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on Small Business Management |
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Issue of 2009‒09‒26
twelve papers chosen by Joao Carlos Correia Leitao Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre and Technical University of Lisbon |
| By: | Block, J.H.; Thurik, A.R.; Zhou, H. (Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), RSM Erasmus University) |
| Abstract: | The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship seeks to explain the sources of entrepreneurship and its consequences with regard to economic performance. This paper extends this theory and links it to innovation performance. We propose that a high rate of entrepreneurship facilitates the process of turning knowledge into innovative products while it has no effect on the relation between knowledge and imitative products. We use European country-level data to test our propositions. Our results show that a high rate of entrepreneurship increases the chances that knowledge turns into innovative products. The findings highlight the importance of entrepreneurs in the process of commercialization of knowledge. Implications for innovation policy are discussed. |
| Keywords: | innovation;entrepreneurship;knowledge;patents;technology policy;knowledge spillovers;commercialization of knowledge;economic growth;O30 |
| Date: | 2009–09–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:eureri:1765016769&r=sbm |
| By: | Cristiana Benedetti Fasil |
| Abstract: | Recent empirical evidence based on firm level data emphasizes firm heterogeneity in innovation activities and the different effects of process and product innovations on the productivity level and productivity growth. To match this evidence, this paper develops an endogenous growth model with two sources of firm heterogeneity: production efficiency and product quality.Both attributes evolve endogenously through firms’ innovation choices. Growth is driven by innovation and self-selection of firms and sustained by entrants who imitate incumbents. Calibrating the economy to match the Spanish manufacturing sector, the model enables to quantify the different effects of selection, innovation, and imitation as well as product and process innovation on growth. Compared to single attribute models of firm heterogeneity, the model provides a more complete characterization of firms’ innovation choices explaining the partition of firms along different innovation strategies and generating consistent firm size distributions. |
| Keywords: | endogenous growth theory, firm dynamics, heterogeneous firms, productivity, quality, innovation |
| JEL: | L11 L16 O14 O31 O40 |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eui:euiwps:eco2009/30&r=sbm |
| By: | Sascha Walter; Dirk Dohse |
| Abstract: | This study examines how the effect of entrepreneurship education on students’ entrepreneurial intentions is (1) contingent on the mode of education (active, e.g. business plan seminar, vs reflective, e.g. theory lectures), (2) contingent on the regional context and (3) complemented by individual-level influences such as role models or work experience. Results show that active modes of entrepreneurship education directly increase intentions and attitudes, whereas the impact of reflective modes depends on the regional context. Parental role models and work experience are found to complement entrepreneurship education in different ways. The findings have important implications for theory building as well as for the practice of teaching entrepreneurship |
| Keywords: | entrepreneurship education, knowledge spillover, entrepreneurial intentions, theory of planned behavior |
| JEL: | A20 I23 O31 R19 |
| Date: | 2009–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kie:kieliw:1549&r=sbm |
| By: | Donato Iacobucci (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica, Gestionale e dell’Automazione, Università Politecnica delle Marche); Peter Rosa (Centre for Entrepreneurship Research, Management School & Economics, University of Edinburgh) |
| Abstract: | Previous research demonstrates that entrepreneurial processes underpin the growth of business groups. A business group is a set of companies controlled by the same entrepreneur. Case studies of portfolio entrepreneurs suggest that one of the main reasons for business group formation is the need to create an entrepreneurial team, which is achieved by giving minority shares in the new ventures to others, mainly former employees. This enhances the portfolio entrepreneur’s ability to grow and diversify the businesses under their control. The paper identifies and discusses the different types of entrepreneurial teams developed by portfolio entrepreneurs, and their dynamics. |
| Keywords: | Business groups, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial teams |
| JEL: | L25 L26 |
| Date: | 2009–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cme:wpaper:0904&r=sbm |
| By: | Maria das Dores B. Moura Oliveira (UPIN – Universidade do Porto Inovação, Universidade do Porto); Aurora A.C. Teixeira (INESC Porto; CEFUP, Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto) |
