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This research paper aims to contribute to the field of innovation performance benchmarking by identifying appropriate benchmarking groups and exploring learning opportunities and integration directions.

The study employs a multi-dimensional innovation-driven clustering methodology to analyze data from the 2019 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII). Hierarchical and K-means Cluster Analysis techniques are applied using various sets of distance matrices to uncover and analyze distinct innovation patterns.

This study classifies 129 countries into four clusters: Specials, Advanced, Intermediates and Primitives. Each cluster exhibits strengths and weaknesses in terms of innovation performance. Specials excel in the areas of institutions and knowledge commercialization, while the Advanced cluster demonstrates strengths in education and ICT-related services but shows weakness in patent commercialization. Intermediates show strengths in venture-capital and labour productivity but display weaknesses in R&D expenditure and the higher education quality. Primitives exhibit strength in creative activities but suffer from weaknesses in digital skills, education and training. Additionally, the study has identified 35 indicators that have negligible variance contributions across countries.

The study contributes to finding the relevant countries’ grouping for the enhancement of communication, integration and learning. To this end, this study highlights the innovation structural differences among countries and provides tailored innovation policies.

It is imperative for policymakers, financial institutions, and individual investors to comprehend the factors that impact stock market participation, given the growing significance of the stock market in terms of personal and national wealth. This study endeavours to explore the relationship between cognitive ability and participation in the stock market. We examine the relationship between cognitive abilities and stock market participation, and further explore the mechanism of their influence.

The data from the China Family Panel Studies is utilized, and Tobit and Probit regressions are employed. Additionally, an instrumental variable approach (IV-estimate) is implemented to address the endogeneity issue linked to cognitive ability, and the study’s findings are resilient.

The results reveal a significant positive relationship between cognitive ability and stock market participation. Additionally, the findings suggest that households with higher cognitive ability tend to aggregate more information, expand social networks, and take more risks. A likely explanation is that individuals with higher cognitive ability are more likely to process more external information and evaluate the subjective uncertainty of stock markets based on a well-defined probability distribution. Our findings indicate that the impact of cognitive ability on stock market participation varies among families with differing education levels, genders, marital statuses, and geographical locations.

Therefore, the roles of cognitive abilities in accelerating stock market participation should be fully considered. More information channels and sources that contain financial markets’ information (e.g. mobile applications and financial education) should be provided. Thus, the significance of cognitive ability in increasing stock market participation should be fully considered. Providing more information channels and sources, such as mobile applications and financial education, that contain financial markets’ information would be helpful. Our study contributes to promoting financial literacy and inclusion by highlighting the significant positive impact of cognitive ability, where institutions can tailor their outreach efforts and information channels to better serve individuals with different cognitive ability.

The purpose of this paper is to theoretically broaden the knowledge-based view (KBV) by examining the significant intermediary role that inter-functional coordination (IFC) plays in acquiring new knowledge and exploiting it throughout the entire higher education institution (HEI) community for innovation generation (INNG).

Data collected from a survey of 282 lecturers purposively selected from the business schools of 20 HEIs in the Greater Accra region of Ghana was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation model to test the hypotheses proposed for the study.

The results revealed that IFC significantly predicts teamwork and strong relationships across faculties, departments and units, and has a positive effect on the generation of innovations such as improved curricula, enhanced academic instruction and quality research output. Practically, the findings advise HEI managers to invest resources and efforts at building strong relationships that facilitate collaboration, trust and interactions among varying faculties, departments and units. This will enhance inter-functional knowledge sharing in academia to sustain a competitive advantage and continued relevance.

There are limitations that must be considered when interpreting and generalizing the quantitative results of this study. Data were collected from faculty staff of 20 public and private HEIs in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Although the majority of HEIs are clustered in this region, the results may still not be representative of all HEIs in Ghana.

Managers of HEIs are advised to commit to ensuring the management of IFC to promote knowledge sharing across faculties and departments. Managers are also advised to ensure that staff are made to be responsible for their cooperative and integrative teamwork. They are also advised to ensure that faculty and departmental goals are aligned with the overall goals of the university. Staff may also be encouraged to act as partners and not just employees through rewards, incentives and recognition packages.

Attention should be focused on creating lateral relations among faculty and department members to achieve internal social capital. They are advised to invest resources and efforts in building a culture of teamwork and connectedness through strong informal networking that facilitate collaboration between faculties and departments while cultivating a shared vision throughout the university.

The main contribution of this paper is that it theoretically extends the KBV by empirically broadening the scope of absorptive capacity (ACAP) beyond its dimensions to include the “collaborative mechanism” (IFC) through which knowledge can be holistically exploited. The paper also contributes to existing literature by examining the intermediary role played by IFC in the relationship between ACAP and INNG in the HEIs domain which has been least discussed in the ACAP literature.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of the knowledge-based economy in two distinctive case studies in the Arab World: Qatar and Lebanon. Based on five aspects of the knowledge-based economy namely: ICT, human capital and education; innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic and institutional regime, we provide a careful view of the obstacles and challenges that Qatar and Lebanon are facing and how this is hindering their transformation to a knowledge-based economy.

The methodology of this research is based on a literature review and information collected through semi-structured interviews with the different stakeholders of the knowledge-based economy in Qatar and Lebanon.

The research reveals that numerous factors shape the knowledge-based economy in Qatar and Lebanon. In Qatar, the main strength of the knowledge-based economy is the determination of the Qatari government to diversify the economy and the main weaknesses are the shortage of qualified human resources, the fear of failure and the low performance of the innovation system. In Lebanon, the knowledge-based economy is driven by the education system and the entrepreneurship culture, nevertheless the political instability of the country and the weak ICT infrastructure impede its development.

These findings contribute to the clarification and critical analysis of the current state of the knowledge-based economy in Qatar and Lebanon, which would have several policy implications.