Search results

Literature is relatively sparse on describing how companies should align their determinants for service innovations with their different types of service strategies. This study seeks to explore the alignment between three types of service strategies and determinants for service innovations.

A qualitative, multi‐case research design on 12 Western European capital goods manufacturers including 24 service innovation projects was employed. The study is based on multiple sources of evidence: internal documentation of service innovation and development projects and, most importantly, interview data and participation in internal innovation workshops. Traditional inductive research methods were used to analyze the case studies.

These indicate that aligning service strategies with determinants for service innovations is very complex. The configurations of the determinants are associated with the innovation success. Alternative configurations of determinants can create counterproductive effects and can limit the success of service innovation projects as well as implementation of service strategies.

The study is based on interviews and case studies, but the external validity (generalizability) of the alignments could not be assessed accurately. Future research would benefit from insights obtained from quantitative data. The findings supplement existing research on success factors for the service business in manufacturing companies.

The findings imply that managers contemplating a specific service strategy have to consider the service innovation and reframe the determinant for service innovations accordingly. Companies trying to implement an after‐sales service strategy should focus on a narrow range of determinants for service innovations. The resulting configurations guide managers to set up an efficient and effective service innovation management that helps them to implement their service strategy through successful service innovation project.

This empirical study shows that the configuration of determinants for service innovation differs for each service strategy. Whereas, the few similarities in determinants on service innovation are mainly other applications of existing theories on service innovation, the differences modify the existing theories.

Organizations increasingly seek to leverage open innovation (OI) communities to generate and advance novel ideas through collaborative innovation efforts of their members. However, success is far from guaranteed, as OI communities can only thrive depending on individual and collective member contributions. This study aims to examine individual and social determinants that encourage members to first generate novel ideas, then collaboratively advance these ideas through cocreation with other members, a process this study terms member “(co)creativity.”

A survey design was used to collect data from 301 OI community members, which this study analyzed through component-based structural equation modeling using the partial least squares (PLS) method.

Drawing on componential theory of creativity and innovation, this study demonstrates the role of members’ creative identity, creative self-efficacy and domain-relevant knowledge as determinants for their novel idea generation. While novel idea generation leads to members’ participation in collaborative innovation, this relationship is partially mediated by members’ willingness to cocreate in this process. This process is further conditioned by social determinants and leads to members’ creative self-enrichment as a result of collaborating in OI communities.

Taking a member perspective, this study advances marketing innovation theorizing by investigating critical determinants of effective OI communities, informing managers about success factors that promote collaborative innovation in OI communities.

This helps overcome rather reductionist innovation models and highlights interdependencies between the individual and social determinants from a theoretical perspective while helping managers better understand important OI member profiles and social aspects that can foster the success of OI communities.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the notion of member (co)creativity in OI communities and its determinants for effective collaborative innovation. This study also demonstrates self-enrichment as an important outcome of (co)creativity.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

Addresses the standardization of the measurements and the labels for concepts commonly used in the study of work organizations. As a reference handbook and research tool, seeks to improve measurement in the study of work organizations and to facilitate the teaching of introductory courses in this subject. Focuses solely on work organizations, that is, social systems in which members work for money. Defines measurement and distinguishes four levels: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. Selects specific measures on the basis of quality, diversity, simplicity and availability and evaluates each measure for its validity and reliability. Employs a set of 38 concepts ‐ ranging from “absenteeism” to “turnover” as the handbook’s frame of reference. Concludes by reviewing organizational measurement over the past 30 years and recommending future measurement reseach.

Service innovation in networks (SIIN) is of utmost importance particularly to business-to-business firms for their profitability, growth and long-term competitive advantage. This paper aims to investigate several critical aspects of extant SIIN research: its current state, theoretical standpoints, determinants, and outcomes. Based on the findings, implications for business-to-business service innovation research are drawn.

This is a systematic literature review. Extant publications were located from large electronic databases, analyzed, and the findings have been compiled to answer the predefined questions.

