Technological Innovation Capability Research Articles

The effect of technological innovation capabilities on companies' innovation and marketing performance: A field study on Technopark companies in Turkey

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of the technological innovation capabilities of companies carrying out R&D and innovation activities on product performance and marketing performance. Methodology - The main population of this study comprises a total of 4916 companies that carry out their activities within the body of 56 Technoparks in Turkey on April 2018. IBM SPSS 23 and IBM AMOS 23 package programs were used in the analysis. In the study, explanatory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis were performed to test the relationships in the proposed research model, respectively. Findings - As a result of the Structural Equation Modeling analysis, it was found that R&D capability has significant and positive effects on product performance and marketing performance over product performance; and the learning capability, marketing capability, and finally product performance directly on marketing performance. Originality/value - The main contribution of this study to the literature is that it not only explains the effects of some types of innovation on business performance but also deals with the relationship between innovation capabilities and business performance of companies in a more specific approach and reveals the effects of technological innovation capabilities on both product and marketing performance.

IPLSL and IPLSQ: Two types of imputation PLS algorithms for hierarchical latent variable model

In many applications of hierarchical latent variable model, manifest variables could be missing due to various reasons. Improper missing data techniques or data imputation algorithms may lead to incredible data sets and inaccurate estimates. In our paper, we propose two types of imputation partial least square (PLS) algorithms to deal with missing data problems in hierarchical latent variable model. One is the imputation PLS algorithms based on linear regression (IPLSL), the other is the imputation PLS algorithms based on quantile regression (IPLSQ). In IPLSL, we apply the idea of complete case analysis (CC), inverse probability weighting (IPW) and fractional imputation (FI) to one kind of PLS algorithm which is different from the existing repeated indicators approach, two-step approach and hybrid approach. In IPLSQ, we also apply CC, IPW and FI to a modified PLS algorithm based on quantile regression. Compared with IPLSL, IPLSQ has the advantages in capturing overall view of structural relationships at different quantiles and highlighting the changing relations according to the explored quantile of interest. Together with mean and median imputation, we investigate the performances of our IPLSL and IPLSQ algorithms through simulation studies and then apply them to national science and technology innovation capability study based on part of World Bank database and Global Innovation Index report.

Measurement and influencing factors of urban traffic ecological resilience in developing countries: A case study of 31 Chinese cities

An urban traffic ecosystem is a spatial structure composed of air, population, vehicles, roads, green spaces, and regions. Traffic ecological resilience is a critical issue in high-quality urban development. From the perspective of system optimization, it is important to study the level of urban traffic ecological resilience and analyze its influencing factors. In this study, we evaluated traffic ecological resilience, characterized its spatio-temporal differentiation, and explored its influencing factors by constructing a system of urban traffic ecological resilience and by analyzing the environmental protection and urban construction data in 31 Chinese cities during 2011–2018. By conducting Kernel density analysis, standard deviation ellipse, comprehensive weight determination, panel data regression analysis, and χ2 test, we found that traffic ecological resilience was low on the whole and exhibited the temporal trend of “decreasing first and then increasing” and the spatial characteristic of “high in the east, second in the middle, and low in the west”. The cities with high traffic ecological resilience density values were located in Southeast China and tended to move from northwest to southeast. Governance capability, market activity, technological innovation capability, opening degree, and financial resources had significant effects on urban traffic ecological resilience. Finally, we gave some suggestions for improving the urban traffic ecological resilience in Chinese cities as well as other developing countries in the world.

An Empirical Study on the Impact of CEOs and Top Executives Capabilities on Technology-Innovation Capabilities and Performance

An Empirical Study on the Impact of CEOs and Top Executives Capabilities on Technology-Innovation Capabilities and Performance

The effect of technology infrastructure investment on technological innovation ——A study based on spatial durbin model

In order to examine the effect of technology infrastructure investment on technological innovation capability in China, this paper has theoretically analysed the mechanism of technological infrastructure investment affecting technological innovation capability, and then established a dynamic spatial durbin model (SDM) to analyse the direct and indirect effect based on panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2009 to 2015. The results show that: China's technological innovation capability and technology infrastructure investment exist spatial gathering, which means that the neighbouring regions show similar characteristics in the spatial dimension. In this region, the direct effect of technology infrastructure on technological innovation is manifested as a significant “inverted U″ type relationship, which means that with the expansion of investment scale of technology infrastructure, its influence on technological innovation capability is gradually changed from promotion to inhibition. From the perspective of inter-regional spillover effect, the technology infrastructure investment also has an “inverted U″ nonlinear influence on the technological innovation capability of the neighbouring region, that is, the impact of technology infrastructure investment on the surrounding areas is to promote first and then suppress.

