Non-technological Innovations Research Articles

Development Problems and New Paths of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises under the Background of Digital Economy

This research explores the transformative impact of the digital economy on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the global landscape. In response to the digitalization of the economy, SMEs face both opportunities and challenges that significantly shape their development. The study delves into the positive impact of the digital economy on SMEs, emphasizing the role of internet-based technologies in expanding market access, breaking down trade barriers, and restructuring supply chains. However, it also highlights cybersecurity challenges that SMEs encounter, particularly in the context of increased digitalization and the COVID-19 pandemic. The article further investigates how the digital economy fosters innovation for SMEs, enabling them to contribute significantly to radical advancements and non-technological innovation. The research underscores the symbiotic relationship between digital technologies and SMEs' innovative capabilities, emphasizing their role as catalysts for economic growth. Additionally, the study explores how the digital economy helps SMEs optimize their cost structures, achieve revenue growth, and gain access to new markets through digitalization. The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the multifaceted relationship between SMEs and the digital economy, drawing perspectives from market dynamics, cybersecurity challenges, innovation landscapes, and financial optimization. The findings contribute valuable insights for policymakers, business leaders, and stakeholders, advocating for enhanced cybersecurity measures, digital technology adoption, and strategic innovation to foster a resilient and thriving ecosystem for SMEs in the digital age. The article concludes with recommendations for bridging the digital divide, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and promoting digital transformation among SMEs in an adaptive manner.

Technological and non-technological innovation synergies under the lens of absorptive capacity efficiency

While extensive research has focused on the role of absorptive capacity on innovation performance, no attention has been paid to the investigation of the relationship between absorptive capacity efficiency -the returns of resources devoted to absorptive capacity development- and innovation synergies. Marketing or organizational innovations, although significant for firm performance, are not considered as part of firm’s innovation strategy. We argue that firms do not randomly invest on innovation projects, but instead follow specific innovation strategy, aiming at integrating multiple innovation types which allows them to exploit emerging innovation synergies and thus, increase the returns from resources devoted to their absorptive capacity. Our empirical findings suggest that innovation synergies differentially affect firms' absorptive capacity efficiency. Product-marketing innovation synergies positively affect internal knowledge generation, while process-organisational innovation synergies negatively impact in-house Absorptive Capacity efficiency. Both integrated innovations have a positive effect on externally sourced Absorptive Capacity efficiency.

Agricultural technology as a driver of sustainable intensification: insights from the diffusion and focus of patents

Sustainable intensification (SI) responds to the concurrent challenges of increasing food production while reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture. As an early disclosure of innovation, patents are a useful indicator of technology market potential. However, we lack understanding of the extent to which current agricultural technology patents relate to the goals of SI and which kinds of technologies can potentially address SI. Here, we analyzed the diffusion and focus of more than one million patents issued during the period 1970–2022. We explored the degree to which the patents relate to SI through the co-occurrence of efficiency and environmental friendliness targets. Our results reveal that while the rate of patent issuance has dramatically increased over the past five decades, the rate at which patents diffused to different countries had decreased over time. The USA was the biggest net exporter of patents and had produced by far the most high-impact patents (in the top 1% most-cited patents). Since 1970, only 4% of agricultural patents and 6% of high-impact patents were related to SI targets (i.e., promoting both agricultural efficiency and environmental friendliness), but the attention to SI has increased over time. The most highly cited SI-related patents had become more diverse over time, shifting from digital, machine, and energy technologies in 1980s to the current era of agroecology, information, and computer networking. Our results provide an early indication of promising technologies that may play a greater role for SI in the future, subject to the challenges of market transfer and farm adoption and complemented by non-technological innovations in farm management and institutional support.

The Impact of Green Supply Chain Management on Circular Economy Performance: The Mediating Roles of Green Innovations

Background: This study investigated the impact of green supply chain management (GSCM) on circular economy (CE) performance. The mediating roles of three green innovation types, namely green product innovation, green process innovation, and green management innovation, are also examined. Methods: This study’s population comprised all companies in the manufacturing sector in Jordan. A simple random method was applied to gather data from 278 companies. The research model was evaluated in terms of validity and reliability, which were found to be satisfactory. Hayes’s PROCESS macro in IBM SPSS was applied for hypothesis testing. Results: The findings showed that GSCM directly and positively affected CE performance. Moreover, GSCM showed positive impacts on the three types of green innovation. In addition, the three innovation types demonstrated positive impacts on CE performance and proved to positively mediate the GSCM–CE performance relationship. Conclusions: The present study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to examine the mediating effect of green innovations on the GSCM–CE performance relationship. It is also among the first to examine the impact of GSCM on three different types of green innovation that represent technological and non-technological innovations.

