Knowledge arbitrage in global pharma: a synthetic view of absorptive capacity and open innovation

Benjamin Hughes, Jonathan Wareham · 2010 · R and D Management

Summary. This case study of a global pharmaceutical company reveals how open innovation operates in practice. The company focuses on building OI capabilities, sharing external information, and leveraging knowledge arbitrage across networks. Notably absent are value capture models and technology evaluation criteria common in OI literature. The researchers propose that absorptive capacity works bidirectionally with open innovation, enabling firms to both acquire and contribute knowledge effectively.

Read the original

Cite this article

Hughes, B., & Wareham, J.. (2010). Knowledge arbitrage in global pharma: a synthetic view of absorptive capacity and open innovation. R and D Management. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9310.2010.00594.x

@article{hughes-2010-knowledge-arbitrage-global-pharma-synthetic,
  title   = {Knowledge arbitrage in global pharma: a synthetic view of absorptive capacity and open innovation},
  author  = {Benjamin Hughes and Jonathan Wareham},
  journal = {R and D Management},
  year    = {2010},
  doi     = {10.1111/j.1467-9310.2010.00594.x},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9310.2010.00594.x}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Knowledge arbitrage in global pharma: a synthetic view of absorptive capacity and open innovation
AU  - Benjamin Hughes
AU  - Jonathan Wareham
JO  - R and D Management
PY  - 2010
DO  - 10.1111/j.1467-9310.2010.00594.x
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9310.2010.00594.x
ER  -

Details

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9310.2010.00594.x
Countries: Spain, United States
Regions: Europe, North America
Categories: innovation-theory, innovation-networks, general-innovation
Added: 2026-04-28