In dieser Studie analysieren wir die Interaktionen zwischen Multiproduktwettbewerb und drei Aspekten von Innovation: Research Joint Ventures mit asymmetrischen Unternehmen, Neue Produkteinführung, und Innovation mit Multiproduktunternehmen. Wir untersuchen Mechanismen und Effekte, die einen Einfluß auf die Marktstruktur, das Marktverhalten und das Marktergebnis ausüben, indem wir theoretische Modelle analysieren und empirische strukturelle Modelle schätzen. Diese Arbeit gliedert sich wie folgt: Kapitel 2 verdeutlicht die Interaktion von Multiproduktwettbewerb und der Innovationstätigkeit von Unternehmen. Wir präsentieren die gegenwärtigen theoretischen and empirischen Arbeiten auf dem Gebiet der Innovationen. In Kapitel 3 analysieren wir die Effekte zwischen Multiproduktwettbewerb und Anreize von asymmetrischen Unternehmen, Innovationen zu betreiben und Research Joint Ventures zu gründen. In Kapitel 4 und 5 konzentrieren wir uns auf die Interaktion zwischen Multiproduktwettbewerb und neuer Produkteinführung. Wir präsentieren zwei theoretische Modelle über vertikale Produktdifferenzierung und untersuchen die Anreize für die etablierten Unternehmen neue Produkte mit unterschiedlicher Qualität in den Markt einzuführen. Unternehmen können hierbei entscheiden, ob sie die vorigen Produkte weiterhin im Markt anbieten oder aus dem Markt ziehen. In Kapitel 6 untersuchen wir den Zusammenhang zwischen Multiproduktwettbewerb und Innovation mit Multiproduktunternehmen. Das Verhalten von Multiproduktunternehmen unterscheidet sich von Einzelproduktunternehmen, da Output- und Produkteinführungsentscheidungen auf zentraler Ebene getroffen werden. Wir analysieren die ,Dynamic Random Access Memory' Industrie (DRAM chips sind Halbleiterchips) mit Berücksichtigung von Multiproduktunternehmen und untersuchen Spillovers, Skalenerträge und Lerneffekte, als auch das Verhalten der Unternehmen im Produktmarkt und die Dynamik über den Produktlebenszyklus. In Kapitel 7 fassen wir die Forschungsergebnisse zusammen und bewerten diese im Kontext der gegenwärtigen Forschung. Darüber hinaus schlagen wir weitere Aspekte für zukünftige Forschungsarbeiten auf diesem Gebiet vor. Schließlich beschreiben wir in Kapitel 8 die Datenbanken, die in unseren empirischen Analysen Anwendung finden. email: siebert@medea.wz-berlin.de / In this study we theoretically and empirically analyze the interactions between multiproduct competition and three aspects of innovation: Research Joint Ventures with asymmetric firms, new product introduction, and innovation with multiproduct firms. We investigate the main mechanisms and effects that impact on market structure, behavior and performance by analyzing theoretical and estimating structural models.The thesis is structured as follows: Chapter 2 provides insights into how multiproduct competition may interact with innovation. We survey current theoretical and empirical results on the literature of innovation. In Chapter 3, we analyze the effect of multiproduct competition on the incentives of asymmetric firms to innovate and to form a Research Joint Venture. In Chapters 4 and 5 we concentrate on the interrelation between multiproduct competition and new product introduction. We present two theoretical models of vertical product differentiation and investigate the incentives for incumbent firms to introduce new products in different quality areas. Firms are allowed to keep or withdraw their original products from the market. In Chapter 6 we will focus on the link between multiproduct competition and innovation with multiproduct firms. Multiproduct firms behave differently in the product market compared to single product firms. Decisions for product innovation or output are taken at a centralized level, so that a multiproduct firm takes the effects on other products into account. We analyze the Dynamic Random Access Memory industry (DRAM chips are semiconductor chips) with respect to multiproduct firms and investigate the Spillover, Economies of Scale, and Learning by Doing effects, as well as firms' behaviour in the product market, and the dynamics over the product life cycle. In Chapter 7 we summarize the results, assess the new research findings in the context of contributions to current research, and provide suggestions for future research. Finally, in Chapter 8 we provide a description of the databases we used in our empirical studies. email: siebert@medea.wz-berlin.de

