nep-cse New Economics Papers
on Economics of Strategic Management
Issue of 2022‒02‒21
twelve papers chosen by
João José de Matos Ferreira
Universidade da Beira Interior

  1. Open Eco-innovation. The New Form of Cooperation for Sustainable Future. By Chistov, Valery; Tanwar, Sunita; Yadav, C.S.
  2. A hidden source of innovation? Revisiting the impact of initial vocational training on technological innovation By Matthies, Eike; Thomä, Jörg; Bizer, Kilian
  3. Automation and Related Technologies: A Mapping of the New Knowledge Base By Santarelli, Enrico; Staccioli, Jacopo; Vivarelli, Marco
  4. Industrial innovation for competitive sustainability: Science-for-policy insights By DIODATO Dario; MONCADA PATERNO' CASTELLO Pietro; RENTOCCHINI Francesco; TUEBKE Alexander
  5. Rebuilding a Cluster While Protecting Knowledge within Low-Medium-Tech Supplier SMEs: A Spanish and French Comparison By Martine Gadille; Juan Gallego-Bono
  6. Do firms care about peers when choosing to go circular? Peer effect among Italian firms in the introduction of circular innovation By Elisa Chioatto; Susanna Mancinelli; Francesco Nicolli
  7. Firm innovation and generalized trust as a regional resource By Bischoff, Thore Sören; Hipp, Ann; Runst, Petrik
  8. Innovation and employment: a short update By Marco Vivarelli
  9. Mergers and Acquisitions by Chinese Multinationals in Europe: The Effect on the Innovation Performance of Acquiring Firms By Tian Xiong
  10. Techno-Economic study on the potential of European Industrial Companies regarding Europe's Green Deal By Norbert MALANOWSKI; Jana Steinback; Annerose Nisser; Simon Beesch; Sidonia Von Proff; Els Van Der Velde; Daniela Kretz
  11. The 2021 EU Survey on Industrial R&D Investment Trends By Lesley Potters
  12. Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Addressing the Grand Challenges through Radical Change and Open Innovation. By Chistov, Valery; Tanwar, Sunita; Yadav, C.S.

  1. By: Chistov, Valery; Tanwar, Sunita; Yadav, C.S.
    Abstract: This chapter is dedicated to the concept of Open Eco-innovation - an emerging form of cooperation for sustainable development, particularly for environmental sustainability. Our society currently faces a number of environmental challenges that cannot be solved individually and require a collaborative approach. One of the ways to harness the power of collaboration and access the external resources to foster internal eco-innovation capabilities is Open Eco-innovation. This chapter gives an overview of the quickly arising concept, the historical perspective, and the current state of the research. In addition, it draws to the literature on stakeholder theory, industrial symbiosis, and knowledge management to give a theoretical context for this emerging phenomenon. Our research shows that OEI is a critical tool to foster eco-innovation in organizations and sustainable development in our society. Nevertheless, more profound research is needed to prove empirically the viability of the concept and explore its real-life application in the industry.
    Date: 2021–11–30
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:ecoevo:d938m&r=
  2. By: Matthies, Eike; Thomä, Jörg; Bizer, Kilian
    Abstract: While an increasing number of studies postulate that vocational education and training (VET) activities have a positive impact on the innovative capacity of training companies, empirical evidence on the subject remains contradictory. This study exploits establishment data from a representative survey of German companies to estimate the correlations between firms' participation in initial VET and their innovation outcomes. The results based on linear probability models show that the impact of VET activity on innovation is indeed ambiguous. Overall, as expected, participation in initial VET has virtually no effect on radical product innovation. However, a positive impact of training apprentices is observed in case of incremental product innovation and process innovation activities. According to our estimates, this finding primarily applies to the case of microenterprises with fewer than ten employees. We conclude from this that active participation in the VET system primarily promotes the innovation activities of very small firms by stimulating knowledge diffusion in regional innovation systems and developing absorptive capacities at the company level. As a result, small-sized training firms should be more likely to succeed in overcoming - at least in part - some of their disadvantages in innovation.
    Keywords: Technological innovation,Vocational education and training (VET),Apprenticeships,SMEs
    JEL: I20 J24 O31
    Date: 2022
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifhwps:332021&r=
  3. By: Santarelli, Enrico; Staccioli, Jacopo; Vivarelli, Marco
    Abstract: Using the entire population of USPTO patent applications published between 2002 and 2019, and leveraging on both patent classification and semantic analysis, this paper aims to map the current knowledge base centred on robotics and AI technologies. These technologies are investigated both as a whole and distinguishing core and related innovations, along a 4-level core-periphery architecture. Merging patent applications with the Orbis IP firm-level database allows us to put forward a twofold analysis based on industry of activity and geographic location. In a nutshell, results show that: (i) rather than representing a technological revolution, the new knowledge base is strictly linked to the previous technological paradigm; (ii) the new knowledge base is characterised by a considerable - but not impressively widespread - degree of pervasiveness; (iii) robotics and AI are strictly related, converging (particularly among the related technologies and in more recent times) and jointly shaping a new knowledge base that should be considered as a whole, rather than consisting of two separate GPTs; (iv) the US technological leadership turns out to be confirmed (although declining in relative terms in favour of Asian countries such as South Korea, China and, more recently, India).
