3D printing,international trade,and FDI

We analyze the relationship between 3D printing technology, the volume of trade, and the structure of foreign direct investment (FDI). We present a standard trade model with firm-specific heterogeneity into which we include 3D printing as a technology choice for foreign direct investment. The model generates three predictions. First, 3D printers are introduced in areas with high economic activity that face high transport costs. Second, technological progress in 3D printing leads to FDI dependent on traditional techniques gradually being replaced by FDI based on 3D printing. Third, with wider adoption, further technological progress in 3D printing leads to a gradual replacement of international trade. Empirical evidence focusing on the sectors with the highest rates of adoption supports the first hypothesis, while evidence from a case study supports the second and third. Our results suggest that the traditional strategy of poor countries for export-led industrialization is threatened by the widespread adoption of 3D printing that replaces international trade.     

Tracing the Evolution of Biomedical 3D Printing Technology Using Ontology-Based Patent Concept Analysis

Three-dimensional (3D) printing enables products to be custom-designed and produced using additive manufacturing processes. This research develops a patent analysis approach to explore biomedical 3D printing technology trends. First, the method searches for related patents. Second, frequently appearing key terms in patents are extracted as a means to identify key concepts of inventions. Third, in order to structure the domain knowledge, the ontology is created by referring to the relevant key terms and literature. The key terms create indexes used to measure similarities for clustering the patents and sub-technologies. Based on the patent context and dynamic patent concept analysis maps, the evolutionary trends of technology development are depicted. Biomedical 3D printing R&D projects are used as case examples to compare against co-occurring patent evolutions. The proposed patent concept analysis is generalisable for critical decision support of R&D planning and evaluation in any market sector.     

Understanding the divergence of manufacturing enterprisesʼ profitability in China

ABSTRACT

The transition of the Chinese economy is placing increasing pressure on manufacturing enterprises to become more profitable. In this article, we first calculate and analyze the profitability of Chinese manufacturing enterprises based on data from the 2015 Chinese Enterprises–Employees Survey (CEES 2015), and find that there is an obvious profitability divergence tendency of manufacturing enterprises. We then analyze the different actions and strategies that may cause the profitability divergence and find that aggressive strategies in innovation, diversification, market development, and conservative strategies in production expansion tend to result in a good profitability, while the opposite strategies in each action lead a poor profitability. The different adoption of strategies in diverse actions may the possible causes of profitability divergence.

Abbreviations: CEES: China Employer-Employee Survey, PGR: Profit growth rate, SME: Small and medium-sized enterprise     

满足个性化需求的3D打印定制模式创新

通过对大量现实案例进行总结,揭示了个性化定制需求与3D打印云智能-分布式定制的衔接机制：打造云智能-个性化定制服务平台,采用分布式制造模式,社会大众通过搜索与众包方式参与产品制造全过程;提出了基于企业的3D打印云智能-分布式定制模式创新模型、基于跨界的3D打印云智能-分布式定制模式创新模型;给出了实现3D打印云智能-分布式定制模式的商业化策略：基于节点企业个性化解决方案的商业模式创新、基于全价值链整体解决方案的商业模式创新、基于商业生态圈跨界解决方案的商业模式创新。研究成果不但为满足消费者的个性化定制需求提供了定制模式和商业化策略,而且为拓展3D打印的主流应用市场提供了重要的理论支撑与决策借鉴。     

Insulin degludec early clinical experience: does the promise from the clinical trials translate into clinical practice—a case-based evaluation

Abstract

Background:

Clinical experience of patients is an additional source of information that can inform prescribing decisions for new therapies in practice. In diabetes, for example, patients with recurrent hypoglycemia may be excluded from trials conducted for regulatory purposes. Using insulin degludec (IDeg), a new basal insulin with an ultra-long duration of action as an example, an interim analysis is presented describing whether the decision to prescribe IDeg to patients experiencing treatment-limiting problems on their existing insulin regimes represented good clinical and economic value.

Methods:

Records from the first 51 consecutive patients with diabetes (35 type 1 [T1D] and 16 type 2 [T2D]) switching to insulin degludec from either insulin glargine (IGlar) or insulin detemir (IDet), mostly due to problems with hypoglycemia (39/51, 76.5%), were reviewed at up to 37 weeks. Patients indicated frequency of hypoglycemia and completed a disease-specific questionnaire reporting six measures of confidence and treatment satisfaction. For the largest group of exposed patents, the T1D module of the IMS Core Diabetes Model (CDM) was used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the treatment decision.