The paper illustrates the overall state of extant SIIN research and presents its major topics. It reveals the six key theoretical perspectives that have been applied in SIIN studies. Determinants that affect SIIN, as well as its potential positive and negative outcomes, are shown. In addition, gaps in the existing knowledge-base have been identified and have led to the laying out of paths for future research.

The review does not cover publications that were unavailable in the electronic databases employed, or were not written in English. However, the succinct presentation of accessible knowledge provides multidimensional theoretical understandings as well as empirical insights into SIIN research.

Managers may benefit from this study by understanding the determinants that they may influence, and the potential changes that may accompany the positive and negative outcomes of SIIN.

The analytical review provides a concise synopsis of existing knowledge on service innovation in networks, and discusses its implications for business-to-business research and firms, which will be of interest to both academics and practitioners.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of four types of “soft” information and communication technologies (ICT) capital related to ICT knowledge and skills (ICT personnel, ICT training of ICT personnel and users, ICT unit) on the innovation performance of Greek firms. Furthermore, the paper compares these effects with the ones of the hard ICT capital and also of four important “traditional” innovation determinants identified from previous research in this area (demand expectation, price and non-price competition, market concentration).

A quantitative methodology has been adopted for investigating the above effects, based on the estimation of regression models. Using data collected through a survey based on a structured questionnaire from 271 Greek firms, innovation models have been estimated, having as independent variables measures of hard ICT capital, the examined four types of soft ICT capital and also the above traditional innovation determinants.

The paper has been concluded that in the innovation averse Greek national context the examined traditional innovation determinants have very low impact on firms’ innovation performance, however, on the contrary both hard ICT capital, and three out of the four examined types of soft ICT capital (ICT personnel, ICT training of ICT personnel and users) have positive impact on both process and product/services innovation. Furthermore, it has been found that the total effect of these three knowledge and skills related types of soft ICT capital on innovation performance is stronger than the effect of the hard ICT capital.

The main limitations of the paper are that it uses simple innovation performance measures (not distinguishing between different types of innovations), and also is based on firm-level data collected from a single country. The paper has interesting implications for future research on the impact of the relation between ICT and innovation, which should not any more neglect the soft ICT capital, but consider various types of both hard and soft ICT capital.

The results of the paper can be useful to firms’ chief information officers and chief executive officers and also to consultants and practitioners interested in maximizing the exploitation of the innovation potential of ICT, in order to understand the hard and soft aspects of ICT that have to be developed for this purpose and optimize firms’ ICT-related investment.

The limited previous empirical literature concerning the effect of ICT on innovation focus on the hard ICT capital (mainly on ICT equipment) and neglect the role of the soft ICT capital. The paper contributes to fill this research gap, by examining the effects of three types of ICT capital, and also – for comparison and regression models’ completeness purposes – of hard ICT capital and of four traditional innovation determinants, on firms’ innovation performance.

The purpose of this paper is to suggest an innovation-based perspective on company performance and develops a conceptual framework.

This is a research paper, which builds on prior theoretical and empirical management research.

The innovation-based view is grounded in interfirm differences in innovation, and it underscores the opportunities to achieve sustainable superior firm performance by innovating internally besides the increasing trend toward open innovation. The innovation-based perspective goes beyond many firms’ focus on product innovation by examining its interdependencies with other essential first-order innovations such as service, process, business model, and management innovations. The innovation-based perspective further addresses the dynamic and intertemporal transformation of innovation activities based on second-order innovations, which provide a more realistic view of organizations’ innovation over time. This transformation affects organizational boundaries and how a firm sustains superior performance.

The innovation-based view revises extant approaches to competition and firm boundaries. The new arguments help to reconcile inconsistent earlier findings, and they deepen the understanding of interfirm differences in innovation and performance.

The purpose of this paper is to determine if the relationship between growth and research and development (R&D) intensity is of a different nature in the context of low‐ and high‐tech Portuguese service small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).

