Intrafirm diffusion of new technologies: an empirical application

Research on the diffusion of new technologies has centred on the study of the interfirm rate of diffusion, paying much less attention to intrafirm aspects. This paper attempts to overcome this gap in the literature by analysing the factors that influence the speed with which a new technology, the ATM, is fully adopted. The data over which the hypotheses are tested belongs to the Spanish savings banks market. The results show that the rate of intrafirm diffusion is explained by innovation, firm and market characteristics. In testing our hypotheses we make use of both traditional methods and survival analysis techniques.     

Production technologies and financial performance: The effect of uneven diffusion among competitors

We explore the impact of a production technology on financial performance from the perspectives of technology diffusion and competitive strategy theory. We analyse how diffusion at firm and market levels influences the returns from the technology. We suggest that firm heterogeneity in the level of technology use leads to competitive advantages for relatively intensive adopters. We empirically test our propositions through the analysis of the diffusion of the Automated Teller Machine among Spanish savings banks between 1986 and 2004. Our results show that it is not the absolute but the relative level of use that drives the impact of the technology on profitability. Furthermore, as the technology is more intensively deployed in the market, the profitability of every firm decreases. Interestingly, in our empirical setting, this negative effect eventually leads to an aggregate negative impact on the profitability of the savings banks.     

The effects of global knowledge reservoirs on the productivity of multinational enterprises: The role of international depth and breadth

This study rests upon the premise that differences in the productivity performance of multinational enterprises (MNEs) stem from variations in their ability to access and combine globally distributed knowledge reservoirs within one organization. Its contribution lies in demonstrating that this important source of variation is determined by (a) the idiosyncratic manner in which the MNE's network of subsidiaries is structured, (b) the international breadth and depth of this network and (c) its location choices in the global landscape. We find that when multinationals spread their operations across many geographical markets, they benefit from knowledge externalities more than when they concentrate their activities in few countries. We further show that the ability to exploit spatially distant knowledge depends not only on idiosyncrasies specific to the MNE, but also on exogenous forces associated with international variations in appropriability regimes and industry-specific technological opportunities. As our study considers how the subsidiaries of the MNE collectively influence the productivity of the entire group, it captures complementarities and synergies within the group, and deepens understanding of how MNE-specific and location bound factors jointly shape performance outcomes.     

Inter- and intra-firm diffusion of technology: The example of E-commerce: An analysis based on Swiss firm-level data

The paper aims at a joint analysis of inter-and intra-firm diffusion of technology, taking as an example E-selling and E-purchasing. The analysis is based on an encompassing model of diffusion, drawn from the literature, which is extended by considering technology-specific obstacles and benefits of adoption. As hypothesised, we find, first, that the determinants of inter- and intra-firm diffusion differ in case of both types of E-commerce; secondly, that the drivers of the diffusion of E-selling and E-purchasing are not the same, and, finally, that uncertainties and adjustment costs, mostly neglected in previous work, are important factors in explaining technology diffusion.     

基于DEA-Malmquist的学术期刊生产率分析

【目的】 研究学术期刊的生产率及其变化问题。【方法】 通过数据包络分析(DEA)模型评价学术期刊的表现,讨论出版期数、引文密度、被引半衰期等指标的适用性,利用Malmquist指数测算期刊表现的变化情况。【结果】 2007—2013年,中国社会科学引文索引(CSSCI)管理学领域期刊表现年均进步幅度为5.5%。进入国家自然科学基金委员会认定期刊列表的期刊的进步程度比未进入列表的期刊要快,各期刊表现的差异程度也相对较小,“马太效应”显现。进入或退出CSSCI名单的期刊的表现一般在第2年发生较大变化,表明存在“牛鞭效应”。【结论】 DEA-Malmquist方法适用于多指标评价期刊生产率及其表现变化。由于引用产生过程的“蜂窝煤”特性,与BCC模型相比,CCR模型更适合评价期刊表现。     

Facts and fads in academic research management: The effect of management practices on research productivity in Australia

As a response to competitive market forces and governmental steering policies, Australian universities have strengthened considerably their internal research management in the last two decades. This paper examines empirically the effect of management on academic research productivity. The results suggest that management practices indeed seem to have some positive effect on research productivity, and the effect is consistent in the earlier (1995–2000) and later (2001–2007) time period. Universities with a more intensive management approach not only have higher absolute level of research productivity but they demonstrate also faster growth in productivity. An omitted variable bias and robustness of the results to the choice of the output measure are under a particular attention and call for some caution in interpreting the results.     

