Knowledge-intensive Activities Research Articles

Who wins the race for knowledge-based competitiveness? Comparing European and North American FDI patterns

The geographical dispersion of value-added activities triggered by the ‘great unbundling’ of production has made the race for competitiveness increasingly shaped by the capability of multinational corporations (MNCs) to orchestrate global innovation networks at world scale. However, major differences in the distribution of foreign investments across value chain functions undertaken by MNCs based in different economic areas have drawn little attention in the empirical literature. This work attempts to fill this gap by focusing on the FDI patterns of European and North American MNCs, which have historically played a key role in the internationalization of production and innovation. To this aim, we compare outward FDI flows of European and North American MNCs in manufacturing and knowledge-intensive activities over the period 2003–2017. We show that while European MNCs are key players in global networks of production, they do not reach the heights of North American investors in the dispersion of knowledge-based activities. Most importantly, European MNCs rely on emerging economies more to offshore production than to set up R&D labs in these countries; by contrast, US-based MNCs are more prone to engage in knowledge-intensive FDIs towards the most dynamic emerging countries (especially China and India, as well as the Four Asian Tigers). Further, we account for the growing role of new entrants in global FDI markets by comparing the advanced economies’ foreign investment decisions with those from Chinese MNCs. Drawing from the literature on the globalization of R&D and cross-border knowledge transmission, a discussion is finally offered on the potential implications of the detected differences in internationalization patterns, together with possible directions for future research.

An integrative framework of knowledge-intensive and sustainable entrepreneurship in entrepreneurial ecosystems

This study integrates research on knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship and sustainable entrepreneurship in the light of new ventures’ increasing need to consider the social and environmental impact of their knowledge-intensive activities. We reviewed 49 articles with the twofold aim of exploring how knowledge-intensive and sustainable new ventures interact with the actors embedded in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to (1) pursue elements of survival and growth, and to (2) contribute to economic growth and sustainable development. In the conclusion of our article, we introduce a research agenda to identify relevant avenues for future studies.

Understanding how Additive Manufacturing influences organizations’ strategy in knowledge economy

Industry 4.0 constituted a trigger to a new phase in the Industrial Revolution, heavily focused in the interconnectivity of the systems, bringing disruptive technologies such as Additive Manufacturing (AM). On top of that, the shift from an industrial economy to a knowledge-based economy, where knowledge is the actual raw material, is implicating changes on the labor market, as new jobs strongly rely on knowledge-intensive activities. This is forcing organizations to rethink their way to operate, since markets are getting even more competitive and susceptible to greater volatility. Herewith organizations are resorting to AM as way to strengthen competitive position, as this technology allows to seize new opportunities. As response to that, this paper presents an industry analysis to AM based on Porter’s Five forces model, where forces such as threat of new entrants, bargaining power of customers, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of suppliers and rivalry among the existent competitors will be discussed under a knowledge perspective. The compiled evidence show that AM industry will plausibly suffer from a high rivalry in the next few years, as consequence of the increased power of customers and suppliers, low entry barriers for new entrants and due to pressures for a more sustainable society. Although these forces will not be totally controllable, organizations can plan their business strategy according to the knowledge they have on them. This type of approach will allow organizations to influence these forces more closely and at the same time to predict possible scenarios, identify tendencies and map the sector. In the present paper is proposed a conceptual model based on Porter’s five forces to analyze the impact of AM on firms’ strategy. For future development this model will be extended to organizations operating with AM in Portugal for validating its practical applicability, which will be performed through questionnaire and/or case study.

Оценка влияния изменения структуры занятости на численность постоянного населения Дальнего Востока России

The migration outflow of the population from the territory of the Far East is a factor threatening the security of the state, as defined in the Spatial Development Strategy of Russia. To overcome it, it is necessary to determine the essence of this negative phenomenon, reflecting complex socio-economic processes both within the territorial community and in the country as a whole. Migration factors are divided into factors-conditions and structural factors. The purpose of this study is to determine socio-economic factors-conditions of migration outflow of population from the Far East and to measure the strength of correlations of changes in the employment structure of the population of the macroregion with its size. In the historical conditions of the transition of the most developed countries and regions to an innovative type of development, the motivations of migration are changing, as well as the structure of migration flows by gender, age, education, qualifications. Their retirement is determined by the continuing reduction of jobs in high-tech manufacturing industries, as well as in knowledge-intensive activities, such as electricity, gas and water production, and in social organizations: education, healthcare, social services, throughout the entire period since the beginning of the 90s of the twentieth century. The recipients of migrants, most of whom have a high level of education and qualifications, in modern society, both in Russia and abroad, are regions that are leaders in scientific, technical, innovative development, centers of high-tech production, high-tech services. Accordingly, the solution of the problem of state significance, on the reversal of migration flows to the Far East, requires the transition of the subjects of the Russian Federation located in the Far East to a predominantly innovative type of development.

