Innovative SMEs in Germany and globalization: Firms, strategies and policy trends
Globalization and new technological opportunities changed the business environment for innovative SMEs in Germany. This change has taken place in different industries and at the same time affected them differently. Against the backdrop of these developments, innovative SMEs have on average been successful in developing their competitive advantages. Innovative SMEs are a very distinct part of the firm population. Many of them are in the industry sector, while they can also be found in parts of the service industry. Innovation strategies chosen vary in the different sectors and technology fields. In medium-technology fields like the automotive or machinery sector, many firms were successful in developing their cumulative knowledge and protecting it from competitors. In the high-tech sector the framework conditions (university research, entrepreneurship’s financing) have improved such that new firm ventures came up although not many of them have grown large. As innovative firms give impulses for important innovations in all part of the German economy, they are also quite relevant for research and innovation policies. The government influences conditions and give impulses for precompetitive research to increase their competitiveness. Fostering of R&D cooperation is one important policy goal (without forcing the firms to comply).
Rothgang, M. und J. Dehio (2016), Innovative SMEs in Germany and globalization: Firms, strategies and policy trends. In Andree Elsner und Andreas Oberheitmann (Hrsg.), New Trails for SMEs in Germany and China: Co-operations. Opportunities. Challenges. Perspectives.. Essen: Akademie Verlag, 37-52.