In this article, a method to map the knowledge base (KB) of firms is developed and applied to the study of strategic changes, mergers and acquisitions. The empirical data are related to three firms, Hoechst, Rhone-Poulenc and Aventis, which resulted from the merger of the first two. Our study...

This paper presents a simple framework based on a discrete choice model to assess the welfare effects of quality change and new products. Such a framework is shown to be useful where the hedonic approach is impracticable. This framework is applied to the Japanese mobile telecommunications market...

Corporate governance has been in the recent years one of the most debated issues in conventional economic approaches. Agency theory combined with financial indicators has particularly contributed to the development of shareholder value as a key concept in companies' governance both at a...

This article aims to investigate some conceptual and methodological issues on the measurement of technological change in multi-technology product sectors. It develops a methodological contribution by building a measure of the technological frontier and of firms' technological positioning based...

The development of knowledge requires investment, which may be made in terms of financial resources or time. Open source software (OSS) has challenged much of the traditional reasoning by suggesting that individuals behave altruistically and contribute to a public good, despite the opportunity...

In his Theory of Economic Development, Schumpeter introduced the distinction between different innovation types. Since then, a variety of studies have addressed this topic. However, despite of the recognised significance of more de-verticalised organisational forms in shaping and directing...

This paper has three novelties. First, we argue that any given R&D facility's capacity to exploit and/or augment technological competences is a function not just of its own resources, but the efficiency with which it can utilise complementary resources associated with the relevant local...

Using quarterly data for 56 new ethical-drug products launched between 1989 and 1996, we estimate the coefficients of a regression equation that has cumulative future sales beyond the forecast period as its dependent variable and third-quarter sales, post-launch product improvements and...

We examine the relationship between the directly observable indicator of new technology, information and communication technology (ICT) investment intensity, and skill upgrading by analyzing changes in employment and wage structure of 25 Korean industrial sectors over the 1993-1999 period. The...

In this paper, it is argued that investments in information and communication technologies (ICT) are closely linked to complementary innovations and are most productive in firms with experience from earlier innovations. In the empirical analysis based on firm-level panel data covering the period...