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Methodology

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Collaboration in the Australian and Chinese Mobile Telecommunication Markets

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Abstract

The previous two chapters reviewed the literature and empirical work on inter-firm collaboration, and structured the framework of key determinants for successful collaborations. This chapter will propose the major research questions and hypotheses to be focused upon in this study. The previous literature suggests that both qualitative and quantitative studies are important methods. However, there has been a fierce debate around which one is superior since the early 1980s (Newman and Benz 1998). After reviewing the literature and comparing the advantages and criticisms of each of them, this chapter explains the importance of using both qualitative and quantitative research methods in this study to verify the major collaborating types, benefits, and risks in cross-national industrial cases. It also examines the key determinants of successful inter-firm collaboration in different countries.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Time is a scarce resource for managers. The higher the position of the manager, the higher are their opportunity costs for each hour spent on building or maintaining inter-firm collaboration. If they use the same time in managing production or expanding the market, it may bring more profits for the firm.

  2. 2.

    Although many researchers have argued that collaborating studies should be based on information from both collaborators, it is usually very hard to collect data from both sides in real business cases (Kale 1999). There are always tradeoffs between the quantity of cases and data with the quality of data. As the quantitative study needs more samples to reduce the bias and increase reliability, a one sided study is adopted in this thesis.

  3. 3.

    The firms filling in the online survey are expected to be representative of a wider range of industries and sectors, which may come from any states or cities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Economics, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia

    Yu (Aimee) Zhang

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  1. Yu (Aimee) Zhang
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Zhang, Y.(. (2014). Methodology. In: Collaboration in the Australian and Chinese Mobile Telecommunication Markets. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40151-0_4

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