ПАРАДИГМА ІННОВАЦІЙНОЇ АКТИВНОСТІ ТЕЛЕКОМУНІКАЦІЙНИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ

The article analyzes the state of innovative capacity of the economy of Ukraine in comparison with other countries of the world according to the indicators of international ratings. The dynamics of the ratings of the international assessment of innovative indicators of Ukraine are presented according to four indicators of innovative capacity for 2015–2021. During 2021, the performance of innovative activity decreased according to two indices (according to the Bloomberg Innovation Index and according to the Global Innovation Index) and slightly improved – according to the Global Talent Competitiveness Index and according to the index of the European Innovation Scoreboard. Ukraine's strongest points in 2021 were its innovation-friendly environment and impact on employment, as well as broadband Internet penetration, employment in knowledge-intensive activities, non-R&D spending on innovation, and exports of knowledge-intensive information technology services. The weakest points are financial support and support, the attractiveness of the research system and intellectual assets, as well as government spending on research and development, the share of small and medium-sized enterprises with marketing or organizational innovations, international scientific and business publications. The economic essence of innovations, innovative activity of enterprises in the relationship and interdependence with innovative activity, innovative potential and innovative development of enterprises is revealed. Features of the innovative activity of enterprises in the telecommunications industry are presented. From the point of view of qualitative properties, innovative development is represented by a complex process of creating and implementing innovations with the aim of qualitative changes of the object of management and obtaining an economic, scientific-technical, social, ecological or any other type of effect that is associated with a necessary condition for survival and development of enterprises in the long term. The priority directions of the paradigm of innovative activity of telecommunications enterprises through the prism of strengthening their competitive positions on the local and global markets of telecommunications services are substantiated.

СУЩНОСТНАЯ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКА НАУЧНОГО ПОТЕНЦИАЛА И НАУЧНОГО КАПИТАЛА ИННОВАЦИОННОГО ПРОМЫШЛЕННОГО ПРЕДПРИЯТИЯ

In modern conditions the importance of effective and efficient implementation of the import substitution program in the country, technological breakthrough, accelerated development of key industries based on the development and implementation of innovations is increasing in order to ensure sustainable socio-economic development of the Russian Federation. The theoretical basis of innovation management consists of the concepts of scientific potential and scientific capital of the organization. The purpose of this work is to study the essence of the scientific potential and scientific capital of the organization, taking into account the specifics of the knowledge-intensive activities of an industrial enterprise. The subject of the study is the essential characteristic of the concepts under consideration, which allows to determine their distinctive properties and content structure. Methods of analysis and synthesis, abstraction, generalization and grouping have been used in the research process. The article presents the results of the study of existing approaches to determining the essence of scientific potential and scientific capital. The authors' interpretation of the concepts under consideration has been proposed, which based on the assessment of the resources and competencies of manufacturing enterprises. The main components of scientific potential and scientific capital that form an objectified structural basis for innovation management in industrial organizations and their distinctive properties have been highlighted. The process of realizing scientific potential through the cantilevered transformation of hidden competencies into open ones has been described. The importance of including marketing competencies in the structure of scientific capital and scientific potential of an industrial organization has been noted. The field of application of the results obtained: innovation management of industrial organizations. Thus, the essential characteristic of scientific potential and scientific capital presented in the work forms theoretical basis for the development of innovation management methodology and, in the applied aspect, allows to comprehensively take into account the basic components of effective and efficient management of knowledge-intensive activities of a manufacturing enterprise

The open innovation journey along heterogeneous modes of knowledge-intensive marketing collaborations: a cross-sectional study of innovative firms in Europe

