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Article
Publication date: 27 May 2014

Aiqi Wu, Shengxiao Li and Huafeng Wang

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) intermediary ties on new ventures’ product innovation. Product innovation is a…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) intermediary ties on new ventures’ product innovation. Product innovation is a critical strategy for new ventures’ survival and growth. However, as a result of smallness and newness, new ventures usually face considerable difficulties in product innovation and require support to help their innovation search and innovation activities.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey of 145 Chinese new ventures is used to test presented hypotheses empirically.

Findings

This study finds that the intensity of KIBS intermediary ties has a positive influence on innovation, while the diversity of KIBS intermediary ties has no influence on new ventures’ product innovation. Moreover, the relationship between the intensity of KIBS intermediary ties and new ventures’ product innovation is moderated by the degree of their international venturing and ties with other firms.

Originality/value

This study enriches understanding of the important roles of KIBS intermediary ties on new ventures’ product innovation.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 January 2007

Anssi Smedlund and Marja Toivonen

The paper seeks to introduce the concept of knowledge‐intensive business services (KIBS) in the context of regional networks and to analyze the roles of KIBS in regional…

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper seeks to introduce the concept of knowledge‐intensive business services (KIBS) in the context of regional networks and to analyze the roles of KIBS in regional development, especially from the viewpoint of regional intellectual capital.

Design/methodology/approach

Regional networks are presented as the networks of production, development and innovation in the region. Drawing from recent literature, the roles of KIBS in regional networks are discussed.

Findings

It is argued that networks for production emphasize explicit knowledge, networks for development emphasize tacit knowledge, and networks for innovation emphasize emergent, potential knowledge. It is further stated that KIBS provide the timely information needed in production networks, transfer best practices that support learning in development networks, and function as sources of innovation and facilitators of innovation processes in innovation networks.

Practical implications

The paper provides an approach to reduce the complexity of regional networks into a more manageable level, and highlights the importance of knowledge‐intensive business services in regions.

Originality/value

The approach used in this paper addresses the following gaps in existing research: it argues that KIBS are important actors in the regional IC development, highlights that the roles of KIBS are different in production, development and innovation activities, and argues that a successful region needs all of these activities.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 May 2008

Jose Albors, Jose Luis Hervas, Patricia Marquez and M. Cristina Martinez‐Fernandez

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the analysis of firms’ innovative activities from the knowledge‐intensive service activities (KISA) point of view and analyse their…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the analysis of firms’ innovative activities from the knowledge‐intensive service activities (KISA) point of view and analyse their relation to the firms’ competitive performance in the case of a mature industry, the Spanish ceramic tile cluster.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on a field survey. Through a selection of variables multivariable tests were applied to map the industry from the KISA standpoint and evaluate the impact of certain knowledge intensive service activities on innovation and performance.

Findings

Internal and external knowledge‐intensive service activities were related to their output in terms of innovation, competitive advantages and economic performance.

Research limitations/implications

Further research must consider and segment customers, suppliers, and other firms in the industry as other sources of KIBS.

Practical implications

Understanding how firms access and employ the variety of innovation‐related KISA available to them in different industries, and at different times, will help policy makers to design targeted policies and programs to actively stimulate innovation across them. For firms, KISA offers a strategic choice in their innovation objectives.

Originality/value

The present analysis contribution to KISA validates a mathematical model to simulate the relation between KISA and the competitive advantage of the firm in the case of a mature medium‐tech industry.

Details

Management Research News, vol. 31 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0140-9174

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2011

Gregorio Martín‐de Castro, Pedro López‐Sáez and Miriam Delgado‐Verde

The purpose of this guest editorial is to highlight the importance of knowledge management and organizational learning in firm innovation, offering an integrative framework to

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this guest editorial is to highlight the importance of knowledge management and organizational learning in firm innovation, offering an integrative framework to understand this complex business phenomenon.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the literature review, the guest editorial shows a general review on “A Knowledge‐Based View of Firm Innovation” articulating and integrating a total number of ten theoretical and empirical contributions about this topic.

Findings

Theoretical and empirical works are organized in three main topics. The first one refers to the importance of external knowledge, networking, and relationships as key drivers of firm technological innovation, offering an “open or relational innovation framework”. The second one shows several papers on the growing importance of KIBS (Knowledge‐Intensive Business Services) in a Knowledge Economy and Society. Finally, this general review integrates papers about organizational context, and its role on knowledge management and firm innovation.

Research limitations/implications

The paper and special issue tries to offer some new relevant advances for the academic community in the growing body of knowledge management and firm innovation. Nevertheless, due to its special issue nature, the theoretical and empirical advances showed on it represent only a partial view of a “Knowledge‐Based View of Firm Innovation”.

Practical implications

Managers need to understand the precise nature and sources (internals and externals) of firm innovation. In this vein, this journal number shows empirical research developed in different countries and industries illustrating some interesting insights about this complex business phenomenon.

