Journal of the Knowledge Economy

Wang, Xuhui; Zhang, Shengtai; Qiu, Luyi; Zhang, Guoquan; Liu, Na

doi: 10.1007/s13132-022-01082-ypmid: N/A

The online group, which has played an increasingly important role in people’s lives, accelerates the knowledge sharing and accumulation. Different from other virtual communities, the purpose of knowledge sharing of online groups is to pursue “relationship” instead of “attention.” To better improve the efficiency of knowledge sharing in online group, what factors affect users’ sharing willingness and how should be explored from the perspective of relationship strength. Therefore, this paper constructs an evolutionary game model to study the dynamic process of knowledge sharing in online group under different relationship strength. The results show that: (1) the relationship strength, the value of shared knowledge, the additional and synergy benefits, and the costs including speculative cost, direct cost, and risk cost can influence the willingness to share knowledge in online group. (2) Sharing willingness is positively correlated with the relationship strength, synergies, additional benefits and speculative costs. (3) However, the willingness is negatively correlated with direct costs and risk costs. (4) In online groups with different relationship strength, the value of shared knowledge has different influences on users’ sharing willingness.

Shabir, Mohsin

doi: 10.1007/s13132-022-01035-5pmid: N/A

In the last two decades, financial inclusion has dramatically augmented the accessibility and affordability of financial services and significantly contributes towards economic development; however, its environmental implications cannot be ignored. In this context, this study investigates the impact of financial inclusion on CO2 emissions in Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries. Furthermore, we analyze the moderating role of technological innovation and economic globalization in the relationship between financial inclusion and CO2 emissions. Drawing on the data from 2004 to 2018, advanced econometric techniques robust to cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity are employed. The augmented mean group (AMG) outcome reveals that financial inclusion and renewable energy consumption significantly promote environmental sustainability by reducing CO2 emissions. On the other hand, economic growth and economic globalization damage environmental quality by increasing CO2 emissions. The findings further unfold that financial inclusion fosters environmental sustainability through the channel of technological innovation. Additionally, the interaction term effect of financial inclusion with economic globalization poses an unfavorable impact on environmental quality. Besides, Dumitrescu and Hurlin (D-H) non-causality test revealed the unidirectional casualty between financial inclusion, renewable energy, and CO2 emissions, while feedback hypothesis among economic globalization, technological innovation, economic growth, and CO2 emissions. In line with these crucial findings, this study recommends that the APEC countries should promote financial inclusion along with technological innovations and, at the same time, integrate economic globalization with the climate change policies to achieve sustainable development goals.

Zhou, Wenyuan; Zhong, Haiyan; Wan, Zhongchi; Ma, Xiaoou; Gong, Xun

doi: 10.1007/s13132-022-01060-4pmid: N/A

Corporate strategy affects inefficiency investment behavior and international operation of enterprises is a major component of corporate strategy. In this paper, an individual time-point double fixed effect model is applied into the operating sample data between 2014 and 2019 of 8519 Chinese international enterprises to explore how international operation affects inefficient investment. The results show that international operation can simultaneously mitigate over-investment and intensify under-investment, and is significantly negatively correlated with inefficient investment degree. It means international operation has the dual characteristics of an “intensifying effect” and a “mitigating effect” on investment efficiency, with an “overall effect” increasing it. Further research demonstrates that international operation can actively affect inefficient investment by the moderating effect of cash holding level, further effectively improving the inefficient investment behaviors; heterogeneity analysis indicates that good internal control and fierce product market competition can help curb the positive correlation between international operation and over-investment. This research enriches the field in terms of international operation of enterprises and investment behavior and offers referential significance regarding how to cope with the inefficient investment behavior.

