The impact of social capital on mass customisation and product innovation capabilities

Social capital with customers has three dimensions: structural, relational and cognitive capital. We propose a research model on the joint effects of the three dimensions of social capital on mass customisation capability (MCC) and product innovation capability (PIC). The hypotheses are empirically tested using structural equation modelling and data collected from 276 manufacturing firms in China. The results show that the three dimensions of social capital contribute to MCC and PIC development through different mechanisms. In particular, cognitive capital has a significant impact on MCC; relational capital significantly influences PIC; and structural capital indirectly associates with both MCC and PIC. We also find that structural capital enhances both relational and cognitive capital. MCC improves PIC and fully mediates cognitive capital’s effect on PIC. The findings extend current understanding about the complex interrelationships among structural, relational and cognitive capital and how to develop MCC and PIC by investing in social capital.     

Strategic orientations and mass customisation capability: the moderating effect of product life cycle

This study examines the influence of three strategic orientations (customer, competitor and innovation) on mass customisation (MC) capability via the organisational learning process known as customisation knowledge utilisation (CKU). The moderating effect of product life cycle (PLC) is also investigated. Using data collected from 204 manufacturers, we show that all three strategic orientations positively contribute to MC capability, both directly and indirectly through CKU. Further, our empirical findings suggest that the effects of customer, competitor and innovation orientation on MC capability are contingent on PLC. The effects of customer orientation on CKU and the effects of competitor orientation on CKU and MC capability are stronger when a product is in the maturity stage of its life cycle, whereas the effect of innovation orientation on CKU and MC capability are stronger in the growth stage. These findings suggest that to effectively improve MC capability, managers need to leverage external and internal orientations at different stages of the PLC.     

Innovation and Social Capital: A Cross-Country Investigation

This study explores the impact of social capital on innovation by constructing a more general measure of social capital, which consists of generalized and institutional trust, associational activities and civic norms. We test the hypothesis that social capital has a positive impact on innovation at the national level. After controlling for research and development expenditure and human capital, we find that there is a positive relationship between social capital and innovation. Social capital interacts with entrepreneurship; the strongest relationship is between associated activities and entrepreneurship. This study supports the need to build strong social relationships in today's networked economy.     

Does Board Co-Working Experience Influence Directors’ Decisions Toward Internationalization?

Despite the importance of board capital in a firm’s corporate strategic orientation and the high degree of international expansion that many firms have experienced in recent years, little or no research has explored how board capital affects a firm’s internationalization decision. Drawing upon resource dependence theory, this study argues that board capital may help increase the firm’s degree of internationalization and that board co-working experience may facilitate the contribution of directors with human and social capital to firm internationalization. The results indicate that board capital (directors’ international experience, directors’ industry-specific experience and directors’ board appointments) is positively associated with internationalization and that board co-working experience has a positive moderating influence on the board capital-internationalization relationship. One important implication of the empirical evidence is that firms trying to expand internationally should consider nominating directors with rich human and social capital to the board because such directors can provide strategic advice and facilitate access to critical information and valuable resources needed for internationalization. Additionally, those international firms might be advised to consider board tenure when appointing board directors because board co-working experience allows directors to integrate their knowledge of the firm’s internal affairs with their expertise in the area of international strategy and to combine their knowledge properly to address firm-specific issues, consequently enabling them to address international issues effectively.     

Overcoming Undesirable Knowledge Redundancy in Territorial Clusters

This work analyzes the existence of redundant knowledge associated with geographic networks of firms. Specifically, our research focuses on how firms can avoid inefficient redundancy ties derived from territorial clusters. We propose that firms embedded in a dense and strong-tie network generate redundant knowledge flows. However, they may use structural dispersion to mediate and overcome this limitation. Our empirical study was conducted drawing on the Spanish ceramic tile industrial cluster to test the potential association between social capital and redundancy. Our findings support the idea that structural dispersion mediates the effects of strong ties and the generation of knowledge redundancy.     

