Abstract
Knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) have received great attention over the last years, in part due to their similarities with high-innovative manufacturing firms. Nevertheless, many innovations carried out by KIBS are of a soft nature. The objective of this paper is to identify patterns of innovation in KIBS firms when non-technological innovation is taken into account. To do so, we employ microdata for 1,837 Spanish KIBS firms. The results obtained show that there are important differences in the innovation behaviour of KIBS firms. In particular, four innovation modes are distinguished: hard innovation, soft innovation, lonely innovation and knowledge diffusion. These modes are evenly distributed within KIBS industries and in three out of the four modes soft innovation plays a relevant role.JEL codes: L84, O39
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
