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Article
Publication date: 12 September 2023

Mimi Li, Wenqing Xu, Weiwei Liu and Huiyi Cao

This study aims to explore the patterns and transformational dynamics of the executive–interpreter network in the innovation processes of small- and medium-sized enterprises in…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the patterns and transformational dynamics of the executive–interpreter network in the innovation processes of small- and medium-sized enterprises in hospitality.

Design/methodology/approach

Grounded in social network theory and adopting a case-based approach, this study features a multi-case design focusing on three Chinese boutique hotels. Data were collected through Web page and document reviews, participant observations and semistructured interviews.

Findings

Results capture how executive–interpreter network dynamics contribute to innovation in small- and medium-sized hotels. Key factors in social networks (e.g. size, scope and strength) shift throughout innovation. This study presents a design-driven approach as a means of innovation. Findings also delineate the network development conditions under which innovation dynamically occurs in boutique hotels.

Practical implications

Practical implications center on how network dynamics help small- and medium-sized hotels innovate more effectively. These insights can assist hotel operators and prospective market entrants in improving their hotels’ performance and competitiveness.

Originality/value

This study blends social network theory with a design-driven approach to explore innovation mechanisms in small- and medium-sized hotels. It offers empirical evidence for practitioners regarding design-driven innovation. Findings enrich the body of knowledge on both design-driven innovation theory and hospitality innovation.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 36 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 September 2022

Burhan Cinar, Derya Toksoz and A. Celil Cakici

Discussions of authenticity in touristic experiences indicate that it is a significant area in the search for meaning. This study aims to demonstrate that the quest for…

Abstract

Purpose

Discussions of authenticity in touristic experiences indicate that it is a significant area in the search for meaning. This study aims to demonstrate that the quest for authenticity in a tourist experience begins in the pre-travel period by associating it with meaning in life.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected via survey from 356 people planning to participate in tourism activities. The survey included demographic questions, the meaning in life scale and the quest for authenticity (QfA) scale, designed by previous researchers.

Findings

The analysis revealed that meaning in life levels significantly explained the quest for subjective authenticity (R2 = 0.303) and objective authenticity (R2 = 0.131) in tourist experiences. The search for objective authenticity in a tourist experience significantly mediated the relationship between meaning in life and subjective authenticity.

Research limitations/implications

The research has several limitations. Primarily, the sampling group of the research consists of Turkish tourists who are planning to participate in tourism mobilities, and mostly females volunteered to respond in the data collection process. Hence it is necessary to study potential tourists from other countries for a more generalized conclusion. Second, the authors did not specifically ask the sample group which forms of tourism they are planning to participate in, heritage and culture, fair, etc. Subsequent studies may address this distinction and the explanatory power of the independent variable may differ according to plan to participate in different forms of tourism.

Practical implications

Tourism has an important place in individuals' search for meaning in life and authenticity. Because it offers an environment/setting where individuals can find answers to these searches. As a result of modernism, individuals become alienated from themselves, and their environment and the meanings they attribute to life are sometimes blurred. Some individuals experiencing this tend towards tourist mobility. This process individuals go through also includes the need for authenticity. Thus, such tourist behaviors cause the emergence of different authentic products that can meet the expectations and wishes of individuals.

Social implications

One of the main elements that encourages people to travel is quest for authenticity, which they feel is lacking in modern life. Thus, tourists are more likely to experience meaning in life based on subjective experiences than viewed objects.

Originality/value

The study offers three novel findings: individuals seek authenticity in tourist experiences in order to find meaning in life; quest for authenticity begins in the pre-travel process; and objective authenticity is necessary to seek subjective authenticity through meaning in life. While a few studies have investigated these variables, the authenticity literature has neglected the pre-travel phase. However, this needs attention to better understand authenticity in tourism.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, vol. 6 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 January 2023

