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The decision taken by firms to invest in innovation oriented activities is an important strategic issue closely linked to their knowledge management process, especially when that decision involves the renewal of the necessary knowledge to protect themselves from obsolescence and imitation by competitors. This paper aims to analyse the effect of existing and recently hired R&D human resources on product innovation as well as their interaction, focusing on the degree of novelty of innovation. The results of an empirical research among 965 Spanish firms show that, although existing and recently hired R&D human resources have a positive individual effect on innovation, their interaction has a negative effect on the firm's product innovations. However, the results also highlight that the greatest likelihood of achieving product innovations with a higher degree of novelty occurs when the firm has a solid internal base of R&D human resources complemented by the hiring of R&D personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conceptual framework is presented to address the interaction of innovative capability, marketing capability and technological capability. The proposed framework attempts to examine the role of marketing and technological capabilities in developing innovative capability. While innovation has been linked to market orientation through organisational innovativeness, little is known about learning processes between exploration and exploitation for enhancing innovative capability. This paper suggests four theoretical propositions to: (a) distinguish the difference between tactical and strategic marketing capabilities for enhancing innovative capability; (b) examine technological capability as mediator of marketing capability and innovation capability; (c) explore the processes of exploration and exploitation in enhancing innovative capability; and (d) integrate environmental uncertainty as moderator of innovative capability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

While 'new technology' and 'strategy' are pervasive and foundational to this journal's inquiry, each term is filled with ambiguity. This paper seeks to extend our understanding by developing a model relating technology to strategy. The model is a two-by-two frame based on the distinction between 'planned' vs 'emergent' strategy and 'latent' vs 'sensible' technology. The frame generates four distinct domains that we label 'development', 'capitalisation', 'creation' and 'cultivation'. The paper then considers the 'creation' quadrant through a case history of the stent industry. This case indicates that (a) new technologies lack the 'revolutionary' characteristic with which they are normally associated; (b) that the courthouse rather than the marketplace is an important if not primary domain where new technology firms compete; and (c) that new technology firms are much more aggressive when interacting with other new technology firms than they are with firms from the existing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a critical review of the global value chain (GVC) literature in light of the "technological capabilities" approach to innovation in less-developed countries (LDCs). Participation in GVC is beneficial for firms in LDCs, which are bound to source technology internationally. However, the issues of learning and technological efforts at the firm level remain largely hidden in the GVC literature. We propose a shift in the empirical and theoretical agenda, arguing that research should integrate the analysis of the endogenous process of technological capability development, including specific firm-level efforts, and of the mechanisms allowing knowledge to flow within and between different global value chains into the GVC literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of marketing effectiveness in the relationship between innovativeness dimensions (e.g., product, market, process, strategic, and behavioral innovativeness) and firm performance. Data were collected via structured questionnaires from 112 firms operating in Turkey and analyzed through hierarchical regression analysis. Findings indicate that different dimensions of innovativeness have different effects on marketing effectiveness and firm performance. The results also support the mediating role of marketing effectiveness in the relationship between firm performance and product and strategic innovativeness dimensions. In addition, several firm characteristics (e.g., firm size, share of foreign capital) are shown to moderate the effects of innovativeness dimensions on marketing effectiveness and overall firm performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-cost carrier (LCC) business model represents a strategic innovation that has had a significant impact on the dynamics of the commercial aviation industry in North America, Europe and increasingly Asia. This paper considers the adoption of the LCC model in China and discusses the effect of the particularities of the Chinese political, economic and regulatory context on the rate and character of adoption. We conclude by considering what the experience of the three companies that have adopted the LCC model can tell us about the prospects for the wider adoption of this model in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic changes faced by several Brazilian companies with origins in the defense industry have forced a shift in their technological strategies. Embraer, the darling of the Brazilian defense industry, has dramatically revamped its business strategy and has succeeded. Others, such as Avibras and Engesa, have not fared as well in this shift. This paper presents a model for the shift of companies whose technological competencies change due to market forces and how such companies respond to these strategic decisions. The cases of Embraer, Avibras and Engesa highlight the factors of success and failure. