Research Seminar by Prof. Nathan Furr

The Chair of Entrepreneurship invites you to a brown bag research seminar with Prof. Nathan Furr, Associate Professor of Strategy at INSEAD.

Date: Friday, 25 September 2020
Time: 12:30 - 13:30
Location: ETH Zurich, WEV H 326 (Weinbergstrasse 56/58, Zurich)

Title: Architects and Bottlenecks: The Impact of Component and Complement Strategy on Firm Survival in the Solar PV Industry

Abstract:
Although ecosystems play a critical role in the ability of a focal firm to create and capture value, we have limited understanding of how the roles non-focal firms choose to play contribute to their survival. In the context of the maturing solar photovoltaic industry, we examine how the choice to produce bottleneck, non-bottleneck, and architectural components or complements for focal firms impacts the survival of non-focal firms. By taking this wider view of the ecosystem, we observe that the larger ecosystem follows a different lifecycle than that of the focal industry, expanding while the focal industry contracts following a dominant design. Furthermore, we observe that although producing bottleneck and architectural ecosystem elements has survival benefits relative to producing non-bottleneck elements, producing elements that combine both has the greatest survival benefit. Furthermore, the dynamics of how non-focal firms navigate to these spaces—either through diversification or divestiture—also impacts their performance.

Co-authors: Anna Szerb (INSEAD)

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About the Speaker: Nathan Furr is an Associate Professor of Strategy at INSEAD, where he teaches innovation and technology strategy. Nathan earned his PhD from the Stanford Technology Ventures Program at Stanford University and holds BA, MA and MBA degrees from Brigham Young University. He has held permanent or visiting positions at INSEAD, ESSEC, and BYU. external pageMore infocall_made

An overview with upcoming and past research seminars can be found here.