The methods by which small firms overcome the disadvantages of their size to implement innovation on construction projects are examined here through five case studies. It is found that such methods include working with advanced clients, prioritising relationship-building strategies and using...

There is overwhelming evidence that innovation and knowledge intensity are key factors promoting growth in modern economies. Since the early 1990s, OECD analysts have focused increasingly on the growing knowledge intensity of modern economies and the strong links between knowledge intensity and...

Established industries, which constitute by far the largest share of the manufacturing and service sectors in most developed economies, are on balance reasonably innovative. They engage in frequent changes in both product and process technologies which, although perhaps less spectacular (in a...

This paper introduces the findings of a European research project on the innovativeness of industrial 'low-tech' sectors. This research was carried out in the context of the ongoing discussion about the emerging knowledge society. We argue that innovation depends not only on industries with...

The ability of small and medium-sized enterprises in developing nations to evolve technologically is frequently constrained by a variety of environmental factors that are beyond their control. In many cases, it is necessary for the strategy of SMEs to be aligned with the international supply...

Although scholars and policy makers have widely acknowledged the importance of so-called high-technology industries as drivers of economic change, they have paid insufficient attention to the interaction between high-tech sectors and the remainder of the economy in developed countries. We...

This paper is an attempt to tease out a typology of economic sectors based on a systems approach to innovation and economic growth that may be useful for policy analysis. The typology explored here revolves around novel products rather than ethereal knowledge-producing entities. This insight...

Despite recent advances by economists such as Porter and those associated with the resource-based school, the economics of demand rarely features in discussions of business strategy. Porter and the resource-based school take the characteristics of demand as given, and place almost exclusive...

As new and old technologies generally co-exist in the complex production methods that characterise major sectors of modern developed economies, it is important for policy makers to analyse them together in order to take full advantage of complementarities and optimise outcomes for entire...

As the dynamics of innovation systems vary greatly between industries, policy-makers need to find specific critical points where their actions can encourage development. This paper uses a study of the Australian healthcare system to illustrate how a policy-relevant analytical template can both...