Bridge and redundant ties in networks: the impact on innovation in food SMEs

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghasem Shiri ◽  
Loïc Sauvée ◽  
Zam-Zam Abdirahman
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Innovation Activity ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of networks diversity on innovation activity of firms. It aims to review the structural issue in innovation networks and to distinguish different structures of networks for product and process innovation through an empirical research. Design/methodology/approach – Using a data set of 348 European agri-food firms, the authors study the impact of bridge and redundant ties on product and process innovation of firms. This is an empirical research based on an online survey in five European countries. Findings – The finding shows that bridge ties (measured by the number of heterogeneous networks in which firm participate) always facilitate product innovation in firms. The authors found also that a high number of heterogeneous ties in term of partners (simultaneous presence of redundant and non-redundant ties) motivate both product and process innovation in firms. Furthermore, the authors found a positive impact of network competence on process innovation. Research limitations/implications – The measures of bridge ties and redundant ties are indirect measures. This choice is a willing choice. Direct measurement of bridge and redundant ties always requires in-depth interviews with firms managers and thereby are limited by the number of observations. Originality/value – Research on innovations networks are dominated by case studies and researches with limited number of observations. Studying the networking behaviour, particularly the tie selection, of a wide range of firms brings additional knowledge in this field of research.

Determinants of company innovation and market performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelos Psomas ◽  
Dimitrios Kafetzopoulos ◽  
Katerina Gotzamani
Keyword(s):  
Quality Management ◽  
Market Performance ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Practices ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
The Impact ◽  
A Company

Purpose The present study focuses on two basic determinants of company innovation, namely, quality practices of top management and process quality management. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of these determinants on product and process innovation. Determining the impact of these dimensions of innovation on the market performance of a company is also an aim of the present study. Design/methodology/approach A research study was carried out on a sample of 433 Greek manufacturing and service companies. Data were obtained through a structured questionnaire from the chief executive officers of the companies. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are applied to extract and validate all the latent factors considered in the suggested model, while their relationships are determined through structural equation modeling. Findings The analysis of the empirical data shows that both the dimensions of company innovation examined in the present study (product and process innovation) are positively influenced by the quality practices of top management and process quality management. Improving these two dimensions of company innovation, in turn, results in increased market performance. Research limitations/implications First, the sample of the responding manufacturing and service Greek companies which includes both small and medium-sized enterprises and large companies and which operate in circumstances of financial crisis; second, the subjective data collected from only one company representative; and third, the examination of only two factors influencing company innovation, are the main limitations of the present study. Based on these limitations, future research studies are recommended. Practical implications The empirically validated theoretical model of the present study can guide the policy makers of a company to select a quality management and innovation strategy through which the company can lay the foundations to increase its market performance, and thus, overcome the current economic downturn and financial crisis. Researchers can also use the suggested valid model as an assessment tool, a benchmarking tool and a tool for the design of their future research studies. Originality/value The present study contributes to the literature by determining a valid model that describes simultaneously the relationships between quality management factors, product and process innovation and market performance. This is also the first study reflecting Greek companies’ efforts to withstand the current downturn and penetrate the market through innovation.

scholarly journals Transformational leadership and employee voice for product and process innovation in SMEs

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-89
Author(s):  
Muhammad Athar Rasheed ◽  
Khuram Shahzad ◽  
Sajid Nadeem
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of transformational leadership on the innovation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through employee voice behaviors. Drawing from the upper echelon theory, it is hypothesized that employee voice is the mediating mechanism through which transformational leadership affects the process and product innovation in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from 169 SMEs of Pakistan through an online self-administered questionnaire. The proposed hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings Findings confirm that transformational leadership positively affects both process and product innovation in SMEs and employee voice behavior mediates between these relationships. Originality/value This research contributes to both theoretical and practical domains by providing evidence that encouraging employees to raise their voice positively impacts product and process innovation and transformational leadership is a potential organizational factor to shape employee voice and process and product innovation. To the best knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the mediating role of employee voice between transformational leadership and process and product innovation in SMEs and developing country’s context.

scholarly journals Effects of institutional support on innovation and performance: roles of dysfunctional competition

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Zhang ◽  
Zhiqiang Wang ◽  
Xiande Zhao ◽  
Min Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the effects of institutional support on product and process innovation and firm performance and describe how dysfunctional competition influences relevant outcomes. Design/methodology/approach This study develops a research model based on institution-based view and tests it using structural equation modeling and empirical data collected from 300 manufacturers in China. Findings The results show that institutional support positively affects product and process innovation and firm performance. Both product and process innovation improve firm performance. The findings reveal that dysfunctional competition significantly reduces the positive effects of institutional support on product and process innovation but leaves the effects of institutional support and product and process innovation on firm performance unaffected. Originality/value This study contributes to innovation literature by providing insights into the impact of China’s institutional environment on manufacturing firms’ product and process innovation decisions. The findings also contribute to institution-based view literature by providing empirical evidence on the joint effects of institutional support and dysfunctional competition on product and process innovation and firm performance. This study can help manufacturers in China take advantage of institutional environment and adjust product and process innovation decisions accordingly.

