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Perfect timing? Dominant category, dominant design, and the window of opportunity for firm entry
Author(s) -
Suarez Fernando F.,
Grodal Stine,
Gotsopoulos Aleksios
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
strategic management journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 11.035
H-Index - 286
eISSN - 1097-0266
pISSN - 0143-2095
DOI - 10.1002/smj.2225
Subject(s) - categorical variable , window of opportunity , schema (genetic algorithms) , marketing , industrial organization , space (punctuation) , business , economics , computer science , microeconomics , real time computing , machine learning , operating system
The optimal time to enter emerging industries is a key concern in strategy, yet scholars struggle to create a theoretical foundation that can integrate conflicting empirical findings. We incorporate categorical dynamics to industry life cycle theory to enhance existing entry timing theories. We introduce the concept of a dominant category—the conceptual schema that most stakeholders adhere to when referring to products that address similar needs and compete for the same market space—linking it to the dominant technological design and entry‐timing advantages. In particular, we propose the existence of a window of opportunity for firm entry that starts with the emergence of the dominant category and ends with the emergence of the dominant design . © 2013 The Authors. Strategic Management Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.