Why do complementors participate? : an empirical analysis of the emergence of partnership networks in the enterprise application software industry

Kude, Thomas; Dibbern, Jens; Arndt, Jens-Magnus; Heinzl, Armin (2009). Why do complementors participate? : an empirical analysis of the emergence of partnership networks in the enterprise application software industry (Working Paper Series in Business Administration and Information Systems 06/2009). Mannheim: University of Mannheim, Department of Business Administration and Information Systems

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The enterprise application software industry is currently undergoing profound changes. The well-established, large providers (hubs) are fostering partner networks with small complementors (spokes). This paper takes the perspective of these spokes and seeks to understand their motivations for partnering. Drawing on research on dynamic capabilities and complementarity, an explanatory model of the spokes’ motivation to partner is developed. It is argued that partnering is especially attractive for smaller organizations when it enables them to access the hub’s complementary commercial, technological, and social capital. The model is empirically examined through a post hoc analysis of 17 small enterprises. The study reveals that the hub’s reputation as part of its social capital as well as its commercial capital indeed act as reasons to participate in partnership networks. In contrast, the hub’s technological capabilities may be seen as a double-edged sword. While the hub’s capability to provide integrated systems was found to be a prime reason for partnering, its innovative capability may actually detain spokes from partnering. The negative influence of the hub’s innovativeness, however, was found to be contingent upon the type of solutions offered by hub and spoke. The same holds true for the positive effect of the hub’s commercial capital.

Item Type:

Working Paper

Division/Institute:

03 Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences > Department of Business Management > Institute of Information Systems
03 Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences > Department of Business Management > Institute of Information Systems > Information Engineering

UniBE Contributor:

Dibbern, Jens, Heinzl, Armin Horst

Subjects:

000 Computer science, knowledge & systems
300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 330 Economics
600 Technology
600 Technology > 650 Management & public relations

Series:

Working Paper Series in Business Administration and Information Systems

Publisher:

University of Mannheim, Department of Business Administration and Information Systems

Language:

English

Submitter:

Gowthaman Udayakumar

Date Deposited:

03 Dec 2019 10:56

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:33

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.135882

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/135882

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