Determinants of technical change: Empirical evidence from Switzerland

The purpose of this paper is to analyse both theoretically and empirically those factors which underlay the—empirically observable—inter-industry differences in technical progress. At the theoretical level economists agree more and more that technical progress can be explained at the industry level ey the following three factors: 1. the technological opportunities, 2. the appropriability conditions, meaning the ability to capture and protect the results of technical innovations, and 3. the market demand conditions.The basic theoretical model was tested with the help of two sets of Swiss data. One set was made available by Swiss Federal Office of Statistics and consists of quantitative information on R&D expenditures, R&D personnel, total employment and sales figures for 124 (4-digit SIC) industries for the year 1986. The second set was derived from a survey I carried out in the summer of 1988. 940 industry experts were approached: 358 of them, or 38 percent, covering 127 industries, completed the questionnaire. The items on the questionnaire were related to the two supply-side determinants of technical progress—items 1. and 2. above. For the empirical specification of the theoretical model, technical progress (as the dependent variable) was measured by three indicators: an output indicator, representing the introduction rate of innovations since 1970; two input indicators, share of R&D expenditures in sales and share of R&D personnel in total employment. All data were aggregated at the industry level (4-digit SIC). Three equations were estimated individually, using the OLS, GLS and Tobit methods.     

Channels of R&D spillovers: An empirical investigation of Swiss firms

Research and development (R&D) spillovers are, potentially, a major source of endogenous growth in various recent ‘new growth theory’ models. According to these models, firms engage in R&D in order to seek rents. Public aspects of this R&D then spill over to other firms, thereby creating increasing returns relating to scale and long-term growth. The actual mechanisms by which spillovers occur has, however, not been systematically studied. In order to provide empirical facts on this issue the paper investigates the effectiveness of various channels of R&D spillovers. The analysis is based on a survey conducted among 358 Swiss R&D executives representing 127 different lines of business, mainly in the manufacturing sector. The results can be summarized as follows. First, undertaking independent R&D was perceived by the R&D executives questioned as the most effective channel of R&D spillovers at the intra-industry level. This was followed by reverse engineering for product innovations and the utilization of publications and information from technical meetings for process innovations. Second, learning methods that rely on interpersonal communication were judged as moderately effective in the following order of importance: (i) publications and technical meetings; (ii) conversations with employees from innovating firms; and (iii) hiring away employees from innovating firms. The last method, especially, is not valued as effective in the Swiss context. Third, learning methods related to the patent system—licensing technology and patent disclosures in the patent office—were seen as moderately effective or not effective at all. Fourth, the effectiveness of the various channels of R&D spillovers varies from one industry to another. Fifth, the various channels of R&D spillovers can be reduced to subgroups, so that patterns of learning of competitive technology can be established.     

How Gender Differences in Entitlement and Apprehension Manifest Themselves in Negotiation

Group Decision and Negotiation - The gender difference in the propensity to initiate negotiation has been theorized to be mediated by three constructs: recognition of opportunities, entitlement,...     

Sources Of Technical Progress: Empirical Evidence From Swiss Industry

The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate the sources of technological opportunities. The analysis is based on a survey conducted among 358 Swiss R&D executives in 1988. The most important results can be summarized as follows: 1. Market organizations are perceived as the most important source of contributions to technical progress. The most important source is firms within the same industry; second is product users; and third, suppliers of materials and equipment used in manufacturing. 2. The contribution of non-market organizations seems relatively unimportant. University research, other government research institutions, state companies and agencies, professional and technical associations and individual inventors make small contributions. 3. Science also contributes to technical progress, even if only selectively. Education and training in physics, computer science, materials science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and applied chemistry are all considered relevant to technical progress in Switzerland. 4. Generally, university research is not considered as relevant to technical progress in the industries surveyed. In certain fields, such as computer science, materials science and electrical engineering, university research does, however, seem relevant to technical progress.     

The role of innovation,entrepreneurial self-efficacy and local uniqueness on marketing performance in small and medium-sized restaurants

ABSTRACT

The growth of the food service business in Indonesia cannot be optimized by small and medium restaurants due to a lack of innovation and entrepreneurial skill. This present study combines marketing and entrepreneurship literature and explores the link among innovation, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and marketing performance. Using a purposive sampling methodology, data were collected from 124 respondents of small and medium-sized restaurants in Bogor city, Indonesia. This study used Structural Equation Modeling to analyze the influences of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, innovation and local uniqueness on marketing performance. The findings indicate that innovation activity has a direct significant influence on marketing performance. This study also indicates that entrepreneurial self-efficacy positively influences marketing performance reflected by increasing sales, profits and number of customers. In addition, local uniqueness, which is an intermediary variable, is not affected by innovation activities and does not directly affect marketing performance. Even though this study supports most hypotheses, two out of six were not. As such, the results of this study provide important practical insights as well as interesting contributions to the theoretical advancements in entrepreneurship and marketing especially in the setting of small and medium-sized restaurants.