ICT Adoption, Capabilities Development, and Innovation Processes in Argentina: An Approach from Employment and Knowledge Management

ICT Adoption, Capabilities Development, and Innovation Processes in Argentina: An Approach from Employment and Knowledge Management

Marta Novick, Sebastian Rotondo, Gerardo Breard
Copyright: © 2014 |Pages: 24
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-4769-5.ch014
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Abstract

The discussion on innovation and the adoption of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and their impact on economic growth and development have flared up in the past few years. This debate has become increasingly relevant in emerging countries like Argentina, which, in spite of high economic growth rates in the last decade, has been facing the challenge of quality employment creation. This chapter analyzes the impact of the ICT diffusion process in Argentine companies from a firm-level employment, innovation capabilities development, and knowledge management approach. Recent findings support the linkage between different firms’ ICT adoption patterns and the development of innovation capabilities, employment dimensions, and knowledge management practices. These results provide evidence to think and develop new productive and technological policies.
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1. Conceptual Framework

There is some consensus about the fact that, in the current context, the economic development and production dynamics depend on the adoption and diffusion of innovations and knowledge, which are factors fostering transformation and renewal of the productive system. That is, the accumulation of capital is explained as the result of a technology and knowledge build-up process (Ocampo 2008; Pérez 2008). But, what does it mean to be innovative in terms of employment generation? What kind of linkage exists between business' behaviors and the capability of the productive system to create more jobs in terms of quantity and quality?

Even if the debate of the effects (firm-level or aggregate level) of innovative processes on employment has been improved since innovative behaviors appear as a tool to improve competitive advantages, this debate presents different perspectives on the subject and is far from being conclusive3. One of the main things to bear in mind is that employment plays a dual role in innovation processes: it is part and result.

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