No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Examining Innovation through Technology Management in Manufacturing Firms: Empirical Insights
Abstract
In today’s interconnected global scene, the importance of technology management in defining the modern economy, especially within industrial businesses, cannot be overemphasized. These companies continually invest in and incorporate new technology, encouraging innovation in both product creation and manufacturing processes. This deliberate use of technology is a tried-and-true technique for increasing operational efficiency and effectiveness while also strengthening global competitiveness by managing the risks associated with changing market demands. This study delves deeply into the complex elements that influence innovation and technology management practices in manufacturing businesses, with a particular emphasis on the Ethiopian setting. Despite the global demand for innovation, Ethiopian manufacturing enterprises have struggled to build a notable reputation in their field for pioneering inventions. This paper includes the perspectives of scholars, industry experts, consultants, and direct involvement from manufacturing firms. A cross-sectional methodology is used to collect data from several stakeholders at a certain point in time. The Pareto chart’s analytical capabilities are used to condense meaningful findings, allowing for the discovery and prioritization of impediments to manufacturing innovation. The study’s findings highlight formidable barriers to innovation in manufacturing firms, including a lack of well-defined innovation strategies, an absence of innovative leadership, a scarcity of qualified and creative talent, limited access to innovation funding, and a general lack of awareness about technological advancements and innovative best practices. These insights provide a substantial contribution to expanding the innovation environment within industrial enterprises, increasing resilience and global competitiveness.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
In order to investigate empirically the effects of technology management on firm innovation, this paper considers the antecedents and multidimensional views of technology management mechanisms on innovation performance in medium- and large-scale manufacturing firms in a developing country, namely Ethiopia. Using simple random sampling, a total of 200 firms were chosen for this study to obtain responses from respondents. Four hypotheses were proposed for testing. Structural equation modelling and cross-sectional design were used to analyze the data using the LISREL 8.80 SIMPLIS program software tool. This study finds technology transfer and technology acquisition have significant positive effects on process innovation, product innovation, and method innovation. Technology process has a significant positive effect on process and method innovation. Technology absorption has a significant positive effect on product innovation. The major implication of this study is that technology management, coupled with appropriate technology management policies and strategies, is an appropriate resource to be used in the organization to enhance firm performance, particularly innovation and creativity. The paper contributes to the literature in that, unlike previous studies that are based on one aspect of technology management practices, this study examined the effects of each different type of technology management dimension on firms’ innovation. Thus, this study helps to gain further insights into the effects of technology management practices on firm innovation.
In recent decades, particularly during the outbreak of COVID-19, businesses organizations have focused on knowledge management processes in order to attain a sustainable competitive advantage by creating human and social capital as strategic leadership capabilities. This paper aims to develop an integrated conceptual and theoretical framework that connects strategic leadership capabilities, knowledge management processes, and sustainable competitive advantage for the public and private organizations within the service industry. The model approach has been used to build a theoretical framework that predicts the relationships between the variables. To support the link between them, a systematic literature review of traditional and contemporary theoretical and empirical research studies is conducted. Through the combination of the related literature, propositions are established. This conceptual research is primarily comprised of a model and assertions concerning strategic leadership capabilities, knowledge management processes, and sustainable competitive advantage. The outcomes of this study reflect that strategic leadership capabilities can accomplish sustainable competitive advantage. They also have the greatest potential to impact sustainable competitive advantage via engaging the knowledge management processes. Particularly, there are significant implications of this study. Regarding the theoretical implication, it contributes to the resource-based view, knowledge-based view, and knowledge creation theory in supporting strategic leadership capabilities, knowledge management processes, and sustainable competitive advantage. To the practical implication, the study linked the concepts of research variables for public and private enterprises within the service industry. It can also enable strategic leaders and businesses owners to participate in real-time opportunities and determine threats for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a preliminary study of the sustainable competitive advantage literature that includes the concept of strategic leadership as a knowledge management processes enabler for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Until now, there has not been any work like it in the literature, save in the qualitative style.
