Impact of Private Voluntary Standards on Industrial Innovation. Planning Report 13. Volume I: Final Report

摘要

A conceptual basis is developed for analyzing the impacts of industrial standards on innovation and subsequent diffusion. The framework relates the functions performed by standards to the investment decisions by firms with respect to innovation or the adoption of innovations. The four major functions performed by standards in technology-based industries are providing information, promoting compatibility, reducing product variety, and assuring certain quality or performance levels. Three case studies of technology-based areas of industrial activity are studied to determine the usefulness of the conceptual framework. The three areas are semiconductors, lubricating oils, and corrosion inhibitors.