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With the development of multinational corporations, the United Kingdom has experienced increasing penetration of its economy by foreign affiliates. This is particularly noticeable in high technology industries such as Electrical and Instrument Engineering. The thesis identifies the mechanism by which direct foreign investment can influence industrial structure in such an industry; charts the effects within the UK Electrical and Instrument Engineering Industry; and identifies the extent to which this impact varies with the nationality of the investor. The study begins with a synthesis of the comprehensive and complex material available upon industrial/market structure and direct foreign investment. Chapters 2 and 3 demonstrate that the structure of Electrical and Instrument Engineering has changed significantly since the inter-war years. Productive capacity has expanded faster than that of any other UK industry. Throughout the minimum-list-headings of the industry market power has become more concentrated in the hands of the largest companies. Individual affiliates now display greater product specialisation and vertical integration, whilst the level of entry barriers has risen steadily. The model presented in chapter-3 hypothesises that direct foreign investment can be related to industrial structure in three distinct ways. Firstly, that a relationship exists between the distribution of foreign affiliates 11 25 I and the structural characteristics of the industries in which they operate. Secondly, that a similar relationship exists across the minimum-list-headings of each individual industry. Thirdly, that the operating characteristics of foreign affiliates in any individual minimum-list-heading differ from those of domestic companies. The first two of these are termed the Destination impact, and the third the Behavioural impact of direct foreign investment. The results of a survey of over 500 British and foreign owned companies, sub-divided by origin and size, suggest that foreign affiliates have contributed significantly to the changing structure of Electrical and Instrument Engineering both in their destination and behaviour. The destination of foreign investors was significantly related to areas displaying the fastest growth of productive capacity; imperfection of competition; technologically specialised and vertically integrated operations; and high barriers to entry. The behaviour of individual foreign affiliates was found to differ significantly from that of their UK counterparts (including affiliates of UK multinationals). Foreign owned companies exhibited high levels of sales. growth and efficiency; a disproportionate impact upon the distribution of market power; greater product specialisation and levels of vertical integration; and a significant contribution to the level of entry barriers. This influence was compounded by a greater productivity and profitability in the foreign affiliate; a differing pattern of geographical location to that of UK owned establishments; and a domestic reaction by UK companies and the government to foreign penetration. Variations within the foreign group were related to geographical origin. The total operations of US affiliates were most significant, but investors from EEC countries displayed characteristics which varied most from those of UK companies. The study concludes by relating changes in industrial structure to the presence of foreign affiliates, and outlining the implications of further foreign involvement

This study explores how high technology companies interact with their Lead User throughout the innovation process. Thereby, the study focuses on the interaction, after a company approached their Lead User. By using existing literature on the Lead User, the process of innovating as well as the interaction with users in product development, an analytical model was developed. This model served as the basis for the interview guide as well as to present and analyse the empirical data. Due to the fact that this study looks at the Lead User interaction from a different perspective, where little knowledge exists, a qualitative strategy was pursued. In this connection, three companies within the high technology context were studied and a cross-case analysis conducted. Based on our findings, seven conclusions could be drawn. Our conclusions are that: (1) high technology companies mainly interact with the Lead User through ordinary methods; (2) the content of interaction differs in each phase; (3) the outcome of interaction in each phase is mainly the same throughout the companies; (4) there is always one function responsible for the Lead User, which is the same throughout the innovation process; (5) the main incentive for the Lead User to cooperate is intrinsic motivation; (6) the studied companies do not interact with the Lead User when launching the product; and (7) the outcome of the Lead User interaction is seen as being products of a more incremental than radical character. After presenting the conclusions, the implications were displayed. Thereby, the main implications are that companies are recommended to interact with their Lead User throughout the innovation process, in order to align their products to the Lead User’s needs and therefore to reduce the risk and uncertainty of failing on the market. In this connection, it also important for companies to get into face-to-face discussions, to get feedback and understand the needs of the Lead User. Furthermore, companies need to consider that the Lead User is intrinsic motivated, which means by allowing the Lead User to be part of the innovation process and having an influence on the development, companies do not need to provide further financial rewards. Additionally, the Lead User cannot merely be found outside the boundaries of the firm but also within the company.

