How does cooperation affect innovation in micro-enterprises?

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1390-1409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiayu Tu ◽  
Shiuh-Nan Hwang ◽  
Jehn-Yih Wong
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Entrepreneurial Success ◽  
Resource Based View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Final Questionnaire ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Micro Enterprises ◽  
Night Markets

Purpose – This research investigates how micro-enterprises cooperate with external parties in order to promote innovation and entrepreneurial success. The purpose of this paper is to describe supplier and consumer cooperation and analyzes how these two behavioral modes influence the product and service innovations of micro-enterprises. Based on the resource-based view of the firm, the authors show that micro-enterprises help the source of innovation by tapping into the resources and abilities of suppliers. Design/methodology/approach – This research used a questionnaire to randomly sample micro-entrepreneurs that run stalls at night markets. Before distributing the final questionnaire, the authors in-depth interviewed ten micro-entrepreneurs and asked them to openly describe their entrepreneurial processes and success stories. Findings – The results of this study show that cooperation with consumers does not improve product and service innovations. By contrast, the cooperation of micro-enterprises with suppliers was found to increase the generation of product and service innovations in the present study. And the findings show that the effect of innovation approaches on entrepreneurial success indicates that product innovation positively improves firm performance. Last, from the perspective of cooperation behavior, product innovation mediates entrepreneurial success through cooperation with suppliers. Research limitations/implications – Because of respondents were night market vendors and thus the results are not necessarily generalizable to other types of micro-enterprises. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test multiple types of micro-enterprises. Second, this research aimed to differentiate the relationships between innovation approaches and entrepreneurial success by focussing exclusively on product and service innovations. Therefore, other variables should be included in future studies. Practical implications – As for practical implications in the field of cooperation behavior, the authors have shown that it is crucial to maintain long-term cooperative relations with trusted suppliers. Social implications – As for practical implications in the field of cooperation behavior, the authors have shown that it is crucial to maintain long-term cooperative relations with trusted suppliers. Originality/value – This paper fulfills an identified need to study how innovation in micro-enterprises.

Unlocking the strategic value of flexibility

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 13-14
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Performance ◽  
Strategic Value ◽  
Production Flexibility ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Strategic Success ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings This research paper concentrates on how flexibility in production, marketing, and HR creates an organizational foundation for strategic success for the long term. Marketing and production flexibility both positively impact a company’s strategic performance and product innovation in a material way, however the positive impact of HR flexibility noted in previous studies was difficult to quantify here. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Becoming global leaders: innovation challenges for five large Chinese firms

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bala Chakravarthy ◽  
David Yau
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Chinese Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chinese Companies ◽  
Future Success ◽  
Global Leader ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose In order to be a true global leader, Chinese firms must be able to be trailblazers in both emerging and advanced markets. Design/methodology/approach Five major Chinese companies are studied: Each of the five leaders has shown interest in building an organization that can nurture innovation that is more than incremental. Findings Each of the five companies needs a clear long-term vision that will guide innovation and point to where these companies should place their slow-to-pay-off R&D bets. Practical implications The agility to take advantage quickly as opportunities emerge–by practicing frequent experimentation, promptly divesting failed projects and rapidly scaling up investments in successful ones–has been an important ability that has contributed to the success of the five companies. Originality/value Breakthrough product innovation will be an important competence for the future success of these five Chinese companies. Some of the five companies have developed a growing appetite for external collaboration to drive innovation.