Originality/value

This general review shows new lines of theoretical and empirical research regarding knowledge management, organizational learning, and firm innovation in a useful integrative framework: “A Knowledge‐Based View of Firm Innovation”

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2005

Ian Miles

The purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge intensive business services, or KIBS for short. KIBS are one of the fastest growing areas of the European economy, and are

5045

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge intensive business services, or KIBS for short. KIBS are one of the fastest growing areas of the European economy, and are increasingly important contributors to the performance of the sectors who are their clients.

Design/methodology/approach

KIBS are distinguished from other services and knowledge‐intensive activities, and statistics on KIBS in the European Union are examined, highlighting key similarities and differences in their development across Member States

Findings

KIBS are continuing to grow at rapid rates, and are experiencing qualitative change. The growth is associated with outsourcing, the internationalisation of services, and the growth in demand for certain forms of knowledge. Many KIBS sectors are becoming more concentrated (though most KIBS sectors feature a higher share of small firms than does the economy as a whole). As KIBS supply a wider range of services, overlap and convergence between different KIBS sectors has grown. But as some KIBS become more involved with their major clients' strategies, it is possible that some services will become specialised, while others integrate their inputs for clients.

Research limitations/implications

Scenario analysis is used to examine policy issues concerning KIBS. These are based on deskwork: group discussion would be a valuable complement to this approach.

Practical implications

A range of policy issues, responses to these issues, and the rationales and challenges that policies may confront are spelled out. The article calls for much more explicit consideration of KIBS in innovation and other policy areas.

Originality/value

KIBS remain poorly studied, and their future development has rarely been considered. The implications for innovation and other policies are examined more explicitly and in greater depth than in previous studies.

Details

Foresight, vol. 7 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-6689

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 May 2020

Angel Meseguer-Martinez, Simona Popa and Pedro Soto-Acosta

Research on Science parks (SPs) has attracted a growing interest in the last decades. This widespread innovation policy initiative pursues technology-based industrial and…

Abstract

Purpose

Research on Science parks (SPs) has attracted a growing interest in the last decades. This widespread innovation policy initiative pursues technology-based industrial and entrepreneurial growth through business development and technology transfer across new and mature firms. Despite the common agreement on SPs' potential benefits, literature have showed mixed results regarding the performance of SPs. To explain this findings, current research pointed out at the lack of a common guiding framework. To cover this knowledge gap, this manuscript proposes an integrative definition and research model together with a multidimensional measurement instrument suitable to encompass the diverse reality of this global phenomenon.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a systematic literature review of 281 indexed journal articles published between 1990 and 2018, the paper provides an integrative framework of enabling factors of SPs' performance.

Findings

The results illustrate an integrative conceptual framework of SPs that allows further comparison and generalization of research. At the same time, this manuscript provides valuable insights for managers and entrepreneurs as it conveys a standardized view of SPs' internal context useful for benchmarking.

Originality/value

Grounded in the resource-based view (RBV), the paper conducts a thorough literature review to develop an integrative research model featuring three value streams: physical infrastructures, formal links and support services. In addition, a multidimensional measurement tool to operationalize these three dimensions is proposed.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 22 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 March 2018

Ian Douglas Miles, Veronika Belousova and Nikolay Chichkanov

The substantial growth in literature on knowledge-intensive business services (KIBSs) has thrown light on their contributions to innovation and innovation systems. This paper is…

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Abstract

Purpose

The substantial growth in literature on knowledge-intensive business services (KIBSs) has thrown light on their contributions to innovation and innovation systems. This paper is the first of a set that examines major debates and conclusions to have emerged from this growing body of evidence.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a review essay, which also presents relevant statistics. It addresses definitional issues and controversies, and sets out basic trends and characteristics of the KIBS industries. The focus is mainly on KIBS firms, though the production of similar services in other types of organisation is also considered.

Findings

Many of the conclusions of an earlier (2005) review in this journal remain valid, though difficulties in capturing these activities in official statistics mean that there are many issues that demand closer inspection. Understanding the role and future prospects of KIBS will also require looking beyond the literature that focuses just on KIBS industries.

Research limitations/implications

This study involves literature review and statistical analysis. Future work would benefit from involvement of practitioners and users of KIBS.

Practical implications

More explicit consideration of KIBS in statistical frameworks is still required, and novel approaches to data conceptualisation and production should be explored.

Originality/value

The growing literature on KIBS, and its implications for understanding the roles and future development of the firms and their relationships to innovation systems, requires systematic analysis. Available statistics have been brought together, and this paper also reflects critically on the trajectories of research on these topics.

Details

foresight, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-6689

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2019

Malgorzata Zieba and Paweł Kończyński

This paper aims to explore the topic of client co-production in knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). The paper first sketches a theoretical background and reviews…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the topic of client co-production in knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). The paper first sketches a theoretical background and reviews previous studies on factors affecting successful client co-production in such companies and then examines these factors via case study research among a small KIBS company and its five customers.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on an in-depth analysis of literature devoted to client co-production in KIBS firms and on the results of case studies analysis. The authors explore theoretically and empirically the perception of factors behind a successful client co-production process of a KIBS company from the point of view of both customers and service provider. The examination resulted in the clarification of what a successful client-KIBS firm cooperation should look like and what kind of actions KIBS firms should undertake to provide it.