Fenglian Wang, Qing Su and Zongming Zhang

This study is aimed at making an inspection of the effects of collaborative innovation network characteristics on firm innovation performance, and the intermediary roles of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study is aimed at making an inspection of the effects of collaborative innovation network characteristics on firm innovation performance, and the intermediary roles of knowledge transfer efficiency is taken into account.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a convenient sampling method to obtain population and samples. Using data obtained by publishing online and paper questionnaires, and using on-site interviews in Anhui Province in the Yangtze River Delta region of China, descriptive analysis, regression analysis and correlation analysis are utilized to study the direct influence of collaborative innovation network characteristics on knowledge transfer efficiency as well as firm innovation performance, and the intermediary roles of knowledge transfer efficiency on firm innovation performance, respectively. In this study, 3,000 questionnaires were distributed to the employees of enterprises engaged in research and development (R&D) activities, of which 2,560 were valid. With the help of SPSS24.0 software, the reliability and validity of the questionnaire was analyzed.

Findings

The results are indicative of that network centrality and relationship strength positively affect knowledge transfer efficiency and firm innovation performance. Nevertheless, network scale has no significant correlation with knowledge transfer efficiency and enterprise innovation performance. In addition, knowledge transfer efficiency is an intermediary between collaborative innovation network characteristics and enterprise innovation performance, and positively affects enterprise innovation performance, which demonstrated that managers should take advantage of collaborative innovation network characteristics to elevate knowledge transfer efficiency because well-realized transferals of knowledge can help accelerate the coordination of resources in knowledge, and finally bring about the advancement of firm's innovation abilities and performance.

Research limitations/implications

There are few previous studies that fully examined the relationships among collaborative innovation network characteristics, knowledge transfer efficiency and firm innovation performance. This paper developed previous researches on the relationships between collaborative innovation network characteristics, knowledge transfer efficiency and firm innovation performance. The mediation of knowledge transfer efficiency on the relationship between collaborative innovation network characteristics and firm innovation performance is analyzed. Further, studies on collaborative innovation network characteristics using data obtained from employees engaged in R&D activities are very limited in the literature. On account of that, the findings in this study may make sense to the innovation ability of innovative enterprise and expand the literature in the field of enterprise strategic management and knowledge management.

Practical implications

This analysis shows that collaborative innovation network characteristics have both positive and negative effects on firm innovation performance. Therefore, business managers should pay attention to their position in the collaborative innovation network and maintain the relationship strength with other innovation subjects. Special consideration should be given to the knowledge transfer of innovative enterprises, so as to improve firm innovation performance practically.

Originality/value

The study may provide additional understandings for researchers, government managers, universities and enterprises with regard to strategic management from the visual angle of innovation ecosystems. It is instrumental in the exploration of the mechanisms enabling firm innovation performance.

Article
Publication date: 28 June 2022

Edwina Pio, Shailendra Vyakarnam, Shima Barakat and Margaret McCammon

The purpose of this study is to discuss how ethnicity and gender influence high-tech entrepreneurship in the Cambridge cluster emphasizing homophily and how and why bridging and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to discuss how ethnicity and gender influence high-tech entrepreneurship in the Cambridge cluster emphasizing homophily and how and why bridging and bonding ties are created in moving individuals from the periphery to cross the threshold into acceptance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors present findings on the micro-dynamics of ethnicity and gender in high-tech entrepreneurship underpinned by homophily. The authors discuss how ethnicity and gender influence who enters and stays in high-tech entrepreneurship university spinouts. Through an entrepreneurial narrative qualitative approach, the authors explore how and why bridging and bonding ties may be created and the challenges for those at the periphery to cross the threshold into acceptance. The study adopts an entrepreneurial narrative qualitative approach using interviews with individuals associated with the Cambridge cluster.

Findings

The authors add to the entrepreneurship literature by responding to the call for multiplexity within homophily, and the research indicates that homophily strongly influences who enters and who leaves the cluster based on bridging and bonding ties. The findings address the need for more focused understanding of entrepreneurial clusters and how mechanisms can be developed to create an environment to nurture both bridging and bonding ties. It is possible for an entrepreneurial cluster to be perceived as attractive and thriving while being homophilous. Ethnic individuals and women continue to struggle to gain acceptance in the Cambridge cluster.

Research limitations/implications

Interviews were conducted by one person – an ethnic minority female – for continuity of all interviews. Yet as many of the participants were not minorities, it is possible that an interviewer who was not an ethnic minority may have elicited different narratives.

