Title:
THE PRIORITY OF FIRM COMPETENCE DEVELOPING FOR TAIWANESE FLAT PANEL DISPLAY: BASED ON RBT AND EXTENDED CASE STUDY PERSPECTIVE

Authors:
Peng-Jung Lin, Ching-Kuei Kao, China

Abstract:

Previous studies have illustrated that corporate competence types should be developed sequentially; however, few studies have clearly indicated which type of competence a firm should first develop to facilitate attaining other follow-up competence types. This study explored whether a firm with limited resources should first develop technological competence. By longitudinally the extended case study method tracking two Taiwan panel equipment manufacturers for 8 years, the ideal competence development path for manufacturers was determined: to first exploit technological competence and subsequently apply it to facilitate attaining market competence. This study indicated that corporate competence development was determined by resource characteristics, learning mechanisms, and development paths. If firms possess improvement resources, then they should apply an internal to external development path; in other words, these firms should first exploit technological competence and then apply the intraorganizational learning mechanisms to facilitate attaining market competence.