its history, structure and international competitiveness
How do new industrial sectors emerge? Do the structural dynamics of a sector tell us something about the successes or failures of the firms that are part of the sector? These two questions are key to the research into the development of the Dutch offshore oil and gas sector.
This sector originated in the early 1960s consisting of only a few firms and institutions. In the following fifty years it grew to become one of the most significant maritime sectors in the Netherlands in which oil companies, contractors, fabricators, shipping companies, shipbuilding companies, research institutions and government agencies formed a complex dynamic network of business and social relationships.
The research claims that the position of the firm in the offshore business network programmes for its success or failure.