelt. Es wird gezeigt, wie die Unternehmen Governance-Strukturen (Managemententscheidungen, die Organisation von FuE-Prozessen etc.) schaffen und wie nationale Innovationssysteme die Innovationsstrategien beeinflussen, die von führenden deutschen und britischen Firmen verfolgt werden. Erstens gelangt die Studie zu dem Ergebnis, daß die Kompetenz der Unternehmen so ausgerichtet wurde, daß sie für den globalen Wettbewerb fit sind, aber ihre Wurzeln dennoch innerhalb der nationalen Volkswirtschaften behalten, teilweise deshalb, weil FuE verhältnismäßig national fundiert ist. Zweitens begann zum Ende der siebziger Jahre eine dramatische Änderung in der wissenschaftlichen Basis der pharmazeutischen Industrie. Diese Evidenz zeigt, daß britische Firmen rasch neue Kompetenz in Biotechnologie und anderen Forschungsbereichen entwickelten, um auf die Änderungen zu reagieren. Deutsche Unternehmen tendierten jedoch noch bis vor kurzem dazu, ihre bisherige Kompetenz beizubehalten und in manchen Fällen in traditionellen Forschungsbereichen, basierend auf organischer Chemie, sogar zu verstärken.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven Casper & Catherine Matraves, 1997. "Corporate Governance and Firm Strategy in the Pharmaceutical Industry," CIG Working Papers FS IV 97-20, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG).
  • Handle: RePEc:wzb:wzebiv:fsiv97-20
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Nicola Lacetera, 2001. "Corporate Governance and the Governance of Innovation: The Case of Pharmaceutical Industry," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 5(1), pages 29-59, March.
    2. Catherine Matraves, 1998. "Market Structure, R&D and Advertising in the Pharmaceutical Industry," CIG Working Papers FS IV 98-17, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG).
    3. Helen Simpson, 1998. "Biotechnology and the Economics of Discovery in the Pharmaceutical Industry," Monograph 000432, Office of Health Economics.
    4. Adleberger, Karen, 1999. "A Developmental German State? Explaining Growth in German Biotechnology and Venture Capital," UCAIS Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy, Working Paper Series qt8z55s60f, UCAIS Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy, UC Berkeley.

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