Innovation activity of Slovak ICT SMEs

Research background: The innovation process is a key factor when creating and maintaining competitiveness, so the SME sector has to address a special attention to it. Examining the impact of corporate co-operation on innovation activity has to be mentioned as a crucial goal. Purpose of the article: The main goal of the research is to assess the innovative activity of the SMEs operating in ICT sector, and to map the distribution between the innovative and non-innovative businesses. The article's purpose was to outline the most recent developments in Slovakia's ICT industry with regard to SME innovation. The empirical study concentrated on the types of innovation, variables that encourage and discourage innovation, and the innovation activity of SMEs in the ICT sector. Methods: In accordance with the main goal of the research, descriptive statistical methods, i.e. unweighted and weighted arithmetic mean were used to analyze the research hypothesis. A questionnaire research study was carried out between September 2021 and February 2022 in Slovak ICT SMEs. Findings & Value added: Significant differences can be determined between the innovative and non-innovative ICT companies in terms of innovation. The majority of SMEs implemented both technological and non-technological innovations. A small number of SMEs failed to implement either type. A significant portion focused on technological innovations, with the majority successfully implementing them, and over half of them introduced non-technological innovations between 2018 and 2020. Over 75% of the companies felt they were more innovative than their competitors. More than 67% of non-innovative SMEs saw themselves as less innovative than their competitors. 92% of innovative SMES implemented both technological and non-technological innovations. 51% implemented technological innovations. 56.41% innovative SMEs implemented 3 to 5 types of innovation activities, while 38.46% implemented 6 to 7 types. Only 5.13% implemented all 9 types of innovation activities considered. 38% of innovative SMEs spent the most on research and development, 33% allocated highest expenditure to machinery and equipment. In case of supporting SMEs in innovation activities, three market players received above-average ratings: customers and consumers, suppliers of raw materials and piece parts and the group of companies.

Can Islamic finance enhance the innovation capacity of Cameroonian SMEs? Empirical evidence based on a multivariate probit approach

This study examines the effects of the Islamic mode of financing on the innovation capacity of SMEs in Cameroon using a sample of 1358 SMEs. Results of the multivariate probit model indicate that Islamic finance enhances process innovation, product innovation, and marketing innovation. While the effects on organizational innovation are positive, they are statistically insignificant. Our main results equally indicate that the effects of Islamic finance on the innovation capacity of SMEs are more pronounced on technological innovation (process and product) than non-technological innovation (marketing and organizational). Policymakers are encouraged to put in place the necessary mechanisms for the promotion of Islamic finance such as the enacting of laws that ensure the creation of full-fledged Islamic banks, and raising awareness about the benefits and specificities of this mode of finance for the financing of SME innovation.

Influence of task-related diversity of R&D employees on the development of organisational innovations: a gender perspective

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse the influence of workforce diversity on the firm’s likelihood to develop organisational innovations. Operationalising human resources diversity is not straightforward, and its effect has been rather overlooked in the context of non-technological innovations. This study analyses the impact of task-related diversity among research and development (R&D) unit workers and women R&D workers, in particular.Design/methodology/approachTo estimate the impact of task-related diversity on firm propensity to undertake organisational innovation, this study uses a generalised linear model (GLM) – with a binomial family and log–log extension. GLMs are used to control problems of over-dispersion, which, in models with binary response variables, could generate inaccurate standard error estimates and provide inconsistent results.FindingsThis paper provides three important results. Firstly, employee diversity increases the firm’s propensity to engage in organisational innovations. Secondly, the influence of each facet of task-related diversity varies depending on the type of organisational innovation considered. Thirdly, gender has an effect on the innovation process; this study shows that women play a different role in the production of non-technological innovations.Originality/valueThis paper makes several contributions to the literature. Firstly, it makes a theoretical contribution to research on innovation management by considering the influence of human resources diversity on the development of non-technological innovations. Secondly, this study analyses the role of workforce diversity in an R&D department context to clarify the contribution made by women R&D workers.

