4.2.1- The Process of Innovation
In the first instance it is important to approach the general characteristics of company
and directors characteristics, because it facilitates the characterization of each standard
of the companies in involvement in innovation activities. We will study the companies
by analysing legal responsibility, structure, age, volume of sales, step of employees and
employees with higher education degree, if it is exporter and the use of ICT. The aim is
to perceive which are the general characteristics associated to the best performance of
the companies.
For legal responsibility, the 3 clusters are mainly characterized by companies which
operate one Quota Societies, following the ones that are Anonymous Societies.
However, while cluster 1 has greater percentage of companies with Quota Societies,
cluster 3 has the greater percentage of companies as Anonymous Societies and
curiously. For company structure, also the 3 clusters are mainly characterized by
companies which operate one single establishment, following the ones that are head-
office. However, while cluster 1 has the greater percentage of companies with single
establishment, cluster 3 has the greater percentage of companies as head-office, and
curiously the cluster 2 has the greater percentage of companies who are filial/network.
Relative to the age of the company, the biggest percentage of companies has less of 25
years in all clusters. However, cluster 2 exhibits more companies with less than 10 years
(36%), and cluster 1 have the big percentage of companies with more than 25 years
(36%). In cluster 3, 81% of companies have less of 25 years.
Relative to business volume step, in 2002, in the cluster 1 and 2 about 90% of
companies are business volume inferior 5 million Euros, while cluster 3 about 31% of
companies has a volume of sales superior 5 million Euros. Moreover, the two clusters
less innovative those have a volume business that in average round the 3000000 and
2400000 of Euros (cluster 1 and cluster 2, respectively, while cluster 3 presents an
average value in the order of the 6800000 of Euros). The exporter companies are most
involved in innovation (cluster 3=50%, cluster 1=41% and cluster 2=36% of the
companies in 2002).
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