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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2009.10.003 Byline: Jeroen P.J. de Jong (a)(b), Mark Freel (c) Keywords: Collaboration; Cognitive distance; Geographical distance; Absorptive capacity Abstract: The current paper is concerned with exploring the role of absorptive capacity in extending the reach of innovation-related collaboration in high technology small firms. Drawing on survey data from a sample of 316 Dutch high-tech small firms, engaged in 1245 collaborations, we explore the relationship between R&D expenditure and distance to collaboration partners. In general terms, we find most partners to be 'local'. However, controlling for a variety of potential influences, higher R&D expenditure is positively related to collaboration with more distant organizations. The implications of our results for policy, practice and future research are discussed. Author Affiliation: (a) RSM Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (b) EIM Business and Policy Research, P.O. Box 7001, 2701 AA Zoetermeer, The Netherlands (c) Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Canada Article History: Received 29 December 2008; Revised 26 September 2009; Accepted 29 October 2009

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2009.04.005 Byline: Jeroen P.J. de Jong (a)(b), Eric von Hippel (c) Keywords: User innovation; Innovation transfer; Innovation diffusion; Innovation measurement; Free revealing Abstract: A detailed survey of 498 high technology small and medium-sized enterprises in the Netherlands shows process innovation by user firms to be common practice. Fifty-four percent of these firms reported developing entirely novel process equipment or software for their own use and/or modifying these, both at significant private expense. Twenty-five percent of the user innovations in our sample were transferred to commercializing producer firms. Many transfers were made without any direct compensation. Very importantly from the perspective of effective diffusion of user innovations, innovations with higher commercial potential - and more general appeal for users - are much more likely to be transferred to producers. The pattern we document of frequent innovation by individual user firms at substantial cost, followed in many cases by voluntary, no-charge information spillovers to producers, suggests that 'open source economics' may be a general pattern in the economy. Author Affiliation: (a) EIM Business and Policy Research, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands (b) RSM Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (c) MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA Article History: Received 4 March 2009; Revised 24 April 2009; Accepted 27 April 2009

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2008.10.001 Byline: Vareska van de Vrande (a), Jeroen P.J. de Jong (b), Wim Vanhaverbeke (c), Maurice de Rochemont (d) Keywords: Open innovation; SMEs; Technology markets; Incidence; Perceived trend; Motives; Managerial challenges Abstract: Open innovation has so far been studied mainly in high-tech, multinational enterprises. This exploratory paper investigates if open innovation practices are also applied by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Drawing on a database collected from 605 innovative SMEs in the Netherlands, we explore the incidence of and apparent trend towards open innovation. The survey furthermore focuses on the motives and perceived challenges when SMEs adopt open innovation practices. Within the survey, open innovation is measured with eight innovation practices reflecting technology exploration and exploitation in SMEs. We find that the responding SMEs engage in many open innovation practices and have increasingly adopted such practices during the past 7 years. In addition, we find no major differences between manufacturing and services industries, but medium-sized firms are on average more heavily involved in open innovation than their smaller counterparts. We furthermore find that SMEs pursue open innovation primarily for market-related motives such as meeting customer demands, or keeping up with competitors. Their most important challenges relate to organizational and cultural issues as a consequence of dealing with increased external contacts. Author Affiliation: (a) College of Management of Technology, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Odyssea 1.19, Station 5, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland (b) EIM Business and Policy Research, The Netherlands (c) Faculty of Business Studies, Hasselt University, Belgium (d) Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands

