[en] Nowadays, there is a global economic phenomenon known as tertiarisation, whereby the weight of services is increasingly greater than that of other economic sectors. Although the services sector has generally been considered to have little added value compared to industry, there is a type of advanced services, also known as KIBS (Knowledge Intensive Business Services) whose appearance is related to the competitiveness of companies and the cities or regions in which they are located and their recent development is interpreted as one of the indicators of the transition from an industrial economy to a knowledge-based economy. Numerous studies that have been reviewed within this dissertation, coincide in highlighting the expansion and growth of this type of services, not only from a quantitative point of view, being one of the fastest growing sectors in terms of its contribution to the GDP of the most advanced economies, but also from a qualitative and empirical perspective, taking into account the intrinsic characteristics of technological services companies, which significantly affect the creation and dissemination of knowledge in other economic sectors, especially industry. In this context, this doctoral thesis studies the most decisive factors for the competitiveness of advanced services companies, more specifically technological services companies (T-KIBS) in the Basque Country. To this end, the organisational variables, capacities and business management practices which favour the competitiveness of this type of company are analysed both from a qualitative point of view, exploring and characterising the organisational keys of companies in the sector, and from a quantitative point of view, through the analysis of economic-financial parameters relating to their competitiveness. For the study of the key factors, a model is proposed, based on the state of the art of the scientific literature on the competitiveness of advanced services companies (KIBS) and 67 technological services companies in the Basque Country are analysed by means of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. In order to complement the analysis, a quantitative approach to the data is carried out by cross-checking economic and financial profitability ratios with the results of the proposed model. Finally, the results, conclusions and future lines of research are drawn. The size of the company, belonging to collaboration networks, the capacity to personalise the offer, internationalisation and talent attraction are identified as the most determining factors in the competitiveness of the KIBS.

[eu] Gaur egun, fenomeno ekonomiko globala gertatzen da, tertziarizazioa izenekoa. Horren ondorioz, zerbitzuek gero eta pisu handiagoa dute gainerako sektore ekonomikoekin alderatuta. Oro har, zerbitzuen sektorea industriarekin alderatuta balio erantsi txikikotzat jo bada ere, zerbitzu aurreratuen enpresa mota bat edo KIBS (Knowledge Intensive Busines Services) daude. Hauek enpresa, hiri edo eskualdeen lehiakortasunarekin lotuta agertzen dira, eta haien garapen berria jakintzan oinarritutako ekonomia industrial batetik ekonomia baterako trantsizioaren adierazleetako bat dela interpretatzen da. Ikerketa askok bat egiten dute zerbitzu mota horren hedapena eta hazkundea nabarmentzean, ez bakarrik ikuspegi kuantitatibo batetik; izan ere, ekonomia aurreratuenek BPGari egiten dioten ekarpenari dagokionez gehien hazten den sektoreetako bat da, ikuspegi kualitatibo eta enpirikotik ez bada ere, zerbitzu teknologikoen enpresen berezko ezaugarriei erreparatuta, beste sektore ekonomiko batzuetan, bereziki industrian, ezagutza sortzeari eta hedatzeari nabarmen eragiten baitiote. Testuinguru horretan, doktorego-tesi honek zerbitzu aurreratuen enpresen lehiakortasunerako faktore erabakigarrienak aztertzen ditu, zehazki, EAEko zerbitzu teknologikoen enpresak (T-KIBS). Horretarako, mota horretako enpresen lehiakortasuna errazten duten antolamendu-aldagaiak, gaitasunak eta enpresakudeaketako praktikak aztertzen dira, ikuspegi kualitatibotik, sektoreko enpreen antolamendu-gakoak arakatuz eta ezaugarrituz, bai eta ikuspegi kuantitatibotik ere, haien lehiakortasunari buruzko parametro ekonomiko-finantzarioak aztertuz. Funtsezko faktoreak aztertzeko, berezko azterketa-eredu bat proposatzen da, literatura zientifikoaren egoera oinarri hartuta, zerbitzu-enpresa aurreratuen (KIBS) lehiakortasunari dagokionez, eta Euskadiko teknologia-zerbitzuetako 67 enpresa aztertzen dira, galdesorten eta elkarrizketa erdi egituratuen bidez. Analisia osatzeko, datuen hurbilketa kuantitatiboa egiten da, proposatutako ereduaren errentagarritasun ekonomiko eta finantzarioaren ratioak emaitzekin gurutzatuz. Azkenik, ikerketa-lanaren emaitzak, ondorioak eta etorkizuneko ildoak ateratzen dira. Enpresaren dimentsioa, lankidetza-sareetako kide izatea, eskaintza pertsonalizatzeko gaitasuna, nazioartekotzea eta talentua erakartzea dira KIBSen lehiakortasunerako faktore erabakigarrienak.