Strategic Management of Biotech Firms: Innovation, Competition and Value Creation in the Knowledge Economy

Author: Paola Olimpia Achard

Affiliation: Department of Industrial and Information Engineering & Economics, University of L’Aquila L’Aquila, Italy

Strategic Management of Biotech Firms: Innovation, Competition and Value Creation in the Knowledge Economy

ISBN: 979-8-89881-595-0
eISBN: 979-8-89881-594-3 (Online)

Introduction

A comprehensive analysis of the biotechnology sector, Strategic Management of Biotech Firms focuses on how firms operate, compete, and innovate within complex global environments. It examines key political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors shaping the biotech industry, with particular attention to the European context.

The book explores strategic approaches to competition, including collaborations, cross-sector partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions. It also highlights innovation management through evolving business models, emphasising the role of research, intellectual property, risk management, and global expansion. Comparative insights from countries such as Italy, Spain, the UK, and South Korea offer a broader international perspective.

Further, the book analyses value-generating activities and strategic resources within biotech firms, covering operations, technology development, marketing, and organisational capabilities. It concludes with a focus on strategic marketing, intellectual property management, and the contribution of biotech firms to sustainable development.


Key Features

  • - In-depth analysis of the biotech sector and its macro-environment.
  • - Comparative international perspectives with a focus on innovation, business models, and strategic management.
  • - Covers collaborations, partnerships, and mergers with insights into value chain activities and resource management.
  • - Emphasis on intellectual property and sustainable value creation.

Target Readership :

Researchers, academics, postgraduate students and professionals in biotechnology, business management, and innovation studies.

Preface

This volume is conceived as a strategic management textbook on biotechnology firms, designed to provide students and interested readers with a clear, structured, and research-informed analytical framework. Biotech firms represent a particularly relevant context for analyzing competition in the knowledge economy, as they operate under conditions of high scientific and technological uncertainty, stringent regulatory environments, significant capital requirements, and complex inter-organizational networks involving universities, research centers, investors, pharmaceutical companies, and public institutions. The book adopts a didactic approach, interpreting managerial phenomena through established management theories, integrated with empirical evidence and the sector-specific characteristics of a knowledge-intensive industry. Each chapter, therefore, combines theoretical concepts, managerial implications, and a critical analysis of key industry trends, supporting both the acquisition of foundational knowledge and the development of analytical skills applicable to case studies, assignments, and projects. The volume is structured into five chapters organized around three analytical blocks. The first block addresses the competitive context of biotech firms, focusing on macro-environmental factors and industry structure, including critical success factors and competitive forces. The second block examines interorganizational collaborations as strategic levers, analysing alliances, cross-sector partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions as mechanisms for knowledge access, risk sharing, and strategic evolution. The third block focuses on the governance of innovation processes within biotech firms. In this perspective, the analysis examines business models, value-generating activities, strategic resources, intellectual property management, and sustainable value-creation dynamics. The book is primarily intended for undergraduate and postgraduate students in economics and management, but it may also be used in postgraduate and executive education contexts. It further offers an analytical framework for researchers, managers, and policymakers interested in understanding strategic choices and innovation trajectories in biotechnology firms, systematically linking theory, research evidence, and managerial implications.

Paola Olimpia Achard
Department of Industrial and Information
Engineering & Economics, University of L’Aquila
L’Aquila, Italy