Exploiting "interface capabilities" in overseas markets: Lessons from Japanese mobile phone handset manufacturers in the US

Abstract

It has been asserted that close interfirm relationships enhance relation-specific knowledge, and thus contribute to product development performances (Clark and Fujimoto 1991; Dyer 1996; Ogawa 2000; von Hippel 1994). Particularly drawing on the case of the manufacturer-supplier relationship in Japan, antecedents have asserted that close relationships between firms enhance interfirm collaborative relationships for product/technology development. These studies shed light on the advantage of the close manufacturer-supplier relationships in Japan, and suggest the criticality of relation © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006 Printed in Germany.