The Influence of Prior Industry Affiliation on Framing in Nascent Industries: The Evolution of Digital Cameras

Strategic Management Journal, Forthcoming

Posted: 29 Jan 2011

See all articles by Mary J. Benner

Mary J. Benner

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities - Carlson School of Management

Mary Tripsas

Technology Management Group, College of Engineering, UC Santa Barbara

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Date Written: November 17, 2010

Abstract

New industries sparked by technological change are characterized by high uncertainty. In this paper we explore how a firm's conceptualization of products in this context, as reflected by product feature choices, is influenced by prior industry affiliation. We study digital cameras introduced from 1991-2006 by firms from three prior industries. We hypothesize and find first, that prior industry experience shapes a set of shared beliefs resulting in similar and concurrent firm behavior, second, that firms notice and imitate the behaviors of firms from the same prior industry, and third, that as firms gain experience with particular features, the influence of prior industry decreases. This study extends previous research on firm entry into new domains by examining heterogeneity in firms' framing and feature-level entry choices.

Keywords: Technological Change, Innovation, Industry Evolution, Dominant Designs, Managerial Beliefs, Digital Photography

Suggested Citation

Benner, Mary J. and Tripsas, Mary, The Influence of Prior Industry Affiliation on Framing in Nascent Industries: The Evolution of Digital Cameras (November 17, 2010). Strategic Management Journal, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1719234

Mary J. Benner

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities - Carlson School of Management ( email )

19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
United States

Mary Tripsas (Contact Author)

Technology Management Group, College of Engineering, UC Santa Barbara ( email )

Santa Barbara, CA
United States

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