Innovation Management and Barriers – Creating Space for Innovation and Organizational Change

The major purpose of this paper is to determine the opportunities and challenges relating to successful innovation management in SMEs in German and Slovakia. The objective and the subjective stances to research comprise three interlinking philosophies: epistemology, ontology and axiology. For this study the major design elements are the explanatory and the exploratory approaches and a case study is the selected research strategy. In order to answer the research problem, numerical and textual data is gathered. The empirical research studies revealed significant cultural influence on innovation management and related organisational change associated with it. It also highlighted substantial differences between success and failure factors in SMEs and large companies and there were implications that formal innovation management was less important from SMEs than for large companies. This research identified key innovation management success factors for SMEs and made three new findings, which add to the current knowledge: innovation circles were an effective innovation management approach to generating and developing ideas and getting innovation to market quickly; government agencies that encourage firms to collaborate effectively enhance the level and success of innovation; SMEs and large companies have distinctly different rankings of barriers to innovation and small and micro firms are more effective in original product innovation and speed to market than medium sized companies

E-BUSINESS MODEL: A CONTENT BASED TAXONOMY OF LITERATURE

The rapid worldwide growth of e-commerce and the resulting great interest on the digital business, caused a proliferation of contributes by academics and practitioners, that identified by different points of view, the fundamental concepts, codes and functions of e-business models. The quantity and the variety of approaches adopted made the concept of e-business model fuzzy and vague, with little consensus about its ontology and definition. The relevance of the topic asserts a claim for the classification of contributions as a first step to a general definition of the concept of e-business model. This paper provides an integrated literature review of contemporary academic writings to ascertain and classify the various approaches to the study of e-business models. The literature examined is classified in a content based taxonomy which highlights the relevant characteristics of e-business model, emerging from the analysis of literature. The framework proposed points out some significant implications that are a first step for further research leading to a research agenda for further investigation on this topic

An Ontology-Based Information Extraction (OBIE) Framework for Analyzing Initial Public Offering (IPO) Prospectus

With the large amounts of information associated with the Initial Public Offering (IPO) process, an intelligent tool is needed for assisting the decision-making activities for both the investors and the underwriters. Even though a large body of related studies exists in extant literature, minimum attention has been devoted to the aspect of understanding hidden semantics within the informative contents of IPO prospectus. In this paper, we present a framework for processing the textual content of IPO prospectus based on an emerging technique named Ontology Based Information Extraction (OBIE). Preliminary results indicates that the framework is capable of meeting the design requirements identified. Moreover, lessons learned during the design and implementation span technical and organizational considerations and can serve as guidance for future research and development in related areas

Business model reconfiguration in green construction: A theoretical perspective

PhD studyBusiness models describe the business logic of a particular company and green business model is when a company changes part(s) of its business model and thereby both captures economic value and reduces the ecological footprint in a life-cycle perspective. In this paper, business model literature is reviewed with the intention of promoting learning to understand the economic complexity of environmental sustainability in the construction context. Although the green construction literature does not explicitly deal with the changes of construction companies business model, there is a considerable research that implicitly investigates features and elements of the business models of green construction. Key features from this literature are: green value propositions should always be related to customer/stakeholder issues. Going green will improve relationships among stakeholders and with particular customers since key activities are performed in a greener manner. Knowledge and partnership are the most important resources needed to go green and moreover green branding is an important resource and can be a source of competitive advantage. To unlock green value proposition opportunities, cost structure and revenue models should be considered from a long-term perspective

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

MEGAPORT COMPETITIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICE IN CONTAINER SHIPPING LOGISTICS IN NORTHEAST ASIA

Amidst intense port competition in Northeast Asia, competitiveness in port operations is a critical issue in adopting and implementing sustainability practice that incorporate economic, environmental, social and operational perspectives. Notwithstanding the importance of sustainability practice for sustainable port operations, very few studies have investigated its links with operational sustainability and competitiveness. For this reason, in order to encourage the proactive adoption and implementation of sustainability practice in port operations, this study aims to analyse the role of sustainability practice in managing competitiveness and continuous improvements in operational performance, based on mega container ports operations. To address this issue, this study adopted a two-phase research design which incorporates a preliminary field study and empirical research. At first, to understand the specific and general features of sustainability practice in commercial port operations, preliminary field work through semi-structured face-to-face interviews were undertaken. Interviews validated the attributes of sustainability practice in the container port operational context, investigating the relevant issues. Thereafter, based on data collected from 203 organisations engaged in container port operations in Northeast Asia, the feasible relationships among sustainability practice, competitiveness and performance were analysed using hierarchical moderator regression analysis in SPSS 21. Finally, the results revealed that sustainability practice has a significant contribution as a moderator to the relationship between competitiveness, particularly in operational efficiency and service quality, and operational performance. The two-phase research design made it possible to define and validate the role of sustainability practice in managing the relationship between competitiveness and performance. With regard to theory, this study has placed the case of Northeast Asia in a global context. Secondly, the direct relationships between determinants of megaport competitiveness and performance in the context of container port operations were verified. Thirdly, the specific routes, what is achievable and how sustainability practice contributes to enhancing the relationships between determinants of megaport competitiveness and operational performance, were revealed in a container port operational context. For the ports industries, this study has provided useful insights to establish strategies for sustainable port operations and a strategic agenda to assist ports to incorporate sustainability practice, providing evidence that this will contribute to enhancing their overall competitiveness. The findings are expected to be utilised further in future studies on sustainable port development and operations, as well as to provide guidance for port operators in its future improvement strategy

