Managing Interactions between Technological and Stylistic Innovation in the Media Industries

The processes of technological innovation have been widely researched, but their interactions with another type of innovation that is particularly important in sectors like the fashion and the media content industries have been neglected: stylistic innovation. This paper puts forward the idea that a better understanding of such interactions between content and technology in the media industries might help explaining differences in the receptiveness of firms towards new technological opportunities. The nature of the interactions, so it is argued in this paper, depends on three groups of key factors at the level of the product, the organization and the industry: among them, first, the locations of the different types of innovation in the media product's components; second, organizational factors like the identity and the reputation of a firm with respect to the above types of innovation; and third, the industry-specific characteristics of the certification environment in which the firms operate. Awards are discussed as specific instantiations of micro certification environments indicating quality with respect to stylistic and/or technological product features. To round off the theoretical part, a definition of stylistic innovation is developed with reference to the key concepts discussed in this paper. Within the media sector the literary publishing industry has been chosen to provide the subject of the empirical part. Two cases related to the introduction of eBook technology are presented: one is a study of the first digital literary publisher in Europe and the other is a case study of the first international eBook award, which mixes technological and stylistic criteria. Theory and cases lead to a number of hypotheses offered as potential departure points for future research into the interactions between innovation in style and technology.     

制造业技术创新策略：技术水平与技术来源选择

制造业技术创新离不开合理的技术来源选择，而选择技术来源必须考虑行业实际技术水平，这样才能更有针对性地促进技术创新。鉴于此，采用2003—2019年我国制造业细分行业面板数据，按照技术水平进行分组回归，实证检验不同技术来源对不同技术水平行业技术创新的影响。研究表明，自主研发对以专利为代表的技术创新存在显著促进作用，且在高技术行业中的作用更突出；对于以发明专利为代表的实质性创新，自主研发仅在非高技术产业样本中存在创新激励作用，在高技术产业样本中，技术引进则发挥显著促进作用。进一步分析不同技术来源对技术创新经济效益的影响发现，国外技术引进和国内技术购买会抑制技术创新经济效益增长，而技术改造和自主研发会促进技术创新经济效益增长，且其作用效果在低技术行业中更为显著。结论可为我国制造业细分行业针对性选择技术来源、优化技术创新策略提供现实依据。     

Drivers of productivity in Vietnamese SMEs: the role of management standards and innovation

Using a rich panel dataset of small and medium scale manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) active in the manufacturing sector in Viet Nam, this paper investigates the drivers of firm productivity, focusing on the role played by international management standards certification. We test the hypothesis that, accounting for technological innovation (product and process) and other variables related to technological capabilities, international standards are conducive to higher productivity, through improved management practices and business organization. In line with the requirement of continuous improvement implied by most international standards, the main findings show that the possession of an internationally recognized standard certificate leads to significant productivity premium. We further find that the effect of certification on productivity is particularly strong for firms with technological innovation, located in southern provinces, and operating in more scale-intensive industries.     

Born to flip. Exit decisions of entrepreneurial firms in high-tech and low-tech industries

This paper examines the way that the exit behavior of entrepreneurial firms is shaped by their innovative capabilities, and the technology environment in which they operate. We distinguish between exit by closing down activity and exit by merger or acquisition (M&A). Using a large sample of Dutch manufacturing firms, we explore the relationship between firm exit, age and innovative capabilities, in high and low innovation intensive industries. We find that for entrepreneurial firms, innovation may go some way towards compensating for the liability of newness, but also makes them more attractive M&A targets. More specifically, entrepreneurial firms in high-tech industries do not seem to improve their chances of survival by innovating; when technological change is rapid, innovation, especially in products, is necessary to participate in the innovation race in an industry, but is not sufficient to guarantee survival. In contrast, in low-tech industries, process innovation is a critical condition for the survival of entrepreneurial firms. In this context, entrepreneurial firms that are able to bring new product ideas, introducing ‘exceptional’ variations into a stable environment, are most likely to exit by M&A, thereby transferring their knowledge and capabilities to the incumbent firms.     

