nep-knm New Economics Papers
on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Economy
Issue of 2020‒02‒10
seven papers chosen by
Laura Ştefănescu
Centrul European de Studii Manageriale în Administrarea Afacerilor

  1. The digital layer: How innovative firms relate on the web By Krüger, Miriam; Kinne, Jan; Lenz, David; Resch, Bernd
  2. Workplace Knowledge Flows By Jason Sandvik; Richard Saouma; Nathan Seegert; Christopher T. Stanton
  3. Managing Open-Innovation between Competitors: A Project-Level Approach By Thuy Seran; Sea Matilda Bez
  4. Explanation of valuation criteria based on maturity level of Knowledge management By Niknamian, Sorush
  5. Building Knowledge Economies in Africa: An Introduction By Simplice A. Asongu; John Kuada
  6. Digital competences of accountants within the context of the fourth industrial revolution By Georgieva, Daniela
  7. Intelligence Artificielle et Technologies 4.0 pour une Consommation Plus Ecologique Vers une Consommation Verte et Intelligente By Chehbi Gamoura Chehbi

  1. By: Krüger, Miriam; Kinne, Jan; Lenz, David; Resch, Bernd
    Abstract: In this paper, we introduce the concept of a Digital Layer to empirically investigate inter-firm relations at any geographical scale of analysis. The Digital Layer is created from large-scale, structured web scraping of firm websites, their textual content and the hyperlinks among them. Using text-based machine learning models, we show that this Digital Layer can be used to derive meaningful characteristics for the over seven million firm-to-firm relations, which we analyze in this case study of 500,000 firms based in Germany. Among others, we explore three dimensions of relational proximity: (1) Cognitive proximity is measured by the similarity between firms' website texts. (2) Organizational proximity is measured by classifying the nature of the firms' relationships (business vs. non-business) using a text-based machine learning classification model. (3) Geographical proximity is calculated using the exact geographic location of the firms. Finally, we use these variables to explore the differences between innovative and non-innovative firms with regard to their location and relations within the Digital Layer. The firm-level innovation indicators in this study come from traditional sources (survey and patent data) and from a novel deep learning-based approach that harnesses firm website texts. We find that, after controlling for a range of firm-level characteristics, innovative firms compared to non-innovative firms maintain more numerous relationships and that their partners are more innovative than partners of non-innovative firms. Innovative firms are located in dense areas and still maintain relationships that are geographically farther away. Their partners share a common knowledge base and their relationships are business-focused. We conclude that the Digital Layer is a suitable and highly cost-efficient method to conduct large-scale analyses of firm networks that are not constrained to specific sectors, regions, or a particular geographical level of analysis. As such, our approach complements other relational datasets like patents or survey data nicely.
    Keywords: Web Mining,Innovation,Proximity,Network,Natural Language Processing
    JEL: O30 R10 C80
    Date: 2020
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:20003&r=all
  2. By: Jason Sandvik; Richard Saouma; Nathan Seegert; Christopher T. Stanton
    Abstract: What prevents the spread of information among coworkers, and which management practices facilitate workplace knowledge flows? We conducted a field experiment in a sales company, addressing these questions with three active treatments. (1) Encouraging workers to talk about their sales techniques with a randomly chosen partner during short meetings substantially lifted average sales revenue during and after the experiment. The largest gains occurred for those matched with high-performing coworkers. (2) Worker-pairs given incentives to increase joint output increased sales during the experiment but not afterward. (3) Worker-pairs given both treatments had little improvement above the meetings treatment alone. Managerial interventions providing structured opportunities for workers to initiate conversations with peers resulted in knowledge exchange; incentives based on joint output gains were neither necessary nor sufficient for knowledge transmission.
    JEL: J24 L23 M12 M5 M52 M53 M54
    Date: 2020–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:26660&r=all
  3. By: Thuy Seran (MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UM1 - Université Montpellier 1 - UM3 - Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 - UM2 - Université Montpellier 2 - Sciences et Techniques - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) - Montpellier Business School - UM - Université de Montpellier); Sea Matilda Bez (MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UM1 - Université Montpellier 1 - UM3 - Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 - UM2 - Université Montpellier 2 - Sciences et Techniques - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) - Montpellier Business School - UM - Université de Montpellier, Labex Entreprendre - UM - Université de Montpellier)
    Abstract: Past research on Business-to-Business (B2B) Open innovation is mainly on firm decisions to open their boundaries to allow knowledge to flow in and out at the firm level. An emerging group of studies seeks to switch the unit of analysis from the firm level to the project level, stressing a deeper understanding of how knowledge is purposely managed. This paper contributes to this latter group by investigating how knowledge is purposely managed in one of the most "high-risk" B2B open-innovation projects: Open Innovation between competitors. Our analysis reveals that (1) knowledge flow is a dynamic process that can gradually involve additional stakeholders; (2) knowledge flow is not purposely managed only outside and inside external boundaries to create value through a project; it must also continue to be managed outside and inside internal boundaries to capture value from the project; and (3) there are two types of knowledge flow that enable middle managers to ensure that their business units capture value from Open Innovation projects (i.e., a shopping list that brings the new innovation from the project to the business unit and a wish list that influences the direction of the innovation toward a firm's business unit needs).
