Search results

1 – 4 of 4
Per page
102050
Citations:
Loading...
Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 16 March 2020

Lisset Medina, Marcelo Cano-Kollmann and Isabel Alvarez

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of knowledge creation in a key technology field, i.e. information and communication technology (ICT), to determine…

233

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of knowledge creation in a key technology field, i.e. information and communication technology (ICT), to determine whether it is driven by domestic firms and inventors, or whether the traction is provided by international connections to global innovation networks. The authors argue that the geographical pattern of international connectivity is characterized by local concentration and strong connections to foreign multinational enterprises, for which a large number of inventors in Spain work.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis was done using data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office database, covering almost 40 years, ranging from 1976 to 2014. The authors used patents in the ICT sector connected to either inventors or organizations located in Spain. The authors analyzed collaboration by the location of both inventors and assignees, and the connections established across borders. Second, the authors assessed the level of concentration and dispersion that characterizes these relationships.

Findings

First, the growth of the ICT sector in Spain is strongly driven by linkages with foreign companies, in particular those located in the USA. Second, the interaction of local and international clusters of knowledge generation is a key driver of the ICT sector, which is far from being global. Third, there is a geographic concentration of national/international knowledge sources, which is mediated by the technological strategies of internationalized firms. Therefore, the new information age seems to be highly dependent on the collaboration between individuals and companies through focal local points, and on the prevalence of co-developed international inventions.

Research limitations/implications

Understanding the patterns of ICT-related knowledge creation and its geographical footprint is crucial to foster competitiveness in the digital age. The transition from a paradigm based on tangible assets to one where competitive advantage stems mainly from intangibles, has significant implications for both policy and practice. International collaboration presents opportunities to enhance competitiveness at various levels, be that organizations, regions or countries. To seize these opportunities, it is key to enhance the endogenous capabilities and absorptive capacity of the local players. While patent data captures the output of a national innovation system only partially, it is still a suitable indicator to capture international connectedness. More qualitative-oriented techniques, however, may allow for a better assessment of tacit knowledge flows.

Originality/value

The creation of knowledge in high-tech industries is a key aspect of competitiveness, and it is increasingly supported by collaboration that spans across borders. However, knowledge creation adopts different patterns, depending on the unique characteristics of the country. The authors analyze the case of Spain, a developed economy with pockets of innovation but also significant areas that can be considered “peripheral,” both economically and industrially, when compared to much of Western Europe. This study’s analysis captures the combination of concentration and dispersion in the process of knowledge generation that characterizes the ICT sector in intermediate countries.

Details

Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal , vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 30 June 2022

Lisset Medina and Isabel Álvarez

Recent years have seen increased participation by women in Science and Technology activities, but parity with men remains a distant goal. This paper provides a framework for…

134

Abstract

Purpose

Recent years have seen increased participation by women in Science and Technology activities, but parity with men remains a distant goal. This paper provides a framework for improving knowledge on the dynamics of women’s contributions to innovation, as measured through their contributions as inventors.

Design/methodology/approach

Analysis was conducted using data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database, covering over 40 years from 1976 to 2019. The study provides a breakdown of women’s inventiveness/innovation by technology area, which permits analysis of whether female inventors tend to work individually or as part of a team, as well as analysis of the effects of international networks.

Findings

Specific data have been analyzed around innovative activity by women in Spain, providing new insights on gender gaps. Key findings include those recent increases in inventions by women (as measured through patents) have occurred mostly via participation in internationally connected mixed-gender teams. Furthermore, the inventive creativity of women is found to be sector-biased and framed mainly in the chemical sector.

Originality/value

There are no similar contributions using USPTO data for Spanish inventions. This is an original paper that emphasizes the potential of collaborative networks as key driving mechanisms for the reduction of gender gaps and for the larger integration of women into innovation activities, with potential implications for stakeholders at both firm and governmental levels.

Details

International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-6266

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 5 June 2020

Columba Lisset Flores Torres, Luis Alberto Olvera-Vargas, Julia Sánchez Gómez and David Israel Contreras-Medina

Following the recommendation of the food and agriculture organization of the United Nations in agricultural innovation, for taking advantage of emerging technologies, in benefit…

962

Abstract

Purpose

Following the recommendation of the food and agriculture organization of the United Nations in agricultural innovation, for taking advantage of emerging technologies, in benefit of small-farmers, the present study explores one of the most ancient crops in the world that privileging the application of tacit knowledge, to become a succulent plant called agave, into the so-called drink of the gods, the mezcal. For this, the purpose of this study is to discover innovation opportunities and reconfiguring knowledge interaction dynamics of the agricultural artisan production of agave-mezcal from Oaxaca, Mexico, using emerging technologies

Design/methodology/approach

Following a qualitative-quantitative approach, the study was carried out with 44 mezcal producers from Oaxaca, Mexico, through face-to-face session, questionaries’ application and field visits, based on the model of socialization, externalization, combination and internalization (SECI) through Likert-scale questions, combining the non-parametric statistical analysis and digital compass, for the detection of technological opportunities

Findings

Basing on artisanal process, context-knowledge place, technological resources and SECIs model results, the opportunities must go in the route of labour in the logic of digital performance. In this sense, becomes relevant to develop an easy-use mobile application for improving the interaction of mezcaleros with external agents and another’s producers., A second proposal is the creation of mezcal-tech-hub, thinking as collaborative space, for promoting the interaction producer-to-producer and producer-to-external agent.

Originality/value

The value of the present study is the empirical description of knowledge dynamics interaction contained in the agricultural artisan production of agave-mezcal through SECI model; the identification of problems, failure or barriers contained in the knowledge interaction dynamics of the agricultural artisan production agave-mezcal; the proposal of innovation opportunities for reconfiguring the knowledge interaction dynamics of the agricultural artisan production agave-mezcal from a developing economy, using emerging technologies.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 8 March 2021

Tugrul Daim, Marina Dabic and Edwin Garces

749

Abstract

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

1 – 4 of 4
Per page
102050