Skip to main content

First-Mover Advantage

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management

Abstract

‘First-mover advantage’ refers to the benefit enjoyed by a firm as the consequence of its early entry into a new market. Although the term suggests that early entry is desirable, the advantages of pioneering a new market are often offset by disadvantages. The question of whether a ‘first-mover advantage’ is likely on balance in any specific context depends on the characteristics of the emerging market and the entering firm.

This entry was originally published on Palgrave Connect under ISBN 978-1-137-49190-9. The content has not been changed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Golder, P.N., and G.J. Tellis. 1993. Pioneer advantage: Marketing logic or marketing legend? Journal of Marketing Research 30: 158–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalyanaram, G., W.T. Robinson, and G.L. Urban. 1995. Order of market entry: Established empirical generalizations, emerging empirical generalizations, and future research. Marketing Science 14(Special Issue on Empirical Generalizations in Marketing): G212–G221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman, M.B., and D.B. Montgomery. 1988. First-mover advantages. Strategic Management Journal 9(Special Issue: Strategy Content Research): 41–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman, M.B., and D.B. Montgomery. 1998. First-mover (dis)advantages: Retrospective and link with resource-based view. Strategic Management Journal 19: 1111–1125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markides, C., and P.A. Geroski. 2005. Fast second: How smart companies bypass radical innovation to enter and dominate new markets. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, W. 1991. Dual clocks: Entry order influences on incumbent and newcomer market share and survival when specialized assets retain their value. Strategic Management Journal 12: 85–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suarez, F., and G. Lanzolla. 2005. The half-truth of first-mover advantage. Harvard Business Review 83: 121–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vanderwerf, P.A., and J.F. Mahon. 1997. Meta-analysis of the impact of research methods on findings of first-mover advantage. Management Science 43: 1510–1519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marvin Lieberman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 2016 The Author(s)

About this entry

Cite this entry

Lieberman, M. (2016). First-Mover Advantage. In: Augier, M., Teece, D. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94848-2_602-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94848-2_602-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-94848-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Business and ManagementReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics