The Contingent Effect of Domain Knowledge Specificity on Joint New Product Development: An Empirical Test of the Moderating Role of Trust

過去的研究顯示製造商對供應商的專屬性投資是雙方共同行動的前置因素。然而，在知識經濟的時代，知識專屬性投資已超越實體資產專屬性投資成為選擇統治機制的重要決定因素。本研究的重點在於探討供應商的知識專屬性投資對買賣雙方參與共同開發新產品的影響。相關研究指出供應商參與共同開發新產品的程度視供應商對買方的信任與承諾而定，因此本研究從交易成本理論與關係交易理論的觀點將供應商對買方的信任此一情境變數納入研究架構中。從台灣資訊硬體產業的代工廠商進行驗證的結果顯示，供應商對買方的信任會增進知識專屬性投資對共同開發新產品的影響。

關鍵字

信任；知識專屬性投資；共同開發新產品

並列摘要

Prior research provides evidence that manufacturer investments of specific assets dedicated to a particular supplier is an antecedent of joint action in manufacturer-supplier relationships. However, domain knowledge specificity surpasses physical asset specificity as an important determinant of governance choices in the knowledge-driven economy. This study focuses on the effect of supplier's investments of specific domain knowledge dedicated to a particular buyer on joint new product development in supplier-buyer relationships. Supplier's involvement in new product development depends on trust and commitment of the supplier. Drawing from transaction cost analysis and relational exchange theory, the author proposed a conceptual model that explicates the moderating role of a contextual variable: supplier's trust in buyer. Consistent with these hypotheses, results from a survey of firms in Taiwanese information industry show that trust enhances the effect of supplier domain knowledge specificity on new product development. The theoretical and managerial implications of the results are discussed.