Innovation and Information Technology in Services

The missing effect of investments of firms in information and communication technologies on productivity is studied by various recent papers (e.g. Oliner and Sichels 1994, Landauer 1995, Brynjolfsson and Hitt 1996). Several explanations are given for this missing link. Our paper deals with two of them, using two newly available data sets for the German service sector. Using data from a survey of innovative activities in services we show that investment in information technology (IT) has a stronger effect on the quality of services than on the productivity of the IT-using firm. IT investment seems to be especially effective when innovations enhance the delivery speed and the spatial or temporal availability of service. Moreover, data of the German IT survey point towards the need to differentiate between types of IT investment. It is shown that especially the most recent generation of IT as indicated by the number of PCs used is the source of productivity growth whereas traditional IT like mainframes exhibit only minor productivity effects. We conclude from our results that mismeasurement of the quality of new products and processes is one important reason for our inability to uncover the productivity effect of IT. Moreover, dividing IT-investment by the type of IT clarifies that the kind of IT a firm uses is more important for productivity growth what than its quantity. In any case we expect that the bulk of the IT-related productivity growth is still to come. In order to realize the benefits from IT investment entirely, firms have to undergo a large restructuring of business functions. --Information Technology,Productivity,Service Sector

Success Factors in Mobile Viral Marketing: A Multi-Case Study Approach

A prior study showed that mobile viral marketing is an important issue of mobile marketing. Using a multicase study research approach, we introduce a typology of four standard types of mobile viral marketing and extract eight success factors for this new form of marketing. As a final step, we structure the relationship between both, showing success factors’significance in different standard types and deriving a success factor framework. We conclude with a consideration of research implications.

Security Issues in Mobile Payment from the Customer Viewpoint

The perception of mobile payment procedures’ security by the customer is one major factor for the market breakthrough of the according systems. In this paper we examine security issues in mobile payment from the viewpoint of customers. Based on theoretical research we analyze empirical data from the MP2 mobile payment study with 8295 respondents in order to develop a set of dimensions, categories and aspects. The results do have a scientific as well as a practical impact: They provide a basis for the selection of appropriate indicators for further empirical studies. Furthermore they can serve as a guideline for mobile payment service providers in order to prevent security concerns through appropriate design and communication of payment procedures and to convince customers of the security of their mobile procedures by meeting concerns in informative advertising.

The Effects of Entrepreneurship Education

Entrepreneurship education ranks highly on policy agendas in Europe and the US, but little research is available to assess its impacts. In this context it is of primary importance to understand whether entrepreneurship education raises intentions to be entrepreneurial generally or whether it helps students determine how well suited they are for entrepreneurship. We develop a theoretical model of Bayesian learning in which entrepreneurship education generates signals which help students to evaluate their own aptitude for entrepreneurial tasks. We derive predictions from the model and test them using data from a compulsory entrepreneurship course at a German university. Using survey responses from 189 students ex ante and ex post, we ?nd that entrepreneurial propensity declined somewhat in spite of generally good evaluations of the class. Our tests of Bayesian updating provide support for the notion that students receive valuable signals and learn about their own type in the entrepreneurship course.entrepreneurship; entrepreneurship education; Bayes’ Rule; learning; signals

How to measure patent thickets – a novel approach

The existing literature identifies patent thickets indirectly. In this paper we propose a novel measure based on patent citations which allows us to measure the density of patent thickets directly. We discuss the algorithm which generates the measure and present descriptive results validating it. Moreover, we identify technology areas which are particularly impacted by patent thickets.patenting; patent thickets; patent portfolio races; complexity

Innovation and Information Technology in Services

The missing effect of investments of firms in information and communication technologies on productivity is studied by various recent papers. Several explanations are given for this missing link. Our paper deals with two of them, using two newly available data sets for the German service sector. Using data from a survey of innovative activities in services we show that investment in information technology (IT) has a stronger effect on the quality of services than on the productivity of the IT-using firm. IT investment seems to be especially effective when innovations enhance the delivery speed and the spatial or temporal availability of service. Moreover, data of the German IT survey point towards the need to differentiate between types of IT investment. It is shown that especially the most recent generation of IT as indicated by the number of PCs used is the source of productivity growth whereas traditional IT like mainframes exhibit only minor productivity effects. We conclude from our results that mismeasurement of the quality of new products and processes is one important reason for our inability to uncover the productivity effect of IT. Moreover, dividing IT-investment by the type of IT clarifies that the kind of IT a firm uses is more important for productivity growth what than its quantity. In any case we expect that the bulk of the IT-related productivity growth is still to come. In order to realize the benefits from IT investment entirely, firms have to undergo a large restructuring of business functions

Analysis of Intel's Haswell Microarchitecture Using The ECM Model and Microbenchmarks

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of Intel's Haswell microarchitecture for streaming loop kernels. Among the new features examined is the dual-ring Uncore design, Cluster-on-Die mode, Uncore Frequency Scaling, core improvements as new and improved execution units, as well as improvements throughout the memory hierarchy. The Execution-Cache-Memory diagnostic performance model is used together with a generic set of microbenchmarks to quantify the efficiency of the microarchitecture. The set of microbenchmarks is chosen such that it can serve as a blueprint for other streaming loop kernels.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1509.0311

The strategic use of patents and its implications for enterprise and competition policies

This report was commissioned as a study into the strategic use of patents. In the course of its case investigations and legislative reviews the European Commission became aware of changes in the use of intellectual property, in particular the use of patents. It was noted that firms’ uses of intellectual property are becoming increasingly strategic. This raised concerns about the implications of firms’ patenting behaviour for enterprise and competition policy. The following report contains a comprehensive review of patenting behaviour, the extent to which patenting is becoming more strategic and the implications this has for competition and enterprise policies