Sharif Digital Repository

Iran has been experiencing slow growth for the past ten years. Using plant-level information, we show that on average firm-specific productivity in manufacturing sectors declined at the rate of 2.6 percent annually, while large top decile firms experienced a modest growth in productivity between 2005 and 2011. We decompose this trend and find that within-plant variation is its main driving force while the between firms and industries component is insignificant. We test several alternative explanations that may contribute to these negative trends. We show that the subsidy reform had a negative effect, while privatization seems to have had no effect. Private management not affected on... 

The major objective of this study is to provide an analytical tool to identify the role of investment on innovation in the process of new technologies development. To achieve this goal, a model of knowledge flow is developed and the effects of national and international knowledge spillovers are investigated. Results show that when knowledge spillovers are modelled in the Nordic countries, the required investment on domestic energy R&D decreases and the cumulative knowledge increases to 10.7 billion USD by 2030. This is a significant economic potential for technological innovation which can be considered for both energy researchers and energy planners. Finally, some important policy insights... 

This article concerns the notion of methodology in strategic management of R&D/technology. Though development of new tools and methods has received much attention during the recent decades, attention to understanding methodologies has remained disproportionally low. In this study we distinguish two methodologies that are used in strategic management of R&D/technology: planning methodology and evolutionary learning methodology. We mainly focus on defining and describing the origins, nature, and characteristics of the latter. We propose a framework for methodology selection by investigating context, content, and process factors. Using this framework, we provide supportive evidence for... 

The debate over innovativeness of large firms and SMEs, which was bolded by Schumpeter, still continues under mixed empirical evidences. There are several implications for this debate including policy orientation in support of large firms or SMEs. But there is a scarce of studies in developing countries and no such study in Iran yet. The present study has explored the proportionality of increase of innovation activity versus firm size within 522 Iranian knowledge-based firms categorized in 9 industries. Innovation activity was measured by R&D expenditure while firm size stood for number of employees. Using log-log regression in the first phase, it was found that R&D expenditure confirms a... 

Experiment is a procedure for verifying or establishing the validity of a hypothesis and then measuring or evaluating its outcomes. Due to the inherent uncertainties or ambiguities of its outcomes, a further treatment is needed for producing identical results. Fuzzy map is an approach for removing the uncertainties of the outcomes. In this manuscript, the procedure employed for conducting research and development in the field of nontechnology, in a developing country, is considered and the factors governing its success and its failures are analyzed. To accomplish this task, a thorough literature review was performed and the related critical factors were identified. Then an extensive survey... 

The debate over innovativeness of large firms and SMEs, which was bolded by Schumpeter, still continues under mixed empirical evidences. There are several implications for this debate including policy orientation in support of large firms or SMEs. But there is a scarce of studies in developing countries and no such study in Iran yet. The present study has explored the proportionality of increase of innovation activity versus firm size within 522 Iranian knowledge-based firms categorized in 9 industries. Innovation activity was measured by R&D expenditure while firm size stood for number of employees. Using log–log regression in the first phase, it was found that R&D expenditure confirms a... 

The objective of this research is to develop a practical research and development (R&D) portfolio selection model that addresses the effective R&D project valuation issue, while tackling R&D uncertainty in portfolio optimization. Fuzzy set theory is employed to capture and model the uncertain project information. To evade the well-known complexities of fuzzy real option valuation, the recently developed fuzzy pay-off method is used to more effectively valuate R&D projects. The resulting problem is formulated as a fuzzy zero-one integer programming model that handles uncertainty of input data in order to determine the optimal portfolio. Two satisfaction measures, which are based on... 

The aim of this paper is to develop a practical R&D portfolio selection model that addresses effective R&D project valuation issue, while it tackles R&D uncertainty in portfolio optimization. Fuzzy sets theory is employed to capture and model the inaccuracy in project information. To avoid the well-known complications of fuzzy real option valuation, the fuzzy pay-off method is used to more effectively value R&D projects. The resulting problem is formulated as a fuzzy zero-one integer programming model which is later transformed into a crisp mathematical formulation to solve the problem for various degrees of risk. A numerical example is used to illustrate the proposed approach  

Energy innovation is a key requirement to limit global warming and tackle climate change in the years to come. A better understanding of the public R&D mechanism is likely to improve allocation of resources for energy innovation. Thus, the present paper evaluates the impacts of public R&D and knowledge spillovers on the development of renewable energy sources. To achieve this goal, knowledge flow has been modeled as a function of public R&D expenditures, cumulative knowledge stocks and knowledge spillovers. To show the application of the model, the Nordic countries as one of the pioneers in renewable technologies have been chosen. Results show the cumulative knowledge stock will increase to... 

Limited access to energy resources and increasing demand for mitigation of the environmental impacts have necessitated higher production efficiencies. Therefore, the promotion of R&D activities has been one of the main parts of national energy policies. In this research work, two methods are used for assessing the effectiveness of the R&D capital on resource conservation. First, by developing the resource-included knowledge production function of the energy sector and second, through direct assessment of the functionality of resource productivity from R&D capital. Based on official data provided by national statistical centers, a comparative analysis has been conducted to examine the... 

H.264/AVC, the latest video coding standard, achieves better video compression rates since it supports new features such as a large number of intra- and inter-prediction candidate modes. H.264/AVC adopts rate-distortion optimization (RDO) technique to obtain the best intra- and inter-prediction, while maximizing visual quality and minimizing the required bit rate. However, the RDO reduces the encoding speed via the exhaustive evaluation of all candidate modes. In this paper, we decrease the encoding time by reducing the computational complexity of the prediction function and the number of candidate modes. First, we improve Pan's method, by eliminating the DC mode from the candidates. Second,... 

The purpose of this study is to apply managerial economics and methods of decision analysis to study the optimal pattern of innovation activities for development of new energy technologies in developing countries. For this purpose, a model of energy research and development (R&D) planning is developed and it is then linked to a bottom-up energy-systems model. The set of interlinked models provide a comprehensive analytical tool for assessment of energy technologies and innovation planning taking into account the specific conditions of developing countries. An energy-system model is used as a tool for the assessment and prioritization of new energy technologies. Based on the results of the...