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on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Economy |
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Issue of 2008‒09‒05
seven papers chosen by Laura Stefanescu European Research Centre of Managerial Studies in Business Administration |
| By: | Benoit Dostie; Rajshri Jayaraman |
| Abstract: | Using a large longitudinal, nationally representative workplace-level dataset, we explore the productivity gains associated with computer use and organizational redesign. The empirical strategy involves the estimation of a production function, augmented to account for technology use and organizational design, correcting for unobserved heterogeneity. We find large returns associated with computer use. We also find that computer use and organizational redesign may be complements or substitutes in production, and that the productivity gains associated with organizational redesign are industry-specific. <P>Dans cet article, nous estimons les rendements en termes de productivité au niveau de l'établissement associés aux nouvelles technologies et aux nouvelles pratiques organisationnelles. Notre stratégie d'estimation repose sur la spécification d'une fonction de production Cobb-Douglas où nous tenons compte de l'utilisation des nouvelles technologies et du design organisationnel de l'établissement, tout en corrigeant pour l'hétérogénéité non-observée. Nous trouvons que les nouvelles technologies sont complémentaires à certaines pratiques organisationnelles et substituts pour d'autres. Nous trouvons aussi que les mécanismes menant à des gains de productivité sont souvent spécifiques à l'industrie. |
| Keywords: | productivity, workplace practices, linked employer-employee data, information technologies, données employeur-employé liées, pratiques organisationnelles, productivité, nouvelles technologies |
| Date: | 2008–08–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cir:cirwor:2008s-22&r=knm |
| By: | Werner Hölzl (WIFO) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the R&D behaviour of fast growing SMEs using CIS III data for 16 countries. We group the countries into three groups that roughly have the same position in technological development. The first finding is that R&D is more important to high growth SMEs in countries that are closer to the technological frontier. The second finding is that high growth SMEs are more innovative than non-high-growth SMEs only for countries close to the technological frontier. This suggests that gazelles derive much of their drive from the exploitation of comparative advantages. From a policy perspective this suggests that there are important limits to centralise policies that aim at fostering high growth SMEs. |
| Keywords: | R&D, high growth firms, Europe, CIS |
| Date: | 2008–08–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wfo:wpaper:y:2008:i:327&r=knm |
| By: | Jolanda Hessels; Siri Terjesen |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the role of entrepreneurial human capital, entrepreneurial social capital and innovation in explaining new ventures' levels of export orientation. We use Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data from 9,342 early-stage venture entrepreneurs in 36 countries. Our results suggest that both entrepreneurial human capital and entrepreneurial social capital are important in explaining new ventures' export orientation. Entrepreneurial human capital increases the probability for new ventures to offer new products or services. New ventures with unique products or services are more likely to export, indicating that entrepreneurial human capital both has a direct positive relationship with new ventures' export and an indirect positive relationship through the venture's new product or service offerings. We also find that compared to moderate exporters, new ventures with higher export orientation levels are more likely to possess entrepreneurial human and entrepreneurial social capital and to be more innovative. |
| Date: | 2008–07–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eim:papers:h200808&r=knm |
| By: | Thomas Ziesemer (University of Augsburg, Department of Economics); Peter Michaelis (University of Augsburg, Department of Economics) |
| Abstract: | Recent political discussions about the possible advantages of first-mover behaviour in terms of environmental policy again called attention to the well-established controversy about the effects of environmental regulation on international competitiveness. Conventional theory claims that the trade-off between regulation and competitiveness will be negative while the revisionist view, also known as the Porter Hypothesis, argues for the opposite. Several previous attempts that analysed this quarrel by means of strategic trade game settings indeed support the former claim and conclude that, to increase a firm’s competitiveness, ecological dumping is the most likely outcome in a Cournot duopoly configuration. However, these results were derived from one period games in which so-called innovation offsets are unlikely to occur. The present paper considers a two-period model that includes an intertemporally growing firm-level knowledge capital. In doing so the accumulation of knowledge is modelled in a unilateral and a bilateral variant. It is shown that for both scenarios in period 1 the domestic government will set a higher emission tax rate compared to its foreign counterpart. Furthermore, we identify conditions for which the domestic tax rate will be set above the Pigouvian level in period 1 in both model variants. |
| Keywords: | first-mover behaviour, Porter Hypothesis, strategic environmental policy, environmental regulation, international competitiveness |
| JEL: | F18 Q55 Q58 |
| Date: | 2008–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aug:augsbe:0301&r=knm |
| By: | yamamura, eiji |
| Abstract: | This paper examined how and the extent to which human capital and social trust are associated with the learning process of a manager in making operations decisions through experience. To this end, using a data set originally and purposively constructed by the author, I investigate the development and transformation of the garment industry cluster region of Kojima, Japan. The major findings through statistical estimations are as follows. (1) In the cluster development stage, the social trust of an enterprise and its manager’s experiences in firm operations could be regarded as forming a complimentary association. (2) In the stage following cluster development, however, a manager’s human capital as accumulated through schooling and personal experience becomes complimentary instead of social trust. |
| Keywords: | Social trust; Human capital; Bayesian learning |
| JEL: | O10 L20 |
| Date: | 2008–05–17 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:10251&r=knm |
| By: | Peschl, Markus F.; Fundneider, Thomas |
| Abstract: | Innovation has become one of the most important issues in modern knowledge society. As opposed to radical innovation this paper introduces the concept of Emergent Innovation: this approach tries to balance and integrate the demand both for radically new knowledge and at the same time for an organic development from within the organization. From a more general perspective one can boil down this problem to the question of how to cope with the new and with profound change (in knowledge). This question will be dealt with in the first part of the paper. As an implication the alternative approach of Emergent Innovation will be presented in the second part: this approach looks at innovation as a socio-epistemological process of “learning from the future” in order to create (radically) new knowledge in a sustainable and “organic” manner. Implications for knowledge society will be discussed. |
| Keywords: | Knowledge society; (radical vs. incremental) innovation; emergent innovation; knowledge creation; change |
| JEL: | Q55 O32 D83 O31 O3 |
| Date: | 2008–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:10215&r=knm |
| By: | EIM |
| Abstract: | This ninth edition of Entrepreneurship in the Netherlands deals with high growth and the quality of entrepreneurship. In the 'Action Plan Entrepreneurs - Entrepreneurship policy in the Netherlands?', the Ministry of Economic Affairs describes its aim as not just to create more entrepreneurs, but also to improve the quality of entrepreneurship. Creating a successful enterprise requires a careful and well-researched approach combined with a detailed knowledge of the market. Many entrepreneurs in the Netherlands are still not fully exploiting the capacities of their businesses. This is often due to lack of preparation and insufficient knowledge.In addition, the action plan stipulates that fast-growing companies are an important target group for Dutch entrepreneurship policy. The Netherlands is lagging behind the rest of Europe in terms of the share of such companies as a proportion of the business population. Therefore the Ministry tries to ensure that the Netherlands? share will match, by 2010, the average in the benchmark countries (i.e. the US, UK, Denmark, Belgium and Germany). |
| Date: | 2007–02–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eim:papers:a200701&r=knm |