PurposePrevious research focused on open innovation (OI) suggests that enterprises benefit from adopting the journey; however, the relationship among OI, marketing journey and knowledge-intensive innovation marketing activities (KIIMA) remains unclear. The present study proposes a conceptual model of the marketing journey linking heterogeneous modes of marketing collaboration to knowledge-intensive activities.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual model was tested via ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regression based on a sample of data drawn from the Eurostat database.FindingsThe results indicate that strategies are a robust proxy for evaluating KIIMA, and partnerships, heterogeneous sources of knowledge and different marketing modes for collaboration among European knowledge-intensive firms are core antecedents of KIIMA, such as new-product development and marketing innovation, as well as firms' sustainable competitive advantage.Originality/valueThis study fills the gap by tracking the role of the journey within marketing collaborations on KIIMA, and it intervenes in the debate about interactive marketing innovation mechanisms. The study contributes to OI, knowledge management and the marketing literature by identifying the heterogeneous modes for marketing collaborations under which the marketing journey enhances knowledge-intensive activities such as those for marketing innovation.

CONCEPTUAL PRINCIPLES OF ACHIEVING INTELLECTUAL LEADERSHIP

The article identifies the key conceptual foundations for the formation of intellectual leadership of economic entities, including countries as specific actors in the global economy. Thorough preconditions for increasing the level of economic development and the impact of education have been identified. It is determined that historical concepts and modern realities of economic activity only actualize the role of education and enlightenment in the economic development of the national economy and ensuring its competitiveness. The strategies of increasing the competitiveness of individual countries of the world are analyzed, their key priorities in the conditions of formation of the knowledge economy are determined. The evolution of views on the role of human and intellectual capital in increasing the welfare of countries, the impact on GDP and other macroeconomic indicators is described. The ratings of countries are analyzed, in particular by the level of investment in intellectual capital and the structure of their GDP, which confirms the dominance of science-intensive economic activities. In addition, it was determined that the leading countries are characterized by increasing the role of knowledge-intensive activities, increasing the share of intangible assets, redistribution of capital of leading international companies and increasing research spending, increasing investment in human and intellectual capital, increasing exports of high-tech products. Analytical assessment confirms the advanced development of science-intensive industries in countries with developed economies, which creates the need for training and retraining of specialists needed for such industries. In modern conditions, the educational process ceases to be predominantly the prerogative of young people, and becomes a lifelong process, which increases spending on education in developed countries, but without denying the significant asymmetries on this indicator. Research confirms the direct relationship between the quality of human and physical capital and economic development, which is typical of highly developed countries, one of the main reasons for the development lag of the poorest countries. In addition, the article substantiates the key factors of intellectual leadership and their impact on the development of economic development strategies.

Device Fabrication Knowledge Extraction from Materials Science Literature

Devices like solar cells, batteries etc. often comprise of a host of material types including organic, inorganic and hybrid materials. The fabrication procedures for these devices involve screening or designing the right set of materials and then subjecting them to a sequence of operations under very specific conditions. The performance characteristics of a device critically depend on the materials used in its fabrication, the specific operations carried out, their operating conditions and the specific sequence in which they are carried out. The space of potential materials, operations and operating conditions is vast, and selecting the right combination thereof to achieve the desired characteristics is a knowledge intensive activity. A large amount of such device fabrication knowledge is available in the form of publications, patents, company reports and so on. In this paper, we present a system that systematically extracts this knowledge from materials science literature. The extracted knowledge is represented as knowledge graphs conforming to an ontology that can be queried to make informed decisions in device fabrication procedures. The system first identifies the set of relevant paragraphs that contain fabrication knowledge. It then employs state of the art entity and relation extraction models to identify instances of operations, methods, materials, etc. and relations between them. The system then applies an unsupervised algorithm to identify sequences of operations representing fabrication procedures. We applied our system on solar cell fabrication knowledge extraction and achieved good performance. We believe our results provide much needed impetus for further work in this area.

A process-tailoring method for digital manufacturing projects.

Most digital manufacturing projects follow the software-development process. However, the application of all the characteristics and processes specific to a digital manufacturing project cannot be generalized to all other engineering projects. Therefore, digital manufacturing project teams typically design and apply process principles that can be customized to individual use cases by project members. Tailoring these principles, including developing and referencing them, is a knowledge-intensive activity that requires the gradual improvement of development processes. This paper proposes a knowledge-oriented digital manufacturing ontology model and a semantic rule-based tailoring system that can derive tailoring strategies from knowledge ontologies via an inference-rule design and engine. The proposed model and system can assist in concrete project implementations based on software-development experience. A practical example is demonstrated through the 3D-modeling digital manufacturing of a hospital kitchen.

