scholarly journals Open innovation in small and medium enterprises: a bibliometric analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 533-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Odriozola-Fernández ◽  
Jasmina Berbegal-Mirabent ◽  
José M. Merigó-Lindahl
Keyword(s):  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Intellectual Property Right ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Prolific Authors ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Purpose The open innovation (OI) paradigm suggests that firms should use inflows and outflows of knowledge in order to accelerate innovation and leverage markets. Literature examining how firms are adopting OI practices is rich; notwithstanding, little research has addressed this topic from the perspective of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Given the relevance of SMEs in worldwide economies, the purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of research on OI in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach In total, 112 academic articles were selected from the Web of Science database. Following a bibliometric analysis, the most relevant authors, journals, institutions and countries are presented. Additionally, the main areas these articles cover are summarized. Findings Results are consistent in that the most prolific authors are affiliated with the universities leading the ranking of institutions. However, it is remarkable that top authors in this field do not possess a large number of publications on OI in SMEs, but combine this research topic with other related ones. At the country level, European countries are on the top together with South Korea. Research limitations/implications Despite following a rigorous method, other relevant documents not included in the selected databases might have been ignored. Practical implications This paper outlines the main topics of interest within this area: impact of OI on firm performance and on organizations’ structure, OI as a mechanism to hasten new product development, the analysis of the inbound/outbound dimensions of OI, and legal issues related to intellectual property right management when OI is implemented. Originality/value The study uses a combination of bibliometric indicators with a literature review.

Relevant factors of innovation contests for SMEs

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1196-1215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Isabel Rodriguez Ferradas ◽  
José A. Alfaro Tanco ◽  
Francesco Sandulli
Keyword(s):  
New Product Development ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Retrospective Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Context Factors ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Design Factors ◽  
Relevant Factors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevant factors that influence the implementation of innovation contests, an open innovation (OI) practice that has been extensively reported in the literature as a managerial tool for external knowledge search. The authors focus the study on the context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach The approach is a retrospective case study. This methodology allows an in-depth view into a Spanish SME that successfully undertook two new product development processes thanks to the deployment of innovation contests. Findings The main context factors influencing innovation contests as managerial tool are ambidexterity, technological and marketing turbulence and intermediaries, among others. Regarding design factors, this work highlights the role of attraction and facilitation. Additionally, the repetitive implementation of innovation contests creates a corporate culture that promotes OI activities. Practical implications Managers will understand that they can use innovation contests as a managerial tool, and knowing the factors that need to be taken into account when implementing an innovation contest will help SMEs managers to make better use of this practice. Originality/value This case study enriches the literature of both innovation contests and topics relevant to SMEs. Based on a theoretical framework of the design factors that influence the implementation of innovation contests, the authors propose a research framework that incorporates those context factors in association with an SME.

A systematic literature review of open innovation in small and medium enterprises in the past decade

foresight ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huma Sikandar ◽  
Umar Haiyat Abdul Kohar
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Prisma Statement ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Purpose There is a growing trend of open innovation (OI) in small and middle enterprises (SMEs) these days, yet the implementation of OI in SMEs is a challenge because of their financial and resource constraints. This study aims to identify and analyze the past trends, barriers and outcomes and major factors influencing the implementation of OI in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach This review is based on 40 published articles from the Scopus database. It selects highly cited papers published from 2010 to 2019. The PRISMA statement template is used to explain the overall process of selection and rejections of the relevant articles. Findings The study contributes in two ways. First, through a comprehensive literature review, the authors highlight the overall development of the concept of OI in the literature over the past 10 years and highlight the findings of the significant studies. Second, the authors provide detailed representations of the OI literature by calculating yearly publications and identifying the SMEs which mostly implement OI practices, journals that publish a relevant article, OI-related publications in different disciplines and geographical locations in which most of the OI studies have been conducted. The study also reveals the most cited articles, journals and authors. Originality/value The authors conclude this paper with the argument that although much research has been done in the OI field, still there is a need to establish tools, models and methods that could facilitate SMEs in OI, especially for developing economies.

