High-technology Industries Research Articles

Corporate engagement with start-ups (CEWS): a systematic review of literature and future research agenda

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of literature on corporate engagement with start-ups (CEWS) by identifying the modes, contexts, antecedents, barriers and outcomes. As an emerging field, CEWS presently has no such review available which will help in building consensus within the field and shape future research directions.Design/methodology/approachThe study followed a two-phased systematic review of literature. Three research databases (i.e. Web of Science, ScienceDirect and SCOPUS) were accessed to gather and conduct the review. Of the total 379 papers retrieved, 63 total relevant papers were studied and analysed. The exhaustive review of literature helped to uncover the contexts, perspectives, antecedents, outcomes and barriers reported across the different modes of CEWS.FindingsThe study highlighted the five prominent modes of CEWS favoured by large corporations and start-ups. It found that the large corporations and start-ups associate with one another on the basis of complementarities of activities, resources and motives to pursue their strategic orientations. The engagements also face barriers on the ground, such as incompatibility of goals, power imbalances, cultural differences and weak engagement plans. Most important contexts seen were the high-technology industries in the developed economies like the USA and Europe. It also found that ecosystem creation, accessing innovation and corporate strategy have been preferred as the most productive modes of CEWS in the literature.Practical implicationsThis review provides practitioners with a detailed list of the modes and drivers of CEWS. Subsequently, the barriers that need to be managed to successfully execute a specific mode of engagement. This shall enable the practitioners in developing and adopting the best practices while engaging with the start-ups to better facilitate the outcomes of CEWS.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no systematic literature review available in the domain of CEWS – thus, this study makes an important methodological contribution to the field. By consolidating the fragmented yet growing knowledge on CEWS, the study presents a detailed understanding of what drives and obstructs the engagement between large corporations and start-ups.

Determinants of exports performance: Evidence from Indonesian low-, medium-, and high-technology manufacturing industries.

This study explores the determinants of the export performance of Indonesia's low-, medium-, and high-technology manufacturing industries by focusing on the role of raw-material imports and technical efficiency. Micro firm-level data from 2010-2015 were utilized for the analysis in this study. The stochastic frontier analysis was employed to measure technical inefficiency and to determine its effect on export performance. Our findings indicate that in all categories of industry technical efficiency, raw materials imports, foreign direct investment (FDI), location, firm size, labour productivity, and concentration of industries were significant determinants of export performance. While high efficiency increases exports in low- and medium-technology firms, exports decrease in firms with high efficiency accompanied by high imports, FDI, size, and labour productivity. Furthermore, in high-technology industries, efficiency reduces exports and again increases them when mediated by a concentration of industries and location. The empirical strategy also supports the positive effect of imports on export performance in both industries, which also aligns with decreased exports in firms with high imports accompanied by high FDI, efficiency, labour productivity, the concentration of industries, and size. To this end, the study has implications for low-, medium-, and high-technology manufacturing that are mainly concerned with increasing exports.

Global value chains and intra-BRICs trade in value-added

We analyze the BRICs countries' role in Global Value Chains (GVCs) and their trade patterns in value-added and vertical specialization, using the World Input-Output Database (WIOD) from 2000-2014 with a decomposition model of intermediate goods and trade flows. Our findings reveal increased connectivity within global value chains, particularly for China and India. China significantly advances GVCs and intra-BRICs trade, focusing on high and medium-high technology industries. Brazil and Russia, however, have limited participation in GVCs, mainly engaging in value-added trade for medium-low and low-technology industries. Our network analysis reveals increasing connections between countries in global value chains, particularly for China and India. India excels in medium-technology goods and has increased its share in GVCs. While India and China demonstrate strong vertical specialization, Brazil and Russia concentrate major component exports on domestic value-added. Our study emphasizes the importance of expanding coordinated government policies among BRICs countries to foster value-added trade gains and industrial development. Governments in BRICs must address the strategic gaps to leverage their domestic resources effectively within the GVC framework.

