Innovative Firms or Innovative Owners? Determinants of Innovation in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises

Innovation is key to technology adoption and creation, and to explaining the vast differences in productivity across and within countries. Despite the central role of the entrepreneur in the innovation process, data limitations have restricted stan...

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Main Authors: de Mel, Suresh, McKenzie, David, Woodruff, Christopher
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
Published: 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090518125334
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4128
id okr-10986-4128
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-41282021-04-23T14:02:15Z Innovative Firms or Innovative Owners? Determinants of Innovation in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises de Mel, Suresh McKenzie, David Woodruff, Christopher ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGY ADVERTISING BUSINESS PROCESS BUSINESSES COMPANY COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT COMPETITOR COMPETITORS CONCEPT OF INNOVATION COST OF INNOVATION CREATIVE DESTRUCTION CULTURAL CHANGE CUSTOM CUSTOMIZATION DATA LIMITATIONS DELIVERY METHOD DIFFERENT TYPES OF INNOVATION DIVERSIFICATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMICS EMPLOYMENT ENTREPRENEUR ENTREPRENEURS ENTREPRENEURSHIP FIRM SIZE FLASH HUMAN CAPITAL IDEA IDEAS INCOME INDIVIDUAL FIRM INNOVATION INNOVATION PROCESS INNOVATIVE ACTIVITIES INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY INNOVATIVE FIRMS INVENTORY LABOR ECONOMICS LEADING LOAN LOGICAL THINKING MANUFACTURING MARKET SHARE MARKETING MEDIUM ENTERPRISES MICROCREDIT MICROENTERPRISES MOTIVATION NEW MARKETS NEW PRODUCT NEW PRODUCTS ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATION ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATIONS POLITICAL ECONOMY PRIVATE COMPANIES PRIVATE SECTOR PROCESS INNOVATION PROCESS INNOVATIONS PRODUCT DESIGN PRODUCT INNOVATION PRODUCT INNOVATIONS PRODUCTIVITY QUALITY STANDARDS R&D RENTS RESULT RESULTS RETAIL TRADE SEARCH SEARCHES SMALL BUSINESSES SMALL FIRMS STANDARDIZATION SUPPLIER SUPPLIERS SUPPLY CHAIN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION TRAITS USES VARIETY WEB WORKPLACE Innovation is key to technology adoption and creation, and to explaining the vast differences in productivity across and within countries. Despite the central role of the entrepreneur in the innovation process, data limitations have restricted standard analysis of the determinants of innovation to consideration of the role of firm characteristics. The authors develop a model of innovation that incorporates the role of both owner and firm characteristics, and use this to determine how product, process, marketing, and organizational innovations should vary with firm size and competition. They then use a new, large, representative survey from Sri Lanka to test this model and to examine whether and how owner characteristics matter for innovation. The survey also allows analysis of the incidence of innovation in micro and small firms, which have traditionally been overlooked in the study of innovation, despite these firms comprising the majority of firms in developing countries. The analysis finds that more than one-quarter of the microenterprises are engaging in innovation, with marketing innovations the most common. As predicted by the model, firm size has a stronger positive effect, and competition a stronger negative effect, on process and organizational innovations than on product innovations. Owner ability, personality traits, and ethnicity have a significant and substantial impact on the likelihood of a firm innovating, confirming the importance of the entrepreneur in the innovation process. 2012-03-19T19:10:27Z 2012-03-19T19:10:27Z 2009-05-01 http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090518125334 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4128 English Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 4934 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper The World Region The World Region
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGY
ADVERTISING
BUSINESS PROCESS
BUSINESSES
COMPANY
COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
COMPETITOR
COMPETITORS
CONCEPT OF INNOVATION
COST OF INNOVATION
CREATIVE DESTRUCTION
CULTURAL CHANGE
CUSTOM
CUSTOMIZATION
DATA LIMITATIONS
DELIVERY METHOD
DIFFERENT TYPES OF INNOVATION
DIVERSIFICATION
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMICS
EMPLOYMENT
ENTREPRENEUR
ENTREPRENEURS
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
FIRM SIZE
FLASH
HUMAN CAPITAL
IDEA
IDEAS
INCOME
INDIVIDUAL FIRM
INNOVATION
INNOVATION PROCESS
INNOVATIVE ACTIVITIES
INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY
INNOVATIVE FIRMS
INVENTORY
LABOR ECONOMICS
LEADING
LOAN
LOGICAL THINKING
MANUFACTURING
MARKET SHARE
MARKETING
MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
MICROCREDIT
