{"id":{"repo_id":"cambridge","oai_identifier":"oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/236598"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cambridge/oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/236598","repository":{"repo_id":"cambridge","name":"Cambridge University","base_url":"https://api.repository.cam.ac.uk/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Make-buy decisions in the face of radical innovations.","abstract":"Some research in the area of make-buy decisions for new technologies suggests that it is a good idea for a company to pursue a fairly rigorous “make” policy in the early days of a potentially disruptive innovation. Other studies prescribe exactly the opposite, promoting instead a “buy” strategy. This lack of convergence points to the fact that the scheme of categorization used to analyze make-buy decisions in the face of radical innovations is not yet complete. Accordingly, this thesis builds upon prior work on make-buy decisions and disruptive technologies, and constructs two new hypotheses by introducing evidence from research in the areas of (1) supplier relationships and (2) industry clockspeed. Using a three-phase research design involving both case studies and a survey, this research shows that close relationships between customer firms and principal suppliers that are built on trust and personal relationships do not play an important long-term role in the development of radical innovations. Thus, while previous research in this area underlines the value of these relationships during the day-to-day operations of a business, this evidence draws into question whether they are helpful in the face of a radical innovation. The results also show that an industry’s clockspeed has no significant bearing on the success or failure of any particular make-buy strategy for a radical innovation. Because many of the prescriptive frameworks and strategic formulas put forward in the literature for make-buy decisions involving radical innovations are based on observations from fast clockspeed industries, this conclusion effectively broadens the potential applicability of prior research in this area.","abstract_html":"Some research in the area of make-buy decisions for new technologies suggests that it is a good idea for a company to pursue a fairly rigorous “make” policy in the early days of a potentially disruptive innovation. Other studies prescribe exactly the opposite, promoting instead a “buy” strategy. This lack of convergence points to the fact that the scheme of categorization used to analyze make-buy decisions in the face of radical innovations is not yet complete. Accordingly, this thesis builds upon prior work on make-buy decisions and disruptive technologies, and constructs two new hypotheses by introducing evidence from research in the areas of (1) supplier relationships and (2) industry clockspeed. Using a three-phase research design involving both case studies and a survey, this research shows that close relationships between customer firms and principal suppliers that are built on trust and personal relationships do not play an important long-term role in the development of radical innovations. Thus, while previous research in this area underlines the value of these relationships during the day-to-day operations of a business, this evidence draws into question whether they are helpful in the face of a radical innovation. The results also show that an industry’s clockspeed has no significant bearing on the success or failure of any particular make-buy strategy for a radical innovation. Because many of the prescriptive frameworks and strategic formulas put forward in the literature for make-buy decisions involving radical innovations are based on observations from fast clockspeed industries, this conclusion effectively broadens the potential applicability of prior research in this area.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Perrons, Robert Kirby"],"institution":"University of Cambridge","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2004,"date_issued":"2004-10-26","date_published":"2004-10-26","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:33:18Z","subjects":[],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/7af97bb5-657c-4056-8ed3-ffa666fa296f/download","https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.13988","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.doi"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Perrons, Robert Kirby"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2004-10-26"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cambridge"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby.uri","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby URI","values":["http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/236598","https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/236598"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/7af97bb5-657c-4056-8ed3-ffa666fa296f/download","https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["10.17863/CAM.13988"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/e3d035fc-61e9-42a9-bcb9-9bb93bdb61e8/download"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Some research in the area of make-buy decisions for new technologies suggests that it is a good idea for a company to pursue a fairly rigorous “make” policy in the early days of a potentially disruptive innovation. Other studies prescribe exactly the opposite, promoting instead a “buy” strategy. This lack of convergence points to the fact that the scheme of categorization used to analyze make-buy decisions in the face of radical innovations is not yet complete. Accordingly, this thesis builds upon prior work on make-buy decisions and disruptive technologies, and constructs two new hypotheses by introducing evidence from research in the areas of (1) supplier relationships and (2) industry clockspeed. Using a three-phase research design involving both case studies and a survey, this research shows that close relationships between customer firms and principal suppliers that are built on trust and personal relationships do not play an important long-term role in the development of radical innovations. Thus, while previous research in this area underlines the value of these relationships during the day-to-day operations of a business, this evidence draws into question whether they are helpful in the face of a radical innovation. The results also show that an industry’s clockspeed has no significant bearing on the success or failure of any particular make-buy strategy for a radical innovation. 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