Standards Battles for Complex Systems
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B&T29262-Erim Omslag vd Kaa_14apr09 STANDARDS BATTLES FOR COMPLEX SYSTEMS 166 GEERTEN VAN DE KAA EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ON THE HOME NETWORK Home networks combine components and technologies from the consumer electronics industry, the information technology industry, the telecommunications industry, and the home automation industry. Irrespective of the fact that the home network has been Standards Battles technically possible for many years, it has not become a practical reality. A major reason is DE KAA VAN GEERTEN Battles for Complex Systems - Standards the lack of generally accepted common standards. for Complex Systems In this dissertation we develop a framework with which we can explain and predict which standard will have the highest chance of achieving dominance. We applied the framework to several standards battles and it appeared that it can be used to explain Empirical Research on the Home Network these standards battles better, when compared to existing frameworks in the literature. We applied a multi-attribute utility approach to standard selection and provide a first indication of weights for factors. Also, we have studied two factors in depth: the diversity in the network of actors that support a standard; and the flexibility of the standard. We provide a first indication that these variables influence standard dominance positively and reinforce each other. ERIM Design & layout: B&T Ontwerp en advies (www.b-en-t.nl) Print: Haveka (www.haveka.nl) Design & layout: B&T Ontwerp en advies (www.b-en-t.nl) ERIM The Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM) is the Research School (Onder - zoek school) in the field of management of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The founding participants of ERIM are Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE). ERIM was founded in 1999 and is officially accredited by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). The research undertaken by ERIM is focussed on the management of the firm in its environment, its intra- and interfirm relations, and its business processes in their interdependent connections. The objective of ERIM is to carry out first rate research in management, and to offer an advanced doctoral programme in Research in Management. Within ERIM, over three hundred senior researchers and PhD candidates are active in the different research pro- grammes. From a variety of academic backgrounds and expertises, the ERIM community is united in striving for excellence and working at the forefront of creating new business knowledge. Erasmus Research Institute of ManagementErasmus Research - ERIM PhD Series Research in Management Erasmus Research Institute of Management - ERIM Tel. +31 10 408 11 82 ERIM Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) Fax +31 10 408 96 40 Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) E-mail [email protected] P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam Internet www.erim.eur.nl The Netherlands Standards Battles for Complex Systems Empirical Research on the Home Network 1 2 Standards Battles for Complex Systems Empirical Research on the Home Network Standaardisatie gevechten voor complexe systemen Empirisch onderzoek naar het in-huis netwerk Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam op gezag van de rector magnificus Prof.dr. S.W.J. Lamberts en volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties. De openbare verdediging zal plaatsvinden op dinsdag 26 mei 2009 om 13:30 uur door Geerten van de Kaa geboren te Breda 3 Promotiecommissie: Promotoren: Prof.dr.ir. J. van den Ende Prof.dr.ir. H. W. G. M. van Heck Overige leden: Prof.dr. K. Blind Prof.dr. J. van Hillegersberg Dr. I. Oshri Co-promotor: Dr.ir. H. J. de Vries Erasmus Research Institute of Management – ERIM Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) Erasmus University Rotterdam Internet: http://www.erim.eur.nl ERIM Electronic Series Portal: http://hdl.handle.net/1765/1 ERIM PhD Series in Research in Management, 166 Reference number ERIM: EPS-2009-166-ORG ISBN 978-90-5892-205-2 © 2009, G. van de Kaa Design: B&T Ontwerp en advies www.b-en-t.nl Print: Haveka www.haveka.nl All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author. 4 voor Aafke Julian en Thijmen 5 6 PREFACE The first time that I heard about the idea of industries converging with each other resulting in new technologies was during my Master’s degree. I was immediately drawn to the subject and to home networks in particular. Imagine a refrigerator that can scan its contents and order products by itself. Or a television with which you can communicate with your doctor without leaving your home. At that time, now almost 10 years ago, such technological developments were technically possible but had not yet been realized. If these innovations are possible, why are they not available? In 2004, I began my PhD research on the standardization of broadband home networks. At times my research has been somewhat stressful, conducted as it was while at the same time finishing deliverables for an external project (the B@Home project), teaching students how to conduct research, endless evenings and nights spent collecting data, and so on. But in the end I can say that I look back on the last five years with satisfaction. I could never have accomplished this without the help of many people. First of all, I would like to thank Jan van den Ende who taught me how to conduct good research and inspired me to get the most out of my work - I can never thank him enough. Henk de Vries taught me a lot about standardization and through him I came in contact with several key people from the standardization community. Eric van Heck, although working in another department at the RSM and ERIM made frequent and valuable contributions to my work. I would like to thank my former colleagues at the Department of Management of Technology and Innovation (RSM), many of whom have become friends over the years. Special thanks go out to my former roommate Ferdinand Jaspers for the sharing of experience concerning fatherhood and the many fruitful discussions about each others work. Special thanks to the members of the B@Home project and of the Freeband program. I would like to thank Frank den Hartog who taught me a lot about the technical aspects of home networking standards. Special thanks go to the vice president of standardization at Philips, Mr. Eddy Odijk, who helped me to understand the many complexities that exist for companies active in home networking. I would like to thank the people at the Standardization and Innovation in Information Technology conference in 2007 for participating in the Analytic Hierarchy Process interviews (which consisted of 293 questions in total). I would like to thank the many graduate students who I supervised during the years, some of whom helped me in carrying out my research: I am very grateful to them. I want to thank Cees van Beers for providing me with the opportunity to finish my dissertation at Delft University of Technology, and my other colleagues at the Department of Innovation Systems. i 7 My father is my role model. I am grateful to have learned so much from him. He worked very hard during his career and he even pursued a PhD degree - this makes me very proud. My mother has always been there for me and I could always talk to her about everything. I thank my brothers and my sister in law for their support during the years. And of course, I want to thank my grandmother. Furthermore, I would like to thank my father in law, Ad Voois, who encouraged me to think outside the box. My mother in law, Nanny Voois, has been a continuing source of support over the years. Finally, I would like to dedicate this book to Aafke and our two sons, Julian and Thijmen, who bring me great joy. Geerten van de Kaa Delft, April 2009 ii 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ........................................................................................................................................................................i Table of contents .....................................................................................................................................................iii List of figures ............................................................................................................................................................v List of tables............................................................................................................................................................vii 1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Research problem ......................................................................................................................................1 1.2 Research questions ....................................................................................................................................5 1.3 Theoretical positioning..............................................................................................................................6 1.4 Theoretical and practical aims................................................................................................................12 1.5 Outline of the study..................................................................................................................................12