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A growing body of literature recognizes the positive interplay between innovation and standardization. International organizations such as OECD and WTO also increase support for developing countries in building capabilities in innovation and standardization. Yet the relationship between innovation and standardization in developing countries, characterized by relatively weaker technological, economic and institutional capacities, remain under-researched. We review 63 articles extracted from the Web of Science database covering the innovation-standardization nexus in the context of developing countries. We discuss whether and how the relationship between innovation and standardization provides implications for the socioeconomic development in developing countries, and draw a conceptual model to understand the dynamics. Our result shows that standards facilitate innovation in three ways: innovation by scaling, proving and coordinating. While inducing and blocking mechanisms are at play, various stakeholders are involved in the relationship. Among them, the roles of the government and the technology/industry support organizations are highlighted, as they complement the relatively weak technological capabilities of other actors. In contrast to the existing literature on developed countries where standardization is depicted as a dynamic process to shape the innovation path, the current discussion on developing countries is skewed toward the adoption aspect of standards. We also suggest that there is a chasm between the goals of economic growth and those of social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous advancements in mobile technology allow mobile carriers and banks to offer mobile banking services. Such convergence of previously unrelated industries raises many complex issues. This paper examines the dynamics of competition and collaboration among mobile carriers, banks and other related parties for mobile banking in Korea during the burgeoning period of mobile banking in the early to mid-2000s. This period is when the idea of mobile banking was realised in practice and a variety of the parties involved criss-crossed each other to form a network of service provision. It presents an opportunity to examine the complex dynamics of network formation for convergence services and standardization. Since convergence and standardization is a process of merging and integrating multiple players into a new network or system, it is realised through the process of interactions among the players involved. Actor–network theory (ANT) is used as an interpretive lens to analyse this process. ANT helps analyse how actors form alliances and enrol other actors, including non-human actors (i.e. technology), in order to secure their interests. By analysing three specific actor networks that emerged during a formative period in Korea's mobile banking sector, this paper shows the significance of the processes involved in developing actor networks, and especially the role of non-human actors. Given the contemporary context of the ongoing smart phone wars, which shares many of the features of convergence and standard competition, the paper serves as a timely reminder of the role played by key actors and the networks they create. The paper presents some implications for technology management in convergence- and standardisation-related areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the impact of standards on the economic development of countries which are latecomers to industrial manufacturing and innovation. Standardization is regarded primarily as a technical issue, and hence receives only limited high-level policy support. However, technical standards contribute at least as much as patents to economic growth. As a key mechanism for the diffusion of technological knowledge and due to the dominant leadership by advanced countries in patenting, technical standards have emerged in latecomer countries as an alternative to patenting. However, latecomer countries and their firms have a set of capabilities and constraints that are fundamentally different from that of advanced countries and firms. This paper argues that latecomer countries should adopt assessment criteria that are more fitted with latecomer contexts which emphasize learning effects and building dynamic capabilities. The paper discusses current issues that are essential in understanding the rise of Asian countries in standardization. We also examine the critical role that patents play for standardization and argue that “strategic patenting” to generate rents from de facto industry standards can stifle latecomer economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: China has become a significant player in the international standardization regime of telecommunications. It is currently attempting international standardization of its indigenous technologies. This paper examines how China’s approach for standardization has evolved in the cases of locally developed 3G and 4G mobile standards: TD-SCDMA and TD-LTE. The authors address the question in terms of alliance formation. They apply network analysis, which visualizes the formation and transformation of alliances. They argue that China’s approach to standardization has evolved from techno-nationalism to techno-globalism. In building, developing, and maintaining alliances, relatively more weight is placed on links with foreign firms over time than on those with local firms, and China is increasingly open to foreign firms to gain their support and cooperation, which is required for international standardization and commercialization of locally-developed standards. This study makes a contribution in that it applies a quantitative method of network analysis and thereby visualizes the formation of alliances in 3G and 4G mobile communication industries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An increasing number of locally developed technologies have been globalising, and latecomers like China or South Korea are active in setting their national technology as international standards. This study presents five cases of information and communications technology (ICT) standardisation by China and South Korea and examines their promotion of indigenous technologies as international standards. International standardisation involves complicated networks of domestic and global stakeholders with different interests. Good coordination is therefore required. We identify differences and similarities among the cases and discuss implications. From the case studies, we find that coordination with foreign players is more critical than coordination with domestic players in determining the path and consequences of standardisation projects. Our analysis of the two countries’ standardisation efforts explores lessons to policymakers and firms in other latecomer countries in respect to promoting local technologies into the global market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to show that, since China's accession to the WTO in 2001, standards have emerged as an effective means to protect and promote domestic industries, especially in the ICT sector China has made several attempts to set its own technological standards - different from international standards - within its own territory and world-wide. This paper seeks to examine two cases of China's attempts to set its own standards in the ICT sector. By comparing similarities and differences in these cases, it aims to identify motivations and strategies of China's standards-setting attempts in the lCTsector. Design/methodology/approach - The paper examines the cases of wireless LAN security (WAPI) and 3G mobile communications (TD-SCDMA). It draws on a set of concepts from the study of national technological innovation systems: techno-nationalism and techno-globalism. Data were collected from media and standards-related institutions. Findings - Despite similarities, each case has a distinguished orientation in terms of techno- nationalism and techno-globalism: WAPI is aligned with techno-nationalism and TD-SCDMA with techno-globalism. Research limitations/implications - China's recent attempts regarding its own standards in the ICT sector are not one-off occasions, but China's standards policy towards international standards will continue. This research will be a foundation for further inquiry in this increasingly important area of study A longitudinal follow-up study tracking the development of each standard over time is required. Originality/value - Despite the significance of these standard-setting attempts for China's trade, technology policy and economic development, on the one hand, and for the world economy, on the other hand, there has been little research in this area. The paper offers an enhanced understanding of China's standards policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Standards have become a basis of global competition among countries. Although there are many studies of standards and standardization, little is known about how international standards are set. Even less is known about how it occurs in the unprecedented case in which a developing country is actively involved in this process. In the past few years, China, leveraging the huge size of its domestic markets, has attempted to influence international technology standard setting. Standardization, especially at the international level, often revolves around building an alliance surrounding a particular technology. Actor-network theory (ANT) is a theory that helps analyze the ways in which actors form alliances and enroll other actors to strengthen such alliances surrounding a technology. Therefore, we see a fit between the study of standard setting and ANT. In this paper, we use ANT to investigate the process of mobile standard setting in an international context where firms, industry consortia, and governments collaborate and compete in complex ways. It is found that China’s attempt to set WAPI as a national standard failed in enrolling other actors mainly due to the fact that WAPI was too closed a standard even for a de jure one; China did not release the WAPI security algorithm to the scrutiny of the international community. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article reviews China׳s changing standardization strategies amidst the standards competitions that take place both domestically in China and globally. The relevant policies in China now support indigenous innovation, particularly in the information and communication technologies (ICT) industry by using standards, encourage domestic firms to patent their standard-related technologies, and promote innovation-oriented inter-firm alliances. The three cases examined illustrate the challenges that the Chinese government faces in implementing the policies. Most of all, while the government has actively promoted indigenous innovation as a latecomer strategy for global standardization, there are possibilities of clash with the international norms for free competition and economic liberalization which China is supposed to comply with. There are also oppositions from those domestic firms that mainly export products compliant with the international standards set by advanced countries, and from local authorities that support those firms. The demands for international compliance are often strengthened by multinationals importing products compliant with the international standards. These clashes and oppositions give a dilemma to the policy makers who want to push the standardization strategy based on indigenous innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]