We conduct a detailed analysis of 289 absorptive capacity papers from 14 journals to assess how the construct has been utilized, examine the key papers in the field, and identify the substantive contributions to the broader literature using a thematic analysis. We argue that research in this area is fundamentally driven by five critical assumptions that we conclude have led to its reification and that this reification has led to stifling of research in this area. To address this, we propose a model of absorptive capacity processes, antecedents, and outcomes.

The Reification of Absorptive Capacity: A Critical Review and Rejuvenation of the Construct

What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

本文对国际科学计量学杂志《Ｓｃｉｅｎｔｏｍｅｔｒｉｃｓ》１９７９－１９９１年的研究论文内容、栏目、作者及国别和编委及国别作了计量分析，揭示出科学计量学研究的重点、活动的中心及发展趋势，说明了学科带头人在发展科学计量学这门新兴学科中的作用。

国际刊物《Scientometrics》文献计量研究

A considerable body of work highlights the relevance of collaborative research, contract research, consulting and informal relationships for university-industry knowledge transfer. We present a systematic review of research on academic scientists’ involvement in these activities to which we refer as ‘academic engagement’. Apart from extracting findings that are generalisable across studies, we ask how academic engagement differs from commercialization, defined as intellectual property creation and academic entrepreneurship. We identify the individual, organizational and institutional antecedents and consequences of academic engagement, and then compare these findings with the antecedents and consequences of commercialization. Apart from being more widely practiced, academic engagement is distinct from commercialization in that it is closely aligned with traditional academic research activities, and pursued by academics to access resources supporting their research agendas. We conclude by identifying future research needs, opportunities for methodological improvement and policy interventions. (Published version available via open access)

Academic Engagement and Commercialisation: A Review of the Literature on University-Industry Relations

http://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/104445/1/Academic%20engagement.pdf

Academic engagement and commercialisation : A review of the literature on university-industry relations

Science-based technologies: university–industry interactions in four fields

https://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/veranstaltungen/inno_patenting_conf/BlindEdlerFrietschSchmoch.pdf

Motives to patent: Empirical evidence from Germany

Linking Technology Areas to Industrial Sectors Final Report to the European Commission, DG Research

Technological innovations are one of the key factors in explaining economic competitiveness of advanced countries. Therefore it is important to monitor technological development of areas, countries and regions in a systematic way to support economic analysis and decision making. It is, however, impossible to describe the technological development by a single indicator encompassing all aspects and stages of innovation. Rather, it is necessary to establish a network of related indicators reflecting different aspects of innovation. At the same time to examine the relationship between technology and economic performance it is crucial to link technological indicators with those related to economic performance. At the international level, most economic indicators such as turnover, investment, employment, productivity, value added, R&D expenditure etc. are classified by industrial sectors, for instance, according to the NACE or ISIC schemes. In contrast, some of the most frequently used indicators for technology are based on patent statistics, classified according to the International Patent Classification (IPC).5 However, the IPC is based on technological categories and cannot be directly translated into industrial sectors. One approach for solving this problem is to establish a reliable concordance between technology and industry classifications.

/pdf/linking-technology-areas-to-industrial-sectors-4dgb2ifn32.pdf

Ulrich Schmoch

Papers

Science-based technologies: university–industry interactions in four fields

Motives to patent: Empirical evidence from Germany

Linking Technology Areas to Industrial Sectors Final Report to the European Commission, DG Research

Linking Technology Areas to Industrial Sectors

Patent statistics in the age of globalisation: new legal procedures, new analytical methods, new economic interpretation