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on Economics of Strategic Management |
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Issue of 2017‒05‒07
seven papers chosen by João José de Matos Ferreira Universidade da Beira Interior |
| By: | Martin, Roman (University of Gothenburg); Wiig Aslesen, Heidi (BI Norwegian Business School); Grillitsch, Markus (CIRCLE, Lund University); Herstad, Sverre (Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences) |
| Abstract: | The literature on regional innovation systems emphasizes the role of the region as locus for interactive learning and knowledge exchange, stressing the importance of (geographical) proximity for innovation (Asheim and Gertler 2005). Even though the importance of extra-regional knowledge is widely acknowledged (Trippl et al. 2015), there has been only little emphasis on the particular role and the nature of global knowledge flows. The aim of this chapter is to explore the differentiated nature of global knowledge flows in regional innovation systems. We provide an overview of the different ways firms can gain access to global knowledge sources. Identified knowledge sourcing channels include international R&D collaborations, foreign direct investments, personally embedded relationships, international mobility of skilled labour, virtual communities and online platforms, and the participation in temporary clusters such as fairs, exhibitions, and conferences (Maskell et al. 2006, Aslesen and Sardo 2016). Depending on regional innovation system preconditions, firms use and combine different knowledge sourcing channels to access global knowledge. Firms in organisationally thick and diversified regional innovation systems have a geographical advantage in accessing knowledge globally, but even firms in peripheral areas can exchange knowledge worldwide, due to improved means of transport and communication at distance. Furthermore, not only multinational companies that are dominated by analytical or synthetic knowledge bases, but even small and medium sized enterprises in symbolic industries are often deeply involved in global knowledge sourcing activities. We illustrate our arguments with interview data collected among New Media firms in southern Sweden and in the Oslo Region in Norway. |
| Keywords: | regional innovation systems; globalisation of innovation; knowledge sourcing; new media |
| JEL: | L82 L86 O19 O33 |
| Date: | 2017–04–27 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:lucirc:2017_007&r=cse |
| By: | Grillitsch, Markus (CIRCLE, Lund University); Nilsson, Magnus (CIRCLE, Lund University) |
| Abstract: | Knowledge externalities affect high and low growth firms differently. The paper develops two theoretical arguments. The knowledge equilibrium argument postulates that knowledge externalities weaken high growth firms for the benefit of low growth firms until performance differences vanish. The knowledge competition argument claims that high growth firms are in a better position to identify, attract, and integrate knowledge, thereby benefiting more from knowledge externalities than low growth firms. Based on 188,936 observations of 32,736 Swedish firms from 2004 to 2011, it is analyzed whether knowledge centers enable high growth firms to surge ahead or low growth firms to catch up. |
| Keywords: | knowledge spillovers; externalities; firm growth; competitiveness; core-periphery |
| JEL: | O18 O30 P48 R10 R12 |
| Date: | 2017–04–27 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:lucirc:2017_006&r=cse |
| By: | Isao Kamata; Hitoshi Sato; Kiyoyasu Tanaka |
| Abstract: | This study examines the role of management practices in the internationalisation of domestic firms through directly exporting and/or supplying to local affiliates of multinationals. An original survey of manufacturing firms in Viet Nam was conducted, investigating their management practices such as human resource management and internationalisation status. The survey results shed light on similarities and dissimilarities among firms in several dimensions of management practices. Findings reveal that internationalised firms tended to be more enthusiastic about the formal training of production workers, the modernisation of production and operation, and product and process innovation. Differences in skills and experience requirements for newly employed managers were less recognizable, but internationalised firms tended to have managers who studied overseas. Furthermore, the use of public support to employee training, teamwork in production, and unionisation of employees did not show a significant difference between internationalised and non-internationalised firms. |
| Keywords: | Management practices, Firm heterogeneity, Global value chains |
| JEL: | F23 F61 M11 M50 |
| Date: | 2017–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kue:epaper:e-17-003&r=cse |
| By: | Victor Aguirregabiria; Margaret Slade |
| Abstract: | We review important developments in Empirical Industrial Organization (IO) over the last three decades. The paper is organized around six topics: collusion, demand, productivity, industry dynamics, interfirm contracts, and auctions. We present models that are workhorses in empirical IO, and describe applications. For each topic, we discuss at least one empirical application using Canadian data. |
| Keywords: | Empirical Industrial Organization; Collusion; Demand for differentiated products; Production functions; Dynamic structural models; Interfirm contracts; Empirical auction models |
| JEL: | C57 L10 L20 L30 L40 L50 |
| Date: | 2017–04–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tor:tecipa:tecipa-580&r=cse |
| By: | Aguirregabiria, Victor; Slade, Margaret E. |
| Abstract: | We review important developments in Empirical Industrial Organization (IO) over the last three decades. The paper is organized around six topics: collusion, demand, productivity, industry dynamics, interfirm contracts, and auctions. We present models that are workhorses in empirical IO, and describe applications. For each topic, we discuss at least one empirical application using Canadian data. |
| Keywords: | Empirical IO; collusion, demand for differentiated products; production functions; dynamic structural models; interfirm contracts |
| JEL: | C57 L10 L20 L30 L40 L50 |
| Date: | 2017–04–27 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ubc:pmicro:margaret_e._slade-2017-4&r=cse |
| By: | Zhaohua Wang; Yi Li; Ke Wang; Zhimin Huang |
| Abstract: | There is widespread concern that environmental factor may not be playing a pivotal role in influencing the generation performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants. The aim of this paper is to provide a fair and impartial operational performance evaluation of solar PV power plants taking into account of the impacts of environmental factors from real field data. Stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) is used to attribute the impacts of environmental factors (temperature, cloud amount, elevation, wind speed and precipitation) on inputs (like insolation and daylight hours) of solar PV power plants; while data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to compute the environment-adjusted operational efficiency of these plants. SFA is utilized in the adjustment process for its merit of separating statistical noise from the error term, and DEA is used for its advantage of capturing the interaction among multiple inputs and outputs in a scalar value. The empirical analysis shows that the average operational efficiency of 70 grid-connected solar PV power plants in the United States slightly declines after accounting the impacts of environmental factors and statistical noise. Finally, the results partially support the initial concern from the statistical perspective and temperature is found to be the most significant influencing environmental factor, while precipitation and wind speed show no significant influence on operational efficiency. Therefore, the necessity of accounting for the impacts of environmental factors in the performance evaluation of solar PV power plants should not be omitted. |
| Keywords: | Solar PV power plants; Environmental factors; Data envelopment analysis; Slacks; Stochastic frontier analysis |
| JEL: | Q54 Q40 |
| Date: | 2017–04–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:biw:wpaper:104&r=cse |
| By: | Clarke, Ian; Klerkx, Laurens; Ramirez, Matias |
| Abstract: | In this paper we ask what role governance of intermediary organisations plays for enhancing the upgrading of producers in emerging agricultural clusters. This is an important question because the argument is increasingly made that broad multiparty governance can be effective at creating both vertical and horizontal ties and restructuring network relations. We argue that organisational governance matters, but that rather than just focusing on the agency of single organisations, intermediary activities will emerge from the interaction and negotiation between expectations of other actors, the degree of embeddedness of the intermediary in the cluster and the actions of other intermediaries undertaking overlapping roles. Two case studies of emerging clusters in developing country settings are discussed– the mango cluster in Piura, northern Peru and a cluster of palm oil producers in central Colombia, that include organisations with different governance structures. |
| Keywords: | Intermediary; Cluster; Development; Agriculture |
| Date: | 2016–09–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gpe:wpaper:16712&r=cse |