scholarly journals Sinabung volcano: how culture shapes community resilience

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-303
Author(s):  
Marta Mori ◽  
Ronan McDermott ◽  
Saut Sagala ◽  
Yasmina Wulandari
Keyword(s):  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aid Dependency ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Cultural Experts ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how culture, including traditions and social structures, can influence resilience and how culturally sensitive relief operations can put affected people and their context at the core of any interventions. Design/methodology/approach A case study of the Mt Sinabung volcano area in Indonesia was undertaken. As part of the case study, an analysis of interventions was conducted, which was complemented by semi-structured interviews with Karo cultural experts and humanitarian organisations. Findings Culture influences the manner in which the Karo people react to volcano eruptions with varying implications for recovery. In addition, relief organisations which understand people’s actions through a cultural lens have better managed to tailor programs with long-term impact, thereby avoiding aid dependency. Practical implications Practical examples of disaster management activities that adequately account for the beneficiaries’ way of living prior to the eruptions are provided. Aid actors are provided with guidance concerning how to better tailor their activities in line with a cultural lens. Originality/value The study provides empirical grounding for claims concerning the role of culture in planning interventions in Indonesia and other similar contexts.

Innovation in SMEs: the role of employee training in German SMEs

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irem Demirkan ◽  
Ravi Srinivasan ◽  
Alka Nand
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Employee Training ◽  
Lower Proportion ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

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.

The transition of a socio-technical system to a smart grid: illustrated with the Indian electricity network

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lakshminarayana Kompella
Keyword(s):  
Technical System ◽  
Transition Theory ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Indian States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
Policy Systems ◽  
Transition Trajectory ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to explain transitions in a socio-technical system characterized by non-economic entities that influence economic activity, i.e. embeddedness and coalitions. The selected socio-technical system is an Indian electric network with an interventionist policy. Its embeddedness and coalitions drive the transition. The insights from such analysis expand socio-technical transition theory and provide valuable insights to practitioners in their policymaking. Design/methodology/approach The authors need to observe the effects of non-economic institutions in their setting. Moreover, in India, the regional policies influence decision-making; therefore, selected two Indian states. The two Indian states, along with their non-economic entities, provided diverse analytic and heuristic views. Findings The findings show that coalitions, with their embeddedness in the absence of any mediating policy systems, act as external pressures and influence innovation and the socio-technical system’s transition trajectory. Their coalitions’ embeddedness follows a shaping, not selection logic. Thereby influence innovations in cumulating as stable designs. Such an approach provides benefits in the short-term but not in the long-term. Research limitations/implications The study selected two states and examined two of the four trajectories. By considering other states, the authors can obtain more renewable energy investments and further insights into the transformational trajectory. Practical implications The study highlights the coalition dynamics specific to the Indian electric power network and its transition trajectories. The non-economic entities influenced transition trajectories, innovation and policymaking of the socio-technical system. Originality/value The study expands the socio-technical transition theory by including embeddedness. The embeddedness brings a shaping logic instead of a selection logic.

Building a new resilience

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Buell Hirsch
Keyword(s):  
Cyber Security ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Leaders ◽  
Human Potential ◽  
Global Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business System ◽  
New Business ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of the viewpoint is to examine the various ways in which the pandemic has exposed structural vulnerabilities in global business infrastructures that have long existed and been long ignored. It urges business leaders not to return to a “new normal” but make fundamental changes to ensure that their businesses are truly resilient and can withstand future threats more effectively. Design/methodology/approach The viewpoint looks at the various kinds of vulnerability to which businesses are exposed – such as supply chain, human capital, cyber security and climate change – and proposes ways to ensure that businesses, as well as shareholders and government entities work together to build true resilience. Findings At its core, the viewpoint exposes the various ways in which businesses have turned a blind eye to vulnerabilities that have always lurked just below the surface and suggests. The argument is that to secure the long-term future of our global business system, we can no longer remain oblivious to fundamental weaknesses in our infrastructures. Research limitations/implications The viewpoint looks selectively at the available data and is, therefore, by definition, subjective and non-comprehensive. Practical implications If businesses and shareholders truly take the recommendations of this viewpoint to heart, we can build a more resilient future through long-term investments in risk management infrastructures of all kinds that will secure a more prosperous and stable future. Social implications Developing a more resilient and stable global business infrastructure will help reduce the business volatility deriving from last minute responses to predictable threats. This will, in turn, help provide more stable, fulfilling employment, especially in developing countries that will act as a fly wheel for the secure development of human potential around the world. Originality/value While there has been much speculation of what the “new business normal” will look like once the pandemic has been conquered, this is, the author believes, the first piece to look concretely on how we can not only “build back better” but build back more soundly for the long term.