The System Analysis of Iberian Balance Sheets database is used. Based on the European Union's recommendation, L124/36 (2003/261/CE), the authors select 764 low‐tech and 139 high‐tech Portuguese service SMEs for the period 1999‐2006. As method of analysis, panel data are used.

A negative relationship between growth and R&D intensity for low‐tech Portuguese service SMEs is identified, whatever the level of R&D intensity. For high‐tech Portuguese service SMEs, a quadratic U‐shaped relationship between growth and R&D intensity is identified. Moreover, the authors find that relationships between growth and determinants are of a special nature in the context of high‐tech Portuguese service SMEs with high levels of R&D intensity.

It is recommended that as far as possible the managers/owners of low‐tech Portuguese service SMEs, and especially high‐tech ones with non‐high levels of R&D intensity, hire qualified human resources and make more continuous investment in R&D. The authors advise managers/owners of high‐tech Portuguese service SMEs with high levels of R&D intensity to establish stable relationships with creditors. Policy‐makers should increase financial support directed, above all, to innovative Portuguese service SMEs.

The paper is pioneering in presenting different relationships between growth and R&D intensity in the context of low‐ and high‐tech service SMEs.

This paper aims to propose a conceptual framework to investigate the influences of innovative services on customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions. As service innovation has been focusing on the influences of product and technology innovation, this paper provides another insight into service innovation.

The proposed conceptual framework is based on findings from reviewing key theories and concepts, together with relevant literature in the service operation management, service innovation and hospitality management.

The proposed conceptual framework can be used to test empirically and explicate customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions towards service innovation of the hospitability operations. There are seven determinants can influence customer satisfaction: innovative mechanic clues, innovative humanic clues and innovative functional clues to influence customer transaction-specific satisfaction; complexity, meaningfulness, novelty and affordability to influence customer overall satisfaction. Customer expectation is formed by social factors, information, knowledge and their need to influence their actual perception, and the comparison between customers’ expectation and actual perception cause their satisfaction. The relationships amongst transaction-specific satisfaction, overall satisfaction and behavioural intentions can explain customer satisfaction comprehensively as a process of before, during and after their perception.

This paper highlights the importance of innovative service delivery and customers’ evaluation to contribute to creating service innovation. A synthetic definition of service innovation emphasised can help practitioners to define key determinants to effectively influence customer satisfaction and their behavioural intentions. Thus, marketing strategy aligned with operation management, can be practised appropriately.

This study provides key determinants to influencing customer satisfaction of service innovation through innovative service delivery in the hospitality operation, based on key theories and relevant literature.

本论文建立一个理论模型, 以研究创新型服务对顾客满意度和行为意向的影响。随着服务创新逐渐成为产品科技创新的焦点, 本论文针对服务创新提出一个新的角度。

本论文采用审阅服务运营管理、服务创新、和酒店管理的关键理论和概念, 提出理论模型。

本论文提出的理论模型可以进行实际测试, 以检测酒店运营中服务创新相关的顾客满意度和行为意向。研究表明, 影响顾客满意度的因素有七个：创新性硬件因子、创新性人文因子、创新性功能性因子以影响顾客交易方面的满意度、复杂性、有意义性、新意、以及可负担度以决定整体顾客满意度。顾客期待是由社会因子、信息、知识、和其影响实际感官的需求、以及顾客期待和实际感知之间的差别。交易性满意度、整体满意度、和行为意向之间的关系能够全面解释顾客满意度, 其在感知前、中、和后的过程中。

本论文强调了创新性服务流程和顾客评价对服务创新的重要性。本论文综合文献给出服务创新的概念能够帮助从业人员找到有效影响顾客满意度和行为意向的关键因素。因此, 制定出配合运营管理中的营销策略。

本论文根据审视关键理论和相关文献, 提出了酒店运营中营销服务创新的顾客满意度关键因素。