Leiponen, Aija E.

Associate Professor
I obtained my Ph.D. from Helsinki School of Economics after visiting the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis as a research scholar and University of California at Berkeley as a Fulbright scholar. I have been Assistant Professor in the department of Applied Economics and Management since 2001.

research

research and scholarship focus

My research focus is on the sources and effects of technological change in the economy. The overarching goal of my research program is to understand the role of inter-organizational cooperation in innovation. For example, I have examined the creation and transfer of knowledge between business service firms (such as management consulting, engineering, and R&D services) and their clients, the effects of breadth in terms of innovation objectives or location on firms innovation performance, and the cooperative creation of technological standards in wireless telecommunications. Most recent projects investigate innovative small firms` strategies to protect the returns on their innovation investments and the effects of international knowledge sourcing on innovation performance.

research areas

international geographic focus

submitted impact statement

affiliations

faculty appointment in

member of graduate field

other Cornell affiliations

teaching

teaching focus

Firm strategies towards innovation and commercialization of new technologies. The effects of technological change on industries and firms, in particular, the effects of the Internet and other communication technologies. Differences between the European and the North American institutional environments for business.

background

educational background

  • Ph.D., (Economics), Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration, 2000
  • M.S., (Economics), Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration, 1993

publications

selected publications (listing in progress)

  • Skills and Innovation. International Journal of Industrial Organization Vol. 23, No. 5-6: 303-323 (2005).
  • Core Complementarities of the Corporation: Organization of an Innovating Firm. Managerial and Decision Economics Vol. 26: 351-365 (2005).
  • Managing Knowledge for Innovation: The Case of Business-to-Business Services. Journal of Product Innovation Management Vol. 23, No. 3: 238-258 (2005).
  • Organization of Knowledge and Innovation: The Case of Finnish Business Services. Industry and Innovation Vol. 12, No. 2: 185-203 (2005).
  • Organization of Knowledge Exchange: An Empirical Study of Knowledge-Intensive Business Service Relationships. Economics of Innovation and New Technology Vol. 15, No. 4-5: 443-464 (2006).
  • National styles in the setting of global standards: The relationship between firmsí standardization strategies and national origin. Pp. 350-372 in How Revolutionary was the Revolution? National Responses, Market Transitions, and Global Technology in the Digital Era by A. Newman and J. Zysman (eds.). Stanford University Press.
  • Why do firms not collaborate? Competencies, R&D collaboration, and innovation under different technological regimes. Pp. 253-277 in Innovation and firm performance: Econometric explorations of survey data by A. Kleinknecht and P. Mohnen (eds.). London: Palgrave (2002).
  • Competencies, innovation and profitability of firms. Economics of Innovation and New Technology Vol. 9, No. 1:1-24 (2000).
  • Working Papers (available upon request)
  • Competing Through Cooperation: Standard Setting in Wireless Telecommunications. Under second review in Management Science.
  • Technological Search and the Benefits of Breadth (joint with Constance E. Helfat). Under second review in Strategic Management Journal.
  • What exactly are technological regimes? Intra-industry heterogeneity in the organization of innovation activities (joint with Ina Drejer). Under second review in Research Policy.
  • Control of Intellectual Assets in Client Relationships: Implications for Innovation. Under third review in Strategic Management Journal.
  • When Does Distributed Innovation Make Sense? Location, Decentralization, and Innovation Success (joint with Constance E. Helfat). Under review in Organization Science.
  • Can't Block, Must Run: Small Firms and Appropriability. Under review in Research Policy.
  • Cooperative Strategies in the Standardization of Wireless Telecommunications. Under review in Research Policy.
  • Work in Progress
  • Collaboration and Networking in Cooperative Standard Setting (joint with Talia Bar).
  • Value Creation and Capture from Emerging Technologies (joint with Ari Hyytinen and Markku Maula).
  • Global Engagement and Innovation Performance (joint with Constance Helfat, Jonathan Haskel, and Matthew Slaughter).
Keywords: applied microeconomics, business / strategy and tech mgmt, business services, collaborative innovation, economics of innovation and technological change, knowledge management, organizational economics, organization of innovation, survey data, technical standardization, wireless telecommunications