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© 1994 Oxford University Press

research-article

Search, Learning and Accumulation of Technological Competences; The Case of Optoelectronics

KUMIKO MIYAZAKI*

(Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Mantell Building, Falmer, Brighton BN 1 9RF, UK)

Abstract

In this paper, an analysts is made of the role of technological cumulativeness, search and learning in building technological competences. The sample consists of a set of seven Japanese and four European firms in the industrial, consumer electronics, communications and materials sectors, engaged in the field of optoelectronics. Three types of data on scientific publications, US patenting and interview data are used to examine how firms assimilate a radically new technology. It was possible to confirm empirically the role of path dependency and learning in building competences. It was also possible to show that competence building is a long, cumulative process characterized by trial and error and experimentation, which may eventually lead to fruitful outcomes. Firms search over a broader horizon initially and are able gradually to narrow down their search through a painstaking learning process.


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