科技成果价值的分析及对评估的影响

当前 ,科学技术发展的重要标志是科学技术日益成为生产力发展的主导因素 ,同时又是生产力体系中其他重大变化的起点。而科技成果的价值怎样体现又如何评估 ,是当前科技界和产业界关注的问题。本文分析了科技成果价值的科学性、经济性和社会性 ,科技成果价值在时间和空间上的表现。以及这些因素和科技成果评估者对科技成果价值评估的影响。     

环境规制对企业绿色技术创新的影响研究及政策启示

随着工业化经济的快速发展,环境问题成为人们关注的焦点,环境规制及导致经济方式发生根本改变的绿色技术创新成为研究热点.本文通过理论模型分析排污税、排污许可证、统一的排放标准三种环境规制政策与企业采纳绿色技术程度之间的关系发现,当传统技术和绿色减排技术的边际减排成本(MAC)曲线存在交点时,三种规制政策对企业绿色技术创新与扩散的影响模式相同;企业采纳绿色技术的程度与环境规制政策强度呈现“倒U型”关系.若考虑企业的边际减排成本等异质性,则企业采纳绿色技术的程度与环境规制政策之间的关系会呈现更为复杂的非单调关系,可能存在“倒W型”.合理的环境规制政策配合适度的严厉性可以激励绿色技术创新,有利于实现经济发展和环境保护的双赢.     

Russia's innovation policy: Stubborn path-dependencies and new approaches

For the last twenty years Russia has been struggling to turn itself into an efficient market economy. Innovation and technological development are considered to be one of the best ways to achieve impressive results. The country has succeeded in retaining certain strengths of the Soviet science and technology system but it has often failed to address the former weaknesses and emerging challenges. There are a number of external and internal factors that make reforms inevitable and urgent. In the last five-six years the political leadership has started an unprecedented attempt to reverse the negative trends and boost Russia's innovation performance. This paper studies the new policy approaches and suggests several others that might be considered useful at this stage of the country's development. This work contributes to the wider debate on the heterogeneity of national innovation systems and adaptation of the respective analytical approach to the study of technological development of the emerging economies. It also provides a detailed review of the literature and data sources on the Russian science and technology, and aims to start filling in the gap in this seriously understudied research area.     

Providing industry 4.0 technologies: The case of a production technology cluster

The concept of industry 4.0 (i4.0) encompasses the integration of different technologies into an autonomous, knowledge- and sensor-based, self-regulating production system. Our objective is to synthesize which are the challenges and opportunities of adopting i4.0 from the perspective of technology provider companies. A single-case research was conducted with ten companies at the Portuguese Production Technologies Cluster. Based on i4.0 technologies – Augmented reality; Additive Manufacturing; Big Data; Cloud Computing; Cyber-Physical Systems; Cybersecurity; Smart Robotics; Simulation; and System Integration – interviewees mentioned that the main adoption challenges are the analysis of data generated, integration of new technologies with available equipment and workforce, and computational limitations. The main opportunities are improvements in: efficiency; flexibility; productivity; cybersecurity; quality of products and services; and decision process due to data analysis. Interviewees have also foreseen changes in company's business model through the integration of internal resources with complementary activities of their partners and other cluster companies.     

生产力促进中心国内主要研究综述与展望(1992-2013)

生产力促进中心启动建设以来的20多年,在理论研究和实证分析方面形成了一些探索与成果,主要集中在境外同类机构的研究、定位功能和发展环境的分析、主要业务的凝练,运行模式和体制机制分析、绩效评价的理论和实证研究等5个方面,对指导和推动生产力促进中心发展产生了积极影响,但与同类科技中介机构相比仍然存在一定的差距。在综述和比较分析的基础上,对下一步研究方向形成了具体的建议。     

The short-run price-performance dynamics of microcomputer technologies

Models of technology growth are often conceived in terms of long-run trends in performance and price because, in general, short-run parameter stability and even the form of the growth function have proved elusive. Yet short-run growth models are arguably more useful for managers and research scientists, because the majority of their decisions are concerned with discretionary spending and operations rather than longer run strategic plans and investments. Our research explores short-run growth in microcomputer technologies by specifying growth models and parameter estimates for six commercially important computer technologies over short time periods with weekly data. Observations were acquired in a homogeneous market, limited to a collection time frame of less than two years. Data was collected at granular, weekly intervals, with concurrent tests to determine whether parameters were stable over successively longer intervals; conversely candidate growth models from longer ‘strategic’ planning horizons were tested to determine whether they scaled down to operational planning horizons. We found that an exponential model of performance-to-price growth is supported over short time horizons in all but one microcomputer technology (nonvolatile RAM). The exponential model and technology specific parameter estimates that are valid over short horizons were found to accurately scale up to longer planning horizons. We expect our results to contribute to more accurate price-performance forecasting at the corporate and product level; better decision making concerning inventory management, capacity utilization, lead and lag times in supply-chain operations, and efficiency of logistics.     

江西省生产力促进中心年科技服务效率研究

本文利用DEA方法研究江西省生产力促进中心2001—2011年的相对效率。研究发现:从综合技术效率来看,江西省生产力促进中心综合技术效率得分逐年增加,说明其服务效率不断增强;从纯技术效率来看,不同年份纯技术效率得分普遍比较高,说明要素投入比例相对比较合理;从规模效率来看,规模效率平均得分较低,但自2001年以来一直在增加,且大多数年份都处在规模报酬递增阶段,说明江西省应继续加大对生产力促进中心的投入。     

On the patterns and determinants of the global diffusion of new technologies

Taking a largely empirical approach this paper addresses the global spread of new technologies by defining two diffusion margins – the extensive, referring to the spreading of first use across economies and the intensive, referring to the intensity of use within economies. Using data relating to mail services we indicate the relative importance of the intensive and extensive margins in global diffusion over time. Using data on steamships and the basic oxygen process for steelmaking we also explore whether there are international spillovers in the diffusion process. We find evidence of spillovers which appear more likely to be negative than positive.     