This article analyzes the complex employment position of temporary workers within organizations and on the labour market. Temporary employment is usually considered secondary to permanent employment. In recent years, the [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2005.09.007 Byline: Jeroen P.J. de Jong (a), Orietta Marsili (b) Keywords: Innovation; Taxonomy; SMEs; Business strategies; Services Abstract: Taxonomies of patterns of innovation give a dominant role to large firms, and are often based on empirical studies that exclude micro firms. This paper proposes an empirical taxonomy of the innovative firms at the bottom of the size distribution, based on a new survey of 1234 small firms and micro firms in The Netherlands, in both manufacturing and services. These firms differ not only in their innovative activities, but also in their business practices and strategies, such as management attitude, planning and external orientation, that they use to achieve innovation. The taxonomy identifies four categories of small innovative firms: science-based, specialised suppliers, supplier-dominated and resource-intensive. It suggests a more diverse pattern of innovation of small firms than in Pavitt's [Pavitt, K., 1984. Sectoral patterns of technical change: towards a taxonomy and a theory. Research Policy 13 (6), 343-373] taxonomy, a pattern that is shared by both manufacturing and service firms. Finally, the research shows that taxonomies can be effectively used to map differences in the rates, sources and nature of innovation, with the differences in the business strategies of innovative firms. Author Affiliation: (a) EIM Business & Policy Research P.O. Box 7001, 2701 AA Zoetermeer, The Netherlands (b) Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Burg. Oudlaan 50, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands Article History: Received 4 February 2005; Revised 3 August 2005; Accepted 28 September 2005

This study examines the relationship between internal labour markets (ILMs) and the transition from temporary to permanent employment, particularly following the legislative changes regarding the use of temporary workers in Korea. We test our research model based on data gathered during two different periods from 619 and 616 Korean companies respectively. The results show that ILMs help companies turn temporary employees into permanent ones. Furthermore, environmental dynamism increases the need for temporary workers, which prohibits the transition from temporary to permanent employment, particularly when seniority-based pay is tightly implemented within a firm. The effects of ILMs on the transition from temporary to permanent employment become pronounced as companies internalize institutional changes. The current study demonstrates that the features of the employment system shape and establish organizational norms and traditions and play a critical role in achieving the intended effects of institutional change. KEYWORDS: employment transition, temporary employment, permanent employment, internal labour markets (ILMs); flexibility; environmental dynamism. Over the past decade, Korean businesses have experienced significant growth in the proportion of temporary employment. In response, the Korean government has enacted the 'Temporary Employment Protection Act' to curb the use of temporary employment. With these legislative changes, Korean employers confront choices about whether to encourage transitions from temporary to permanent employment or to utilise outsourcing/contracting services. The purpose of this study is to explore internal labour markets (ILMs) and investigate why companies are willing to transform temporary employment into permanent employment. Furthermore, in the face of market volatility, we consider how companies are willing to increase the number of temporary workers in order to more easily adjust the numbers and types of human resources, rather than constructing and establishing ILMs within a firm. By investigating the interrelated relationships between ILMs, environmental dynamism, and transitions from temporary to permanent employment status, this study elaborates the features of ILMs in making employment decisions. The statistical results of this study show that structural elements of ILMs facilitate transitions from temporary to permanent employment. Among ILMs, only seniority-based pay plans reduce the number of permanent employees transferred from temporary status when companies experience dynamic changes in their environments. Furthermore, ILMs exerted greater influences over employers' decisions about transitions from temporary to permanent employment a few years after the enactment of changes in temporary labour laws and regulations. This study shows that the features of an employment system determine companies' decisions about temporary versus permanent employment. ILMs shape and establish organisational norms and cultural traditions that determine employment structures. Furthermore, institutionalised environments also determine whether employers decide to make transitions from temporary to permanent employment. Future studies should pay attention to the features of employment systems as determinants regarding firms' human capital. KEYWORDS: employment transition, temporary employment, permanent employment; internal labour markets (ILMs); flexibility; environmental dynamism. Durant la derniere decennie, les entreprises coreennes ont connu une hausse significative de leur proportion d'emplois temporaires dans leur emploi total. Le gouvernement coreen a adopte la Loi sur la protection de l'emploi temporaire afin de ralentir le recours a cette forme d'emploi. Les employeurs coreens font face au dilemme suivant: favoriser les transitions d'emplois temporaires vers des emplois permanents ou externaliser ou encore sous-contracter