IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/cesisp/0162.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Creating Innovations, Productivity and Growth - the efficiency of Icelandic firms

Author

Listed:
  • Ho, Dong-huyn

    (CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies, Royal Institute of Technology)

  • Lööf, Hans

    (CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies, Royal Institute of Technology)

Abstract

Iceland is one of the smallest European economies and the country was hit severely by the 2008-financial crisis. This paper considers the economy in the period preceding the collapse. Applying a Data Envelopment Analysis on 204 randomly selected firms, the results suggest that a substantial fraction of the Icelandic firms can be classified as non-efficient in their production process. The production scale of many manufacturing firms is too small to be technically efficient, while service firms typically use excessive resources in their production process. A remarkably weak performance in transforming R&D and labour efforts into successful innovations is observed.

Suggested Citation

  • Ho, Dong-huyn & Lööf, Hans, 2009. "Creating Innovations, Productivity and Growth - the efficiency of Icelandic firms," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 162, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:cesisp:0162
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://static.sys.kth.se/itm/wp/cesis/cesiswp162.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Guan, Jian Cheng & Yam, Richard C.M. & Mok, Chiu Kam & Ma, Ning, 2006. "A study of the relationship between competitiveness and technological innovation capability based on DEA models," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 170(3), pages 971-986, May.
    2. Yang, Ji-Chung, 2006. "The efficiency of SMEs in the global market: Measuring the Korean performance," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 28(8), pages 861-876, November.
    3. Sueyoshi, Toshiyuki, 1999. "Tariff structure of Japanese electric power companies: An empirical analysis using DEA," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 118(2), pages 350-374, October.
    4. Zhu, Joe, 2000. "Multi-factor performance measure model with an application to Fortune 500 companies," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(1), pages 105-124, May.
    5. Bergendahl, Goran & Lindblom, Ted, 2008. "Evaluating the performance of Swedish savings banks according to service efficiency," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 185(3), pages 1663-1673, March.
    6. Pentzaropoulos, G. C. & Giokas, D. I., 2002. "Comparing the operational efficiency of the main European telecommunications organizations: A quantitative analysis," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(11), pages 595-606, December.
    7. Fulvio Castellacci & Jinghai Zheng, 2010. "Technological regimes, Schumpeterian patterns of innovation and firm-level productivity growth," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 19(6), pages 1829-1865, December.
    8. Wu, Zai Bin & Yeung, Godfrey & Mok, Vincent & Han, Zhaozhou, 2007. "Firm-specific knowledge and technical efficiency of watch and clock manufacturing firms in China," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(2), pages 317-332, June.
    9. Duzakin, Erkut & Duzakin, Hatice, 2007. "Measuring the performance of manufacturing firms with super slacks based model of data envelopment analysis: An application of 500 major industrial enterprises in Turkey," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 182(3), pages 1412-1432, November.
    10. William W. Cooper & Kyung Sam Park & Gang Yu, 1999. "IDEA and AR-IDEA: Models for Dealing with Imprecise Data in DEA," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 45(4), pages 597-607, April.
    11. R. D. Banker & A. Charnes & W. W. Cooper, 1984. "Some Models for Estimating Technical and Scale Inefficiencies in Data Envelopment Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(9), pages 1078-1092, September.
    12. Keh, Hean Tat & Chu, Singfat, 2003. "Retail productivity and scale economies at the firm level: a DEA approach," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 75-82, April.
    13. Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Rhodes, E., 1978. "Measuring the efficiency of decision making units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 2(6), pages 429-444, November.
    14. Bozec, Richard & Dia, Mohamed, 2007. "Board structure and firm technical efficiency: Evidence from Canadian state-owned enterprises," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 177(3), pages 1734-1750, March.
    15. Soteriou, Andreas C. & Zenios, Stavros A., 1999. "Using data envelopment analysis for costing bank products," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(2), pages 234-248, April.
    16. Brown, Rayna, 2006. "Mismanagement or mismeasurement? Pitfalls and protocols for DEA studies in the financial services sector," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 174(2), pages 1100-1116, October.
    17. Joe Zhu & Zhao-Han Shen, 1995. "A discussion of testing DMUs' returns to scale," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 81(3), pages 590-596, March.
    18. Dimara, Efthalia & Skuras, Dimitris & Tsekouras, Kostas & Tzelepis, Dimitris, 2008. "Productive efficiency and firm exit in the food sector," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 185-196, April.
