High-tech SME Research Articles

Relationships between high-tech SME suppliers and foreign buyers: effects of relational trust, relationship-specific investments and contract specificity on product innovation

Relationships between high-tech SME suppliers and foreign buyers: effects of relational trust, relationship-specific investments and contract specificity on product innovation

Multiple Driving Paths of High-Tech SME Resilience from a “Resource–Capability–Environment” Perspective: An fsQCA Approach

High-tech SMEs are the new drivers of economic growth and innovation development. The complex and turbulent operating environment of the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) era poses a serious threat to high-tech SME sustainability. Although studies have explored the factors influencing high-tech SME resilience, the equivalent effects of different combinations of factors on organizational resilience have yet to be considered. Based on the resources–capabilities–environment perspective, this study uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyze the driving paths of high-tech SME resilience. The configuration effects of financial and relationship resources, managerial abilities, innovation capabilities, the market environment, and government interventions on the organizational resilience of high-tech SMEs are examined, and a robustness test is passed. The results show the following: (1) high-tech SME resilience is affected by multiple factors; (2) high-tech SMEs have three high-resilience driving paths—resource–capability, resource–capability–environment, and resource–environment—and two non-high-resilience driving paths—resource–capability inhibition and resource–environment inhibition; and (3) the high and non-high resilience paths are asymmetric. Theoretically, the formation of organizational resilience is a complex nonlinear process with limited single condition effects on outcomes. This study explores the impact of the interaction of multiple factors on organizational resilience, reveals the multiple driving paths of high-tech SME resilience, and enriches the theoretical study of organizational resilience. Practically, this study helps managers identify the combined effects of “resource–capability–environment” perspectives on high-tech SMEs’ resilience and provides intellectual support for them to achieve sustainable development and enhance resilience.

Towards a seamless data cycle for space components: considerations from the growing European future digital ecosystem Gaia-X

ESA’s Design 2 produces cross-cutting initiative includes digitalisation, process automation, interoperability, and harnessing smart embedded sensors to achieve a seamless data cycle (SDC). The SDC in digital engineering covers requirements and design, production, assembly, integration, and testing as well as in-flight operations including recycling. Nevertheless, central data and legal challenges lie in the joint research addressed Europe-wide (geo-return) and the partner network constraints covering agency, large system integrator (LSI), research and development (R&D), and high-tech SME interests. Either way, a legal enabler for digitization of the European space business can be seen in ESA's strict compliance policy with regard to the acceptance of their general terms and conditions. In fact, it is reasonable to assume that ESA declares data to be a common deliverable in the future and that the contractors accept this too. However, there are technical challenges like portability, interoperability, interconnectivity, and the need for a federated infrastructure, while all these aspects have to be solved across company and national borders. The European Gaia-X project tackles the aforementioned challenges while targeting an open, transparent, and secure digital ecosystem in which data are stored, processed, and used while retaining data sovereignty. This paper deepens these framework conditions, addresses them from the perspective of real space applications, and presents key opportunities and challenges at the implementation level. Moreover, it shows how the seamless data cycle contributes to increase freedom of design, improve overall performance, and reduce cost and lead time from concept to manufacturing while creating new high-performance space products.

Utilization of External and Internal Information as Key Drivers for Innovations in Regional High-tech SME’s

Utilization of External and Internal Information as Key Drivers for Innovations in Regional High-tech SME’s

Formulating IP strategies for service-intense business models: A roadmapping-based approach

The increasing adaptation of product-service systems (PSS) creates unmet challenges for intellectual property (IP) management and requires an approach to formulate specialised IP strategies for service-intense business models. Building on a roadmapping-based approach for IP strategy formulation we propose a specialised process and template that was developed and demonstrated in one in-depth qualitative case study with a UK-based high-tech scale-up SME. The study shows how the six-step process and template can be applied for the formulation of an IP strategy for a service-intense company. The research demonstrates that a distinct consideration of the PSS components, namely service, product and infrastructure is needed when formulating IP strategies as these different components are likely related to different types of IP rights. This increases the comprehensibility of the IP strategy and provides guidelines for practical implementations.

Making obsolescence obsolete: Execution of digital transformation in a high-tech manufacturing SME

Digitally transformed firms show resilience against environmental volatility by regularly developing adaptive capabilities and transforming their processes to mitigate the effects of obsolescence. However, there is a lack of conceptual clarity on the obsolescence notion and means of avoiding it. This paper aims to investigate how firms’ empirical sensitivities to evolving environmental changes emerge and materialize into the ongoing management of obsolescence. We undertook an interpretive longitudinal study between 2009 and 20, capturing both the transformation journey and the habitus of a high-tech SME, which is a family business and located in the UK. In doing so, we develop an integrative framework to explain the interplay between the noncognitive dynamic capabilities, obsolescence, and digital transformation. This study has important implications to boost SMEs’ capacity to counter obsolescence. We suggest managers pay attention to the development of noncognitive dynamic capabilities. This, in turn, inadvertently leads to successful digital transformation for obsolescence trap avoidance.

