Nabil Amara - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Nabil Amara

Safety Science, 2011

The purpose of this paper is to investigate activities of research transfer, the extent of the us... more The purpose of this paper is to investigate activities of research transfer, the extent of the use of these activities, and the research transfer determinants. This study is based on a population of more than 400 researchers in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH) in Canada, who completed an electronic questionnaire. The results show notably that there is no significant statistical difference between fields for the four activities of research transfer and that several factors have a significant impact on research transfer. Researchers in OSH constituted a rather homogenous unit and can improve the research transfer notably by the adaptation of knowledge, by focusing the research on users' needs and by improving their link with users.

Scientometrics, 2015

ABSTRACT Studies on publication and citation scores tend to focus mostly on frequently published ... more ABSTRACT Studies on publication and citation scores tend to focus mostly on frequently published and cited scholars. This paper contributes to advancing knowledge by simultaneously looking into both high and low performing scholars, including non-publishing scholars, and by focusing on factors increasing or impeding scholarly performances. To this end, two complementary sources of data are used: (1) data from ISI web of science on publications and citations of scholars from 35 Canadian business schools and, and (2) survey data on factors explaining the productivity and impact performances of these scholars. The analysis of the data reveals five scholar profiles: (i) non-publishing scholars; (ii) low performing scholars; (iii) frequently publishing scholars; (iv) frequently cited scholars and; (v) high-impact frequently publishing scholars. Statistical modeling is then used to look into factors that explain why scholars are any of these performance configuration rather another. Two major results emerge: first, scholars in the low performing profile differ from those in the non-publishing profile only by being in top tier universities and by having high levels of funding from research councils. Second, scholars who publish frequently and are frequently cited differ from those in the low performing profile in many ways: they are full professors, they dedicate more time to their research activities, they receive all their research funding from research councils, and, finally, they are located in top tier universities. The last part of the paper discusses policy implications for the development of research skills by university managers willing to increase the publication and citation scores of their faculty members.

Economics of Science, Technology and Innovation, 1998

... 1994) and that these institutional factors are localized either at the national (Lundvall, 19... more ... 1994) and that these institutional factors are localized either at the national (Lundvall, 1992;Nelson, 1993; Niosi and al, 1993; Edquist, 1997 ... They are Beauce-Sartigan, Bellechasse, Les Chutes-de-la-Chaudiere, L&amp;#x27;Amiante, and the aggregation of the other sub regions, which ...

Research Policy, 2001

This paper addresses three questions: What is the extent of use of social science research in Can... more This paper addresses three questions: What is the extent of use of social science research in Canada? Are there differences between the social sciences disciplines in regard of extent of use? What are the determinants of utilization of social science research knowledge in Canada? The paper develops and test an empirical model which derives its dependent and independent variables from prior studies in knowledge utilization. Instead of limiting utilization to instrumental use, the paper defines utilization as a six stages cumulative process. Based on a survey of 1229 Canadian social science scholars, the findings of this study show that nearly half of the research results lend to some use by practitioners, professionals and decision-makers. Furthermore, comparisons of means of utilization show that the professional social sciences (social work and industrial relations) lend to higher levels of utilization than the disciplinary social sciences (economics, political science, sociology and anthropology). Multivariate regression analyses show that the most important determinants of utilization are the mechanisms linking the researchers to the users, the dissemination efforts, adaptation of research outputs undertaken by the researchers, the users' context and the publication assets of the researchers. The other explanatory factors exert a more mitigated influence on knowledge utilization. The last part of the paper derives policy implications from the regression results. Overall, the most important finding of this paper is that knowledge utilization depends much more heavily on factors regarding the behavior of the researchers' and users' context than on the attributes of the research products.

