![]()
Part I
KIBS and industrial dynamics
![]()
1Knowledge Intensive Business Services research
Bibliometric study of leading international journals (1994–2014)
Alexandra M. Braga and Carla S. Marques
Introduction
Over the last 20 years, Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS) have grown considerably in many European and Asian countries and they have a significant influence on innovation activities across the whole economy (e.g. Shi et al., 2014; Hu et al., 2013; Abreu et al., 2010; Viljamaa et al., 2010; Wood, 2005; Miles et al., 2000; Mas-Verdú et al., 2011). For this reason, KIBS have recently become an important field of both theoretical (e.g. Murray et al., 2009; Bettiol et al., 2012; Chae, 2012; Gimzauskiene and Staliuniene, 2010) and empirical study (e.g. Miozzo and Grimshaw, 2005; Yam et al., 2011; Palacios-Marques et al., 2011; Santos-Vijande et al., 2013a; Carmona-Lavado et al., 2013).
Regional innovation research still echoes national studies by assuming the primacy for regional competitiveness of process-orientated, technologically driven innovation. It has nevertheless recognised the growing importance for such innovation of regional institutional interaction and flexibility and of key service expertise, especially through KIBS (Wood, 2005). Santos-Vijande et al., (2013a) argue that as the dynamism of the KIBS sector has an impact on the whole economy, it is also necessary to understand the most advisable management practices in KIBS to foster innovation and improved performance, although relatively few studies have approached this issue.
In order to assess the KIBS structure in a certain field, an important method – bibliometric analysis – can be used to analyse the trends in the published research. Bibliometric studies have been used in several areas of business and economics (Dragos et al., 2014), entrepreneurship (Ávilla et al., 2014), technology entrepreneurship (Ferreira et al., 2015), innovation (Toivanen, 2014), social innovation and social entrepreneurship (Philips et al., 2015), service innovation (Zhu and Guan, 2013), etc. However, no prior evidence of a systematic literature review in the leading international journals in this area has been found. In light of this consideration, this study aims to map and analyse the scientific production within the field of KIBS, using the publications database ISI Web of Science – WoS, for the period between 1994 and 2014.
Specifically, our objectives are: (1) to identify how the topic is defined in the international literature and the progress achieved in the research field; (2) to evaluate and measure the research productivity, key authors and scientific journals with the highest impact on this research field and the networks of association between the respective institutions and countries of origin; (3) and to analyse and map citations, co-citations and research themes to identify which topics and dimensions are related to KIBS in order to support future research.
This paper is organised as follows. In Section 2, the emergence of the field of study on KIBS and an overview of the literature on its concept are discussed. Section 3 presents and discusses the methodological features of the research, the sample and introduces the bibliometric analysis method. The subsequent section presents the results in terms of the KIBS’ core areas and presents visual maps of the KIBS network research. The last section concludes the paper, presenting observations and suggesting opportunities for future research.
Knowledge Intensive Business Services
Although the term “Knowledge-intensive business services” has been used since the early nineties, only recently it has become a major theme of investigation and empirical research (Mas-Verdú et al., 2011). Despite this relatively recent concern of the academia in studying KIBS, the literature has already provided many definitions of KIBS firms that, in many cases, do not differ significantly, but rather display different nuances. The different definitions of KIBS found in the literature can be explained by the purpose of the studies, in which a definition serves a particular purpose.
Bettencourt et al., (2002, p.100), describe KIBS firms as those aiming to generate value-added service activities, and that these activities consist in “the accumulation, creation, or dissemination of knowledge for the purpose of developing a customised service or product solution to satisfy the client’s needs.” The knowledge that serves as the basis for their business can, according to Miozzo and Grimshaw (2005), be social and institutional knowledge (e.g. accountancy; management consultancy) or technical knowledge (computer R&D; engineering services). Many authors (e.g. Borodako et al., 2014; Muller and Zenker, 2001; Fernandes and Ferreira, 2013; Huang and Ji, 2013; Hakanen, 2014) refer to the concept presented by Miles et al., (1995), who have distinguished KIBS as traditional professional KIBS (P-KIBS) and new technology-based services (T-KIBS). P-KIBS help their clients to navigate or negotiate complex systems such as social, physical, psychological, and biological systems (for example, marketing or consultancy services). T-KIBS are services that rely heavily on professional knowledge (e.g. IT services, communication, and computer services), thus, their employment structures are heavily weighted towards engineers and scientists.
In light with this consideration, Wong and He (2005) include three major KIBS sectors in their study: IT and related services, business and management consulting, and engineering and technical services. Based on Borodako et al., (2014), the third type of division is made according to the relationship of the KIBS to the (client) company and the market. Here, three groups of KIBS are identified: market KIBS (key services: market research; advertising; and research and experimental development in social sciences and humanities); enterprise KIBS (IT and programming services; legal services; accounting and tax advisory services; management advisory and PR services; temporary employment agencies; and other recruitment services); and technical KIBS (multilevel KIBS – connecting both the above groups of market and enterprise services: architectural activities; technical testing and analysis; research and experimental development in natural sciences and engineering; engineering activities).
According to Borodako et al., (2014), most definitions in the literature stress the following key aspects of KIBS: they are offered by private business to other business (e.g. Hertog, 2000); they are based on knowledge or expertise – mostly highly advanced and related to a specific field; and the consumption of the service usually improves the client company’s intellectual capital. When focusing on the role of KIBS services in client innovation, three different aspects can be perceived: KIBS act as (1) facilitators (if it supports a client firm in its innovation process); (2) carriers (if it plays a role in transferring existing innovations from one firm or industry to the client firm or industry); or (3) sources of innovation (if it plays a major role in initiating and developing innovations in client firms, mostly in close interaction with the client firm) (Hauknes, 1998).
A strong characteristic of KIBS firms, given the nature of their business and the importance of knowledge on the society, is the impact they have on the economic tissue. Wong and He (2005), with this respect, refer that KIBS firms are “group of services which are very actively integrated into innovation systems by joint knowledge development with their clients, and which consequently create considerable positive externalities and possibly accelerate knowledge intensification across the economy”.
In the academia, KIBS literature has addressed the concept from several different perspectives. The topic of KIBS can be interpreted in different ways and types of study. Table 1.1 provides some examples of how the literature has dealt with KIBS concept.
Table 1.1 KIBS concepts from the literature
| Reference | Definitions of KIBS |
| Miles et al. (1995) | KIBS are services involving economic activities which are intended to result in the creation, accumulation or dissemination of knowledge. |
| Muller and Zenker (2001) | KIBS do not only “transmit” knowledge, in fact they play a crucial role in terms of “knowledge re-engineering”. KIBS has potentially as receptors, interfaces and “catalysators” in terms of knowledge-creation and diffusion. KIBS can be described as services offered by firms, usually to other firms, incorporating ‘a high intellectual value-added’. |
| Wong and He (2005, p. 27) | “KIBS firms’ innovation efforts extend far beyond their internal organisation to the service relationship and directly into the domain of service clients by providing competence enhancing knowledge services to their clients”. |
| Bettiol et al. (2011) | The KIBS sector constitutes a service subsector that inc... |