The impact of semantic knowledge management system on firms' innovation and competitiveness

D.B.A ThesisIn the knowledge economy, knowledge is increasingly becoming the primary factor of production and foundational component of innovation. Firms must improve their capabilities of handling knowledge in line with its recent explosive growth to stay competitive. This research addresses the effects semantic technology-based knowledge management system (Semantic KMS) can have on firms’ performance. Based on existing literature, a conceptual model covering Semantic KMS, KM, innovation, and competitiveness was designed to test the validity of the hypotheses. A total of 640 survey questionnaires were sent to the companies that practice KM actively. 178 usable responses were received. Pearson’s correlation, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. The results indicate that Semantic KMS is positively related to the KM effectiveness. Organizational KM is positively linked to innovation and competitiveness directly. In the context of KM, innovation's effect on competitiveness is not convincing. Moreover, the study could not identify that KM has any strong relationship with organizational competitiveness mediated through innovation. Being one of the first significant studies of Semantic KMS and its impact, the study adds to the growing literature on the use of semantic technology in various fields. It develops a new theoretical model which has never been tested before. The study used data collected from single respondent of each firm in a snapshot and did not consider feedback effects. It examined Semantic KMS as a holistic system, but in many cases, companies only deploy certain KM related tools supported by semantic technology. A different research approach could investigate the impacts of those tools on relevant business processes. This study demonstrates that deployment of semantic technology is beneficial for companies and allows them to take advantage of the use of advanced technologies in their KM quest. It brings significant benefits to the firm thanks to improved capabilities of the new KMS in knowledge discovery, aggregation, use, and sharing. The study also confirms that for a successful KM initiative, KM processes need to be optimized and supported by KMS. Semantic technology is a set of advanced tools used lately in many information systems. This study is one of the first in-depth research about their impacts on KMS. It will guide KM managers in their decision-making process when they consider developing or integrating newKMS tools. For academics, this research highlights the importance of investigating KM from the new technology perspective.

Analysis of the Government's Role in Promoting Innovation Readiness in Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Industries in Indonesia

In the context of Indonesia's evolving economic landscape, this study delves into the critical issue of innovation readiness within its Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) sector. Recognizing the significant role of governments in fostering innovation, this research aims to comprehensively analyze the government's contributions to enhancing innovation readiness in Indonesian MSMEs. Employing a qualitative research approach, this study investigates government policies, regulatory frameworks, and collaborative initiatives with industry associations and research institutions. The findings illuminate the effectiveness of these interventions and provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders striving to bolster Indonesia's economic development and competitiveness through innovation support in the MSME sector

The antecedents of trust in B2B banking services in South Korea

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of PhilosophyIn the rapidly changing and competitive environments, companies are forced to develop long-term relationships with their customers. Trust has been considered as key element to establish, maintain and enhance relationships. There exists a large body of literature with models and theories of trust, however, the majority of these studies feature a Western perspective, having been conducted in Europe or the US. Relatively few studies in this area have been carried out in Asia, and of those that have been, most were done in the Middle East or in China, thus presenting an incomplete picture of the Asian market. South Korea is the third largest economy in Asia and 11th largest in the world. Nevertheless, there is very limited work that has been done in this area of research in South Korea. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to develop a conceptual model that examines the antecedents of trust in business to business (B2B) banking services in the context of South Korea. In so doing, this study provides critical implications for managers of financial service institutions. A conceptual model was developed from the existing literature on trust and the antecedents of trust, including the constructs of corporate reputation, service quality, perceived value, competence, customer orientation and open communication. A set of hypotheses concerning direct and indirect links between constructs was derived from the literature. The conceptual model was tested on data collected from more than 200 companies in South Korea during a 7 weeks period in 2017. A pilot test was conducted and frequency distributions of the sample were calculated using SPSS and Structural Equation modelling (SEM) using LISREL was employed to test the proposed model. Additionally t-test and ANOVA analysis was conducted to test the effect of the demographic factors of the participants on the variables of this study. The results indicate that the proposed theoretical framework was consistent and valid scales for all constructs. The measurement model for each construct showed good measures of fit. Associated with the structural model, all constructs except corporate reputation were found to have a positive effect on trust