Originality/value

The study adds to the entrepreneurship literature by focusing on multiplexity within homophily in examining the dynamics of homophily in the context of the Cambridge cluster and the significance of nurturing bridging and bonding ties. The research comments on implications for practice among three interlinked but autonomous groups: first, the individual entrepreneurs; second, the networks she/he belongs to; third, the university as both fertile ground for entrepreneurship and an educational institution where entrepreneurship education is engaged in for encouraging and supporting spinouts.

Details

Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, vol. 17 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6204

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 February 2023

Jiayuan Liu

This study aims to explore how stakeholders leverage their guanxi and structural holes to promote knowledge mobilization to increase the performance of sci-tech achievement…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore how stakeholders leverage their guanxi and structural holes to promote knowledge mobilization to increase the performance of sci-tech achievement transformation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conducted questionnaires, a social network analysis and semistructured interviews to examine its hypotheses by gathering data from a university and an enterprise in China.

Findings

Structural holes impede knowledge mobilization among stakeholders in their network, but guanxi moderates this impeding effect. In addition, knowledge mobilization promotes transformation performance.

Originality/value

By developing a mechanism to illustrate how stakeholders strategically leverage their guanxi and structural holes to affect the efficacy of knowledge mobilization to increase transformation performance, we reveal how stakeholders interact to co-create values for innovation, thereby contributing to the innovation and knowledge management literature.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 April 2023

Raphael Lissillour, Yuting Cui, Khaled Guesmi, Weijian Chen and Qianran Chen

This study aims to empirically examine the relationships among perceived environmental uncertainty (EV), the level of knowledge distance (KD) and the impact of value network on…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to empirically examine the relationships among perceived environmental uncertainty (EV), the level of knowledge distance (KD) and the impact of value network on firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative analysis is based on data from 243 Chinese companies with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) business in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

The two dimensions of value network [network centrality (NC) and network openness (NO)] have a different impact on firm performance [financial performance (FP) and market performance (MP)]. NC has a positive impact on FP, but not on MP. NO has a positive effect on MP, but not on FP. A reduced KD mediates the relationship between value network and firm performance. Moreover, it fully mediates the relationship between NC and MP, NO and FP. Finally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, only EV has a moderating effect on KD and MP.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited in terms of data set because it relies on a limited amount of cross-sectional data from one specific country. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further.

Practical implications

The present findings suggest that EPC professionals should pay more attention to the EV, which may be impacted by policy, technology and the economy. This research has actionable implications for the reform of EPC in the construction industry, and practical recommendations for EPC firms to improve their corporate performance.

Originality/value

The results measure the complementary effects of both dimensions of value network (NC and NO) on two distinct aspects of firm performance (MP and FP) and assess the moderating effect of EV and KD in the context of the COVID-19 pandemics.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 March 2024

Hisham Said, Aswathy Rajagopalan and Daniel M. Hall

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is an innovative construction material that provides a balanced mix of structural stiffness, fabrication flexibility and sustainability. CLT…

Abstract

Purpose

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is an innovative construction material that provides a balanced mix of structural stiffness, fabrication flexibility and sustainability. CLT development and innovation diffusion require close collaborations between its supply chain architectural, engineering, construction and manufacturing (AECM) stakeholders. As such, the purpose of this study is to provide a preliminary understanding of the knowledge diffusion and innovation process of CLT construction.

Design/methodology/approach

The study implemented a longitudinal social network analysis of the AECM companies involved in 100 CLT projects in the UK. The project data were acquired from an industry publication and decoded in the form of a multimode project-company network, which was projected into a single-mode company collaborative network. This complete network was filtered into a four-phase network to allow the longitudinal analysis of the CLT collaborations over time. A set of network and node social network analysis metrics was used to characterize the topology patters of the network and the centrality of the companies.

