Service Innovativeness and Innovation Success in Technology-based Knowledge-Intensive Business Services: An Intellectual Capital Approach

This paper analyzes the influence of the three components of intellectual capital (human, social and organizational) and intensity in collaboration with clients on service innovativeness in knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). It also includes a discussion on the impact of both service innovativeness and intensity in collaboration with clients on innovation success. An empirical study is conducted on a sample of companies belonging to two technology-based KIBS industries: software and R&D services. The results suggest that the positive effect of human capital on service innovativeness is moderated by intensity in collaboration with clients, being human capital enhanced by organizational and social capital. The effect of social capital on service innovativeness is partially mediated by human capital and also moderated by intensity in collaboration with clients. Finally, service innovativeness positively affects innovation success, while intensity in collaboration with clients has a higher effect.     

Innovation and Social Capital: A Cross-Country Investigation

This study explores the impact of social capital on innovation by constructing a more general measure of social capital, which consists of generalized and institutional trust, associational activities and civic norms. We test the hypothesis that social capital has a positive impact on innovation at the national level. After controlling for research and development expenditure and human capital, we find that there is a positive relationship between social capital and innovation. Social capital interacts with entrepreneurship; the strongest relationship is between associated activities and entrepreneurship. This study supports the need to build strong social relationships in today's networked economy.     

The influence of human capital investment on the exports of services and goods: An analysis of the top 25 services outsourcing countries

Abstract and Key Results

A conceptual framework and practical guide for assessing fitness-to-operate in the offshore oil and gas industry

The paper outlines a systemic approach to understanding and assessing safety capability in the offshore oil and gas industry. We present a conceptual framework and assessment guide for understanding fitness-to-operate (FTO) that builds a more comprehensive picture of safety capability for regulators and operators of offshore facilities. The FTO framework defines three enabling capitals that create safety capability: organizational capital, social capital, and human capital. For each type of capital we identify more specific dimensions based on current theories of safety, management, and organizational processes. The assessment guide matches specific characteristics to each element of the framework to support assessment of safety capability. The content and scope of the FTO framework enable a more comprehensive coverage of factors that influence short-term and long-term safety outcomes.     

The role of political risk in service offshoring entry mode decisions

This research investigates the effect of political risk on the offshore service industry. The study empirically examines how an extended political risk definition, operationalised into a model consisting of 12 political risk variables, helps predict location decisions across offshoring entry modes and activity types. The research focuses on captive offshoring and offshore outsourcing entry modes, and Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) activity types. The research indicated that political risk factors accounted for 38% of the variability in offshore outsourcing flows, implying that concerns about service disruptions and/or cost implications of external uncertainties feature as a key factor in supplier selection and location decisions. The findings further confirm a positive relationship between institutional and regulatory factors in host locations, and the flow of offshoring activities with a high knowledge content. The research contributes to enhancing the explanatory ability of Transaction Cost Economics by re-operationalising the concept of political risk in the context of both offshore outsourcing and captive offshoring. For practitioners, these findings provide a clear indication of the political risks that can affect service offshoring decisions; for policymakers, they highlight the importance of strengthening institutional and regulatory factors to attract investment.     

Determinants of internal and external R&D offshoring: evidence from Spanish firms

This paper analyses the determinants of R&D offshoring of Spanish firms using information from the Panel of Technological Innovation. We find that being an exporter, international technological cooperation, continuous R&D engagement, applying for patents, being a foreign subsidiary, and firm size are factors that positively affect the decision to offshore R&D. In addition, we find that a lack of financing is an obstacle relatively more important for independent firms than for firms that belong to business groups. For these latter, we also obtain that the factors that influence the decision to offshore R&D differ depending on whether the firm purchases the R&D services within the group or through the market: a higher degree of importance assigned to internal sources of information for innovation as compared to market sources increases (decreases) the probability of R&D offshoring only through the group (market).     

组织内社会交换关系与工作投入:心理资本的中介效应

选取中国多家企业317名员工为研究对象,运用问卷调查和分层回归分析方法对两种组织内社会交换关系———组织支持感和领导成员交换、心理资本和工作投入的关系进行了探讨。结果显示组织支持感和领导成员交换都对心理资本和工作投入有积极预测作用,心理资本对工作投入有积极预测作用,进一步的研究发现组织支持感和领导成员交换都通过心理资本的部分中介对工作投入有积极预测作用。     

Strategic sensemaking and organizational performance: linkages among scanning, interpretation, action, and outcomes.

