Technology & Organizational Economics

SB14.1 Learning & Leakage: Implications for Alliance Organization

• Joanne E. Oxley; University of Michigan, Sch. of Bus. Admin., 701 Tappan St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1234; oxley@o.imap.itd.umich.edu

Inter-firm alliance participants frequently face a dilemma: how do we promote knowledge tranfer and learning while safeguarding valuable intangible assets? We synthesize insights from transaction cost economics and organization theory to explore this, examining relationships between project characteristics, 'knowledge transfer mechanisms' and governance safeguards adopted by alliance participants.

SB14.2 Complementary Capabilities & the Adoption of New Technology: The Case of the Three-Strip Technicolor Process

• Douglas R. Johnson; University of Illinois, 350 Commerce West Bldg., 1206 South 6th St., Champaign, IL 61820; drjohn@cba.uiuc.edu
• Stephen Bowden; University of Waikato, , , New Zealand;

We investigate adoption of the 3-strip technicolor process by directors/cinematographers in the Hollywood studio system. We argue that adoption by these individuals is influenced by their capabilities, their employers' strategic objectives, and most importantly, their access to necessary complementary skills. We use network analysis to assess such access.

SB14.3 Core Technologies, Peripheral Technologies & Corporate Diversification

• Brian S. Silverman; Harvard Business School, Soldiers Field, Boston, MA 02163; bsilverman@hbs.edu

We consider how a firm's technological resources affect its diversification pattern. It integrates elements of TCE and the RBV to explore how a firm's decision to exploit technological resources through diversification, rather than licensing, is affected by the degree to which the technological resources comprise the firm's 'core technology.'

SB14.4 Does it Pay to Let Scientists Do Good Science? Evidence from R&D Job Offers

• Scott Stern; MIT, Sloan Sch. of Mgmt., 50 Memorial Dr., Cambridge, MA 02144;

We evaluate the impact of organizational design on the labor market for scientists/engineers - notably, how 'science-friendly' practices are related to wages. Two theories, 'productivity' and 'preference,' offer conflicting hypotheses concerning this relationship. We introduce a novel field-based approach to evaluate this relationship and consequently distinguish between theories.