Findings:

HbA_1c decreased by 0.5?±?0.3% points and 0.7?±?0.3% points for T1D and T2D, respectively. Hypoglycemic events decreased by >90%. Combined mean scores were ≥3.7 (1?=?much worse, 3?=?no change, 5?=?much improved) for all six satisfaction and confidence items. In T1D, the treatment decision was highly cost-effective in the CDM lifetime analysis. Even when excluding benefits beyond hypoglycemia reduction, predicted cost per quality-adjusted life-year for IDeg vs IGlar/IDet was £10,754.

Interpretation:

These data illustrate the complementary nature of clinical trial and practice data when evaluating the value of therapeutic innovations in diabetes care. There were reductions in patient-reported hypoglycemia, reduced HbA_1c, and improved treatment satisfaction in relation to the decision to prescribe IDeg. Initial health economic evaluation suggested that the decision to prescribe IDeg in this phenotypic group of T1D patients represented good value for money.     

3D打印颠覆性创新应用及商业模式研究

3D打印鲜明的技术特性和经济特性使之被认为是一项颠覆性创新,与其特性相匹配的应用和商业模式能够帮助发挥其颠覆性作用,带来社会变革。基于颠覆性创新理论,从3D打印目前的应用发展情况入手,讨论了3D打印满足颠覆性创新特征的应用形式,即社会化制造。通过两则企业案例,从价值网视角对社会化制造的商业模式要素构成、内容及关系进行分析,探索其共性之处。最后,根据我国3D打印现状讨论当前存在的不足,为3D打印社会化制造的发展提出对策建议。     

3D打印云智能-直接制造下的商业模式创新

应用新兴产业创新管理的基本思想,通过总结大量现实案例,辨析了3D打印云智能-直接制造模式的基本内涵,提出了3D打印云智能-直接制造模式创新模型,并给出了3D打印云智能-直接制造模式下的商业模式创新策略——改变商业模式的关键要素、改变商业模式的创新方式。     

Human capital,innovation and productivity in Colombian enterprises: a structural approach using instrumental variables

ABSTRACT

In this paper we explore the R&D–innovation–productivity linkage for the Colombian manufacturing industry, paying special attention to the role of human capital. Using data from two firm-level surveys, the Survey of Development and Technological Innovation (EDIT) and the Annual Manufacturing Survey (EAM), we extend the model of Crépon, Duguet, and Mairesse [1998. ‘Research, Innovation and Productivity: An Econometric Analysis at the Firm Level.’ Economics of Innovation and New Technology 7 (2): 115–158] (hereafter CDM) by including human capital at the investment decision stage. We implement an instrumental variable methodology to correct the potential endogeneity that may arise with the inclusion of human capital. Our results suggest that human capital has a causal effect on research and development (R&D) investment decisions, the innovation behavior of the firm, and increases the labor productivity of the firm. The conclusions highlight the relevance of human capital in the surrounding literature which stands in contrast to prior work that has not included this variable.     

To what extent do earnings affect the R&D decision of Chinese manufacturing firms?

ABSTRACT

As R&D activities are involved in inherent uncertainty of large investment, high risk and long return periods, earnings, as the main source of internal financing, have been a significant factor of R&D decision in the firms. In contrast to the previous research, this study investigates the impacts of firm’s earnings on R&D decision, in which earnings are measured by the indicators of earnings level, earnings quality and earnings persistence, while separating firm R&D activity into two stages of (i) the decision to undertake R&D activity and (ii) the amount to be invested on innovation activities. We document that earnings level can increase the probability of undertaking R&D activity, but has no effect on R&D investment intensity. Earnings quality and earnings persistence have a promotional effect on both stages of R&D decision. The empirical evidence of the subsamples shows that the impacts of earnings are heterogeneous across different ownership and technology-intensity firms.     

