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Journal Name: Annals of Business Administrative Science: Vol.3, No.2 April 2004
Online ISSN: 1347-4456, Print ISSN: 1347-4464
Contents
Quasi-open product architecture and technological lock-in:
An exploratory study on the Chinese motorcycle industry(pp.15-24)
GE, D. FUJIMOTO, T.
Abstract:
From the perspective of product architecture, we attempt to explore the reasons why the Chinese motorcycle companies are stuck in the imitation of focal models of foreign makers, on the other hand expanding their production volume to the No.1 position in the world. We propose that the architectural transformation of the original focal models to quasi-open ones mainly through horizontal coordination among local suppliers is the possible mechanism, which blocks the assemblers’ paths of accumulating product development capability. This happens at the stage of structural form duplication, which weakens their incentives to progress further and reverse engineering stage.
Keyword: quasi-open architecture, technological lock-in, supplier, motorcycle, China
©2003 Global Business Research Center. All rights reserved
(This journal is available online at: http://www.gbrc.org/)
Posted with permission from the publisher.
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