Competitive intelligence and competitiveness in accommodation businesses: the role of employee training effectiveness

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Celal Yılmaz ◽  
Şevki Özgener
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irem Demirkan ◽  
Ravi Srinivasan ◽  
Alka Nand

PurposeThis paper explores the role of effective resource and knowledge management capabilities on product innovation capabilities of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, the authors research the role of the human resource investments in the form of employee training in developing firm's innovation capabilities and how SMEs manage these investments when we account for the boundary conditions such as the level of employee education, SME size and the frequency of investments in research and development (R&D).Design/methodology/approachThe authors use survey data conducted by The Centre for European Economic Research (Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung – ZEW). The final sample for analysis includes 983 SMEs from Germany that belong to 13 different industries. The authors use hierarchical OLS regression to test the hypotheses presented in this paper.FindingsThe authors find a positive association between increased investments in employee training and product innovation capabilities in the context of SMEs. More specifically, the authors’ findings support that (1) the relationship between employee training and innovation capabilities is weaker in industries with greater proportion of employees with university degrees, (2) the effectiveness of investments in employee training is lower among larger SMEs than smaller SMEs, and (3) continuous R&D weakens the relationship between training expenditure and innovation capabilities. While on the one hand the authors’ findings contribute to the debate of whether employee training is necessary for SMEs by affirming this notion, on the other hand the authors show that investments in employee training have differing implications for small and large SMEs within boundary conditions. Moreover, these findings have practical implications for the managers of all SMEs in terms of management of their knowledge resources.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors’ research makes important contributions to the study of innovation in SMEs. First, the authors contribute evidence to the debate whether employee training is necessary for SMEs by showing that employee training is particularly important for SMEs that are smaller in size, have lower proportion of employees with university degrees and when they invest in research and development in a targeted manner. The authors also demonstrate that investments in employee training is not a waste, rather such investments can increase the likelihood of survival for many of these firms through its positive impact on product innovation.Practical implicationsFor managers of SMEs, the authors’ findings suggest that while investments in employee training are important, the managers of particular SMEs with above-mentioned qualities should be persistent in such investments and must make deliberate efforts to reap the benefits in terms of innovative capabilities. Unlike large firms, who have the financial means to carry out investments in an abundant manner, SMEs appear to be more enterprising with their scarce resources when we also consider the role of investments in human resources.Originality/valueThe authors’ research makes important contributions to the study of innovation in SMEs. First, the authors contribute evidence to the debate whether employee training is necessary for SMEs by finding that employee training is particularly important for SMEs that are smaller in size, have lower proportion of employees with university degrees and when they do not invest in R&D continuously. The authors also demonstrate that investments in employee training is not a waste, but such investments can increase the likelihood of survival for many of these firms.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-69
Author(s):  
Jyoti Ahluwalia ◽  
Mandeep Mahendru

This case discusses the share buyback announcement by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) during February 2017 when its Chairman N Chandrasekaran was appointed as the Chairman of Tata Sons after Tata Sons had ousted its former Chairman, Cyrus Mistry. The case highlights the reasons why companies may opt for share buyback, what is the role of the tax laws of the country towards these decisions and whether such decisions are beneficial for the company, the investors or the promoters. The case considers impact of aspects such as employee training and investments in innovation on the buyback decisions and also brings an international perspective with regard to how buybacks have fared in the US during the past decade.


Author(s):  
Dirk Vriens ◽  
Jan Achterbergh

In this chapter the role of ICT for competitive intelligence is approached from the perspective of strategy formulation. The authors hold the view that competitive intelligence can be seen as knowledge necessary for the process of strategy formulation. To determine the role of ICT, it is proposed to examine (1) the process of strategy formulation, (2) the knowledge relevant for the process of strategy formulation and (3) the knowledge processes in which the intelligence relevant for the process of strategy formulation is produced and processed. If these three elements are clear, the role of ICT for competitive intelligence can be reformulated as the support of ICT for the knowledge processes, producing and processing the necessary intelligence for strategy formulation. In the chapter, the process of strategy formulation and the knowledge it requires will be described by using the Viable Systems Model of Stafford Beer. It results in an “ICT-architecture” for supporting the knowledge processes, producing the relevant knowledge for strategy formulation.


Author(s):  
Tao Jin ◽  
France Bouthillier

Few attempts have been made to establish conceptual links between collaboration, collaborative technology, information access and competitive intelligence. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework and a number of starting premises for studying collaboration and the role of collaborative technology in the context of competitive intelligence.Peu de tentatives ont été faites pour établir des liens conceptuels entre les notions de collaboration, technologie de collaboration, accès à l’information et veille concurrentielle. L’objectif ici est de proposer un cadre d’analyse et plusieurs prémisses utiles pour l’étude du concept de collaboration et le rôle de la technologie supportant cette activité dans le cadre de la veille concurrentielle. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 19598
Author(s):  
Shannon Rawski ◽  
Emilija Djurdjevic ◽  
Joshua Foster ◽  
Andrew Soderberg

Author(s):  
Somayeh Asghari ◽  
Sahar Targholi ◽  
Ali Kazemi ◽  
Saeed Shahriyari ◽  
Lila Rajabion

Purpose Competitive intelligence (CI) collects data through the distribution of knowledge to make decisions in a competitive environment. To better comprehend the concept of CI, the purpose of this paper is to determine the role of effective factors (knowledge sharing, competitor information, information technology (IT) and organizational culture) and their impact on CI. In addition, the paper provides a conceptual framework for determining the practical factors on CI. Design/methodology/approach For evaluating the elements of the model, a questionnaire is considered. Questionnaires were reread by specialists with significant experiences in the CI field. For statistical analysis, the SPSS 22 and SmartPLS 3.2 software package is also used. Findings Findings from the study showed the validity of the model for a CI assessment. Furthermore, the results confirmed that the competitor information significantly influenced CI. In addition, the obtained results implied that IT has a significant and positive influence on CI. The effect of organizational culture on CI also proved to be positive and significant. Research limitations/implications This paper makes significant contributions for both researchers and practitioners; however, the authors determine some limitations, which are as follows: First, the authors showed the result in a single region. It cannot be assured that the results are generalizable to other areas. Second, because of time and financial constraints, the authors gathered the data using a sample from a single location. Third, the use of variables to depict CI may be not exhaustive. The authors, therefore, encourage future research to study these CI dimensions. Practical implications This study meaningfully contributes to the knowledge and literature by focusing more on CI, examining other significant aspects and applying advanced statistical analysis method. Also, current research results suggest practical implications for marketing practitioners and managers who implemented tools and made strategic plans to enhance the organization’s performance. From a practical perspective, the statistical results support the crucial role of the following factors: IT, competitor information, organizational culture and knowledge sharing on CI. Originality/value Experts in the area of knowledge management, CI and strategic management can use this study to gain a competitive advantage based on knowledge and information resources. Organizations must have knowledge management function and CI to support the strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation.


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