New Instruments for Investment Support of Technology Sovereignty Projects

The growth of restrictive measures against the Russian Federation in the context of the high import dependence of the national economy calls for special attention to be paid to the country’s achievement of technological sovereignty and the launching of a new sustainable investment cycle. This involves the task of dynamically increasing the creation of new medium- and high-technology industries, with a central role being given to the creation of a resource database of projects. Limited public budgets and the inaccessibility of external financial markets make it appropriate to consider domestic private and (or) resources as priority sources of financing debt, especially when the latter are not sufficiently involved in the investment process. In turn, it is unlikely to accumulate the funds of credit organizations and the business sector without the use of modern state support tools that would reduce the cost of capital for the implementation of investment projects and, thus, they redirected financial flows to the highest priority, albeit low-margin, of the real sector. Thus, the purpose of this article is to analyze new instruments of investment support of projects of ensuring technological sovereignty in the territory of the Russian Federation.

Germanium-rich nanoparticles in Cu-poor sphalerite: A new mechanism for Ge enrichment

Abstract Germanium (Ge) is a critical raw material used in high-technology industry (i.e., optical industry) applications, and it is predominantly concentrated in coals and Zn-rich deposits. Previous studies on Zn-rich deposits have documented a correlation between Ge enrichment and the Cu, Ag, and/or Pb-Mn contents in the sphalerite crystal lattice. In this study, we observed Ge-rich nanoparticles hosted in Cu-poor sphalerite from the Banbianjie Zn-Ge deposit (>800 t graded at ~100 ppm Ge), located in southwest China. Laser-ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) analyses revealed that sphalerite contains very heterogeneous Ge contents (172–1553 ppm). Germanium contents showed positive correlations with Fe, Mn, and Pb contents and negative correlations with Cd contents. Higher Ge contents were detected in the darker zones, whereas the lighter zones showed systematically low Ge contents and were enriched in Cd. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Zn-Ge-Pb-S nanoparticles were identified in the darker zones of sphalerite. These nanoparticles exhibited Ge/Pb ratios (0.48–1.96) very similar to those measured in sphalerite (0.36–2.04), suggesting that Ge could be essentially hosted within the nanoparticles. We propose that the amounts of Zn-Ge-Pb-S nanoparticles are related to a self-organization model induced by rapid crystal growth. This self-organization processes may control the fluctuations of element concentrations in the boundary layer. This study highlights the importance of studying the nanoscale expression of critical elements to understand their incorporation mechanisms into natural materials.

Financial Statement Analysis Based on Harvard Analysis Framework Taking Apple lnc. as an Example

In recent years, the high-technology products have become the most important tools which can make the daily life more convenient. With the developments of the current technology level, in the high-technology industry, there are more and more companies and the competition become more and more intensive. Therefore, for the companies, it is important to analyze companies financial statement through the essential data in the financial statements and the overall environment of the industries. The comprehensive financial statement analysis can help the companies to identify their competitive advantages and adopt the favorable strategies. By selecting Apple lnc. as the subject, this research, based on Harvard analysis framework, provides a comprehensive analysis of Apple's financial situation from strategic, accounting, financial and prospective these four dimensions. In the first part, the background and significance of this paper, and a review of the relevant literature are presented. And in the second part, this research focuses on the theoretical framework of the Harvard framework. The third part, the focus of this research, is about the financial statement analysis of Apple. The last part, is about the conclusion and shortcomings of this research. Through the analysis, this research can help to identify the financial and strategic situation of Apple.

