Several studies have emphasized the role of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) in fostering innovation within metropolitan areas and regional innovation systems. These areas are able to express a high and demanding request for services from KIBS and hence stimulate their rise and development. Despite large literature on KIBS emphasize the relevance of spatial proximity with customers many KIBS develop relationships on an international scale. There are not studies that explicitly focus on such discrepancy. The aim of the paper is fill this theoretical and empirical gap by explaining the firm-level factors that influence the market extension of KIBS. The analysis is based on a quantitative study on more than 150 KIBS supplying design or communication services located in the Veneto region (North-East Italy), an area that can be described as a regional innovation system. Four variables have been selected and considered to have a positive relationship with KIBS’ market extension: size, experience, service standardization and investments in network technologies. Our results confirm that three out of four of them – standardization excluded – positively influence KIBS’ market extension. Policy implications are also discussed.
The Determinants of Market Extension in Knowledge-intensive Business Services: Evidence from a Regional Innovation System
BETTIOL, MARCO;DI MARIA, ELEONORA;GRANDINETTI, ROBERTO
2011
Abstract
Several studies have emphasized the role of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) in fostering innovation within metropolitan areas and regional innovation systems. These areas are able to express a high and demanding request for services from KIBS and hence stimulate their rise and development. Despite large literature on KIBS emphasize the relevance of spatial proximity with customers many KIBS develop relationships on an international scale. There are not studies that explicitly focus on such discrepancy. The aim of the paper is fill this theoretical and empirical gap by explaining the firm-level factors that influence the market extension of KIBS. The analysis is based on a quantitative study on more than 150 KIBS supplying design or communication services located in the Veneto region (North-East Italy), an area that can be described as a regional innovation system. Four variables have been selected and considered to have a positive relationship with KIBS’ market extension: size, experience, service standardization and investments in network technologies. Our results confirm that three out of four of them – standardization excluded – positively influence KIBS’ market extension. Policy implications are also discussed.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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