Knowledge Sourcing and Innovations of Firms in Synthetic and Symbolic Knowledge Base Sectors: Evidence from Thailand

Phakpoom Tippakoon, Nattapon Sang-arun () and Panisa Vishuphong
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Phakpoom Tippakoon: Thammasat University
Nattapon Sang-arun: Thammasat University
Panisa Vishuphong: Thammasat University

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2024, vol. 15, issue 3, No 177, 14874-14901

Abstract: Abstract This paper examines the geographical extent of knowledge sourcing of firms with synthetic and symbolic knowledge bases, drawing on the differentiated knowledge base (DKB) perspective. We contribute to the knowledge-sourcing studies and the DKB literature by analyzing the effects of local, national, and international knowledge-sourcing on firms’ innovations in the context of Thailand. The data from the postal survey were employed for statistical analysis. The results reveal that synthetic industry firms benefit from local knowledge sourcing regarding process innovations, while national and international knowledge sourcing is not significant for innovation performance. On the other hand, firms in the symbolic sector, though sourcing knowledge intensively from local sources, local knowledge sourcing does not help improve their product and process innovations. Instead, symbolic firms can enhance their product innovation by sourcing knowledge from national and international sources. We also find the substitution effect of local and national knowledge sourcing and the complementary effect of local and global knowledge sourcing in the group of symbolic firms. This evidence indicates the importance of global knowledge networks on innovations in the symbolic knowledge base sector. We suggest that when applying the DKB perspective to analyze the spatial extent of firms’ knowledge sourcing, it is necessary to pay more attention to the innovation effects generated by knowledge sourcing at different spatial configurations.

Keywords: Knowledge sourcing; Differentiated knowledge base; Firms’ innovations; Spatial configurations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s13132-023-01620-2

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