    Keywords: Robotics,Artificial Intelligence,General Purpose Technology,Technological Paradigm,Industry 4.0,Patents full-text
    JEL: O33
    Date: 2022
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1022&r=
  4. By: DIODATO Dario (European Commission - JRC); MONCADA PATERNO' CASTELLO Pietro (European Commission - JRC); RENTOCCHINI Francesco (European Commission - JRC); TUEBKE Alexander (European Commission - JRC)
    Abstract: New scientific evidence points out key issues helpful to designing policies and understanding new challenges, such as for requirements of the digital and green (twin) transition. - More effort is needed from companies in gender balance, which can also leverage the twin transition.- Strengthen the collaboration of companies with other research & innovation actors and secure an easy access to state-of-the-art technology infrastructure at the local level.- Support young and innovative companies to foster the growth potential of new ideas, particularly in strategic sectors.- Increase collaboration and support programmes among developed and developing countries in environmental and socio-economic Sustainable Development Goals.- Continue to invest in people’s education and skills, re-skilling and re-training, particularly in skills needed for hybrid (mix of remote and office-based) work. - Strengthen the Single Market, by reducing fragmentation, improving conditions for competition and better governance- Industrial innovation policy needs to be transformative, including new directions in objectives and investments, co-creation, a "whole government" approach and anticipation of future change.
    Keywords: Industrial Research and Innovation, Economics and and Policy, Green Deal, Twin transition, Sustainability, Competitiveness, European Union
    Date: 2022–02
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc128430&r=
  5. By: Martine Gadille (LEST - Laboratoire d'économie et de sociologie du travail - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Juan Gallego-Bono (Department of Applied Economics II, University of Valencia, Avda. dels Tarongers s/n, Valencia 46022 - affiliation inconnue)
    Abstract: Most of SMEs are engaged in open innovation practices, but they do not benefit from open innovation or from patenting in the same way as larger firms do. At the same time SMEs, as territorialized suppliers, play a crucial role within evolving regional specialization. In this context the purpose of our study is to examine how low and medium technology supplier SMEs learn and organize themselves at a territorial level to address the challenge of IP protection in an open innovation paradigm. We used a qualitative method with a longitudinal multi-case study involving 27 companies with a historical lance to compare the territorial dynamics of knowledge protection within clustered supplier SMEs in two European regions. The results show they protect their knowledge by learning how to design, in a direct relationship with clients, customized complex technological products to develop a new organizational matrix of multidisciplinary knowledge that reveals itself difficult to imitate within the clusters. They also cope with other supplier firms across sectors even if they show societal path dependencies in the way to build cooperation. This dynamic has given birth to changing structural relationships among regionally clustered SMEs and between them and large firms.
    Keywords: intellectual property,low-medium tech suppliers SMEs,regional clusters,cooperation,organizational matrix,regional specialization,societal path dependency
    Date: 2021–10
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03512139&r=
  6. By: Elisa Chioatto (University of Ferrara – Department of Economics and Management (Ferrara, Italy); SEEDS); Susanna Mancinelli (University of Ferrara – Department of Economics and Management (Ferrara, Italy); SEEDS); Francesco Nicolli (University of Ferrara – Department of Economics and Management (Ferrara, Italy); SEEDS)
    Abstract: The challenges posed by the achievement of the circular economy require the adoption of new innovative practices that are not simply green but specifically related to closing, narrowing, and extending resources cycles (Bocken et al., 2016). Understanding the relationship between eco-innovation and circular innovation and what factors favour their implementation is, therefore, pivotal. This paper offers new pieces of evidence on the role of social norms in increasing firms' propensity to adopt circular innovation. Drawing upon the literature corpus confirming the influence of the social context on firms' decision to innovate and enriching this analysis with recent evidence on the effect of peers in firm decision-making, the present study relies on survey data on 3270 Italian Small and Medium Enterprises with the extent to investigate the effect of peers behaviour in firms decision to adopt circular innovation. The empirical analysis shows a positive relationship between increased investment in circular innovation by peers and the decision of firms to innovate in the same realm. These results, therefore, offer a relevant starting point for the design of policy guidelines and organisational strategies in favour of the circular economy. Social norm information and comparison can be indeed complementary tools to the traditional market and regulatory levers for circular innovation adoption.
    Keywords: Circular innovation, Circular Economy, Eco-Innovation, Social Norm, Peer Effect
    Date: 2022–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:srt:wpaper:0422&r=
  7. By: Bischoff, Thore Sören; Hipp, Ann; Runst, Petrik
    Abstract: Generalized trust within regions represents an important firm resource. We provide empirical evidence on the impact of trust among people in regions on innovation using two distinct data sets. The first one contains firm-level data and is used to analyze how trust affects firm-level innovation in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The second data set is used to analyze the trust-innovation relationship within regions. It allows us to capture innovation in the form of patents and explore spatial patterns. Our observation period ranges from 2004 to 2019. We apply a multilevel approach, panel data models as well as spatial techniques. The results show that generalized trust has a positive impact on a firm's innovativeness, which is particularly strong for small and medium-sized firms and in regions with relatively low levels of trust.
