Search results

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether female workers’ years of education do mediate the influence of gender diversity on innovative capability of enterprises in Nigeria.

The study uses three waves Nigeria Enterprise Surveys panel dataset collected in 2007, 2009 and 2014, for a sample of 1,566 enterprises to circumvent the problems associated with application of cross-sectional designs in mediation studies. The study applies Hicks and Tingley’s (2011) two equations mediation analysis approach with robust standard error.

The results of the inferential analysis indicate that female workers’ years of education mediate fully and positively the effect of gender diversity on innovative capability of enterprises in Nigeria.

For gender diversity to enhance the innovative capability of an enterprise, female workers must be empowered with higher levels of formal education.

Female workers should be empowered with formal education in order to enhance the ability of firms to innovate. Gender diversity alone does not enhance the innovative capability of an enterprise without empowering female workers with formal education.

Although past studies do provide substantial evidence on the positive relationship between gender diversity and the innovative capability of enterprises, the mediating effect of education on this relationship has been ignored. This is particularly relevant in a country such as Nigeria with low levels of innovation. Furthermore, despite the presumed positive effect of gender diversity on innovative capability, existing empirical research does not yield consistent findings to clearly resolve how or why gender diversity does affect the innovative capability of enterprises. This paper tests whether it could be the result of a mediating (intervening) variable.

Entrepreneurial knowledge spurs innovation and, in turn, generates a competitive advantage. This paper aims to explore if entrepreneurial knowledge combined with the attitude to innovate can overcome the key “imperfections” of the innovation process generated by dynamic, current technological progress in the knowledge-intensive sector. The “imperfections” identified in risk management, asymmetric information in the knowledge management process and hold-up problems can all disrupt collaborative partnerships and limit opportunities for innovation.

A theory-building approach is applied which offers a case study analysis of two small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These two SMEs operate in Europe but in two different territories: the UK and Italy. The study explores three key imperfections, risk management, asymmetric information in the knowledge management process and hold-up problems, which occur in the innovation process.

The entrepreneurs face these imperfections by adopting an open innovation model. Notwithstanding, both entrepreneurs had to deal with all “imperfections”, and their skills, attributes, attitude and aptitude allowed them to grow their business and continually develop new products. Therefore, the imperfections do not limit the innovative capacity of an entrepreneur but rather enhance their challengeable attitude. In this regard, the case studies induce a further analysis on entrepreneurial knowledge intertwined with entrepreneurial risk management and networking skills.

The empirical significance of the two cases does not allow theorisation. However, this research offers interesting results which can be strengthened by a comparative case study with other countries or deeper investigation by applying a quantitative approach.

By leveraging entrepreneurial knowledge, the imperfections noted in the innovation process can be overcome. Entrepreneurial knowledge is recognised as the main asset of an enterprise if it is combined with external talent or human resources. Entrepreneurs aim to develop innovative approaches and ideas through establishing both formal and informal collaborative partnership relationships which are used thanks to the entrepreneurs’ networking skills, knowledge and abilities.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of successful eco-innovation processes, using R&D intensity and green patents as metrics for eco-innovation measurement and analysis.

The paper reports the results of a quantitative study based on a sample of 2,218 firms with proactive profiles in eco-innovation, 249 of which have green patents registered in Spain or in the European Union.

The results suggest positive relationships between the activity of eco-innovation of firms with both the innovation activity in firms and the R&D intensity. The findings also confirm the influence of implementing innovation in the financial performance of business.

The results will be useful for future studies on the subject and for practitioners making decisions on investments in collaborative R&D and its protection through industrial property in the form of green patents. The main determinants of eco-innovation analysed in this paper can be directly translated into practices because they provide information on how to strengthen these determinants in environmental R&D investments and the registration of green patents.

The results will be useful for future studies on the subject and for practitioners making decisions on investments in collaborative R&D and its protection through industrial property in the form of green patents. The main determinants of eco-innovation analysed in this paper can be directly translated into practices because they provide information on how to strengthen these determinants in environmental R&D investments and the registration of green patents.

