WHAT’S THE RECIPE TO INNOVATE? AN ANALYSIS OF THE DETERMINANTS OF THE DEGREE OF INNOVATION IN THE GASTRONOMY SEGMENT

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (01) ◽  
pp. 2050005 ◽  
Author(s):  
RENATA BRAGA BERENGUER DE VASCONCELOS ◽  
RICARDO SÉRGIO GOMES VIEIRA ◽  
DENIS SILVA DA SILVEIRA
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Data Compilation ◽  
Northeastern State ◽  
State Capital ◽  
Degree Of Innovation

Innovation represents the search for the new that allows organisations to increase their competitiveness and face market competition. Although they have fewer resources and smaller capacities, small businesses have a number of advantages that enable the innovation process. Therefore, it is necessary to gain a greater understanding on the stage of innovation in small firms and on how the aspects of management influence their development and are useful for such organisations. In this sense, the present paper analyses the determinants of organisational management that influence the degree of innovation of small firms in the gastronomic segment. The sample of the study counted on data compilation of 67 small gastronomic firms of a northeastern state capital in Brazil collected during almost two years. The determinants of innovation were identified through the theoretical framework composed of leadership; strategies; customers; society; information and knowledge; people; processes and results. The degree of innovation was measured from the degree of sectorial innovation achieved by the innovation radar. The proposed relationships were analysed by means of multiple regression with panel data, in which the degree of innovation was the dependent variable of the model and the determinants of innovation were the independent variables. The results demonstrate that the degree of innovation is influenced mainly by the internal processes that the company develops and by the results that it achieves. On the contrary, it was verified that the regulatory aspects that the firms attend can inhibit the development of innovation. The results reinforce the importance of organisational management for the development of innovation in small business, presenting the facilities and the obstacles.

scholarly journals Effects of public procurement of R&D on the innovation process: evidence from the UK small business research initiative

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kostas Selviaridis
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Market Failure ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Business Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Initiative ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The study aims to investigate how pre-commercial procurement (PCP) influences the activities, capabilities and behaviours of actors participating in the innovation process. Unlike much of PCP research underpinned by a market failure theoretical framework that evaluates the additionality of innovation inputs and outputs, this paper focusses on the role and capacity of PCP in addressing systemic failures impeding the process of innovation. Design/methodology/approach PCP effects on the innovation process were studied through a qualitative study of the UK small business research initiative (SBRI) programme. Data collection comprised 33 semi-structured interviews with key informants within 30 organisations and analysis of 80-plus secondary data sources. Interviewees included executives of technology-based small businesses, managers within public buying organisations and innovation policymakers and experts. Findings The UK SBRI improves connectivity and instigates research and development (R&D) related interactions and cooperation. Through securing government R&D contracts, small firms access relevant innovation ecosystems, build up their knowledge and capabilities and explore possible routes to market. Public organisations use the SBRI to connect to innovative small firms and access their sets of expertise and novel ideas. They also learn to appreciate the strategic role of procurement. Nonetheless, SBRI-funded small business face commercialisation and innovation adoption challenges because of institutional constraints pertaining to rules, regulations and public-sector norms of conduct. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to existing PCP research by demonstrating innovation process-related effects of PCP policies. It also complements literature on small business-friendly public procurement measures by highlighting the ways through which PCP, rather than commercial procurement procedures, can support the development of small businesses other than just facilitating their access to government (R&D) contracts. Social implications The study identifies several challenge areas that policymakers should address to improve the implementation of the UK SBRI programme. Originality/value The study demonstrates the effects of PCP on the activities, capabilities and behaviours of small businesses and public buying organisations involved in the innovation process.

Tracing the Links between Absorptive Capacity, University Knowledge Exchange and Competitive Advantage in SMEs

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Fogg
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Development Fund ◽  
North West ◽  
Management School

Can university knowledge exchange give small businesses the ability to gain competitive advantage? The main purpose of this study is, first, to understand the limitations for small firms in absorbing knowledge from higher education institutions and, second, to ascertain whether access to knowledge resources, such as a university, can be an antecedent factor for building absorptive capacity in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and creating business value. The paper is a conceptual study in which a model for knowledge exchange between a management school and SMEs is proposed. The model was developed, drawing on the literature and prior SME knowledge exchange expertise of the management school, to deliver a three-year project funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The project, ‘Innovation for Growth’, is designed to embed innovation in the business processes and practices of 300 SMEs in the north-west of England. This paper offers recommendations for improving policy aimed at supporting the innovation process of small firms; a proposed model of knowledge exchange between university and small firms; and a strategy for small businesses to improve their absorptive capacity.

scholarly journals The Impact of Coercive Pressures on Sustainability Practices of Small Businesses in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reginald Masocha ◽  
Olawale Fatoki
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Sustainability Practices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Isomorphic Pressures