The impact of entrepreneurial leadership on SMEs’ performance: the mediating effects of organizational factors

This research empirically examines the effect of entrepreneurial leadership, entrepreneurial orientation, and technological innovation capability on SMEs' performance. Interestingly, this study investigates the mediating effects of internal organizational factors such as entrepreneurial orientation, team creativity, dynamic capabilities, and competitive advantage on the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and SMEs' performance. The consistent PLS-SEM approach was applied to analyze valid data collected from 182 small and medium IT enterprises operating at Quang Trung Software City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The empirical results reveal that entrepreneurial leadership via the full mediators of team creativity, dynamic capabilities, and competitive advantages can enhance the performance of IT SMEs. While entrepreneurial orientation does not influence SMEs' business performance, technological innovation capabilities can provide some benefits. Besides, entrepreneurial orientation plays no mediation role in the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and SMEs’ performance. Finally, the results allow us to provide meaningful insights and recommendations to manage and promote better entrepreneurial inspiration.

Impact of customer focus on technology leadership via technology development capability – a moderated mediation model

PurposeThis study aims to develop and empirically examine a model that investigates the mediating role of technology development capability (TDC) on the relationship between customer focus (CF) and technology leadership (TL).Design/methodology/approachThe analysis and interpretation of a partial least square model include the following two stages: the first stage focuses on assessing the reliability and validity of the measurement model, while the second pertains to evaluating the structural model.FindingsThe general understanding prevailing in practice and literature is that management sponsorship (MS) has a positive impact on the relationship between CF and TDC. It is also generally understood that MS has a positive impact on TL initiatives. However, the findings of this study contradict these assumptions. Specifically, the study indicates that MS has a negative moderating effect on CF and technology development capabilities, and has no impact on CF and TL relationships.Originality/valueCF, TDC and MS, and their interplay and impact in enhancing firms’ TL position, have not been explored thus far in an integrated manner in the context of the automobile industry in developing countries. The research relating to CF, technology development capabilities, technology innovation capabilities, MS and TL reported in the literature has drawn inferences from case studies, anecdotal evidence and experiences of industry leaders, experts and consultants. This study attempts to fill the gaps mentioned above by presenting and testing a new moderated mediation model that shows the relationship between CF, TDC, MS and TL.

Effect of basic research and applied research on the universities’ innovation capabilities: the moderating role of private research funding

This paper explores the impacts of basic research and applied research on the universities’ innovation capabilities and examines the role of private research funding. First, this paper divides universities’ innovation capabilities into scientific innovation capabilities and technological innovation capabilities according to the Pasteur’s quadrant paradigm. Second, based on a survey of 61 universities directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education of China, this study conducts an empirical analysis using the partial least squares path model. The results indicate that the complementary or substitutable effect of basic research and applied research on the promotion of universities’ innovation capabilities is different in the two dimension. Furthermore, the private research funding negatively moderates the effect of applied research on universities’ innovation capabilities, as well as the two dimensions. The paper provides quantitative evidence for Chinese practice from universities’ perspective and proposes recommendations for future development.

Spatial–temporal distribution of air-pollution-intensive industries and its social-economic driving mechanism in Zhejiang Province, China: a framework of spatial econometric analysis

The distribution of pollution-intensive industries is a serious challenge to environmental governance of China during the transition period. However, existing studies lack the attention to the distribution and driving factors of air-pollution-intensive industries (APIIs). Therefore, based on geospatial analysis and spatial measurement models, this study explored the spatial distribution of APIIs and their socioeconomic driving factors in Zhejiang Province from 2006 to 2018. The results show that (1) the output value of APIIs in Zhejiang showed a trend of first increasing and then slowly decreasing, indicating the industry structure has a tendency toward improvement; (2) the spatial agglomeration of APIIs in Zhejiang Province has a positive spatial correlation (significant at least at the level of 10%), and the main agglomeration areas are located in cities around Hangzhou Bay, but the overall level of agglomeration is decreasing and shows a certain diffusion trend. (3) APIIs in Zhejiang Province have significant industry differences. Industries with a high degree of concentration are mainly petroleum processing, coking, nuclear fuel processing, chemical fiber manufacturing and textile, all with the Gini coefficient exceeding 0.5. (4) The improvement of labor force, capital investment, international trade level and infrastructure level will aggravate the distribution of APIIs, while technological innovation, environmental regulation and foreign investment can effectively suppress and reduce the output value of regional APIIs. In particular, for every 1% increase in technological innovation, the output value of APIIs will decrease by 0.113%, and it will also have a significant reduction effect on neighboring cities. In the future, Zhejiang needs to fully rely on technological innovation capabilities to drive the development of green industries and the upgrading of traditional manufacturing industries.

