One of the most important factors affecting the balance between in-house generated, and externally acquired, technology is the degree to which company strategy dictates that it should pursue a policy of technological differentiation or leadership. For example, Kodak distinguishes between two types of technical core competencies: strategic, i.e. those activities in which the company must be a world leader because they represent such an important source of competitive advantage, and enabling, i.e. skills required for success, but which do not have to be controlled internally.
Joe Tidd and John Bessant (Managing Innovation)