Sarabia-Altamirano, Gabriela; Martínez-Burnes, Julio; Ramírez-de León, José A.

doi: 10.1007/s13132-022-01047-1pmid: N/A

Knowledge and technology transfers occur through multiple channels of interaction influenced by university characteristics and the business environment. This paper utilizes survey data to identify the preferred channels of Academic Groups’ interaction in higher education institutions and their association with internal and external factors in a Mexican state with firms from abroad and high international trade. Besides Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics scientific disciplines, this analysis includes Social Sciences and the Humanities. Results showed that the Academic Groups engaged with the users through knowledge-driven channels of interaction. The preferred informal activities involved publications, conferences and meetings, networking, consultancy, and research projects. Internal factors, including scientific disciplines and degree of consolidation, influenced the engagement in consultancy and research projects, intellectual property rights, and human resources. External factors, such as the geographical region, and the educational subsystem, were associated with the information interaction channel.

Panzner, Melina; von Enzberg, Sebastian; Meyer, Maurice; Dumitrescu, Roman

doi: 10.1007/s13132-022-01081-zpmid: N/A

Comprehensive data understanding is a key success driver for data analytics projects. Knowing the characteristics of the data helps a lot in selecting the appropriate data analysis techniques. Especially in data-driven product planning, knowledge about the data is a necessary prerequisite because data of the use phase is very heterogeneous. However, companies often do not have the necessary know-how or time to build up solid data understanding in connection with data analysis. In this paper, we develop a methodology to organize and categorize and thus understand use phase data in a way that makes it accessible to general data analytics workflows, following a design science research approach. We first present a knowledge base that lists typical use phase data from a product planning view. Second, we develop a taxonomy based on standard literature and real data objects, which covers the diversity of the data considered. The taxonomy provides 8 dimensions that support classification of use phase data and allows to capture data characteristics from a data analytics view. Finally, we combine both views by clustering the objects of the knowledge base according to the taxonomy. Each of the resulting clusters covers a typical combination of analytics relevant characteristics occurring in practice. By abstracting from the diversity of use phase data into artifacts with manageable complexity, our approach provides guidance to choose appropriate data analysis and AI techniques.

Amavilah, Voxi Heinrich; Rodríguez Andrés, Antonio

doi: 10.1007/s13132-022-01033-7pmid: N/A

Knowledge has emerged as a potentially key driver of economic growth and competitiveness, thereby attracting more attention in Africa than before because it is crucial to understand the factors and policies that influence the knowledge economy (KE) process and economic performance. This study examines the existence and nature of the relationship between the KE and economic performance in 46 African countries. Assuming implicitly that the conditions leading to a KE include a modern Information and Communication Technologies infrastructure, a skilled labor force, an effective innovation system, and a proper institutional framework, we model technology as a key element of KE through which human capital affects both KE and economic performance. We then estimate the baseline model and find that Ordinary Least Squares results illuminate the existence of a relationship between the KE and economic performance. To check for the nature of the relationship and the robustness of the results, we estimate a seemingly unrelated regression equation (SURE) model and a recursive simultaneous equation model. Both models firmly establish the existence of a dynamic relationship between KE and economic performance. We conclude that African countries should first strengthen the KE components to prevent them from negatively affecting economic performance. We also conclude that for these countries, the transformation from resource-based into KE-led economies requires strong economic performance to put in motion the full force of the KE for even stronger economic performance.

Ofori, Isaac K.; Obeng, Camara K.; Asongu, Simplice A.

doi: 10.1007/s13132-022-01055-1pmid: 40479378

The question of what really drives economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been debated for many decades now. However, there is still a lack of clarity on the variables crucial for driving growth as prior contributions have been executed at the backdrop of preferential selection of covariates in the midst of several potential drivers of economic growth. The main challenge with such contributions is that even tenuous variables may be deemed influential under some model specifications and assumptions. To address this and inform policy appropriately, we train algorithms for four machine learning regularization techniques— the Standard lasso, the Adaptive lasso, the minimum Schwarz Bayesian information criterion lasso, and the ElasticNet— to study patterns in a dataset containing 113 covariates and identify the key variables affecting growth in SSA. We find that only 7 covariates are key for driving growth in SSA. The estimates of these variables are provided by running the lasso inferential techniques of double-selection linear regression, partialing-out lasso linear regression, and partialing-out lasso instrumental variable regression. Policy recommendations are also provided in line with the AfCFTA and the green growth agenda of the region.

