Analysis

Advances in science, medical research and information and communications technologies (ICTs) are bringing about significant economic and societal transformations, the full impacts of which are only beginning to emerge. Canada's ICT sector, comprised of both manufacturing and service industries, e industries, is one of several important players in the strategy towards improving the country's innovation performance. In particular, the ICT service industries are leading the way in terms of economic growth and innovative activity.

Knowledge management practices were more important to the success of innovative business units in selected service industries than was the case for non-innovative business units. Innovative business units were those that introduced new or significantly improved products or processes between 2001 and 2003. The knowledge management practices that were important to their success included knowledge sharing, knowledge codification, knowledge development and knowledge acquisition and retention practices.

This working paper outlines the critical growth factors resulting from interviews with senior business managers. It also explores additional sources of data and makes recommendations for the content of possible future surveys.

This paper presents data on technological change that have been made comparable from the Survey of Electronic Commerce and Technology (SECT) for 2000 and 2002. It shows that when comparable data for the 1998 to 2000 and 2000 to 2002 periods (based on the definition and survey universe employed by SECT 2000) are used, the propensity to adopt new technologies in the private sector has remained constant at about 40%. The rate of technology adoption in the public sector remained at four out of five organizations introducing significantly improved technologies (a level about twice as high as that for the private sector). This rate also shows little change from 2000. The paper presents the comparable technological change data, while explaining differences in the wording of the survey questions and universe between the two reference years. Information is provided for private and public sectors, selected employment size groups and sectors of both private and public sectors.

Advances in science, medical research and information and communications technologies (ICTs) are bringing about significant economic and societal transformations, the full impacts of which are only beginning to emerge. Canada's ICT sector, comprised of both manufacturing and service industries, e industries, is one of several important players in the strategy towards improving the country's innovation performance. In particular, the ICT service industries are leading the way in terms of economic growth and innovative activity.

Knowledge management practices were more important to the success of innovative business units in selected service industries than was the case for non-innovative business units. Innovative business units were those that introduced new or significantly improved products or processes between 2001 and 2003. The knowledge management practices that were important to their success included knowledge sharing, knowledge codification, knowledge development and knowledge acquisition and retention practices.

This working paper outlines the critical growth factors resulting from interviews with senior business managers. It also explores additional sources of data and makes recommendations for the content of possible future surveys.

This paper presents data on technological change that have been made comparable from the Survey of Electronic Commerce and Technology (SECT) for 2000 and 2002. It shows that when comparable data for the 1998 to 2000 and 2000 to 2002 periods (based on the definition and survey universe employed by SECT 2000) are used, the propensity to adopt new technologies in the private sector has remained constant at about 40%. The rate of technology adoption in the public sector remained at four out of five organizations introducing significantly improved technologies (a level about twice as high as that for the private sector). This rate also shows little change from 2000. The paper presents the comparable technological change data, while explaining differences in the wording of the survey questions and universe between the two reference years. Information is provided for private and public sectors, selected employment size groups and sectors of both private and public sectors.