certains services. Le but de cette etude est d'explorer les marches internes du travail et de chercher a savoir pourquoi des entreprises sont disposees a transformer des emplois temporaires en emplois permanents. Par contre, face a la volatilite des marches, les entreprises auront tendance a accroitre le nombre de leurs travailleurs temporaires pour etre en mesure d'ajuster plus facilement le nombre et le type de ressources humaines, plutot que de construire et etablir des marches internes du travail (MIT) en leur sein. En se penchant sur les interrelations entre les MIT, le dynamisme de l'environnement et les transitions d'emplois de statut temporaire a permanent, notre etude cherche a cerner les caracteristiques des MIT eu egard aux prises de decisions en matiere d'emploi. Les resultats statistiques de l'etude montrent que certains elements structurels des MIT facilitent les transitions d'emplois temporaires vers des emplois permanents. Parmi les MIT, seuls ceux comportant des regimes de remuneration bases sur l'anciennete ont affiche une reduction du nombre d'employes permanents a la suite de conversions d'emplois temporaires en emplois permanents apres que les entreprises eurent connus des changements dynamiques dans leur environnement. L'effet des MIT sur les decisions des employeurs de favoriser les transitions d'emplois temporaires vers des emplois permanents se fait davantage sentir apres quelques annees suivant l'adoption de changements dans les lois et reglements sur le travail temporaire. Cette etude montre que les caracteristiques d'un systeme d'emploi influent sur les decisions des entreprises dans le choix entre emplois temporaires et emplois permanents. Les MIT configurent et etablissent des normes organisationnelles et des traditions culturelles qui a leur tour determinent les structures d'emplois. De plus, les contextes institutionnels influent aussi sur les decisions des entreprises de favoriser l'une ou l'autre forme d'emploi. Les etudes a venir sur le sujet devraient mettre davantage l'accent sur les systemes d'emplois dans la determination du capital humain des entreprises. MOTS-CLES: marche interne du travail, Coree, type d'emploi, emploi temporaire, emploi permanent, systeme d'emploi. En la ultima decada, la proporcion de empleo temporal ha experimentado un crecimiento significativo en el medio empresarial coreano. En reaccion a esto, el gobierno coreano ha emitido la Ley de proteccion del empleo temporario para restringir el uso del empleo temporario. Con estos cambios legislativos, los empleadores coreanos se ven confrontados al dilema siguiente: favorecer la transicion de empleos temporarios a empleos permanentes o recurrir a la externalizacion de ciertos servicios y a la sub-contrata. El objetivo de este estudio es de explorar los mercados laborales internos e investigar porque las empresas estarian dispuestas a convertir empleos temporales en empleos permanentes. sin embargo, frente a la volatilidad de los mercados, las empresas tendrian tendencia a aumentar el nombre de trabajadores temporales para estar en medida de ajustar mas facilmente la cantidad y el tipo de recursos humanos en lugar de construir y establecer mercados laborales internos en su seno. Abocandose a las interrelaciones entre los mercados laborales internos (MLIs), el dinamismo de los entornos y las transiciones de empleos de estatuto temporario a permanente, nuestro estudio contribuye a precisar las caracteristicas de los MLI que juegan en las decisiones en materia de empleo. Los resultados estadisticos del estudio muestran que ciertos elementos estructurales de los MLI facilitan las transiciones de empleos temporales en empleos permanentes. Entre los MLI, solo aquellos con regimenes de remuneraciones basados en la antiguedad han experimentado una reduccion de la cantidad de empleados y de empleados permanentes como consecuencia de las conversiones de empleos temporales en empleos permanentes despues que las empresas habian conocido cambios dinamicos en sus entornos. Es mas, los MLI ejercieron una influencia mas importante en las decisiones de los empleadores de favorecer las transiciones de empleos temporales en empleos permanentes algunos anos despues de la adopcion de los cambios legislativos y reglamentos sobre el trabajo temporal. Este estudio muestra que las caracteristicas de un sistema de empleo influencian las decisiones de las empresas sobre la opcion entre empleos temporarios y empleos permanentes. Los mercados laborales internos configuran y establecen normas organizacionales y tradiciones culturales, las cuales, a su turno, determinan las estructuras de empleos. Es mas, los contextos institucionales influencian tambien las decisiones de las empresas en cuanto a favorecer una u otra forma de empleo. Los estudios futuros sobre el sujeto deberian poner el acento sobre todo en el rol de los sistemas de empleos en la determinacion del capital humano de las empresas. PALABRAS CLAVES: mercado laboral interno, Corea, estatuto de empleo, tipo de empleo, empleo temporal, empleo permanente, sistema de empleo, dinamismo del entorno., Introduction Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of temporary workers in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. However, the widespread use [...]