VINE, 2012

ABSTRACT Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework identifying and... more ABSTRACT Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework identifying and differentiating how knowledge and technology transfer organizations (KTTOs) create value from how they capture and transfer value. Design/methodology/approach – The argument of the paper is developed in two steps. First, the knowledge and technology transfer process is conceptualized as a value chain. Second, the internal KTTO's value chain perspective is extended by integrating the knowledge and technology transfer value chain into a business model conceptual perspective in order to emphasize the value captured by the clients of KTTOs. Then, the authors examine how KTTO managers could describe, benchmark and improve their business models by altering or reinforcing how they are positioned with respect to the interdependent elements of their business model. Finally, the elements of the conceptual framework are used to derive emblematic types of business models and provide exemplary cases for each emblematic case. Findings – Looking at KTTO management under the lenses of business models invites KTTO managers to look at knowledge and technology transfer as a whole. It suggests to managers to invest resources not only in the improvement of these elements where their organizations are strong, but also in these elements that constitute their weakest elements in the business model. Failure to improve the weakest elements of the business model might compromise the overall knowledge and technology transfer capabilities and performances of KTTOs. Originality/value – The conceptual framework developed in this paper is intended as a starting point to explore how KTTO managers may be more effective in creating and capturing value from knowledge transfer.

Technovation, 2013

and sharing with colleagues.

Technovation, 2008

For many firms, the challenge is less about whether or not to innovate than about increasing the ... more For many firms, the challenge is less about whether or not to innovate than about increasing the degree of novelty of their innovations in order to improve their competitive advantage and create opportunities to access new markets. This paper contributes to advance knowledge on the degree of novelty of innovation in established small and medium manufacturing firms by using as dependent variables both innovation and the degree of novelty of innovation. This approach is implemented in two stages. First, we study the presence/ absence of product and process innovations. Second, we adopt a firm's perspective to examine the degree of novelty of innovations of the sub-sample of these SMEs that have developed product or process innovations. The results indicate that various types of learning impact on the presence (or absence) of innovation as well as on the degree of novelty of innovation. Overall, the results show that variables related to learning by doing, learning by training and learning by interacting have the highest impact on the degree of novelty of innovation of established SMEs. The results of the paper are also used to derive practical implications for owners and managers of established SMEs and for policy makers. r

Research Policy, 2006

... are more focused than traditional university funding sources on the creation of commercially ... more ... are more focused than traditional university funding sources on the creation of commercially oriented discoveries ([Di Gregorio and Shane, 2003 ... factors regarding the context in which firms and research organizations operate ([Szulanski, 1996], [Szulanski, 2000] and [Landry et al ...

Research Policy, 2008

How do knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) protect their inventions from imitation by ri... more How do knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) protect their inventions from imitation by rival firms when choosing among various protection mechanisms? Data from the 2003 Statistics Canada Innovation Survey on services are used to investigate this issue by looking into complementarities, substitution and independence among eight protection mechanisms. A Multivariate Probit (MVP) model is estimated to take into account the fact that KIBS simultaneously consider many alternative intellectual property (IP) protection methods when they attempt to protect their innovations. Results show that patents, registration of design patterns, trademarks, secrecy and lead-time advantages over competitors constitute legal and informal methods that are used jointly. These complementarities suggest that IP protection mechanisms that are interdependent and reinforce each other to protect innovations from imitation by rival firms constitute a pattern on which firms rely to protect their innovations from imitation. A second pattern is based on the fact that KIBS rely on patents and complexity of designs as substitutes, and tend to use registration of design patterns and complexity of designs as substitutes in protecting their innovations from imitation. A third emerging pattern concerns protection mechanisms that are independent from each other and exhibit no synergy, and do not reinforce each other to protect innovations from imitation by other firms.

Public Administration Review, 2003

The Journal of Technology Transfer, 2007

This paper addresses three questions: First, what is the extent of research transfer in natural s... more This paper addresses three questions: First, what is the extent of research transfer in natural sciences and engineering among Canadian university researchers? Second, are there differences between various disciplines with regard to the extent of this transfer? And third, what are the determinants of research transfer? To answer these questions, the paper begins by differentiating between technology transfer and knowledge