This study examined how online social networking (OSN) leads to increased communication and collaboration across inter-firm boundaries. This online social networking behaviour represents significant opportunities to firms in the form of improved problem-solving, increased collaborative innovation and enhanced engagement with stakeholders. There are also risks inherent in the widespread use of OSNs, such as the loss of control over information flows to individuals outside the organization, potential damage to the reputation of brands and organizations, and loss of productivity due to excessive usage of OSNs during work hours. In particular, this study sought to test four research propositions, specifically, that usage of one particular OSN, LinkedIn (LI), results in: 1) an increased number of inter-firm connections; 2) an improved ability to communicate across inter-firm boundaries; 3) greater access to problem solving or innovation collaborators; 4) increased organizational problem solving or innovation ability. The study methodology involved both quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative portion of the study involved survey research among over 500 LinkedIn (LI) users to determine changes they reported in various dimensions related to inter-firm relationship-forming, information-sharing and collaborative problem solving since using LI. The sampling approach was purposive and the sample frame consisted of the researcher’s own extended LI network, and an effort was also made to make the survey link available to all LI members through public posting in the site’s Q&A section. Though no individual or group was systematically excluded from the opportunity to take the survey, some limitations are inherent in the approach taken. The survey respondents were self-selecting, which makes it difficult to confirm that the sample is reflective of all LI users. Also, the use of the researcher’s own LI network as a key source of survey respondents may have biased the study toward more open networkers, since the researcher’s network was built up over time by practicing open networking behaviours. As a result, the sample may tend to under-represent more closed or restrictive networkers. Notwithstanding these limitations, no one particular group of respondents was excluded from the opportunity to take the survey, and the resulting data suggests that there were significant numbers of respondents who considered themselves closed networkers. Also, the spread of respondents by geographic area, occupation and age was found to resemble published statistics from LI on its user base, so it appears that the data is reasonably reflective of the LI user base, though this would be difficult to verify or measure. Qualitative research was also undertaken among senior managers at companies that have embraced the use of OSNs by staff to determine their experiences along similar dimensions. The findings from the quantitative survey showed that users of LI have experienced an increased number of social connections with individuals as a result of using LI, and that these connections are often with people in other organizations, including competitors and customers. Survey respondents also reported that they have been able to draw upon their LI networks in order to solve problems and be more innovative in their work. Analysis of the qualitative research yielded a list of suggested best practices that could be adopted by firms wishing to harness the collaborative power of OSNs. These suggested best practices have been grouped under the areas of strategy, listening, communication, guidelines, training, diffusion and measurement. Some suggested areas for future research included: the role of performance measurement and reward systems in managing OSN usage behaviour; the organizational risks of centralized versus decentralized control of messaging via OSNs; the role of training in the effective deployment of OSNs in an organizational context; and the organizational risk of increased connectedness with competitors resulting from OSN relationships. / Business Management / D.B.L.

