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on Small Business Management |
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Issue of 2015‒08‒30
fourteen papers chosen by João Carlos Correia Leitão Universidade da Beira Interior |
| By: | Adam B. Jaffe; Trinh Le |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of government assistance through R&D grants on innovation output for firms in New Zealand. Using a large database that links administrative and tax data with survey data, we are able to control for large number of firm characteristics and thus minimise selection bias. We find that receipt of an R&D grant significantly increases the probability that a firm in the manufacturing and service sectors applies for a patent during 2005–2009, but no positive impact is found on the probability of applying for a trademark. Using only firms that participated in the Business Operation Survey, we find that receiving a grant almost doubles the probability that a firm introduces new goods and services to the world while its effects on process innovation and any product innovation are relatively much weaker. Moreover, there is little evidence that grant receipt has differential effects between small to medium (<50 employees) and larger firms. These findings are broadly in line with recent international evidence from Japan, Canada and Italy which found positive impacts of public R&D subsidy on patenting activity and the introduction of new products. |
| JEL: | O31 O34 O38 |
| Date: | 2015–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:21479&r=all |
| By: | Iritié, B. G. Jean-Jacques |
| Abstract: | Competitiveness clusters (or innovation clusters) are the focal point of french new industrial policy. They are based on classical cluster model and its well-known agglomeration positive externalities and on benefits of cooperation. After a brief literature review of cluster theory, we focus on the theoretical conditions under which french innovation clusters can foster production and diffusion of technological innovations. Our critical analysis points out three non-exhaustive conditions: (i) the capacity to coordinate and to incitate cooperation in R\D; (ii) the capacity to favor production and technological knowledge transfer; (iii) the capacity to promote and to keep R\D appropriation by cooperating innovators. |
| Keywords: | innovation cluster, coordination, cooperation, installed base, organisational absorptive capacity, collective appropriation. |
| JEL: | O20 O30 R10 R30 |
| Date: | 2015–07–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:65731&r=all |
| By: | Konstantin Vishnevskiy (National Research University Higher School of Economics); Dirk Meissner (National Research University Higher School of Economics); Olga Egorova (National Research University Higher School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | This paper describes an approach to foresight for SME enterprises. Foresight has become a frequently used tool for technology and innovation management generally limited large corporations. Presumably this is mainly due to the complexity of the corporate foresight concept itself and the need to invest substantial resources. To overcome this challenge and make corporate foresight also applicable for small and medium sized enterprises an adjusted methodological approach is developed taking into account the special requirements and limitations of SMEs. Based on an analysis of best practices for the development of theoretical and methodological approaches to foresight for SMEs an approach is developed taking into account the limitations of financial, human and time resources inherent to SMEs is introduced. |
| Keywords: | corporate foresight, SMEs, roadmapping, innovation, scenarios |
| JEL: | O11 O18 O32 |
| Date: | 2015 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hig:wpaper:45sti2015&r=all |
| By: | Wolfgang Sofka (Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)) |
| Abstract: | The report offers an analysis of the R&I system in Germany for 2014, including relevant policies and funding, with particular focus on topics critical for two EU policies: the European Research Area and the Innovation Union. The report was prepared according to a set of guidelines for collecting and analysing a range of materials, including policy documents, statistics, evaluation reports, websites etc. The report identifies the structural challenges of the German research and innovation system and assesses the match between the national priorities and those challenges, highlighting the latest policy developments, their dynamics and impact in the overall national context. |
| Keywords: | R&I system, R&I policy, ERA, innovation union, Semester analysis, Germany |
| JEL: | I20 O30 Z18 |
| Date: | 2015–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc96485&r=all |
| By: | Ana Fernandez Zubieta (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain)) |
| Abstract: | The report offers an analysis of the R&I system in Spain for 2014, including relevant policies and funding, with particular focus on topics critical for two EU policies: the European Research Area and the Innovation Union. The report was prepared according to a set of guidelines for collecting and analysing a range of materials, including policy documents, statistics, evaluation reports, websites etc. The report identifies the structural challenges of the Spanish research and innovation system and assesses the match between the national priorities and those challenges, highlighting the latest policy developments, their dynamics and impact in the overall national context. |
| Keywords: | R&I system, R&I policy, ERA, innovation union, Semester analysis, Spain |
| JEL: | I20 O30 Z18 |
| Date: | 2015–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc96471&r=all |
| By: | Nyström, Kristina (Centre of Excellence in Science & Innovation Studies (CESIS), Department of Industrial Economics and Management, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), and The Ratio Institute.) |
