Vertical integration and the portability of skill sets in high tech industries
Name
42076335-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
1.49 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
179225c2e8c32a4cd3c641943dae9cce
Author(s)
Siebach, Benjamin D. (Benjamin David), 1968-
Advisor(s)
Thomas W. Eagar and Donald B. Rosenfield.
Date Issued
1998
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Some companies use vertical integration to enter higher growth businesses and gain higher margins. Attractive business opportunities often appear just beyond one's stage in a value chain, leading companies to grasp for another stage's profits. However, the skill set one builds in a particular stage of a high tech value chain is often not portable to another stage in the same chain, offering a potential pitfall to those who seek to vertically integrate. This thesis explores the experience of one company's efforts to integrate vertically to capture profits enjoyed by their customers. Through a lack of appreciation for the complexity of the downstream manufacturing operations and a lack of portable competence, the firm failed to gain the hoped for revenues. Additionally, by focusing on new businesses, this company also lost some of the competence they had in their traditional business.
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1998.
Includes bibliographical references (leaf 30).
Subjects
Materials Science and Engineering
Sloan School of Management
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Sloan School of Management
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