Purpose
This paper aims to address the relevance and impact of the fourth industrial revolution through a theoretical and practical perspective. The authors present both the results of a literature review, highlighting the new competences required in innovative workplaces and a pivotal case, which explores challenges and skill models diffused in industry 4.0, describing the role of proper organizational learning processes in shaping new work cultures.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper aims to enhance the discussion around the 4.0 industrial revolution addressing both a theoretical framework, valorizing the existing scientific contributes and the situated knowledge, embedded in a concrete organizational context in which the fourth industrial revolution is experienced and practiced.
Findings
The findings acquired through the case study endorse what the scientific literature highlights about the impact, the new competences and the organizational learning paths. The conclusions address the agile approach to work as the more suitable way to place humans at the center of technological progress.
Research limitations/implications
The paper explores a specific organizational context, related to a high-tech multinational company, whose results illustrate the empirical evidence sustaining transformations in the working, professional and organizational cultures necessary to face the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution. The research was conducted with the managers of an international company and this a specific and limited target, even though relevant and interesting.
Practical implications
The paper connects the case with the general scenario, this study currently faces, to suggest hints and coordinates for crossing the unfolding situation and finding suitable matching between technological evolution and the development of new work and professional cultures and competences.
Social implications
Due to the acceleration that the COVID-19 has impressed to the use of digital technologies and remote connexion, the paper highlights some ambivalences that the quick evolution of the new technologies entails in relation to work and social conditions.
Originality/value
The opportunity to match both a literature analysis and an in-depth situated case study enhances the possibility to achieve a more articulated and complex view of the viral changes generated in the current context by the digitalization process.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the existing literature on agile manufacturing (AM) to pinpoint critical success factors (CSFs) affecting the successful implementation of agile manufacturing systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The study focused on empirical articles published in peer-reviewed journals from 1991 to 2019 (July). In total, 37 empirical studies were shortlisted for analysis as the reliability and validity of the constructs were critically tested using various statistical methods. Further, “Pareto analysis” tool was employed to sort and arrange the factors critical for smoother and effective implementation of AM, in descending order according to their frequency of occurrence.
Findings
The present work scrutinizes 37 research papers, resulting in 33 CSFs that affect AM implementation. Using Pareto analysis, 8 CSFs are regarded as “vital few,” which account for 82.66 percent of occurrence, and the remaining 25 CSFs are regarded as “useful many,” which account for 17.34 percent of occurrence. The managers must focus on successful deployment of “vital few” CSFs, as they are more critical in achieving business excellence through the successful implementation of AM, in comparison to other 25 “useful many” CSFs.
Originality/value
To the best knowledge of authors, this work is the first attempt to employ Pareto analysis for critically analyzing a wide range of AM CSFs studies. The findings of this study will assist researchers and managers in AM implementation in a more smoother and effective way in manufacturing industries.
Purpose
Digital entrepreneurship is of high topicality as technological developments and advances in infrastructure create various opportunities for entrepreneurs. Society’s great attention to new digital business models is opposed to very little research regarding opportunities, challenges and success factors of digital entrepreneurship. The purpose of this paper is to gather the state-of-the-art literature on digital entrepreneurship and to provide an up-to-date compilation of key topics and methods discussed in the relevant literature. Furthermore, based on findings of the systematic literature review, a research map pointing at further research opportunities for scholars working in the field will be proposed.
Design/methodology/approach
Utilising a systematic search and review of literature across the domain whilst following the established methodology of Tranfield et al. (2003) combined with the application of a quality threshold for journal selection, 35 articles on digital entrepreneurship could be found relevant for an evidence-informed literature review.
Findings
Based on a conceptual literature review, six streams of research that deal with digital entrepreneurship are identified and discussed: digital business models; digital entrepreneurship process; platform strategies; digital ecosystem; entrepreneurship education; and social digital entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
This systematic literature review identifies current research paths on digital entrepreneurship by structuring the dispersed status quo of research in the identified different areas. In addition, future research opportunities to deepen the understanding of digital entrepreneurship are highlighted and pictured in a research map.