Findings

The study highlighted the scale-free structure of the CLT collaborative network that depends on the influential hubs of timber manufacturers, engineers and contractors to accelerate the innovation diffusion. However, such CLT supply collaborative network structure is more vulnerable to disruptions due to its dependence on these few prominent hubs. Also, the industry collaborative network’s decreased modularity confirms the maturity of the CLT technology and the formation of cohesive clusters of innovation partners. The macro analysis approach of the study highlighted the critical role of supply chain upstream stakeholders due to their higher centralities in the collaborative network. Stronger collaborations were found between the supply chain upstream stakeholders (timber manufacturers) and downstream stakeholders (architects and main contractors).

Originality/value

The study contributes to the field of industrialized and CLT construction by characterizing the collaborative networks between CLT supply chain stakeholders that are critical to propose governmental policies and industry initiatives to advance this sustainable construction material.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Understanding Intercultural Interaction: An Analysis of Key Concepts, 2nd Edition
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-438-8

Article
Publication date: 12 January 2024

Tami Dinh and Susan O'Leary

This study explores the evolving dynamics of participatory accountability within humanitarian contexts, where digitally connected crisis-affected populations demand better…

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores the evolving dynamics of participatory accountability within humanitarian contexts, where digitally connected crisis-affected populations demand better accountability from aid organisations, and as a result, shift traditional hierarchies and relationships between humanitarian agencies and beneficiaries.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs a case study approach, focussing on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to investigate how participatory accountability manifests outside formal practices and re-emerges in social media spaces. The study analyses internal organisational challenges and explores the implications of digital platforms on humanitarian practices. The authors employ Chouliaraki and Georgiou's (2015, 2019, 2022) networks of mediation, particularly intermediation and transmediation, to understand how digital expressions translate to offline contexts and reshape meanings and actions.

Findings

The study reveals that social media platforms enable beneficiaries to demand participatory accountability beyond traditional practices, democratising humanitarian response and challenging power structures. These effects are multifaceted, introducing enhanced democratic and inclusive humanitarian aid as well as new vulnerabilities. Digital intermediaries and gatekeepers play pivotal roles in curating and disseminating crisis-affected voices, which, when transmediated, result in nuanced meanings and understandings. Positive effects include capturing the potential of digital networks for democratic aid, while negative effects give rise to moral responsibilities, necessitating proactive measures from the ICRC.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the impact of digital technology, particularly social media, on participatory accountability. It expands the understanding of the evolving landscape of accountability within the humanitarian sector and offers critical insights into the complexities and dual purposes of participatory accountability in contexts of resistance. Employing Chouliaraki and Georgiou's networks of mediation adds depth to the understanding of digital technology's role in shaping participatory practices and introduces the concept of transmediation as a bridge between digital expressions and tangible actions.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2024

Junghee Han

Quite often than not, a new industry can be created, thanks to the countless entrepreneurs and innovative activities across the globe. Smart city (SC) is one such industry and a…

Abstract

Purpose

Quite often than not, a new industry can be created, thanks to the countless entrepreneurs and innovative activities across the globe. Smart city (SC) is one such industry and a living lab using the key roles of the digital platform that enable a seamless flow of information and knowledge for innovation within the SC. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how SC can be a new regional industry engine through an “open collective innovation system” as its new concept. In particular, SC provides efficient transaction costs and knowledge flows. Eventually, SC can be an innovation hub for entrepreneurship through openness.

Design/methodology/approach

To frame the research goals, the authors used qualitative research methodologies based on grounded theory. In particular, the author used inductive reasoning to generate arguments and conclusions about the future of an SC as a new growth engine in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. Numerous documents and prior literature were used for the preliminary conceptualization of an SC. Interview data were then coded for reasoning in an open collective innovation system based on “openness”.

Findings

SC maximizes efficiency in practicing innovation. In the perspective of innovation costs, SC can minimize transaction costs, specifically the information processing costs, through data openness. In this context, transaction costs can be considered an economic equivalent of friction in a physical system. So, as the friction is low, some movements of an object on the surface are likely to be easy. SC is optimized for innovation activities through an “open collective innovation system”. In terms of innovation networks, an SC results in an innovation efficiency derived from both the network and the spatial agglomerations in physical and cyberspace. The efficiency-based SC itself overlaps knowledge creation, dissemination and absorption, providing an open innovation (OI) ecosystem.

