Innovation management

Our research in the area of innovation management has a high overlap with the research focus on intellectual property. The overview on this page is therefore incomplete.

 

Adoption and diffusion of products and innovations in network markets

Network markets are characterized by the fact that the benefit from the consumption of a good increases because other people also use this good. Examples of this can be found in the telecommunications and Internet industries in particular. Social networks are a good example of such a network good. In two projects, we have investigated model-theoretically and empirically how peer pressure and social interaction affect the adoption and diffusion of (innovative) network goods.  

  • Henkel,J., Block, J. (2013). Peer influence in network markets: a theoretical and empirical analysis. Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 23(5): 925-953.
    (article, working paper version)

  • Block, J., Köllinger, P. (2007). Peer influence in network markets – an empirical investigation. Schmalenbach Business Review, 59(4): 364-386.
    (article, working paper version)

Innovations in and from China

Another research focus of the Chair of Management is on innovations in and from China. Here, the focus to date has been particularly on the analysis of knowledge transfers in the context of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and on the overall development of China from an imitation-based to an innovation-based economy.

  • Fisch, C., Block, J., Sandner, P. (in press). The impact of acquisitions on Chinese acquirers' innovation performance: An empirical investigation of 1,545 Chinese acquisitions. Journal of Business Economics / Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft.
    (article - open access)

  • Fisch, C., Block, J., Sandner, P. (2016). Chinese university patents: Quantity, quality, and the role  of subsidy programs. Journal of Technology Transfer, 40(2): 318-345.
    (article, working paper version)

User Innovation

User innovations are innovations that come from (innovative and demanding) users of a product. They are often highly innovative and have a high commercial potential. However, due to a lack of know-how and capital in marketing, production and distribution, user innovators often face difficulties in marketing and commercializing the innovations they generate. In our research, we investigate how existing companies can successfully commercialize the user innovations that emerge in their company through vertical diversification and what impact this can have on competition.  

  • Tian, G., Wang, M., Rieger, M. O., Block, J. (2021). How do thinking style and motivation influence household sector innovation? Evidence from a cross-country survey. International Review of Entrepreneurship. 19(2): 201-224.

  • Block, J., Henkel, J., Schweisfurth, T., Stiegler, A. (2016). Commercializing user innovations by vertical diversification: the user-manufacturer innovator. Research Policy, 45(1): 244-259.
    (article, working paper version)

  • Henkel, J., Bock, A., Block, J. (2016). Selling to competitors – competitive implications of user-manufacturer integration. In: D. Harhoff, K. Lakhani (eds.), Revolutionizing innovation - users, communities and open innovation. MIT Press, Cambridge, pp. 379-396.
    (edited book, working paper version)