External knowledge search paths in open innovation processes of small and medium enterprises

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 524-550
Author(s):  
Preecha Chaochotechuang ◽  
Farhad Daneshgar ◽  
Stefania Mariano
Keyword(s):  
Open Innovation ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Search Space ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Knowledge ◽  
Search Heuristics ◽  
Knowledge Search ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Innovation Processes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge by exploring how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) search for external knowledge in their open innovation processes, and how the search can be advanced. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory research employs a qualitative multiple case study design. A literature review of open innovation in SMEs and external knowledge search is used to build the premises of this study. Semi-structured interviews with eight SMEs are employed to collect subsequent exploratory empirical data. Findings This exploratory study revealed that SMEs adopted a combination of cognitive and experiential search heuristics where cognitive search was practiced during the innovation research process when searching for external knowledge, whilst experiential search was practiced during the innovation development process. Concerning the search space, this study found that SMEs mainly explored local knowledge, and occasionally pursued distant knowledge when confronted with complex problems. The reason for the above behavior was explained to be related to the reduction of costs and risks associated with innovation activities. Originality/value External knowledge plays a pivotal role in open innovation. Although extant studies have shed some light on how large firms search for external knowledge, however, it is not clear how SMEs search for external knowledge. Moreover, this study focuses on learning about both the search space and the search heuristics at both the research and the development stages of the innovation process.

Exploring the barriers to SMEs’ open innovation adoption in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Oduro
Keyword(s):  
Open Innovation ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Survey Interviews ◽  
The Right ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Purpose Open innovation (OI) is now recognized as one essential innovation paradigm to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) quell their liability of newness and smallness. However, little is known about SMEs’ OI barriers, particularly in emerging economies. Drawing on both network and transaction cost theory, this study aims to explore the barriers to SMEs’ OI adoption in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted an exploratory sequential research design that involved both qualitative and quantitative study methodologies. A total of 644 responses (21 survey interviews and 623 usable questionnaires) across SMEs in Ghana were collected and analyzed in the study. A qualitative analysis involving quotations extracted from the respondent’s statement was used to present the qualitative findings, whereas SEM-partial least square, co-variance approach, was used to analyze the formulated hypotheses. Findings Results show that significant barriers to SMEs OI adoption are collaboration barriers – difficulty in finding the right partners and problems of cooperation and coordination of operational functions; organizational barriers – lack of flexible internal procedures and structures and organizational inertia; and strategic barriers – opportunistic behavior of partners and lack of strategic and resource fit. Contrary to existing findings, financial and knowledge barriers were disclosed as driving factors, rather than barriers, to SMEs’ OI adoption; these findings challenge conventional thinking about SMEs’ major OI barriers. Research limitations/implications This study focuses on only SMEs in one emerging economy, namely, Ghana, which may limit the generalization of the findings. Practical implications The findings of this study, while limited to Ghana, offer useful insights to SMEs managers, development practitioners and policymakers respecting the overall importance of the OI model, its associated impediments, as well as the strategic measures to quell those barriers. Originality/value This study provides a pioneering empirical investigation into the main barriers to SMEs’ OI adoption in a less-explored emerging market context through a mixed research approach.

Heuristics-in-use in industrial interfirm-collaborating clusters

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 394-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Hsiang Lai ◽  
Arch G Woodside
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Decision Rules ◽  
Rational Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Decision Systems ◽  
Interfirm Collaboration ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Potential Collaboration

