Annotated Bibliography Exercise: Overall Portfolio Management

Annotated Bibliography
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Aswathappa, K. (2014). International Business 4E. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Education.
In this article, the main idea is that there are three technology acquisition routes: external, internal, and a combination of the two. External acquisition is when the company buys the technology from outside vendors or partners. Internal acquisition of new technology is brought about by technology development efforts which are started and controlled by the business organization itself (Aswathappa, 2014).
The strength of the article is that it has been organized and structured in a professional manner. Ideas flow smoothly from one paragraph to the next in a sensible way. The article incorporates properly constructed sentences and appropriate words which convey the meaning of the author.
This source would be helpful for the week 7 research project by revealing the advantages and disadvantages of both external and internal technology acquisition strategies in terms of implementation, control and overall portfolio management. It will also show how each of these acquisition strategies need to be evaluated. Implementation of internal technology acquisition calls for the existence of a technological capability within the firm. It is notable that this technological capability may differ from one professional who is well versed with the technology to manage a new project carried out by an external R&D group to a full-scale research and development division (Aswathappa, 2014).
Bruno, C., & Reinhilde, V. (2011). Acquiring technology from inside and out. London, England: Public-Private Sector Research Centre
In this article, the main idea is that there are various ways of acquiring technology, for instance contracting out Research and Development (R&D) activities, licensing, or taking part in Research and Development with other companies and research organizations. The technology sourcing decisions of companies could be classified into two types: the embodied strategy and disembodied strategy. Through the embodied strategy, a company obtains new technology that is embodied in new staffs. Conversely, it could obtain new technology which is disembodied, or totally detached from its staffs, by means of outsourcing or licensing agreements (Bruno & Reinhilde, 2011).
The strengths of the article include the fact that ideas are organized in a way that they flow logically from the start of the article to the end. The writing is cohesive and everything is connected. The authors have described advantages and shortcomings of both the disembodied and embodied strategies by examining the external technology acquisition strategies for various innovative firms across all manufacturing sectors in Belgium.
This source would be helpful for the week 7 research project by demonstrating how technology acquisition through external sources, for example through disembodied technology acquisition, is implemented, managed, and evaluated. Disembodied technology acquisition usually occurs by means of research and development contracting if the knowledge and expertise still need to be developed; licensing in the case of off-the-shelf technologies; or using technology consulting agencies. When a company taps into existing, specialized knowledge, it would be able to gain time and lower costs of innovation (Bruno & Reinhilde, 2011).
Clydebuilt. (2012). Developing in-house vs. off the shelf. Boston,, MA: Cyberbuilt Business Solutions.
The main idea in this article is that technology can be acquired through two ways: off-the-shelf and developing in-house. Regarding off-the-shelf technology sourcing, the company buys the commercial offering and works with it as it comes out of the box. With developing in-house, the company defines, analyzes, programmes, maintains, and develops the requirement with the use of its own resources (Clyderbuilt, 2012). When development of the technology is of strategic importance, then it is crucial for the firm to have control.
The strength of the article is that it effectively explores the two types of technology sourcing in an in-depth manner, highlighting the pros and cons of each. Also, the article is presented in a professional manner that allows the reader to clearly understand what is being communicated. Ideas flow sensibly from one paragraph to the next.
This source would be helpful for the week 7 research project by showing how internal and external technology sourcing strategies are implemented, managed, and evaluated, as well as the level of control that the company has, or does not have, with each. Implementation of the internal sourcing strategy through in-house development would often entail some level of external involvement. External project managers, programmers, system analysts, and consultants may be utilized in delivering a ground-up in-house product (Clyderbuilt, 2012). Complex commercial products are largely unusable without some tailoring and configuration aimed at meeting the needs of the customer. This is usually done in close cooperation with the company’s in-house information technology personnel. Unlike with external sourcing of technology, in-house development allows the firm to have control given that it is not at the mercy of third party providers (Clyderbuilt, 2012).
Dasgupta, M., Sahay, A., & Gupta, R. (2014). Technological innovation and role of technology strategy: Towards development of a model. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
In this article, the main idea is that technological innovation in firms is chiefly driven by their technology strategy, which is essentially a plan for guiding the accumulation as well as deployment of technological capabilities and resources. An organization’s technology policy is a reflection of its innovative attitude and its commitment to innovation. The long-term competitive position of a firm depends upon how prudently a firm manages its technological asset bases (Dasgupta, Sahay & Gupta, 2014). The authors have also explored various technology sourcing strategies including internal sourcing and external sourcing.