Toxic effects of thallium (Tl+) on prokaryotic alga Microcystis aeruginosa: Short and long-term influences by potassium and humic acid

Thallium (Tl) is a priority pollutant regulated by the US EPA. It is also a critical element commonly used in high technology industries; with an increasing demand for semiconductors nowadays, wastewater discharges from manufacturing plants or metal mining activities may result in elevated levels of thallium in receiving water harming aquatic organisms. Regarding the impact of thallium on freshwater algae, little attention has been paid to prokaryotic physiology through various exposure periods. In this bench-scale study, prokaryotic alga Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806 was cultured in modified BG11 medium and exposed to Tl+ (TlNO3) ranging from 250 to 1250 μg/L for 4 and 14 days. Throughout the experiment using flow cytometry assays, algal population, cell membrane integrity, oxidation stress level, and chlorophyll fluorescence were exacerbated following the exposure to 750 μg Tl/L (approximately 4-day effective concentration of Tl+ for reducing 50% of algal population). Potassium and humic acid (HA) (1–5 mg/L) were added to study their influences on the thallium toxicity. With the additions of potassium, thallium toxicities to algal population and physiology were not significantly changed within 4 days, while they were alleviated within 14 days. With the addition of HA at 1 mg/L, cell membrane integrity was significantly attenuated within 4 days; ameliorating effects on algal population and oxidative stress were not observed until day 14. Thallium toxicities on oxidative stress level and photosynthesis activity were exacerbated in the presence of HA at 3–5 mg/L. The study provides useful information for further studies on the mode of toxic action of Tl+ in prokaryotic algae; it also demonstrates the necessity of considering short and long-term exposure durations while incorporating water chemistry into assessment of thallium toxicity to algae.

Study on the impact of R&D input intensity on technological innovation output - Based on data from China's high technology industry.

With the continuous promotion of China's innovation-driven development strategy, the role of technological innovation on economic development has become increasingly important. In this context, the support of R&D capital investment for technological innovation also becomes non-negligible. This leads to the question of whether the allocation of R&D capital is reasonable and whether there is room for further improvement. This paper is based on inter-provincial panel data from 2009 to 2020, which are classified based on China's National Bureau of Statistics for R&D funding sources in high-tech industries and incorporated into an overall discussion framework. Using STATA16 statistical software, the R&D innovation output of high-tech industries is inves-tigated by building a PVAR model with the perspective of funding sources of R&D input intensity. The study results show that (1) the increase in the intensity of enterprises' own capital investment has a positive impact on innovation output because it can generate a financial "reservoir" effect to support technological innovation. (2) the increase in the intensity of government capital invest-ment has a positive impact on innovation output because it can alleviate the loss of income of en-terprises due to "R&D spillover" and will send a positive signal to the market. (3) the foreign in-vestment intensity has a positive impact on the innovation output of enterprises due to the com-bined effect of "spillover effect" and "crowding out effect". (4) the increase of other capital in-vestment intensity also has a neutral effect on the increase of innovation output under the current financial market environment. Finally, based on the above findings, corresponding policy impli-cations are drawn. This study will help to improve the understanding of R&D capital allocation imbalance and R&D input and output issues in developing countries and provide a reference for policy makers.

The industrial production of Micro Pattern Gaseous Detector: experience from the ATLAS Micromegas

Resistive Micromegas is one of the detector technologies chosen by ATLAS for the Phase-1 upgrade of the Muon Spectrometer, completed in 2022 in view of the LHC Run3 start.It is the largest MPGD-based detector system ever built, covering an active area of 1280 m2, providing trigger and precise tracking capabilities to the ATLAS Muon system and able to stand a radiation background rate up to 20 kHz/cm2.The heart of the ATLAS Micromegas detectors is the anode board, which carries the resistive protection layer, the readout electrodes and the insulating spacers supporting the micro-mesh.The production of the 2048 readout boards of size up to 0.5×2.2 m2 has been assigned to high-technology PCB industries and required dedicated efforts for technology transfer, production follow-up and quality assurance and control.The paper reviews the main challenges from the design phase to the completion of the project which spanned over several years. Emphasis is also put on the thorough quality assurance and quality control protocol established, the achieved results, as well as on the logistic, supply and schedule constraints.The lessons learned from this unprecedented MPGD project are also discussed.