This study investigated the strategic "sensemaking" processes of scanning, interpretation, and action and how those activities are linked to organizational performance. Using path analyses on data from 156 hospitals, we tested the direct and indirect effects among these sensemaking processes and performance outcomes and developed a model of their relationships. In a more general sense, the research represents an attempt to provide insight not only into relationships between cognition and action, but also into the links between those fundamental processes and organizational performance outcomes.     

Service multinationals: Their past,present, and future

Abstract and Key Results

Offshoring Innovation to Emerging Countries: The Effects of IP Protection and Cultural Differences on Firms’ Decision to Augment Versus Exploit Home-Base-Knowledge

Developed-country multinationals (DMNEs) have increasingly engaged in the practice of offshoring innovation to emerging countries. In this article, we leverage and extend the institution-based view to further our understanding of this phenomenon. Specifically, we examine the differential effects of formal and informal institutions on DMNEs’ strategic decision to offshore innovation activities aimed at augmenting (versus exploiting) home-base-knowledge to emerging countries. Concerning formal institutions, we argue that the stronger the emerging host country’s IP protection, the higher the likelihood that a DMNE offshores innovation activities aimed at augmenting home-base-knowledge. Regarding informal institutions, we argue that the greater the cultural differences between the developed home country and the emerging host country, the higher the likelihood that a DMNE offshores innovation activities aimed at augmenting home-base-knowledge. Additionally, we propose a key contingency that attenuates the relationship involving IP protection while strengthening the one involving cultural differences: the DMNE’s experience with offshoring innovation. Analysis of 128 offshoring innovation implementations by 78 DMNEs in ten emerging countries provides support for all our hypotheses except for the one focused on the moderation effect of experience on the relationship involving cultural differences.     

A mediated model on the adoption of social media and SMEs’ performance in developing countries

PurposeSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can adopt and use social media (SM) for communicating information with stakeholders with minimal cost. The ability to access and share information influences the SMEs' performance, but there is little scholarship on the association between the adoption of social media and SMEs' performance. This research aims to investigate the effects of technology-organizational-environmental (TOE) factors on the adoption of SM and SMEs’ performance in developing countries.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed the TOE framework as determinants affecting the adoption of social media and SMEs' performance. The paper used a closed-ended questionnaire to gather data, through an online survey, from randomly selected respondents from SMEs operating in Pakistan. Partial-least-squares-structural-equation-modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for the path analysis of 423 responses from SMEs' owners, executives, and managers. The present study also explores the mediating role of SM between TOE characteristics and SMEs’ performance.FindingsThe findings revealed a direct positive relationship between TOE constructs, the adoption of SM, and SMEs' performance. Full mediation was found between technological factors and SMEs performance, and partial mediation was found between organizational and environmental factors and SMEs’ performance. Complementary mediation among the variables was also examined.Originality/valueThis paper has implications for practitioners and researchers interested in investigating social media adoption in SMEs. It builds an empirical, multi-dimensional hypothesized model, including several determinants that may influence the adoption of social media.     

Does Board Co-Working Experience Influence Directors’ Decisions Toward Internationalization?

Despite the importance of board capital in a firm’s corporate strategic orientation and the high degree of international expansion that many firms have experienced in recent years, little or no research has explored how board capital affects a firm’s internationalization decision. Drawing upon resource dependence theory, this study argues that board capital may help increase the firm’s degree of internationalization and that board co-working experience may facilitate the contribution of directors with human and social capital to firm internationalization. The results indicate that board capital (directors’ international experience, directors’ industry-specific experience and directors’ board appointments) is positively associated with internationalization and that board co-working experience has a positive moderating influence on the board capital-internationalization relationship. One important implication of the empirical evidence is that firms trying to expand internationally should consider nominating directors with rich human and social capital to the board because such directors can provide strategic advice and facilitate access to critical information and valuable resources needed for internationalization. Additionally, those international firms might be advised to consider board tenure when appointing board directors because board co-working experience allows directors to integrate their knowledge of the firm’s internal affairs with their expertise in the area of international strategy and to combine their knowledge properly to address firm-specific issues, consequently enabling them to address international issues effectively.     

人力资本与社会资本对创新行为的影响——跨层次模型研究

本研究以科研机构448名科研人员共87个科研团队为样本,构建团队与个体的多层线性模型,跨层次实证研究人力资本与社会资本对创新行为的影响,结果显示:个体人力资本与社会资本对其创新行为具有显著的正向影响;团队社会资本对其成员创新行为有直接显著的正向影响;团队社会资本可强化其成员社会资本与创新行为之间的正相关,而团队社会资本对其成员人力资本与创新行为之间正相关关系的调节未得到实证结果的支持;论文研究建议加强科研团队与个体成员人力资本与社会资本的培育与整合、重视成员之间的资源交换,以提高成员的创新行为.     