Urban eco-efficiency and its influencing factors in Western China: Fresh evidence from Chinese cities based on the US-SBM

Improving eco-efficiency can promote sustainable development. This study first evaluated the urban eco-efficiency of 84 cities in Western China from 2004 to 2017 by the undesirable-super-slack-based measure (US-SBM) and analysed their spatiotemporal characteristics, and then investigated its influencing factors using spatial econometric models. The results indicated that the urban eco-efficiency in Western China was at a relatively low level and showed a fluctuating upward trend with the highest average value of 0.65; however, capital cities of Western China have improved their eco-efficiency rapidly. Furthermore, there were obvious spatial spill-over impacts of the urban eco-efficiency in Western China. This paper also found that both the economic development level and urbanization level have “U” shaped impacts on Western China’s urban eco-efficiency, which decreases at first and then rises. Similarly, increasing the proportion of secondary industry promotes urban eco-efficiency, and FDI, trade activities, improved environmental regulations as well as technological innovation capabilities have a positive impact on urban eco-efficiency in Western China. This paper also put forward corresponding policy suggestions to promote Western China’s urban eco-efficiency. The present study may be helpful for policy-makers to balance economic development and environmental protection in Western China.

An Exploratory Study of How Latecomers Transform Strategic Path in Catch-Up Cycle

In catch-up cycles, the industrial leadership of an incumbent is replaced by a latecomer. Latecomers from emerging economies compress time and skip amplitude by breaking the original strategic path and form a new appropriate strategic path to catch up with the incumbents. Previous studies have found that the original strategic path is difficult to break and difficult to transform. This paper proposes a firm-level framework and identifies the impetus and trigger factors for latecomers to transform the strategic path. The impetus is the mismatch between strategic mode and technological innovation capability. The trigger is the progressive industrial policy. Based on a Chinese rail transit equipment supplier’s (China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation; CRRC) catch-up process, this paper finds that the strategic path transformation is an evolutionary process from mismatch to rematch between strategic mode and technological innovation capability. With the implementation of industrial policy, the technological innovation capability will change. The original strategic mode does not match with changed technological innovation capability, which leads to performance pressure. With the adjustment of industrial policy, a new strategic mode adapted to new technological innovation capability emerges. This paper clarifies the source that determines successful catch-up practices for latecomers and contributes to latecomers’ sustainable growth in emerging economies.

Analysis and forecast of textile industry technology innovation capability in China

The textile industry of China has been facing with fierce competition and transformational pressures. It is of great significance to study the evolution of textile industry’s technological progress and to predict the trends. The study analyses the technological innovation ability of China’s textile industry based on the data of 270,145 patent applications from 1987 to 2016. At the same time, the Logistic model is used to forecast the technology innovation capability of China’s textile industry. The study found out: the number of Chinese textile patent applications is on a upward trend; enterprises and universities are the most important patentee; the regional distribution of textile technology innovation is uneven; the number of patent applications in the southeast coastal areas is the largest; the distribution of the IPC is also uneven, D06 (fabric treatment) having the largest number of patent applications and the fastest growth rate; China’s textile industry technology innovation has entered a maturity stage in 2018, and will enter the recession stage after 2027 based on the Logistic model.

