Incumbent Resurgence: Lessons from the U.S. Machine Tool Industry, 1975-2000

该提案旨在研究美国机床行业的企业对环境变化的适应性，了解影响企业向计算机数控设计和模块化生产技术过渡的能力的因素，以及与客户的更广泛的关系。许多美国制造商缺乏应对的技能，因此该行业的就业及其对国内经济的重要性大幅下降。然而，其他公司不仅生存下来，而且在变化的环境中蓬勃发展。本研究将追踪1975年至2000年间美国机床行业现有企业对该行业所面临的技术和市场挑战的反应，以辨别失败企业和幸存企业之间的差异。以前的研究主要集中在导致行为惯性的因素上，对企业在没有表现出惯性时如何行动或这些行为如何影响业绩几乎没有提供任何见解。研究人员认为，现有企业可能会对变革表现出三种反应：（1）他们可能会继续现有的战略;（2）他们可能会模仿新进入者的产品;或者（3）他们可能会在现有产品和竞争对手提供的产品之外进行创新。企业制定的战略及其对企业生存和绩效的影响，预计将取决于企业在竞争挑战中的能力的适应性。因此，本研究超越了现存的文献，通过实证研究生存和绩效之间的权衡，通过关注激进的技术变革的幸存者，并通过探索积累的能力和企业选择的相对影响，影响这些结果。

This proposal seeks to examine the adaptation of firms in the U.S. machine tool industry to changes in their environment, to understand the factors affecting firms' capability to transition to computer-numerically controlled designs and modular production techniques, as well as more extended relationships with customers required by this equipment. Many U.S. manufacturers lacked the skills to respond, and as a result employment in the industry and its importance to the domestic economy was substantially reduced. Nevertheless, other firms not only survived but thrived in the changed environment. This study will trace the responses of U.S. machine tool incumbents to the technological and market challenges facing the industry between 1975 and 2000 to discern the differences between failing and surviving firms.Prior studies have focused on factors that lead to behavioral inertia, offering little insight for how firms act when not demonstrating inertia, or how performance is affected by these behaviors. The researchers suggest that incumbents may exhibit three types of responses to change: (1) They may continue with their existing strategy; (2) they may imitate new entrants' products; or (3) they may innovate away from both their existing products and those offered by rivals. The strategy a firm enacts, and its effect on the firm's survival and performance is expected to depend upon the adaptability of the firm's competencies at the time of competitive challenge. Thus this study goes beyond extant literature by empirically investigating the proposed tradeoff between survival and performance, by focusing on survivors of radical technological change, and by exploring the relative influence of accumulated competencies and firm choice in affecting these outcomes.