Information Technology and the Dynamics of Firm and Industrial Structure: The British IT Consulting Industry as a Contemporary Specimen

Kenneth L. Simons

No 01/2, Royal Holloway, University of London: Discussion Papers in Economics from Department of Economics, Royal Holloway University of London

Abstract: The internet is often anticipated to have disruptive competitive impacts, causing upstart firms to overthrow incumbent market leaders. This paper uses the UK IT consulting industry as a test case to see whether such competitive impacts of the internet might already be occurring. Comparable possible impacts of the introduction of personal computers are also considered. Findings regarding the entry, exit, growth, and technology-related areas of business for new entrants and incumbents over a period of three decades suggest that the internet did not have such a radical effect on market structure by the year 2000.

Keywords: Internet; disruptive technology; market structure; computers; IT consultancies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O32 L1 L86 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2001-08, Revised 2001-08
View list of references

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.rhul.ac.uk/economics/Research/WorkingPapers/pdf/dpe0102.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hol:holodi:0102

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from
Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK.

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Royal Holloway, University of London: Discussion Papers in Economics from Department of Economics, Royal Holloway University of London
Address: Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK.
Series data maintained by Claire Blackman ().