The DUI (learning by doing-using-interacting) mode offers a promising theoretical framework to explain why many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are successful in innovation without research and development (R&D) efforts. In this context, we argue that - because of the informal,...

Previous research has established that certain personality traits represent predictors of start-up activity. We argue that similar cognitive processes that affect entrepreneurship also play a role in firm-level innovativeness. For example, open-ness to novelty can be regarded as a key component...

In order to better capture non-R&D based processes related to Learning by Doing, Using and Interacting (DUI) as a basis for policy advice, this paper empirically identifies DUI mode drivers of SME innovation. For the first time, a large set of conceptually derived indicators is used in a...

Kleine und mittlere Unternehmen greifen zum Schutz von Innovationsergebnissen deutlich seltener auf geistige Eigentumsrechte zurück als größere Unternehmen. Der zurückhaltende Umgang mit Patenten, Urheberrechten oder Handelsmarken lässt sich in vielen Fällen durch den unternehmerischen...

Der vorliegende Beitrag geht der Frage nach, wie der anhaltende Trend zur Akademisierung der Berufswelt im Hinblick auf die Innovationsfähigkeit von kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen (KMU) zu bewerten ist. Die Ergebnisse machen deutlich, dass die duale Berufsausbildung und darauf aufbauende...

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of informal modes of learning based on Doing, Using and Interacting (DUI). Innovating firms from Germany are grouped according to the degree to which they combine DUI mode competencies with formal learning of science and technology (i.e. the...

Regarding the spatial impact of digitalization, the concern is often expressed that rural areas and the companies located there are disadvantaged by a digital divide compared to urban regions. Against this background, this paper explores the role of the urban/rural location of a small firm in...