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1 – 10 of 11José Fernández-Menéndez, Óscar Rodríguez-Ruiz, José-Ignacio López-Sánchez and María Isabel Delgado-Piña
The purpose of this paper is to study how job reductions affect product innovation and marketing innovation in a sample of 2,034 Spanish manufacturing firms in the period…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study how job reductions affect product innovation and marketing innovation in a sample of 2,034 Spanish manufacturing firms in the period 2007–2014.
Design/methodology/approach
Poisson and logistic regression models with random effects were used to analyse the impact of downsizing on some innovation outcomes of firms.
Findings
The results of this research show that the stressful measure of job reductions may have unexpected consequences, stimulating innovation. However downsizing combined with radical organisational changes such as new equipment, techniques or processes seems to have a negative impact on product and marketing innovation.
Originality/value
This research has two original features. First, it explores the unconventional direction of causality from the planned elimination of jobs to innovation outputs. Secondly, the paper looks at the combined effect of downsizing and other restructuring measures on different types of innovation. Following the threat-rigidity theory, we assume that this combination represents a major threat for survivors that leads to lower levels of product and marketing innovation.
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Óscar Rodríguez-Ruiz, José Fernández-Menéndez, Zuleyka Díaz-Martínez and Marta Fossas-Olalla
In this paper, we study the influence of temporary workers in the relationship between innovation effort and product innovation in a large sample of Spanish manufacturing firms in…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper, we study the influence of temporary workers in the relationship between innovation effort and product innovation in a large sample of Spanish manufacturing firms in a six-year period.
Design/methodology/approach
The article uses a zero-inflated regression model to analyse how the performance of innovation efforts is affected by the impact of temporary employment.
Findings
Our results show that the use of temporary employment has adverse effects for the conversion of innovation investments into innovation outputs. Firms with higher levels of fixed-term workers have less product innovations in comparison to firms that do not use this kind of workforce. However, this negative impact is less detrimental in technological-intensive sectors.
Originality/value
The value of this research for employment relations is salient as workers long-term protection seems to enhance the effectiveness of the innovation process. At the same time, the effects of temporary work vary depending on the sector.
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Maribel Labrado-Antolín, Óscar Rodríguez-Ruiz and José Fernández-Menéndez
This paper studies the impact that perceived proximity and employee voice have on the affective well-being of employees working from home (WFH). Drawing on Wilson et al.'s (2008…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper studies the impact that perceived proximity and employee voice have on the affective well-being of employees working from home (WFH). Drawing on Wilson et al.'s (2008) model of perceived proximity in virtual work, we believe that effectiveness in the use of the enterprise social network (ESN), communication and workmate identification increase the perceived proximity of teleworkers. We also propose that employee voice and perceived proximity have in turn positive implications in terms of well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
The study analyzes a dataset of 542 professionals with experience in home-based telework. Structural equation modeling (SEM) has been used to test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
Results show that perceived proximity is significant and positively associated with affective well-being. Conversely, the expression of direct voice using electronic channels has a negative influence on the well-being of home-based teleworkers.
Originality/value
This study reveals the need to re-think the challenges of telework after the forced experiment of WFH provoked by the COVID-19 pandemics. Building on the “far-but-close” paradox, it emphasizes the role of workmate identification and communication and the perceived effectiveness of the ESN as sources of perceived proximity. At the same time, the paper adds to telework research by explaining how the expression of direct voice through electronic channels and indirect voice can have consequences in terms of well-being.
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Maribel Labrado Antolín, Óscar Rodríguez-Ruiz and José Fernández Menéndez
This article studies how experience and frequency of telework influence the acceptance and self-reported productivity of this mode of work in a context of pandemic-induced remote…
Abstract
Purpose
This article studies how experience and frequency of telework influence the acceptance and self-reported productivity of this mode of work in a context of pandemic-induced remote work.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a 2021 dataset of 542 professionals with previous or current experience in home-based telework. Two linear regression models are fitted using the willingness to telework and self-reported productivity as dependent variables.
Findings
The findings support the idea that previous telework specific experience and frequency of telework have a positive impact on the willingness to telework and self-reported productivity.
Originality/value
This paper questions the widely accepted idea according to which employees who telework occasionally experience the best outcomes. The authors have identified a “time after time” effect that shows the relevance of telework specific experience and frequency for the development of this mode of work.
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Óscar Rodríguez‐Ruiz and José Fernández‐Menéndez
The aim of this paper is to monitor the scientific development of the intellectual capital (IC) field by analyzing the citation patterns of the IC articles published in ISI…
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to monitor the scientific development of the intellectual capital (IC) field by analyzing the citation patterns of the IC articles published in ISI journals in the period 1997‐2007. Our research examines the extent to which citation is allocated according to a normative process of universalism or a social process defined by particularistic variables. The results of a regression analysis summarizing both approaches shows that some universalistic predictors of quality such as the impact factor of the journal and the accuracy of the articles are positively related to the number of citations. Thus, the field is slowly moving toward a more universalistic‐oriented discipline, and the practice of citing considering functionally irrelevant characteristics has a limited influence. It seems clear that IC is, more than a fashionable topic, a loose collection of ideas that is still developing its scientific paradigm.
