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on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Economy |
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Issue of 2010‒09‒25
seven papers chosen by Laura Stefanescu European Research Centre of Managerial Studies in Business Administration |
| By: | Trevinyo-Rodríguez, Rosa N. (ITESM, Monterrey); Tapies, Josep (IESE Business School) |
| Abstract: | One of the most critical organizational changes family businesses deal with at some stage in their lives is the succession process. When evaluating it, two main targets are sought: quality and effectiveness. To meet these quality-effectiveness standards three elements should be transferred from the predecessor to the Next Generation Member(s): 1) Ownership/power, 2) Management responsibility and 3) Competence/Knowledge. We focus on the third element: Knowledge, since most of the times, it is "the taken-for-granted" factor. How effective intergenerational knowledge transfer in family firms takes place -under which conditions and through which variables- is the heart of this writing. We have developed a Knowledge Transfer Model in Family Firms (KTFF) which sets on stage several internal and external relationships in the Family-Enterprise-Next Generation System. And, although this is a conceptual text, it may drive future empirical research projects in order to provide support for the proposed interactions (relationships). |
| Keywords: | Knowledge Transfer; Learning; Knowledge Acquisition; Family Firms; Family Business; Next Generation; Succession; |
| Date: | 2010–07–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ebg:iesewp:d-0865&r=knm |
| By: | Kumud Sharma |
| Abstract: | Science and technology have continuously enlarged the frontiers of human knowledge, growth and development. The issue which keeps surfacing time and again and needs to be addressed while planning our technological future. It is desirable to be concerned only about the productivity and efficiency of our industry and agriculture without giving the same weightage to its human resource? The current discomfort with the impact of science and technology is obviously related to the pace and complexity of changes which are determined by the human, social and natural environment. |
| Keywords: | Science and technology, frontiers, human knowledge, development, social and natural environment |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2845&r=knm |
| By: | Todd Gabe; Jaison R. Abel; Adrienne Ross; Kevin Stolarick |
| Abstract: | This study identifies clusters of U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas with similar knowledge traits. These groups—ranging from Making Regions, characterized by knowledge about manufacturing, to Thinking Regions, noted for knowledge about the arts, humanities, information technology, and commerce—can be used by analysts and policymakers for the purposes of regional benchmarking or comparing the types of programs and infrastructure available to support closely related economic activities. In addition these knowledge-based clusters help explain the types of regions that have levels of economic development that exceed, or fall short of, other places with similar amounts of college attainment. Regression results show that Engineering, Enterprising, and Building Regions are associated with higher levels of productivity and earnings per capita, while Teaching, Understanding, Working, and Comforting Regions have lower levels of economic development. |
| Keywords: | Regional economics ; Productivity ; Manufacturing industries ; Education - Economic aspects ; Professional employees |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fednsr:470&r=knm |
| By: | Hall, Bronwyn (University of California at Berkeley, UNU-MERIT, and Maastricht University); Helmers, Christian (CEP, London School of Economics and Political Science, and CSAE, University of Oxford) |
| Abstract: | Global climate change mitigation will require the development and diffusion of a large number and variety of new technologies. How will patent protection affect this process? In this paper we first review the evidence on the role of patents for innovation and international technology transfer in general. The literature suggests that patent protection in a host country encourages technology transfer to that country but that its impact on innovation and development is much more ambiguous. We then discuss the implications of these findings and other technology-specific evidence for the diffusion of climate change-related technologies. We conclude that the "gdouble externality" problem, that is the presence of both environmental and knowledge externalities, implies that IP may not be the ideal and cannot be the only policy instrument to encourage innovation in this area and that the range and variety of green technologies as well as the need for local adaptation of technologies means that patent protection may be neither available nor useful in some settings. |
| Keywords: | climate change, intellectual property, innovation, technology transfer |
| JEL: | O19 O33 O34 Q54 Q55 Q58 |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:unumer:2010046&r=knm |
| By: | Perrot, Radhika (UNU-MERIT); Filippov, Sergey (Delft University of Technology) |
| Abstract: | This paper looks at the localisation strategies of multinational companies in wind energy sector in the emerging countries of China and India. It seeks to explain why western multinationals are localising new manufacturing and R&D facilities in emerging economies such as China and India, and how local knowledge and capabilities are being increasingly integrated into global technology and manufacturing networks of multinationals. It explores the reasons behind the localisation of multinational companies that helps them gain strategic access to wind energy technological capabilities in emerging economies. It examines the case of the company Vestas in expanding wind energy cluster of Tianjin in China and Chennai in India. At the strategic level, it explains the importance of the role of local capabilities and skills in the global production networks of multinationals. At the policy level, the discussions leading from the case focuses on the concrete steps necessary to integrate technology and innovation more closely into development of sustainable energy markets in developing countries. |
| Keywords: | renewables, multinational companies, emerging economies |
| JEL: | F23 L72 O32 Q20 Q42 |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:unumer:2010047&r=knm |
| By: | Amit, Raphael (The Wharton School); Zott, Christoph (IESE Business School) |
| Abstract: | We highlight business model innovation as a way for general managers and entrepreneurs to create and appropriate value, especially in times of economic change. Business model innovation, which involves designing a modified or new activity system, relies on recombining the existing resources of a firm and its partners, and it does not require significant investments in R&D. We offer managers and researchers a conceptual primer on business model innovation emphasizing the importance of system-level thinking. |
| Keywords: | Business model; innovation; activity system; design; value creation; |
| JEL: | L22 L26 M10 |
| Date: | 2010–07–17 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ebg:iesewp:d-0870&r=knm |
| By: | Waśniewski, Krzysztof |
| Abstract: | The bulk of the global innovative effort takes place in 5 countries: USA, Japan and China as leaders, with France and United Kingdom as immediate followers, which all display, on the long run, a negative marginal value added on innovation. The present paper attempts to answer the following question: why does most of innovative activity takes place in markets apparently hostile to innovation, i.e. giving back negative marginal value added on innovation ? A model is introduced in which any market may be represented as a Selten’s extensive game, subgames of which are played as Harsanyi’s games with imperfect information, by a temporarily finite and changing set of players. The firms’ innovative activity is a Nash’s dynamic equilibrium in which innovating is rational though suboptimal, without premium on innovation being a real economic profit. The model is the theoretical framework for the study of six cases: Ford Motor, General Motors, Honda, Chevron, Akzo Nobel and IBM, which allow to conclude that firms do innovation either because they have to or because this is their comparative advantage and they can do it in an exceptionally efficient way. As economic growth is grounded in efficient business patterns and in some countries those business patterns shape themselves in the context of a strong exogenous pressure on innovation. This leads to the development of economies which, regardless its pace of economic growth and balance of payments, come to a point when marginal value added on innovation is negative. At this point, however, incentives to innovate do not disappear and firms continue to apply the same business patterns and thus do create scientific input which gives back negative marginal real output. This pattern of global technological progress seem to be quite durable, with financial markets that allow to compensate, by successful financial placements, the downturns of innovative projects. |
| Keywords: | innovation; technology; technological progress; corporate strategies |
| JEL: | E22 L71 D20 D40 L60 B52 O3 L25 D21 D81 L10 C70 L16 L21 D52 D01 D00 |
| Date: | 2010–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:25186&r=knm |