Which intermediate import source is best for innovation in MNEs?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa Ramírez-Alesón ◽  
Marta Fernández-Olmos
Keyword(s):  
Probit Model ◽  
External Source ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Internal Source ◽  
Intermediate Inputs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recursive Bivariate Probit ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper explores the importance of the importing intensity for different intermediate inputs depending on their source (internal sourcing or intra-firm trade versus external sourcing or foreign suppliers) for different types of innovation (product and process innovation) and applied to MNEs (foreign versus domestic).Design/methodology/approachThe sample contains 2,448 firm-year observations (2006–2016) of firms located in Spain that belong to an MNE group. The authors applied a conditional mixed process to a panel recursive bivariate probit model with robust standard errors.Findings The authors obtained three key results. First, intermediate imports do not always contribute to improving innovation, since their effects vary depending on their source. Second, intermediate imports from foreign suppliers (external source) are more advantageous for product innovation than those from intra-firm trade (internal source). Third, intermediate imports from intra-firm trade are more important for process innovation than those from foreign suppliers. Thus, the impact of importing intermediate inputs on innovation is contingent on the source of the imports, the ownership of the MNE and the type of innovation.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to this topic with new insights and results for MNEs. It identifies which import source is best for innovation depending on the type of innovative result expected. Moreover, it helps to uncover simultaneity and causal relationships between product and process innovation, issues which have not previously been considered in the literature.

Capital and credit constraints in the engagement of youth in Ghanaian agriculture

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martinson Ankrah Twumasi ◽  
Yuansheng Jiang ◽  
Monica Owusu Acheampong
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Credit Constraints ◽  
Rural Youth ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Switching Regression ◽  
Credit Constraint ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Application Procedure ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the factors influencing rural youth farmers’ credit constraints status and the effect of credit constraint on the intensity of participation of these farmers in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The econometric estimation is based on cross-sectional data collected in 2018 from the Brong Ahafo region in Ghana. The sample data set consists of 450 rural youth farmers. The collected data were analyzed through different econometric techniques, using the endogenous switching regression model (ERSM). Findings The direct elicitation approach employed in this study revealed that out of the 450 farmers, 211 (47 percent) of the respondents were credit constrained compared to 239 (53 percent) of their counterparts who were unconstrained. The ERSM indicated that youth farmers education, age, savings, parents occupation reduced the probability of the rural youth farmer to be credit constrained but cumbersome loan application procedure and loan disbursement time positively affect credit constraint. Moreover, farmers that are credit constrained have lower intensity of participation in agriculture activities than a random farmer from the sample. This suggests that access to credit has a positive impact on the intensity of participation in agriculture activities. Research limitations/implications In this study, only rural youth farmers in a particular region were considered. However, there are youths all over the nation. Therefore, future researchers could consider other youth’s farmers elsewhere in the country. Originality/value Although existing studies have examined rural youth farmers’ participation in agriculture and credit constraint separately, the unique contribution of this paper is the analysis of credit constraint of rural youth farmers as well as the impact of credit constraint on the intensity of participation in agriculture activities.

Cooperation and competition among subsidiaries in a business group: their impacts on innovation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donghong Li ◽  
Zhenning Yang ◽  
Pengcheng Ma ◽  
Hang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Business Group ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cooperation And Competition ◽  
Group Cooperation ◽  
Group Competition ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to document the relationship between intra-group coopetition and subsidiaries' innovation performance and the moderating impact of the intensity of external competition.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 75 subsidiaries in China through a questionnaire survey of their R&D and general managers. The total number of individual respondents was 205. We tested our hypothesis by using ordinary least squares regression.FindingsIntra-group cooperation was found to promote a subsidiary's performance in product and process innovation. Intra-group competition was found to have a U-shaped relationship with product and process innovation. Intra-group cooperation strengthens the U-shaped relationship between intra-group competition and process innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThis study involved firms from more than one industry. Studies of specific industries might reach more specific conclusions. And all of the data were self-reported by the managers of the firms concerned. Future studies would be well-advised to consider more objective data describing pairs of parent firms and subsidiaries.Practical implicationsSubsidiaries ought to build their internal networks to cooperate with each other. That can bring significant advantages in terms of information and synergy in innovation. Subsidiaries are also suggested to take full advantage of the opportunities that intra-group competition brings.Originality/valueThis study is the first one to explore coopetition phenomenon in the context of business group. By taking Chinese business group subsidiaries as the research samples, this research not only extends the coopetition research but also reveals that cooperation and competition are co-existed and exert influence in subsidiaries.