Journal of Medical Systems, 2009

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Organizational Innovation (OI) are seen as the... more Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Organizational Innovation (OI) are seen as the miracle of post-modernity in organizations. In this way, they are supposed to resolve most organizational problems, efficiently and rapidly. OI is highly dependent on the capacity and the investment in knowledge management (internal and external) to support decision making process and to implement significant changes. We know what explains ICT utilization (ICTU) and what determines OI development (OID) in healthcare services. Moreover, the literature tends to link ICTU to OID and vice versa. However, this dependency has never been explored empirically through the lens of roles combination. To identify the existing combined roles profiles of ICTU and OID among healthcare decision makers and determine factors of the shift from a profile to another. We did the following: (1) a structured review of the literature on healthcare management by focusing on ICTU and OID which allowed us to build two indexes and a comprehensive framework; (2) a copula methodology to identify with high precision the thresholds for ICTU and OID; and (3) a cross-sectional study based on a survey done with a sample of 942 decision makers from Canadian healthcare organizations through a multinomial logit model to identify determinants of the shift. ICTU and OID are correlated at 22% (Kendal's Tau). The joint distribution (combination) of ICTU and OID shows that four major profiles exist among decision makers in Canadian healthcare organizations: the traditional decision maker, the innovative decision maker, the technologic decision maker and the contemporary decision maker. We found out that classic factors act as barriers to the shift from one profile to the desired profile (from 1 to 4, from 2 to 4 and from 3 to 4). We have identified that the attitude toward research and relational capital are transversal barriers of shift. We have also found that some factors have a specific impact such as engaging in activities of research acquisition, the administrative position (being a manager), the preference for applied research results as source of information, the degree of novelty of research results, and the gender. Modern Canadian healthcare organizations need contemporary decision makers who use ICT and develop OI, if performance is the target. Our results let us suggest that the isolated administrative agents profile is no more effective in a dynamic and changing world. Contemporary decision makers need to be more active intellectually and to take risks in their decisions. Relying exclusively on research results and on their social network is no more helpful for a real shift. Moreover, the traditional factors, i.e. organization size, time, experience…are no more effective, especially when we consider combined roles. We propose some practical and theoretical recommendations to support these changes.

International Journal of Technology Management, 2012

International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, 2013

ABSTRACT The importance of using healthcare evidence by policy-makers is widely recognized [Lavis... more ABSTRACT The importance of using healthcare evidence by policy-makers is widely recognized [Lavis (2006), Ward et al. (2009)]. For over a decade, several strategies to improve the use of knowledge by policy-makers have been promoted [Landry et al. (2006); Amara et al. (2004)]. Among them, the use of individuals called "intermediaries" or "knowledge brokers" is presented as a potential strategy [Hargadon (2002); Lomas (2007)]. Situated at the organizational interface, these actors benefit from a strategic position allowing easier access to external knowledge [Cohen and Levinthal (1990)]. Therefore, they must develop good skills to be able to properly enjoy all opportunities to create value for their organization. In fact, many authors consider brokers as true knowledge integrators that assess, interpret, synthesize, exploit and transfer pertinent knowledge. Despite the presence of several studies that stress the importance of the multifaceted role of brokers, few have explored how these actors concretely integrate or absorb knowledge and especially, what skills are necessary for the success of their activities. The aims of this paper are: to propose a new conceptual model on research integration by knowledge brokers and to provide an empirical testing of this proposed model. The conceptual framework to be presented in this study builds on recent theoretical developments on the concept of knowledge absorptive capacity [Todorova and Durisin (2007)]. To test the conceptual framework, we collected survey data. The sample of 297 respondents was composed of professionals and managers involved at different levels of health services in Canada. To be eligible, respondents had to be engaged in knowledge brokering activities. Data analysis allowed presenting a first portrait of the profile of knowledge brokers working in health organizations in Canada. In this perspective, several descriptive analyses, such as the distribution of knowledge brokers according to their membership organizations, their status, education, experience, etc., were completed. Other confirmatory analyses with EQS were completed to confirm the theoretical validity of the dimensions of the broker's absorptive capacity. Finally, bivariate analyses were used with these dimensions to compare knowledge brokers regarding their absorptive capacity and the explanatory variables documented in the literature. In the last part of this paper, we discuss the implications of the results on the role of knowledge brokers regarding the use of evidence in health organizations and public policy.

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2007

... Nabil Amara is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Management of the Faculty of Busin... more ... Nabil Amara is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Management of the Faculty of Business at Laval University in Quebec City. ... As McDermott and O&amp;amp;#x27;Connor (2002) point out, several measures have been proposed in order to qualify the radicalness of innovation. ...

