Knowledge-intensive service activities in the success of the Australian mining industry

Abstract

No other industry in Australia has achieved a greater significance in economic development terms as mining. The mineral industries have built a national infrastructure throughout Australia for more than a century and Australia's minerals boom has produced generations of mining technology services (MTS) companies. This paper discusses the role of MTS firms in the transformation of the mining industry into the knowledge economy. Results from a study of Australian MTS and mining firms suggest that innovation results from the interaction of these firms through knowledge-intensive service activities.