• Journal of Technology Innovation
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.95-128
• /
• 2018

Since mid and late 2000s, the smartphones has been widely diffused and Korea ranked first in global smartphone market in 2011 thanks to its rapid adoption of Android operating system, technology capability accumulated in featurephone development, vertical integration on smartphone production and premium positioning. However, Korea fell behind because of the rise of another latecomer, China, in four years (2015) after it recorded the top position globally. How did the leadership change occurred in the smartphone industry so rapidly? In order to answer the question, we investigated three favorable windows of opportunity for the rise of China, which are technological, demand, and institutional, and the strategic responses of Chinese firms as well as the rigidity and complacency with the past success of Korean firms. Our findings contribute to the extension of 'catch-up cycle' theory as well as provide in-depth insights for strategies and policies settings to overcome the recent rise of China in information and communication technology sector for Korea.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.169-199
• /
• 2015

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have been combined with products from other industries to provide new functionality, as recently shown in the cases of Internet of Things (IoT). Modularity assumes a crucial role in such technological convergence, and has impacts on the relationship between organizations as well as competition within an industry. Interface standards, which ensure the connectivity between modules, serve as a critical factor in the process by which modularity affects organization systems and industry structure. To understand the aforementioned phenomenon, we studied modularity and interface standards with a focus on the interaction between technology and organization systems and subsequent changes in industrial dynamics. This paper examines previous literature on modularity and interface standards in the aspects of product architecture, organization systems, and institutional factors. With this analytical framework, we conducted a comparative analysis of electronic and automotive industries to derive implications for standardization policy. This research has shown the significance of external open interface standards in shaping an industrial landscape where a variety of module producers horizontally compete. It also advises that policymakers take into account product characteristics, engagement of leading firms in an industry, and institutional factors such as WTO law in the design of standardization policy.