European Planning Studies, 2005

A brief abstract (100 words) National and regional differences are more and more frequently expla... more A brief abstract (100 words) National and regional differences are more and more frequently explained by differences in milieux. This type of explanation raises three questions: Can we identify milieux? What are the determinants of milieux? Are there differences between industries in the matter of determinants of milieux? Most studies on milieux innovateurs are based on case studies and qualitative data. This paper is quantitative and comparative in nature. It attempts to identify milieux and their determinants by using data of the 1999 Statistics Canada Innovation Survey. Based on two synthetic indicators of interactions (weak/strong) and learning (weak/strong), we differentiate four categories of milieux innovateurs which become our dependent variables. In order to see what the determinants of the various milieux innovateurs are and to see in what ways the most favorable milieux innovateurs compare to the others, we have estimated binomial logit models for four industries using the following independent variables: competitive pressures, barriers to knowledge exchange, use of government support, number of employees, collaborative arrangements, R&D activities, regions.

Public Health Genomics, 2014

This paper aims to identify relevant potential predictors of medical genetic counseling for breas... more This paper aims to identify relevant potential predictors of medical genetic counseling for breast cancer (MGC-BC) in primary care and to develop a comprehensive questionnaire to study MGC-BC. A scoping review was conducted to identify the predictors of MGC-BC among primary care physicians. Relevant articles were identified in selected databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Cochrane CENTRAL) and 4 selected relevant electronic journals. An inductive analysis of the 193 quantitatively tested variables, conducted by 3 researchers, showed that 6 conceptual categories of determinants, namely (1) demographic, (2) organizational, (3) experiential, (4) professional, (5) psychological, and (6) cognitive, influence MGC-BC practices. There is a scarcity of literature addressing the medical behavior determinants of MGC-BC. Future research is needed to identify effective strategies put into action to support the integration of MGC-BC in primary care medical practices and routines. However, our results shed light on 2 levels of actions that could improve genetic counseling services in primary care: (1) medical training and educational efforts emphasizing family history collection (individual level), and (2) clarification of roles and responsibilities in ordering and referral practices in genetic counseling and genetic testing for better healthcare management (organizational level).

Social Science & Medicine, 2006

This paper addresses three questions: What is the extent of clinical guideline utilization by dec... more This paper addresses three questions: What is the extent of clinical guideline utilization by decision-makers in provincial health ministries, regional health authorities and hospitals in Canada? Are there differences between these work settings in regard to the extent of clinical guideline utilization? What are the determinants of clinical guidelines utilization in health ministries, regional health authorities and hospitals?

Economics of Science, Technology and Innovation, 2001

This paper addresses one question: Do business practices in the matter of knowledge management de... more This paper addresses one question: Do business practices in the matter of knowledge management determine creativity of manufacturing firms? Creativity is measured with a question concerning the extent to which product and process innovations are developed primarily by the firm, primarily by other organizations, or jointly by the firm and other organizations. To deal with this question, we review the literature on innovation in order to see why creativity and knowledge came to be added to the traditional explanatory variables of innovation. The literature suggests distinguishing codified from uncodified business practices of knowledge management. This paper distinguishes five forms of uncodified practices of knowledge management: business network, information network, research network, participation, and relational assets. As for the forms of codified practices of knowledge management, we distinguish four forms: acquisition of knowledge embodied in advanced technologies, creation of knowledge through R&D activities, capacity of knowledge management through the ratio of scientists and engineers in firms, and structured mechanisms for sourcing knowledge. Barriers concerning the lack of cooperation with providers of knowledge, the number of employees and sales are also used as explanatory variables of the creativity of firms. The data used for this paper come from an innovation survey administered from April to June 2000 to 440 manufacturing firms of diverse industries in Montérégie, a region in the South-West of Montréal. These data will be used to estimate two multinomial logit models using creativity as its qualitative dependent variable. The qualitative dependent variable is defined as follows: innovation developed primarily by the firm, innovation developed jointly by the firm and other organizations, and no innovation. A model is estimated for product innovations and another for process innovations.

Technovation, 2006

What is innovation and what determines its development in manufacturing firms? The literature on ... more What is innovation and what determines its development in manufacturing firms? The literature on the topic has evolved exponentially during the last decades. However, the divergence of the research results makes it so that the innovation process is still poorly understood. Relying on a systematic review of empirical studies published between 1993 and 2003, this article propose and discuss a framework which brings together a set of variables related to the innovation process and the internal and contextual factors driving it. The ensuing results highlight several avenues which would help managers and policy makers to better foster innovation and researchers to better channel their efforts in studying the phenomenon. q