Despite the popularity and potential impact of the eco-innovation on economy or society, it has fallen short in terms of its potential to improve financial performance in firms. This paper argues that the level of eco-innovation activity explains some variability in financial performance. In fact, those firms that have greater levels of innovation increase their performance.

Explorar los determinantes del éxito de los procesos de ecoinnovación, utilizando la intensidad de I + D y las patentes verdes como indicadores para la medición y el análisis de la ecoinnovación.

Se analizan y presentan los resultados de una investigación cuantitativa basada en una muestra de 2218 empresas con perfiles proactivos en ecoinnovación, de las cuales 249 tienen patentes verdes registradas en España o en la Unión Europea.

Los resultados sugieren relaciones positivas entre la actividad de ecoinnovación de las empresas con su actividad de innovación y la intensidad de la I + D. Los resultados también confirman los efectos que la implementación de innovaciones tiene sobre el desempeño financiero de las empresas.

La medición de la ecoinnovación es incluso más compleja que la medición de la innovación debido a sus aspectos ambientales intrínsecos. Se podría alcanzar una evaluación más profunda con un mayor número de variables y una muestra más grande.

Los resultados serán útiles para futuros estudios sobre el tema y para los profesionales que toman decisiones sobre inversiones en investigación y desarrollo en colaboración y su protección a través de la propiedad industrial en forma de patentes verdes. Los principales determinantes de la ecoinnovación analizados en este estudio pueden traducirse directamente a las prácticas, ya que proporcionan información sobre cómo fortalecer estos determinantes en las inversiones en I + D ambiental y el registro de patentes verdes.

A pesar de la popularidad y el impacto potencial de la ecoinnovación en la economía o la sociedad, se ha quedado corto en cuanto a su potencial para mejorar el desempeño financiero de las empresas. Este estudio sostiene que el nivel de actividad de ecoinnovación explica cierta variabilidad en el desempeño financiero. De hecho, aquellas empresas que tienen mayores niveles de innovación aumentan su desempeño.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between coopetition and organisational innovation in EU countries. As coopetition is usually studied from an inter-company perspective, this work looks in detail at the “ad intra” dynamics of the coopeting companies to understand how they adjust their organisation or implement organisational innovation to successfully adopt this original approach.

Using data from the Eurostat (CIS2014), this research offers a quantitative study into coopeting companies, relating coopetition to organisational innovation. The analysis technique used in this study is logistic regression with maximum likelihood estimation, where the dependent variable is the location of the coopeting companies.

The findings highlight specific characteristics and differences according to whether a company coopetes domestically or in other more complex geographic environments. It also incorporates variables into the analysis, such as the use of price marketing, employee training and company size.

This study provides insights into the relationship between coopetition and organisational innovation, in a research field that usually focusses on inter-company analysis. Several little-studied factors are included in the analysis, such as the role of employee qualifications and differences in coopetition in different geographic areas. The authors observe that, in certain locations, coopetition could be related to a “market entry” effect.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of open innovation, especially focusing on technological M&A, on subsequent innovation and changes to the firm’s core technological portfolio.

The study suggests three types of core technological areas, based on prior focus and experience in technological categories. These are 1) the existing core area, in which the acquirer firm retains its knowledge and expertise, 2) the enhanced core area, where knowledge and expertise in the acquirer firm’s insufficient areas are strengthened, and 3) the new core area, i.e. new knowledge fields in which the acquirer firm ventures into. The study then analyzes the effects of two key knowledge characteristics of the target firm, similarity and complementarity, on post-M&A innovation outcomes in each of the three core technological areas.

The results confirm that while none of the investigated knowledge characteristics of the target firm is advantageous for post-M&A innovation outcomes in existing core areas, similarity of the target firm does facilitate post-M&A innovation outcomes in enhanced core areas. Moreover, the results confirm that complementarity of the target firm is beneficial for post-M&A innovation outcomes in new core areas.

