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Firms in Scottish High Technology Clusters: software, life sciences, microelectronics, optoelectronics and digital media – preliminary evidence and analysis on firm size, growth and optimality

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Author Info
Gavin C. Reid
Vandana Ujjual

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Abstract

This paper reports on: (a) new primary source evidence on; and (b) statistical and econometric analysis of high technology clusters in Scotland. It focuses on the following sectors: software, life sciences, microelectronics, optoelectronics, and digital media. Evidence on a postal and e-mailed questionnaire is presented and discussed under the headings of: performance, resources, collaboration & cooperation, embeddedness, and innovation. The sampled firms are characterised as being small (viz. micro-firms and SMEs), knowledge intensive (largely graduate staff), research intensive (mean spend on R&D GBP 842k), and internationalised (mainly selling to markets beyond Europe). Preliminary statistical evidence is presented on Gibrat’s Law (independence of growth and size) and the Schumpeterian Hypothesis (scale economies in R&D). Estimates suggest a short-run equilibrium size of just 100 employees, but a long-run equilibrium size of 1000 employees. Further, to achieve the Schumpeterian effect (of marked scale economies in R&D), estimates suggest that firms have to grow to very much larger sizes of beyond 3,000 employees. We argue that the principal way of achieving the latter scale may need to be by takeovers and mergers, rather than by internally driven growth

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Centre for Research into Industry, Enterprise, Finance and the Firm in its series CRIEFF Discussion Papers with number 0804.

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Date of creation: May 2008
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Handle: RePEc:san:crieff:0804

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Related research
Keywords: High technology; Scottish firms; Gibrat’s Law; the Schumpeterian Hypothesis.;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
O18 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Regional, Urban, and Rural Analyses
O31 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
O34 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change - - - Intellectual Property Rights
O38 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change - - - Government Policy

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Gavin C Reid & Pamela A Siler & Julia A Smith, 1994. "Quality of Patenting in the UK Scientific Instruments Industry: Database Construction," CRIEFF Discussion Papers 9412, Centre for Research into Industry, Enterprise, Finance and the Firm. [Downloadable!]
  2. Philip McCann, 1997. "How Deeply Embedded is Silicon Glen? A Cautionary Note," Regional Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 31(7), pages 695-703, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Kohn, Meir & Scott, John T, 1982. "Scale Economies in Research and Development: The Schumpeterian Hypothesis," Journal of Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 30(3), pages 239-49, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Benfratello, Luigi & Sembenelli, Alessandro, 2002. "Research joint ventures and firm level performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 493-507, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Romijn, Henny & Albaladejo, Manuel, 2002. "Determinants of innovation capability in small electronics and software firms in southeast England," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 1053-1067, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Arnoud Lagendijk, 1999. "The Emergence of Knowledge-Oriented Forms of Regional Policy in Europe," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 90(1), pages 110-116, 02. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Tether, B. S. & Storey, D. J., 1998. "Smaller firms and Europe's high technology sectors: a framework for analysis and some statistical evidence," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(9), pages 947-971, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. John Sutton, 1997. "Gibrat's Legacy," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(1), pages 40-59, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Richard N. Langlois, 2002. "Schumpeter and the Obsolescence of the Entrepreneur," Working papers 2002-19, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  10. Peters, Bettina & Lööf, Hans & Janz, Norbert, 2003. "Firm Level Innovation and Productivity : Is there a Common Story Across Countries?," ZEW Discussion Papers 03-26, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
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  11. Kaufmann, Alexander & Todtling, Franz, 2001. "Science-industry interaction in the process of innovation: the importance of boundary-crossing between systems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 791-804, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
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