Service Innovativeness and Innovation Success in Technology-based Knowledge-Intensive Business Services: An Intellectual Capital Approach

This paper analyzes the influence of the three components of intellectual capital (human, social and organizational) and intensity in collaboration with clients on service innovativeness in knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). It also includes a discussion on the impact of both service innovativeness and intensity in collaboration with clients on innovation success. An empirical study is conducted on a sample of companies belonging to two technology-based KIBS industries: software and R&D services. The results suggest that the positive effect of human capital on service innovativeness is moderated by intensity in collaboration with clients, being human capital enhanced by organizational and social capital. The effect of social capital on service innovativeness is partially mediated by human capital and also moderated by intensity in collaboration with clients. Finally, service innovativeness positively affects innovation success, while intensity in collaboration with clients has a higher effect.     

以动态能力为中介变量的社会资本与创新绩效关系研究

基于资源观和能力观的相关理论,构建供应商社会资本、动态能力和创新绩效三者关系的概念模型。通过对211家企业的调查获取数据,运用多元回归分析检验了三者之间的关系。结果表明：动态能力在结构维度与创新财务绩效、结构维度与创新成长绩效、关系维度和创新财务绩效、认知维度和创新成长绩效之间起到完全中介作用,在关系维度和创新成长绩效、认知维度和创新财务绩效之间起到部分中介作用。因此,企业应该重视社会资本的积累,同时加强动态能力的提升,提高创新绩效。      

Innovation capability: The impact of e-CRM and COVID-19 risk perception

The e-CRM application has currently offered benefits for companies in different business sectors, especially in hospitality industry. The objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of e-CRM components (i.e. technology-based CRM, knowledge management and customer orientation) on firms’ innovation capabilities. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire survey conducted in Vietnam. The dataset consists of 213 valid responses by managers. Correlation analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to examine the causal relationships among technology-based CRM, knowledge management, customer orientation, long-term relationships and innovation capability. The results show that knowledge management, customer orientation and technology-based CRM have positively influence on long-term relationships and innovation capability. Covid-19 risk perception has the role in enhancing the link between long-term relationships and innovation capability. From these findings, this study provides an improved understanding of how knowledge management, customer orientation and technology affect on innovating activities. This study also provides several implications for practice.     

Open-and-closed process innovation generation and adoption: Analyzing the effects of sources of knowledge

This research investigates the effects of internal and external sources of knowledge on process innovation generation and adoption; moderating role of radical innovative capability. We nested the data from chemical manufacturing firms, and analyzed it by using SEM technique. The findings revealed that internal sources of knowledge facilitate process innovation generation. This relationship further strengthens when there is the presence of radical innovative capability. On the other hand, external sources of knowledge extended ambidextrous effects by affecting positively on both process innovation generation and adoption. However, contrast to research hypothesis, the presence of radical innovative capability weakens the effects of external sources of knowledge on process innovation adoption. Besides its moderation, radical innovation capability also displayed positive effects on process innovation generation. Further paper discusses some useful theoretical and practical implications.     

基于认知型社会资本的社区老年协同服务设计策略研究

目的探析认知型社会资本对老年人在协同服务设计中的促进作用,并进一步提出激活老年人社会资本,提高老年人创新能力的策略。方法通过介绍社会资本与老年人创新能力的关系和老年人参与协同服务设计的案例,说明老年人参与设计的意义及社会资本在其中的作用。结论老年人群是一个具有创新能力的群体,认知型社会资本会激发其在协同服务设计中的创新能力,设计师应该帮助老年人了解其所拥有的社会资本,助力其在协同创新中发挥作用。     

How R&D partner diversity influences innovation performance: an empirical study in the nano-biopharmaceutical field

R&D partner diversity is generally acknowledged to help organizations to improve innovation performance. This study investigates the influence mechanism in depth by introducing technological diversification as mediator and the structural holes of new knowledge elements from R&D partners and the degree centrality of the focal organization’s knowledge elements as two moderators. The empirical analysis is based on patent data in the emerging nano-biopharmaceutical field and includes 554 innovative organizations. Results show that partners’ organizational diversity and geographical diversity have positive effects on focal organizations’ innovation performance through improving technological diversification. The structural holes of new knowledge elements from R&D partners and the degree centrality of the focal organization’s knowledge elements moderate the process in the way that when they are at high levels, the indirect positive effects of partner diversity on innovation performance through technological diversification are strengthened.     

