Knowledge networks for adoption of additive manufacturing: The role of maturity

Additive manufacturing (AM) has had a significant impact on manufacturing processes in many industries. The implementation of AM technology, however, involves several knowledge-related challenges, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We explore this topic by developing a theoretical model with the hypotheses that acquiring AM knowledge from networks is associated with competitive advantages from AM, and that this relationship can partly be explained by AM maturity. We test our model through a survey of Danish manufacturing SMEs. The findings show that AM knowledge acquisition from networks is positively associated with competitive advantages from AM, where around 40 percent of this relationship is explained by higher AM maturity. Furthermore, the findings suggest that different types of knowledge networks have different effects on AM maturity and competitive advantages from AM

Immigrants` Entrepreneurial Networks and Export : A Comparative Study

The aim of this study is to examine the differential impacts of networking in the public and private spheres on the export performance of first- and second-generation immigrant entrepreneurs, as well as native-born entrepreneurs. We apply transnational and ethnic theories to elaborate hypotheses using data collected by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor on 26,591 native-born entrepreneurs, first-generation immigrant entrepreneurs, and second-generation immigrant entrepreneurs. In examining this fairly global representation of entrepreneurs, we found that such networking had a significant impact on the exporting of second-generation immigrant entrepreneurs. More specifically, we show that although they benefited the least from private-sphere networking, compared to first-generation immigrant and native-born entrepreneurs, they derived more benefits from public-sphere networking than the other two groups. This study contributes to the theory in this field by accounting for the skewness of dual-embeddedness among immigrant entrepreneurs and its effect upon networking and export performance