European Business Schools Librarian's Group

Working Papers,
Copenhagen Business School, Department of Informatics

No 2004-2: Make or buy of IT-enabled innovation

Volker Mahnke
Additional contact information
Volker Mahnke: Department of Informatics, Copenhagen Business School, Postal: Department of Informatics, Copenhagen Business School, Howitzvej 60 , DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark

Abstract: IT-enabled innovations are of increasing importance for competitive success in most sectors today. This paper offers a novel theoretical and empirically illustrated explanation of why IT-outsourcing strategies differ between innovative first-movers, fast followers and late entrants. In particular, an analysis of three companies in the financial sector - Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investment, and Merrill Lynch - reveals that governance choices influence a company’s ap-propriable learning curve advantage to slow down or speed up adoption and imitation of IT-enabled innovation. Moreover, we discuss the implications of governance choices in techno-logical environments characterised by either accumulation or disruption.

Keywords: IT-enabled innovation; outsourcing; technological regime; strategic posture; first-mover advantages; financial services; online brokerage

JEL-codes: O30

36 pages, September 20, 2004

Full text files

6488 PDF-file 

Download statistics

Questions (including download problems) about the papers in this series should be directed to Lars Nondal ()
Report other problems with accessing this service to Sune Karlsson ().

This page generated on 2024-02-12 04:36:26.