MICROENTERPRISES
MOTIVATION
NEW MARKETS
NEW PRODUCT
NEW PRODUCTS
ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATION
ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATIONS
POLITICAL ECONOMY
PRIVATE COMPANIES
PRIVATE SECTOR
PROCESS INNOVATION
PROCESS INNOVATIONS
PRODUCT DESIGN
PRODUCT INNOVATION
PRODUCT INNOVATIONS
PRODUCTIVITY
QUALITY STANDARDS
R&D
RENTS
RESULT
RESULTS
RETAIL TRADE
SEARCH
SEARCHES
SMALL BUSINESSES
SMALL FIRMS
STANDARDIZATION
SUPPLIER
SUPPLIERS
SUPPLY CHAIN
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
TRAITS
USES
VARIETY
WEB
WORKPLACE
spellingShingle ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGY
ADVERTISING
BUSINESS PROCESS
BUSINESSES
COMPANY
COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
COMPETITOR
COMPETITORS
CONCEPT OF INNOVATION
COST OF INNOVATION
CREATIVE DESTRUCTION
CULTURAL CHANGE
CUSTOM
CUSTOMIZATION
DATA LIMITATIONS
DELIVERY METHOD
DIFFERENT TYPES OF INNOVATION
DIVERSIFICATION
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMICS
EMPLOYMENT
ENTREPRENEUR
ENTREPRENEURS
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
FIRM SIZE
FLASH
HUMAN CAPITAL
IDEA
IDEAS
INCOME
INDIVIDUAL FIRM
INNOVATION
INNOVATION PROCESS
INNOVATIVE ACTIVITIES
INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY
INNOVATIVE FIRMS
INVENTORY
LABOR ECONOMICS
LEADING
LOAN
LOGICAL THINKING
MANUFACTURING
MARKET SHARE
MARKETING
MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
MICROCREDIT
MICROENTERPRISES
MOTIVATION
NEW MARKETS
NEW PRODUCT
NEW PRODUCTS
ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATION
ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATIONS
POLITICAL ECONOMY
PRIVATE COMPANIES
PRIVATE SECTOR
PROCESS INNOVATION
PROCESS INNOVATIONS
PRODUCT DESIGN
PRODUCT INNOVATION
PRODUCT INNOVATIONS
PRODUCTIVITY
QUALITY STANDARDS
R&D
RENTS
RESULT
RESULTS
RETAIL TRADE
SEARCH
SEARCHES
SMALL BUSINESSES
SMALL FIRMS
STANDARDIZATION
SUPPLIER
SUPPLIERS
SUPPLY CHAIN
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
TRAITS
USES
VARIETY
WEB
WORKPLACE
de Mel, Suresh
McKenzie, David
Woodruff, Christopher
Innovative Firms or Innovative Owners? Determinants of Innovation in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises
geographic_facet The World Region
The World Region
relation Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 4934
description Innovation is key to technology adoption and creation, and to explaining the vast differences in productivity across and within countries. Despite the central role of the entrepreneur in the innovation process, data limitations have restricted standard analysis of the determinants of innovation to consideration of the role of firm characteristics. The authors develop a model of innovation that incorporates the role of both owner and firm characteristics, and use this to determine how product, process, marketing, and organizational innovations should vary with firm size and competition. They then use a new, large, representative survey from Sri Lanka to test this model and to examine whether and how owner characteristics matter for innovation. The survey also allows analysis of the incidence of innovation in micro and small firms, which have traditionally been overlooked in the study of innovation, despite these firms comprising the majority of firms in developing countries. The analysis finds that more than one-quarter of the microenterprises are engaging in innovation, with marketing innovations the most common. As predicted by the model, firm size has a stronger positive effect, and competition a stronger negative effect, on process and organizational innovations than on product innovations. Owner ability, personality traits, and ethnicity have a significant and substantial impact on the likelihood of a firm innovating, confirming the importance of the entrepreneur in the innovation process.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author de Mel, Suresh
McKenzie, David
Woodruff, Christopher
author_facet de Mel, Suresh
McKenzie, David
Woodruff, Christopher
author_sort de Mel, Suresh
title Innovative Firms or Innovative Owners? Determinants of Innovation in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises
title_short Innovative Firms or Innovative Owners? Determinants of Innovation in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises
title_full Innovative Firms or Innovative Owners? Determinants of Innovation in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises
title_fullStr Innovative Firms or Innovative Owners? Determinants of Innovation in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises
title_full_unstemmed Innovative Firms or Innovative Owners? Determinants of Innovation in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises
title_sort innovative firms or innovative owners? determinants of innovation in micro, small, and medium enterprises
publishDate 2012
url http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090518125334
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4128
_version_ 1764390038844473344