Public thesis defense of Christian GNEKPE

Le Recteur de l'Université catholique de Louvain et la Commission Doctorale en Sciences Economiques et de Gestion font savoir que Mr Christian Gnekpe soutiendra publiquement sa dissertation, pour l'obtention du titre de Docteur en sciences économiques et de gestion de l’UCL, le 10 septembre 2018 à 14h30 à Louvain-la-Neuve.

“THREE ESSAYS ON INTERNAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXTERNAL TECHNOLOGY SOURCING”

“How can firms maintain their innovation performance in the technology-driven industries? This dissertation proceeds in answering this question along three essays. In the first essay, our review of the literature highlighted that firms’ internal knowledge base as well as their external technology sourcing are key determinants of innovation performance, but the link between both antecedents remains underexplored. Yet, recognizing and exploiting external technology requires valuable internal technology capabilities. The dissertation analyzes this link, using the patent portfolio as indicating firms’ internal knowledge base and acquisitions as well as strategic alliances as key modes of external technology sourcing. In the second essay, we examine and find that the acquisition is more used than the alliance when focal firms’ patent portfolio is highly linked to fundamental science. In contrast, the alliance is more used when competitors perceived this portfolio as of high-quality. Finally, there is no differentiated impact when the portfolio is composed of diversified technology. In the meantime, technology-driven firms increasingly face a global competition. In the third essay, I examine and find that, in the international context, target firms’ ability to preempt a technology and their international patenting activities signal their technological value to potential acquirers pushing them to purchase a higher level of equity and control the target’s technology.”

Inscription à la soutenance auprès de Mr Christian Gnekpe christian.gnekpe@uclouvain.be