nep-cse New Economics Papers
on Economics of Strategic Management
Issue of 2024‒09‒02
three papers chosen by
João José de Matos Ferreira, Universidade da Beira Interior


  1. Knowledge Workers and Firm Capabilities By Mengus, Eric; Michalski, Tomasz Kamil
  2. The KSTE+I approach and the advent of AI technologies: evidence from the European regions By D'Al, Francesco; Santarelli, Enrico; Vivarelli, Marco
  3. Navigating the eco-design paradox criteria and methods for sustainable eco-innovation assessment in early development stages By Sarah Peigné; Helmi Ben Rejeb; Elise Monnier; Peggy Zwolinski

  1. By: Mengus, Eric (HEC Paris); Michalski, Tomasz Kamil (HEC Paris)
    Abstract: Specialized knowledge-generating jobs comprise close to one fifth of employment and one fourth of the wage bill in French manufacturing firms. They are positioned high in the firm hierarchy, horizontally aside upper-tier managers but are not managerial in nature. This escapes the patterns implied by the hierarchy view of the firm. Conditioning on firm size and shares of management workers, their higher shares in employment at the firm level are correlated with more innovation and intangible capital, greater product complexity, higher revenue and quantity total factor productivity and profitability. This suggests that firms use specialized knowledge workers to generate within-firm knowledge and create firm capabilities. Consistently, we model firms as organizations where efficient production of higher-value added, complex goods requires information acquisition by within-firm knowledge workers to develop capabilities beyond those created by management and hierarchies.
    Keywords: firm organization; complexity; productivity; knowledge generation; capabilities.
    JEL: D23 D24 D83 J24 L20 M10 M50
    Date: 2023–01–20
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ebg:heccah:1468
  2. By: D'Al, Francesco; Santarelli, Enrico; Vivarelli, Marco
    Abstract: In this paper we integrate the insights of the Knowledge Spillover Theory of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (KSTE+I) with Schumpeter's idea that innovative entrepreneurs creatively apply available local knowledge, possibly mediated by Marshallian, Jacobian and Porter spillovers. In more detail, in this study we assess the degree of pervasiveness and the level of opportunities brought about by AI technologies by testing the possible correlation between the regional AI knowledge stock and the number of new innovative ventures (that is startups patenting in any technological field in the year of their foundation). Empirically, by focusing on 287 Nuts-2 European regions, we test whether the local AI stock of knowledge exerts an enabling role in fostering innovative entry within AI-related local industries (AI technologies as focused enablers) and within non AI-related local industries, as well (AI technologies as generalised enablers). Results from Negative Binomial fixed-effect and Poisson fixed-effect regressions (controlled for a variety of concurrent drivers of entrepreneurship) reveal that the local AI knowledge stock does promote the spread of innovative startups, so supporting both the KSTE+I approach and the enabling role of AI technologies; however, this relationship is confirmed only with regard to the sole high-tech/AI-related industries.
    Keywords: KSTE+I, Artificial Intelligence, innovative entry, enabling technologies
    JEL: O33 L26
    Date: 2024
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1473
  3. By: Sarah Peigné (G-SCOP - Laboratoire des sciences pour la conception, l'optimisation et la production - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes - Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes); Helmi Ben Rejeb (G-SCOP - Laboratoire des sciences pour la conception, l'optimisation et la production - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes - Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes); Elise Monnier (LITEN / CEA-DES - Laboratoire d'Innovation pour les Technologies des Energies Nouvelles et les nanomatériaux - CEA-DES (ex-DEN) - CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire) - CEA - Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives - INES - Institut National de L'Energie Solaire - CEA - Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives - USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry] - Université Savoie Mont Blanc - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Peggy Zwolinski (G-SCOP - Laboratoire des sciences pour la conception, l'optimisation et la production - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes - Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes)
    Abstract: This paper examines the growing importance of eco-innovation in aligning sustainability with technological development. It explores the 'eco-design paradox, ' which emphasizes the tension between the need for flexible design and the availability of data required for assessing environmental impacts during early innovation stages. This paradox presents a challenge: the lack of detailed data can have an impact on the ability to make sustainable optimal design decisions as designs are still fluid. The study investigates the essential sustainability aspects to be evaluated in the initial phases of innovation and explores the involvement of decision-makers and entrepreneurs in the sustainability assessment process. The paper uses a robust action research methodology to examine various eco-innovation diagnostic tools in collaboration with two French Institutes of Technology (FITs). A comparative analysis is conducted to assess these tools' efficacity in evaluating several dimensions of sustainability, including environmental, social, and economic aspects. Our investigation identifies key criteria that are crucial for early-stage sustainability assessments, such as innovation description, systemic vision, functionality, and stakeholder involvement. The findings will guide policy makers, researchers and practitioners in the field of eco-innovation by providing a comprehensive framework for evaluating and promoting sustainable innovations in their early stages. The insights from our findings show how important expert knowledge is in the eco-innovation diagnostic process. They also demonstrate the need for more integrated approach to eco-innovation.
    Date: 2024
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:cea-04662880

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