| Abstract: | The environment in which technology transfer takes place plays a key role in defining the best approaches and, ultimately, their success. In the present paper we analyse the extent to which Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) efficiency is influenced by framework conditions and, in particular, by the innovation policies and programmes. We hypothesise that countries with higher technology transfer efficiency levels would have innovation policies more supportive to technology transfer efforts. Results based on an in depth account and statistical analysis of over 60 innovation policies from Switzerland (widely associated to high levels of technology transference efficiency) and Portugal (a laggard country in this particular) corraborate our initial hypothesis. Switzerland policies overall include more references to knowledge and technology transfer, in the form of licenses, R&D collaboration and spin-offs, than Portuguese policies. One exception is the case of patents (intellectual property rights, in general) with stronger weight in Portuguese policies and, to some extent, the support to spin-off creation and venture capital. The findings highlighted significant differences in variables with impact in technology transfer, namely the priorities addressed, target groups and funding eligibility, aspects of the innovation process targeted and forms of funding. From the exercise it was possible to derive some policy implications. Specifically, we advance that if a country wishes to increase technology transfer efficiency then it should implement a mandate for R&D cooperation between different actors, give priority to fund cutting edge science and research performers, and attribute a higher emphasis on applied industrial research and prototype creation aspects of the innovation process. |
| Keywords: | Technology transfer, innovation policies, technology transfer efficiency |
| Date: | 2009–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:inc:wpaper:2009-09-wp5&r=sbm |
| By: | Edward L. Glaeser (Harvard University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Harvard Kennedy School); William R. Kerr (Harvard Business School, Entrepreneurial Management Unit); Giacomo A. M. Ponzetto (CREI and Universitat Pompeu Fabra) |
| Abstract: | Employment growth is strongly predicted by smaller average establishment size, both across cities and across industries within cities, but there is little consensus on why this relationship exists. Traditional economic explanations emphasize factors that reduce entry costs or raise entrepreneurial returns, thereby increasing net returns and attracting entrepreneurs. A second class of theories hypothesizes that some places are endowed with a greater supply of entrepreneurship. Evidence on sales per worker does not support the higher returns for entrepreneurship rationale. Our evidence suggests that entrepreneurship is higher when fixed costs are lower and when there are more entrepreneurial people. |
| Keywords: | Entrepreneurship, Industrial Organization, Chinitz, Agglomeration, Clusters, Cities. |
| JEL: | J2 L0 L1 L2 L6 O3 R2 |
| Date: | 2009–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hbs:wpaper:10-019&r=sbm |
| By: | Giulio Cainelli (Dipartimento per lo Studio delle Società Mediterranee, Università degli Studi di Bari); Donato Iacobucci (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica, Gestionale e dell’Automazione, Università Politecnica delle Marche) |
| Abstract: | The aim of this paper is to analyse the role of technology and spatial agglomeration in decisions about vertical integration. It starts from the hypotheses that the business group, defined as a set of firms under common ownership and control, is the appropriate unit to delimit the firm’s boundary. We use information drawn from input-output tables to detect the presence of positive inter-industry exchanges and whether or not activities in a group are vertically related. Accounting for endogeneity problems, we estimate Probit and Linear Probability models to empirically investigate the role of technology and spatial agglomeration on vertical integration decisions. Consistent with property rights theory, our results show that the technology intensity of acquirers matters for backward integration choices and moreover, that agglomeration plays a role in vertical integration only when it operates jointly with technology. |
| Keywords: | Business groups, spatial agglomeration, technology, vertical integration |
| JEL: | L22 R12 |
| Date: | 2009–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cme:wpaper:0903&r=sbm |
| By: | Raquel Ortega-Argilés (European Commission, Joint Research Center (JRC), Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS)); Mariacristina Piva (DISCE, Università Cattolica); Lesley Potters (European Commission, Joint Research Center (JRC), Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS)); Marco Vivarelli (DISCE, Università Cattolica) |