    Keywords: Open innovation,Knowledge flows,Coopetition,Managing Open Innovation,Middle Managers
    Date: 2019–12–13
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02427680&r=all
  4. By: Niknamian, Sorush
    Abstract: In This study explains valuation criteria Based on the maturity level of knowledge management in executive agencies Khuzestan province in order to provide a local model is studied. In this study, two questionnaires of valuation criteria (51questions, Cronbach’s α=0.94), and maturity level of knowledge management (98 questions, Cronbach’s α=0.93) have been used. The statistical population involves people from administrative staff of Khuzestan province, which 382 individuals were selected as the statistical sample by using Cochran’s formula Spss 22 and Amos 22 software were used to analyze the data. The study results shoed that valuation criteria involved 17 variables, among which the technical index variable enjoyed the highest ranking mean (11.99), and the maintainability variable benefited from the lowest ranking mean (79.6) among the other variables in the statistical population of the research. In maturity level of knowledge management included 13 variables, which, generally it can said that this variable enjoyed the benefit of being more than satisfactory level. Also, the results showed that there was a significant relationship between the valuation criteria, and the maturity level of knowledge management.
    Date: 2019–12–26
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:jqg2r&r=all
  5. By: Simplice A. Asongu (Yaoundé/Cameroon); John Kuada (Aalborg University, Denmark)
    Abstract: Knowledge has emerged as a fundamental driver of economic growth and development by inter alia improving the effectiveness and efficiency of economic projects and boosting the process of finding new avenues of addressing developmental policy syndromes. Recent evidence suggests that Africa is on the threshold of significant and sustainable economic growth if its human and material resources can be effectively mobilised to support the process (Kuada & Mensah, 2017; Asongu & Tchamyou, 2019). Consequently, the World Bank’s Knowledge Economy Framework aims to explore and support the extent to which current policies in African countries affect the knowledge development process (and thereby competitiveness) on the continent. A knowledge economy is an economy in which economic prosperity largely depends on the accessibility, quality and quantity of information available, instead of the means of production (Asongu, 2017a, 2017b). This themed issue of Contemporary Social Science-‘Building Knowledge Economies in Africa’ - consists of papers that focus on, but are not limited to, the four dimensions of the World Bank’s Knowledge Economy Index. These are: information and communication technology, education, economic incentives and institutional regime, and innovation (Tchamyou, 2017). The themed issue engages with high quality contributions which, taken together, address the drivers towards knowledge-based economies. This introduction provides a context for understanding the importance of building knowledge economies in Africa and summarises the main contributions to the themed issue. The paper ends by advising scholars and policy makers regarding the risks associated with a colonial view of knowledge- notably the importance of proposing knowledge-based policies while avoiding hegemonic paradigms and hierarchical constructs. In summary, the issue consists of a set of theoretically informed, empirically robust, policy-relevant and accessible articles for both specialists and non-specialists.
    Keywords: Knowledge economy; Development; Africa
    JEL: O10 O30 O38 O55 O57
    Date: 2020–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:agd:wpaper:20/002&r=all
  6. By: Georgieva, Daniela
    Abstract: The aim of this research is to identify the major digital competences that are required for accounting professionals. The focus of the research is on three positions in the National Classification of Professions and Positions (NCPP – 2011) – those of a chief accountant, an operational accountant and a bookkeeper. The objective of the research is to make a comparative analysis of the different classes in the NCPP-2011 and the major digital competences required for them according to the main duties of the people appointed to those positions. Our research approach is based on the methods of logical reasoning, deduction and comparison, as well as analysis and synthesis of the legal requirements which have been adopted at a national and an international level in terms of the competences and professional duties for each position. In addition, an analysis has been made of proposed classifications and identified competences in related economic literature. The propositions and conclusions we give will contribute to raising the awareness of employees, employers and educational institutions about the digital competences and knowledge required from persons practising the profession. The research has been funded by the MES Program ‘Young Scientists and Postdoctoral Students’ through a grant made to the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Sofia University. The author would like to acknowledge the support which has been provided through the program.
    Keywords: accounting, digital competences, tasks, chief accountant, operational accountant, bookkeeper
    JEL: M49
    Date: 2019
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:98289&r=all
  7. By: Chehbi Gamoura Chehbi (EM Strasbourg - Ecole de Management de Strasbourg)
    Date: 2019–12–17
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-02415294&r=all

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