Are firm innovativeness and firm age relevant for the supply of vocational training? A study based on Swiss micro data

In this study we investigated the determinants of the propensity of Swiss firms to train apprentices. Innovation, firm age and competition conditions on the product market are determining factors that were especially emphasized in this investigation. We found that the skill composition of the employment, innovation activities, firm age, labour costs, capital intensity, and competitive pressures all play a discernible role, even if not at the same extent, in determining the propensity of apprentice training. The data used in this study were collected in the course of four surveys among Swiss enterprises in the years 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2005 using a questionnaire which included besides questions on basic firm characteristics also several innovation indicators. New elements of the analysis that distinguish it from already done work on this subject, especially in Switzerland, are: (a) the focus on the role of innovation and firm age for apprentice training; (b) the consideration of effects of competition on the product market; (c) the separate investigation of three sectors of the economy (manufacturing; services; construction); (d) the wide spectrum of determinants of training propensity that are taken into consideration; (e) the use of a panel of firms covering a period of about ten years (1995-2004)

How do different motives for R&D cooperation affect firm performance? - An analysis based on Swiss micro data

The starting point of our analysis is the empirical fact that firms pursue different goals when getting engaged in R&D collaborations, often more than one goal at the same time. Given that firms are driven by different motives for R&D cooperation, the aim of this article is to investigate the differences related to different motives with respect to the impact of R&D cooperation on firm innovativeness and firm productivity. Not only R&D cooperation in general but also cooperation driven by each of the seven motives considered in this paper correlate positively with the sales share of innovative products. With respect to innovativeness, the characterization of cooperation by the driving motive did not add much more than could be gained through the overall variable ‘R&D cooperation yes/no'. Technology-motivated collaborative activities show a weaker tendency to positive direct effects on productivity than cost-motivated cooperation. In this case, the distinction of several cooperation motives yields some additional insights as compared to the overall cooperation variable. On the whole, distinguishing various cooperation motives appears to be fruitful because it allows more differentiated insights that would remain hidden behind the overall variable "R&D cooperation yes/no

Innovation, competition and incentives for R&D

This paper analyses the relationship between past innovation output, competition, and future innovation input in a dynamic econometric setting. We distinguish two dimensions of competition that correspond to the concepts of product substitutability and entry barriers due to fixed costs. Based on firm-level panel data for Germany and Switzerland we obtain consistent results for both countries. Innovation output in t-1 as measured by the sales share of innovative products is positively related to the degree of product obsolescence in t, and negatively to the degree of substitutability in t in both countries. Further, we find that rapid product obsolescence provides positive incentives for higher - primarily product-oriented - R&D investments in t+1, while high substitutability exerts negative incentives for future R&D investment. --Innovation,R&D,Competition

How do different drivers of R&D investment in foreign locations affect domestic firm performance? An analysis based on Swiss panel micro data

The aim of this article is to investigate the differences between specific motives of R&D investment in foreign locations with respect to: (i) the factors influencing the likelihood of foreign R&D and (ii) the impact of foreign presence on the parent firms' innovativeness and productivity. An econometric analysis of Swiss firm panel data (period 2000-2008; 2817 companies) shows, first, that factors related to firm-specific knowledge-oriented advantages are more important for explaining the likelihood of foreign R&D activities than factors reflecting disadvantages related to home location. Second, knowledge-oriented motives of foreign R&D positively influence the innovation performance of domestic firms, whereas market- and resource-oriented strategies have a positive impact on labor productivit

Firm characteristics and the cyclicality of R&D investments

The aim of this study is to combine micro-aspects of firm behavior with macro aspects of business development and identify market conditions (e.g. price competition) and firm characteristics (e.g. type of R&D partners) that enable a firm to have a pro-cyclical, anti-cyclical, or non-systematic R&D investment behavior. The empirical results confirm to large extent a series of hypotheses as to innovation-relevant firm characteristics that underline the three different behavior categories and allow us to make profiles of the three types of R&D behavio

What determines the innovation capability of firm founders?

Innovative start-ups, not start-ups in general, seem to be important drivers of economic growth. However, little is known about what such firms look like. As activities of start-ups are strongly related to firm founders, we investigate this question focusing on the innovation capability of firm founders. We find that the combination of different founder characteristics such as university education (at best a combination of technical and commercial education), prior experience in R&D, and strong motivation to realize own innovative ideas increases the likelihood that a start-up has innovative activities, especially the likelihood of R&D activities, by >40

A comparison of firm-level innovation cooperation in five European countries

This paper compares the determinants and the effects of innovation cooperation on innovation performance at firm level in five European countries: Belgium, Germany, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland. In a first step we analyse cooperation agreements with national and international partners and in a second step cooperation with enterprises and research institutions. In a third step we investigate the impact of all four categories of cooperation on innovation performance