In a highly competitive environment, innovation is the essential key to a firm obtaining a dominant position and gaining higher profits. Therefore, the understanding of which strategic innovation management practices lead to success is very important. The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of innovation strategy, organizational structure, innovation culture, technological capability and customer and supplier relationships, which appear in the literature as strategic innovation management practices in business enterprises, on firm innovation performance. In this context, data collected from 132 managers at 66 firms operating in the manufacturing sector in the TRB2 zone of Turkey were analyzed. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was used to test hypotheses of study. The analyses revealed that innovation strategy, organizational structure and innovation culture significantly increased firm innovation performance. However, no significant impacts of technological capability and customer and supplier relationships on firm innovation performance were determined.
Injection molded biocomposites from a new biodegradable polymer blend based matrix system and miscanthus natural fibers were successfully fabricated and characterized. The blend matrix, a 40:60 wt% blend of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate), PBAT and poly(butylene succinate), PBS was chosen based on their required engineering properties for the targeted biocomposite uses. A big scientific challenge of biocomposites is in improving impact strength within the desired tensile and flexural properties. The stiffness-toughness balance is one of the biggest scientific hurdles in natural fiber composites. Thus, the key aspect of the present study was in investigating an in-depth statistical approach on influence of melt processing parameters on the impact strength of the biocomposite. A full factorial experimental design was used to predict the statistically significant variables on the impact strength of the PBS/PBAT/miscanthus biocomposites. Among the selected processing parameters, fiber length has a most significant effect on the impact strength of the biocomposites.
The term national system of innovation has been around for more than 20 years and today it has become widely spread among policy makers as well as among scholars all over the world. This paper takes stock and looks ahead from a somewhat personal point of view. It also gives some insight into how and why the concept came about. The paper argues that a key to progress is to get a better understanding of knowledge and learning as the basis for innovation and to understand how different modes of innovation complement each other and find support in the specific national context. A core of the innovation system is defined and it is illustrated that it is necessary both to understand micro-behaviour in the core and understand “the wider setting” within which the core operates. Concepts used in organization theory referring to fit and misfit may be used to enrich the understanding of the performance of innovation systems. At the end of the paper I discuss some further developments needed to make the concept relevant and applicable to developing countries. Here special attention is given to institutions and capabilities supporting learning. I point to the need to give more emphasis to the distribution of power, to institution building and to the openness of innovation systems.
The Belt & Road Initiative is China’s greatest international economic ambition, aiming at stimulating economic development in a vast region covering sub regions in Asia, Europe and Africa, which accounts for 64 percent of world population and 30 percent of world GDP. The Initiative is devised to reconfigure China’s external sector in order to continue its strong growth. While infrastructure development plays a central role, the Belt & Road Initiative is a comprehensive one, including also policy dialogue, unimpeded trade, financial support and people-to-people exchange. It is too early to assess the impact of this ambitious Initiative. It certainly has the potential of turning the underdeveloped “Belt & Road” region into a new vibrant economic pillar and contributing to economic policy thinking by incorporating successful experiences of emerging market economies. However, the Initiative also faces very high barriers, including lack of central coordination mechanism, potential clash of different political regimes and beliefs and financial viability of cross-border projects.
Summary This paper uses a comparative case study approach to investigate how two small Italian food producers manage their knowledge. The first company under consideration is mainly focused on marketing, while the second on the technology knowledge domain. This paper enriches the existing literature by documenting examples of how companies can successfully manage organizational knowledge on the basis of their relative knowledge domain. This research claims that not only knowledge domain but also innovation behavior seem to be the contingencies that mostly impact on knowledge management system features. In fact, the different combinations of the two variables have deeply different requirements in terms of knowledge management.
Review on Economic Integration of Small and Medium Enterprise in Manufacturing Sector in Tigray Regional State Mekelle City
- A Mehari
- A Ababa
• Mehari, A. and Ababa, A. (no date) 'Review on
Economic Integration of Small and Medium
Enterprise in Manufacturing Sector in Tigray
Regional State Mekelle City, Ethiopia'.
The Impact of technology and innovation (Technovation) in developing countries: A review of empirical evidence
- A P Ndesaulwa
- J Kikula
• Ndesaulwa, A.P. and Kikula, J. (2016) 'The
Impact of technology and innovation
(Technovation) in developing countries: A
review of empirical evidence', Journal of