How digital platform capability affects the innovation performance of SMEs—Evidence from China

Today, more and more enterprises are achieving co-innovation across borders by joining digital platforms. However, many SMEs face difficulties in developing and benefiting from strong digital platform capability (DPC) due to limited experience, resources, and funds, which hinders innovation opportunities. This study constructs a model to explore how SMEs can enhance their innovation performance (IP) by adopting digital platforms based on resource orchestration theory. We then introduce ecological institutional norms (EIN) as the moderating variable to observe whether effective platform governance impacts enterprises' value co–creation (VCC) and IP. We conduct a questionnaire survey on 346 SMEs in China's manufacturing industry that participate in digital platforms, and the regression analysis and the bootstrap test results indicate that (1) DPC has a significantly positive impact on IP; (2) DPC has a significantly positive impact on VCC; (3) VCC partially mediates DPC and IP; (4) EIN positively moderate the relationship between DPC and VCC and positively moderate the mediating effect of VCC. These findings add to the literature on digital platforms theoretically and fill the gap in research on how participation in digital platforms can enhance enterprises' innovation and development from the perspective of SMEs. Finally, the study has important managerial implications for SMEs to cultivate DPC, carry out VCC, and participate in platform governance.     

Top management Team's cognitive diversity and the Firm's ambidextrous innovation capability: The mediating role of ambivalent interpretation

The top management team (TMT) diversity has received considerable attention in literature, especially due to its influence on an organization's innovation strategy. While previous studies have considered diversity in terms of education, experience, skills, functionality, and gender, little is known about the TMT's cognitive diversity. We contribute to the literature by examining the influence of the TMT's cognitive diversity on an organization's ambidextrous innovation capability; i.e., its incremental and radical innovation capability. Results from 50 TMTs involved in the electronics industry support our hypothesized mediating role of ambivalent interpretation; that the TMT cogitative diversity positively influences ambivalent interpretation, and this, in turn, positively influences both radical and incremental innovation capability. These findings have important implications for how a firm's decision makers (i.e., the TMT) with their diverse cognitive styles support building the firm's ambidextrous capability through ambivalent interpretation.     

Community-level characteristics and member firms’ invention: evidence from university–industry innovation community in China

Increased attention has been drawn to the phenomenon of community-based innovation; however, researchers have mainly emphasized firm-centric communities, paying little attention to non-firm members. This study focuses on university–industry (U–I) innovation communities to address this gap. Using China’s joint patent application data from 2000 to 2017, we construct a U–I collaboration network, identified existing U–I innovation communities, and reveal community-level characteristics of birth, expansion, maturity, and self-renewal in a lifecycle framework. The results suggest that average geographical distance negatively affects firm invention production and within-community knowledge diversity positively affects firm innovation. The effects of dynamic attributes indicate that U–I community membership turnover affects member firm’s patent production in an inverse U-shaped manner. In addition, a firm’s within-community network position exerts a moderating effect on the relation between community membership dynamics and firm innovation. In theoretical terms, this study combines innovation community and social network theories, using a lifecycle framework to examine the influence of the specified characteristics in facilitating member firms’ invention productivity. Finally, this study discusses the practical implications for U–I community stakeholders and policymakers.

     

Revitalizing the race between technology and education: Investigating the growth strategy for the knowledge-based economy based on a CGE analysis

This study conducted quantitative policy experiments using a computable general equilibrium model to investigate how long-run economic growth can be achieved through the endogenous interactions between innovation and human capital accumulation. The analysis found that there are limits to driving productivity growth and enhancing growth potential when focusing solely on the expansion of technological innovation. However, our results suggest that promotion of the complementarity between technological innovation and human capital formation may alleviate the inequalities of wages and employment induced by skill-biased technological change, promoting balanced growth among industrial sectors with higher productivity improvement and scale effects. This study suggests that in order to spur long-run growth in knowledge-based economy, policymakers should establish educational infrastructure to support workers to move up the skill ladder and cope with rapid technological change.     