A directed content analysis of viewpoints on the changing patterns of Lean Six Sigma research

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 641-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan A. Rodgers ◽  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Zhen He ◽  
Elizabeth A. Cudney ◽  
Chad Laux
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper, builds on previous studies that explored the research patterns over 15 years, is to consider the current status of the integration of Lean and Six Sigma. More specifically, this research addresses whether Lean and Six Sigma are stronger together and explores the reasons why Lean researchers and practitioners may be less likely to integrate Six Sigma in their work. Design/methodology/approach The research utilises a survey of 25 established and respected academics and practitioners from 16 countries. The questionnaire is analysed using a direct content approach and coded in NVivo. Findings The findings suggest that challenges may lie in the perception and understanding of statistics as well as short-term rather than long-term focus on improvement. The findings also suggest that academics and practitioners believe that Lean Six Sigma has developed over time and will continue to develop and improve as a methodology rather than being replaced with a new methodology. Research limitations/implications The survey has a sample size of 25, albeit all respondents are established and very experienced practitioners and academics. Practical implications For organisations that are introducing or refreshing their continuous improvement initiatives, this research identifies some of the challenges and provides the opportunity to address them to maximise the opportunities for success and sustainability. Originality/value The value of this paper is that it further addresses the debate over the integration of Lean and Six Sigma for many organisations which still employ Lean alone, but beyond this it explores how they will continue to develop and whether they are a permanent edition to the quality management landscape or a transition to something else.

Help us to help you

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (10) ◽  
pp. 29-30
Keyword(s):  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Asia Pacific Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Long Term Performance ◽  
Performance Gains ◽  
Term Performance ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Hotels in the Asia-Pacific region have yet to fully utilize social media to promote their CSR initiatives. This means there is huge potential for improved stakeholder engagement, leading to short- and long-term performance gains. Originality The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Investment opportunities for student housing in Europe

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 578-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick French ◽  
Geetha Bhat ◽  
Gurpreet Matharu ◽  
Filipe Ortigão Guimarães ◽  
David Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Student Housing ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Requirements ◽  
Investment Opportunities ◽  
Property Markets ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into how the demographic of international and home students in the major university cities in three European countries (France, Spain and Germany) offers investors an opportunity to provide students housing. This paper looks at how a mobile and demanding student clientele now demands, well priced, good quality and purpose built accommodation during their studies at University. This offers a good property investment opportunity. Design/methodology/approach This practice briefing is an overview of the demand factors that are creating opportunities in France, Spain and Germany. Findings This paper analyses the link between the under provision of purpose built student housing and an opportunity to develop a long-term cash flow producing investment asset. Practical implications The role of the property developers and investors is to successfully identify trends and demands and provide the assets that meet the market requirements. This paper looks at the meeting point in three major European countries for this latent and, currently, poorly served demand. Originality/value This provides guidance on how investment opportunities develop in non-traditional property markets.

HC and financial performance with two HRM strategies

2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nopadol Rompho
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Lead Time ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Strategy Choice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between levels of human capital and financial performance of firms that use two distinct human resource management (HRM) strategies. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 128 HRM managers was conducted to assess differences in human capital between firms using different HRM strategies. A multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between firms’ human capital and financial performance. Findings The results show that companies employing a make-organic strategy have a higher level of human capital than companies employing a buy-bureaucratic strategy. There was no relationship between the level of human capital and long term financial performance of firms with both make-organic and buy-bureaucratic strategies. Research limitations/implications This research contributes toward understanding the effect of HRM strategy and facilitates an optimal strategy choice depending on the organization. However, this study did not consider the lead time between changes in human capital and the effect on financial performance. Practical implications The research encourages firm managers to understand the value of human capital, preparing them for changes in the future. Originality/value This study is among the first to investigate the relationship between human capital and financial performance considering different HRM strategies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document