The study sought to examine the role that coercive isomorphic pressures play in the sustainable development practices by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The survey research approach was utilised in the research through 222 self-administered questionnaires distributed to SME owners and managers. The structural equation modelling (SEM) method was utilised to analyse the data through the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method in Amos Version 24 software. Major findings in this study are that coercive isomorphic pressures have a significant impact on all the three dimensions of sustainable development which are economic, environmental and social. The implications are that government, environmental pressure groups and other stakeholders need to take into consideration the coercive pressures such as laws and regulations in pressuring small businesses to enhance sustainability practices. The research contributes by unearthing the extent to which coercive pressures impact the behaviour and practices of SMEs in sustainability practices. The study indicates that eventually small firms are expected to behave the same when it comes to adopting sustainability practices due to coercive isomorphism. The findings of this study further contribute toward understanding the concept of sustainable development in practice and theory.

scholarly journals Barriers for Eco-Innovations: A Case Study of a Small Firm in Poland

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej H. Jasiński ◽  
Filip Tużnik
Keyword(s):  
Small Firm ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Generation Gap ◽  
Local Administration ◽  
Retirement Age ◽  
Legal Regulations ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
Innovative Solutions

Abstract This paper is mainly based on a case study of Tuzal Ltd. - a small firm acting in the eco-innovation market in Poland. The main aim of the paper is to analyze main barriers which are being met by enterprises, especially small firms, acting in the eco-innovation market. The following barriers are analysed: problems in convincing customers to innovative solutions; a specific nature of cooperation with local administration units; continuous changes in legal regulations; an increasing market competition; a lack of funds for marketing; a generation gap and a retirement age of the company’s owner.

scholarly journals Innovation in the Textiles Sector: A Firm-Level Analysis of Technological and Nontechnological Innovation

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (Special Edition) ◽  
pp. 129-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waqar Wadho ◽  
Azam Chaudhry
Keyword(s):  
Small Firms ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
Knowledge Flows ◽  
Innovation Activity ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Large Firms ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Innovation Rate

In a knowledge-based economy, it has become increasingly important to better understand critical aspects of the innovation process such as innovation activities beyond R&D, the interaction among different actors in the market and the relevant knowledge flows. Using a sample of 431 textiles and apparel manufacturers, this paper explores the dynamics of firms’ innovation activities by analyzing their innovation behavior, the extent and types of innovation, the resources devoted to innovation, sources of knowledge spillovers, the factors hampering technological innovation and the returns to innovation for three years, 2013–15. Our results show that 56 percent of the surveyed firms introduced technological and/or nontechnological innovations, while 38 percent introduced new products, these innovations were generally incremental as the majority of innovations were new only to the firm. Furthermore, the innovation rate increases with firm size; large firms have an innovation rate of 83 percent, followed by medium firms (68 percent) and small firms (39 percent). Technologically innovative firms spent, on average, 10 percent of their turnover on innovation expenditure in 2015. Acquisition of machinery and equipment is the main innovation activity, accounting for 56 percent of innovation expenditures. Large firms consider foreign market sources (clients and suppliers) and small firms consider local market sources their key source of information and cooperation. 63 percent of technological innovators cite improving the quality of goods as their most important objective. Lack of available funds within the enterprise is the single most important cost factor hampering innovation, followed by the high cost of innovation. Our results show that 67 percent of the turnover among product innovators in 2015 resulted from product innovations that were either new to the market or new to the firm.

Standardization Efforts in Small Businesses

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 53-67
Author(s):  
Ying Yan Tan
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Service Experiences

Services are products or ways businesses differentiate from others to attract customers. Characteristics of service, which include intangibility, perishability, and dependence on individuals who perform the services, make it valuable asset and competitive advantage to firm when well-managed. It is crucial for quality services to be preserved through standardization though there are different individuals who bring customers through service experiences. Service standardization involves consistency in work processes, attitudes, and ability to create similar experiences to customers who patronage the firm. The author believes that standardization of manpower quality is a way to service standardization. Standardization efforts can be found in many flexible practices in small enterprises, which are thought to be peculiar ways small firms survive competition. The conceptual paper covered questions from the author about service standardization, which will lead to future studies to go behind the scene of service standardization efforts in SMEs and their impacts on Malaysian small firms.

Confronting the unprecedented: micro and small businesses in the age of coronavirus disease 2019

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Bressan ◽  
Abel Duarte Alonso ◽  
Seng Kiat Kok
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Theory Of Planned Behaviour ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Wine Industry ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Stakeholders

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand how micro and small firms are navigating through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat, and the alternatives they are implementing to coexist with the ongoing crisis. To this end, Italy's socioeconomically and traditionally significant wine industry is examined. The study considers insights of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and develops a theoretical framework, which proposes various emerging theoretical dimensions, including proactiveness, support-reliance and resourcefulness.Design/methodology/approachWinery owners–managers were contacted and invited to partake in the study completing an online questionnaire. Overall, 167 useable responses were collected.FindingsWhile facing the loss of vital income through decreasing demand and exports, participants resort to exploiting various initiatives, including “reinventing” their firms. Their observations also recognise the vital supporting role of various key stakeholders, first and foremost family members, as well as clients and staff. Concerning how owners-managers envision managing their firm post-COVID-19, two predominant groups are identified, one strongly favouring modern-day alternatives, and the second committing to the firm's traditional business model. Overall, the different predictors of the TPB, namely attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control emerged.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first that empirically analyses micro and small firms in a socioeconomically and traditionally significant industry during an unprecedented event. In addition, the proposed theoretical framework provides a roadmap and guide to examine, understand and assimilate the entrepreneurial journey through a devastating event.