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The high-tech industry is an extremely fast-paced and highly competitive one with constant changes and with companies entering and exiting the playing field in a matter of months. Within this ruthless environment Dell Inc. emerged as a singular player in January 1984 and rose to be the world’s largest personal computer maker in just seventeen years in 2001. One has to ask what made Dell so special and how did Michael Dell make his fortune from his dormitory room at the University of Texas at Austin. Furthermore, what explains Dell’s decline from its number one position in the world in 2001 to barely number three now as it stands behind Acer and clearly behind the current industry leader Hewlett-Packard? This paper is an attempt to take the reader through the history of the rise and fall of Dell. More importantly, it seeks to identify the weaknesses as well as strengths, and advantages as well disadvantages of the business model of this company. Finally, the paper will outline the necessary steps that Dell must take to reclaim the crown of the largest and most successful computer manufacturer in the world. / text

This thesis explores thoughts, observations and theoretical research associated with work-related career shifts, adult learning and education. In contemporary society, work-related values are changing. Workers need to be flexible, adaptive and in terms of skills, up-to-date. Since an individual may experience a variety of career shifts during the course of her working adult life, learning and education are essential. But how should work-related learning occur and what avenues are available for those who require it? Workplace learning occurs in many forms and settings, and since learning is a personal process, it is difficult to ascertain ideal learning situations for each employee. The purpose of this study was to reflect on and analyze the just-in-time learning experience of one individual who underwent a career shift in the high tech industry. This thesis recounts the learning journey of the author, a high school English teacher and graduate student, who embarked on a new career as an education consultant. It is a multifaceted and multidisciplinary narrative that explores three distinct areas: the narrative and personal observations central to the author's learning and work experience; theoretical perspectives relating to the contemporary workplace and adult learning; the characters, themes and metaphors from The Tempest that illuminate the author's learning journey. Principles of adult education and theory pertaining to workplace and other settings for learning, along with characters from The Tempest, are invoked to deepen the author's understanding of what occurred during her high tech adventure. The author highlights contradictions between corporate jargon and educational theory, and dwells on dilemmas problematic for protean workers and others destined for corporate education and training. Concepts relating to knowledge management, organizational learning and elearning are challenged in conjunction with issues of power and knowledge. Caught between the demands of the continuously changing corporate world and protected realm of academia, the narrator is forced to combat a storm. Her survival is testimony to her capacity to learn, adapt and rely on previous skills garnered from years as a graduate student and English teacher. Survival does not come easy—there are fumbles, frustrations, and follies along the way. This narrative provides a personal account of what it means to learn and work in the high tech industry. Although this is one person's story, the insights developed and theory invoked have utility that extends to other workers and settings.

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Governments have funded the development and production of advanced technology in order to establish supply security and/or to achieve economic growth. The policy of government funding includes three alternatives: the two basic options of maintaining a national project or participating in international collaboration involving a number of sovereign states, and the third option of doing both in parallel. The study examines international collaboration in such a way as to assist in the selection of the appropriate policy option. Particular attention is paid to the perspective of small and large, advanced and less advanced European countries. The research problem is addressed by focusing exclusively on those results which distinguish international collaboration from a national project, summarised under the concepts of collaborative sharing and collaborative efficiency. The former identifies the sharing of funding and technology not to be found in a national project. The latter identifies the difference in efficiency between international collaboration and a national project. Efficiency, indicated by cost, quality and time, is examined under the headings of policy-making, executive management, industrial rationalisation and production volume. Furthermore, collaborative sharing and efficiency are examined in the context of parallel national projects. This focus on the differences between the policy options provides the basis for selecting the appropriate one. Previous studies fail to give convincing answers to the research problem: they concentrate on collaborative efficiency while neglecting collaborative sharing, and they disagree over whether international collaboration or a national project is more efficient. This study attempts to overcome these shortcomings by examining a major case study of international collaboration, namely the European Communication Satellite Programme. The following conclusions are established. To achieve supply security, the collaborative option is considered appropriate for the large, advanced European country, and the parallel option for the large, less advanced countries. To achieve economic growth, the national option is appropriate for the advanced European countries. The smaller, less advanced countries are seen to play only a limited role in government funding of advanced technology.

