Sources of knowledge and innovation in Chilean manufacturing companies

Abstract

This research aimed to determine the relationships of knowledge sources (customers, suppliers, competitors and consultants) with product and process innovation. It is a study with a quantitative, non-experimental and cross-sectional design. The sample was obtained from the national survey of innovation activities in Chile. The econometric model used was Bivariate Probit regression. The results show that customers and suppliers are the most important sources of knowledge and those that are positively related to product and process innovation. This study contributes to the academic literature by providing evidence on Chile in the context of emerging countries and has practical implications for business administrators and public policy developers who seek to generate policies for companies to move towards product and process innovation.