Technological knowledge base, R&D organization structure and alliance formation: Evidence from the biopharmaceutical industry

We explore how an incumbent firm's internal knowledge and organization structure influences its strategic alliance formation. We propose that the firm's knowledge breadth and the centrality of its R&D organization structure positively influence its absorptive capacity, and consequently, its propensity to form strategic alliances. We also argue that the centrality of the R&D organization structure may be a substitute for the breadth of the knowledge base. We validate our ideas using data on 2647 strategic alliances formed over the period of 1993-2002 by 43 major biopharmaceutical firms in the U.S. and Europe. Our discussion focuses on the application of the knowledge-based view of the firm to strategic alliance research. The implications for public policy in the biopharmaceutical industry are also emphasized.     

China's innovation system reform and growing industry and science linkages

In this paper, linkages of S&T activities between industry and science are statistically investigated, based on a firm level dataset from an S&T survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of the PRC of about 22,000 manufacturing firms. During the transition period of China's innovation system from 1996 to 2002, firms’ S&T outsourcing activities increased significantly. Econometrics analysis reveals that (1) “absorptive capacity” for S&T outsourcing becomes important over time, (2) innovation system reforms for more market-based competition work for better incentive scheme for innovation though S&T linkage activities and (3) government funding of S&T induces more S&T linkages.     

The skill bias effect of technological and organisational change: Evidence and policy implications

Previous studies have suggested that technological change is the main cause of the recent increase in demand for highly skilled workers in developed countries. However, a more recent strand of literature has also introduced the “Skill Biased Organisational Change” hypothesis, according to which the increasing diffusion of new organisational practices within firms plays a role in the increasing demand for skilled workers. We estimate a SUR model for a sample of 400 Italian manufacturing firms, showing that upskilling is more a function of reorganisational strategy than a consequence of technological change alone. Moreover, some evidence of superadditive effects emerges, which is consistent with the notion that technology and organisation jointly affect the demand for labour.     

The impact of stronger intellectual property rights on science and technology in developing countries

This paper identifies some effects of the global trend towards stronger protection of intellectual property rights on developing countries, and traces related debates. Pharmaceutics, biodiversity and ethnic knowledge are critical areas of impact. ‘Trade-relating’ intellectual property might allow developing countries to be compensated, but incentive implementation of optimal compensation in the legislatures seems infeasible. Scientific communities in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to limitations of cooperation and access to information, resulting from stronger intellectual property rights protection, as their efforts to obtain normal science results must be considerable. Consequences of the Bayh-Dole Act and of the patenting of research tools on international scientific cooperation are analysed in this context.     

Selective revealing in open innovation processes: The case of embedded Linux

This paper provides a quantitative study (N = 268) of patterns of free revealing of firm-developed innovations within embedded Linux, a type of open source software (OSS). I find that firms, without being obliged to do so, contribute many of their own developments back to public embedded Linux code, eliciting and indeed receiving informal development support from other firms. That is, they perform a part of their product development open to the public—an unthinkable idea for traditionally minded managers. Such openness obviously entails the challenge of protecting one's intellectual property. I find that firms address this issue by revealing selectively. They reveal, on average, about half of the code they have developed, while protecting the other half by various means. Revealing is strongly heterogeneous among firms. Multivariate analysis can partly explain this heterogeneity by firm characteristics and the firm's purpose behind revealing. An analysis of reasons for revealing and of the type of revealed code shows that different types of firms have different rationales for openness. Implications for management are that the conflict between downsides and benefits of openness appears manageable. Provided selective revealing is practiced deliberately, the opportunities of open development dominate.     

What exactly are technological regimes?: Intra-industry heterogeneity in the organization of innovation activities

This empirical study analyzes the patterns of innovation within and across industries using firm-level survey data from Finland and Denmark. The theoretical starting point is evolutionary theory with its premise that firms in different technological regimes pursue different paths to innovation. Similar modes of behaviour are found in the two datasets, and they closely correspond to those found in earlier studies. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, however, the results show that industries are not at all uniform in terms of how firms innovate; in almost all four- or five-digit NACE industries, three or more different modes of innovation can be identified. This suggests that firms’ strategic differentiation or local search activities overcome pressures in the technological environment towards homogenous behaviour, at least in the short term.     

Public provision of sales contingent claims backed finance to SMEs: A policy alternative

In Europe (and elsewhere) governments intervene to stimulate innovation in the SME sector, and because SMEs face financial constraints in particular, governments encourage the provision of debt and equity (venture capital) finance to such firms. This paper discusses sales contingent claim (SCC) backed finance - funding secured only on a claim written on sales - that offers a different repayment profile to debt and equity. The attractiveness of such finance to firms as well as the behaviour of firms financed in this way are analysed. For various reasons SCC-backed financial instruments are generally not available to SMEs on the market, but it is argued that wider availability could further stimulate the growth and innovative activity of SMEs. The correction of this market incompleteness by the introduction of government schemes providing SCC-backed corporate finance for SMEs in higher risk (higher tech) sectors is recommended. The workability of such a scheme is explored by looking at existing examples aimed largely at project finance for larger firms.     

杭州市区可吸入颗粒物的污染特征分析

本文分析了杭州市区2002年至2006年的空气质量资料，结果表明杭州市区首要污染物为PM10。PM10和PM2.5有明显的季节变化和“双峰型”日变化。PM10浓度与天气系统相关性研究表明，在高压控制时容易出现高浓度的污染，在东风带系统出现时PM10的浓度较低。在较长时间的稳定天气条件下霾、轻雾等天气现象对PM2.5、PM10的影响很大。     

均相和非均相高级氧化技术处理水中有机污染物的研究

以UV/H2O2均相高级氧化技术及TiO2光电催化非均相氧化技术为例,选择硝基苯、4-硝基苯酚、喹啉和活性艳橙K-R等为目标化合物,对高级氧化技术处理水中有机污染物进行了研究.研究表明,UV/H2O2体系中产生的·OH是硝基苯、4-硝基苯酚和喹啉降解的直接原因,有机物的降解可用准一级动力学进行很好的描述.系统研究了溶液pH值、氧化剂浓度及水体中存在的常见无机阴离子如HCO-3、NO-3、Cl-等对有机物降解的影响;探讨了各有机物的降解途径.建立了一种新的三维光电填充床催化反应器,结果表明,三维电极的使用,可以显著提高有机物的光催化氧化效率.外加电压和溶液中NaCl对活性艳橙K-R和喹啉的氧化起着促进作用;同时还研究了溶液酸度条件、空气流速及氧气对光电催化的影响.     

University patenting and its effects on academic research: The emerging European evidence

This paper surveys the existing fragmentary data on the growth of university-owned patents and university-invented patents in Europe. We find evidence that university patenting is growing, but this phenomenon remains heterogeneous across countries and disciplines. We found some evidence that university licensing is not profitable for most universities, although some do succeed in attracting substantial additional revenues. This might be due to the fact that patents and publications tend to go hand in hand. In a dynamic setting however, we fear that the increase in university patenting exacerbates differences across universities in terms of financial resources and research outcome.