Aerokat,
I agree with you that Porter is basic to Moore. In that post, I tried to indicate that power is a root metaphor of sociology, but that it requires placement in a theoretical context. Porter does that in Competitive Advantage, which I have not yet read in its entirety. So, DownSouth is correct that you, having read it carefully, are our most authoritative source.
Also, I do not believe that Moore has dismissed Porter; he is building on his work. I am confident that Moore believes that Porter is relevant today, just focused on individual companies in the days of the world wide web. Porter's conception of a value chain is also company focused, whereas Moore views the value chain as a temporary web of cooperation to develop a total solution, which reflects contemporary patterns of organization. What is "substitution" in the FFM if not an effort to grapple with the underlying issue of a not yet named discontinuous innovation?
Moore reflects the events that have occurred in the last few years that were neither known nor anticipated back in 1985 by Porter or anyone else. As they say, there was a change in the Zeitgeist, the spirit of the times. Business has changed as a function of the Internet, and that pace of change is quickening. And, our use of the English language reflects the spirit of the time; many new metaphors are erupting as the leading edge of more careful conceptual analyses that will lead to models and theory.
My knowledge is shallow here in many relevant areas. I understand theory construction but do not have enough knowledge of either specific technologies or of case studies of the many companies involved in either the computer or network segments. The best theorizing requires shuttling back and forth from the model to the data. That is another reason that I need your help and the community's. Always remember that "bright" does not make "right" any more than "might" does; empirical observation remains the scientific trump card, grounding us after we have enjoyed our sometimes fruitful flights of imagination.
I hope this helps.
Don |
