Islam, Mazhar2011-05-162011-05-162010-02https://hdl.handle.net/11299/104520University of Miinesoota Ph.D. dissertation. February 2011. Major: Business Administration. Advisor: J. Myles Shaver. 1 computer file (PDF); x, 152 p. appendix p. 128-152.In this dissertation, I incorporate the external competitive environment into the analysis of governance choice of technology projects and performance implications of such governance choice. From the perspective of R&D firms, I develop a theoretical framework that categorizes competitors in a technology domain into two groups R&D firms and vertically integrated firms. Furthermore, I identify the underlying mechanisms that drive the relationship between the presence of heterogeneous competitors and a R&D firm's choice of three alternative governance modes: internal organization, equity alliance and non-equity alliance. I test the framework on a unique data set that contains history of clinical trials in 24 therapeutic areas in the US biotechnology industry between 1996 to 2008.en-USBiotechnology IndustryCompetitionDrug DevelopmentGovernance ChoiceTransaction Cost EconomicsBusiness AdministrationThesis or Dissertation