Table of Contents -- LIST OF TABLES XII -- LIST OF FIGURES AND MAPS XIV -- 1 INTRODUCTION 1 -- 1.1 RESEARCH CONTEXT 1 -- 1.1.1 Intangible Assets 2 -- 1.1.2 Multinational Enterprises 4 -- 1.1.3 Open Innovation 6 -- 1.1.4 Geography of Innovation 7 -- 1.2 OBJECTIVES AND GUIDING RESEARCH QUESTIONS 8 -- 1.3 OUTLINE 10 -- 2 INTANGIBLE ASSETS, MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES AND REGIONAL INNOVATION CAPACITY 12 -- 2.1 INTRODUCTION 12 -- 2.2 INTANGIBLE ASSETS, FIRMS AND REGIONS 14 -- 2.2.1 Intrinsic Features of Intangible Assets and Levels of Analysis 14 -- 2.2.2 Intangible Assets and Firms: Taxonomies and Business Model Implications 16 -- 2.2.3 Regional Innovation Capacity, Knowledge Creation, and Intangible Assets 20 -- 2.3 MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES IN REGIONAL CONTEXTS 27 -- 2.3.1 MNEs as Differentiated Networks 27 -- 2.3.2 Global Innovation Strategies and Regional Innovation Systems 29 -- 2.4 DECODING INTANGIBLES: DEFINITIONS AND DIMENSIONS OF INTANGIBLE ASSETS IN FIRMS AND REGIONS 31 -- 2.4.1 Organizational Capital 32 -- 2.4.2 Network Capital 34 -- 2.4.3 Human Capital 36 -- 2.5 CONCLUSION 38 -- 3 OPEN INNOVATION AND REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS 40 -- 3.1 INTRODUCTION 40 -- 3.2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: WHAT ARE THE LINKS BETWEEN OPEN INNOVATIONAND REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS? 41 -- 3.2.1 Open Innovation 42 -- 3.2.2 Regional Innovation Systems 48 -- 3.2.3 Bridging the gap: Why Regional Innovation Systems are relevant for effective Open Innovation strategies and vice versa 52 -- 3.3 WHAT DO WE KNOW SO FAR? EMPIRICAL INSIGHTS ON OPEN INNOVATION AND ITS ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY 59 -- 3.3.1 Firm-level research 59 -- 3.3.2 Regional-level research 64 -- 3.4 CONCLUSION 69 -- 4 INTANGIBLE ASSETS, MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES AND REGIONAL SYSTEMS OF INNOVATION IN EUROPE 72 -- 4.1 INTRODUCTION 72.

4.2 INNOVATION IN MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES AND REGIONS: THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL, NETWORK AND HUMAN CAPITAL 74 -- 4.2.1 Micro-Level Insights: Intangible Assets and Firms 74 -- 4.2.2 Meso-Level Insights: Intangible Assets and Regions 77 -- 4.2.3 MNEs, Regions and Intangible Assets 79 -- 4.3 METHODOLOGY, DATA COLLECTION AND FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS 80 -- 4.3.1 Research Design and Interview Guides 81 -- 4.3.2 Case Selection Criteria and Data Collection 82 -- 4.3.3 Framework for Analysis 84 -- 4.4 CASE STUDY RESULTS 89 -- 4.4.1 Case Study Regions 89 -- 4.4.2 Organizational Capital 91 -- 4.4.3 Network Capital 98 -- 4.4.4 Human Capital 105 -- 4.5 CONCLUSION 109 -- 5 CATCHING THE LOCAL BUZZ BY EMBEDDING? EMPIRICAL INSIGHTS INTO THE REGIONAL EMBEDDEDNESS OF MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES IN GERMANY & THE UK 112 -- 5.1 INTRODUCTION 112 -- 5.2 INTANGIBLE ASSETS, EMBEDDEDNESS AND REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS 114 -- 5.2.1 Evolutionary Dynamics of Regional Innovation Systems and the Role of MNEs 114 -- 5.2.2 Intangible Assets, Firms and Regions 115 -- 5.2.3 Corporate Organization for Innovation, Embeddedness and Innovation Performance 117 -- 5.3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 120 -- 5.3.1 Case Selection Criteria and Data Collection 120 -- 5.3.2 Structure of the Interview Guides 121 -- 5.3.3 Framework and Analytical Procedure 121 -- 5.4 EMBEDDED MULTINATIONALS? EMPIRICAL INSIGHTS INTO THE EMBEDDEDNESS OF MNES IN REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS 123 -- 5.4.1 The Case Study Regions: Key Characteristics of Industry and Innovation 123 -- 5.4.2 MNE Embeddedness in Regional Knowledge Creation and Innovation Processes: The Embeddedness Matrix 127 -- 5.4.3 Overview of the Empirical Results 131 -- 5.5 CONCLUSION 146 -- 6 REGIONS AS CATALYSTS OF OPEN INNOVATION? THE CASE OF SAP IN THE REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEM OF BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG 148 -- 6.1 INTRODUCTION 148.

6.2 OPEN INNOVATION, REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS AND ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY 150 -- 6.2.1 The Logic of Open Innovation 151 -- 6.2.2 Localized Learning in Regional Innovation Systems 152 -- 6.2.3 Absorptive Capacity, Open Innovation and Localized Learning in RIS 157 -- 6.3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 160 -- 6.3.1 Case Selection Criteria 162 -- 6.3.2 Data Collection and Analysis 163 -- 6.4 ARE REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS CATALYSTS OF OPEN INNOVATION IN MNES? THE CASE OF SAP AG IN BADEN- WÜRTTEMBERG 166 -- 6.5 CONCLUSION 196 -- 7 CONCLUSIONS 199 -- 7.1 ANSWERS TO THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS 199 -- 7.2 LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 209 -- 7.3 POLICY AND MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS 212 -- 7.3.1 Open Innovation, the Regional Embeddedness of MNEs and RIS 213 -- 7.3.2 Intangible Assets, MNEs and RIS 217 -- 7.3.3 Lessons for Strategic Management 220 -- REFERENCES 226 -- APPENDIX 257.