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Strategic partnership and its effect on external learning of technology descendants

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Abstract

We examine how strategic partnership affects external learning of technology descendants from emerging markets under the context of Taiwan’s flat panel display industry. The study takes patent citation as a trail of knowledge flow, and incorporates 1,726 pairs relations of the cited and citing firms. Our empirical evidence shows positive pattern of external learning through strategic technology partnership. After controlling the quality factor of the knowledge, technology descendants do learn more from their alliance partners than other non-allied firms; particularly, trading type of partnerships characterized by the asymmetric relations appears to bring more impact. Furthermore, a focused approach in extrapolating knowledge from strategic partners seems to be the dominant practice.

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Notes

  1. This is a concept rooted from Marshall’s (1920) agglomeration economies model.

  2. http://www.digitimes.com.tw http://www.topology.com.tw/tri/.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the data assistance provided by Agatha Lin, Che-Jung Hsu and Yunghsu Tsui. Financial support was partly provided by Taiwan’s National Science Council, Project No. 99-2410-H-343-001, No. 98-2410-H-260-061, No. 96-2415-H-002-005, and China Center, College of Social Sciences, National Taiwan University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of NPO Management, College of Management, Nanhua University, No. 55, Sec 1 Nanhua Road, Chiayi, 62248, Taiwan

    Jennifer H. Chen

  2. Department of International Business Studies, College of Management, National Chi Nan University, No. 1, University Rd., Nantou, 54561, Taiwan

    Shihmin Lo

  3. Department of Economics, College of Social Sciences, National Taiwan University, No. 21, Hsu-Chow Road, Taipei, 10020, Taiwan

    Show-Ling Jang & Chi-Cho Huang

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  1. Jennifer H. Chen
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  2. Shihmin Lo
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Correspondence to Show-Ling Jang.

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Chen, J.H., Lo, S., Jang, SL. et al. Strategic partnership and its effect on external learning of technology descendants. Scientometrics 92, 157–179 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-012-0734-5

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