The approach to and challenges in measuring innovation in China

In China and elsewhere, innovation features strongly in government policy as a key driver of economic development. Being able to measure innovation performance is therefore important. This paper analyses China’s approach to measuring the country’s innovation performance. In doing so and using documentary analysis, it evaluates the conceptualisation and data collection that underpin and support that measurement. The findings show that China focuses on a science and technology approach to measuring innovation. The weaknesses of this approach are identified: first, the conceptual scope is too narrow due to its exclusion of non-technological innovation; second, relatedly, data gathering is limited quantitatively and qualitatively in its coverage of types of innovation; and, third, the sample population is biased, acting to excluding a significant number of firms and employees. These weaknesses undermine understanding of innovation performance in China. With this analysis, this paper provides the first evaluation of China’s innovation conceptualization and measurement and, based on the findings, provides suggestions to address these weaknesses and improve the measurement of innovation performance and which have applicability beyond China. For China and other countries such as those which are members of the OECD and EU, the evidence provided in this paper suggest that there is a pressing need to adopt this broader policy approach and support it through the development of appropriate measures and data collection.

Towards a theory of Capability-Based Transactions: Bounded innovation capabilities, commercialization, cooperation, and complementarity

Innovation capabilities are essential to the innovative potential of companies, but in most cases, these capabilities are bounded. However, the boundedness of innovation capabilities and the way companies complement them through transactions is still a gap lacking theoretical depth. This conceptual manuscript aims to develop a theoretical approach, namely, Capability-Based Transactions, which intertwines the nature of innovation capabilities with the specificity of transaction types, resulting in complementarity for bounded capabilities. We propose a clarified definition for bounded capabilities and complementarity. From this, we theorize that commercialization complements a company's bounded non-technological innovation capabilities, while cooperation complements bounded technological innovation capabilities. From a novel perspective, we advance the intertwining of the literature on innovation capabilities and transaction costs. Our theorizing movement highlights that companies' transaction decisions depend on their bounded capabilities. Furthermore, to drive complementarity for non-technological capabilities, we propose a new kind of commercialization that underpins the Capability-Based Transactions approach. We develop a framework from a set of propositions that demonstrates the innovative behaviors shaping the theoretical approach. Finally, we present a managerial flowchart to support the adoption of Capability-Based Transactions by companies.

Retracted: High-Quality Development of Leisure Agriculture in Jiangsu Province in the New Period: From the Perspective of Non-Technological Innovation

Retracted: High-Quality Development of Leisure Agriculture in Jiangsu Province in the New Period: From the Perspective of Non-Technological Innovation

The Effect of Knowledge Creation Practices on Managerial and Marketing Innovation Through Creativity

Knowledge creation (KC) is viewed as one of the important practices in knowledge management (KM) process. It is argued that the success of the firm is measured, to a great extent, by its level of innovation. In fact, an innovation-oriented perspective contributes to sustainability. Moreover, innovation is usually developed through new knowledge and creative ideas. That’s why; it is relevant to examine the relationship between KC, creativity, and innovation. The first objective of the present paper is to study three direct relationships: The first relation is between KC and innovation (managerial, marketing). The second direct relation is between knowledge creation and creativity. The Third direct relation is between creativity and innovation. The second objective is to analyze the relationship between KC and innovation through the mediation of creativity. Finally, we will compare the results and identify the strongest and significant links useful for practice. The focus is on non-technological innovation because the majority of studies dealt with technological innovation. Added to that, managerial and marketing innovation is supposed to procure an advantage for emergent economies in a post-revolutionary and Covid context. The quantitative approach is adopted upon which 83 valid questionnaires are analyzed using the SEM with Pls3 to test the relationships between the variables. The results show that KC has a positive and significant effect on the two considered types of innovation. In addition, since KC dynamics allow organizations to develop and generate new ideas favorable to innovation, it has a positive effect on creativity. The test of mediation proves that creativity intervenes in the relation between KC, operationalized by the SECI model, and innovation. Based on these results, we may conclude that the relationship between KC and innovation becomes the strongest with the mediation of creativity. Certainly, these results have several implications both on the theoretical and empirical sides.

