This study seeks to explain the reasons behind why first-mover advantage is unsustainable in emerging industries. For the purpose of study, four companies in two different industries, namely TFT-LCD backlight module and magnesium alloy enclosure manufactures are categories into two groups based on their entrance position (first-movers and latecomers). Since traditional strategies are much harder to use when analyzing industries undergoing rapid change, thus the concept of fitness landscape is used. The conclusions of this study are presented as follows: 1) Although first-movers advantages exists in mature, stable industry, however, the fast changing nature of emerging industries meant that traditional notions are unfeasible. 2) Four important, inter-related factors determine the possibility of latecomer to overcome first-mover advantages, they are i) the growing market, ii) late entry, iii) revolutionary technology, and iv) focused product strategy. 3) Ever-changing business environment, fitness landscape, meant that static strategies are no longer feasible. The affect of every decision have direct implications for the industry at large, thus changing the landscape. Therefore, constant awareness and mobility are most important to survive in emerging industries.

Submitted by Rafael Kuramoto Gonzalez (rafael_k_gonzalez@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-03-23T14:48:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Final_Rafael_Kuramoto_Gonzalez.pdf: 7373873 bytes, checksum: 4e120ff57a6ae6198920ff7722bd7d8f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by ÁUREA CORRÊA DA FONSECA CORRÊA DA FONSECA (aurea.fonseca@fgv.br) on 2016-03-23T18:45:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Final_Rafael_Kuramoto_Gonzalez.pdf: 7373873 bytes, checksum: 4e120ff57a6ae6198920ff7722bd7d8f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Almeida (maria.socorro@fgv.br) on 2016-03-30T14:42:35Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Final_Rafael_Kuramoto_Gonzalez.pdf: 7373873 bytes, checksum: 4e120ff57a6ae6198920ff7722bd7d8f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-30T14:42:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Final_Rafael_Kuramoto_Gonzalez.pdf: 7373873 bytes, checksum: 4e120ff57a6ae6198920ff7722bd7d8f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / This thesis concerns about the technological development and innovation in natural resources’ intensive industries in the context of emerging economies. The thesis explores how the accumulation of technological capabilities and the learning mechanisms influenced the technological trajectory in the sugarcane bioethanol industry in Brazil, during the period from mid-1970 to 2014. Much progress has been made in understanding the technological catch-up process of firms and industries in emerging economies. However, these studies often explore the process of technological catch-up related to technological trajectories already mapped by world leaders in manufacturing and processing industries. Part of this studies ignore that the development of industrial activities could occur in natural resources’ intensive industries. In addition, between academic researchers and policy makers, natural resources’ intensive industries are encapsulated as commodities and low-tech, characterized by a limited opportunity for technological learning and accumulation of technological capabilities. However, the process of industrialization in natural resources’ intensive industries in regions such as Latin America is poorly understood and there are scarce research investigating the process of technological catch-up systematically in industrial level, with rare exceptions. Based on evidence from sugarcane bioethanol industry in Brazil, this research explores a process of technological catch-up that has received little attention in the literature. To examine this issue, this research adopts a qualitative design based on a case study strategy at industry level, with extensive fieldwork and collection of firsthand empirical evidence with long-term coverage on 20 organizations. This research found that: (1) The technological trajectory’s evolution of sugarcane bioethanol industry in Brazil was characterized by the opening of a different direction from that mapped by existing technology leaders. This qualitative shift process of the dominant technological trajectory started during the early stages of technology development. So, the industry went through a trajectory of early entry in path-creating; (2) The evolution of this technological trajectory did not happen in a homogeneous way. Were found three relatively distinct patterns of accumulation of technological capabilities for specific technological functions (or areas): feedstock, agricultural processes and industrial processes. In feedstock and industrial processes technological functions there an accumulation of technological capabilities of global leadership, while in the agricultural processes technological function the accumulation of technological capabilities has not evolved beyond the intermediate level; (3) These capabilities were accumulated in a disperse way among industry’s actors (producer firms, research institutes, universities, suppliers, biotechnology companies and etc.) and made possible the opening of exploration of new businesses, albeit modestly exploited; (4) The subtle heterogeneity found in the patterns of technological capabilities accumulation was influenced by a combination of technological learning processes used by the industry over time. Finally, the research also found that this technological trajectory contributed to generate significant implications and was also influenced by other factors. Nevertheless, these results deserve more