    Keywords: Trust,innovation,regional innovation systems,SMEs
    JEL: D02 D83 O12 O18 O31
    Date: 2022
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifhwps:322021&r=
  8. By: Marco Vivarelli (Dipartimento di Politica Economica, DISCE, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – UNU-MERIT, Maastricht, The Netherlands – IZA, Bonn, Germany)
    Abstract: This note explores the theoretical and empirical literature on the link between innovation and employment, investigated at the macro, sectoral and micro level. While economic theory cannot provide a clear answer to the question whether new technologies are labor-saving or labor-friendly, most of the empirical studies point to a positive relationship between innovation and employment. Yet, this effect turns out to be small in magnitude and limited to product innovation and high-tech sectors, while labor saving impacts can be detected in the downstream more traditional sectors and firms.
    Keywords: Innovation, technological change, employment, job-creation,job-destruction, technological unemployment
    JEL: O33
    Date: 2022–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ctc:serie5:dipe0024&r=
  9. By: Tian Xiong (Europäisches Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen (EIIW))
    Abstract: This study aims to investigate the effects of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) by Chinese multinational firm in the EU28 on the subsequent innovation performance of acquiring firms with different technological intensities and types of corporate ownership The study does so by applying the Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial estimation to analyze novel longitudinal firm-level data covering the period from 2010 to 2018. The empirical evidence suggests that Chinese acquiring firms are generally able to enhance their innovation performance after merging or acquiring firms from the EU28 countries. Furthermore, this study reveals that medium low- and low-tech firms significantly improved their innovation performance after undertaking M&As, but the same effect cannot be identified for firms in the high- and medium high-tech groups. Finally, strong evidence confirms the significant increase in innovation output of private-owned enterprises in the post-acquisition era compared with state-owned or -controlled enterprises.
    Keywords: mergers and acquisitions, M&A, innovation performance, emerging market multinationals (EMNEs), learning, China, EU
    JEL: O1 O3 F23
    Date: 2022–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bwu:eiiwdp:disbei310&r=
  10. By: Norbert MALANOWSKI (VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH); Jana Steinback (VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH); Annerose Nisser (VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH); Simon Beesch (VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH); Sidonia Von Proff (VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH); Els Van Der Velde (IDEA Consult); Daniela Kretz (IDEA Consult)
    Abstract: The study provides theoretical as well as case-study based evidence for the potential of European industries to become carbon neutral and provide job security and growth in the EU. The study identifies, maps, and analyses Global Innovation Networks, i.e. net-works between industry and other actors that facilitate innovation, and their role in making the European Green Deal a success. The study also presents the main current policy context in place in the EU, China and the U.S., e.g. regulatory and financial frameworks, and identifies the main drivers and barriers for investing in technologies relevant for Europe's Green Deal. In addition, a concise policy toolbox for Research & Development & Innovation (R&D&I) policies supporting technologies relevant for Eu-rope's Green Deal is discussed. It moves beyond the current European, national, regional and sectoral policy instruments and mixes of policies based on the insights obtained throughout the whole study. The findings offer an important knowledge base for devising new and additional policy instruments.
    Keywords: Green Deal, ecosystems, innovation, competitiveness
    Date: 2022–02
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc126482&r=
  11. By: Lesley Potters (European Commission - JRC)
    Abstract: The EU Survey on Industrial R&D Investment Trends has provided insights on R&D strategies of top EU R&D corporate investors as listed in the EU R&D Scoreboard for the past 17 years. These largest R&D investors have a big impact on the whole ecosystem in the twin transition. This survey aims at giving better insights into what current trends in industrial innovation and R&D investment fit into the ambitions of the European Green Deal. This survey goes beyond publicly available data of R&D levels and trends and aims at better understanding location strategies, technological developments among different sectors and innovation collaboration of the largest R&D performers that are responsible for the bulk of private R&D in the EU.
    Keywords: Industrial R&D, top R&D investors, innovation, company performance, economic and innovation performance
    Date: 2022–02
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc128047&r=
  12. By: Chistov, Valery; Tanwar, Sunita; Yadav, C.S.
    Abstract: Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation are essential tools in the transition towards a more fair, healthy, and sustainable society. This chapter gives an overview of the two decades of research on the topic and discusses the current state of its application. It shows that the current literature lacks a more profound theoretical and practical investigation. Nevertheless, these gaps may be covered soon, as the number of publications in this area is growing. Additionally, the chapter explores the importance of a radical approach, open innovation strategies, and collaboration to foster sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation and tackle the Grand Challenges of modern society.
    Date: 2021–12–04
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:ecoevo:r5ebg&r=

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