Innovative capacity and sustainable food tourist influx to African-ethnic restaurants: The dynamic capabilities perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. 146735842096602
Author(s):  
Samson Omuudu Otengei ◽  
Wilber Manyisa Ahebwa

The paper presents findings on how innovative capacity influences sustainable food tourist inflows to African-ethnic Restaurants (AERs) in East Africa. Informed by the Dynamic Capabilities Theory, a multiple case study approach was adopted to capture what the owner- managers bring to the research inquiry. This helped in an in-depth understanding of patterns and relationships of meanings. The study reveals that continuous food quality improvement, adoption of new technology, innovative authenticity assurance, customer involvement and personalized service, and engagement of dynamic tour and travel agents are strategically relevant in influencing sustainable food tourist inflows to AERs. Continuous use of popular flavourings, fresh materials, and adoption of best culinary practices such as “marinating” are a major reason for tourists’ re-visits to AERs. The findings further reveal that adoption of new technology for fast food preparation, attractive food presentation, and apposite service temperature lead to tourist attraction. It also emerged that the ability to respond to guest unique requests and specification is a valuable capability. In addition, the use of traditional paraphernalia, indigenous ingredients and, hiring creative traditional chefs is critical in retaining food tourists. Moreover, provision of diversity through an elaborate African buffet, eclectic cuisine, and regular menu reviews was found to be vital in attracting visitors to AERs. Thus, the study through innovative capabilities-based model, provides a theoretical explanation for food tourists’ influx to AERs, and presents implications for policy and practice.

Author(s):  
Zhaohui Wu ◽  
Madeleine Elinor Pullman

Food supply chain management is becoming a critical management and public policy agenda. Climate change, growing demand, and shifting patterns of food production, delivery, and consumption have elicited a series of new challenges, such as food security, safety, and system resiliency. This chapter first introduces the typical players in a food supply chain and examines the global food system characterized by consolidation and industrialization. It then discusses some critical topics of the sustainable food supply chain that aim to address these challenges. These topics include traceability, transparency, certification and standards, and alternatives to industrialized food systems, including cooperatives, community-supported agriculture, and roles of small and medium-sized growers in regenerative agriculture. The chapter ends with a discussion of several important emerging logistics management topics, including last-mile delivery, new technology, and cold chain management.


2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen V. Milner ◽  
Sondre Ulvund Solstad

ABSTRACTDo world politics affect the adoption of new technology? States overwhelmingly rely on technology invented abroad, and their differential intensity of technology use accounts for many of their differences in economic development. Much of the literature on technology adoption focuses on domestic conditions. The authors argue instead that the structure of the international system is critical because it affects the level of competition among states, which in turn affects leaders’ willingness to enact policies that speed technology adoption. Countries adopt new technology as they seek to avoid being vulnerable to attack or coercion by other countries. By systematically examining states’ adoption of technology over the past two hundred years, the authors find that countries adopt new technologies faster when the international system is less concentrated, that changes in systemic concentration have a temporally causal effect on technology adoption, and that government policies to promote technology adoption are related to concerns about rising international competition. A competitive international system is an important incentive for technological change and may underlie global technology waves.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Babak Ziyae ◽  
Hossein Sadeghi ◽  
Maryam Golmohammadi

Purpose Consistent with the dynamic capabilities view tenets, this paper aims to conceptualize a theoretical framework of service innovation in the hotel industry. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a qualitative method with a content analysis approach. The data were collected using a snowball sampling method and semi-structured interviews with 14 experts in Tehran's hotel industry. Findings The findings demonstrate that the most significant factors are using the new technology, keeping up with it, training human labor, being up-to-date and adopting new infrastructures. Results also reveal that improper management and lack of knowledge are the most critical factors behind service innovation failure in the hotel industry. Regarding the infrastructures needed to develop service innovation in the hotel industry, the results show that adopting the newest technology in diverse aspects, human infrastructure, the capital and appropriate space and place are the key factors. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by linking the service innovation perspective to the dynamic capabilities view. It explains how hotels can enhance service innovation to gain a competitive advantage. Therefore, both academicians and hoteliers can develop action plans by selecting and managing the service innovation process.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin George Wynn

This article examines how technology transfer has operated in university-company projects undertaken in small to medium sized enterprises via the UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme. It adopts a qualitative case study approach, focusing on three companies drawn from an initial review of fourteen technology transfer projects. This provides the foundation for the development of a model of 12 key factors that underpinned successful outcomes in these projects. The fourteen projects are reviewed in terms of their impact on either process change, service improvement or product development, drawing upon the post-project assessments of the funding body and the developed model. Findings suggest that using new technology to innovate internal processes and services is likely to prove more successful than projects focusing on new product development. The model provides an analytical framework that will be of interest and value to academics and business practitioners looking to develop university-industry partnerships involving technology change and innovation.


