Patterns of Innovation in the Service Sector: Some Insights From the Spanish Innovation Survey

Abstract

Although the attention of innovation studies has traditionally been focused on manufacturing, the differential features of innovation activities carried out by services are gaining more and more relevance in innovation research. The aim of this paper is to thoroughly analyse the data from the Spanish Innovation Survey 2000, the first large-scale innovation survey that included service activities in Spain, in order to identify the main patterns of innovation in Spanish services. The results of our investigations confirm that a high degree of heterogeneity, in relation to innovation patterns, exists among service firms and among service industries as well. Nevertheless, important similarities are found between pioneer classifications, such as the theoretical taxonomy of service industries by Soete and Miozzo (1989) or the classification of service firms elaborated by Hollenstein (2003), and the taxonomy we obtained by applying multivariate analysis.Services, Innovation, Taxonomy,

Using Trademarks to Measure Innovation in Knowledge-Intensive Business Services

“…Summing up, because innovation in services can take multiple forms, it can be difficult to measure it using traditional input and throughput indicators (Camacho & Rodriguez, 2008). Coombs and Miles (2000) evaluate traditional indicators and measurement concepts as especially disadvantageous for the assessment of service innovation, especially in highly innovative KIBS.…”

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“…When asked about their size relative to other firms in their sector, 46% of the surveyed companies positioned themselves as medium-sized and 36% as small. KIBS companies' innovation configurations were analyzed using a two-stage procedure similar to that employed in earlier studies [Camacho, Rodriguez, 2008;Corrocher et al, 2009;Rodriguez, Camacho, 2010]. In the first stage, factor analysis was employed (using the principle components analysis technique with a varimax rotation); this effectively reduced the number of indicators that we examined to a smaller set of distinctive compound variables (factors).…”

“…In contrast, firms in the technological innovators cluster apply exclusively product and process innovations and do not create or use marketing ones. Some international studies put companies oriented only towards product innovations (a subset of technological innovations) into a specific cluster of their own [Camacho, Rodriguez, 2008]. The non-technological innovators cluster comprises companies specializing in marketing, communication, and organizational innovations, similar to the ones presented in [Rodriguez, Camacho, 2010].…”

How much does KIBS contribute to the generation and diffusion of innovation?

“…In relation to the process of innovation (den Hertog 2000;Tether 2005;Camacho and Rodriguez 2008;Naranjo-Valencia et al 2011;Zortea-Johnston et al 2011), KIBS develop three types of functions. First, they are innovative activities themselves (new services, new technological applications, etc.).…”