@phdthesis{Zidorn2012,
  author    = {Zidorn, Wilfried},
  title     = {Alliances and R\&D activites in the Biotechnology Industry},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-75483},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {This dissertation is divided into three studies by addressing the following constitutive research questions in the context of the biotechnology industry: (1) How do different types of inter-firm alliances influence a firm's R\&D activity? (2) How does an increasing number and diversity of alliances in a firm's alliance portfolio affect its R\&D activity? (3) What is the optimal balance between exploration and exploitation? (1) To answer these research questions the first main chapter analyzes the impact of different types of alliances on the R\&D activities of successful firms in the biotechnology industry. Following the use of a new approach to measuring changes in research activities, the results show that alliances are used to specialize in a certain research field, rather than to enter a completely new market. This effect becomes smaller when the equity involvement of the partners in the alliance project increases. (2) The second main chapter analyzes the impact on innovation output of having heterogeneous partners in a biotechnology firm's alliance portfolio. Previous literature has stressed that investment in the heterogeneity of partners in an alliance portfolio is more important than merely engaging in multiple collaborative agreements. The analysis of a unique panel dataset of 20 biotechnology firms and their 8,602 alliances suggests that engaging in many alliances generally has a positive influence on a firm's innovation output. Furthermore, maintaining diverse alliance portfolios has an inverted U-shaped influence on a firm's innovation output, as managerial costs and complexity levels become too high. (3) And the third main chapter investigates whether there is an optimal balance to be found between explorative and exploitative innovation strategies. Previous literature states that firms that are ambidextrous (i.e., able to focus on exploration and exploitation simultaneously) tend to be more successful. Using a unique panel dataset of 20 leading biotechnology firms and separating their explorative and exploitative research, the chapter suggests that firms seeking to increase their innovation output should avoid imbalances between their explorative and exploitative innovation strategies. Furthermore, an inverted U-shaped relationship between a firm's relative research attention on exploration and its innovation output is found. This dissertation concludes with the results of the dissertation, combines the findings, gives managerial implications and proposes areas for potential further research.},
  subject      = {Biotechnologische Industrie},
  language  = {en}
}