An Intermediary Organization Finds Potential Needs By Exploiting Serendipity

• 来源期刊: 中国经济评论：英文版
• 学科: 经济
• 关键词: serendipity INTERMEDIARY organization potential needs SEARCH of facts STOCK of KNOWLEDGE
• 年，卷（期）: 2014,（8）
• 页码范围: 521-530
• 页数: 10页
• 分类号: F0

摘要

This paper intends to clarify the needs serendipity in creating new business. The authors will show that serendipity is capability method of finding potential needs and/or new markets. In economic society, potential needs and/or new markets are only partially exposed, such as an iceberg. Serendipity is a capability that can expose the potential hidden part through accidental opportunity. Something more concrete can be formed from the exposed parts. The authors describe cases that demonstrate the usefulness of serendipity. In one case, a high-tech start-up had intended to use medical electronic equipment and/or industrial electronic equipment as the first application of their core technology. In these markets, they were competing with established major companies, so this start-up had difficulty entering these markets. However, a specific distributor found potential needs that were met by the start-up＇s products, and has created a new market by combining their core technology with social needs. The authors define serendipity capability by analyzing this case example and argue that serendipity can contribute to finding opportunities and solving social issues.