Knowledge transfer has been at the heart of my research. Knowledge transfer is a prominent topic within the systems of innovation approach because it emphasizes the importance of systemic interactions. Knowledge transfer has also been closely associated with debates on the nature of knowledge (tacit and codified), managing knowledge and social networks. My research on this topic began with my PhD on knowledge work and innovation in the telecommunications sector. I studied the implication of greater reliance of knowledge transfer on communities of knowledge workers and whether this may afford greater power to knowledge workers both in the labour market place and through their decisions around what projects R&D departments should support. This interest was also prominent in my research project in the Zhongguancun science Park in 2008. I also published two papers with Stefano Denicolao and Joe Tidd on organisational knowledge transfer. In these papers we discuss the “buy versus make” decisions firms make and find that this decision will depend on the knowledge intensity of the organisation. We also use time-series data to sow how the the R&D Vs buying in technology decision can be very different in the sort and long run. The following publication address different aspects of the knowledge transfer process.
Denicolai, S., Ramirez, M. and Tidd, J. (2016),Overcoming the false dichotomy between internal R&D and external knowledge acquisition: Absorptive capacity dynamics over time, “Technology Forecasting and Social Change”, 104, 57-65.
Denicolai, S., Ramirez, M. and Tidd, J (2014), Creating and capturing value from external knowledge: the moderating role of knowledge intensity. “R&D Management”, 44 (3). pp. 248-264.
Clarke, I and Ramirez, M. (2014), Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy”, 32, (4) pp. 714-730.
Ramirez, M., Li, X and Chen, W. (2013), Comparing the Impact of Intra- and Inter-regional Labour Mobility on Problem-solving in a Chinese Science Park. “Regional Studies”. Vol. 47, Issue No 10, 1734-1751.
Ramirez, M. and Dickenson, P. (2010), Gatekeepers, Knowledge Brokers and Inter-firm Knowledge Transfer in Beijing’s Zhongguancun Science Park, “International Journal of Innovation Management’, Vol 14 No.1.
Ramirez, M. and Li, X. (2009), Learning and sharing in a Chinese high-technology cluster: a study of inter-firm and intra-firm knowledge flows between R&D employees, “New Technology, Work and Employment” 24:3, 277-296.
Ramirez, M. (2007), “Redefining Firm Competencies, Innovation and Labour Mobility: A Case Study in Telecommunication Services, “Industry and Innovation”, Vol. 14, No. 3, 325-347.