scholarly journals Does family ownership affect innovation activity? A focus on the biotechnological industry

Innovar ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (65) ◽  
pp. 11-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio César Acosta Prado ◽  
Mónica Longo-Somoza ◽  
María Belén Lozano García

This paper investigates if family ownership affects the firm’s innovation activity. It characterizes familiar and innovative firms using the Resource-based View of the firm and the relevant factors to innovate and gain competitive advantages. In particular, the purpose is identifying the profile of innovative firms and analyzing if family ownership is a characteristic related to their innovative activity. To achieve this objective, we have applied a cluster analysis methodology in a sample of companies of the Spanish biotechnological industry in which innovation is core. The results show the relevance of the family characteristics on the characterization of those innovative firms, contributing to clarify the existing inconclusive literature between family and innovation, and helping stakeholders and policy-makers to make decisions about inversion or transference of knowledge which would help to improve competitiveness and promote socio-economic changes.

Author(s):  
Monica Longo-Somoza

This chapter studies the identification of the profile of knowledge-intensive firms, analyzing if their innovation activity is a characteristic related with their profitability and employing as framework the ‘Resource-based view of the firm (RBV)'. Using a sample of 202 Spanish biotechnology companies, drawn from SABI database, the author has identified these firms' available data until 31st December, 2013. It has been used the cluster analysis methodology rarely employed in the preceding literature to characterise the firms of the sample. The empirical analysis results clarify the profile of the analysed firms, helping stakeholders and policy-makers to understand the dynamics of these kinds of firms and making strategic decisions accordingly over their characteristics. This would help them to grow in an orderly way and, thus, promote socio-economic changes to improve competitiveness and economic growth.


Author(s):  
Isabella Hatak ◽  
Dietmar Roessl

A firm's knowledge is considered a key strategic asset in the course of generating competitive advantages. However, especially within family firm succession, there is a high risk that knowledge embedded if the predecessor leaves the organization. Thus, in order to maintain the family firm's competitive advantage an understanding of the challenges regarding the knowledge transfer within family firm succession is needed. In this chapter, the authors employ a qualitative empirical approach to identify context-based knowledge transfer strategies and develop a typology of transfer constellations. The results provide insight for students, researchers, consultants, policy makers and family firm leaders, who are searching for the most appropriate knowledge transfer strategy given the nature, philosophies and traditions of specific small and medium sized family firms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1998
Author(s):  
Alvaro Rojas ◽  
Daniel Lorenzo

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the predominant form of firm in the economy worldwide, so it is becoming increasingly important to understand the role they play in the green transition. It is urgent to understand how SMEs establish their goals that reorient their strategies and activities towards the creation of greater environmental value. From a stakeholder perspective, this study analyzes the environmental and social goals that create value in SMEs. We identify family influence as an important determinant for the establishment of environmental goals in SMEs that has not been sufficiently studied. We tested the hypotheses in a sample of 132 Spanish SMEs. Our findings indicate that setting social goals and having family characteristics have a direct positive effect on the environmental goals of SMEs. In addition, family influence positively moderates the effect of social goals, increasing its effect in the establishment of environmental goals for the creation of value in SMEs. This is due to the desire of family SMEs to increase their socio-emotional wealth and their transgenerational intention by incorporating the requirements of stakeholders. These findings highlight the importance of particularly considering the family characteristics of SMEs when analyzing the role that SMEs play in the green transition and should also be important for policy makers when designing environmental policies.


1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Ribieto ◽  
J Elion ◽  
D Labie ◽  
F Josso

For the purification of the abnormal prothrombin (Pt Metz), advantage has been taken of the existence in the family of three siblings who, being double heterozygotes for Pt Metz and a hypoprothrombinemia, have no normal Pt. Purification procedures included barium citrate adsorption and chromatography on DEAE Sephadex as for normal Pt. As opposed to some other variants (Pt Barcelona and Madrid), Pt Metz elutes as a single symetrical peak. By SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, this material is homogeneous and appears to have the same molecular weight as normal Pt. Comigration of normal and abnormal Pt in the absence of SDS, shows a double band suggesting an abnormal charge for the variant. Pt Metz exhibits an identity reaction with the control by double immunodiffusion. Upon activation by factor Xa, Pt Metz can generate amydolytic activity on Bz-Phe-Val-Arg-pNa (S2160), but only a very low clotting activity. Clear abnormalities are observed in the cleavage pattern of Pt Metz when monitored by SDS gel electrophoresis. The main feature are the accumulation of prethrombin l (Pl) and the appearance of abnormal intermediates migrating faster than Pl.


Author(s):  
Khuan Seow ◽  
Nadia Caidi

Canada has an aging population with the fastest growing age groups (80 and 45-64 years old) vulnerable to age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Caregiving responsibilities often fall to the family members of the afflicted without much attention and consideration being placed on the information needs of these caregivers. We call for a better understanding of these caregivers' information needs and uses by social policy makers as well as information providers.La population du Canada a tendance à vieillir considérablement, avec la hausse la plus rapide dans les groupes d’âge (80 et 45 à 64 ans). Les personnes âges sont très vulnérables à toute sorte de maladies, telles que la maladie d’Alzheimer. La responsabilité revient souvent aux membres de la famille qui doivent prendre soin des personnes atteintes de cette maladie. Or, nous ne connaissons que peu de chose sur les besoins en information des personnes qui prennent soin de ces malades de l’Alzheimer : qui sont-ils ? Quelles sont leurs sources... 


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Yu-Wei Tseng ◽  
Chi-Chun Huang ◽  
Chih-Chiang Wang ◽  
Chiuan-Yu Li ◽  
Kuo-Hsiang Hung

Abstract Epilobium belongs to the family Onagraceae, which consists of approximately 200 species distributed worldwide, and some species have been used as medicinal plants. Epilobium nankotaizanense is an endemic and endangered herb that grows in the high mountains in Taiwan at an elevation of more than 3300 m. Alpine herbs are severely threatened by climate change, which leads to a reduction in their habitats and population sizes. However, only a few studies have addressed genetic diversity and population genetics. In the present study, we developed a new set of microsatellite markers for E. nankotaizanense using high-throughput genome sequencing data. Twenty polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed and tested on 30 individuals collected from three natural populations. These loci were successfully amplified, and polymorphisms were observed in E. nankotaizanense. The number of alleles per locus (A) ranged from 2.000 to 3.000, and the observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.929 and from 0.034 to 0.631, respectively. The developed polymorphic microsatellite markers will be useful in future conservation genetic studies of E. nankotaizanense as well as for developing an effective conservation strategy for this species and facilitating germplasm collections and sustainable utilization of other Epilobium species.


Metals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 728
Author(s):  
Milagrosa González Fernández de Castro ◽  
Yolanda Martín Álvarez ◽  
Juan José Moreno-Labella ◽  
Miguel Panizo-Laiz ◽  
Benito del Río

The Ni-hard alloys white-cast irons are generally used for high wear work. Among them, those with better impact resistance because of its low carbon content compared to the rest of the family, are studied in this paper. One experimental technique of characterizing the metallic materials is the microstructural study. Several metallographic attacks intended to reveal qualitatively each microconstituent that forms the alloy, as well as the segregation and solidification structure of casting, are studied in this article. The use of color metallography is fundamental in this case to distinguish clearly the microconstituents. The main objective of this paper is to propose a series of attacks that identify each one of the microconstituents present in the alloy that has not been reported up to date.


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