2008 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milly Ryan-Harshman ◽  
Ellen Vogel ◽  
Holly Jones-Taggart ◽  
Julia Green-Johnson ◽  
David Castle ◽  
...  

Nutrigenomics is concerned with the role of nutrients in gene expression, and nutrigenetics is the study of how genetic variants or polymorphisms (mutations) can affect responses to nutrients; nutritional genomics is the umbrella term. Nutritional genomics can be expected to revolutionize the way dietitians and other health professionals identify people with chronic diseases and treat those diseases. Understanding the science of nutritional genomics is important to dietitians and other health professionals because major scientific advancements such as this usually have a significant impact on ethics, policy, and practice. Blood lipid profiles are one area in which nutritional genomics has quickly advanced knowledge. New knowledge is available on blood lipid profiles and associated conditions, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. New technology has also had an impact on policy and practice issues, and ethics is an important issue to consider.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susmita Chatterjee ◽  
Bibek Ray Chaudhuri ◽  
Debabrata Dutta

In this article, we look at the determinants of the new technology adoption by consumers in the case of mobile telecommunications. The dynamic nature of the telecom industry is a result of the frequent technological change. Consumers witness different technology standards in mobile communications, starting from the first generation (1G) to second generation (2G) subsequently to third (3G) and now experiencing fourth (4G) in some countries such as Norway, Sweden, South Korea, and the USA including ours. The movement from one standard to the other has been predicted to be smooth as all of them are vertical substitutes for each other. Given the various dimensions such as price, requirements, utility and so on, these technology standards are not perfect substitutes. The article investigates the prospect of a new technology standard roll out in India. A survey of 400 mobile phone customers in metro telecom circles has been carried out for this purpose. The study applies structural equation modeling (SEM) and explores the adoption intention of this new technology among the respondents. Results show that the presence of low-cost alternatives that is the availability of a lower technology standard poses a significant hurdle to the adoption of new technology services.


Author(s):  
João M. Lopes ◽  
Sofia Gomes ◽  
José Oliveira ◽  
Márcio Oliveira

The involvement of companies in different open innovation activities, through knowledge outputs and inputs, has become increasingly important for the success of companies. However, the existing literature on open innovation is scarce concerning the internationalization process of companies. The internationalization of companies is fundamental in the continuous search to increase the performance of companies externally. The objective of the present research is to explain the strategic processes in the internationalization of companies located in peripheral regions at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of dynamic capabilities. The sample used for this research is composed of seven Portuguese companies. The methodology of qualitative nature is exploratory and uses a case study approach. Regarding the foremost modes of operation in international markets and strategies, we find that (1) companies have partnerships with local distributors or appoint exclusive importers/distributors, and (2) companies prefer to place their products in the market through their brand, “co-branded” projects with retailers, or “private label” projects. Of the seven companies under study, six use a standardization strategy, and one opts for a configuration-coordination strategy. Our findings clarified the literature on export and internationalization strategies in a peripheral country, allowing a closer incept of the organizational and dynamic capabilities and an overview of the supporting tools these companies have to compete in the global market. Our study is original because few articles study the internationalization strategies of companies at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and in peripheral regions of Europe.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 49-57
Author(s):  
Khairull Anuar Ismail ◽  
Nabsiah Abdul Wahid

Recently in Malaysia, a substantial number of consumers have been found to be avoiding online shopping as they prefer to shop in physical stores. This scenario brings up the issue of whether Malaysian consumers are ready technologically to shop online. To tackle this issue, a review of the concept of technology readiness is made to help explain Malaysian consumers’ online purchase intention behaviour. Technology readiness is chosen here because the concept reflects an individual’s predisposition in the usage and adoption of new technology. For the purpose of this review, this study selects technology readiness concept as proposed by Parasuraman  (2000). From the review, this study found that technology readiness has been measured in the past either as a single (unidimensional) or a multidimensional construct involving four factors, namely, optimism, innovativeness, discomfort and insecurity. A summary on past researchers’ findings in identifying the relationship between technology readiness (and its proposed dimensions) with technology usage is included in this review. For example, technology readiness was found to have a significant influence on behavioural intention in using mobile commerce to purchase travel-related service. Additionally, technology readiness motivator (optimism and innovativeness) and inhibitor (discomfort and insecurity) were identified to be related to intention to use technology. Based on the review, this study proposes a model to help explain the user’s intention to purchase online situation. In the proposed model, both technology readiness motivators and inhibitors are suggested to show positive and negative influences respectively on the user’s intention to purchase online. This review is thought to be beneficial to many. For instance, researchers would find insights on the usefulness of technology readiness and on how it has been and can be applied for further investigation. As for marketing practitioners, the review would help guide them understand the influence technology readiness has on consumers behaviour intention in adopting online shopping which they could apply for future marketing strategy.


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