Firstly, we investigated the determinants of a) the propensity of Swiss firms to provide apprenticeship training, and b) the intensity of training (measured by the employment share of apprentices). We primarily were interested in the relevance as explanatory factors of the three constituent...

The paper analyzes the relevance of the three constituent elements of the ‘new firm paradigm', i.e. ICT, workplace organization and human capital, as determinants of a firm's provision of training. We concentrate on apprenticeship training, which in German-speaking countries is a widespread...

The paper aims at explaining empirically the diffusion of E-commerce based on two largescale sample surveys conducted in the Swiss economy. The paper adds to previous work in two ways: firstly, we estimate separate models for E-selling and E-purchasing, and, secondly, we distinguish between...

The paper investigates empirically the decision of firms to adopt Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) based on a comprehensive specification of a rank model of technology adoption (complemented by epidemic effects) using firm-level data for the Swiss business sector. The explanatory...

The aim of the paper is, firstly, to identify a number of strategies Swiss firms pursue by performing foreign R&D, expecting that firms, in many instances, are driven by a combination of several motives (mixed strategies). Secondly, we ask whether foreign and domestic R&D are substitutes or...

Basierend auf einer Sichtung der empirischen Literatur werden in diesem Policy Brief drei Fragen behandelt: 1. Welche (neuen) Trends prägen die Internationalisierung von Forschung und Entwicklung (F&E)? 2. Welche Faktoren entscheiden darüber, ob ein Unternehmen im Ausland F&E betreibt? 3. Wie...

The paper aims at a joint analysis of inter-firm and intra-firm diffusion of technology, taking as an example E-selling and E-purchasing. The analysis is based on an encompassing model of diffusion, drawn from the literature, which is extended by considering technology-specific obstacles and...

This paper attempts to at least partially redress a paucity of current literature on the joint analysis of inter and intra firm diffusion of innovations within as well as across countries. In particular, by using two datasets derived from independent countryspecific surveys, it undertakes an...

The aim of this paper is twofold: Firstly, we try to identify and characterise different types of strategies firms pursue in performing foreign R&D. Secondly, it is analysed whether the types of R&D strategies we identified in the first part differ in terms of their impact on firm productivity....

The study seeks to identify the determinants of a firm's foreign entry mode choice and the impact of mode selection on firm performance for the specific case of R&D - a topic so far not investigated in entry mode research. Separate estimates of a Heckman selection model for Austria and...