Medición de las capacidades tecnológicas para la innovación en los sistemas de conocimiento e innovación agrícola

Las funciones de generación, difusión y uso de conocimiento y tecnología en los sistemas de innovación están asociadas a las capacidades tecnológicas para la innovación (TICs, por su sigla en inglés), las cuales juegan un papel fundamental en el desempeño innovador de los sistemas de conocimiento e innovación agrícola (AKIS, por su sigla en inglés). No obstante, las metodologías actuales no exhiben perspectivas que faciliten la comprensión dinámica y organizacional de las TICs, lo que dificulta la comprensión de dichos sistemas. Este artículo presenta una propuesta metodológica para medir el nivel de las TICs al asociarlas a un modelo de comportamiento organizacional para aplicarlo en una muestra de 256 organizaciones del AKIS del café y 74 organizaciones del AKIS del aguacate en el departamento de Antioquia (Colombia). Los resultados confirman que la medición del nivel de las TICs y de sus variaciones dinámicas en el tiempo permite mejorar la comprensión de los procesos de innovación y evaluar e identificar las brechas existentes entre las TICs y las funciones de innovación de estos sistemas.

Research on Improving Strategy of Technology Innovation Capability of Equipment Manufacturing Industry in Liaoning Province

With the development of the economy and the advancement of technology, major enterprises are also under heavy competitive pressure while welcoming huge opportunities for development. With the improvement of the global value chain system, all industries have realized the importance of improving technological innovation capabilities. As a traditional industrial province in our country, Liaoning Province has made some progress in technological innovation in the equipment manufacturing industry, but still has the problem of weak technological innovation capabilities. This paper takes the equipment manufacturing industry in Liaoning Province as the research object. This paper summarizes and analyzes the development status and technological innovation status of the equipment manufacturing industry in Liaoning Province. The author uses the entropy method to evaluate the technological innovation capability of the equipment manufacturing industry in Liaoning Province, and compares and analyzes it from the vertical and horizontal directions. At the same time, using the means of empirical analysis, with the help of Eviews software, a multiple linear regression model was constructed to study the factors affecting the technological innovation capability of Liaoning’s equipment manufacturing industry. Finally, combined with the empirical research results, the countermeasures and suggestions for improving the technological innovation capability of Liaoning’s equipment manufacturing industry are put forward.

Research on Collaborative Innovation Platform of Internet of Things Industry Based on Data Mining Technology

The Internet era has entered a new historical development stage, and the technology and application of Internet of Things have become the new core of the future development of information society. Information technology has been integrated into every corner of production and life, and various information industries are constantly undergoing transformation, facing new opportunities and challenges. To enhance the technological innovation capability of China’s Internet of Things industry from the perspective of collaborative innovation, the key is to face the characteristics and needs of the Internet of Things industry and explore the interactive mode of process synergy and behavior synergy in technological collaborative innovation. There are more and more data generated in the process of human interaction with sensors, and more intelligent applications can be developed through deep data mining and analysis. This paper focuses on collaborative innovation of Internet of Things and smart service industry, and studies the combination mode of collaborative innovation of Internet of Things and smart service industry in China based on data mining technology, in order to provide valuable theoretical basis for the development of smart service industry and the improvement of collaborative innovation of Internet of Things in China.

소규모 기업의 R&D투자와 경영성과 간의 관계: 기술혁신과 마케팅역량의 역할 검증

중소기업의 성장에 있어 R&D의 역할은 매우 크다. 본 연구는 중소기업의 경영성과에 있어서 R&D투자가 어떠한 영향을 미치는지, 이 관계를 기술혁신이 매개하는지, 마케팅 역량은 기술혁신과 경영성과의 관계를 조절하는지 검증하였다. 이를 위해 대구테크노파크가 2013년부터 매년 조사하는 기업패널조사의 자료를 사용하여 종단분석을 실시하였다. 주로 대구경북 지역에 있는 349개 기업의 데이터를 사용하였으며, 제조업의 종업원 30인에서 50인 규모가 주요한 분석대상 기업이었다. 먼저 R&D투자는 기술혁신뿐만 아니라 경영에 정적 영향을 미쳤으나, 기술혁신은 경영성과에 영향을 미치지 않은 것으로 나타났다. 또한 기술혁신은 R&D투자와 경영성과의 관계를 매개하지 않았다. 이는 소규모 중소기업의 경우, R&D투자로 기술혁신이 설사 일어난다고 하더라도, 그 기술혁신이 곧 경영성과로 이어지지 않는다는 것을 보여준다. 또한 기술혁신과 경영성과의 관계가 마케팅역량에 의해 달라지지 않았다. 이것은 소규모 중소기업에서의 기술혁신이 경영성과로 이어지기 쉽지 않다는 것을 보여주는 것이다.

