INNOVATION IN SMALL FIRMS AND DYNAMICS OF LOCAL DEVELOPMENT

Książka jest analitycznym studium procesów innowacji w małych przedsiębiorstwach oraz roli tych przedsiębiorstw w dynamizowaniu rozwoju lokalnego. Empiryczną podstawę pracy tworzą wyniki badań przeprowadzonych w 7 krajach (Belgia, Francja, Irlandia, Polska, Portugalia, Wielka Brytania i Włochy).

Autorzy przedstawiają modele opisujące zdolność małych firm do innowacji, a także ujmujące wzajemne zależności między zmianami technologicznymi i lokalnymi kontekstami.

Książka wydana w języku angielskim.

This book provides an analytical study of innovation in small enterprises and its role in the dynamics of local development in lagging areas. It also evaluates the effect of the local environment on the innovative potential of small firms. Agriculture plays an important part in many of the lagging areas in Europe which tend to be rural in nature. The food and drink manufacturing industry, which may be a significant driver of growth in such areas, forms the focus of the study. The empirical work is based on firm level and regional economic data collected in a set of contrasting areas drawn from seven countries, namely Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, and the UK.
The major challenge in this research was to formulate models reflecting not only the firms’ capacity to innovate but also the interdependencies that exist between the technological changes occurring in small firms and their different local contexts. Small firms face continuous threats to their competitiveness and their survival is connected to institutional and regional economic dynamism. Most of the emphasis within the analyses presented here is on identifying methods of technological and organisational learning and on investigating productive interactions and networking with industrial partners, local institutions and other economic agents. Quantitative methods are developed to detect different behavioural patterns among the firms. New strategic policy choices and proposals to help promote small firms and regional development are advanced on the basis of the findings.

Authors:
Teresa de Noronha Vaz, Marek Wigier, Eleanor J. Morgan, Nick Crawford, Stefano Gonano, Gabriele Canali, Tessa Avermaete, Jacques de Viaene, Fatiha Fort, Ariel Meunier, Jean-Louis Rastoin, Leila Temri, Carlos Noeme, Francois M. Nicolas, Eamonn Pitts, Iwona Szczepaniak.