Knowledge-intensive Business Services in National Innovation Systems

In order to find the roles of knowledge-intensive business services （KIBS） in the innovation activities, This paper focus on three perspectives. First, we find that KIBS possess good prerequisites to function as vehicles in innovation distribution, the sources of innovation and the facilitators of innovation in their client firms. Second, we further discuss KIBS as the knowledge and innovation infrastructure of society in parallel with the research, educational and other public institutions. Third, we present some research policies and agenda to promote the development of KIBS. It is regarded that much remains to be studied both in the use of KIBS and in their own activities, including integrating and networking the knowledge-intensive services into the client companies, the convergence of various services and closer connection with the client companies＇ strategy, and the national policies to connect the KIBS to the different sectors.

The Middle-aged and Knowledge Workers: Demographic and Economic Changes in the Pearl River Delta, China

Demographic and economic development can be seen as two sides of one coin in the process of regional development.This article deals with how economic and demographic changes influence the settlement structure and development of the Pearl River Delta(PRD)and lead to regionalization processes within the large agglomerations.The aim of the study was to understand the interrelation between the three aspects:economic change,demographic change and change of spatial structures.Based on population age and occupational data,spatial changes in demographic structure and economic activities from 2000 to 2010 were analyzed.It was found that the demographic and economic change reflected changing spatial patterns between the urban centers and the hinterland in the PRD.Two processes were apparent during the studied period in the hinterlands and the high-density areas of the PRD.On one hand,the hinterlands in the PRD attracted more manufacturing activities,while the inner high-density areas experienced a decrease in manufacturing,associated with an increase in young labor in regions where workplaces that only required limited education expanded.On the other hand,specialization in knowledge-intensive business services increased in the inner high-density areas,which also saw an increased share in the older population.This finding suggests that increasing knowledge-intensive work correlates with higher age structures due to the longer formal education required and also the benefits knowledge workers accrue through experience and gained knowledge over time.Therefore,based on a transformation process,we tentatively conclude that the populations in high-density areas in the PRD became more middle-aged and were represented by more knowledge workers.

Evaluating and visualizing QoS of service providers in knowledgeintensive crowdsourcing:a combined MCDM approach

Purpose-As the number of joined service providers(SPs)in knowledge-intensive crowdsourcing(KI-C)continues to rise,there is an information overload problem for KI-C platforms and consumers to identify qualified SPs to complete tasks.To this end,this paper aims to propose a quality of service(QoS)evaluation framework for SPs in KI-C to effectively and comprehensively characterize the QoS of SPs,which can aid the efficient selection of qualified SPs.Design/methodology/approach-By literature summary and discussion with the expert team,a QoS evaluation indicator system for SPs in KI-C based on the SERVQUAL model is constructed.In addition,the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory(DEMATEL)method is used to obtain evaluation indicators’weights.The SPs are evaluated and graded by the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution(TOPSIS)and rank-sum ratio(RSR),respectively.Findings-A QoS evaluation indicator system for SPs in KI-C incorporating 13 indicators based on SERVQUAL has been constructed,and a hybrid methodology combining DEMATEL,TOPSIS and RSR is applied to quantify and visualize the QoS of SPs.Originality/value-The QoS evaluation framework for SPs in KI-C proposed in this paper can quantify and visualize the QoS of SPs,which can help the crowdsourcing platform to realize differentiated management for SPs and assist SPs to improve their shortcomings in a targeted manner.And this is the first paper to evaluate SPs in KI-C from the prospect of QoS.

Sustainable career development for R&D professionals:Applying a career development system in Basque country

The goal of this study is to measure the effectiveness of a career development system implemented at a research and technology organization at satisfying the context requirements of a decree issued by the Basque Country government.Through in-depth surveying of 80 R&D professionals over the five years,the authors aimed to determine whether a career development system,when it is linked to context requirements and researchers’contributions,could offer researchers feedback about their career aims and increase their job satisfaction.During the five years of the study,the researchers’capacity to meet career requirements improved by 20%,and job satisfaction,although it declined at first,increased substantially in the last two years,reaching a historic high for the employee satisfaction survey.