Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Abstract: Knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) constitute a major source of innovative knowledge for small-and medium-sized enterprises. In regional innovation systems, KIBS play a crucial role in distributing innovations and improving the region's overall innovative capacities. While the specific properties and effects on client firms and sectors have been comprehensively discussed, the internal perspective of client firms, i.e. the processes and problems in selecting, using, evaluating and recommending KIBS, has been neglected to date. Using a qualitative approach, we describe the internal mechanisms and problems of SMEs cooperating with various KIBS and discuss the implications for regional innovation systems from a policy-making perspective. We find that all stages of cooperation of SMEs and KIBS are characterized by strong information asymmetries, distrust and uncertainty about the effects of using external know-how, which yields the interpretation that SMEs perceive KIBS as credence goods. While informal networks are used to reduce information barriers, they regularly prove counterproductive by disseminating worst-case examples. Regional policy aiming at developing instruments for fostering innovative cooperation could thus strengthen formal networks that primarily create trust between KIBS and SMEs to systematically reduce mutual suspicions and information asymmetries. Terms of use: Documents in
The decision to collaborate for companies in knowledge exchange processes has become more complex due to a greater diversity of innovation intermediaries from companies, universities, government and societal actors. The aim of this study is to uncover and conceptualize the role of innovation intermediaries in knowledge sharing. Specifically in tacit knowledge sharing, intermediaries function as boundary spanners between various stakeholders in the innovation process. Despite this potential, which has been discussed in a large strand of case studies, there is no comprehensive concept to determine factors that influence innovation intermediaries in knowledge sharing. This paper develops an analytical framework of innovation intermediaries for prospective empirical work building on factors influencing innovation intermediaries in knowledge sharing by systematically reviewing related literature. It specifically presents what are the determinants, factors and indicators discussed empirically innovation intermediaries in knowledge sharing. The first results is that the measurement of innovative outcome intermediaries enables a broader perspective in comparison to traditional innovation indicators. The second results that literature discusses indirect innovation that enhances clients’ innovative capabilities and their entrepreneurial activities. The third results demonstrates, that while the internal perspective varies with the heterogeneous actors, the development of contextual knowledge of intermediaries in networks and its transfer is central for empirical analysis. The conceptualization of this framework paves the path for further research needed to uncover the role of intermediaries.
Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Abstract: This paper investigates barriers to effective knowledge spillovers for markets in which the product can be characterized as a credence good, i.e. its complexity impedes the evaluation of quality by customers both ex-ante and ex-post. We focus on the German market for energy efficiency consultants, as an emerging and subsidized sector in which the service offered has strong credence good properties. Based upon in-depth interviews with stakeholders, we analyze the determinants and barriers to knowledge spillovers. We find that the incentive to foster spillovers to increase suppliers' knowledge is limited by the difficult commercialization of additional capabilities. The implementation of a public certification scheme has failed to increase the sectoral knowledge spillovers. By contrast, the participation in formal knowledge networks has been more effective in prompting companies to foster knowledge spillovers, which has also led to a higher degree of specialization. We conclude that access to certification schemes should be further restricted to increase market transparency and private networks should be supported to achieve the aim of increasing knowledge spillovers. Terms of use: Documents in
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