{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T17:56:43Z","timestamp":1754157403849,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2005,10,1]],"date-time":"2005-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1128124800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2005,10,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>Examines the selection and diversification of market segments for robotics products with respect to application areas and customer sectors.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study attempted to investigate the selection and diversification of market segments by 50 robotics firms in the US with respect to application areas and customer sectors that they serve. Based upon the concept of strategic groups, we classified those robotics firms into three distinct strategic groups along the dimensions of application area diversification and customer sector diversification. The three strategic groups were identified as high, moderate, and low diversification groups, with respect to both application areas and customer sectors.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>The results show that robotics firms vary in their selection of application areas and customer sectors, and more importantly in the degree of diversification of application areas and customer sectors. Also, three distinct strategic groups are observed among them, based upon the degree of diversification of application areas and customer sectors.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Research limitations\/implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>A few limitations are recognized in this study. First, we used only the dimensions of market segment diversification in classifying the strategic groups in the US robotics industry. Given the important role of technology in the industry, we may consider pairing market dimensions with technology dimensions in exploring any strategic groups in the industry. Second, we only tested for the existence of strategic groups in the industry. We may further consider investigating the factors or reasons for the differences between the strategic groups, as well as any performance differences between the strategic groups. In studying the firm's performance, it is desirable to utilize financial performance measures such as sales growth and profitability. But securing such financial performance measures for individual robotics firms is hampered by the consolidated financial results of diversified firms and the presence of privately held firms in the industry. Third, we used data compiled from a secondary source. We may consider collecting time\u2010series data directly from robotics firms. These limitations are not certainly exhaustive but rather important ones for future research.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Practical implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>Given the limited studies on robotics firms and their strategy, the results should be of interest to those who formulate product strategy in the robotics market.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>The issues of diversification of market segments and the resultant strategic groups that we examined are well worth trying to understand for more viable market strategy in the field. Particularly, the identification of such strategic groups in the industry would help robotics firms evaluate their competitive positions, as well as competitors' approach to the market place.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/01439910510614673","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2005,8,23]],"date-time":"2005-08-23T03:37:12Z","timestamp":1124768232000},"page":"401-407","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Selection and diversification of market segments for robotics products"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"32","author":[{"given":"Sung J.","family":"Shim","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Arun","family":"Kumar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Anderson, J.C. and Narus, J.A. (1991), \u201cPartnering as a focused market strategy\u201d, California Management Review, Vol. 33, pp. 95\u2010113.","DOI":"10.2307\/41166663"},{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Barney, J.B. and Hoskisson, B.E. (1990), \u201cStrategic groups: untested assertions and research proposals\u201d, Managerial and Decision Economics, Vol. 11, pp. 187\u201098.","DOI":"10.1002\/mde.4090110306"},{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cooper, R.G. (1987), \u201cDefining the new product strategy\u201d, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Vol. 34, pp. 184\u201093.","DOI":"10.1109\/TEM.1987.6498880"},{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b4","unstructured":"Crawford, C.M. (1980), \u201cDefining the charter for product innovation\u201d, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 22, pp. 3\u201012."},{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b5","unstructured":"Karlsson, J.M. (1991), A Decade of Robotics, Mekanf\u00f6rbundets F\u00f6rlag, Stockholm."},{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mansfield, E. (1989), \u201cThe diffusion of industrial robots in Japan and the United States\u201d, Research Policy, Vol. 18, pp. 183\u201092.","DOI":"10.1016\/0048-7333(89)90014-0"},{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b7","unstructured":"Porter, M.E. (1980), Competitive Strategy, The Free Press, New York, NY."},{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b8","unstructured":"Robotic Industries Association (2002), Robotic Industries Association Robotics Industry Directory 2002\u201003 Edition, Robotic Industries Association, Ann Arbor, MI."},{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b9","unstructured":"Shapiro, B.P. and Bonoma, T.V. (1984), \u201cHow to segment industrial markets\u201d, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 62, pp. 104\u201010."},{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b10","unstructured":"Shim, S.J. (1998), \u201cMarket strategy in emerging high\u2010technology industries: case of U.S. robotics firms in the 1980s\u201d, Technology Management: Strategies & Applications, Vol. 4, pp. 187\u201093."},{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tani, A. (1989), \u201cInternational comparisons of industrial robot penetration\u201d, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol. 35, pp. 192\u2010211.","DOI":"10.1016\/0040-1625(89)90055-3"},{"key":"key2022020120371803900_b12","unstructured":"United Nations and International Federation of Robotics (2001), World Robotics 2001, United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland."}],"container-title":["Industrial Robot: An International Journal"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emeraldinsight.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1108\/01439910510614673","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/01439910510614673\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/01439910510614673\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,24]],"date-time":"2025-07-24T23:49:56Z","timestamp":1753400996000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/ir\/article\/32\/5\/401-407\/175418"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Mauro","family":"Onori","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2005,10,1]]},"references-count":12,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2005,10,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/01439910510614673"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/01439910510614673","relation":{},"ISSN":["0143-991X"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"0143-991X"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2005,10,1]]}}}