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Contribution Details

Type Book Chapter
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title External Technology Supply and Client-Side Innovation
Organization Unit
  • Contribution from another University/Organization than University of Zurich
Authors
  • Christian Peukert
Editors
  • David B. Audretsch
  • Erik E. Lehmann
  • Albert N. Link
  • Alexander Starnecker
Item Subtype Original Work
Refereed Yes
Status Published in final form
Language
  • English
Booktitle Technology Transfer in a Global Economy
Series Name International Studies in Entrepreneurship
Place of Publication New York
Publisher Springer US
Page Range 161 - 184
Date 2012
Abstract Text Flexibility in response to competitive pressure from globalized markets and increasingly individualized costumer desires has become vital for firms. A common strategy to address this challenge is to employ a dynamic concept of organization and reach beyond the boundaries of the firm. Accordingly, technology transfer from providers of knowledge-intensive business services attracts more and more attention. In this context, we focus on external supply of information technology and client-side innovation. The aim of this chapter is to contribute to resolving an empirical puzzle arising from the prior literature. Some authors find beneficial effects of IT outsourcing, others underline that firms often fail to achieve expected strategic goals. Our stylized theoretical model combines a knowledge production function framework and transaction cost economics. We hypothesize that the right balance between internal and external knowledge is critical for innovation. The empirical application is German firm-level data covering a wide range of industries, 2003–2006. Our results largely support the theoretical arguments and suggest a positive linear relationship between the level of outsourcing and process innovation. For product innovation, we find a hump shape.
Free access at DOI
Digital Object Identifier 10.1007/978-1-4614-6102-9_10
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