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on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Economy |
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Issue of 2010‒03‒13
eight papers chosen by Laura Stefanescu European Research Centre of Managerial Studies in Business Administration |
| By: | Cherchye, Laurens; Moesen, Willem; Rogge, Nicky; Van Puyenbroeck, Tom |
| Abstract: | This paper focuses on the construction of a composite indicator for the knowledge based economy using imprecise data. Specifically, for some indicators we only have information on the bounds of the interval within which the true value is believed to lie. The proposed approach is based on a recent offspring in the Data Envelopment Analysis literature. Given the setting of evaluating countries, this paper discerns a ‘strong country in weak environment’ and ‘weak country in strong environment’ scenario resulting in respectively an upper and lower bound on countries’ performance. Accordingly, we derive a classification of ‘benchmark countries’, ‘potential benchmark countries’, and ‘countries open to improvement’. |
| Keywords: | Knowledge economy indicators; Composite indicators; Multiple Imputation; Benefit of the doubt; Weight restrictions; Data Envelopment Analysis; Data impreciseness; |
| Date: | 2009–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ner:leuven:urn:hdl:123456789/237727&r=knm |
| By: | Berliant, Marcus; Fujita, Masahisa |
| Abstract: | How is long run economic growth related to the endogenous diversity of knowledge? We formulate and study a microeconomic model of knowledge creation, through the interactions among a group of heterogeneous R & D workers, embedded in a growth model to address this question. In contrast with the traditional literature, in our model the composition of the research work force in terms of knowledge heterogeneity matters, in addition to its size, in determining the production of new knowledge. Moreover, the heterogeneity of the work force is endogenous. Income to these workers accrues as patent income, whereas transmission of newly created knowledge to all such workers occurs due to public transmission of patent information. Knowledge in common is required for communication, but differential knowledge is useful to bring originality to the endeavor. Whether or not the system reaches the most productive state depends on the strength of the public knowledge transmission technology. Equilibrium paths are found analytically. Long run economic growth is positively related to both the effectiveness of pairwise R & D worker interaction and to the effectiveness of public knowledge transmission. |
| Keywords: | knowledge creation; knowledge externalities; microfoundations of endogenous growth; knowledge diversity and growth |
| JEL: | D90 D83 O31 |
| Date: | 2010–02–27 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:21009&r=knm |
| By: | Czarnitzki, Dirk; Wastyn, Annelies |
| Abstract: | The concept of knowledge has gained in interest since industrialized economics have induced a shift in importance from labor, capital and natural resources towards intellectual resources. This study investigates how the management of knowledge influences the innovation performance of a firm. While former studies mainly focused on knowledge management cycles, we distinguish different types of knowledge management techniques. It turns out that there is a difference between three knowledge management techniques and their influence on product and process innovation. The ability to source external knowledge positively affects the firm’s introduction of new products and products new to the market. For obtaining cost reductions it is effective to stimulate employees to share knowledge. The availability of a codified knowledge management policy also positively affects the cost reduction possibilities of a firm. These results indicate that it is important for a firm to carefully select the tools of knowledge management in function of the kind of technical innovation it wants to proceed. |
| Keywords: | Knowledge management; innovation performance; |
| Date: | 2009–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ner:leuven:urn:hdl:123456789/250667&r=knm |
| By: | Belderbos, Rene; Faems, Dries; Leten, Bart; Van Looy, Bart |
| Abstract: | This article analyzes the financial performance consequences of technology strategies categorized along two dimensions: (1) explorative versus exploitative and (2) solitary versus collaborative. The financial performance implications of firms’ positioning along these two dimensions has important managerial implications, but has received only limited attention in prior studies. Drawing on organizational learning theory and technology alliances literature, a set of hypotheses on the performance implications of firms’ technology strategies are derived. These hypotheses are tested empirically on a panel dataset (1996-2003) of 168 R&D-intensive firms based in Japan, the US and Europe and situated in five different industries (chemicals, pharmaceuticals, ICT, electronics, non-electrical machinery). Patent data are used to construct indicators of explorative versus exploitative technological activities (activities in new or existing technology domains) and collaborative versus solitary technological activities (joint versus single patent ownership). The financial performance of firms is measured via a market value indicator: Tobin’s Q index. The analyses confirm the existence of an inverted U-shape relationship between the share of explorative technological activities and financial performance. In addition, it is observed that most sample firms do not reach the optimal level of explorative technological activities. These findings point to the relevance of creating a balance between exploitation and exploration in the context of technological activities. Moreover, they