| Abstract: | This chapter provides a literature review of existing research and identifies research gaps related to the labor mobility of both entrepreneurs and employees in entrepreneurial firms. Regarding entrepreneurs, there is a lot of research on their individual characteristics, including prior experience, and how the individual characteristics and experiences influence the performance of the firm. However, less is known on the post-entrepreneurship employment activity of entrepreneurs and how their prior experiences influence their future labor market careers. Regarding the labor mobility of employees in entrepreneurial firms, there is an emerging stream of literature on the individual characteristics of these employees. However, many issues related to their prior experience remain unexplored. Furthermore, labor mobility after working with an entrepreneurial firm is relatively less explored at this point. Accordingly, this chapter intends to summarize current research and outline avenues for future research regarding a) pre-entrepreneurship labor mobility of entrepreneurs and b) post-entrepreneurship labor mobility of entrepreneurs, as well as c) pre-entrepreneurship labor mobility of employees in entrepreneurial firms and d) post-entrepreneurship labor mobility of employees in entrepreneurial firms. In addition, the role of institutions and, in particular, employment protection laws (EPLs) for labor mobility of entrepreneurs and employees in entrepreneurial firms are discussed. |
| Keywords: | entrepreneurship; labor mobility; employees in entrepreneurial firms |
| JEL: | J21 J62 L26 |
| Date: | 2015–08–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:cesisp:0420&r=all |
| By: | Lena Tsipouri (University of Athens (Greece) Author-Workplace-Homepage http://www.uoa.gr/); Sophia Athanassopoulou (University of Athens (Greece) Author-Workplace-Homepage http://www.uoa.gr/) |
| Abstract: | The report offers an analysis of the R&I system in Cyprus for 2014, including relevant policies and funding, with particular focus on topics critical for two EU policies: the European Research Area and the Innovation Union. The report was prepared according to a set of guidelines for collecting and analysing a range of materials, including policy documents, statistics, evaluation reports, websites etc. The report identifies the structural challenges of the Cypriot research and innovation system and assesses the match between the national priorities and those challenges, highlighting the latest policy developments, their dynamics and impact in the overall national context. |
| Keywords: | R&I system, R&I policy, ERA, innovation union, Semester analysis, Cyprus |
| JEL: | I20 O30 Z18 |
| Date: | 2015–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc96492&r=all |
| By: | Brian Warrington (Independent Expert (Valletta, Malta)) |
| Abstract: | The Country Report offers an analysis of the R&I system in Malta for 2014, including relevant policies and funding, with particular focus on topics critical for two EU policies: the European Research Area and the Innovation Union. The report was prepared according to a set of guidelines for collecting and analysing a range of materials, including policy documents, statistics, evaluation reports, websites etc. The report identifies the structural challenges of the Maltese research and innovation system and assesses the match between the national priorities and those challenges, highlighting the latest policy developments, their dynamics and impact in the overall national context. |
| Keywords: | R&I system, R&I policy, ERA, innovation union, Semester analysis, Malta |
| JEL: | I20 O30 Z18 |
| Date: | 2015–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc96367&r=all |
| By: | Mauricio Oyarzo (Departamento de Economia, Universidad Catolica del Norte); Gianni Romani (Departamento de Administracion, Universidad Catolica del Norte); Miguel Atienza (Departamento de Economia, Universidad Catolica del Norte); Marcelo Lufin (Departamento de Economia, Universidad Catolica del Norte) |
| Abstract: | This work investigates the spatio-temporal persistence of municipal rates of business startups in Chile between 2005 and 2011, using the database of the Internal Revenue Service (SII). The analysis was made with descriptive statistical, non-parametric tests and econometric models. The results show persistent spatio-temporal clusters, representing favorable and unfavorable environments for entrepreneurship, as well as a high probability of any municipality remaining in the same cluster. The factors that explain persistence reveal distinct effects on start-up creation for each level of municipal entrepreneurship, which suggests the need for policies that take into account the spatial differences in entrepreneurial dynamism. |
| Keywords: | entrepreneurship, regional development, spatio-temporal persistence, spatial clusters |
| JEL: | M13 R11 R1 |
| Date: | 2015–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cat:dtecon:dt201508&r=all |
| By: | Alexander Eickelpasch; Georg Hirte; Andreas Stephan |
| Abstract: | Our study provides evidence for firms' evaluation of location quality. We use a 2004 survey of 6,000 East German firms that contained questions on the importance and assessment of 15 different location factors ranging from closeness to customers and suppliers, transport infrastructure, and proximity to research institutions and universities, as well as questions about the local financial institutions and region's “image”. The results show (1) a great deal of heterogeneity in terms of which firm- or regional-level characteristics are important in the evaluation of a specific location factor, (2) that the model's explanatory power is, overall, low and thus neither location characteristics nor internal factors are fully reflected in the perceptions, (3) that a firm's business situation and whether a location factor is considered important have explanatory power for perception. One policy-relevant conclusion that we derive from these findings is that location policy should consider firms' perception of a specific location in addition to improving the actual attributes of that location. |