    19. Joe Zhu, 2004. "Imprecise DEA via Standard Linear DEA Models with a Revisit to a Korean Mobile Telecommunication Company," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 52(2), pages 323-329, April.
    20. Tsai, Hsiang-Chih & Chen, Chun-Mei & Tzeng, Gwo-Hshiung, 2006. "The comparative productivity efficiency for global telecoms," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(2), pages 509-526, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Oh, Dong-Hyun & Lööf, Hans & Heshmati, Almas, 2009. "The Icelandic Economy: a victim of the financial crisis or simply inefficient?," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 199, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    2. Dimitrios Giokas & Nicolaos Eriotis & Ioannis Dokas, 2015. "Efficiency and productivity of the food and beverage listed firms in the pre-recession and recessionary periods in Greece," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(19), pages 1927-1941, April.
    3. Tsai, Hsiang-Chih & Chen, Chun-Mei & Tzeng, Gwo-Hshiung, 2006. "The comparative productivity efficiency for global telecoms," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(2), pages 509-526, October.
    4. Eleftherios Kourtis & Michael Kourtis & Panayiotis Curtis & Michael Hanias, 2022. "Sustainable Business Growth, Value Creation and Dynamic Competitive Advantage: The Greek Pharmaceutical Industry," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(2), pages 46-79.
    5. Lourdes Torres & Patricia Bachiller, 2013. "Efficiency of telecommunications companies in European countries," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 17(4), pages 863-886, November.
    6. Duzakin, Erkut & Duzakin, Hatice, 2007. "Measuring the performance of manufacturing firms with super slacks based model of data envelopment analysis: An application of 500 major industrial enterprises in Turkey," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 182(3), pages 1412-1432, November.
    7. Banker, Rajiv D. & Cooper, William W. & Seiford, Lawrence M. & Thrall, Robert M. & Zhu, Joe, 2004. "Returns to scale in different DEA models," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(2), pages 345-362, April.
    8. Dimitris Balios & Nikolaos Eriotis & Alexandra Fragoudaki & Dimitrios Giokas, 2015. "Economic efficiency of Greek retail SMEs in a period of high fluctuations in economic activity: a DEA approach," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(33), pages 3577-3593, July.
    9. Kao, Chiang, 2014. "Network data envelopment analysis: A review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 239(1), pages 1-16.
    10. Liao, Chun-Hsiung & Lin, Hsing-Yung, 2011. "Measuring operational efficiency of mobile operators in Japan and Korea," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 48-57, January.
    11. Congcong Yang & Alfred Taudes & Guozhi Dong, 2017. "Efficiency analysis of European Freight Villages: three peers for benchmarking," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 25(1), pages 91-122, March.
    12. Kao, Chiang & Lin, Pei-Huang, 2011. "Qualitative factors in data envelopment analysis: A fuzzy number approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 211(3), pages 586-593, June.
    13. Hung, Shiu-Wan & Wang, An-Pang, 2012. "Entrepreneurs with glamour? DEA performance characterization of high-tech and older-established industries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 1146-1153.
    14. Johann Burgstaller, 2020. "Retail‐bank efficiency: Nonstandard goals and environmental determinants," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 91(2), pages 269-301, June.
    15. Cook, Wade D. & Seiford, Larry M., 2009. "Data envelopment analysis (DEA) - Thirty years on," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 192(1), pages 1-17, January.
    16. HATAMI-MARBINI, Adel & AGRELL, Per & AGHAYI, Nazila, 2013. "Imprecise data envelopment analysis for the two-stage process," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2013004, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    17. Jaeho Shin & Yeongjun Kim & Changhee Kim, 2021. "The Perception of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Regulation and Innovation Efficiency in the Construction Industry: Evidence from South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-14, February.
    18. Cristina Suárez & Justo Jorge, 2010. "Efficiency convergence processes and effects of regulation in the nonspecialized retail sector in Spain," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 44(3), pages 573-597, June.
    19. Lo, Shih-Fang & Lu, Wen-Min, 2009. "An integrated performance evaluation of financial holding companies in Taiwan," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 198(1), pages 341-350, October.
    20. Khoshnevis, Pegah & Teirlinck, Peter, 2018. "Performance evaluation of R&D active firms," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 16-28.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Technical efficiency; R&D; Innovation; Productivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hhs:cesisp:0162. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Vardan Hovsepyan (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cekthse.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.