Doing Business in Paradise

2011 ◽  
pp. 221-243
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Kaars-Brown ◽  
Chingning Wang
Keyword(s):  
Financial Management ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
British West Indies ◽  
Developmental Context ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
Transfer Of Technology

This chapter presents findings from a case study of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in the British West Indies area of the Caribbean. TCI is a tax haven that has worked to attract offshore financial firms such as trust, insurance, and financial management companies. All of these firms, which qualify as “information intensive,” are small in size (average 11 employees), engage in business on a global basis, and yet must compete while dealing with local infrastructure challenges. TCI is presented as the developmental context in which small businesses (largely owned or managed by foreigners from other cultures) must interpret and cope with national infrastructure challenges in this very small, young, rapidly growing island nation. Not surprisingly, we found that these firms share similar challenges with those in other developing countries; however, the perceptions of these challenges and how these small firms cope provide insights into the importance of small firms, small-scale foreign investment, and cross-national transfer of technology expectations.

Management's Contribution to Internet Commerce Benefit - Experiences of Online Small Businesses

2011 ◽  
pp. 277-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simpson Poon
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Internet Commerce ◽  
Is Success ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Specialist Knowledge ◽  
It Success ◽  
Management Involvement

The importance of management and Information Technology (IT) success had been repeatedly identified in small business IT studies (for example, DeLone, 1988). When measuring information satisfaction among small firms, top management involvement was found to be one of the most important factors (Montazemi, 1988). The quest for the role of management involvement in Information Systems (IS) success in small firms continued into the 1990s. For example, Yap, Soh, and Raman (1992) studied a group of Singaporean small firms using earlier findings and discovered that CEO involvement was positively related to IS success. CEO involvement such as attending project meetings, involvement in information requirement needs analysis, reviewing consultants’ recommendations and project monitoring are important to IS success. Thong, Yap and Raman (1996) pointed out that although management support was important, in cases where internal IS expertise was lacking, specialist knowledge (for example, engaging IT consultants in projects) was important to success. An in-depth study on motivators and inhibitors for small firms to adopt computing identified managerial enthusiasm as a key motivator (Cragg, 1998). The overseeing role of management during system implementation was found to be important to success. Management support was also found to be an important factor for IT success in the case of personal computing acceptance (Igbaria, Zinatelli, Craig, & Cavaye, 1997). All of these studies suggested that management involvement was critical to IS success regardless of cultural background.

State ownership, firm innovation and the moderating role of private-sector competition: the case of China

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongyan Yang ◽  
H. Kevin Steensma ◽  
Ting Ren
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
New Products ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
State Ownership ◽  
The State ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Firm Characteristics ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to study how state ownership influences the innovation process in terms of allocating resources toward searching for new solutions and converting these efforts into economic value. On one hand, deep pockets of the state provide slack resources that may facilitate risk taking and innovation. On the other hand, soft budgets can create incentive problems and dampen the efficient use of resources. The authors suggest how accounting for competitive context can disentangle these countervailing forces. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a panel of over 240,000 Chinese firms over the years 2004–2008. The broad sample and period afforded substantial variability in terms of state ownership within and across firms. The authors use a two-stage model and a within-firm (i.e. fixed-effects) design, controlling for all time-invariant firm characteristics and the problematic unobserved heterogeneity that can often lead to erroneous inferences. Furthermore, the relatively short window limits the likelihood of time-varying unobserved firm characteristics biasing the empirical results. Findings The authors found that private-sector competition has the opposite effect on the relationship between state ownership and the second step of the innovation process. In industries where there is robust private-sector competition, state ownership diminishes the firm’s ability to convert R&D efforts into economic value. Private-sector competition competes away any advantages state-owned firms may have in terms of developing or accessing the complementary resources needed for commercialization. Ultimately, the inefficiencies of state ownership in terms of relatively undisciplined selection and monitoring of R&D activities outweigh any potential resource advantages derived from state ownership. Originality/value The state remains a prominent player in many economies throughout the world. The authors explored how state ownership of firms influences the resources they expend in searching out new solutions, and their success in converting such resources into economically valuable new products and services. State ownership has potentially countervailing effects on innovation. The authors disentangle these countervailing effects through consideration of how accounting for competitive context could determine whether the beneficial effects of state ownership dominate its detrimental effects for both searching for new solutions and converting these efforts into economically valuable new products. With a focus of market competition as an external force that drives the difference in innovation between SOEs and the private-sector, this study serves as a parallel effort to Jia et al. (2019) who investigate the joint effect of public and corporate governance on SOEs’ innovation performance, and Zhou et al. (2017) who concern the balance of the institution and efficiency logics on the comparative advantage of SOEs over privately owned enterprises in innovation performance.

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