systematic research effort. Therefore, this research concludes that relevant technological positions, especially for industries from emerging economies, can be achieved through technological trajectories that are not based necessarily on dominant technologies, already exploited by world leaders in advanced economies. Thus, alternative processes of catch-up may be highly relevant for obtaining industrial progress. Furthermore, the research concludes that natural resources’ intensive industries offer opportunities for significant innovations and can be protagonists in this alternative catch-up process, particularly in the context of countries with abundance of natural resources. Therefore, this research contributes to generate new evidence and explanations that help us expand the notion of alternatives to the industrial and economic development in the context of emerging economies. In the debate on industrial and economic development, alternative technological trajectories, as well as intensive industries in natural resources, should receive special attention by public policy makers and business actions. / Esta tese diz respeito ao desenvolvimento tecnológico e inovação em indústrias intensivas em recursos naturais no contexto de economias emergentes. A tese explora como a acumulação de capacidades tecnológicas e os mecanismos de aprendizagem influenciaram a trajetória tecnológica na indústria de bioetanol de cana-de-açúcar no Brasil, durante o período de meados da década de 1970 a 2014. Muito se avançou na compreensão do processo de catch-up tecnológico de empresas e indústrias de economias emergentes. Contudo, essas pesquisas geralmente exploram o processo de catch-up tecnológico relacionado às trajetórias tecnológicas já mapeadas pelos líderes mundiais em indústrias de manufatura e transformação. Parte desses estudos ignora que o desenvolvimento de atividades industriais poderia ocorrer em indústrias intensivas em recursos naturais. Além disso, indústrias intensivas em recursos naturais são geralmente encapsuladas como commodities e low-tech, caracterizadas por uma limitada oportunidade de aprendizagem tecnológica e acumulação de capacidades tecnológicas. Entretanto, o processo de industrialização em indústrias intensivas em recursos naturais em regiões como a América Latina ainda é pouco compreendido e são escassas as pesquisas que investigam o processo de catch-up tecnológico em nível de indústria, com raras exceções. Baseando-se em evidências da indústria de bioetanol do Brasil, esta pesquisa explora um processo de catch-up tecnológico que tem recebido pouca atenção na literatura. Esta pesquisa adotou um desenho qualitativo com base em uma estratégia de estudo de caso em nível de indústria, com extensivo trabalho de campo e coleta de evidências empíricas de primeira mão com cobertura de longo prazo em 20 organizações. Esta pesquisa encontrou que: (1) a evolução da trajetória tecnológica da indústria de bioetanol no Brasil caracterizou-se pela abertura de uma direção distinta daquela mapeada por líderes tecnológicos existentes. Esse processo de desvio qualitativo da trajetória tecnológica dominante iniciou durante os primeiros estágios de desenvolvimento tecnológico. Assim, a indústria percorreu uma trajetória de entrada precoce em path-creating; (2) a evolução dessa trajetória tecnológica não se deu de maneira homogenia. Foram encontrados três padrões relativamente distintos de acumulação de capacidades tecnológicas para funções (ou áreas) tecnológicas específicas: feedstock, processos agrícolas e processos industriais. Nas funções de feedstock e processos industriais, houve acumulação de capacidades tecnológicas de liderança mundial, enquanto na função processos agrícolas a acumulação de capacidades tecnológicas não evoluiu além do nível intermediário; (3) essas capacidades foram acumuladas de forma dispersa entre os atores da indústria (empresas produtoras, institutos de pesquisa, universidades, fornecedores, empresas de biotecnologia etc.) e possibilitaram a abertura de oportunidades de exploração de novos negócios, ainda que modestamente aproveitadas; e (4) a sutil heterogeneidade encontrada nos padrões de acumulação de capacidades tecnológicas foi influenciada pela combinação de mecanismos de aprendizagem tecnológica utilizados pela indústria ao longo do tempo. Por fim, constatou-se também que essa trajetória tecnológica contribuiu para gerar implicações significativas e foi também influenciada por fatores outros. Não obstante, esses resultados merecem esforço de investigação mais sistemático, uma vez que foram examinados aqui de forma superficial. Concluiu-se, portanto, que posições tecnológicas relevantes, especialmente por indústrias de economias emergentes, podem ser alcançadas por meio de trajetórias tecnológicas que não se baseiam, necessariamente, em tecnologias dominantes, já exploradas por líderes mundiais, de economias avançadas. Assim, os processos alternativos de catch-up podem ser altamente relevantes para a obtenção de progresso industrial. Ademais, a pesquisa concluiu que as indústrias intensivas em recursos naturais oferecem oportunidades para inovações significativas, e podem ser protagonistas nesse processo de catch-up alternativo, particularmente no contexto de países abundantes em recursos naturais. Assim sendo, esta pesquisa contribui para gerar novas evidências e explicações que nos ajudem a ampliar a noção de alternativas para o desenvolvimento industrial e econômico no contexto de economias emergentes. No debate sobre desenvolvimento industrial e econômico, as trajetórias tecnológicas alternativas, bem como as indústrias intensivas em recursos naturais, deveriam receber uma atenção especial por parte de decisores de políticas públicas e de ações empresariais.

