A causal and effect model for knowledge flow analysis among firms

Examination of the relations among firms with respect to knowledge flows is essential for sustainable development and creative economy in global competition as well as for governments, investors and decision makers. Knowing the causal relations among firms provides answers to questions such as: (1) which firms have strong associations? (2) which firms are in the cause group and (3) which firms are in the effect group? The knowledge flow among firms shows the relations among firms directly. Patent citation analysis is extensively conducted to measure the knowledge flow in the literature. The decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method is also extensively used to construct causal relations among variables. In this study, the DEMATEL method based patent citation analysis is utilized to construct causal relations among firms. An illustrative example is presented to find relations among firms which operate business method technologies. The results of the example show that the DEMATEL based patent citation analysis can be performed to construct causal relations among firms.