Prospective positioning of industrial players: The case of theranostics

Abstract

How are the perceptions of industrial agents affected by newly emerging technological fields? One way to investigate this is to explore the prospective roles that companies involved attribute to themselves and to others by using positioning theory as the point of departure. An appropriate example of an emerging technology to study is theranostics (dedicated diagnostics linked with therapy) given that this affects multiple, relatively unrelated, industries (old and new) simultaneously. By studying annual reports we gain insight into how industries react strategically towards emerging technological fields. We also make a contribution to positioning theory itself.