Nucharin Ratchukool   <br/><br/>
The effect of proximity between universities and research institutes and firms on firm innovativeness 

 - Pathum Thani, Thailand :  Asian Institute of Technology,  2018 
 - 71 leaves :  ill. +1 online resource 
 - Dissertation ;  no. SM-18-04 .
 - Asian Institute of Technology.  Dissertation ;  no. SM-18-04 .
<br/><br/> A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management, School of Management 
<br/><br/>Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2018 
<br/><br/> It is generally accepted that innovativeness is critical to a firm's success and survival in a  competitive business environment. Proximity to knowledge producer is often seen as one  important factor which contributes to firm innovativeness. This study examines the effects  of multidimensional proximity to public university/public research institute (PRI) on firm  innovativeness. Furthermore, this study also evaluates the effect of knowledge interaction as  a mediating variable on firm innovativeness.  The result of this study is concluded from a questionnaire survey of the R&D or new product  development managers in manufacturing firms in Thailand that had been identified as  innovative in the 2Thailand Innovation Survey 20123. The hypothesized relationships in  this research were evaluated by the Structural Equation Modeling techniques (SEM).  The findings confirm that geographical proximity alone is insufficient condition to foster the  interaction between firms and universities/PRIs. Moreover, proximities between firms and  universities/PRIs indirectly enhance the innovativeness of firms through the knowledge  interaction. The closeness in terms of social relation and technological knowledge base are  more important factors that influence the knowledge interaction between firm and  universities/PRIs than the geographical closeness in terms of physical location.  As for managerial implications, the findings may help the corporate R&D and new product  development managers in making appropriate choices of strategic partners. For  universities/PRIs, our finding also may help the presidents/executives in developing policies  to encourage their researchers to engage in research collaboration that supports the industrial  partners innovativeness 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>Proximity spaces<br/>Technology Transfer<br/>Universities and colleges--Public relations