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A questionnaire was mailed to the 404 small manufacturing firms in middle Tennessee. This article is based on the 123 questionnaires that were returned. The survey was developed to test a conceptual framework which describes the technology transfer process from public agencies to small manufacturers. The paper suggests that selecting technology is part of the strategic planning process. External variables such as competition and internal variables such as production problems are correlated with awareness of, prior use of, and plans for use of the transfer agents. The article concludes that although there is little awareness of these agencies by small businesses, the prior use of these agencies will lead to the future use of them. In addition, sales growth and response to foreign competition are significantly correlated with awareness of, prior use of, and plans for using the agencies. The speed of change in technological development and level of technical sophistication both in the industry and the firm were correlated with the awareness of, prior use of, and plans for using the agencies. Suggestions for improving the network between small businesses and these agencies are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though research has suggested that supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability are distinct capabilities, little is known about their performance effects and about the contextual conditions under which they are effective. Based on a sample of 143 German firms, we empirically investigate the effects of supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability on cost performance and operational performance using hierarchical regression analysis. We ground our investigation in the dynamic capabilities view and contingency theory. We find that supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability positively affect both cost performance and operational performance. We further find evidence for a mediating role of supply chain agility in the links between supply chain adaptability and performance. Product complexity positively moderates the links between supply chain adaptability and cost performance, and supply chain adaptability and operational performance. The results contribute to the literature by offering a more nuanced understanding of the performance implications of supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability, thereby addressing the crucial question of why their benefits may or may not materialise under varying levels of product complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purchasing function of large firms has slowly evolved from the operational task of ordering products and services towards a strategic part of business. However, the full implications of strategic purchasing for firm innovation have yet to be explored. The contribution of this study is two-fold. First, we develop a relational view of strategic purchasing embracing both the quality of the purchasing function and the properties of its internal and external relations. Second, based on exploratory empirical analysis, we propose four patterns of the link between strategic purchasing and innovation. We find that strategic purchasing is an enabling, but not necessary, condition for a contribution of purchasing to innovation, which in turn mostly relates to the relational resources of purchasing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Radical innovation in large firms is a risky endeavor, exacerbated by high levels" of uncertainty and long cycle times. Moreover, management lacks evaluation tools that are appropriate for the degree of ambiguity of the information available from these types of projects. Add to this the difficulties of managing in the context of the large firm where many processes are tuned toward repetition and continuous improvement, and it becomes clear that commercialization of radical innovation (RI) is a difficult proposition at best. Portfolio managers will almost invariably build a team, learn appropriate processes, clarify their mandate within the company, generate initial projects, and begin to enrich their portfolios, only to have their efforts cancelled out due to an unsatisfactory financial return. The "what have you done for me lately?" question plagues these groups, and ends up costing the company investment of resources in opportunities that are never leveraged. Having an evaluation tool to assess the relative values of projects within the context of the entire radical innovation portfolio, and to track changes in the relative value of the portfolio over time, can help RI portfolio managers articulate their contribution to the company's growth strategy and can aid in innovation strategy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the transformative nature of the life sciences in the context of pharmaceutical mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances. Drawing on interviews with senior scientists and managers from large pharmaceutical firms, and secondary data on general industry trends, it identifies diverse company strategies for capturing and exploiting new technologies/knowledge and explores their implications for innovation. The article suggests that mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances represent a cluster of related activities that provide various strategic options for managing innovation and productivity deficit. However, because the preferred balance between in-house R&D and externally sourced knowledge depends on a number of firm-specific factors, as well as challenges posed by the external operating environment, there is increasing variation between large companies in how these activities are exploited and strategically managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roadmapping has become one of the most widely used approaches for supporting innovation and strategy, at both firm and sector levels. A key benefit is the communication associated with the development and dissemination of roadmaps, particularly for aligning technology and commercial perspectives. This article presents a workshop-based method for supporting the identification and exploration of strategic issues and opportunities, as part of a "fast-start" approach for the rapid initiation of roadmapping. The approach has been tested in 28 applications, covering a broad range of organizational contexts. Details of the workshop approach and facilitation techniques are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]