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Mapping Regional and Sectoral Characteristics of Knowledge‐Intensive Business Services: Evidence from the Province of Quebec (Canada)

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  • DAVID DOLOREUX
  • NABIL AMARA
  • RÉJEAN LANDRY

Abstract

ABSTRACT The study presents original evidence on the characteristic features and innovation activities of knowledge‐intensive business services (KIBS). Based on a wide‐scale survey of 1,124 KIBS firms in Quebec (Canada), we explore empirically the extent to which KIBS from various sectors and regions differ in their characteristics and their uses of innovation practices. The results from the sectoral analysis reveal that KIBS display different characteristic features and innovation behaviours across sectors, thus suggesting that inter‐sectoral differences are important when explaining innovation activities in KIBS. The comparison between KIBS in large, medium, central, and resource regions shows that the characteristic features and the innovativeness of KIBS are rather similar, and little or no significant statistical differences were found between the different regions in the province of Quebec. Thus, overall, the results of our study seem to suggest that a location does not tend to make a difference in respect to characteristic features and innovation performance of KIBS.

Suggested Citation

  • David Doloreux & Nabil Amara & Réjean Landry, 2008. "Mapping Regional and Sectoral Characteristics of Knowledge‐Intensive Business Services: Evidence from the Province of Quebec (Canada)," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(3), pages 464-496, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:growch:v:39:y:2008:i:3:p:464-496
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2257.2008.00434.x
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    2. Blanca L. Delgado-Márquez & Marcos García-Velasco, 2018. "Geographical Distribution of the European Knowledge Base Through the Lens of a Synthetic Index," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 136(2), pages 477-496, April.
    3. Francisco Mas-Verdú & Anthony Wensley & Martin Alba & José García Álvarez-Coque, 2011. "How much does KIBS contribute to the generation and diffusion of innovation?," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 5(3), pages 195-212, September.
    4. Mohan, Preeya & Strobl, Eric & Watson, Patrick, 2021. "Innovation, market failures and policy implications of KIBS firms: The case of Trinidad and Tobago's oil and gas sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    5. Sverre J Herstad, 2018. "Innovation strategy choices in the urban economy," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 55(6), pages 1185-1202, May.
    6. Zhaleh Najafi-Tavani & Axèle Giroud & Rudolf R. Sinkovics, 2012. "Mediating Effects in Reverse Knowledge Transfer Processes," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 52(3), pages 461-488, June.
    7. Sverre J Herstad & Marte CW Solheim & Marit Engen, 2019. "Learning through urban labour pools: Collected worker experiences and innovation in services," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 51(8), pages 1720-1740, November.
    8. Blanca de-Miguel-Molina & Jose-Luis Hervas-Oliver & Rafael Boix & Maria De-Miguel-Molina, 2011. "The Importance of Creative Industry Agglomerations in Explaining the Wealth of European Regions," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(8), pages 1263-1280, March.
    9. Franks, Daniel M. & Brereton, David & Moran, Chris J., 2013. "The cumulative dimensions of impact in resource regions," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 640-647.
    10. Matthias Firgo & Peter Mayerhofer, 2016. "Wissensintensive Unternehmensdienste, Wissens-Spillovers und regionales Wachstum. Teilprojekt 3: Zur Standortstruktur von wissensintensiven Unternehmensdiensten – Fakten, Bestimmungsgründe, regionalpo," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 59427, April.
    11. David Doloreux & Anika Laperrière, 2014. "Internationalisation and innovation in the knowledge-intensive business services," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 8(4), pages 635-657, December.
    12. Ronnié Figueiredo & João José Matos Ferreira, 2020. "Spinner Model: Prediction of Propensity to Innovate Based on Knowledge-Intensive Business Services," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 11(4), pages 1316-1335, December.

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