Innovation efforts and performances of Brazilian firms

We analyze the relationship between innovation and firms' performance in Brazil using a comprehensive database that cross-references innovation information by PINTEC (Technological Innovation Research) of the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) and financial information from Serasa and Gazeta Mercantil. Results from the structural equation modeling suggest that variables associating with investments in innovation, which are connected to the innovative effort of a company, do not explain financial performance significantly.     

Competition and Innovation in Luxembourg

This paper studies the empirical relation between market competition and innovation using Luxembourg’s Structural Business Statistics. The competitive pressure in Luxembourg’s markets is assessed by computing a profit elasticity measure, based on the idea of cost-efficiency. From this, the paper analyses the relation between competition and innovation performance by estimating an equation for the determinants of R&D expenditure. The results show that Luxembourg’s industries are characterised by low levels of competition intensity, especially in markets relevant to competition policy and regulation. The relation between competition and innovation is non-linear and depends crucially on the efficient use of inputs to production. The impact of the distribution of technological efficiency on innovation is assessed by measuring both average technology gap and technology spread. The innovation effort is increasing as industries are closer to the frontier, and decreasing in the technology spread.     

Ethics Counselors as a New Priesthood

The aim of this paper is to critically evaluate the thesis that ethics counselors constitute a new priesthood in the pejorative sense of this term. In defense of the thesis, an account is given of the diverse variety of fundamental ideas about ethics or morality. The underlying argument is simply that there is such a diversity of opinion about so many fundamental issues that most ethical appraisals, especially in committees, are probably very shallow and barely warranted. Following this negative work, an attempt is made to try to find some positive benefits from the work of ethics counselors. Some potential benefits are identified, but there is a need for empirical research in order to construct a more persuasive case for such work. In the penultimate section of the paper I addressed some of my own second thoughts about the discussion and some provocative suggestions that friends gave me about earlier drafts.     

Analyzing Export Behavior Through Managerial Characteristics and Perceptions: A Multiple Case-Based Research

ABSTRACT

The decision-maker's role in international activity is crucial, particularly in the case of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, the extant literature on internationalization is characterized by a lack of consensus among scholars as to what constitutes the managerial factor in determining exporting. Therefore, this study focuses on the following issue: Which are the decision-maker's characteristics and perceptions that may influence the export behavior of SMEs? To address this main research question, a multiple-case study method is applied across four Spanish exporting SMEs. The findings show that high educational level, language skills, high-risk tolerance, innovativeness, as well as strongly perceived export stimuli compared to low and relatively easy to overcome export barriers positively influence the export involvement and development in these investigated SMEs. The study provides further insights into the research topic by jointly studying managerial characteristics and perceptions in the Spanish context where the exporting activities have not been as widely studied so far.     

International convergence and divergence of material input structures: an industry-level perspective

This article analyses whether international material input structures have converged or diverged over time. Pooled variances for 25 industries were obtained from OECD input–output tables in constant prices for nine countries over the period 1971–1990. It is found that high-tech industries were mainly characterized by divergence of material input structures, whereas convergence was found for many low-tech, more mature industries. In line with studies on (labour) productivity growth rates, convergence of material input structures was prevalent in the 1970s, while divergence dominated in the 1980s.