What triggers environmental management and innovation? Empirical evidence for Germany

It is frequently hypothesized that environmental management systems (EMSs) may improve firms' environmental innovation performance. Whether this hypothesis is true is as critical for environmental policy as questions pertaining to the relevant incentives for (1) a firm's voluntary adoption of an EMS and (2) its environmental innovation behavior. Based on ample empirical evidence for German manufacturing, this paper addresses the simultaneity of these issues on the basis of a recursive bivariate probit model that explores the hypothesis that a facility's decision on innovation activities is correlated with the decision on EMS adoption. Our empirical results, indicating that environmental innovation activities are not associated with EMS implementation nor any other single policy instrument, reflect the perceptions of the survey respondents and, hence, should be interpreted as correlations rather than causal relationships. According to these perceptions, innovation behavior seems to be mainly correlated with the stringency of environmental policy.     

The characterization of decisive weighted majority rules

This note supplies a rationale for the adoption of decisive weighted majority rules by small decision-making bodies (n<6). It proves that such rules are the only decision rules that satisfy the two common and quite mild conditions of monotonicity and neutrality.     

R&D and patents: is it a two way street?

ABSTRACT

This paper provides empirical evidence on the link between firms’ R&D expenditure and patent registrations by applying the Granger causality test. We use a panel of Spanish manufacturing firms for the period 1990–2013. We first, examine the R&D-patents relationship in the manufacturing firms as a whole and subsequently, manufacturing was broken down into three groups of firms according to the technological level of the industries to which the firms belonged: high and medium-high (HMHT), low medium (LMT) and low (LT) technology firms. For the entire panel, our results provide support for a bidirectional relationship between R&D and patents, supporting both the traditional view and the reverse causality approach (patents cause R&D). When the sample is split into the three technology levels, we also find strong support for a bidirectional relationship in HMHT firms and weak support in LT ones. We found no evidence of this bidirectional link in LMT firms.     

From peripheral to core: a case study of a 3D printing firm on business ecosystems reconstruction

ABSTRACT

The rapid development of emerging digital technologies is giving peripheral firm, which is participant in secondary and complementary positions in a business ecosystem, unprecedented opportunities to shape its own ecosystem. Prior ecosystem studies mainly focus on the perspective of core firm, while few taking the perspective of peripheral firms. Using the case of a leading 3D printing firm in China, this study adopts resource orchestration as theoretical lens and investigates how a peripheral firm developed its business ecosystem and became a core firm in its own digital ecosystem. Specifically, this study identifies three stages of ecosystem development and the detailed processes and mechanisms, respectively. It contributes to the literature by exploring the ecosystem dynamics from an understudied perspective and identifying the processes and mechanisms of peripheral firms developing its ecosystem towards digital ecosystem. It also sheds lights for peripheral firms in existing business ecosystems in their business strategy development.     

Dynamic R&D choice and the impact of the firm's financial strength

ABSTRACT

This article investigates how a firm's financial strength affects its dynamic decision to invest in R&D. We estimate a dynamic model of R&D choice using data for German firms in high-tech manufacturing industries. The model incorporates a measure of the firm's financial strength, derived from its credit rating, which is shown to lead to substantial differences in estimates of the costs and expected long-run benefits from R&D investment. Financially strong firms have a higher probability of generating innovations from their R&D investment, and the innovations have a larger impact on productivity and profits. Averaging across all firms, the long-run benefit of investing in R&D equals 6.6% of firm value. It ranges from 11.6% for firms in a strong financial position to 2.3% for firms in a weaker financial position.     

Attractiveness of augmented reality to consumers

ABSTRACT

Augmented reality (AR) may be capable of shaping the competitive advantage of companies by providing various benefits for the consumers. The aim of this article is to assess if AR is attractive to consumers and in which areas it can create the most value. Hence, we have sought to identify the most useful areas of AR applications, as well as factors influencing AR’s attractiveness. Our study finds that consumers regard AR as the most useful in the areas of education, medicine and tourism. Furthermore, we found a gap between the supply and needs of customers in terms of types of AR application offered on the market. We identified advantages and disadvantages of AR applications over their traditional counterparts impacting its adoption. Our research confirms that both hedonic and utilitarian aspects of the user experience are important for AR’s adoption.     