Transition from web to mobile payment services: The triple effects of status quo inertia

Drawing from status quo bias theory and coping theory, this study examines how the inertial use of incumbent web payment (WP) services influences users’ intention to use new mobile payment (MP) services. By conducting an online survey (n = 491), this study reveals that inertia demonstrates triple effects on intention to use MP services: direct, bias, and moderating. The direct effect suggests that inertia directly decreases intention to use MP. The bias effect means that inertia leads to biased assessment of perceived value and perceived threat, thereby decreasing intention to use MP. The moderating effect denotes that inertia strengths the relationship between perceived controllability and intention to use MP. We expect that these findings can provide noteworthy insights for the intervention and prevention of inertia in the web-mobile payment transition context.     

The innovation potential of new infrastructure development: An empirical study of Heathrow airport's T5 project

We propose a conceptual framework to analyze technology adoption in mega infrastructure projects, and assess their potential to innovating large socio-technical systems. Drawing on an in-depth empirical analysis of Heathrow airport's Terminal 5 project, we find that innovation hinges on technology adoption decisions that are governed systematically by two intertwined determinants - assessment of expected profitability and development of absorptive capacity, both of which are distributed across various interdependent actors. On an ad hoc basis, technological decisions are also affected by other factors, namely attitudes toward risk, politics, and (lack of) established standards. We reveal how a schedule-driven project framing creates an underlying boundary condition that constrains the longitudinal process of building a ‘whole collective’ with capacity to absorb new technologies. The innovation potential of mega projects is thus subjected to a fundamental, unifying tension: on the one hand, they offer a one-off opportunity to invest in cutting-edge technologies and innovate socio-technical systems; on the other hand, project stakeholders have limited time to develop capacity to absorb novel technologies and negotiate differences on assessments of profitability and risk. Stakeholders may therefore be compelled to agree to adopt proven technologies upfront to reduce uncertainty and mitigate risks, thus limiting the innovation potential of new infrastructure development.     

The heterogeneous effects of environmental taxation on green technologies

This paper analyses the effectiveness of environmental taxation in stimulating the adoption of end-of-pipe and cleaner production technologies across manufacturing and mining firms between 2008 and 2014. We perform simple and categorical treatment matching of firms to study the heterogeneous effects of different taxation levels. We assess the effects between firms forced to pay environmental taxation (treated) and those that did not have to pay such taxes (controls), as well as between different levels of environmental taxation (small, medium, large). We find that low levels of environmental taxation are ineffective at stimulating green technology adoption. As the taxation level increases, so does the associated effect on green technology investment. Additionally, we find that even low levels of environmental taxation can be effective when combined with public financing. In this case, the effect is stronger than that of providing public financing alone.     

The impact of virtual technologies on knowledge-based processes: An empirical study

This study examines the organizational knowledge creation processes in two highly virtual teams involved in new product development projects in the automotive industry. Using Nonaka's model of knowledge creation, we explore how the virtualization of knowledge-based processes, i.e. the intensive exploitation of information and communication technologies (ICTs), has led to new forms of knowledge creation at both the individual and organizational levels. In contrast to previous studies that identify knowledge codification as the main contribution of ICTs, this study provides detailed micro-level evidence about the ability of virtual technologies to support the transfer and the creation of new knowledge – both explicit and tacit – and offers some implications for scholars and practitioners.     

Entrepreneurial effectiveness of European universities: An empirical assessment of antecedents and trade-offs

The phenomenon of entrepreneurial universities has received considerable attention over the last decades. An entrepreneurial orientation by academia might put regions and nations in an advantageous position in emerging knowledge-intensive fields of economic activity. At the same time, such entrepreneurial orientation requires reconciliation with the scientific missions of academia. Large-scale empirical research on antecedents of the entrepreneurial effectiveness of universities is scarce. This contribution examines the extent to which scientific productivity affect entrepreneurial effectiveness, taking into account the size of universities and the presence of disciplines, as well as the R&D intensity of the regional business environment (BERD). In addition, we assess the occurrence of trade-offs between different transfer mechanisms (contract research, patenting and spin off activity). The data used pertain to 105 European universities. Our findings reveal that scientific productivity is positively associated with entrepreneurial effectiveness. Trade-offs between transfer mechanisms do not reveal themselves; on the contrary, contract research and spin off activities tend to facilitate each other. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.     

The effects of terrorist attacks on inventor productivity and mobility

We investigate the impact of deadly terrorist attacks on inventor productivity and mobility in the U.S. During the five-year window after such events, nearby firms generate fewer and less impactful inventions. Moreover, their inventors typically exhibit a post-attack decline in their patent production, unless they move to a distant company (which some tend to do after an attack). Firms' financial constraints and inventor talent appear to provide channels underlying our productivity and mobility findings, respectively. These results provide novel insights about the impact of shocks that distort the invention process and promote the mobility and reallocation of inventors among firms.