Browsing by Author "Fernandez-Esquinas, Manuel"
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- Key issues on innovation, culture and institutions: implications for SMEs and micro firmsPublication . Fernandez-Esquinas, Manuel; van Oostrom, Madelon; Pinto, HugoThis Special Issue is devoted to studying the role of cultural aspects in the innovation dynamics of small firms within the context of their territorial environments. Cultural elements are viewed as strategic assets because of their capacity to enhance small firms' action and to provide opportunities to compete in the knowledge economy. Innovation studies use a variety of approaches and definitions for studying how the symbolic aspects of social reality shape innovation. In this Guest Editorial, our aim is to help clarify this topic of research. Departing from the contributions of this Special Issue, we use analytical definitions of values, norms, cognitive repertoires and institutions as layers of the cultural domain that can be present both in firms and in the surrounding innovation system. We describe important mechanisms related to innovation processes in SMEs and micro firms. The 10 selected articles provide an intellectual map of current research and investigate different angles of cultural dynamics based on cases in Spain, Portugal, Belarus and the U.K. Based on the findings from these articles, we believe that cultural elements can be integrated and recombined by innovation policies as an essential component of local and regional development.
- Tracing the flows of knowledge transfer: Latent dimensions and determinants of university-industry interactions in peripheral innovation systemsPublication . Fernandez-Esquinas, Manuel; Pinto, Hugo; Perez Yruela, Manuel; Pereira, Tiago SantosFirms interact with universities through a variety of channels, ranging from collaborative research projects, patents, spin-off creation, consultancy and specialized training, to informal relationships. This article explores the combination of mechanisms used by firms in Andalusia, a peripheral region in Spain and Europe, when interacting with universities. Using information from a survey of 737 innovative firms, the empirical study found evidence that university-industry links can be grouped into five latent dimensions (knowledge generation and adaptation, involvement in new organisations, training and exchange of human resources, intellectual property rights, and facilities and equipment) which are mainly based on exploitation or exploration activities. A typology of firms was created, highlighting the large number of firms with no interactions, and six clusters that specialize in specific mechanisms (IPR exploiters, Institutionalized interactors, University facility users, Training and education beneficiaries, Tacit knowledge users, and R&D interactors). The study also presents the determinants for engaging in each type of channel, concluding that whilst firms developing exploitation activities also develop parallel exploration activities, the reverse is not significant. The absorptive capacity of firms is important in determining the type of interaction, but is not fully conclusive about the range of exploration and exploitation activities. The article ends by discussing the policy implications associated with incentives to adapt knowledge transfer mechanisms to the industrial fabric of peripheral innovation systems. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.