Application of configuration principle on knowledge-based engineering for manufacturing system design

The design of manufacturing systems is a knowledge-intensive activity in which designers from various disciplines are involved, and the lack of effective support for the multi-disciplinary knowledge interaction among designers is one of the most critical reasons for the design failure. The authors intend to combine the configuration design principle with knowledge-based engineering to support the multi-disciplinary knowledge interaction during the intelligent design process. The paper firstly conducts an in-depth review of current intelligent design approaches. Then, the research gap in achieving multi-disciplinary knowledge interaction is pointed out. Finally, the multi-disciplinary knowledge configuration design approach is proposed.

To what extent does a knowledge-intensive business service firm need customer knowledge integrative activities The case of DigiCAP

This study examines the relationship between customer knowledge degree and integrative activity of customer knowledge in a new custom product development process by using an exploratory and qualitative single case study of a knowledge-intensive business service (KIBS) firm. In spite of the importance of customer knowledge integrative activities to a KIBS firm and the traditional significance of customer knowledge in the field of marketing, there is an unexplored question of to what extent a KIBS firm needs to have customer knowledge integrative activities. This study empirically identifies that a KIBS firm requires much effort and time for customer knowledge integrative activity to develop a new custom product, while there were different properties and contents of customer knowledge integrative activity at each stage of a new custom product development process. It also identifies that the degree of customer knowledge integrative activity depends on the degree of complexity of a customer product, while the degree of prior customer knowledge in a KIBS firm can reverse influence the degree of customer knowledge integrative activity. Finally, this study further explores two factors which can influence customer knowledge integrative activity: the range of customers and product characteristics.

Evaluating the impacts of HSR stations on the creation of firms

Justified on territorial equity criteria, Spain has developed one of the largest high-speed rail (HSR) network in the world. This research evaluates how the opening of a new station affects the number of firms created at provincial level. We estimate differential impacts on firm creation across four different types of activities: service, tourism, knowledge intensive and manufacturing. The use of panel data makes it possible both to test for the dynamic structure in the data and to provide new insights on the territorial impact of HSR effects. Moreover, we develop a methodological procedure to improve the accuracy of small but positive effects. The results point out that being connected to a HSR network may promote firm creation, but this is not always the case. It has a larger effect in the service, tourism and knowledge intensive activities, whereas in the manufacturing sector the impact is almost null. Regarding the territorial impact, we find that the HSR can reinforce the concentration of firm creation in the biggest cities. Additionally, improving short-distance connections can strengthen agglomeration benefits by enlarging metropolitan areas. Finally, HSR would contribute to increasing the level of divergence in terms of firm creation across provinces. Therefore, our work calls for a rethinking of the strategy of basing investment decisions on territorial equity criteria.

Income inequality in the knowledge economy

Advanced economies are characterised by the parallel increase of income inequality and of the role of knowledge intensive activities that substitute the manufacturing industry at the core of the system. Radical changes in the organisation of the generation, appropriation and exploitation of technological knowledge increase the levels of knowledge rents. The shift to the knowledge economy triggers the polarisation of labour markets between creative workers, able to participate into the rents associated with knowledge exploitation, and standard labour, exposed to the fall of employment in progressively de-unionised manufacturing industries. The theoretical framework introduced associates such knowledge-intensive structural change to the rising levels of income inequality. The empirical section provides support for this correlation estimating on the evidence of 20 OECD countries from 1990 to 2016 a negative sign for within income inequality regressed on the quota of KIBS and R&D investments.

Why Has Computerization Increased Wage Inequality? Information, Occupational Structural Power, and Wage Inequality

This article offers a new account of rising inequality by providing a new explanation for the observed correlation between computerization and earnings. The argument is that as computers transformed work into a more knowledge-intensive activity, occupations located at critical junctions of information flow have gained greater structural power, and thereby higher wages. Combining occupational measures for location in the information flow based on the Occupational Information Network with the 1979–2016 Current Population Surveys, the analyses reveal a rising wage premium for occupations with greater access to and control of information, independent of the spectrum of skills related to computerization.

