Cloutier, L. Martin; Sirois, Susanne --- "Measurement of Innovation and Intellectual Property Management: Challenging Processes" [2009] ELECD 490; in Castle, David (ed), "The Role of Intellectual Property Rights in Biotechnology Innovation" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2009)

Book Title: The Role of Intellectual Property Rights in Biotechnology Innovation

Editor(s): Castle, David

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781847209801

Section: Chapter 9

Section Title: Measurement of Innovation and Intellectual Property Management: Challenging Processes

Author(s): Cloutier, L. Martin; Sirois, Susanne

Number of pages: 15

Extract:

9. Measurement of innovation and
intellectual property management:
challenging processes
L. Martin Cloutier and Susanne Sirois

INTRODUCTION

All measurements of economic and managerial activities are, to some
extent, limited and flawed. The measurement of innovation also suffers
from a number of important limitations: absence of appropriate data, lack
of application of research standards, changes introduced in the regulatory
environment, to name but a few (Bloch, 2005; Goedhuys, 2005; Jensen
and Webster, 2004; Rogers, 1998; Sloan, 2001). This is partly due to the
lack of standards and also due to difficulties associated with the object of
the measurement. Studies often are conducted for specific units of analy-
ses (activities, processes, business units, firms, interfirm relationships,
markets, regions, countries) and are constrained by available data and
information that can be employed to obtain the measurements sought
with a variety of research methods and techniques. When a `control'
factor can be introduced into the analysis for some of these dimensions,
the results obtained can be employed fruitfully for decision-making.
The possibility of establishing benchmarks to allow comparisons across
studies will always, however, remain both methodologically qualitative
and quantitative challenges (Adams et al., 2006). Processes are dynamic
and can evolve over time. Products tend to be more static. Products are
at times considered innovative as `new' and at times as `imitative', when
`improved'. Thus, the object of measurement is typically transient, can
only be captured as a snapshot, and may not be representative of the
current situation once time passes from the point ...