中国制造业技术投入与产出绩效的统计分析

为考察中国制造业技术进步情况,本文将中国26个制造业划分为高、中、低技术含量产业,并分析了各类产业的技术投入与产出绩效统计指标。分析结果表明,在技术投入方面中国制造业总体技术开发投入显著增加,高技术含量制造业的技术投入较其他产业明显占优,一些中低技术含量产业技术投入增长很快,表明有关产业已由单纯依靠劳动力成本竞争逐渐转向依靠技术进步进行市场竞争,但各产业普遍存在着人力投入增长速度落后于物力投入的情况。在技术产出方面,各制造产业的劳动生产率显著提高,高技术含量的产业相对其他产业更加突出,在产品创新方面高技术含量产业总体情况优于中等技术含量产业,后者又优于低技术含量产业,表明产品创新在高、中、低技术含量产业间的分布呈结构优化的趋势。不同产业对提高劳动生产率和产品创新两种市场竞争方式的侧重点有所不同。     

Technological change and forms of innovation in consumer magazine publishing: a UK-based study

This paper presents the results of research undertaken between 2002 and 2004 into the impact of technological change on the UK consumer magazine industry. The findings highlight patterns of innovation, both in the range of products (most notably monthly magazine titles) and the structure of organisations and work practices, which have tended to elude much of the contemporary debate within the ‘cultural industries’ approach adopted in the media studies discipline. Instead, our analysis makes use of insights from the innovation literature to highlight the impact of technological discontinuities on the capabilities of both incumbent firms and new entrants. It also highlights the important and growing role that is being played in innovation-led industries through the adoption of organisational practices that find their origins in the traditions of project-based firms.     

Demand and innovation in productivity growth

The labour productivity impact of demand and innovation is investigated in this paper combining insights from the Kaldorian and Schumpeterian traditions. After a review of studies in such traditions, a general model is proposed for explaining productivity growth in European manufacturing and service industries in the late 1990s, followed by two distinct specifications for the industries oriented toward product innovation, and for those where process innovation dominates. The empirical analysis is based on the match of the SIEPI‐CIS2 database developed at the University of Urbino and Eurostat Input–Output Tables at the industry level, for 22 manufacturing sectors and 10 services sectors. Six European countries are considered: Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The results show that productivity growth in European industries can be explained by a combination of technology factors and demand dynamics, confirming the complementarity of technology and demand effects. On the demand side, household consumption emerges as the most pervasive component of demand, able to stimulate greater efficiency in all manufacturing and service industries. Investment also has a role, focused however on the capital goods producing industries. On the technology side, the mechanisms of productivity growth are fundamentally different in the industries oriented towards product innovation and in those dominated by process innovation. This evidence supports the view that innovation in firms and industries can be associated to two contrasting strategies, searching either for technological competitiveness, through knowledge generation, product innovation and expansion of new markets, or aiming at greater cost competitiveness, through job reductions, labour saving investment, flexibility and restructuring.     

Diversity of technology acquisition in technological catch-up: an industry-level analysis of Chinese manufacturing

Using panel data analysis for an industry-level sample of Chinese manufacturing industries from 2000 to 2009, the study examines how latecomers dynamically adapt technology acquisition strategy in terms of technology acquisition diversity during the transition process from imitation to innovation. Our research considers technology acquisition as a portfolio of technology channels and thus examines the impact of technology gap between domestic firms and foreign firms on technology acquisition strategy at the industry level. The findings reveal that technology gap positively affects technology acquisition diversity of Chinese manufacturing industries. Further, it shows that technological uncertainty weakens the positive impact of technology gap on diversity of technology acquisition.     

Embodied technological change in supplier dominated firms

This paper identifies the role of new capital goods as the main external source of innovation for supplier dominated firms belonging to traditional consumer good industries. After a brief survey on the role of inter-industry technology flows, the results of a field study are presented concerning the amount of technological change embodied in the new machinery acquired during the 1980s by a sample of Italian manufacturing firms producing traditional consumer goods. We show that industries and firms differ in the quality of technological change embodied in (or allowed by) new capital goods, and that such differences depend on industry-specific and firm-specific factors. The former primarily refer to product characteristics, the latter mainly to the age and the affiliation of the firm with an industrial group. The final section contains some policy suggestions for fostering the diffusion of new machinery (embodying technological change) among small firms and traditional industries.     