The Determinants Of The Adoption Of Advanced Manufacturing Technology

The paper investigates empirically the decision of firms to adopt ‘Advanced Manufacturing Technologies’ (AMT) based on a comprehensive specification of a ‘rank model’ of technology adoption using firm-level data for Swiss manufacturing. The explanatory variables include numerous dimensions of (anticipated) benefits from and costs of technology adoption allowing for uncertainty as well as for information and adjustment costs. Moreover, the effect of complementarities between various functional groups of AMT (design, fabrication, communication, etc.) as well as of learning from the use of previous technology vintages within such functional groups is analyzed, Finally, the size-dependence of the adoption decision is studied in detail. The model yields a quite robust pattern of explanation across estimates with different adoption variables (time period of introduction of AMT, intensity of use of AMT, etc.) with plausible differences of the results based on the alternative adoption measures used.     

Experimental internet auctions with random information retrieval

We run an experiment where 97 subjects could retrieve records of completed past auctions before placing their bids in current one-bid, two-bid, and auction-selection games. Each subject was asked to participate in 3 current auctions; but could retrieve up to 60 records of completed (past) auctions. The results reveal a positive relation between the payoffs earned by the subjects and their history-inspection effort. Subjects act as if responding to the average bidding-ratios of the winners in the samples that they have retrieved. They apply intuitive signal-dependent stopping rules like “sample until observing a winner-value close to my won” or “find a close winner-value and try one more history” when sampling the databases. History-inspection directs bidders with relatively high private-valuations to moderate bidding which increases their realized payoffs. (JEL C9 D4 D8) Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at . JEL Classification C93, D44, D83     

The existence of R&D spillovers: A cost function estimation with random coefficients

This is a study of the effects of R&D spillovers on the cost and production structures of Finnish manufacturing firms. Confidential data on firms is used to estimate a translog cost function system with random coefficients. Although the results suggest that intra-industry spillovers are present in Finnish manufacturing, the findings regarding inter-industry spillovers are inconclusive. The variable cost reduction associated with spillovers is positive, but relatively low. Spillovers reduce the demand for labor but increase the demand for materials. Spillovers also reduce the willingness to pay for capital inputs.     

面向专利技术融合的3D打印产业化路径选择研究

3D打印在中国面临大规模产业化的起点,作为一项新兴的融合型技术,其产业化路径具有区别于传统技术的特异性。从专利情报和技术融合视角探究其产业化模式和路径选择,提炼技术融合对技术产业化的影响机理,依托迈克尔波特对零散型产业的界定,提出“3D打印+”产业化模式选择,探究其与制造业、互联网融合趋势及前景。应用产业技术融合测量方法,实证揭示中国3D打印专利在技术结构上的不均衡性和技术融合上的多样性,为中国3D打印技术及其产业化发展提出相关对策与建议。     

The impact of different scenarios for intermittent bladder catheterization on health state utilities: results from an internet-based time trade-off survey

Aims: Intermittent catheterization (IC) is the gold standard for bladder management in patients with chronic urinary retention. Despite its medical benefits, IC users experience a negative impact on their quality of life (QoL). For health economics based decision making, this impact is normally measured using generic QoL measures (such as EQ-5D) that estimate a single utility score which can be used to calculate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). But these generic measures may not be sensitive to all relevant aspects of QoL affected by intermittent catheters. This study used alternative methods to estimate the health state utilities associated with different scenarios: using a multiple-use catheter, one-time-use catheter, pre-lubricated one-time-use catheter and pre-lubricated one-time-use catheter with one less urinary tract infection (UTI) per year.

Methods: Health state utilities were elicited through an internet-based time trade-off (TTO) survey in adult volunteers representing the general population in Canada and the UK. Health states were developed to represent the catheters based on the following four attributes: steps and time needed for IC process, pain and the frequency of UTIs.

Results: The survey was completed by 956 respondents. One-time-use catheters, pre-lubricated one-time-use catheters and ready-to-use catheters were preferred to multiple-use catheters. The utility gains were associated with the following features: one time use (Canada: +0.013, UK: +0.021), ready to use (all: +0.017) and one less UTI/year (all: +0.011).

Limitations: Internet-based survey responders may have valued health states differently from the rest of the population: this might be a source of bias.

Conclusion: Steps and time needed for the IC process, pain related to IC and the frequency of UTIs have a significant impact on IC related utilities. These values could be incorporated into a cost utility analysis.