Existing innovation diffusion models assume that individual experience with the product is always communicated positively through word-of-mouth. For certain innovations, however, this assumption is tenuous since communicators of the product experience may transfer favorable, unfavorable, or...

In this paper we present an industry in which a pioneer has entered, accumulated capital in the form of goodwill, and in his monopoly period has also reduced his cost of production as a result of some form of learning by doing. At some later date a newcomer enters. His production cost is higher...

A model of the diffusion process is developed which recognizes (1) the interaction between adopters and non-adopters and (2) the influence of external information sources such as advertising. The model is extended by incorporating the effects of repeat purchasing. The models written by the...

One expectation of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the early stages of the cellular communications industry was that the presence of two licensees in each market would ensure competition, and thereby result in declining prices over time for both cellular phones (handsets) and...

A number of issues that relate to the desirability and implications of new venture financing are examined within a principal-agent framework that captures the essence of the relationship between entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. The model suggests: (1) As long as the skill levels of...

Based on a sample of 80 firms, this paper examines the risk/return performance of related and unrelated diversified firms at the level of accounting data. The results suggest that although on the average related diversified firms outperform unrelated diversified firms, related diversification...

The management of coordination gaps is critical to the effective functioning of a customer support team. To address the managerial challenge of designing Information Technology (IT) to facilitate coordination in customer support teams, this paper develops a framework describing the drivers of...

Existing single-adoption diffusion models assume a static (constant) ceiling on the number of adopters, that is, a constant population of potential adopters, over the entire time frame of the diffusion process. However, for most innovations this assumption is tenuous. Rather, the ceiling, or the...

In recent years, the U.S. corporate world has been dominated by a spectacular spate of mergers and acquisitions. Firms are seeking out partners that will provide them the necessary leverage to achieve their various growth and diversification goals. Based on the balance model developed by...

In highly dynamic environments, characterized by changing customer preferences and uncertainty about competitive products, managing the development of a new product is a complex managerial task. The traditional practice, recommended in the literature, of reaching a sharp definition early in the...