Innovation as a firm-level factor of the gender wage gap

PurposeThis paper investigates the relationship of both technological (product and process) and non-technological (organizational and marketing) innovation with the gender wage gap at firms.Design/methodology/approachUsing employer–employee level data from Estonia, the authors estimate Mincerian wage equations, in order to show how innovation at the firm level is associated with the gender wage gap. Next, the authors use propensity score matching (PSM) to study the effects of the movement of men and women into innovative firms, how this shapes the gender wage gap at firms.FindingsThe authors find that both technological and non-technological innovation are associated with a larger gender wage gap at firms. The relationship between innovation and the contemporaneous gender wage gap at firms reflects to a significant extent the different selection of men and women with different time-invariant characteristics to innovative firms. Further, the authors find that movement of men and women to work at innovative firms is in longer term associated with larger gains in wages for men. The authors also observe that the relationship of innovation with gender wage gap is stronger in the case of women with children.Originality/valueMuch of the prior analysis focuses on the effects of technological innovation on gender-related labour market outcomes. The authors show here that the relationship of innovation at firms with higher gender wage gap is not only specific to technological innovation, but is more general, and is observed across different types of innovation indicators, including non-technological innovation. This study's results suggest that the effects of innovation on gender wage gap may reflect to an extent the higher demand for flexibility of employees for work purposes at innovative firms, which may increase the gender wage gap, especially between men and women with children.

Types of Innovations in Enterprises of the Republic of Moldova

In the current context, innovation is essential for the survival and maintenance of competitiveness for many enterprises and economies. There are different ways in which an enterprise can innovate. Generally, there are 2 types of innovations – technological and non-technological innovations. Enterprises in their innovation eff orts can choose one of these 2 types or, for increased competitive advantages and additional gains, they can apply multiple types of innovations simultaneously. This study presents a brief analysis of scientific literature in the field, the analysis of the innovation activities of enterprises in the Republic of Moldova with emphasis on the types of innovations adopted. The technological and non-technological dimensions of innovation within enterprises are identified, it is deter-mined which types of innovations are most preferred by enterprises in the country, and a comparison is made of the development of types of innovations compared to previous years/

Dynamic Capabilities, Innovation, and Sustainable Competitive Advantage under Environmental Uncertainty in Textile Industry

This study examined the relationship between dynamic capabilities and sustainable competitive advantage through technological and non-technological innovation under environmental uncertainty.  The proposed interactive model has been explained using the dynamic capabilities theory. Data were collected from 246 managers in the textile manufacturing industries in Pakistan through a two-point survey. The measurement model showed excellent psychometric qualities for all variable measures. Findings provide that dynamic capabilities have a significant positive relationship with sustainable competitive advantage mediated by technological and non-technological innovations in parallel and serial ways. Environmental uncertainty accelerated the positive impact of dynamic capabilities on both these forms of innovation, leading to sustainable competitive advantage. Findings emphasize the importance of dynamic capabilities in the manufacturing industry and support investment in developing such capabilities, which enhance industry innovation and competitiveness
  

Impact analysis of innovation and gendered constraints in the fisheries sector of southern Ghana

This paper adopts the multinomial endogenous treatment effect approach to analyze the impact of innovation choices on the income of 230 fish workers in the Greater Accra and Central regions of Ghana, while the Kendall’s ranking technique is applied to analyze the constraints to innovation. Findings show that technological and non-technological innovations available to fish workers have positive impacts on their income. Specifically, savings, credit access, and support service are identified to have positive impacts on income while gender and membership of a fish workers’ association have negative impacts on income. The most pressing constraints to innovation faced by female fish workers are cultural/ethnic restrictions, social exclusion, and time constraints. On the other hand, a high dependency ratio and discrimination in access to resources are the most pressing constraints faced by male fish workers. The paper recommends that stakeholders should continue to offer support services to fish workers. In addition, lending institutions should make credit accessible at lower interest rates. Interventions by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and development agencies that aim to solve constraints of fish workers should be approached from a gender dimension.