Findings

As the analysis shows, to perceive client-KIBS firm cooperation as successful, customers desire on hand immediate effects that would justify and compensate their time and money investments (e.g. new clients or brand recognition) and on the other hand, some of them desire positive changes in longer-term, which tangible form is associated with the newly obtained knowledge and more importantly, freshly developed and written strategy. Among the factors that influence the co-production process one can list teamwork, trust, communication and knowledge flows.

Research limitations/implications

Research results are limited to one KIBS company operating in Poland and its five customers. As such, they are not conclusive for the whole KIBS sector. The findings of both literature review and case study analysis indicate that there are several outcomes that are expected from the point of view of a KIBS customer when selecting the service of a KIBS company. The paper examines important aspect of service co-production and provides practical guidelines how cooperation between KIBS firms and their customers should look like.

Practical implications

The paper examines the relationship between a client and a KIBS company and explores the factors influencing the successful outcome of this relation. The paper provides guidelines on how this type of relation should be handled by managers or owners of KIBS firms.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the literature on KIBS firms, especially in the scarce area of practical mechanics of their cooperation with customers. The paper also suggests further research possibilities in this area.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 49 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 January 2013

María Leticia Santos-Vijande, Celina González-Mieres and Jose Ángel López-Sánchez

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between innovative culture, innovation efforts, and their performance among knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between innovative culture, innovation efforts, and their performance among knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). Innovation intensity is evaluated in the technical and administrative domains. Performance indicators include customer-related outcomes and market and financial results relative to competition. To provide insight into how innovativeness contributes to sustaining a KIBS' competitiveness, the mediating role of its predisposition to involve customers and front-line employees in new service development is also considered.

Design/methodology/approach

In accordance with the objectives of the research, and from an extensive review of the literature, the authors develop a conceptual model and test it on a sample of 154 Spanish KIBS using structural equation modelling.

Findings

The results show that KIBS' appraisal of customers' and front-line employees' participation in new service co-creation is strongly determined by the firm's innovative culture. Organizations with a greater predisposition to new service co-creation achieve higher innovation rates which lead to sustained performance.

Originality/value

As dynamism of the KIBS sector has an impact on the whole economy it is also necessary to understand the most advisable management practices in KIBS to foster innovation and improved performance, although relatively few studies have approached this issue. The importance of customers and front-line employees as co-creators in new service development (NSD) is generally appreciated, although the literature is not conclusive with respect to the feasibility of co-creation and its influence on a firm's performance. The present research introduces an organizational perspective to approach co-creation by analyzing how various organizational cultural types (innovativeness, and the appraisal of front-line employees and customers as co-creators in NSD) interact and contribute to KIBS' competitiveness.

Article
Publication date: 21 March 2019

Ian Douglas Miles, Veronika Belousova and Nikolay Chichkanov

The literature on knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) shows them to be major innovators; this is confirmed with recent data, which the authors use to examine the various…

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Abstract

Purpose

The literature on knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) shows them to be major innovators; this is confirmed with recent data, which the authors use to examine the various types of innovation that KIBS undertake. The implications for employment and work in highly innovative industries are important topics for analysis, not least because we are in a period where dramatic claims are being made as to the implications of new technologies for professional occupations. Thus, this paper aims to address major debates and conclusions concerning innovation patterns in KIBS and the evolving structures of professional and other work in these industries.

Design/methodology/approach

This essay combines literature review with presentation and discussion of statistics that throw light on the patterns of innovation that characterise KIBS. The authors also consider data that concern trends in the organisation of work in these industries; while the focus is mainly on KIBS firms, they also pay some attention to KIBS-like work in other sectors. Even though KIBS are distinctive industries in modern economies, these analyses can be related to more general studies of, and forecasts about, changes in work organisation.

Findings

The authors show that innovation patterns and employment structures vary substantially across different types of KIBS, with the distinction between technological, professional and creative KIBS proving to be useful for capturing these differences. The authors are also able to demonstrate important long- and medium-term trends in the structure and activities of the KIBS industries. In particular, data clearly demonstrate the increasing share of professional as against associate and clerical workers in most KIBS. Evidence also suggests that polarisation trends across the economy are mirrored, and in some cases amplified, in KIBS. The future prospects for employment in KIBS, and for professional work in particular, are seen to involve multiple factors, which together may bring about substantial change.

Research limitations/implications

The study involves literature review and industry-level statistical analysis. Future work would benefit from firm-level analysis and validation and explication of results via consultation with practitioners and users of KIBS. Some puzzling variations across countries and sectors will need to be explored with national and sectoral experts.

Practical implications

Research into KIBS activities, and their future, should make more use of the extensive statistics on employment and other structural features of the industries that have become available in recent years. KIBS firms and practitioners will need to take account of the forces for change that are liable to restructure their activities.

Originality/value

The literature on KIBS has been concentrated on a rather narrow range of issues, while analysis of the current contributions and future development of the industries requires attention to a wider range of topics. This paper suggests how these topics may be investigated and their implications explored and presents results of enquiries along these lines.

Details

foresight, vol. 21 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-6689

Keywords

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