Technological Innovations and Market Power: A Study of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

2020 ◽  
pp. 097639962094427
Author(s):  
Madan Dhanora ◽  
Ruchi Sharma ◽  
Walter G. Park
Keyword(s):  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Market Power ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

Technological innovations are positively associated with firms’ market performance. This study aims to examine the impact of product and process innovation on the market power of 168 Indian pharmaceutical firms during 2000–2013. We generate product and process patent stock to capture firm-level innovation activities. Findings of this study suggest that both product and process innovation positively influence firms’ market power. Results also reveal that MNEs enjoy more market power in the Indian pharmaceutical industry. Further, this study also highlights that there is a differential impact of firms’ product group on market power. This study concludes that patenting is a positive source of firm performance in the Indian pharmaceutical industry.

R&D volatility and market value: the role of executive overconfidence

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-431
Author(s):  
Benlu Hai ◽  
Qingzhu Gao ◽  
Ximing Yin ◽  
Jin Chen
Keyword(s):  
Business Performance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Market Value ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Perspective ◽  
Innovation Strategies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Significant increase or decrease in research and development (R&D) expenditure may have an immense impact on market value. Based on the punctuated equilibrium theory, this paper aims to empirically analyze the impact of R&D volatilities on market value and the moderating effect of executive overconfidence. Design/methodology/approach The study uses the panel data set that covers 902 Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share manufacturing listed firms and multiple regression method to test the theoretical hypotheses. Findings The results show that both positive and negative R&D volatilities have a robust and significant positive impact on the market value. Further analysis shows that the executive overconfidence positively moderates the relationship between R&D volatilities and market value. Research limitations/implications In a rapidly changing and highly competitive environment, firms should recognize that the balance of innovation strategies will help to bring higher market value. Furthermore, firms could improve corporate governance to make the best of managerial characteristics, such as overconfidence, on the innovation decision-making process. Originality/value By pushing the static perspective to a dynamic perspective and empirically documenting the role of executive overconfidence, this study contributes to the literature on the relationship between R&D expenditure and market value, generating theoretical and practical insights for firms to improve innovation governance and innovation strategies to achieve better business performance.

Moderating role of innovation culture in the relationship between organizational learning and innovation performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peivand Ghasemzadeh ◽  
Jamal A. Nazari ◽  
Mandana Farzaneh ◽  
Gholamhossein Mehralian
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Culture ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose Different studies have analyzed the relationship between organizational learning (OL) and innovation performance (IP). However, the question of how innovation culture (IC) affects the relationship between OL and IP remains unexplored. This study aims to examine the impact of IC on the relationship between OL and various dimensions of IP, including product, process and objective innovation. Design/methodology/approach A research model was developed and performed based on the relevant literature in the field of OL, IC and IP. The hypotheses are tested with the data collected from companies operating in an intensive knowledge-based industry. Findings Based on the results of 625 questionnaires completed by pharmaceutical companies, OL activities and IC can result in product and process innovation. However, this relationship was not supported for the objective innovation. Furthermore, in terms of the moderating role of IC in the relationship between OL and IP dimensions, the results were significant. Practical implications The findings help to gain a better understanding of how organizational commitment by creating a culture for innovation can help to maximize the benefits of continuous OL in product and process innovation. Originality/value Considering the three aspects of IP, it is the first survey of the contribution of OL in firms’ IP with considering the moderating role of IC. The proposed model would enrich the relevant literature and provide us with better understanding how OL contributes to the IP.

scholarly journals Does open access to academic research help small, science-based companies?

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 95-109
Author(s):  
ElHassan ElSabry ◽  
Koichi Sumikura
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Poisson Model ◽  
Innovation Activity ◽  
Coping Mechanism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Small Science ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Gain Access

PurposeThis study investigates the extent to which a company's usage of open access (OA) literature for R&D activities depends on its size. The authors’ assumption is that smaller pharmaceutical companies have less access to (usually expensive) journal subscriptions.Design/methodology/approachA fixed-effect Poisson model was used to study a panel dataset of USPTO pharmaceutical company patents. The dependent variable is the count of citations to OA resources in a given company patent.FindingsResults support current anecdotal evidence that many SMEs suffer from high journal prices.Originality/valueThis result justifies the assumption made by policymakers about the potentially positive impact OA mandates have on national innovation activity. It was also shown that collaborating with universities can be a potential coping mechanism for companies that struggle to gain access to the journals they need. In addition to the novelty of its findings, this study introduces a new way to study the impact of OA in nonacademic contexts.

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