Do switching costs mediate the relationship between entry timing and performance?

  1. Gómez, J. 12
  2. Maícas, J.P. 2
  1. 1 Universidad de La Rioja
    info

    Universidad de La Rioja

    Logroño, España

    ROR https://ror.org/0553yr311

  2. 2 Universidad de Zaragoza
    info

    Universidad de Zaragoza

    Zaragoza, España

    ROR https://ror.org/012a91z28

Revista:
Strategic Management Journal

ISSN: 0143-2095

Año de publicación: 2011

Volumen: 32

Número: 12

Páginas: 1251-1269

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.1002/SMJ.931 SCOPUS: 2-s2.0-80053574429 WoS: WOS:000295449400001 GOOGLE SCHOLAR

Otras publicaciones en: Strategic Management Journal

Resumen

The purpose of this paper is to test the effectiveness of switching costs as an isolating mechanism in the context of the first-mover advantage theory. Whereas both the literature on switching costs and on pioneering propose this as a mechanism through which firms could obtain sustainable competitive advantage, other authors offer a rationale for thinking that this is not the case. We test our hypotheses in the context of the European mobile telecommunications industry. This is a sector that has been characterized by high rates of growth in the number of subscribers, which could reduce the effectiveness of switching costs from being effective as an isolating mechanism. Our results show that switching costs are an important tool through which first-mover advantages materialize. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.