The strength of the article, which is a systematic review of existing literature on the topic of technology innovation and technology strategy, is that it reviews a large number of research studies, 50 in total (Dasgupta, Sahay & Gupta, 2014). This serves to increase the credibility of their findings. In addition, the article has proper organization with ideas flowing logically. Paragraphs, subtopics and subheadings have been used appropriately to help readers understand the ideas of the authors.
This source would be helpful for the week 7 research project by shedding light on the implementation, evaluation and overall management of internal and external technology sourcing strategies. According to Dasgupta, Sahay and Gupta (2014), the implementation of internal sourcing is dependent upon the research and development capability of the company. Even though internal development of technology is a risky alternative since the technology’s success is not guaranteed in the marketplace, it leads to proprietary technology that the company could utilize in creating an advantage (Dasgupta, Sahay & Gupta, 2014).
Kang, K. H., Jo, G. S., & Kang, J. (2015). External technology acquisition: A double-edged sword. Asian Journal of Technology Innovation, 23(1): 35-52
In this article, the main idea is that acquisition of technology from external sources allows companies to update as well as extend their technological knowledge base. Another main idea is that while the acquisition of technology from external sources has many benefits, it should be viewed as a double-edged sword owing a number of shortcomings that are inherent in it. In their study, Kang, Jo and Kang (2015) examined the role of external technology acquisition for the purpose of finding out whether the acquisition of technology from external sources is substitute or complementary to internal research and development activities in creating innovation. They found out that the acquisition of technology by external means has an inverted U-shaped association with successive technology innovation performance, and it is actually not complementary to the company’s internal research and development undertakings (Kang, Jo & Kang, 2015).
The strength of the article is that it provides empirical evidence showing how acquisition of technology from external sources helps to create innovation in the company. The article is presented in a professional manner that allows the reader to clearly understand what is being conveyed. The researchers obtained data from a large sample size of 1,350 firms, which increases the generalizability of their findings. Empirical analysis was done using Poisson regression model.
This source would be helpful for the week 7 research project as it will assist with the evaluation of external technology acquisition. Inevitably, companies use external sources in order to reinforce competitive advantage and enhance performance. This approach to technology acquisition allows the company to focus its capabilities and resources on core technological competencies, reduce time to market, and acquire the best technology (Kang, Jo & Kang, 2015).
Masayo, K., & Kazuyuki, M. (2016). Understanding external technology sourcing in new product development projects: Bilateral vs. unilateral contracts. Tokyo, Japan: RIETI
The main idea in this article is that there are two different types of sourcing technology from external providers: unilateral alliances for example commissioned R&D and licensing, and bilateral alliances for instance joint R&D. Bilateral alliances involve the firm engaging in the dynamic process of joint research and development with an external partner. With unilateral alliances, the firm simply acquires the new technology from a partner (Masayo & Kazuyuki, 2016).
The strength of the article is the fact that there is proper logical flow from one point/idea to the next. There is smooth logical connection among ideas. The article has an abstract along with clear introduction, body and conclusion sections. Also, the paragraphs are unambiguous in meaning and manageable in size.
This source would be helpful for the week 7 research project as it will show how sourcing of technology from external sources through unilateral and bilateral contracts is implemented, evaluated and managed by the firm. All in all, external sourcing of technology is not a panacea for developing a product that is innovative. Instead, Masayo and Kazuyuki (2016) stated that creating new-to-the-market innovation in a more effective way only comes after carrying out external acquisition of technology under sufficient abilities/conditions for instance high absorptive capacity, mitigation of contractual hazards, and exploratory type projects (Masayo & Kazuyuki, 2016).
Mortara, L., & Ford, S. (2012). Technology acquisitions: A guided approach to technology acquisition and protection decisions. Cambridge, UK: Institute for Manufacturing 200
In this article, the authors focus on providing support for business organizations in the process of new technology acquisition from external sources. According to Mortara and Ford (2012), an organization might choose to acquire a new technology as they lack the resources needed for developing that technology themselves. When embarking on the acquisition of technology from external sources, various issues should be taken into account. Understanding different alternatives available and choosing the best one is usually a challenge, but one upon which the acquisition’s success is dependent (Mortara & Ford, 2012).
The strength of the article is that it comprehensively covers the approach of technology acquisition from external sources, and explicitly describes how such technology would be evaluated and implemented in an organization. Overall, the article is presented in a professional manner that allows the reader to clearly understand what is being communicated.
This source would be helpful for the week 7 research project as it will help with the evaluation of external technology acquisition. In essence, as technologies become more and more complex, it is often hard to get specialist expertise and an organization might lack the means ...