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on Economics of Strategic Management |
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Issue of 2007‒12‒19
eight papers chosen by Joao Jose de Matos Ferreira University of the Beira Interior |
| By: | Pradorn Sureephong (LIESP - Laboratoire d'Informatique pour l'Entreprise et les Systèmes de Production - Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I - Université Lumière - Lyon II - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon, CAMT - College of Arts, Media and Technology - Chiang Mai University); Nopasit Chakpitak (CAMT - College of Arts, Media and Technology - Chiang Mai University); Yacine Ouzrout (LIESP - Laboratoire d'Informatique pour l'Entreprise et les Systèmes de Production - Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I - Université Lumière - Lyon II - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon); Gilles Neubert (LIESP - Laboratoire d'Informatique pour l'Entreprise et les Systèmes de Production - Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I - Université Lumière - Lyon II - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon); Abdelaziz Bouras (LIESP - Laboratoire d'Informatique pour l'Entreprise et les Systèmes de Production - Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I - Université Lumière - Lyon II - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon) |
| Abstract: | After the concept of industry cluster was tangibly applied in many countries, SMEs trended to link to each other to maintain their competitiveness in the market. The major key success factors of the cluster are knowledge sharing and collaboration between partners. This knowledge is collected in form of tacit and explicit knowledge from experts and institutions within the cluster. The objective of this study is about enhancing the industry cluster with knowledge management by using knowledge engineering which is one of the most important method for managing knowledge. This work analyzed three well known knowledge engineering methods, i.e. MOKA, SPEDE and CommonKADS, and compares the capability to be implemented in the cluster context. Then, we selected one method and proposed the adapted methodology. At the end of this paper, we validated and demonstrated the proposed methodology with some primary result by using case study of handicraft cluster in Thailand. |
| Keywords: | Knowledge Engineering; Industry Cluster; CommonKADS; Knowledge Management System |
| Date: | 2007–11–26 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:papers:hal-00196472_v1&r=cse |
| By: | Grimpe, Christoph; Sofka, Wolfgang |
| Abstract: | Searching for externally available knowledge has been characterised as a vital part of the innovation process. Previous research has, however, almost exclusively focused on hightechnology environments, largely ignoring the substantial low- and medium-technology sectors of modern economies. We argue that low- and high-technology firms differ in their search patterns and that these moderate the relationship between innovation inputs and outputs. Based on a sample of 4,500 firms from 13 European countries we find that search patterns in low-technology industries focus on market knowledge while they are built around differences in technology sourcing activities for high-technology industries. |
| Keywords: | Absorptive capacity, search strategies, low-, medium- and high-technology sectors, open innovation |
| JEL: | L60 O32 |
| Date: | 2007 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:6800&r=cse |
| By: | Thorn, Kristian; Blom, Andreas; Mark, Michael; Marotta, Daniela |
| Abstract: | A firm ' s absorptive capacity, human capital and linkages with knowledge institutions have been shown to increase the firm ' s probability of innovating in OECD economies. Despite its importance for national- and firm-level competitiveness, few papers examine the impact of the same variables for firms innovation in Latin America. This paper investigates the link between firm innovation and its absorption capacity as proxied by the presence of a R & D department, the firm ' s human capital, and its interaction with research centers and universities. We analyze the case of Chilean and Colombian manufacturing firms using data from innovation surveys. A probit regression model is applied to identify the determinants of innovation activity. We find that collaboration with university and research institutions is associated with an increase in the probability of introducing a new product in Chilean and Colombian firms of 29 and 44 percent, respectively, and it can increase up to 58 percent in the case of Colombian firms interacting with research centers. Moreover, firms whose employees have a higher level of education, or whose managers/supervisors have a higher (perceived) level of knowledge, are more likely to innovate. Although the estimates could be affected by biases and suffer from shortcomings in data, the findings suggest that policies and incentives to increase firm-level human capital and industry-university linkages are important to increase innovation in Latin America. |
| Keywords: | E-Business,Education for Development (superceded),Innovation,Agricultural Knowledge & Information Systems,Labor Policies |
| Date: | 2007–12–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:4443&r=cse |
| By: | Dieter Hesse (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) |
| Abstract: | A major policy goal of low-income countries is to promote the creation of competitive economic capacities in order to achieve sustained growth and raise the material well being of the population. Economic growth is, however, associated with increasing environmental pressures, and the question is to what extent the costs of more stringent environmental policies will affect the competitiveness of domestic firms. This paper examines the empirical evidence on the impact of environmental protection costs on international trade and FDI location decisions and explores the opportunities that the process of technological upgrading, which is a major driving force of economic development, provides for reducing environmental pressures. Also considered are the policies and supportive institutional arrangements that can help to effectively integrate environmental protection into national economic development strategies and thereby promote sustainable production and consumption patterns. |
| Keywords: | Environmental policy, competitiveness, Eastern Europe, transition economies |
