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Article
Publication date: 8 November 2019

Dimitrios Kafetzopoulos, Evangelos Psomas and Dimitris Skalkos

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the dimensions of innovation on manufacturing firm performance taking into consideration the moderating role of environmental…

2259

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the dimensions of innovation on manufacturing firm performance taking into consideration the moderating role of environmental uncertainty among these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

A research study was carried out using a sample of 580 Greek manufacturing firms. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to extract and validate the latent factors. K-means cluster analysis was also applied in order to group the responding firms. Finally, the structural relationships among the latent factors were determined through structural equation modeling.

Findings

According to the study findings, only three dimensions of innovation performance directly contributes to business performance. Moreover, this paper shows the differential effects of firm innovativeness on business performance under the influence of environmental uncertainty.

Research limitations/implications

The sample of the responding firms which is limited to the Greek manufacturing sector and the subjective business evidence coming from only one firm representative constitute the main limitations of the present study.

Practical implications

Firms can properly manage innovation dimensions. In case of high uncertainty, they should focus on product, marketing and process innovation, while in case of low uncertainty the focus should be on process, organization and product innovation.

Originality/value

Based on the multi-dimensional structure, this empirical study determines the contribution of innovation performance to business performance taking into consideration the role of environmental uncertainty as moderator on this relationship.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 23 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 November 2018

Dimitrios Kafetzopoulos and Dimitris Skalkos

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model and examine the relevance of a set of five dynamic drivers to building and sustaining the innovation capability of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model and examine the relevance of a set of five dynamic drivers to building and sustaining the innovation capability of agri-food firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical data were acquired through a recent study of 436 Greek agri-food firms. Regression analysis was employed to examine the correlation between innovation drivers and each of the four innovation capability dimensions, namely, product innovation, process innovation, organizational innovation and marketing innovation.

Findings

The findings verify that quality orientation and process management are the two most important innovation drivers. However, the impact of learning orientation, collaborations and environmental dynamism on a firm’s agri-food innovation capability is yet to be investigated.

Research limitations/implications

This study has not investigated how firms’ characteristics form the drivers and barriers to innovation at the company. Moreover, a second limitation is related to the kind of innovation that drivers boost. This research does not separate between radical and incremental innovation.

Practical implications

In order to maintain their sustainable development and enhance their whole innovation capability, agri-food firms should closely relate their innovation capability dimensions to the formulation of a strategy and harmonization of innovation and innovation drivers’ activities.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this paper is that it develops an appropriate research framework (a proposed structural model) for examining the links among the five innovation drivers with each of the four innovation capability dimensions.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 22 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 December 2012

Dimitris Skalkos

The sustained competitive advantage of a company today requires the management of internal and external knowledge and leveraging it to create innovation. The 21st century is…

Abstract

The sustained competitive advantage of a company today requires the management of internal and external knowledge and leveraging it to create innovation. The 21st century is rapidly moving into what is being called the "global knowledge economy," marked by the increased turbulence, uncertainty, and ambiguity of the current economic climate. Managing innovation requires research methods which evaluate: a) the technological abilities, b) the procedures, and c) the needs of a company/organization and propose specific actions for improvements, progress, and development. This paper proposes a process for managing innovation in small to medium size enterprise (SME). In order to support this process, this article elaborates on the innovation management techniques through a directory, which organizes techniques and tools into four generic types and 36 sub categories. Finally, to demonstrate this process a fictitious case example is presented.

Details

International Journal of Innovation Science, vol. 4 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-2223

Article
Publication date: 21 May 2018

Ramakrishnan Raman and Preetha Menon

The purpose of this study is to understand the strategy adopted by family firms in using social media for their business. Based on the social media usage, this paper attempts to…

1084

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand the strategy adopted by family firms in using social media for their business. Based on the social media usage, this paper attempts to segment family firms. To do so, a reactive – proactive – innovative (RPI) scale was developed for the study. Then, the family firms were categorised as reactive, proactive or innovative social media users. Further, based on the scale developed, clusters were created. Family firms were placed into different clusters based on the strategy that they had for using social media platforms for their business.

Design/methodology/approach

A pilot sample of 50 family firms and a main study of 256 Indian family firm entrepreneurs were surveyed through self-administered questionnaires. Factor analysis reduced the 12 scale-based questions to three distinct factors. Confirmatory factor analysis was then conducted on the main sample to confirm the constructs identified using exploratory factor analysis. Cluster analysis was used to build clusters of entrepreneurs who use social media as part of their digital marketing strategy.

Findings

Findings reveal that the Indian family firm market is largely divided into four main segments. These segments represent distinct behaviours with respect to the use of social media. The four segments of family firm entrepreneurs were named as high rollers, ignorant inhabitants, trend-setters, combative crowd based on their social media usage behaviour. These clusters give deep insights into the strategic usage of social media by family firms.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of this study is that entrepreneurs from all Indian states were not considered in the sample because of cost implications. This research study has only created the segmentation of the family firms as reactive, proactive or innovative social media users and also has created the clusters as high rollers, ignorant inhabitants, trend-setters and combative crowd. Also, the reasons for their behaviour and root cause for the strategic usage have not been studied.

Practical implications

This study reflects on current practices of family firms with respect to usage of social media and groups them into large identifiable clusters. Equipped with the findings from this study, the RPI scale developed for the study and the clusters created, entrepreneurs can now move towards better use of social media for innovation.

Originality/value

Although past studies have advocated the use of social media to spur innovation in firms, this study segments the current market based on their practices. It allows readers to gauge the proportion of family firms using social media for innovation and paves the way for a change in behaviour amongst these firms.

Details

International Journal of Innovation Science, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-2223

Keywords

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