Creación de empresas, modelos de innovación y pymes

Abstract

This paper analyzes the social dimension of business economic innovation. There is an increasing consensus about innovation not being an isolated process that firms can develop on their own. In fact, it depends to a large extend on the economic, social, and cultural context of the companies concerned. The objective here is to identify and discuss the main arguments of the social and economic theory that highlight the influence of the social environment on the innovation processes. Firstly, we analyze specialized literature on the subject. Secondly, we stress the shortcomings of the classic thesis which assumes that large companies are more innovative than smaller ones. Thesis undermined by the innovative nature of many SMEs, whose experiences have lead to new and alternative innovation models.