Investigation of Strategic Changes Using Patent Co-Inventor Network Analysis: The Case of Samsung Electronics

Sungchul Choi and Hyunseok Park
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Sungchul Choi: Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13120, Korea
Hyunseok Park: Department of Information System, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea

Sustainability, 2016, vol. 8, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to propose a method to investigate a firm’s strategic changes. Technologies or technological capabilities are a major resource for achieving competitive advantages, so a firm’s R&D effort to improve capabilities on specific technologies is aligned with strategic direction. Therefore, this research analyzes changes in R&D efforts by identifying key R&D personnel using patent co-inventor network and social network analysis. Based on characteristics of application and granted patents, the method analyzes current and future R&D efforts and so identifies strategic changes of a firm. We conducted an empirical analysis using the patents of Samsung Electronics. Our method analyzed the current and future strategies of Samsung Electronics and the result shows clear strategic changes in their focal technologies and business.

Keywords: patent co-inventor analysis; technological capability; social network analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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