. / Corporate acquisitions are classified as part of “the market for corporate control” in which management teams are facing constant competition from other management teams. If the team that currently controls a company is not maximizing the value of the company’s assets, then an acquisition will likely occur and increase the value of the company by replacing its poor managers with good managers. This dissertation focus on two issues on mergers, the first compares the strategy between mergers and joint ventures. The second investigate how much liquidity should the acquirer preserve and what is the equilibrium price of the acquired firm in considering the merger strategy. Drawing upon the incomplete contract theory, I examine the criterion of the strategic choice between joint ventures (JVs) and mergers when two firms contemplate vertical integration. The model reaches the following conclusions: (1) some ownership provision to the acquired company after the mergers may prove to be more lucrative to the acquirer than 100% takeover; (2) given the same equity share arrangement for JVs and mergers I conclude that these two firms should choose to merge or be merged rather than JVs; (3) I derive the optimal equity share arrangement in both JVs and mergers when ownership provision is considered as a strategic means. In addition, I also compare the welfare and effort of both companies in JVs and mergers under symmetric cost structures, and find that mergers would provide greater social efficiency and welfare than 50-50 JVs when the acquirer’s equity share is between 30% and 65%. Firms are concerned that they may in the future be deprived of the funds that would enable them to take advantage of exciting growth prospects, strengthen existing investments or simply stay alive. I specifically examine a firm’s liquidity need in order to grasp any future opportunity of mergers and acquisitions. However, a firm’s manager (borrower) can shed his interim wrongdoings (misbehavior) under the pretext of further financial need for mergers and acquisitions because he knows that he can easily raise sufficient cash from lenders to cover any adverse shock. My study derives the conditions that when this soft-budget-constraint (SBC) problem will occur. It happens when the interim income is small. Moreover, I analyze how the purchase price of acquisition is affected by this soft-budget-constraint syndrome. If there is SBC problem, the acquisition price will be raised by the investors when the interim income is small. Besides, a firm with severe moral hazard problem will be merely able to offer a smaller purchase price for the acquisition. On the contrast, a firm with a stronger balance sheet will be able to secure a greater credit line and offer a more attractive price for the acquisition. The empirical study of U.S. firms during 1988 to 2006 supports my conclusions.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 181-198) / The research explored the partnership of Namutamba Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) in Uganda with its main donor, the Neukirchener Mission (NM). The review of the literature focused on empowerment, NGO partnerships and organisational sustainability. The achievements and challenges of the partnership of the NRC with the NM regarding the organisational sustainability of the NRC were identified by evaluating documents of both partners, individual interviews and focus group discussions of stakeholders of NRC. In brief, the relationship of NRC with the NM was characterised as a dependent partnership due to the power imbalance between the partners and the resource dependency of NRC. It was recommended that the NRC and the NM focus on creating greater self-reliance of NRC while attempting to develop an authentic partnership. This might have wide reaching consequences not only for the sustainability of NRC but also for the services offered to persons with disabilities in Central Uganda. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

This study examined how online social networking (OSN) leads to increased communication and collaboration across inter-firm boundaries. This online social networking behaviour represents significant opportunities to firms in the form of improved problem-solving, increased collaborative innovation and enhanced engagement with stakeholders. There are also risks inherent in the widespread use of OSNs, such as the loss of control over information flows to individuals outside the organization, potential damage to the reputation of brands and organizations, and loss of productivity due to excessive usage of OSNs during work hours. In particular, this study sought to test four research propositions, specifically, that usage of one particular OSN, LinkedIn (LI), results in: 1) an increased number of inter-firm connections; 2) an improved ability to communicate across inter-firm boundaries; 3) greater access to problem solving or innovation collaborators; 4) increased organizational problem solving or innovation ability. The study methodology involved both quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative portion of the study involved survey research among over 500 LinkedIn (LI) users to determine changes they reported in various dimensions related to inter-firm relationship-forming, information-sharing and collaborative problem solving since using LI. The sampling approach was purposive and the sample frame consisted of the researcher’s own extended LI network, and an effort was also made to make the survey link available to all LI members through public posting in the site’s Q&A section. Though no individual or group was systematically excluded from the opportunity to take the survey, some limitations are inherent in the approach taken. The survey respondents were self-selecting, which makes it difficult to confirm that the sample is reflective of all LI users. Also, the use of the researcher’s own LI network as a key source of survey respondents may have biased the study toward more open networkers, since the researcher’s network was built up over time by practicing open networking behaviours. As a result, the sample may tend to under-represent more closed or restrictive networkers. Notwithstanding these limitations, no one particular group of respondents was excluded from the opportunity to take the survey, and the resulting data suggests that there were significant numbers of respondents who considered themselves closed networkers. Also, the spread of respondents by geographic area, occupation and age was found to resemble published statistics from LI on its user base, so it appears that the data is reasonably reflective of the LI user base, though this would be difficult to verify or measure. Qualitative research was also undertaken among senior managers at companies that have embraced the use of OSNs by staff to determine their experiences along similar dimensions. The findings from the quantitative survey showed that users of LI have experienced an increased number of social connections with individuals as a result of using LI, and that these connections are often with people in other organizations, including competitors and customers. Survey respondents also reported that they have been able to draw upon their LI networks in order to solve problems and be more innovative in their work. Analysis of the qualitative research yielded a list of suggested best practices that could be adopted by firms wishing to harness the collaborative power of OSNs. These suggested best practices have been grouped under the areas of strategy, listening, communication, guidelines, training, diffusion and measurement. Some suggested areas for future research included: the role of performance measurement and reward systems in managing OSN usage behaviour; the organizational risks of centralized versus decentralized control of messaging via OSNs; the role of training in the effective deployment of OSNs in an organizational context; and the organizational risk of increased connectedness with competitors resulting from OSN relationships. / Business Management / D.B.L.

