'Imagined Outcomes': Contrasting Patterns of Opportunity, Capability and Innovation in British Musical Instrument Manufacturing, 1930-1985

摘要

This paper examines the interplay between innovation and entrepreneurial processes amongst competing firms in the creative industries. It does so through a case study of the introduction and diffusion into Britain of a brass musical instrument, the wide bore German horn, over a period of some 40 years in the middle of the twentieth century. The narrative contrasts the innovation strategies followed by two prominent firms, a new and an incumbent brass instrument manufacturer. It shows how the new entrant succeeded in refining the technology of the German horn and through successive innovations established itself as one of the leading brands, while the incumbent, despite being the first to innovate, steadily lost ground. The discussion, which is framed with reference to relevant innovation and entrepreneurship literatures, analyses the core rigidities that lay behind the incumbent’s failure to innovate and the core capabilities that contributed to the new entrant’s success.