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1 – 5 of 5Gonzalo 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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Gonzalo Maldonado Guzmám and Sandra Yesenia Pinzón Castro
Eco-innovation is emerging as one of the most important constructs that improve environmental sustainability of firms. However, it has been shown that companies alone cannot…
Abstract
Purpose
Eco-innovation is emerging as one of the most important constructs that improve environmental sustainability of firms. However, it has been shown that companies alone cannot adequately develop eco-innovation activities, which is why they require the implementation of external collaboration activities with intermediaries, suppliers and stakeholders to achieve a higher level of eco-innovation activities and improve business performance of manufacturing firms. Therefore, this research fills this gap by exploring the importance of the relationship between collaboration and eco-innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is conducted through an extensive literature review with a research model consisting of 5 measurement scales, 24 items and 4 hypotheses. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 460 firms in Mexico, analyzing the data set through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation models.
Findings
The results obtained from this study suggest that collaboration has significant positive effects both on the eco-innovation of products, processes and management, as well as on the business performance of companies in the automotive industry.
Practical implications
The findings of this study have important implications both for the public administration (e.g. development of policies to support companies and financing programs) and for the managers of companies in the automotive industry (e.g. training program for employees and collaboration with other firms).
Originality/value
This paper fills a research gap by expanding the limited body of knowledge that relates collaboration eco-innovation and business performance, which is why this research aims to fill this existing gap in the literature and explore the relationship between collaboration, eco-innovation and business performance.
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Gonzalo Maldonado-Guzmán, Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes and Sandra Yesenia Pinzón-Castro
Green innovation and sustainability are two contemporary initiatives that are gaining more and more attention from researchers, academics and industry professionals as they are…
Abstract
Purpose
Green innovation and sustainability are two contemporary initiatives that are gaining more and more attention from researchers, academics and industry professionals as they are considered important business strategies to improve environmental conditions and obtain better organizational performance. Besides, the growth of uncontrolled economic activities leads to an imbalance of economic, social and environmental values in different sectors. However, little is known about the mediating role that economic, social and environmental sustainability has in the relationship between green innovation and firm performance. Previous literature has focused on developed economies, but not on a developing economy such as that of Mexico. Therefore, this research aims to fill this existing gap by exploring the mediating effects of sustainability in the relationship between green innovation and firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical research model that theorizes, through ten hypotheses, the antecedents and consequences of the mediating effect of economic, social and environmental sustainability and the occurrence between green innovation and firm performance is proposed. The model is tested through PLS-SEM using data that were collected using a questionnaire survey that was distributed among companies in the automotive industry in Mexico. In total, a sample of 460 responses was obtained.
Findings
The results suggest that green innovation has significant positive effects on economic and environmental sustainability, as well as on firm performance, but not on social sustainability. The results also indicate that the relationship between green innovation and firm performance improves considerably with the mediation of economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
Despite the present study focused on an industrial sector that is commonly at the forefront of technological development, it was limited to a specific region of Mexico. Thus, its results must be taken with caution as more extensive results including other regions and nations will be required to further validate the results obtained from the present study.
Practical implications
The findings of this study have important implications for both policymakers and managers of manufacturing firms in the automotive industry as they can be used as a basis to formulate better strategies and policies to enhance the capabilities of companies to develop innovations that could reduce environmental risks and other consequences of climate change.
Originality/value
The present study adds to the innovation and sustainability body of knowledge by analyzing and discussing the mediating role of sustainability in the relationship between green innovation and firm performance. It also generates new knowledge about the mediating effect that sustainability has on the relationship between green innovation and firm performance, particularly in the context of a developing economy such as that of Mexico.
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Gonzalo Maldonado-Guzmán, Sandra Yesenia Pinzón-Castro and Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes
The tightening of environmental measures and policies in various countries around the world is forcing manufacturing companies, particularly those that make up the automotive…
Abstract
Purpose
The tightening of environmental measures and policies in various countries around the world is forcing manufacturing companies, particularly those that make up the automotive industry, to improve their production processes, through the implementation of approaches such as lean production (LP) and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies, to reduce industrial waste. However, the literature indicates that the implementation of LP and I4.0 does not always lead to an improvement in the level of operational performance (OP). Therefore, this study analyzes the effects of the implementation of LP practices and I4.0 on a green supply chain (GSC) and the operational performance of manufacturing companies in the Mexican automotive industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical research framework consisting of six hypotheses was developed and validated by applying partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and using a sample of 460 companies from the Mexican automotive industry.
Findings
The results show that the level of OP of manufacturing companies increases substantially with the implementation of LP and I4.0 practices, as well as a GSC.
Practical implications
Managers of manufacturing companies will be able to use the results of this study to improve their production systems and to demonstrate the effects of these practices on OP.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on LP and I4.0 by providing robust empirical evidence of the positive effects of implementing these approaches on the GSC and OP of manufacturing companies.
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Gonzalo Maldonado-Guzmán, Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes, Sandra Yesenia Pinzón-Castro and Vikas Kumar
In an environment where business uncertainty is the norm, developing innovation capability in an organisation is increasingly important. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
In an environment where business uncertainty is the norm, developing innovation capability in an organisation is increasingly important. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects that innovation capabilities have on the business performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the context of a regional developing and emerging economy of Mexico, in this case, Aguascalientes.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach of this study is quantitative. Four research hypotheses were formulated and tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). Data were collected through a questionnaire survey responded by 308 SMEs located in the Aguascalientes state of Mexico.
Findings
The results obtained show that innovation in products, processes, marketing and management has a positive and significant effect on the business return of Mexican SMEs.
Originality/value
The paper complements the limited body of knowledge currently existent in the SMEs innovation literature, particularly when compared to that of large organisations. Similar works in other settings have provided mixed results in regards to the effects that innovation capabilities have on the business performance of SMEs. Thus, this paper offers a refined understanding and validation of the relationship between innovation capabilities and business performance, especially within the context of SMEs, and insights into some of the innovation aspects that managers may consider when formulating the strategies of their organisations. Finally, it enables such relationship to be understood within a particular situation, contributing in this manner to expand the body of knowledge in the innovation field.
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