Abstract
The aim of this paper is, firstly, to contribute to the understanding
of innovation patterns in services. To this end, firms which are
similar in terms of a large set of innovation indicators were grouped
into clusters. For the Swiss case, it was possible to identify five
clusters which exhibit clearly different configurations of a large
number of innovation-related factors (appropriability, etc.) and
several structural properties of firms (size, etc.). The clusters
may thus be interpreted as specific “innovation modes”. Secondly,
we investigated whether these modes are “economically equivalent”.
In such a case, the unordered classifying of similar firms would
be more appropriate than the ranking of industries according to their
innovativeness. The evidence supports the classification approach
quite well; however, the ranking procedure cannot be completely refuted.
Finally, this paper yields some insights into the differences between
the innovation patterns prevailing in services and in manufacturing.
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