Corporate entrepreneurship,operations core competency and innovation in emerging economies

This study used a blended view of corporate entrepreneurship and operations core capability as enablers of innovation. Survey data collected from automotive OEM suppliers in five emerging countries in South-east Asia are used to examine the relationships among corporate entrepreneurship, operations core competency and innovation. We measured corporate entrepreneurship by its corporate culture and leadership, whereas operations core competency was operationalised by a firm’s knowledge management, technology management and process management. Finally, innovation is measured by process innovation and product innovation. Our analyses show that in the context of Asia, corporate entrepreneurship affects a firm’s operations core competency, which in turn affects innovation. Our findings provide valuable insights about the enablers of a firm’s operations core competency and innovation.     

Entrepreneurial SCM competence and performance of manufacturing SMEs

This study reviewed the literature and interviewed managers to discover the dimensions of a new construct called the entrepreneurial supply chain management competence of small and medium-sized enterprises. We measured entrepreneurial SCM competence in terms of five first-order constructs: innovation orientation, proactiveness orientation, risk-taking characteristics, relational capital, and coordination capability. We further proposed that this competence affects SMEs’ performance directly and indirectly via the firm's SCM strategies. A set of survey data collected from automotive OEM suppliers in five ASEAN countries was used to test the research model. Results show that the five constructs are important dimensions of entrepreneurial SCM competence, and that they affect performance indirectly. Our findings provide valuable insights about the enablers of an SME's SCM practices and their effects on firm performance.     

An empirical study of firm’s absorptive capacity dimensions,supplier involvement and new product development performance

Firms’ performance in their new product development (NPD) is believed to be positively related with involving suppliers in the process of new product development, and also with the organisation’s capacity and capability to absorb external and internal knowledge, namely absorptive capacity (AC). Addressing a gap in the literature, this study adopts the definition and structure for AC suggested by Tu et al. (2006) to examine relationships between AC’s sub-dimensions with NPD performance, and also their moderating effects on the relationship between supplier involvement and new product development performance, on both financial and nonfinancial aspects. Data from a survey of 161 manufacturing firms are used to test the developed hypotheses using structural equation modelling and hierarchical regression. Direct and contingent effects of supplier involvement and AC on new product development performance are studied. As a result factors determining AC are found of different level of effects on financial and nonfinancial performance of new products, which will have implication for theory and practice.     

气象科技创新业务贡献评价标准研究

科技创新重在应用,重在产生效果。对于气象部门而言,创新的效果主要体现在气象业务能力和水平的提升上,然而如何判断科技创新是否对业务产生了贡献,或科技创新对业务产生的贡献大小,需要建立一个具备可比性的、不以评价人的主观意志为转移的客观标准来衡量。为此本研究设计了一个叫做“气象科技创新业务贡献度”的评价指标,试图通过“气象科技创新业务贡献指数”的客观计算,来建立一套客观评价和衡量气象科技创新业务贡献大小的评价标准,供评价项目、单位、区域或部门气象科技创新业务贡献大小时使用。该指标设计的特点是,以突破重大气象业务核心技术为重点,以满足气象业务服务质量和效率提高为指向,形成用于测量气象科技创新业务贡献的定量测量模型,以此为基础,可以开发出满足气象科技创新业务贡献评价需求的、供全国统一使用的气象科技创新业务贡献评价标准。     

Analysing the roles of CEO's financial literacy and financial constraints on Spanish SMEs technological innovation

Drawing on human capital and upper echelons theories, this study analyses how CEO's financial literacy influences a firm's technological innovation and investigates the mediating role of alleviating financial constraints of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the former relationship. We develop and test hypotheses applying a Structural Equation Model to a sample of 310 Spanish SMEs. The results show that CEO's financial literacy exerts both a direct and an indirect impact, through alleviating financial constraints, on a firm's technological innovation.