Research On The Appropriability Mechanisms And Its Protection Performance In Professional Services Sectors

Innovation is the basis for the development of professional services sector, and the key to promote other sectors. However, the approprialbility regime for professional service sectors is really weak, that the professional service firms are facing challenges of imitation in China. Due to innovation is professional service firms are often intangible, intellectual property rights (IPRs), such as patents, trademarks and copyrights, are often seen as irrelevant by most of the professional service firms. And due to intensive customer interaction and knowledge controlled by individual professions, knowledge protection methods are not effective to professional service firms either. The threat of copy and imitation rose in this context, and deterrent professional service sectors to "do new things" and develop in China. The research of appropriability mechanism in context of service is still relatively novel. The concept boundary is vague, and the endogenous dimensions are not clearly defined yet. Many problems are waiting to solve.Based on this, the dissertation focus on the question of "what is the causality between appropriability mechanism in professional service sector and protection performance, and the factors influence the relationship". Firstly, this dissertation collects qualitative data of professional service firms to proceed exploratory case study, and concludes concept prototype of appropriability mechanism in professional service sector based on field study, and proposes a series of initial propositions about the causalities between appropriability mechanism in professional service sector and protection performance. Secondly, the dissertation studies on six cases through description, interpretation, juxtaposition and comparison based on comparative method, finds that service standardization moderate the relationship between appropriability mechanism in professional service sector and protection performance, and proposes a series of initial propositions about moderator effect. Thirdly, I complement the research model with theoretical deduction and refine the initial proposition into hypotheses, based on which I build up the conceptual model of relationship between appropriability mechanism in professional service sector, service standardization and protection performance. Lastly, I conduct statistical test, and the result supported most of the hypotheses.Drawing on the above analysis and appraisal, the main conclusion can be presented as follow:1) appropriability mechanism in professional service sector defined as the means of professional service firms to prevent imitation, protect both innovation itself and the increased rents due to innovation activities. And three endogenous mechanisms are knowledge isolation, property protection and customer anchored.2) From a relative static perspective, all mechanisms of appropriability mechanism in professional service sector have positive effects on reducing imitate and increase appropriability revenue.3) Appropriability mechanisms in professional service sector can influence protection performance interactively.4) And statistics also found that service standardization can strengthen both relationship between knowledge isolation and protection performance, and relationship between property protection and protection performance.This dissertation has three contributions as follow:1) this dissertation defines the concept of appropriability mechanisms in professional service sector and its endogenous dimensions. This contribution is of great significance in promoting the systematicness of service innovation appropriability research.2) This dissertation reveals the specific mechanisms of the causality between appropriability mechanisms in professional service and protection performance. It expands the research on consequences of appropriability mechanisms in service sector.3) This dissertation reveals the relationship between appropriability mechanisms in professional service sector and service standardization. This contribution not only helps enriching the appropriability research in service sector, but also integration the theory of appropriability and research on professional service firms.