The study explains the reconfiguration mechanism of a firm’s core technological portfolio. It also suggests an extended framework to analyze innovation outcomes in more detail. Moreover, the study helps to explain why most M&As result in failure.

Environmental resources and human knowledge are the ultimate foundations on which human welfare is based. The impact of technical knowledge is well researched. Denison, for example, attributes no less than 47 per cent of the growth of real GNP in the USA over the period 1948–81 to technical change. The importance of the environmental resource base has been brought to the foreground by studies like Limits to Growth. Nowadays environmental policies are applied in most industrialised countries just to prevent further deterioration of the environment. In these countries it is not the physical environmental constraint that is felt, but perhaps the drag on economic growth exercised by the costs of environmental regulation. Whatever the nature of the environmental limit to economic growth may be, physical or juridical, it can be overcome by the use and extension of knowledge in order to reduce the amount of pollution and the costs of pollution control. Technical advance or innovation in pollution control is and will remain a very important factor affecting the success of the efforts that are made to improve environmental quality and to maintain growth of output. In this article we shall give a survey of the economic research in the area of innovation and pollution control. The main research themes will be indicated, “blank spots” pointed out and suggestions made about possible subjects for fruitful future research. In section I a short introduction is given to the general economic approach to technical change and innovation. In section II the existing economic literature on pollution control and innovation is reviewed. It will be argued that some of the most relevant research themes have not been taken up. These issues will be discussed in sections III and IV. Section V contains conclusions and recommendations for future research.

The purpose of this paper is to look at the factors driving labour creation in Russia, while paying attention to the role of innovation policy. The study considers innovation variables with indicators linked to social conditions (social filter component) and geographical spillovers for 85 regions during the period 2010-2016.

In particular, the study uses latitude and longitude coordinates to compute the distance between Russian regions according to the Haversine formula. In this manner, it measures the spillovers as the weighted sum of R&D capital stock on the basis of computed distance, according to the accessibility index procedure.

The finding is very important in terms of policy implications for supporting employment. As the results stress that own innovation produces labour creation effects, while knowledge spillovers are labour-saving, the study could conclude that regional innovation policy may have undetermined the objective of an efficient level of absorptive capacity able to benefit positively from external innovation.

The study contributes to the literature by exploring whether geographical spillovers are labour-friendly or labour-saving in Russia.

The paper aims to address two key gaps in the literature of frugal innovation. First, it disambiguates frugal innovations into its types, and into the various levels at which it happens. Second, it builds upon the theoretical foundations of resource-based view, new institutional economics, economics of location, and institutional theory to offer testable propositions on determinants of frugal innovations.

This is a conceptual paper. The authors first systematically reviewed the extant literature on frugal innovation and related domains and categorized the existing understanding on the domain into various typologies of frugal innovation. The authors then justified why certain key theoretical lenses are tenable to understand the determinants of frugal innovation and then examined the conditions that enable such innovations.

The paper has three key findings. First, frugal innovation comprises of a frugal mindset, a frugal process and a frugal outcome, which may be practiced distinctly. Second, frugal innovators are of three types: grassroots-level, domestic-enterprise level, and MNC-subsidiary level. Each has their distinctive incentives and styles of frugal innovation. Third, a frugal mindset is encouraged by a resource-scarce environments, weaker institutional intermediaries, and a higher tolerance for uncertainty. Frugal processes are espoused by poor property rights regime and a critical size of lead market; and frugal outcomes are influenced by the network-position of innovators, and the presence of critical lead-markets.

The propositions are though testable, but proxies need to be developed to measure the variables, such as a frugal mindset, and a frugal process. Further, the current view on various types and levels of frugal innovation is that of mutual exclusivity, whereas this may not always be the case. Hence, it might be useful to identify contingencies in which these distinctions fade away.

The paper is valuable in two key aspects. First, it offers a much-needed theoretical underpinning to the phenomenon of frugal innovation, such that the phenomenon could be better understood and influenced. Second, it nuances the phenomenon by identifying distinct types of frugal innovators in terms of their motivation, institutional influences, and styles of innovation.