Research limitations/implications

This paper remarkably extends that SC can be an “open collective innovation system model” and a new conceptualization. Eventually, SC will play a crucial role in developing regional industries as a new growth engine. To operate as a new growth engine fully-fledged, the SC is needed to accumulate innovative assets such as the critical mass of residents, numerous firms, etc. However, this study has some limitations. First, difficulties in any analytic approach to SC resulted from their many interdependent facets, such as social, economic, infrastructural and spatial complex systems, which exist in similar but changing forms over a huge range of scales. Also, this research is at a quite an early stage. Thus, its theoretical stability is weak. So, this paper used the qualitative methodology with a grounded theory. Another limitation is in the research methodology. The limitation of using grounded theory adapted by this work is that the results of this study may not be generalizable beyond the context of this study. This non-generalizability occurs because ours is an inductive approach to research, meaning that the findings are based on data collected and analyzed. As such, the results of this study may not be applicable to other contexts or situations. In addition, the analysis of data in the grounded theory is based on researcher’s subjective interpretations. This means that the researcher’s own biases, preferences and assumptions may influence the results of the study. The quality of the data collected is another potential limitation. If the data is incomplete or of poor quality, it can cause researcher’s own subjective interpretations.

Practical implications

Findings of this study have some practical implications for enterprises, practitioners and governors. First, firms should use value networks instead of value chains. Notably, the firms that pursue new products or services or startups that try to find a new venture business should take full advantage of SC. This taking advantage is possible because SC not only adapts state-of-the-art information technology (e.g. sensor devices, open data analytics, IoT and fiber optic networks) but also facilitates knowledge flow (e.g. between universities, research centers, knowledge-based partner firms and public agencies). More importantly, with globalized market competition in recent years, sustainability for firms is a challenging issue. In this respect, managers can take the benefits of SC into consideration for strategic decisions for sustainability. Specifically, industrial practitioners who engage in innovation activities have capabilities of network-related technologies (e.g. data analysis, AI, IoT and sensor networks). By using these technologies in an SC, enterprises can keep existing customers as well as attract potential customers. Lastly, the findings of this study contribute to policy implementation in many aspects. At first, for SC to become a growth engine at regional or natural levels, strong policy implementation is crucial because SC is widely regarded as a means of entrepreneurship and an innovation plaza (Kraus et al., 2015). To facilitate entrepreneurship, maker spaces used for making the prototypes to support entrepreneurial process were setup within universities. The reason for establishing maker spaces in universities is to expand networking between entrepreneurs and experts and lead to innovation through a value network. One of the policy instruments that can be adapted is the “Data Basic Income Scheme” suggested by this research to boost the usage of data, providing content and information for doing business. Also, a governor in SC as an intermediator for the process of the knowledge flow should initiate soft configuration for SC.

Social implications

This work makes two theoretical contributions to OI aspects: (1) it explores dynamic model archetypes; and (2) it articulates and highlights how SC with digital technology (i.e. in the AI, IoT and big data context) can be used to create collective knowledge flow efficiently. First, the findings of this study shed light on the OI dynamic model. It reveals important archetypes of new sub-clustering creation, namely, a system that underpins the holistic process of innovation by categorization in amongst the participating value network (Aguilar-Gallegos et al., 2015). In innovation studies, scholars have particularly paid attention to a cluster’s evolution model. In the process of innovation, the “open innovation dynamic model” suggested by this study illustrates sub-clustering that happens in value networks by taking the benefits of SC. Eventually, the evolution or development of sub-clusters can bring in a new system, namely, an OI system. Second, the findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the role of digital technologies in promoting knowledge flow. The usage and deployment of digital technologies in SC may enormously and positively influence innovative activities for participants. Furthermore, the rising of digital economy, in the so-called platform business, may occur depending on advanced technologies and OI. In doing so, the findings can further tow innovation research through juxtaposition between SC and innovation research (Mehra et al., 2021).

Originality/value

This paper shows that the function of an SC not only improves the quality of life but also acts as an engine of new industry through an open collective innovation setting using dynamic and ecological models.

Details

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

Keywords

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