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to help interfirm-collaborating cluster (ICC) executives examine the relevance of alternative decision rules in practical business contexts. Multi-party-implemented strategies and establishing multi-lateral collaborations are necessary actions for achieving success in new product development by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This study explores interfirm decision-making heuristics relating to industrial ICCs. Design/methodology/approach – The study examines the relevancy to decision making in ICCs of heurstics such as “fast-and-frugal decision trees” (FFDTs) and “take-the-best” (TTB) to processing possibly influential decision-making cues. The study also examines simple heuristics versus the value of a “fully rational” approach to making decisions – calculating cue values, importance weights, multiplying values by weights, summing and selecting the option having the highest summed score. This study included interviewing executives of the pivotal firm in an ICC. Findings – This study reveals a decision-making solution for shortening the time and processes required in seeking new business collaboration partners in an ICC. This study not only develops a FFDT for six decision-making modules to quickly identify potential collaboration partners, but it also constructs a decision systems analysis (DSA) flowchart to effectively shorten the decision-making process. Research limitations/implications – This study is in accordance with the general type of industrial interfirm collaboration in Taiwan. The industrial interfirm collaboration could be further divided into the types of formal, semi-formal and informal industrial interfirm collaborations. Practical implications – This study argues that firms usually find it difficult to develop their own technology because of the high costs of research and development for SMEs. Therefore, firms need to collaborate with partners to maintain their competitive advantage. However, to collaborate, firms must learn to trust their collaboration partners, and the degree of collaboration also strongly depends on the degree to which they trust their collaboration partners. Originality/value – This study provides the efficient models of FFDT and DSA to quickly identify potential collaboration partners and to effectively shorten decision-making processes.

Open and closed knowledge sourcing

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (6) ◽  
pp. 1166-1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juyeon Ham ◽  
Byounggu Choi ◽  
Jae-Nam Lee
Keyword(s):  
Open Innovation ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Knowledge Sourcing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Knowledge ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Internal Knowledge

Purpose Many studies have investigated the relationship between the adoption of open innovation and performance in large firms. However, limited research is available with regard to the use of open innovation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are important because of their contribution to innovation in almost all economies. The purpose of this paper is to extend the current literature by focusing on SMEs. Using complementarity and knowledge-based theories, this study develops three hypotheses to identify the effect of knowledge sourcing approaches for innovation on SMEs’ innovation performance. Design/methodology/approach Surveys collected from 196 SMEs in Korea were analyzed using the supermodularity function to test the hypotheses. Findings Results indicate that an external knowledge-oriented approach has no significant effect, whereas an internal knowledge-oriented (i.e. closed) approach has a positive effect on innovation performance. Interestingly, this study found that open innovation has a negative effect on SMEs’ innovation performance (i.e. both internal knowledge-oriented and external knowledge-oriented approaches have a substitutive relationship). Originality/value This study sheds new light on open innovation and knowledge management research by identifying the relationship between knowledge sourcing approaches for innovation, and innovation performance in SMEs. Practical implications highlight that open innovation could impede SMEs’ innovation performance.

The integrated impact of new product and market flexibilities on operational performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1163-1187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Salameh Alamro ◽  
Abdulkareem Salameh Awwad ◽  
Abdel Latef M. Anouze
Keyword(s):  
New Product Development ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
New Product ◽  
Operational Performance ◽  
Strategic Flexibility ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate and test the relationship between a company’s strategic flexibility, as evidenced by new product development flexibility and market flexibility, and its operational performance (OP) in Jordanian manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach Using a survey questionnaire, data were collected against two strategic decisions market and new product flexibility (NPF) from 222 middle and senior managers belonging to 116 Jordanian manufacturing firms. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to investigate the effects of these two strategic decisions on OP. Findings Results show a significant positive relationship between both NPF and market flexibility and OP. No significant differences between small and medium enterprises and large companies are found, indicating that the model is valid for both sizes. Also, the additional analyses suggest that the proposition that both NPF and market flexibility are important for OP was correct. Research limitations/implications Only two strategic flexibility decisions were considered in this paper, however, researcher could investigate other strategic flexibility decisions on OP. Practical implications The strategic flexibility level, in terms of NPF and market flexibility, that is needed for coping with uncertainty equips managers to handle challenges by enhancing the company’s controlled capacity through a considerable reduction in response time. An improvement in the company’s strategic flexibility enhances its overall performance and competitiveness and this, in turn, has a positive impact on its long-term sustainability. Originality/value The paper provides insights into the strategic flexibility decision practices in a Jordanian context. It provides further evidence that both market flexibility and NPF are significant in enhancing OP.