Cette recherche a eu pour but principal de montrer, à travers l’exemple de l’industrie informatique dans les années 90, que la stratégie de partenariat est aujourd’hui devenue un outil essentiel pour permettre aux entreprises à la tête d’une industrie à forte innovation technologique, confrontée à des changements structurels importants, et en particulier à la désintégration menant au leadership technologique partagé, de maintenir leur position dominante. <p> <p>Les quatre parties du travail constituent une suite logique d’étapes contribuant chacune à valider la thèse: la partie I porte sur la synthèse des principaux courants de la littérature scientifique sur les accords de collaboration et leur relation avec l’évolution des industries. Le but poursuivi dans la partie II est de décrire les changements intervenus dans l’industrie informatique au cours des années 90 et de formuler l’hypothèse d’une relation entre ces changements et la stratégie des firmes dans le domaine des accords de collaboration. Cette hypothèse est vérifiée empiriquement dans les parties III et IV à l’aide d’une banque de données sur les accords de collaboration. La partie III du travail présente les résultats descriptifs et la partie IV les résultats analytiques permettant de valider l’hypothèse.<p> / Doctorat en sciences de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Water has been classified as an increasingly stress resource, according to the last World Water Development Report. Concerns about clean drinking water and water sanitation are also focal points of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Moreover, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), as well as start-ups, are interested in water management innovation and reaching countries with difficult access. This project is motivated by a desire to identify and classify the challenges of reaching water-stressed regions or people living at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) that are facing water scarcity as well as the aim to recognize approaches of how partnerships - strategic alliances, joint ventures, co-opetition, and buyer-supplier relationship - address some of those challenges. The importance of partnerships, their specific motives, and the assets and activities interchanged in each experience, have been examined through different interviews. By focusing attention on the relation between challenges, partnerships, and business model levels, this paper suggests that partnerships are essential to reach emerging markets, but not all of them are valuable at the earlier stages of a start-up. In addition, according to the challenges that are expected to address, a particular type of partnership should be established, which implies different adaptations in the business model. Therefore, the contribution of this study is to provide orientation to small companies on how to use partnerships based on the challenges to overcome reaching regions with water scarcity. / Vatten har klassificerats som en resurs som allt mer drabbas av vattenstress enligt senaste rapporten från World Water Development. Bekymmer om rent dricksvatten och vattenrening hamnar i fokus i de Globala målen för hållbar utveckling (SDG). Dessutom fokuserar små till medelstora företag och startups är intresserade av innovation inom vatten management och att nå länder där tillgång till vatten är svår. Detta projekt motiveras av en vilja att identifiera och klassificera utmaningarna av att nå vattenstressade regioner och människorna som lever i botten av pyramiden (BOP) som drabbas av vattenbrist och att hitta de metoder som med samarbetspartners, strategiska samarbeten, samriskföretag och leverantörssamarbeten kan hjälpa med dessa utmaningar. Betydelsen av samarbeten, deras specifika mål och tillgångar och aktiviteter som spridits i form av utbyte för varje händelse har examinerats genom olika intervjuer. Genom att fokusera på sammanhanget mellan utmaningarna, samarbeten och olika nivåer av affärsmodeller föreslår denna studie att samarbeten är grundläggande för att kunna nå utvecklingsområden, men inte alla är viktiga i de tidigare skeden i en startup. Dessutom enligt de utmaningar som uppkommer, en speciell typ av samarbete ska etableras som innebär olika anpassningar av affärsmodellen. Därför bidrar denna studie till att ge små företag riktlinjer på hur man använder sammarbetspartnerskap baserat på utmaningarna för att nå de regioner som har vattenbrist.