廠商人才培訓的探討，不論在國內外皆已成為組織研究、人力資源管理、商管等領域中極重要的研究議題之一。許多研究皆已指出台灣屬於後進學習型的國家，透過代工，不同產業在1980年代都進入全球商品鏈生產分工的半邊陲位置。然而，過去有關台灣或者經濟發展中國家如何技術學習的文獻中，很少深入討論技術接收國的廠商透過怎樣的人才培訓制度將技術深化到組織。本研究認為，員工技術學習的能力必須奠基在組織人才培訓制度的安排與制度環境的集體促進過程，一旦缺乏關照廠商人才培訓經驗的特性，將無法完整掌握臺灣企業組織技術學習的獨特性。本研究認為，要掌握台灣廠商人才培育經驗的特性，必須發展出台灣本土經驗的分析架構，而非不加反省地按照西方的觀點或者既有經濟學式的理性效率觀點進行解釋。奠基在深度訪問41家廠商，與其他相關人資協會、政府官員、教育訓練機構人員，總共72人的田野訪問資料，以及問卷調查122家廠商人才培育的經驗，試圖開展出屬於臺灣廠商人才培訓經驗的解釋框架，以掌握影響台灣後進學習廠商的人才培訓態度的制度機制以及理由邏輯。本研究發現，後進學習廠商的人才培訓經驗，必須更細緻地依照廠商在全球商品鏈的結構分工之生產技術立基(OEM/ODM)進行劃分，此相對應出的兩類「後進追趕學習」與「後進追趕創新」的組織人才培訓邏輯，可以適切地解釋台灣製造業廠商人才訓練的經驗。 / As far as firms’ training is concerned, it’s become a rather significant topic in both at home and abroad academic fields, such as organizational sociology, human resources management, and general business administration. Many studies have pointed out that Taiwan could be categorized as a “latecomer’s learning type” of country; as Taiwan’s OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers),starting in the 1980s, were joined into the global commodity chains and supply chains, and have earned semi-peripheral positions in the global division of production. However, so far, little is known about how technique-receiving countries like Taiwan pass techniques and skills into the organizational groups of people through the company’s training system. Besides that, employee skill learning heavily depends on the organizational training arrangement and instituted operational process; hence, if there is no consideration for companies’ training practices, Taiwan’s enterprise characteristics won’t be understood completely and a full picture of Taiwan’s business environment will continue to be unclear. Given a lack of related researches and references, this study emphasizes that to create a local analytical framework is more important than in light of theoretical points of view developed in Western societies or the existing efficiency viewpoint of economics-based rational interpretations. In order to explore further how manufacturing companies train their staff members and employees, this study will adopt both an in-depth interview method and questionnaires. Based on interviews with human resource managers at 41 companies, officers as well as leaders who are in charge of human resource associations and training institutes, the survey sample includes 72 interviewees. In addition, the study comprises accumulated training experiences from 122 companies as well. This research intends to not only develop an interpretative framework for Taiwan enterprises’ training experiences, but also seek out the influential mechanisms that may affect companies’ attitudes toward training. The main finding of this study needs to be emphasized is that Taiwan has a dual track of institutional logic for training; training practices that follow a level of technical foundation (which include OEMs and ODMs, Original Design Manufacturers) deeply embedded in the global commodity chain. And these OEM/ODM enterprises have developed two different training types, namely “latecomer’s pursuit of learning” and “latecomer’s pursuit of innovation”. These dual institutional logics for training could help to explain Taiwan manufacturers’ experiences appropriately.