Innovation networks of high tech SMES: creation of knowledge but no creation of value

This paper analyses the effects of innovation networks on product and pro-cess innovation and sales growth of high technology SMEs. Innovation net-works are positively related to both product and process innovation, i.e. know-ledge creation. One exception is the negative effect of innovation networks with suppliers on product innovation. Older SMEs are more product innovative than young SMEs. The positive relation between firm size and (process) inno-vation, disappears when networks are introduced into the analyses. The general conclusion is that vertical innovation networks remove the effect... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Winters, Rob
Stam, Erik
Dokumenttyp: doc-type:workingPaper
Erscheinungsdatum: 2007
Verlag/Hrsg.: Jena: Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Max Planck Institute of Economics
Schlagwörter: ddc:330 / D21 / D83 / D85 / L25 / O31 / O32 / innovation / innovation networks / high tech SMEs / firm growth / Klein- und Mittelunternehmen / Hochtechnologiesektor / Business Network / Forschungskooperation / Absatz / Niederlande
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-27247304
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : http://hdl.handle.net/10419/25613

This paper analyses the effects of innovation networks on product and pro-cess innovation and sales growth of high technology SMEs. Innovation net-works are positively related to both product and process innovation, i.e. know-ledge creation. One exception is the negative effect of innovation networks with suppliers on product innovation. Older SMEs are more product innovative than young SMEs. The positive relation between firm size and (process) inno-vation, disappears when networks are introduced into the analyses. The general conclusion is that vertical innovation networks remove the effect of firm size on process innovation. In other words, high-tech SMEs can ‘borrow’ size if they co-operate with customers, but especially with suppliers for pro-cess innovation. So smallness is not necessarily a disadvantage for inno-vation, as long as firms cooperate with other organisations. Innovation and networks do not seem to effect value creation, measured as sales growth.