Are We Not Taking Innovation Seriously? A Discussion of the 2022 Howard Taft Lecture

A growing body of research papers, speeches, and litigation challenges focused on innovation competition suggests that antitrust practitioners are taking innovation seriously. This paper provides an overview of the innovation debate, with a commentary on a proposed policy framework to promote competition in high-technology or big-technology industries described by Professor David Teece in his 2022 Taft Lecture. Experts agree that conduct involving harm to innovation competition and mergers that focus on an overlap of future products that do not currently exist cannot easily be understood, if at all, with traditional analyses of historical prices, output, and margins for existing products. The hard part is figuring out what to do instead. Recent cases that focus on harm to innovation competition highlight the need to understand business capabilities and the frontier of new technology in the pled markets. Recent decisions demonstrate that courts are not necessarily swayed by structural presumptions involving large firms in highly concentrated markets as measured by today’s output; instead, courts understand that large dominant firms can be competitive, because of their desire to maintain their lead position. These cases also provide guidance on how to prove (or disprove) a theory of harm involving potential competition.

AIRCRAFT FINANCING INDUSTRY: JURIDICAL ANALYSIS OF GUARANTEE AGREEMENT IN THE AIRCRAFT FINANCING INDUSTRY

All humans require various supports to progress in life, particularly in Indonesia. People's mobility is required at a rapid pace due to the shape of Indonesia as an archipelago. The aviation industry is one of the supporting factors. Indonesians require the use of both domestic and international aircraft. As a result, massive procurement of aircraft fleets takes place. The airline requires financing to support the aviation sector as a capital-intensive and high-technology industry in its procurement. Every business activity must require collateral to prevent the parties from defaulting. As a result, the contents of this journal will explain the entire discussion of financing and collateral in accordance with applicable laws.

The Nexus between Foreign Competition and Buying Innovation: Evidence from China’s High-Technology Industry

This study aims to investigate how international competition impacts innovation activities in the high-technology industry in China. A panel data analysis was conducted using a representative sample of high-tech industries in China from 2010 to 2017. Econometric methods were used to identify patterns and trends in the data, and quantile regression was utilized to explore the delicate connection between international competition and innovation efforts. The statistical analysis indicates that the effect of international competition on innovation activities differs through dependent quantiles of the innovation range; this effect was neglected by a standard linear regression model. The study found a U-shaped connection between foreign competition and innovation, except for at the quantile (Q = 0.01), which was negative. Foreign competition was found to be a critical factor influencing the strength of innovation activities in the high-tech industry in China. This research suggests that the extent of foreign competition has a bearing on the industry’s capacity to lead in innovation. This study is unique in that it addresses the influence of international competition on industry-level innovation accomplishments in a big rising country, such as China. The study also highlights the importance of evaluating the quantile effect of the variable on innovative activities, which was more informative than estimating the mean effect. The study’s limitation lies in the reliance on secondary data sources, which may not be as comprehensive as primary data. The research’s implications suggest that policymakers should pay attention to the impact of foreign competition on innovation activities and implement policies that foster innovation in the high-tech industry in China.

Export Participation and Employment of Contract Workers in Organized Manufacturing Plants in India

The share of contract workers, i.e., the workers employed through contractors, as against the workers directly employed by factories, out of all workers employed in India’s organized manufacturing has increased significantly over the last three decades, reaching 38.6% in 2019–2020. Using plant-level panel data for the years 2008–2009 to 2017–2018, the paper examines econometrically whether export participation by the organized sector manufacturing plants in India induced them to hire contract workers. The empirical results indicate that the export market participation by manufacturing plants tends to raise their probability of employing contract workers. This effect of export participation on the probability of employing contract workers is found for plants in the medium-low and low-technology industries, and the impact is bigger in the medium-high and high-technology industries. The effect is found to be relatively stronger for bigger plants than small-sized plants. In high-technology industries, in-house firm-specific skill formation is important for firms for their being able to export their products, and, hence, in many technology-oriented plants of these industries export participation should not induce them to employ contract workers. Some support for this hypothesis is found in the empirical results obtained in the study.