suggest that, for the majority of R&D intensive firms, reaching such a balance between exploration and exploitation implies investing additional efforts and resources in exploring new knowledge domains. The analyses also show that firms, engaging more intensively in collaboration, perform relatively stronger in explorative activities. At the same time, a negative relationship between the share of collaborative technological activities and a firm’s market value is observed. Contrary to our expectations, it is collaboration in explorative technological activities, rather than collaboration in exploitative technological activities, that leads to a reduction in firm value. These findings question the relevance of open business models for technological activities. In particular, they suggest that the potential advantages of collaboration for (explorative) technological activities (i.e. access to complementary knowledge from other partners, sharing of technological costs and risks) might not compensate for the potential disadvantages, such as the incurred increase in coordination costs and the need to share innovation rewards across innovation partners. |
| Date: | 2009–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ner:leuven:urn:hdl:123456789/252485&r=knm |
| By: | Flavio Lenz-Cesar; Almas Heshmati (TEMEP, School of Industrial and Management Engineering College of Engineering, Seoul National University) |
| Abstract: | This paper introduces an agent-based simulation model representing the dynamic processes of cooperative R&D in the manufacturing sector of South Korea. Firms¡¯ behaviors were defined according to empirical findings on a dataset from the internationally standardized Korean Innovation Survey in 2005. Simulation algorithms and parameters were defined based on the determinants on firms¡¯ likelihood to participate in cooperation with other firms when conducting innovation activities. The calibration process was conducted to the point where artificially generated scenarios were equivalent to the one observed in the real world. The aim of this simulation game was to create a basic implementation that could be extended to test different policies strategies in order to observe sector responses (including cross-sector spillovers) when promoting cooperative innovation. |
| Keywords: | Collaborative R&D, Agent-base simulation, Korean innovation survey |
| JEL: | C15 D21 D85 |
| Date: | 2010–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:snv:dp2009:201052&r=knm |
| By: | Giovanni Cerulli; Bianca Potì (CERIS-CNR, Institute for Economic Research on Firms and Growth) |
| Abstract: | The paper explores the impact of a specific R&D policy tool, the Italian “Fondo per le Agevolazioni della Ricerca” (FAR), on industrial R&D and technological output at firm level. Our objective is threefold: first, identifying econometrically the presence/absence of private R&D investment additionality/crowding-out within a pooled sample, in a series of firms’ subsets (by regional, dimensional, technological and other characterizations), and by taking into account the effect of single as well as a mix of policy instruments; second, exploring the output (innovation) additionality by comparing the differential impact of “privately funded” (firm own resources) and “public funded” industrial R&D expenditures on firm patent applications; third, comparing the structural characteristics of the group of firm performing additionality with that doing crowding-out, in order to appreciate which are the firm characteristics driving to the success of the policy at stake. Our results suggest that FAR has been effective in the pooled sample, although no effect emerges in some subsets of firms. In particular, while large firms seem to have been decisive for the success of this policy, small firms present a more marked crowding-out effect. Furthermore, firm growth’s strategy and capacity of effectively transform R&D input into innovation output (patents) seem to lead toward a better effect in term of additionality. |
| Keywords: | business R&D; public incentives; econometric evaluation |
| JEL: | O32 C52 O38 |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dsc:wpaper:10&r=knm |
| By: | Teles, Vladimir Kuhl; Joiozo, Renato |
| Abstract: | Panel cointegration techniques applied to pooled data for 27 economies forthe period 1960-2000 indicate that: i) government spending in education andinnovation indicators are cointegrated; ii) education hierarchy is relevant whenexplaining innovation; and iii) the relation between education and innovation canbe obtained after an accommodation of a level structural break. |
| Date: | 2010–02–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fgv:eesptd:245&r=knm |
| By: | Louis N. Christofides and Robert Swidinsky |
| Abstract: | In a country with two official languages, such as Canada, the demand for bilingualism may lead individuals born with one mother tongue to acquire the second official language. Knowledge of an additional official language may be associated with enhanced earnings for two reasons; its actual value in the workplace, or its value as a screening mechanism for ability. Previously available data did not indicate whether bilingual language skills were actually being used at work. However, the 2001 Census reports, for the first time, the primary and the secondary languages that an individual uses at work. Conditioning on both language knowledge and language use allow us to estimate the additional earnings that can be attributed to the use of a second official language. We find very substantial, statistically significant, rewards to second official use in Quebec and much smaller, not statistically significant, effects in the Rest-of-Canada. |
| Keywords: | Wages, language knowledge, language use |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ucy:cypeua:4-2010&r=knm |