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http://dx.doi.org/10.15207/JKCS.2018.9.10.315

Knowledge Combination and the Usefulness of Inventions: Focusing on the Moderating Effects of Technological Change  

Mun, Hee Jin (University-Industry Foundation, Yonsei University)
Chung, Yerim (School of Business, Yonsei University)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korea Convergence Society / v.9, no.10, 2018 , pp. 315-324 More about this Journal
Abstract
The study examines the effects of knowledge combination and of its interaction with technological change on the usefulness of inventions. We argue that inventing with knowledge components of prior art or with those in a variety of technical fields results in useful inventions, which changes after the emergence of dominant design because external actors' perception of which knowledge components are appropriate in current technological environments changes. Based on data from U.S. granted optical disc patents filed from 1992 to 2000, the results show that inventions with more new knowledge components relative to their prior art are less useful but that inventions with more diversified knowledge components are more useful. Also, the empirical findings show that the negative relationship between new knowledge components of inventions and their usefulness strengthens after dominant design emerges.
Keywords
Convergence; Dominant Design; Invention; Patent; Recombinant search; Technological change;
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