Recombinant Capabilities, R&D Collaboration, and Innovation Performance of Emerging Market Firms in High-Technology Industry

The capability that facilitates the transition of emerging market firms (EMFs) from technology followers to innovation leaders is an important but underexamined topic, particularly for firms aiming to compete distinctively in high-technology fields. Drawing on the recombinant perspective, in this article, we investigate how an EMFs’ recombinant capability relates to its innovation and how R&D collaboration moderates this relationship. Using panel data on 184 publicly listed firms in the Chinese telecommunication-equipment industry from 2009 to 2014, we find that both recombinant reuse and recombinant creation positively relate to firm innovation performance. Moreover, the positive association between recombinant reuse and innovation is strengthened by the high degree of R&D collaboration. These findings provide novel insights into how firms may overcome their latecomer disadvantages and leverage the accumulated knowledge stock to foster innovation in an emerging economy.

Research on the Industrial Transfer from the Yangtze River Delta to Linyi City based on the Industrial Gradient Coefficient

The Yangtze River Delta region, represented by Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, has grown as one of the most developed regions in China based on the acceptance of international industrial transfer. However, along with the rising factor costs, increasing environmental pressure and resource constraints, it has become a general trend to upgrade industrial structure, give priority to intensive, high technology and high value-added industries, some labor-intensive and capital-intensive industries is moved to other regions in the country. As the southern gate of Shandong Province, Linyi City is close to the Yangtze River Delta, with a common history, and complementary resources, and is an important hub connecting the north and south economies. It should take full advantage of its location, natural resources and labor resources to actively undertake the industrial transfer of the Yangtze River Delta and participate in the regional economic cooperation and development of the Yangtze River Delta. The difference in the development level between the transferring and taking over places is a prerequisite for industrial transfer, which can be measured by the industrial gradient coefficient, which shows the different levels of industrial gradients to determine the transferring industries in the Yangtze River Delta region; in addition, the relative industrial gradient coefficient is introduced to determine the industries Linyi can take over.

Suitable contract instruments and intellectual property valuation methodologies for industry-university collaboration

We propose and evaluate contractual- and Intellectual Property (IP) instruments in support of research collaboration partnerships between universities and the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME)-industry, and more specifically in the South African context. Interviews were conducted with executives from 11 South African originated SMME’s in the high-technology industry. The findings of this study and potential solutions were then verified and validated with SMME’s, large multinational industry and universities (in South Africa and international) and can be considered as good practice principles to assist in industry-university collaboration (IUC). One aspect that was reported with high occurrence, is the matter of IP valuation, as it can often create further barriers in IUC. The question regarding how to value the IP and any rights relating thereto (IPR’s), is attended to in this study and shared experiences from industry and universities provide insights in the considerations and principles to be used when entering discussions regarding IP valuation.

Processes of spatial concentration and specialisation of industry by the intensity of R&D work in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship (Poland)

The aim of this article is to assess the spatial diversity and to identify the spatial distribution of industry, as well as the directions and scales of its transformations based on the processes of spatial concentration and specialisation of the industrial activity from the perspective of the intensity of research and development (R&D) work in the areas of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. The analysis of the location of industrial activity was conducted based on the entities registered in section C (manufacturing) of the Polish Classification of Activity (PKD). Spatial structures of the industry innovation are presented by applying the classification of manufacturing concerning the intensity of R&D for high-technology, medium high-technology, medium low-technology and low-technology industries. The research was conducted for municipalities divided into cities and rural areas. The results indicate significant changes that took place in the years 2009–2020 in the spatial structure of the whole region, as well as in the urban spatial distribution due to the occurring processes of concentration and specialisation of industrial activity. These changes were simultaneously accompanied by the decreasing level of the concentration of industrial production. Additionally, the Lower Silesian Voivodeship is also characterised by significant spatial diversity of the concentration and specialisation processes of industrial activity. The identified regularities demonstrate the growing role of the suburban zones of large cities, which is particularly visible in the example of Wrocław, an area of intensive diffusion of industrial activity from the central hub. These processes also diffuse into smaller urban centres in the voivodeship.