Technological innovation and market turbulence: The dot-com experience

This paper explains market turbulence, such as the recent dot-com boom/bust cycle, as equilibrium industry dynamics driven by the synergy between new and existing technologies. When a major technological innovation arrives, a wave of new firms implement the innovation and enter the market. However, if the innovation complements existing technology, some new entrants later will be forced out as more and more incumbent firms succeed in adopting the innovation. It is argued that the diffusion of Internet technology among traditional brick-and-mortar firms was indeed the driving force behind the rise and fall of dot-coms as well as the sustained growth of e-commerce. Systematic empirical evidence from retail and banking industries supports the theoretical findings.     

再论产业化创新：科技创新和产业创新的衔接*

基于科技创新与产业创新的关系以及两者脱节的现状,有必要提出并强化产业化创新的概念。产业化创新介于科技创新和产业创新之间,是两者的桥梁。产业化创新不只是一个概念,更是一种机制,是一种合力。产业化创新有两种方式：产学研协同创新和科技创业。产学研协同创新的内涵,不是企业、大学和研究机构之间的机构意义的协同,而是产业发展、新技术、新产业人才的培养和研发新技术的功能协同。激励产业化创新的机制不只是激励创新,还要激励协同。科技创业是越过了孵化和研发新技术阶段,通过创办企业的方式进行产业化。科技创业的资本是以科技创新成果体现的知识资本、以创业家体现的人力资本和以风险投资体现的物质资本的集合。知识资本和人力资本对创业起着决定性作用,尽管物质资本不可或缺。创新成果产业化涉及两个方面：一是采用新技术的产业迅速达到规模;二是充分实现新技术的潜在价值。这两个方面都依赖于有效的商业模式创新。     

创新网络双重嵌入、网络耦合与产业升级：基于上市企业面板数据的实证分析

创新网络多元嵌入是企业网络能力形成和产业升级的重要驱动力。基于网络双重嵌入和网络耦合视角,选取2009-2020年291家中国平板显示产业上市公司作为研究样本,实证分析企业个体创新网络与股东关系网络双重嵌入及企业个体创新能力对产业升级的作用路径。结果表明,企业个体创新网络连通性与网络团体规模、股东关系网络密度及企业创新能力均正向影响产业升级,并且由于企业管理者与投资者间的创新决策冲突给产业升级带来负面影响,企业间网络连通性和企业个体研发投入在股东间过于紧密的关系影响下反而不利于产业升级。进一步研究表明,产业升级是综合企业个体创新、企业间创新合作和企业投资者合作等多个层次的多维度动态过程,降低数字创新不确定性和有效利用网络化创新合作机制将是产业数字创新的重要研究方向。     

中国特色自主创新道路的思考：创新资 源的配置、创新模式和创新定位的选择

本文从创新资源、创新模式、创新主体、创新方向等方面进行分析，提出了可以有效理解、引导、评估中国特色自主创新道路的一般性分析框架。研究结果表明，选择创新资源配置的重点，必须遵从“两力原则”，即“有能力、有潜力”；创新模式的确定主要根据技术梯度和技术地位特征进行分解；大学-产业-政府三螺旋相互作用成为创新系统运行的核心。本文还从比较优势、定位原则等方面对技术推动还是需求拉动、产品创新还是工艺创新、大企业创新还是小企业创新、颠覆性创新还是渐进性创新、传统产业创新还是新兴产业创新、劳动节约型技术进步还是资本节约型技术进步等六个问题进行了回答。     

THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE ON THE QUALITY AND VARIETY OF INFORMATION PRODUCTS†

Anecdotal evidence suggests that producers of information products (TV programs, movies, computer software) may respond to potentially cost-saving technological change by increasing, rather than reducing, their total production investments in the ‘first copy’ of each product, possibly at the expense of product variety. Comparative statics show that under reasonable assumptions about consumer demand and production technology, competitive firms in a monopolistically competitive industry are in fact induced to increase first-copy investments as a result of either what we define as ‘quality-enhancing’ or ‘cost-reducing’ types of technological advance, whereas product variety either falls or stays the same. Results suggest that contrary to often held expectations, potentially cost-saving technological advances in information industries may result in greater market concentration.     