A Novel Hybrid Fuzzy DEA-Fuzzy ARAS Method for Prioritizing High-Performance Innovation-Oriented Human Resource Practices in High Tech SME’s

A Novel Hybrid Fuzzy DEA-Fuzzy ARAS Method for Prioritizing High-Performance Innovation-Oriented Human Resource Practices in High Tech SME’s

Innovation experience of entrepreneurs of high tech SMEs in Turkey

Purpose- The goal of this study is to explore and define the barriers to innovation perceived and experienced by entrepreneurs of High Tech SMEs in Turkey. Methodology- In order to investigate the research question, an online questionnaire that was created for the purpose of this analysis. Questionnaire consists of 25 questions covering up four groups of barriers to innovation (formal, informal, environmental and skill barriers). In total, 225 High Tech SME entrepreneurs from the Istanbul region completed the questionnaire. Logit models were estimated using the Eviews software programme. Findings- An analysis of 225 High Tech Turkish SME entrepreneurs reveals the fact that “lack of sufficient government’s RD “Informal economy’s negative impact on investment” from informal barriers; “high cost of innovation” and “lack of appropriate source of finance” from environmental barriers and “lack of qualified personnel” from skill barriers, are the most important barriers, which have significant effects on the entrepreneurs’ innovation decisions in Turkey. Conclusion- The survey results show that entrepreneurs, who know how to innovate, are those who have more perception of the barriers to innovation. However it is observed through the logistic regression model that some of the relations established between the barriers to innovation and the entrepreneurial innovative capacity are not statistically significant.

Developing a Fuzzy Group AHP Model for Prioritizing the Factors Affecting Success of High-Tech SME's in Iran: A Case Study

Small and medium enterprises (SME's) play a vital role in economic development of countries. It has been estimated that about 80 percent of world economic growth is created by SME's. This research aims to develop a model to evaluate factors affecting Iranian high-tech SME's success. For this purpose a hierarchal model with 10 main factor and 47 sub factors has been suggested. Since the evaluating factors were qualitative, a fuzzy modification of the group Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was applied and Chang's extended analysis has been applied to analyze the fuzzy data. Finally, considering the relative importance of criteria, Critical Success Factors (CSF's) of high-Tech SME's were identified. These CSF's were employed in a fuzzy TOPSIS model in order to performance evaluation and rank the 17 high-tech firms located in Bio-Technology Incubator of Karaj. Results show that entrepreneur related factors, market characteristics and Product features are the most important success factors of Iranian high-tech SME's respectively.

Strategic and Organizational Evolutions of High-Tech SME on Global Market

Strategic and Organizational Evolutions of High-Tech SME on Global Market

Change point analysis and assessment: an integrated methodological design

The aim of this article is to develop an analytical framework for studying processes such as continuous innovation and business development in high-tech SME clusters that transcends the traditional qualitative-quantitative divide. The article’s key contribution is the conceptual integration of four existing and well-recognised but separate approaches to studying events, processes, and change, namely change-point analysis (CPA), event-history analysis (EHA), critical-incident technique (CIT), and sequence analysis (SA) into a single design framework which is especially useful for studying complex and long-term or ongoing processes.

Strategic and Organizational Evolutions of High-Tech SME on Global Market

The “OLI paradigm” of Dunning (1977) claims that firm internationalization is addressed toward the exploitation of home-based specific advantages. However, evidence shows that SMEs are increasingly internationalizing their activities in order to enrich their resource pool. In this regard, a reinterpretation of the OLI paradigm came out with a new perspective suggesting that “foreign direct investment” (FDI) is increasingly oriented toward asset augmentation. Correspondingly, the purpose of this theoretical paper is to suggest a set of principles that could inform on how global small and medium-sized enterprises grow in the international marketplace when investing abroad.

From IS to organisation: analysing the uses of a collaborative IS in a high-tech SME

Researchers and practitioners generally observe a disparity in organisations between the actual uses of Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) and what was expected of them prior to implementation (Bowers, 1995). In order to investigate this phenomenon, Orlikowski (2000) developed a coherent and structured conceptual framework that can be used to analyse why actors develop such different uses for a given technology. While our paper uses her theoretical propositions as a framework for analysing uses, it seeks to extend her approach by means of a theoretical framework that can be used to understand the spirit of the technology and interactions between individuals and artefacts. Following an outline of these various concepts, a case study of the uses of a collaborative IS in a high-tech SME will serve as a basis for an initial test of this analytical framework and for discussing the contributions it makes.

CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP: INNOVATION AT THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN CREATIVE DESTRUCTION AND CONTROLLED ADAPTATION

In spite of a growing body of knowledge on the importance of innovation and change, firms still experience great difficulties in being continuously entrepreneurial. This article addresses reasons for such difficulties. Building on a conceptual discussion, the article first identifies seemingly opposing forces found at the core of corporate entrepreneurship. These forces are in the article described in terms of 'creative destruction' and 'controlled adaptation'. Both forces are identified as being essential to successful corporate entrepreneurship, but set very different agendas, which can be expected to give rise to tension. Next, a case study of a Danish high-tech SME is introduced in order to identify patterns of practices which are potentially supportive of the creation of balance between the seemingly opposing forces. Based on this, the article introduces a framework for discussion of the two forces and the consequences of how they are approached managerially.

The role of non‐executive directors in high tech smes

Until recently the role of non executive directors (NEDs) in small and medium firms (SMEs) was fairly easy to understand. Such directors were usually imposed by venture capital firms as part of the “price” of getting financial backing. Very often, if or when the business became profitable, no such imposition was made. The role of the NED was simply to see that the money provided by the venture capitalist was spent in the manner prescribed in the business plan or to ensure timely and correct financial information was available to both operating management and the investor. Neither of these roles would feature high on the agenda of a big firm’s non‐executive directors. But with the advent of early initial public offerings (IPOs), perhaps just into the second or third year of an SME’s existence, the role of the NED is set to change. A range of new responsibilities are coming into play. This article reviews the range of responsibilities a NED of a high tech SME must expect to take on.