著者

陳 韻如

出版者

日本経営学会

雑誌

日本経営学会誌 (ISSN:18820271)

巻号頁・発行日

no.11, pp.51-63, 2004-04-30

被引用文献数

1

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The firm that announces a format and forms a standard group is called a sponsor. It is often the case that the sponsor obtains the initiative in the defacto standard cases. However, the emergence of voluntary standard tells a different story. This research examines the process through which a non-sponsor obtains the initiative and has its technology adopted as the standard within a voluntary standard group. The research addresses an alternative view for adequately understanding the interaction mechanism in the voluntary standard process based on the notion of resource dependence perspective. Although a dynamic view is required, until now this perspective studies have been conducted using static analysis. This research proposes a conceptual framework that enables us to capture the process in a dynamic context. In conclusion, there are three findings on how non-sponsor Matsushita obtained the initiative in DVD standards groups. First, the essentiality of Matsushita's DVD-related technology and family relationships (subsidies, alliance partners etc.) constituted its power base, as it bargained to participate in the standard group (SD group). These resources were to contribute to SD group's advantage against rival group (MMCD group), enabling Matsushita to co-sponsor the format with Toshiba. Second, Matsushita strengthened its power within SD group by gradually enlarging the essentiality and the concentration of its resources in both technology and supporter aspects. The high essentiality of Matsushita's resources led its technology to be adopted by the group. Since the unification standard of DVD was developed on SD format, Matsushita's technology was incorporated into DVD standard. Third, the re-writable DVD standard discussed in the next stage was SD-RAM format, which was submitted by Matsushita. Matsushita reduced the substitutability of SD-RAM with other formats by licensing its re-writable technology in early stage to other participants in the DVD consortium. By doing so, Matsushita took the initiative and SD-RAM was widely adopted as the standard.