Institutional support for technological improvement — The case of Hungary

The technological “time warp” in which Hungary, like other Central and Eastern European countries, has found itself since the 1950s is at an end. This article concentrates on the transformation of institutional structures that support innovation and industrial technological development. First, it summarizes the types of institutions that support technological development. In a market economy, the process of generation and diffusion of innovation largely depends on the institutional and economic structure of the country. In a narrower sense, those institutions might be included in this group whose aim is wholly or in part to assist firms in experimenting with, understanding, and implementing new products and new production processes and improving quality. This article then details forms of inter-firm cooperation and highlights some empirical research findings based on three sectors — the pharmaceutical, machine tool, and car parts industries — which represent three different cases in the restructuring of Hungarian manufacturing. The main lesson of the study is that industry during its redeployment can create few demands for technology development institutes. Because of inherited structure, the accumulated knowledge of existing institutes and the supply and scattered demand of industry for technological support do not regularly coincide.     

我国高技术服务业研发机构科技创新效率评价

构建了高技术服务业研发机构科技创新效率评价指标体系。利用2010—2011年我国高技术服务业7个细分行业研发机构的科技创新活动数据,运用数据包络分析法,测度了2010—2011年我国高技术服务业7个细分行业研发机构的科技创新效率,比较了各细分行业研发机构的科技创新效率差异,并分析其原因。进而利用理想点模型,对2010—2011年我国高技术服务业研发机构的科技创新效率进行了排名。研究结果显示:我国高技术服务业研发机构的科技创新效率总体良好,但行业差异较大。最后,提出促进我国高技术服务业发展的对策建议。     

我国装备制造业技术创新能力评价及提升对策研究

从技术创新资源投入能力、研究开发能力、产出能力三方面构建了我国装备制造业技术创新能力评价指标体系。在此基础上,首先以与最优和最劣评价对象距离之和最小为准则,建立了一个关于权重的非线性规划问题,运用微粒群算法确定各指标的权重;其次,对我国装备制造业中的7个行业在各指标上的值进行加权求和,从而得到各行业技术创新能力的评价结果;最后,提出了我国装备制造业技术创新能力的提升对策。     

高技术制造企业生产链位置与技术并购创新绩效关系研究

高技术企业在生产链中的位置差异决定技术创新模式差异,而技术并购作为主要外源性创新资源渠道,对于生产链上不同位置高技术企业的影响不同。从微观层面研究高技术制造企业生产链位置与技术并购创新绩效间的关系,实证结果表明：处于较高生产链位置的主并企业能够通过技术并购促进创新绩效提升,技术基础宽度在其中起正向调节作用。进一步分析发现,在非跨界技术并购且主并企业位于东部地区的技术并购事件中,上述关系更加显著。结论可丰富企业生产链位置研究,为处于不同生产链位置的高技术企业通过技术并购提高创新能力,实现高质量发展提供参考。     

基于TRIZ的战略性新兴产业技术创新方法研究

战略性新兴产业是技术突破与创新产品市场化深度融合的产业,技术创新对战略性新兴产业的发展尤为重要。TRIZ理论作为国际公认的重要创新方法之一,能够有效地解决战略性新兴产业技术创新中存在的主要问题。将TRIZ分析解决问题的创新思维方法嵌入到产业技术创新过程中,针对战略性新兴产业在发展过程中存在的技术范式不确定、知识产权及科研管理机制不健全、资源配置机制不合理等问题,从制约技术创新的瓶颈、路径分析、创新方案确立等方面探索战略性新兴产业技术方法问题,针对产业技术创新的萌芽期、成长期、成熟期,分别制定出合理的创新方案。     

新技术进步会阻碍传统技术创新吗——来自汽车产业的实证检验

在新旧技术竞争过程中,传统企业会适时调整研发策略,以应对新技术进步对传统技术造成的冲击。然而,新技术对传统技术的影响究竟表现为创新替代效应还是创新互补效应,至今依然没有得到确切结论。以汽车产业为研究对象,比较传统燃油汽车和电动汽车两种新旧技术的发展路径,并结合产业生命周期理论提出汽车产业的三阶段演化模型。进一步基于1995—2021年省级专利数据和面板向量自回归模型,从产品创新和工艺创新两个维度实证检验各阶段电动汽车技术进步对传统汽车企业创新的影响。结果表明,在电动汽车产业的范式导入期(1995—2008年),新技术通过产品创新和工艺创新两方面促进传统技术发展;在电动汽车产业的范式构建期(2009—2021年),新技术依然对传统技术有显著推动作用,但仅通过工艺创新促进传统技术发展。