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From Physics to Function: An Empirical Study of Research and Development Performance in the Semiconductor Industry
Author(s) -
Iansiti Marco,
West* Jonathan
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of product innovation management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1540-5885
pISSN - 0737-6782
DOI - 10.1111/1540-5885.1640385
Subject(s) - novelty , function (biology) , empirical research , semiconductor industry , matching (statistics) , field (mathematics) , process (computing) , business , computer science , knowledge management , marketing , industrial organization , manufacturing engineering , engineering , psychology , mathematics , social psychology , statistics , evolutionary biology , pure mathematics , biology , operating system
We present the results of an empirical study of research and development in the semiconductor industry. The study aimed to understand the drivers of innovation performance in an environment characterized by close links to science and a combination of technical novelty and manufacturing complexity. The data reveal substantial differences in research and development (R&D) performance, and R&D performance improvement, between firms. Analysis of our field observations suggests that these differences are associated with the use of experimentation and experience in guiding technology choices, matching options provided by scientific developments with the complex requirements of evolving production environments. We describe the technology choice process in some detail, and examine its nature in both U.S. and Japanese industrial settings.