Title: Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS) as drivers of multilevel knowledge dynamics

Authors: Simone Strambach

Addresses: Philipps – University Marburg, Deutschhausstrasse 10, D-35032 Marburg, Germany

Abstract: KIBS research to date has been conducted mainly by taking an innovation perspective where an explicit focus on knowledge processes is not very well pronounced. The paper intends to make a conceptual contribution to a deeper understanding of the role of KIBS as an industry that produces, uses and transforms knowledge. It focuses on the knowledge dimension and uses evolutionary and organisation-based knowledge approaches to show that KIBS can be identified as drivers of knowledge dynamics in multilevel contexts. Both the specific characteristics of their composite knowledge products and the way these are produced are considered to be responsible for the unique way they foster knowledge dynamics in firm, sector and territorial contexts. By the application of different knowledge dimensions such as types of knowledge bases and domains mainly used to examine knowledge processes and innovation in industrial sectors, the specificities of KIBS to multilevel knowledge dynamics are analysed and discussed.

Keywords: knowledge-intensive business services; KIBS; innovation; knowledge dynamics; knowledge value chain; knowledge domain; knowledge types; multilevel contexts.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTM.2008.022117

International Journal of Services Technology and Management, 2008 Vol.10 No.2/3/4, pp.152 - 174

Published online: 19 Dec 2008 *

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