Search results for "Industrial Organization"
showing 10 items of 603 documents
Managerial Growth Challenges in Small Software Firms: A Multiple-Case Study of Growth-Oriented Enterprises
2010
Notwithstanding the importance of small software firms, research focusing on understanding the growth challenges faced by their management is close to non-existent. By taking a life-cycle approach and focusing on managerial challenges, the aim of this paper is to analyze the growth process of small software firms. After forming a synthesis of possible growth challenges from relevant literature, the results are reflected upon case software firms using thematic interviews and questionnaires. According to the analysis of four software firms, managing human resources represents the greatest challenge for software services firms. Additionally, other challenges stem from competition and sales-rel…
Vertical Integration due to Small Market Size and High Product Development and Integration Costs
2009
An independent software vendor (ISV) recovers the costs of software development and configuration through license fees. However, if the number of ISV's customers is limited, then either the license fees needed for recovering the software development investments may be too high (and hence the customer would prefer to develop the software internally), or the ISV's margin may have to be decreased. Given the costs of development and configuration, as well as the margins set by the ISVs, it is possible to estimate how many customers an ISV has to have in order to recover its costs. Furthermore, given a market of a specific size and the minimum number of ISV's customers, it is possible to assess …
Network structure and optimal technological innovation
2019
The role of networks in the emergence, diffusion and evolution of technological innovations has attracted much theoretical and empirical attention. Yet, much of the work has explored the role of undirected and homogeneous networks. In real cases, many networks are directed. The flow of information, benefits or observations is directed from one node towards another node. Real networks are also heterogeneous, for example, few nodes have a high degree while many others have a low degree. In this article, we report on the results of an evolutionary agent-based model in which a group of agents, in our case firms, collectively search a complex (rugged) technological landscape and observe each oth…
The community structure of the global corporate network.
2013
We investigate the community structure of the global ownership network of transnational corporations. We find a pronounced organization in communities that cannot be explained by randomness. Despite the global character of this network, communities reflect first of all the geographical location of firms, while the industrial sector plays only a marginal role. We also analyze the network in which the nodes are the communities and the links are obtained by aggregating the links among firms belonging to pairs of communities. We analyze the network centrality of the top 50 communities and we provide the first quantitative assessment of the financial sector role in connecting the global economy.
¿Cómo funciona el sistema de innovación del sector cerámico español?
2013
[EN]: In this article we apply the functions of innovation systems framework to assess its appropriateness to characterise the innovation activity of the tile industry in Castellón. This framework is based on idea that a well functioning innovation system requires that a number of key activities take place. If this occurs innovative output is higher. Our analysis provides a deeper understanding of the role of innovation as a strategic option in a mature industry in the context of globalisation. By applying this new theoretical approach to study innovation and highlighting the functions that the system requires, we shown the constraints, inertias, challenges and opportunities that the innova…
Sharing Economy and Employment: What’s Next?
2018
The sharing economy is growing 20 times faster than was predicted. Travel, transportation, finance, are just few examples of sectors involved in collaborative economy. Labor market and employment have to face the challenges of sharing economy and for many years from now we will have to deal with the impact of this new trends. Innovative business models like Uber and AirBnb will change the landscape of job creation and will determine a demand for new skills.
Vietnam as an emerging destination for offshore outsourcing of software development for finnish companies: A conceptual perspective
2009
Companies are constantly under pressure to produce software products more efficiently and within tight budgets. Offshore outsourcing has been seen as one solution to the dilemma, and lucrative outsourcing businesses have evolved in many countries, such as India, China and Russia. Vietnam is now emerging within this global outsourcing sector. This study investigates Vietnam as an offshore outsourcing destination for Finnish companies for developing their software products and related services. The research was undertaken by reviewing the literature of a) offshore outsourcing, b) offshore software production, c) information technology industry in developing countries, especially in Vietnam an…
Workshop on Global Outsourcing of Software Development
2010
Global outsourcing is a pertinent issue in today’s business world. Increasingly, software and non-software organizations from private and public sectors are attempting to develop some or all of their software through global outsourcing in order to enhance innovation, reduce development time and cost, improve quality and productivity, adapt to changing global economic and market conditions, to name a few. Global outsourcing is composed of near shore outsourcing (the software development work is done by the service provider in a nearby country) and offshore outsourcing (the development work is done in a very far away country). Global outsourcing is gaining significant importance, as it can pr…
Co-Parenting: A Model of Value Creation in the Multinational Network
2017
We analyze a novel way to configure and manage multinational networks and propose a model of "co-parenting", characterized by the sharing of parenting roles and distribution of responsibilities between two units. We develop our argument around the notion of the springboard subsidiary, which has an extra-regional geographic mandate of a more strategic nature. Such extra-regional headquarters help parent firms overcome the liability of inter-regional foreignness. Based upon qualitative data, our model revolves around three stages: establishment, consolidation and maturity, each of which reflects distinct roles and knowledge flows among the three actors involved: HQ, springboard subsidiary and…
Contract for the Supply of Digital Content
2014
The main aspects of a contract for the supply of digital content are analysed in this chapter. This can be seen as the most novel part of the proposed Regulation of the European Union, and is certainly a very important part of the final content of the proposal. This type of contract is a logical consequence of the development of information technology and communication, and the evolution of an information society and knowledge economy.