This research investigates the role of product design on technology switching in the context of a capital-intensive product. I focus on switching rather than on new sales because switching is the primary means of changing market share in nearly mature markets. Further, the dominant logic ??? is that, because of switching costs and the related consequences, incumbents have a strong advantage when upgrading or replacing equipment. However, the literature on lead users suggests that those users at the cutting-edge are willing to meet the costs of changing technology because they have the capabilities needed to leverage significant advantages from the new technology. The extant literature on switching focuses primarily on consumers in highly competitive markets. There is little understanding of the antecedents of switching in business markets, especially in markets for capital-intensive technology-based products. This research investigates the influence of product design on switching behavior for capital-intensive high technology products, where buyers are faced with numerous implications and significant costs at each step of the process. The switching behavior for capital-intensive products has not been studied previously; because of this deficiency, we do not know the consequences for theory, that is, how different theoretical assumptions will contribute to the final decision to switch, or for managerial practice, that is, the kind of strategies managers should follow to retain existing buyers under such conditions. Previous literature did not explore explicitly the concept of product design as an influence on switching, because satisfaction and switching cost were widely used as determinants of switching decisions in competitive markets. This gap in knowledge is due to the difficulty in identifying a method that would allow one to differentiate among the products??? performance and how the difference would impact consumers??? objectives. It is also difficult for researchers to define the characteristics of high technology products that make certain products more attractive on the market than others, without substantial assistance from experts in particular products. These conditions create a barrier to investigating switching behavior for high technology products. This research is positioned in the overlapping area between product design and switching behavior. The linkage between these two bodies of literature has never been explored. The research answers two important questions: (1) what are the antecedents of technology switching in a context where there are considerable costs?, and (2) does product design encourage technology switching behavior? Dynamic capabilities theory is used to explain this research, because the decision to switch an old technology for a new one in rapidly changing technology markets is about renewing resources and capabilities to maintain competitive advantages. This research is conducted in the context of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) industry as a case study. Considerable switching has occurred in this industry over the last decade, resulting in this industry offering a good opportunity to investigate the reasons why. The market is divided into different segments based on the region and the health care system. I selected the university hospitals segment, MRI research centers, to conduct this research study, because it is feasible to track the technology switching process for this segment over time and because this segment???s market is nearly mature. Data were collected from multiple sources including personal interviews, online surveys, annual conference database, product technical reports, and patent data. In this study, the independent variable is product design and other variables related to switching costs and marketing strategies. The dependent variable is switching behavior, which has two values: (1) ???switched,??? defined as purchasing a new technology from a different supplier, and (2) ???not switched,??? defined as repurchasing from the same supplier. After collecting surveys from decision makers who purchased MRI technology, I use logistic regression analysis to test the hypothesis that the product design has a direct impact on the switching decision of capital-intensive products. Research findings have shown that buyers are willing to switch to a different technology in spite of high associated costs, particularly when they are faced with a product that restricts their capabilities. Product design represents the most influential factor underpinning switching, because it provides more capabilities that motivate switching. Notwithstanding the fact that moving to a new supplier imposes significant challenges, including technology and relationship incompatibility, findings confirm that this distinction in product capabilities has induced some MRI buyers to move to a new supplier in order to maintain a competitive market position. The findings also confirm that support during the transition process can be achieved through marketing strategies. The findings of this research clarify our understanding of the switching behavior of capital-intensive products where successful product design is expected to play a significant role. This behavior is expected to be different from the behavior identified in previous research, because the previous research was conducted using mainly competitive markets with frequently purchased products. For lead users faced with products that restrict their capabilities, switching is an expected option despite high switching costs. Those early switchers, having capitalized on the real value of the new product, serve to encourage other users to pursue the same behavior later. The outcomes from this MRI study ??? as one example of a high technology device ??? could be applied to the different industries that share the same characteristics in terms of high rates of technological change and high switching costs, for example, military devices, aircrafts, and advanced medical and industrial devices.

Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 165-174). / Electronic reproduction. / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xiii, 174 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm