Advanced Search
MyIDEAS: Login

The regional embeddedness of small manufacturing and service firms: regional networking as knowledge source for innovation?

Contents:

Author Info

  • Koschatzky, Knut
  • Zenker, Andrea
Registered author(s):

    Abstract

    Information and knowledge are important prerequisites for innovation activity in firms. One important means of acquiring coplementary knowledge are innovation networks. Depending on their absortive capacity and knowledge base, firms develop different abilities to access and utilise external knowledge. These abilities might also be linked to firm size. Although size as such is not a decisive criterion for distinguishing between the innovative performance of firms, it can at least be used to classify firms according to common structural characteristics. It is objective of this paper to analyse whether the size of a firm significantly affects its innovative behaviour and cooperation pattern and whether there are differences between manufacturing firms and business-related service firms. Using data from a regional innovation survey carried out in Germany, we come to the conclusion that for structural firm characteristics, innovation strategies, information use and innovation network size matters. Small manufacturing and service firms mainly behave similar and are more regionally orientated in their market reach and knowledge acquisition than large firms- Especially small firms in intermediate and rural areas strongly depend on regionally available knowledge sources and are therefore discriminated compared to large firms which make a more frequent use of knowledge and information sources from outside the region. --

    Download Info

    If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
    File URL: http://econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/29286/1/320012808.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    Bibliographic Info

    Paper provided by Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) in its series Working Papers "Firms and Region" with number R2/1999.

    as in new window
    Length:
    Date of creation: 1999
    Date of revision:
    Handle: RePEc:zbw:fisifr:r21999

    Contact details of provider:
    Postal: Breslauer Straße 48, D-76139 Karlsruhe
    Phone: 0721/6809-0
    Fax: 0721/689152
    Email:
    Web page: http://isi.fraunhofer.de/
    More information through EDIRC

    Related research

    Keywords:

    References

    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.:
    as in new window
    1. Michael Fritsch & Monika Meschede, 2001. "Product Innovation, Process Innovation, and Size," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 335-350, November.
    2. Bas ter Weel & L. Soete & B. Verspagen, 2010. "Systems of innovation," CPB Discussion Paper 138, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    3. David Keeble & Frank Wilkinson, 1999. "Collective Learning and Knowledge Development in the Evolution of Regional Clusters of High Technology SMEs in Europe," Regional Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 295-303.
    4. Tether, B. S., 1998. "Small and large firms: sources of unequal innovations?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(7), pages 725-745, November.
    5. DeBresson, Chris & Amesse, Fernand, 1991. "Networks of innovators :A review and introduction to the issue," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(5), pages 363-379, October.
    6. Tether, B. S. & Smith, I. J. & Thwaites, A. T., 1997. "Smaller enterprises and innovation in the UK: the SPRU innovations database revisited," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 19-32, March.
    7. Cowan, Robin & Foray, Dominique, 1997. "The Economics of Codification and the Diffusion of Knowledge," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press, vol. 6(3), pages 595-622, September.
    8. Saviotti, Pier Paolo, 1998. "On the dynamics of appropriability, of tacit and of codified knowledge," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(7-8), pages 843-856, April.
    9. Michael Fritsch, 2001. "Co-operation in Regional Innovation Systems," Regional Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 35(4), pages 297-307.
    10. Clive Lawson & Edward Lorenz, 1999. "Collective Learning, Tacit Knowledge and Regional Innovative Capacity," Regional Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 305-317.
    11. W J Coffey & M Pol�se, 1987. "Trade and location of producer services: a Canadian perspective," Environment and Planning A, Pion Ltd, London, vol. 19(5), pages 597-611, May.
    12. Roberta Capello, 1999. "Spatial Transfer of Knowledge in High Technology Milieux: Learning Versus Collective Learning Processes," Regional Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 353-365.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as in new window

    Cited by:
    1. Muller, Emmanuel & Zenker, Andrea, 2001. "Business services as actors of knowledge transformation: the role of KIBS in regional and national innovation systems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(9), pages 1501-1516, December.
    2. Muller, Emmanuel & Zenker, Andrea, 2001. "Business services as actors of knowledge transformation and diffusion: some empirical findings on the role of KIBS in regional and national innovation systems," Working Papers "Firms and Region" R2/2001, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI).
    3. Nicoletta Corrocher & Lucia Cusmano & Andrea Morrison, 2009. "Modes of innovation in knowledge-intensive business services evidence from Lombardy," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 173-196, April.
    4. Meng, Rüdiger, 2009. "Standort und Innovation - Innovationsaktivitäten und Forschungskooperationen von Unternehmen aus regionaler Perspektive," Arbeitsmaterial der ARL: Aufsätze, in: Innovationen im Raum - Raum für Innovationen: 11. Junges Forum der ARL, 21. bis 23. Mai 2008 in Berlin, pages 40-52 Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung (ARL) - Leibniz-Forum für Raumwissenschaften.
    5. Koschatzky, Knut & Bross, Ulrike, 1999. "Struktur und Dynamik von regionalen Innovationsnetzwerken unter Transformationsbedingungen - das Beispiel Slowenien," Working Papers "Firms and Region" R4/1999, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI).

    Lists

    This item is not listed on Wikipedia, on a reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:fisifr:r21999

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (ZBW - German National Library of Economics).

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.

    If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link to it, you can help with this form.

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.