Collaboration for Innovation: A Case Study on How Social Capital Mitigates Collaborative Challenges in University–Industry Research Alliances

Differences in goals and approaches between firms and universities often lead to challenges that prevent the realization of fruitful university–industry collaboration. This paper explores how the development of cognitive and relational social capital can, over time, mitigate such challenges and encourage fruitful collaboration between firms and universities in research alliances for the development of innovations. Using a multi-level perspective at the individual, organizational and alliance levels of social capital, this paper investigates firms participating in two contrasting research alliances: one well-established research alliance and one emerging alliance. This study suggests that the development of both cognitive and relational social capital at the individual, organizational and alliance levels appears crucial for effective collaboration in research alliances over time. Common goals and understandings regarding the collaboration and the creation of personal relationships between the employees of firms and universities helps mitigate collaborative challenges, stimulate cohesion and realize the goal of creating innovations.     

Economic Inequality,Cultural Orientation and Base-of-Pyramid Employee Performance at the MNC Subsidiary: A Multi-Case Investigation

Research to date on economic inequality and how it affects organizational employee performance is both sparse and generic in scope. Multinational corporations—in particular—can benefit from an extension of empirical inquiry which looks at economic inequality in conjunction with cultural orientation in order to understand the behavior of their cross-border subsidiary employees. To this end, we report on an exploratory, multi-case study using data drawn from interviews, observation and company information with frontline, base of the organizational pyramid employees at the Thai subsidiaries of Anglo-US MNCs. Our findings detail the manifestations of high economic inequality and low worker status, as well as the adverse implications for subsidiary service delivery (e.g., absenteeism, moonlighting, deficient-communication) and broader corporate reputation concerns. We also detail the specific role of vertical-collectivist cultural norms and values in both exacerbating and mitigating the adverse effects observed. Finally, we discuss the implications for international business managers seeking to address (and prevent) subsidiary performance suppression due to economic inequality, focusing on the development of ‘social embeddedness’ as a key competence in the engagement and nurturing of base-of-pyramid employees in emerging Asia.     

基于认知型社会资本的社区老年协同服务设计策略研究

目的探析认知型社会资本对老年人在协同服务设计中的促进作用,并进一步提出激活老年人社会资本,提高老年人创新能力的策略。方法通过介绍社会资本与老年人创新能力的关系和老年人参与协同服务设计的案例,说明老年人参与设计的意义及社会资本在其中的作用。结论老年人群是一个具有创新能力的群体,认知型社会资本会激发其在协同服务设计中的创新能力,设计师应该帮助老年人了解其所拥有的社会资本,助力其在协同创新中发挥作用。     

The dynamics of profits and wages: technology,offshoring and demand*

This article explores the impact of innovation, offshoring and demand on profits and wage dynamics. Empirical analysis is performed on a panel of 37 industries (1995–2010) across five European countries. Our identification strategy relies on instrumental variables and recently proposed heteroskedasticity-based instruments. Additionally, we perform sensitivity analysis to account for omitted variables bias. The main results of our study can be summed up in three points. First, it highlights the contrasting effects of R&D and offshoring as wage determinants. Second, it shows that external demand is a key variable driving profits growth. Third, the categorisation of workers according to skill level shows that high-skilled workers are favoured by both innovation and offshoring, offshoring exerts downward pressure primarily on low-skilled wages and profits are positively correlated with high-skill wages, negatively correlated with medium-skill wages and not correlated with low-skill wages.     

How human capital,universities of excellence,third party funding,mobility and gender explain productivity in German political science

Scientometrics - Using a unique panel dataset of virtually all German academic political scientists, we show that researchers become much more productive due to the accumulation of human capital...     

Impacts of intellectual capital on process innovation and mass customisation capability: direct and mediating effects

This paper presents an empirical survey study. We propose a model to examine the individual and joint effects of the three components of intellectual capital (i.e. human, social and structural capital) on process innovation and mass customisation (MC) capability. The hypotheses are empirically tested using structural equation modelling and data collected from 645 manufacturing plants in 10 countries/regions. The results show that human and social capital are positively associated with structural capital. Human capital directly improves both process innovation and MC capability. The direct effect of social capital on MC capability and that of structural capital on process innovation is positive and significant. Moreover, process innovation is positively associated with MC capability. In addition, we find that structural capital mediates human and social capital’s effects on process innovation, and process innovation mediates human and structural capital’s effects on MC capability. This study contributes to the literature by providing insights into how human, social and structural capital jointly improve process innovation and MC capability, as well as how the different types of knowledge residing in a manufacturer affect MC capability development.