Internal audit function, audit report lag and audit fee: evidence from the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeHow does the internal audit function make external auditors work more efficiently at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic? This study examines the relationship between internal audit function, audit report lag and audit fee at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses data from all public firms listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2018 to 2019 using the difference-in-difference test technique to answer the proposed hypothesis. In addition, this study also tested the issue of endogeneity using Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) and Two-Stage Least Square (Heckman, 1979).FindingsThis study finds that, at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, a good internal audit function significantly reduced audit report lag and audit fee. These findings indicate that good corporate governance implemented through an internal audit function during the COVID-19 pandemic can give assurance to prevent and mitigate the firm's risk so that external auditors can work more efficiently. Furthermore, this study also carries out an additional analysis by subsampling the high and low technological industries. Based on the robustness test, it is revealed that the results of this study are consistent.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the novelty of literature in auditing studies that highlights the audit process at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic

Complexation leaching of critical and strategic metals from nickel converter slag using organic acids

Nickel converter slag is a waste product formed during the converting process in nickel production. In recent times the processing of nickel converter slag has gained attention as a secondary source of cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni). Nickel and cobalt are considered critical and strategic metals that are essential for nations’ economy and defence, as well as high-technology industry. In particular, Co and Ni can be utilised in the batteries, superalloys, and automobiles. Extraction of critical and strategic metals from slag can be categorised as technospheric mining. In this study, the slag was characterised using combination of XRF, XRD, ICP-OES, FESEM and TIMA for better understanding of deportment of Ni and Co and texture of Ni converter (CV) slag. Complexation leaching by using a combination of citric acid and EDTA was undertaken to extraction by using the leaching agent and complexing agent. The preliminary test showed the most promising result. The leaching experiment was carried out with various parameters such as the reagent concentration, temperature, particle size, and pulp density. The optimum condition for extracting Co and Ni from CV slag is following; citric acid 1 M, EDTA 0.3 M, 80 °C, 6 hr, pulp density 2.5% (w/v), − 75 μm and 250 rpm, which recovered 85.29% of Co and 59.85% of Ni.

Rare earth elements in tea garden soils and their bioavailability to tea buds in Taiwan

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is a widespread beverage plant that prefers aluminum-enriched acidic soils. However, rare earth elements (REEs) might be highly phyto-available in these soils. With the increasing demands for REEs in high-technology industries, understanding the dynamics of REEs in the environment is essential. Thus, this study identified the total concentration of REEs in the root-zone soils and corresponding tea buds (n = 35) collected from tea gardens in Taiwan. Additionally, the labile REEs in the soils were extracted with 1 M KCl, 0.1 M HCl, and 0.05 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to elucidate the fractionation tendency of REEs in the soil-plant system and the relationships between REEs and Al in the tea buds. The concentration of light REEs (LREEs) was higher than those of medium REEs (MREEs) and heavy REEs (HREEs) in all soil and tea bud samples. According to the upper continental crust (UCC) normalization, MREEs and HREEs were more abundant than LREEs in the tea buds. Furthermore, REEs remarkably increased with increasing Al in the tea buds, whereas the linear correlations between Al and MREEs and HREEs were stronger than between LREEs. Compared with LREEs, the extractabilities of MREEs and HREEs by all single extractants in the soils were higher, coinciding with their higher UCC-normalization-based enrichments in the tea buds. Moreover, the 0.1 M HCl- and 0.05 M EDTA-extractable REEs were affected by soil properties and significantly correlated with the total REEs in the tea buds. The concentration of REEs in the tea buds was successfully predicted by empirical equations of extractable REEs with 0.1 M HCl and 0.05 M EDTA, as well as general soil properties including pH, organic carbon, dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate-extractable iron, aluminum, and phosphorus. However, this prediction should be further verified using many soil and tea types in the future.