The unexpected persistence of non-corporate platforms: The role of local and network embeddedness

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the inverted U-shaped relationship between external search in the collaboration network and firm innovation outcomes. It also seeks to explore whether these curvilinear relationships are moderated by the network centrality and structural holes in the knowledge network. Design/methodology/approach In this empirical research, the authors collected a sample of patents in the smartphone industry over the period of 2000-2017. Then the authors examined the direct roles of external search breadth and depth in the collaboration network and the moderating role of network embeddedness in the knowledge network by using negative binomial regression. Findings Results found that external search in the collaboration network contributes more to firm innovation outcomes when the breadth and depth of the external search are moderate rather than high or low. Furthermore, both network centrality and structural holes in the knowledge network have positive effects on the external search breadth – innovation outcomes and external search depth – innovation outcomes relationships. Research limitations/implications The authors collected the patent data within the single industry and excluded other types of industries. This may limit the generalization of the findings. Practical implications The paper has practical implications for adopting appropriate search strategies in the collaboration network and developing a better understanding of the effect of network embeddedness in the knowledge network on firm innovation outcomes. The findings suggest future directions for technology-intensive industries to improve their innovation output. Originality/value This study adds value to open innovation literature by pointing out a curvilinear relationship (inverted U-shaped) between external search breadth/depth and innovation outcomes in collaboration networks, in contrast to studies focused on firms’ external collaboration strategies in a certain industry context. Furthermore, this study reinforces the key contingent role of embeddedness in knowledge networks. This study provides a valuable theoretical framework of innovation outcome determinants by connecting the network perspective of open innovation theory with an embeddedness view.

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The Role of Network Embeddedness and Psychological Ownership in Consumer Responses to Brand Transgressions

Journal of Interactive Marketing ◽

10.1016/j.intmar.2019.05.006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 129-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Christina A. Kuchmaner ◽

Jennifer Wiggins ◽

Pamela E. Grimm

Keyword(s):

Psychological Ownership ◽

Consumer Responses ◽

Network Embeddedness

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Structural network embeddedness and firm incremental innovation capability: the moderating role of technology cluster

Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing ◽

10.1108/jbim-05-2019-0253 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaoxiao Shi ◽

Lu Lu ◽

Wei Zhang ◽

Qingpu Zhang

Keyword(s):

Empirical Research ◽

Incremental Innovation ◽

Central Position ◽

Innovation Capability ◽

Patent Data ◽

Content Type ◽

Network Embeddedness ◽

Structural Network ◽

Moderating Role

Purpose This paper aims to propose the following questions: How do structural network embeddedness influence firms’ incremental innovation capability? Does technology cluster moderate the relationships between them? Design/methodology/approach In this empirical research, the authors collected a sample of patent data in the smartphone industry over the period of 2000-2018. Then, the authors examined the direct roles of structural network embeddedness on firms’ incremental innovation capability and the moderating role of technology cluster by using ordinary linear squares regression. Findings The empirical results show that occupying the central position positively affects firms’ incremental innovation capability, and clustering strengthens this linear relationship. Furthermore, bridging structural holes has an inverted U-shaped effect on incremental innovation capability, and clustering positively moderated this nonlinear relationship, while bridging ties across different clusters plays a negative moderation role in this relationship. Originality/value This empirical research provides new insights into whether and how firms can grasp the benefits of structural network embeddedness to conduct incremental innovations and the moderation effects of technology cluster contingencies. It further contributes to the structural network embeddedness–incremental innovation capability issue by extending its research context to the smartphone industry.

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Appropriating value from industrial buyer-seller relationships by leveraging network capability

Management Decision ◽

10.1108/md-03-2017-0183 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 57 (11) ◽

pp. 2911-2939 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jing Zhang ◽

Mingfei Du

Keyword(s):

Information Acquisition ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Network Resources ◽

Business Network ◽

Value Appropriation ◽

Content Type ◽

Network Embeddedness ◽

Network Capability ◽

The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how a B2B firm can improve its value appropriation from industrial buyer–seller relationships by leveraging its network capability, as well as the curvilinear moderating role of the firm’s network embeddedness.Design/methodology/approachThis paper empirically examines seven research hypotheses about the relationship between network capability and value appropriation and the curvilinear moderating effect of network embeddedness based on a questionnaire survey among 232 Chinese B2B firms.FindingsIt is found that network capability helps sellers appropriate value from industrial buyer–seller relationships via information acquisition, network resources and power. The mediating effect of network resources is the highest, followed by power and information acquisition. In addition, a seller’s embeddedness in a business network positively moderates the network capability and value appropriation link in an inverted U-shaped way.Originality/valueThe study makes significant contributions to the literature on value appropriation and also provides insightful implications for B2B firms to capture value from industrial buyer–seller relationships by leveraging network capability and network embeddedness.

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