| Abstract: | This paper discusses the link between R&D and productivity across the European industrial and service sectors. The empirical analysis is based on both the European sectoral OECD data and on a unique micro longitudinal database consisting of 532 top European R&D investors. The main conclusions are as follows. First, the R&D stock has a significant positive impact on labour productivity; this general result is largely consistent with previous literature in terms of the sign, the significance and the magnitude of the estimated coefficients. More interestingly, both at sectoral and firm levels the R&D coefficient increases monotonically (both in significance and magnitude) when we move from the low-tech to the medium and high-tech sectors. This outcome means that corporate R&D investment is more effective in the high-tech sectors and this may need to be taken into account when designing policy instruments (subsidies, fiscal incentives, etc.) in support of private R&D. However, R&D investment is not the sole source of productivity gains; technological change embodied in gross investment is of comparable importance on aggregate and is the main determinant of productivity increase in the low-tech sectors. Hence, an economic policy aiming to increase productivity in the low-tech sectors should support overall capital formation. |
| Keywords: | R&D, productivity, high-tech sectors, innovation, industrial policy |
| JEL: | O33 |
| Date: | 2009–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ctc:serie2:dises0955&r=sbm |
| By: | Giorgia Giovannetti (Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche); Giorgio Ricchiuti (Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche); Margherita Velucchi (Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica “G. Parenti”) |
| Abstract: | Competition is increasingly crossing borders. However, location still matters: the most successful competitors in an industry often cluster in the same geographic areas and companies use the advantages of location to compete at a global level. When competing across borders, firms can coordinate among different activities in a variety of ways to harness network advantages. This paper analyses how Italian firms’ performance, proxied by their propensity to export, depends both on geographical and institutional context and on individual characteristics. Using a multilevel model, we estimate and distinguish the effect of individual (firm level) and context variables (province level) on the performance of internationalized Italian firms. |
| Keywords: | Exports, Multilevel Model, Heterogeneity |
| JEL: | C1 F1 F2 L1 |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:frz:wpaper:wp2009_09.rdf&r=sbm |
| By: | Marco Cioppi (University of Urbino (Italy)); Andrea Buratti (University of Urbino (Italy)) |
| Abstract: | In this paper we discuss the strategic importance of communication and Intranet for theItalian Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs). We analyse the case of Fornari SpA, an Italian medium size clothing and shoes manufacturer that uses internet as a communication tool. The aim of this study is to understand the potential of internet in a specific case and to understand whether internet is a strategic tool or only an operative tool. The firm currently uses two applications of internet: extranet and intranet. The analysis underlines the importance of marketing competences and training that are absolutely necessary to make the most effectiveand efficient use of the internet potential. |
| Keywords: | SME, ICT, Internet Marketing. |
| JEL: | M30 M31 |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:urb:wpaper:09_07&r=sbm |
| By: | Mireille Matt; Stéphane Robin; Sandrine Wolff |
| Abstract: | We analyze the micro rationale of EU-sponsored collaborations compared to non-sponsored, spontaneous collaborations. We compare the incentives and coordination mechanisms of each type of collaboration, and derive propositions that we test empirically. Our econometric analysis uses recent data on (sponsored and non-sponsored) projects conducted by participants in the 5th and 6th European R&D Framework Programmes. Our empirical findings support our main propositions. Compared to spontaneous collaborations, EU-sponsored collaborations clearly have different characteristics and follow a different rationale. However, there is no major difference between the different types of EU-sponsored collaborations. |
| Keywords: | Strategic R&D Collaborations; European Framework Programmes; Research Joint Ventures. |
| JEL: | L21 L24 O31 O32 |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2009-29&r=sbm |
| By: | Nuno Crespo (ISCTE – Lisbon University Institute, Department of Economics and ERC/UNIDE); Maria Paula Fontoura (ISEG (School of Economics and Management), Technical University of Lisbon and UECE (Research Unit on Complexity and Economics)) |
| Abstract: | Considering the case of Portugal over the period 1995-2000, this paper analyses whether the location of market services is explained by the geographical proximity of the industrial sectors that use these services as intermediate inputs. A rather detailed level of regional disaggregation is used, namely the county level (275 counties). This influence is confirmed by the results of some location indices and by the regressions made for each sector. An alternative spatial unit is also used, consisting of the county itself combined with those with which it shares boundaries, showing the relevance of the level of regional disaggregation for the results obtained. |
| Keywords: | Services, Manufacturing Industry, Location of Economic Activity, Portugal. |
| JEL: | R11 R12 R30 |
| Date: | 2009–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mde:wpaper:0018&r=sbm |