L'innovation dans les services à forte intensité de connaissances (SFIC)†

This article examines the determinants of innovation in knowledge intensive business services (KIBS), generally hypothesizing that differences in the effect of the determinants of innovation depend on the type of innovation developed within KIBS. The study results are based on estimates of two econometric models using data from a survey of 392 firms in the province of Ontario, Canada.     

Determinants of R&D in knowledge-intensive business services firms

Research and development (R&D) is a key factor enabling firms to gather information, create knowledge and innovate. Although often seen as the preserve of goods-producing sectors, knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) in particular also engage in R&D. In this paper, we are interested in understanding the determinants of R&D in KIBS. We address this question by exploring factors connected to R&D in KIBS, with attention to whether it is connected with internal capabilities or to establishments' openness. We show that KIBS' R&D is associated with internal capabilities, and that recourse to external R&D is part of a strategy of openness that complements internal capacity. We also suggest that KIBS's own view of R&D is aligned with R&D in the goods-producing sector, leading establishments in non-technological KIBS sectors to under-report R&D.     

Innovation and knowledge-intensive business service: the contribution of knowledge-intensive business service to innovation in manufacturing establishments

It is well established that knowledge-intensive business service (KIBS) firms can be innovators in their own right. It is also well established that KIBS can contribute to innovation in their client firms. This role of KIBS has been theorised, and some of the processes by which KIBS contribute to innovation have been scrutinised by way of case studies. However, there are few, if any, large-scale analyses that permit the two following questions to be addressed: (i) Do firms that use KIBS systematically introduce more innovations than those that do not? (ii) Is recourse to certain types of KIBS associated with certain types of innovation? Our survey of KIBS use across 804 manufacturing establishments in Quebec shows that KIBS contribute to their client's innovation – thereby confirming in a more general way what has been observed in case studies – but also that different types of KIBS contribute to different types of innovation.     

Innovation novelty and (commercial) performance in the service sector: A Canadian firm-level analysis

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether innovation novelty has an impact on the firms' performance in selected service industries. The principal interest in this paper lies in incorporating two different dimensions of innovation radicalness – market-entry and originality of the innovation – to assess firms' commercialization performance. The results show that to derive more sales from innovation, service firms need to enter the market early (world-first and to some extent, Canada-first) or to introduce new products with high level of novelty. Importance of early-entry (world-first) or novel content in commercialization performance differs by industries.     

Use of internal and external sources of knowledge and innovation in the Canadian wine industry

Using a sample of 146 Canadian wine‐producing firms, I analyze the link between knowledge sources and innovation by examining the way in which different strategies influence a firm's capacity for innovation. I then examine which innovation strategies are more strongly linked to innovation and the extent to which there are differences amongst wine‐producing regions in Canada. Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Innovation type and external knowledge search strategies in KIBS: evidence from Canada

Service Business - Do different types of innovation require distinct kinds of external knowledge search strategies? This paper explores this question using an original innovation survey of 385 KIBS...     

Exploring and comparing innovation patterns across different knowledge intensive business services

Using data from a survey of 769 firms, this paper provides empirical evidence of the nature of innovation and its determinants within knowledge intensive business services (KIBS). The aim of the paper is to analyse how KIBS innovate and whether they innovate differently in three Canadian knowledge intensive business industries: Computer System Designs and Related Services; Management, Scientific and Technical Consulting Services; and, Architectural, Engineering and Related Services. There are clear differences in the innovation profiles of the three sectors, which suggest that KIBS cannot be analysed as an undifferentiated group of establishments. However, there are also important within-sector differences that call for further investigation.     

Internationalisation and innovation in the knowledge-intensive business services

This paper aims to analyse the link between the distinct degree of internationalisation and the innovation activities of Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBSs). The empirical results suggest that there are differences between the groups of KIBS analysed, particularly with regards to their characteristics, innovation activities, use of source of knowledge, use of advanced technologies and value-added practices, and innovation outputs. However, these differences are not always systematic. There is a noticeable tendency for domestic establishments to perform more weakly with regards to innovation-related activities and innovation outputs than international establishments, but also between KIBS that have different degrees of international activities.     

Knowledge-exchange strategies between KIBS firms and their clients

Based on a survey of 1124 knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) firms, this paper explores the extent and determinants of knowledge exchange between KIBS and their clients. An ordered logistic regression was estimated. The results show that the propensity of KIBS firms to rely more on a commoditization strategy and less on a personalization strategy increases with the variety of research sources of information, the number of knowledge employees, the variety of knowledge management practices, the firm's size, the business age, and being a KIBS firm operating in a technology-based industry rather than a traditional professional industry, while it decreases with R&D investments, the variety of advanced technologies, and the strength of ties.     

The Israeli kibbutz as a source of venture capital

This paper discusses the Israeli kibbutz movement as a source of venture capital. A centralized organization and internal financing help individual kibbutz units achieve industrialization. The paper discusses Israeli and kibbutz environments, demonstrates the screening process and describes the venture capital decision process and investment and post–investment activities. The paper concludes by comparing the kibbutz as a source of venture capital with other Israeli venture capital sources.