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Francesco D. Sandulli, Jose Fernandez‐Menendez, Antonio Rodriguez‐Duarte and José Ignacio Lopez‐Sanchez
The purpose of this paper is to explore the unclear relationship between industry structure and open innovation.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the unclear relationship between industry structure and open innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The focus of the study is on firms that received external help to develop their products or that helped third parties in developing their products. The hypotheses were tested on a large panel of more than 7,000 firms using generalized estimating equations.
Findings
The results show that open innovation adoption is positively related to technology complexity and market uncertainty while it is negatively related to market concentration. Larger firms are more likely to adopt open innovation strategies.
Originality/value
The research makes an important contribution to the literature by examining on a large sample of firms the moderating effects of industry concentration, industry research and development intensity and the technology life cycle stage on the adoption of open innovation.
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Beatriz Minguela-Rata, Jose Fernández-Menéndez and Marta Fossas-Olalla
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of technological cooperation with suppliers (TCS) and the firm size on propensity to develop product innovations and on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of technological cooperation with suppliers (TCS) and the firm size on propensity to develop product innovations and on propensity to radical innovations.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses data from Business Strategies Survey (ESSE in Spanish). The final sample was composed by 1,952 companies representing the Spanish manufacturing industries. Some control variables were introduced: age, propensity to export and sector technological intensity level. Logistic regression analyses were adopted to analyze the data.
Findings
The results indicate that those firms that cooperate technologically with suppliers have a greater propensity for product innovation and, specifying, for radical innovations; and the larger firm size, greater the propensity to product innovations. However, radical product innovations depend of some characteristics of firms and environment.
Research limitations/implications
The sample just focusses on Spanish manufacturing companies. Small firms will benefit more from the TCS.
Practical implications
Some characteristics of firms and environment can originate some rigidity and take a more conservative attitude. In this sense, large and small firms, as well as, the oldest firms have a more conservative attitude when they carry out radical product innovations.
Originality/value
The study contributes to product innovation literature and also to the debate regarding firm size and innovation. It distinguishes between radical and incremental innovations. Indeed, some characteristics of firms (such as size or age) and environment should be considered when the firms carry out the innovation process.
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Amaya Erro-Garcés, Angel Belzunegui-Eraso, María Inmaculada Pastor Gosálbez and Antonio López Peláez
Gonzalo Maldonado-Guzmán, Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes, Sandra Yesenia Pinzón-Castro and Vikas Kumar
Specific research related to the study of innovation barriers in service SMEs in the Latin American region is limited. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects that…
Abstract
Purpose
Specific research related to the study of innovation barriers in service SMEs in the Latin American region is limited. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects that external environmental, financial and human barriers have on innovation activities, particularly, within the context of Mexican service SMEs.
Design/methodology/approach
Three hypotheses were formulated and tested using structural equation modelling. Data were collected through an instrument that was developed based on relevant constructs adapted from the literature. The instrument was validated using confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach’s α test and the composite reliability index to ensure reliability of the theoretical model. The instrument was distributed among service SMEs in the Aguascalientes state of Mexico, from were 308 valid responses were obtained.
Findings
In general, the results indicate that all the three barriers investigated (i.e. external environmental, financial and human) hinder innovation in service SMEs, with the external environmental barrier being the most significant of the three.
Practical implications
The findings of this research can inform managers of service SMEs and policy makers when formulating and implementing strategies to reduce innovation barriers.
Originality/value
Evidence suggests that specific research related to the study of innovation barriers in service SMEs in the Latin American region is limited. This paper fills this research gap by expanding the limited body of knowledge in this field and providing further evidence on this phenomenon. The study also enables the distinctive characteristics of innovation barriers to be understood within a particular context, expanding in this way the body of knowledge on this field.
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José-María Sánchez-López, María Luz Martín-Peña, Eloísa Díaz-Garrido and Cristina García-Magro
Absorptive capacity, technological collaboration and servitization are analyzed to establish ways to overcome the balance between products and services in manufacturing companies…
Abstract
Purpose
Absorptive capacity, technological collaboration and servitization are analyzed to establish ways to overcome the balance between products and services in manufacturing companies. A fresh perspective is introduced by presenting a framework for innovation strategy, moving beyond product-based R&D.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses are tested using data on Spanish firms in the high-tech chemical and pharmaceutical industries through ordinary least squares regression analysis. The sample consists of 112 manufacturing firms included in the Spanish Survey of Business Strategies.
Findings
The results show that absorptive capacity facilitates servitization and that technological collaboration moderates the relationship between absorptive capacity and servitization. The synergies between absorptive capacity and technological collaboration for servitization are recognized from the perspective of open innovation as a way of resolving the trade-off between products and services.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should introduce more sources of collaboration by broadening the value chain perspective. Other approaches to innovation may also be considered, including relationships to process innovation.
Practical implications
The results can provide meaningful guidance for companies to determine the key opportunities of servitization driven by absorptive capacity, and the best ways to leverage open innovation and collaboration strategies to exploit such approaches.
Originality/value
This research enriches theories on servitization, open innovation and innovative behavior. Open innovation strategy should be linked to greater servitization activity and should support an open service strategy. This approach is crucial for building innovation capabilities through technological collaboration.
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