Identifying the Technological Positions and Roles using Patent Citation Network: The case of Solar Photovoltaic Cell Companies

Photovoltaic solar energy cell manufacturers not only perform research and development (R&D) but also try to captivate the technological output of the competitor companies. It is essential to understand the roles and positions of companies in a particular competitive network. This study, therefore, first combines various centrality measures such as in-degree, out-degree, and eigenvector for the patent citation network between two variables. Companies are grouped into four clusters by using one-way MANOVA and k-means clustering to test the significance of clusters. The main aim of the study is to identify the role of the four positions thus formed, which are termed as a non-practicing entity, leader, follower, and significantly emerging. Organizations need to understand their roles and positions in the technology domain and act strategically to enhance their technology flow and market position.