scholarly journals Open Innovation with Relational Capital, Technological Innovation Capital, and International Performance in SMEs

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3418
Author(s):  
Dongwoo Ryu ◽  
Kwang Ho Baek ◽  
Junghyun Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Relational Capital ◽  
Innovation Capability ◽  
Perspective View ◽  
International Performance ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Relationship

The importance of international markets is constantly emphasized for small and medium enterprises(SMEs). In previous studies, technological innovation capabilities were emphasized as a factor that enables SMEs to compete in the international market. To this end, SMEs need to cooperate with external partners to strengthen their technological innovation capabilities to thus improve their international performance. With the perspective view of open innovation, this research explores the effects of relational capital and technological innovation capability on international performance, with a particular focus on the moderating effect of alliance proactiveness. Building on previous literature regarding internationalization, technological innovation, and alliance proactiveness, research hypotheses were developed and tested using data collected from 175 SMEs. A hierarchical regression analysis was applied. The analysis showed that, first, relational capital had a significant effect on the technological innovation capability. Second, technological innovation capability has a significant influence on the international performance. Third, technological innovation capability mediated the relationship between relational capital and international performance. Finally, alliance proactiveness was found to moderate the relationship between technological innovation capability and international performance. The key research findings imply that relational capital and alliance proactiveness are the key factors of international performance, as they improved the development of the technological innovation capability.

Twiga Hosting Ltd – providing affordable information and communication technologies services to small and medium enterprises

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Juma James Masele
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Innovation Management ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Medium Enterprises

TitleTwiga Hosting Ltd – providing affordable information and communication technologies services to small and medium enterprises.Subject areaThe case describes the launch of Twiga Hosting Ltd, a company providing information and communication technology (ICT) services to the underserved small and medium enterprise (SME) sector in Tanzania and in a many countries in Africa.Study level/applicabilityThis case targets a range of audience from undergraduate students taking both Bachelor of Commerce and those taking Bachelor of Business Administration; and Postgraduate students taking business‐related courses. Nonetheless, the case may be used by all other learners of advanced studies in entrepreneurship and innovation management.Case overviewThe case addresses a number of issues including: Issues to be considered when starting an ICT enterprise. Strategic management. Business revenue models.Expected learning outcomes To impart/inculcate entrepreneurial insights in ICT and related areas. To make learners aware of the business growth opportunities in ICT ventures. The success factors for fruitful ICT ventures. To enable learners to identify challenges facing entrepreneurs in ICT ventures and the ways to overcome them.Supplementary materialsTeaching notes.

Effects of cloud computing assimilation on supply chain financing risks of SMEs

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Lu ◽  
Jinliang Chen ◽  
Hua Song ◽  
Xiangyu Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Financing ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how cloud computing assimilation reduces supply chain financing (SCF) risks of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This study also investigated the mediating roles of internal and external supply chain integration between cloud computing assimilation and the SCF risks of SMEs, as well as the moderating role of environmental competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from surveys of SMEs located in China. Multiple regression analysis was used to validate the proposed theoretical model and research hypotheses. Findings The findings show that cloud computing assimilation could reduce the SCF risks of SMEs directly. The results also indicate that both internal and external supply chain integration mediate the relationship between cloud computing assimilation and SCF risks. Furthermore, environmental competitiveness inhibits the effects of cloud computing assimilation on SCF risks. Originality/value To our best knowledge, this is the preliminary study to explore the role of cloud computing assimilation in reducing the SCF risks of SMEs. Also, this study attempted to investigate the process by which cloud computing assimilation affects the SCF risks of SMEs.

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