The Multinational Corporation and the Global Sourcing of Knowledge: Remodeling Absorptive Capacity

We build on extant theory of the MNC, MNC subsidiaries, absorptive capacity and Penrose's concept of 'productive opportunity' to develop a framework on the MNC and absorptive capacity (AC) that allows us to explore the role of subsidiaries in the global sourcing of knowledge. We develop and test hypotheses using primary questionnaire-collected data. Our results support the idea that subsidiaries' realized AC can be improved by the realized and potential AC of the MNC group and the subsidiary and in turn may improve the performance of the subsidiaries and the group as a whole.Multinational Corporation, absorptive capacity, subsidiaries, knowledge

Measure of National Return in International Science Cooperation

In the decades since science and technology measures were crafted and adopted by governments, R&D has increasingly taken place across national boundaries. This leaves a gap for policy makers in how to account for the benefits to national governments of supporting international collaboration in science. This article seeks to address this gap by suggesting a measure for the impact of international collaboration in science using fractionalized field-weighted citations and analysing these in relationship to public spending and researcher mobility

A New Approach to Analyzing Patterns of Collaboration in Co-authorship Networks - Mesoscopic Analysis and Interpretation

This paper focuses on methods to study patterns of collaboration in co-authorship networks at the mesoscopic level. We combine qualitative methods (participant interviews) with quantitative methods (network analysis) and demonstrate the application and value of our approach in a case study comparing three research fields in chemistry. A mesoscopic level of analysis means that in addition to the basic analytic unit of the individual researcher as node in a co-author network, we base our analysis on the observed modular structure of co-author networks. We interpret the clustering of authors into groups as bibliometric footprints of the basic collective units of knowledge production in a research specialty. We find two types of coauthor-linking patterns between author clusters that we interpret as representing two different forms of cooperative behavior, transfer-type connections due to career migrations or one-off services rendered, and stronger, dedicated inter-group collaboration. Hence the generic coauthor network of a research specialty can be understood as the overlay of two distinct types of cooperative networks between groups of authors publishing in a research specialty. We show how our analytic approach exposes field specific differences in the social organization of research.Comment: An earlier version of the paper was presented at ISSI 2009, 14-17 July, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Revised version accepted on 2 April 2010 for publication in Scientometrics. Removed part on node-role connectivity profile analysis after finding error in calculation and deciding to postpone analysis

Role of external knowledge flows in cluster upgrading: an empirical analysis of the Mirandola biomedical district in Italy

The paper analyses the role of external knowledge flows in the upgrading of the biomedical district of Mirandola, Emilia-Romagna region, in Italy. The district produces two types of products, namely disposables and electromedical machines, and the paper considers this second production type. The Mirandola district has been able to maintain a relatively good competitive position. The paper shows that while all firms in this sector in this region tend to have fairly good performance in terms of size and revenue growth, a significant difference exists in terms of innovation performance. Firms in the Mirandola district produce more patents and more scientific publications. From a methodological point of view, negative binomial regressions are made on the determinants of patenting and publishing activity by firms. Two major factors seem to explain the superior performance in terms of innovation. First, the significant role of the leader firms in the district. Second, linkages external to the district, namely relationships with research centres (universities in particular) located not only in the region but also in the rest of the country and abroad. The importance of external relations and institutional diversity (in terms of variety of institutions collaborating in scientific publications), appear to grow over time.Innovation; Upgrading; Industrial districts; Biomedical sector

Delineation and analysis of co-authorship network among the academics of School of Dentistry in Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2013 using network analysis method

BACKGROUND AND AIM: This study aims to explore the co-authorship in School of Dentistry at Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in three levels; individuals, other schools of KUU, and beyond the university. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study which is a part of a larger study conducted from September 2014 to December 2014. A comprehensive search in Scopus was conducted to find related articles published in 2013 by following these steps; first of all, a complete list of all faculties, based on the school and the department they worked in, was obtained. Second, all articles indexed with the affiliation of KMU were retrieved, using both keywords of “Kerman Medical University” and KUM Sciences.” The data were analyzed using Social Network Analysis and Visone software. RESULTS: The results showed an inadequate collaboration within departments; only two of them had collaboration. Co-authorship among departments illustrated a more satisfactory picture: although, it still has more rooms for improvement. Regarding collaboration between the Dentistry School and other schools of the university, the School of Dentistry is in a middle position, though it could have had more potential relationships. The School of Dentistry formed a few relationships with the organizations outside of the university. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that there are more rooms for improvement in the field of collaboration and coauthoring papers, which could consequently not only lead to a higher rate of publication and visibility but also affect the citation rates for authors. KEYWORDS: Authorship Collaboration; Dentistry; Network Analysis; Social Networks; Co-Authorshi

Measuring Internationality: Reflections and Perspective on Academic Journals

Internationality as a concept is being applied ambiguously, particularly in the world of academic journal publication. Although different criteria are used by scientometrists in order to measure int ernationality and to supplement its minimal literal meaning, the present study suggests that no single criterion alone is sufficient. This paper surveys, critically - assesses and extends the existing measures of internationality in the context of academic p ublishing and identifies those criteria that are most clearly resolved and amenable to quantitative analysis. When applied, however, to a case study of four thematically - connected journals from the field of Health and Clinical Psychology using descriptive statistics and the Gini Coefficient, the measurement of internationality using these criteria was found to be ambiguous. We conclude that internationality is best viewed as a mathematically fuzzy entity and that a single measure Internationality Index, con structed from a combination of suitably weighted criteria, is the only way to unambiguously quantify the degree of internationality