Impacto de la gestión del capital intelectual en el crecimiento de la actividad de pequeñas y medianas empresas innovadorasuna aplicación al sistema de innovación de Galicia

Resumo

This doctoral thesis addresses the lack of research concerning models for intellectual capital (IC henceforth) management in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as well as their possible effect on business growth. This research has raised a structural equation model assessing the relationship between components of IC (human, structural and relational capital) as explanatory variables of the cumulative growth rate of SMEs. This model has been tested in a representative sample of 140 innovative SMEs of Galicia in the context of its system of innovation (SI, henceforth). The consideration of agents from the SI as an element of the relational capital of innovative SMEs is an original aspect of this research. Chapter one summarises the research problem, the interest of research topics and the research objectives. It is included the justification that encourages research and interest in the theory of IC and SI, both from the empirical point of view for management and business administration and public policy makers related to innovation systems. Bearing in mind the research problem, chapter two comprises the relevant findings from the state of the art about SI theory as a framework for this research, as well as IC. It is included a quantitative bibliometric review of the research topics, following a model of systematic review of relevant literature suggested by other researchers. The SI review has been divided into three subsections: (a) A review of the typology of SI, with particular attention to National, Regional and Technological/sectoral Systems"; (b) A review of the main components of a SI; and (c) Finally, the main conclusions for the research aim. The IC review has been structured into four subsections. (A) A review of the framework approach to the theory of IC. (B) A definitions review of the elements of IC; (C) A survey of the approximately forty-two existing measurement models of IC until now and;" (D) Finally, by way of conclusions relevant to the research, a review of business performance and IC researches, as key for the generating value process at entreprises. Chapter three concrete the scope of the research problem. There, the model and hypotheses to be tested are introduced. The proposed indicators for each element of IC (Human-HC, Structural-SC and Relational-RC) and for measuring growth at innovative SMEs are also detailed. The empirical test of the model includes two chapters. Chapter four includes the methodology to be employed in the empirical test. In the last subsection of this chapter is outlined the statistical procedure to be used in the next chapter, for building the final specification of the structural equation system. In Chapter Five is detailed step-by-step statistical tests performed, including a discussion of results obtained in the process of specification and re-specification. It also includes the results for the contrast of the six hypotheses tested. The main challenges faced in the ?SI? topic were the interrelationships among systems (internal subsystems and entrepreneurship, externally with other SIs), as well as the need for bringing out the linkages between the components of the SI, in which there is a multilevel government. From the micro and meso levels, one of the Neo-Schumpeterian challenges has been how the behaviour of microeconomic agents at the individual level could explain the economic growth at the aggregate level in the case of innovative products (innovation as a source for economic progress .) Derived from the results, one could argue that the innovation system in which SMEs are embedded in Galicia is halfway between a national SI and a regional. In the innovative SMEs, the interrelationships between components of the SI (institutional supporting centers for innovation, public administration ...) do not seem to have a primary role in explaining its growth. If one considers the type of SI at the regional level, the results seem to point that Galicia has a networked regional innovation system. Concerning the theory of IC, the existence of some remarkable relations between their components to explain the cumulative growth rate can be highlighted. In view of accepted and not accepted hypotheses, it seems that the starting point is the Human Capital. There is not enough evidence to support the hypothesis that HC is directly related to the cumulative growth rate, if not through SC (primarily) and RC (lesser extent).