| JEL: | O33 O52 Q55 Q56 Q58 |
| Date: | 2007–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ece:dispap:2007_6&r=cse |
| By: | Pradorn Sureephong (LIESP - Laboratoire d'Informatique pour l'Entreprise et les Systèmes de Production - Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I - Université Lumière - Lyon II - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon, CAMT - College of Arts, Media and Technology - Chiang Mai University); Nopasit Chakpitak (CAMT - College of Arts, Media and Technology - Chiang Mai University); Yacine Ouzrout (LIESP - Laboratoire d'Informatique pour l'Entreprise et les Systèmes de Production - Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I - Université Lumière - Lyon II - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon); Gilles Neubert (LIESP - Laboratoire d'Informatique pour l'Entreprise et les Systèmes de Production - Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I - Université Lumière - Lyon II - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon); Abdelaziz Bouras (LIESP - Laboratoire d'Informatique pour l'Entreprise et les Systèmes de Production - Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I - Université Lumière - Lyon II - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon) |
| Abstract: | Since the concept of the industry cluster was popularized by Porter in 1990, many countries try to improve the competitiveness through industry sector. Not only companies who take part in the cluster but also academic institutes, government agencies, associations, and supportive industries. The more actors involved in the cluster the more knowledge were distributed among the member of cluster. Although, many literatures about cluster explained how knowledge is important for the cluster development. But, there is no specific knowledge management methodology or system for the cluster. This study is concerned about knowledge exchange in the cluster by using knowledge engineering methodology to analyze, model and design Knowledge Management System (KMS). At the end of this study, we will implement KMS in handicraft cluster in Thailand as our case study. As we are in the beginning of the study, this paper proposed methodology and primary result from knowledge engineering. Then the KMS architecture was proposed as the result of the study in this paper. |
| Date: | 2007–12–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:papers:hal-00196486_v1&r=cse |
| By: | Alexander Coad |
| Abstract: | We attempt to describe the coevolution of employment growth, sales growth and growth of profits in a panel of French manufacturing firms 1996-2004. Our analysis entails ‘recursive’ panel vector autoregressions, whereby we impose the structure of employment growth leading to contemporaneous sales growth, which in turn is associated with contemporaneous growth of profits. We observe that whilst employment growth has a direct negative association with profit growth, there are indirect effects through which employment growth leads to sales growth which in turn has a large effect on profits growth. The net effect of employment growth is thus positive growth of profits. Counter to some ‘replicator dynamics’ theories of industrial development, profit growth is not followed by much subsequent growth of employment. |
| Keywords: | Firm Growth, Panel VAR, Recursive VAR, Employment Growth, Industrial Dynamics Length 15 pages |
| JEL: | L20 L25 |
| Date: | 2007–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:esi:evopap:2007-15&r=cse |
| By: | Marius Brülhart; Mario Jametti; Kurt Schmidheiny |
| Abstract: | Low corporate taxes can help attract new firms. This is the main mechanism underpinning the standard 'race-to-the-bottom'view of tax competition. A recent theoretical literature has qualified this view by formalizing the argument that agglomeration forces can reduce firms' sensitivity to tax differentials across locations. We test this proposition using data on firm startups across Swiss municipalities. We find that, on average, high corporate income taxes do deter new firms, but that this relationship is significantly weaker in the most spatially concentrated sectors. Location choices of firms in sectors with an agglomeration intensity at the twentieth percentile of the sample distribution are estimated to be twice as responsive to a given difference in local corporate tax burdens as firms in sectors with an agglomeration intensity at the eightieth percentile. Hence, our analysis confirms the theoretical prediction: agglomeration economies can neutralize the impact of tax differentials on firms' location choices. |
| Keywords: | Firm location, agglomeration economies, local taxation, count models, Switzerland |
| JEL: | R3 H32 |
| Date: | 2007–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:upf:upfgen:1062&r=cse |
| By: | Sergio Lodde |
| Abstract: | The paper examines the relationship between human capital and productivity growth with reference to the Italian regions. Two approaches can be distinguished. One belonging to the neoclassical tradition stresses the accumulation of human capital as a determinant of growth, while the other, inspired by Nelson and Phelps, emphasizes the role of the stock in developing endogenous technology and catching up with more advanced economies. These hypotheses have been tested at an aggregate level but results might be the overall outcome of different processes across sectors due to the different catching-up potential. In particular we expect the Nelson-Phelps hypothesis to be more relevant in the industrial sector where innovation is the most important growth determinant. A model is estimated which allows to test both the neoclassical and the Nelson-Phelps hypotheses breaking down the analysis by sector. The results do not confirm our expectations. In the industrial sector the neoclassical hypothesis is clearly rejected by the data. Some evidence supporting the Schumpeterian one can be detected when the technical component of human capital is taken into account but it is not robust to changes in the model specification. In the service sector the results are inconclusive as well. A positive and significant effect of human capital accumulation has been found for the whole sector but the explanatory power of this variable decreases considerably in the marketable services branch. |
| Keywords: | growth, human capital, regions, sectors |
| JEL: | J24 O40 R11 |
| Date: | 2007 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cns:cnscwp:200711&r=cse |