El capitalismo argentino en la posconvertibilidad: un análisis de los alcances del desempeño productivo y de su relación con las políticas científicas y tecnológicas

El artículo analiza las principales transformaciones ocurridas en la Argentina en materia productiva y tecnológica en la década transcurrida desde el colapso del régimen de convertibilidad en diciembre de 2001. Para ello se trabaja a dos niveles analíticos diferenciales. En primer término, un análisis de la trayectoria del sector manufacturero, enfatizándose sobre la existencia de una nueva dinámica de crecimiento que ha revertido la tendencia desindustrializadora desarrollado durante el cuarto de siglo que le precedió y, al mismo tiempo, la continuidad de algunos de sus sesgos regresivos más críticos. En segundo lugar, se analizan las principales transformaciones ocurridas en materia de políticas científico-tecnológicas, el fortalecimiento de las capacidades estatales y la puesta en funcionamiento de novedosos instrumentos de promoción e incentivo para la formación de recursos humanos y de actividades productivas intensivas en conocimiento. Se argumenta que ese conjunto de transformaciones permiten concebir la existencia de una nueva armonía en la configuración de las relaciones entre desempeño productivo y política científico-tecnológica.

The Impact of Internet Usage and Knowledge-Intensive Activities on Households' Healthcare Expenditures.

This paper examines the impact of the internet usage and knowledge intensive activities on households’ healthcare expenditures Similarly, the paper aims to recognize and understand, from a value-creation perspective, the correlation between: internet access of households (IA), individuals frequently using the internet (IU), individuals searching on internet for health-related information (HI), payments made by households for healthcare (PHH), expressed as euro per inhabitant and employment in knowledge-intensive activities (KIA). The approach utilized in the present study consists of two steps. First, a theoretical framework was conducted to determine the existing relationship between major variables. Next, the Vector Autoregressive (VAR) approach was applied in a case study at European level to prove the three hypothesis we consider. By analyzing the connection between the major variables, a positive and long- lasting impulse response function was revealed, followed by an ascending trend. This suggests that a self-multiplying effect is being generated; and it reasonable to assume that the more individuals use the Internet, the more electronic acquisitions occur. We can thus reasonably conclude that the improvement of the internet usage and knowledge intensive activities on households’ healthcare expenditures process is strongly dependent on people’s capability. Improving IU and KIA is the new reading key in the decision-making process in health system approach.

Defining a Learning Metric for DSS Success Monitoring

The decision-making process is a knowledge-intensive activity, supported by DSS, that warrants close monitoring in most enterprises to ensure its success. Numerous frameworks for the evaluation of DSS effectiveness were proposed in the literature. However, many use metrics that are survey-based to reflect users’ perception of the system’s value. Based on the premise that metrics should be as objective as possible, this paper proposes a learning metric that assess the cognitive effects of DSS and their impact on decision performance. Drawing from the current tendency of using DSS in e-learning platforms, we define a learning metric that includes factors such as time spent on tasks, decision-aids use versus cumulated personal experience from previous usage, regret avoidance, decision outcome, and decision rejection/acceptance from higher management. Based on a criteria application process, we validate the proposed metric by first specifying its intent of use to determine the appropriate validation criteria, then demonstrating its viability against these criteria. An experimental case study is conducted to further attest to the validity of the proposed learning metric.

Node between firm’s knowledge-intensive activities and their propensity to innovate: Insights from Nigeria’s mining industry

While studies have examined the nexus between knowledge and innovative performance, the literature from the context of developing countries is very scant. This study thus examines which knowledge-intensive activities influence the propensity of mining firms in Nigeria to implement either product innovation, process innovation or both kinds of innovations. The study explored 106 purposively selected mining firms in Nigeria to check the effect of knowledge on the prevalence of innovation in the industry. Using a questionnaire administered to the chief executive officers/most senior managers of the firms, the study identified six main knowledge indicators for the mining industry which were regressed against indicators of technological innovations. The study found that while R&D activities were important for product innovation, acquisition of machinery, equipment, hardware and software were the principal drivers of process innovation. The knowledge-based activities common to both innovation types were acquisition of external knowledge/technologies, learning, knowledge exchange and training as well as other activities like feasibility studies, market research, continuous improvement, business process re-engineering, tooling-up, routine software upgrades, amongst others. The study concludes that certain knowledge-intensive activities are important for different kinds of innovations in the firms.

DEMOCRATISING DESIGN THROUGH SURROGATE MODEL CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS OF COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN REPOSITORIES

AbstractThe capability to manufacture at home is continually increasing with technologies, such as 3D printing. However, the ability to design products suitable for manufacture and use remains a highly-skilled and knowledge intensive activity. This has led to ‘content creators’ providing vast repositories of manufacturable products for society, however challenges remain in the search & retrieval of models. This paper presents the surrogate model convolutional neural networks approach to search and retrieve CAD models by mapping them directly to their real-world photographed counterparts.