How Does International Technology Spillover Affect China’s Carbon Emissions? A New Perspective Through Intellectual Property Protection

Environmental problems caused by climate change have become increasingly prominent, and the important role of technological advancement in reducing environmental pollution is receiving more attention. Under the conditions of an open economy, multi-channel international technology spillover has become an important way to improve a country’s technological innovation capabilities. Based on the establishment of China’s intellectual property protection (IPP) system, this paper integrates trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), and outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) into a unified international technology spillover framework and analyzes how international technology spillovers affect China’s carbon emissions at different IPP levels. The results demonstrate that Trade, FDI, and OFDI increase regional carbon emissions and that trade has the greatest effect on carbon emissions’ growth. The regression results of the dynamic threshold demonstrate that as the regional IPP level exceeds the threshold, trade technology spillovers can reduce carbon emission, and that FDI and OFDI further increase carbon emissions. The impact of IPP and international technology spillovers on carbon emissions has regional heterogeneity in China. For the eastern and central regions, the interaction of international technology spillovers and IPP increases carbon emissions, while it has a significant inhibitory effect on carbon emissions in the western region. Therefore, to fully realize the role of international technology spillovers and IPP in reducing car- bon emissions, China should implement differentiated IPP and international technology spillover policies.

Analysis of spatial correlation network of China’s green innovation

The rapid development of the global economy has caused severe environmental problems. Therefore, it is particularly important to focus on environmental protection and cleaner production as part of technological innovation. At present, China has not yet formed an efficient and systematic green innovation network, and thus, the efficiencies of regional clean production and green innovation still remain low. How to promote the development of a green innovation network has become an urgent issue in China. In this study, the SBM-DDF model, the gravity model, and the social network analysis model were used to analyze the spatial correlation network of China’s green innovation. The results showed the existence of spatial effects in China’s green innovation correlation network. The associated network is currently at a primary level of development, with a low network density and an annually increasing trend. In addition, China’s 30 provinces and cities were divided into four subgroups. The densities of each subgroup differed strongly and the distribution of innovation relationships was uneven. Moreover, regions with strong green technology innovation capabilities did not affect green innovation of other provinces or cities. Moreover, these regions obtained higher innovative linkage benefits from other provinces and cities. Furthermore, regions with medium innovation strength may play an important role within the green innovation linkage network. These results provide a new network perspective for the formulation of China’s green innovation policy. This can help to explain the current development status of China’s green innovation network and provides a theoretical basis for the government to formulate development directions and policies in the future.

Open Innovation with Relational Capital, Technological Innovation Capital, and International Performance in SMEs

The importance of international markets is constantly emphasized for small and medium enterprises(SMEs). In previous studies, technological innovation capabilities were emphasized as a factor that enables SMEs to compete in the international market. To this end, SMEs need to cooperate with external partners to strengthen their technological innovation capabilities to thus improve their international performance. With the perspective view of open innovation, this research explores the effects of relational capital and technological innovation capability on international performance, with a particular focus on the moderating effect of alliance proactiveness. Building on previous literature regarding internationalization, technological innovation, and alliance proactiveness, research hypotheses were developed and tested using data collected from 175 SMEs. A hierarchical regression analysis was applied. The analysis showed that, first, relational capital had a significant effect on the technological innovation capability. Second, technological innovation capability has a significant influence on the international performance. Third, technological innovation capability mediated the relationship between relational capital and international performance. Finally, alliance proactiveness was found to moderate the relationship between technological innovation capability and international performance. The key research findings imply that relational capital and alliance proactiveness are the key factors of international performance, as they improved the development of the technological innovation capability.

Development of the evaluation model for national innovation capability

ABSTRACT Science and technology has become a key element in determining the future of national innovation competitiveness. For enhancing the national technology innovation competitiveness, an accurate assessment of the national technology innovation capability is required. National innovation competitiveness has been assessed by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) and the World Economic Forum internationally; however, a comprehensive and systematic analysis is lacking. Classification and ranking belief simplex (CaRBS) is based on the Dempster–Shafer theory of evidence, which allows for a measure of ignorance. A simplex plot method of representing data allows a clear visual representation to the degree of interaction of the support from the variables to the prediction of the objects. To illustrate the proposed approach, CaRBS is applied to the survey data from OECD, IMD, USPTO, ITU and surveyed data reported by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning. As a result, Finland is the highest national innovation capability country among 20 OECD countries. The proposed approach is expected to be useful for evaluating national innovation capability and innovation policymaking.