Determinants of technological and non-technological innovation: empirical insights from Indian manufacturing industries

PurposeThis paper empirically explored the influence of external and internal factors on technological and non-technological innovation of 5747 Indian firms. The study also explored novel insights about manufacturing firms by segregating them into high-technology and low-technology industries.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed hierarchical regression analysis to analyse a cross-sectional dataset gathered from the World Bank enterprise survey. The firms are segregated into high-technology and low-technology industries based on the technology-intensity classification of the manufacturing industry given by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.FindingsThe main results highlight that technological and non-technological innovation was primarily driven by internal resources and capabilities rather than external factors. The authors found the highest effect of research and development spending on both forms of innovation. In both high-tech and low-tech industries, technology transfer is positively associated with technological innovation and negatively associated with non-technological innovation. Furthermore, external business support has substantially influenced non-technological innovation in low-tech industries.Originality/valueThis study used two-step hierarchical regression to explore the influence of external and internal factors on technological and non-technological innovation separately. Exploring determinants of innovation in high-technology and low-technology industries also brings the distinct prerequisites of enhancing innovation to the attention of policymakers and industry experts.

Innovative potential of research on Productive Chains in the Rede Bionorte and PPGBIOTEC Graduate programs between 2010 - 2020

This study analyzes research on the theme of production chains that have been the subject of research in the Biotechnology Postgraduate Programs of Rede Bionorte and PPGBIOTEC/UFAM, since its inception, between 2010 and 2020. The study is based on primary research in the Programs database, using the productive chain theme as a filter to select proposals with innovation and possible solution proposals. Methodologically it is a qualitative and quantitative study, with a systematic review of publications in selection by filters by theme. Fourteen surveys were identified, tabulated and qualitatively evaluated, highlighting those with some indication of technological innovation, non-technological innovation, technology transfer, skills developed in chains, biofuels, fruits and public policies. In terms of Technological Innovation, seven studies were identified that met the established criteria. It is concluded that there is great potential for innovation if the findings of the work carried out are deployed in actions in this sense.

A configurational approach to innovation performance: The role of creativity

In this study, we analyze new ways of conceptualizing improvements in firms’ innovation by implementing the “right-factors configuration,” illustrated through an analog of a recipe and its ingredients. Specifically, we research the multiple combinations of three ingredients (creativity, innovation networks, and resources) required to accomplish the innovation recipe. Using a sample of firms from a Spanish science and technology park, we apply qualitative comparative analysis (QCA)—specifically, fuzzy-set QCA (fsQCA)—to test the importance of each component in technological and non-technological innovation. First, the results suggest a map of combinations of innovative ingredients with eight possible patterns. Second, they show that the only ingredient needed is the combination of a creative climate and creative intensity. Finally, the methods of obtaining technological and non-technological innovations differ. The implications for management and policymakers are discussed, and directions for future research are highlighted.

INNOSERV: Generalized scale for perceived service innovation

Existing scales for Service Innovation focused mostly on technological newness in firms where the non-technological components were ignored. This study emphasizes the need for measures that could include both technological and non-technological constructs from customer perspective across a range of sectors. Mixed Method approach was adopted where qualitative techniques like in-depth interview, focus group discussion were used for item generation and purification followed by quantitative tests like PCA, EFA and path analysis to establish the item validation. A 22 items scale named INNOSERV with seven major typologies that measure service innovation was developed. Theoretically this study helps in emphasizing the importance of considering non-technological innovation to be viewed while measuring performance by the service industry. Managerially, the scale could be adopted by the service industry in understanding how their customers perceive or diffuse their innovation activity. For society, this scale organization understands that non-technological innovation also plays a major role in contributing to economic, social and environmental sustainability. This study highlights the need for exclusive approaches, theories and measurement tools which are essential to be defined in the service sector.

Structured mathematical modelling on innovation management in project-oriented small construction firms

The significance of innovation management in triggering and sustaining increase in corporations of distinct size, age or enterprise type, is receiving growing attention, yet scant empirical research have been carried out in project-oriented service firms, in particular small-scaled enterprises. This study aims to identify how innovation management in small construction firms could enable them to pursue innovation and achieve greater business performance. Data collection comprises 157 empirical surveys leading to a conceptual framework modelled using the structural equation modelling approach. The findings show that entrepreneurship and networking have a direct and considerable influence on both technological and non-technological innovation, which consequently improves firm performance.