Kafka, Kyriaki I.; Dinçer, Hasan; Yüksel, Serhat

doi: 10.1007/s13132-022-01080-0pmid: N/A

This paper introduces a tool for new service development in the context of emerging economies. For this aim, two-stage decision making model is applied for measuring the new service development-enhanced sustainable growth of emerging economies. At the first stage, bipolar q-ROF M-SWARA with golden cut is used for weighting the new service development process. At the second stage, bipolar q-ROF ELECTRE with golden cut is employed for illustrating the impact-relation map of sustainable growth determinants with respect to the new service development process for emerging economies. The novelties of this study are to construct a novel decision-making approach by using the bipolar q-ROFSs and golden cut and to figure out the influencing degrees and directions of sustainable growth determinants for emerging economies. It is also determined that testing has the highest significance while creating a new service for sustainable growth. Ranking results also demonstrate that qualified organizational teams and equipment is the most critical factor regarding innovative service process-based sustainable growth. It is necessary to adapt current technological developments to new products to be developed for sustainable growth. In this context, technological advances for these products should be followed carefully. In this process, it would be appropriate for companies to reach this goal by employing qualified personnel.

Song, Shuai; Zhou, Lixin; Sindakis, Stavros; Aggarwal, Sakshi; Chen, Charles

doi: 10.1007/s13132-022-01078-8pmid: 40479306

In the development and growth of family businesses, succession is an unsolvable problem, which is also a popular focus of academic research. For a family firm, succession may be a strategic decision but also a long-term and intricate “footrace.” It will have a significant impact on the long-term viability of a family firm if it is not handled appropriately. This study mainly explores the influences of family business owners’ intergenerational succession intention on their family firms’ innovation strategy in China. In addition, this study further examines the moderating role of the institutional environment in the above relationship. Therefore, the data in this article comes from a survey of 271 family businesses in eight different regions of China. Also, this paper can aid the smooth transition of intergenerational transmission of small and medium-sized family businesses in addition to the untroubled development of technological innovation activities. Specifically, the institutional environment plays a negative moderating role in the relationship between family succession, radical succession, technological innovation, and a positive regulating role in the relationship between single equity succession and technological innovation.

Kastelli, Ioanna; Dimas, Petros; Stamopoulos, Dimitrios; Tsakanikas, Aggelos

doi: 10.1007/s13132-022-01092-wpmid: 40479428

Digital technologies are considered as factors that accelerate the pace of innovation and increase the firm’s innovation performance. However, few studies have investigated whether this claim is conditioned by other elements that contribute to innovation. Furthermore, firms increasingly rely on external knowledge sources to expand their internal knowledge base for the development of innovations. In this context, absorptive capacity can be considered as an essential organizational capability to embrace adoption of digital technologies and enhance their positive effect on innovation performance. This paper builds on this discussion and studies the contribution of digital capacity on innovation performance, proposing the mediating role of absorptive capacity in the context of the digital transformation. It uses evidence from an extensive Greek survey in 1014 manufacturing firms and analyzes the complex relationships underlying the role of digital transformation to innovation. The contribution of the paper is two-fold: (i) it provides a deeper insight into the underlying mechanisms through which firms can leverage their digital capacity to accelerate innovation, and (ii) it highlights the important mediating role of absorptive capacity in enhancing the positive effects of digitalization indicating that digital capacity is not an unquestionable asset for innovation performance. Accordingly, our results show a positive direct contribution of digital capacity to innovation performance, which is enhanced in the presence of absorptive capacity as a mediator. In fact, the indirect effect of digital capacity to innovation performance through absorptive capacity is stronger. These findings present important policy implications, as there is need for improvement in other innovation-related aspects of the business ecosystem to efficiently address the challenge of digital transformation, such as R&D efforts, training, interaction among actors, and building of communities of practice.