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on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Economy |
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Issue of 2010‒09‒03
four papers chosen by Laura Stefanescu European Research Centre of Managerial Studies in Business Administration |
| By: | Tomohiro MACHIKITA (Inter-Disciplinary Studies Center, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan); Shoichi MIYAHARA (School of Economics, Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan); Masatsugu TSUJI (Graduate School of Applied Informatics, University of Hyogo, Japan.); Yasushi UEKI (Bangkok Research Center-Japan External Trade Organization, Thailand) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the effects of internal and external sources of knowledge on the introduction of new products based on new technologies or information at firms which responded to a questionnaire survey conducted in four Southeast Asian countries. The results confirm that local firms make full use of locally available sources of new technology or information to achieve product innovation. On the other hand, foreign-owned firms depend mainly on internal R&D capacities and also possibly upon cooperation with local universities. These findings highlight the fact that local firms complement their lack of internal resources for product innovation with external knowledge sources. Foreign-owned firms utilize their international production networks to concentrate their resources on innovative activities. |
| Date: | 2010–08–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:era:wpaper:dp-2010-08&r=knm |
| By: | Marianne Paasi |
| Abstract: | The paper analyses the European Research Area policy (ERA) from the innovation perspective. The Lisbon Treaty gives the Union the objective of free circulation of researchers, scientific knowledge and technology. The five ERA initiatives implement the ERA policy on the basis of voluntary cooperation. The ERA and innovation are linked through the business sector R&D investment. The economic value of the ERA comes from accelerated cross-European knowledge spillovers reducing the cost of inventing. In general, important obstacles hinder the knowledge spillovers making them largely intra-national. These obstacles arise due to the incentives in providing and sharing knowledge and to costs of capturing knowledge spillovers. Funding of knowledge from national budgets and uncertain benefits from knowledge circulation across the heterogenous member states complicates situation further. The analysis of Joint Programming and Better Careers and Mobility initiatives reveals multiple sources of obstacles to cross-European knowledge spillovers. Weak incentives in the member states and limited possibilities at the EU level block the implementation of ERA. In this constellation, the ERA initiatives need to support openness and competition in publicly funded research and universities as well as better models of scientific management to guarantee highest scientific quality. Accelerated (ERA) knowledge spillovers require extended and dynamic markets. |
| Keywords: | European Research Area (ERA), knowledge spillovers, innovation, incentives, voluntary cooperation |
| Date: | 2010–05–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rsc:rsceui:2010/40&r=knm |
| By: | Julian M. Alston |
| Abstract: | This report contains a review of the literature on the role of agricultural research and development in fostering innovation and productivity in agriculture. The review seeks to clarify concepts and terminology used in the area, provide a critical assessment of approaches found in the literature, report main results, and draw inferences. A key finding is that the social rate of return to investments in agricultural R&D has been generally high. Specific findings differ depending on methods and modelling assumptions, particularly assumptions concerning the research lag distribution, the nature of the research-induced technological change, and the nature of the markets for the affected commodities. |
| Keywords: | productivity growth, innovation, Agricultural R&D, agricultural productivity |
| Date: | 2010–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:agraaa:31-en&r=knm |
| By: | Jaya Prakash Pradhan |
| Abstract: | The liberalization of economic policies in the last two decades and intensifying market competition tend to be a cause of policy concern for the survival of SMEs in emerging economies like India. These SMEs account for the largest chunk of industrial units and employment in the national economy. Yet, most of them are competing with deeply inadequate resources, especially by means of weak technological capabilities. The present study has provided not only preliminary estimates on SME R&D investments in Indian manufacturing and their broad trends and patterns, but also contributed to the understanding of factors driving the SME in-house R&D activities. It shows that Indian SMEs continue to be vulnerable among all firms as they have the lowest incidence of doing in-house R&D and their R&D intensities have fallen in the last decade. Based on the results from three-step Censored Quantile Regression, this study has suggested a set of useful policy implications for enhancing SME R&D. |
| Keywords: | SMEs; R&D; Business Groups; Foreign Firms. |
| JEL: | L11 L22 F23 |
| Date: | 2010–08–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eei:rpaper:eeri_rp_2010_14&r=knm |