| Keywords: | Location Factors, Multi-Equation System, Perception Bias, Survey Data |
| JEL: | R3 R12 L2 |
| Date: | 2015 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp1497&r=all |
| By: | Chia-Lin Chang (National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan); Michael McAleer (National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan; Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain); Yu-Chieh Wu (National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan) |
| Abstract: | Taiwan has been hailed as a world leader in the development of global innovation and industrial clusters for the past decade. This paper investigates the effects of industrial agglomeration on the use of the internet and internet intensity for Taiwan manufacturing firms, and analyses whether the relationships between industrial agglomeration and total expenditure on internet usage for industries are substitutes or complements. The sample observations are based on 153,081 manufacturing plants, and covers 26 2-digit industry categories and 358 geographical townships in Taiwan. The Heckman selection model is used to adjust for sample selectivity for unobservable data for firms that use the internet. The empirical results from two-stage estimation show that: (1) for the industry overall, a higher degree of industrial agglomeration will not affect the probability that firms will use the internet, but will affect the total expenditure on internet usage; and (2) for 2-digit industries, industrial agglomeration generally decreases the total expenditure on internet usage, which suggests that industrial agglomeration and total expenditure on internet usage are substitutes. |
| Keywords: | Industrial agglomeration and clusters; Global innovation; Internet penetration; Manufacturing firms; Sample selection; Incidental truncation |
| JEL: | D22 L60 |
| Date: | 2015–08–17 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tin:wpaper:20150098&r=all |
| By: | Fulvio Castellacci (TIK Centre, University of Oslo, Norway); Jose Miguel Natera (Universidad Metropolitana, Mexico) |
| Abstract: | The paper carries out an analysis of long-run development paths in Latin America in the period 1970-2010. We focus on three main dimensions – openness, industrial structure and innovation – and analyze how changes in these factors, and the specific combination of them adopted by each country, have affected its income per capita growth. We apply Johansen cointegration approach to time series data for 18 Latin American countries. The analysis leads to two main results. First, we show that Latin American countries have followed different growth trajectories depending on the combination of policies they have adopted to catch up. Secondly, we find a clear correspondence between policy strategies, on the one hand, and growth performance, on the other. Countries that have managed to combine imitation and innovation policy have experienced a higher rate of growth than those economies that have only made efforts to improve their imitation capability. |
| Date: | 2015–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tik:inowpp:20150820&r=all |
| By: | Bublitz, Elisabeth; Nielsen, Kristian; Noseleit, Florian; Timmermans, Bram |
| Abstract: | Contrary to employees, there is no clear evidence that entrepreneurs' education positively effects income. In this study we propose that entrepreneurs can benefit from their education as a signal during the recruitment process of employees. This process is then assumed to follow a matching of equals among equals. Using rich data from Germany and Denmark we fully confirm a matching on qualification levels for high-skilled employees, partially for medium-skilled employees but not for low-skilled employees, suggesting that as skill levels of employees decrease it becomes equally probable that they work for different founders. Founder qualification is the most reliable predictor of recruitment choices over time. Our findings are robust to numerous control variables as well as across industries and firm age. |
| Keywords: | returns to education,labor demand of small firms,human capital,matching,signaling |
| JEL: | J23 J24 J21 |
| Date: | 2015 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:hwwirp:166&r=all |
| By: | Sari Kerr; William R. Kerr; Ramana Nanda |
| Abstract: | We examine the relationship between house prices and entrepreneurship using micro data from the US Census Bureau. Increases in house prices are often thought to drive entrepreneurship through unlocking the collateral channel for bank loans, but this interpretation is challenged by worries regarding omitted variable biases (e.g., rising local demand) or wealth effects (i.e., that people with more valuable homes are more likely to enter entrepreneurship for reasons other than access to collateral). We construct an empirical environment that utilizes very localized price changes, exploits variations in initial home values across residents in the same zip code, and embeds multiple comparisons (e.g., owners vs. renters, homestead exemption laws by state). For the United States during the 2000-2004 period, the link of home prices to the rate of entrepreneurship through home equity channels is modest in economic magnitude. This is despite a focus on a time period that experienced the largest concentration of US home price growth over the last two decades. Even when we do connect home equity to entrepreneurship, part of the effect is linked to an increased demand for entrepreneurship. While housing collateral plays a role in the entry that we observe, it does not seem to be a major barrier to entrepreneurship in our context. |
| JEL: | E44 G21 L26 M13 R12 R31 R32 |
| Date: | 2015–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:21458&r=all |