Workforce Management to Innovate, as a Driver for Romanian Development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and explain the case of Romanian workforce management as regards the innovation and knowledge transfer from abroad, conducted over twenty years within Romania. Design/approach – As part of this project a large survey is conducted on an annual basis, which aims to track redesigning business processes in terms of workforce management amongst small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with Romanian cultural specificity and the effects of such adoption upon Romanian development. Findings – The paper presents findings from this longitudinal study and discusses these findings in terms of innovation and knowledge transfer and the importance of developing more sophisticated instruments for assessing e-Business maturity amongst SMEs. The research clearly emphasizes the role of adopting an innovative organizational environment as a driver of Romanian development. The initial benefits are take several years for being materialized, after the completion of the first four years of the ten-year project. Originality/value – The importance of the study consists in adding information and acquiring knowledge for the organizations’ benefit, regarding the employment and management of the working force for crating the framework and the environment which encourages innovation in the SMEs. This paper describes the cases of many programs funded by the European Union involved with innovative organizational environment adoption, the transfer of knowledge, the e-Business knowledge to SMEs within major regions. The scope of the research project and its longitudinal nature make the study original. Research limitations/implications – This is a study specific to România.romanian development, Innovation, workforce management, knowledge transfer, small to medium-sized enterprises

Development and Strategies of E-commerce Patents

Internet and information technologies break the transaction barriers, and the permission of the patentable subject matter for business methods and software acts as the moving power for enterprises entering into the knowledge competition age. Computer software can be a patentable subject matter is the inevitable consequence of the development of technology and law, while the patentability of business methods reflects that the advantages of industry competitiveness have shifted from labor to knowledge and innovation. This study analyzes the quantity and trends of e-commerce related patents, and clarify the concepts of patentable subject matter regarding business methods. Since United States is the leading country in the e-commerce and the patent system, decisions and patent statistics of United States are considered as the references in this study. In addition, a set of innovation and patent strategies for enterprises is also proposed to deal with the patent barriers established by technology leaders

Diffusion of ICT Innovation and E-Business Adoption in Agribusiness SMR\u27s: A Developing Country Perspective

This paper describes how a UNIDO ICT centre innovation acted as a catalyst for ICT adoption and e-business innovation among Small and Medium sized Agribusiness Enterprises in Southeast Nigeria. Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DoI) has been applied to investigate the diffusion process of technology. However, the adaptation of Social Network Theory in the diffusion of innovation studies is comparatively recent and still at a very developmental stage. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 Small Agribusiness Enterprises in Southeast of Nigeria. This paper argues that the balance between effort utilised in technology design and the effective diffusion of such innovation must be redressed. Greater emphasis must be placed in instituting end-user social networks as an antecedant that will enable end-user engagement and hence enable effective diffusion of the technology innovation through such end-user networks. The importance of sustaining the diffusion process of information and communication technology (ICT) innovation in order to facilitate the implementation of e-business in small and medium sized enterprises is a major challenge. This paper concludes with the finding that the potential adopters’ conceptual and contextual knowledge of the innovation is a major factor in the adoption and diffusion process. The continuous sharing of information about the innovation through social networks constitutes the main success factor enabling the sustainability (maturation) of the technology

An investigation of the effect of electronic business on financial performance of Spanish manufacturing SMEs.

This paper aims to fill research gaps in the existing literature on the effect of electronic business on financial firm performance within the specific context of manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). More specifically, this research analyzes not only the direct effects of e-business on firm performance but also the mediating effect of organizational innovation the relationship. Building on the knowledge and resource-based views, the proposed research model and its associated hypotheses are tested by using partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling on a dataset of Spanish manufacturing SMEs. Results suggest that electronic business has a direct effect on financial performance and is positively associated to organizational innovation. In addition, results show that the relationship between electronic business and financial performance is mediated by organizational innovation

The Adoption of E-commerce in SMEs in Vietnam: A Study of Users and Prospectors

The adoption of e-commerce by SMEs in Vietnam will enable these companies to do business in a much more efficient way. E-commerce will make these enterprises, as well as their products and services, better known, while at the same time making it possible for them to conduct transactions not only in that country, but throughout the world. The sample for this study consisted of 300 small and medium-sized enterprises in Vietnam. The results indicate that the size of the enterprise, its resources and its strategic orientation, the employees’ knowledge of e-commerce, the attitudes of managers towards innovation and their knowledge of the new technologies and of e-commerce, the intensity of the competition, the degree of support of the government, the national infrastructure, the perceived relative advantages, and the complexity and compatibility of e-commerce all have an influence on the adoption of e-commerce in SMEs in Vietnam, but that this influence differs depending on whether it involves users or prospectors

E-business, organizational innovation and firm performance in manufacturing SMEs: an empirical study in Spain

This paper extends previous studies on the organizational impact of Internet technologies by analyzing factors affecting e-business use and its effect on organizational innovation in manufacturing Small and Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs). In addition, the mediating effect of organizational innovation on the relationship between e-business and firm performance is analyzed. Grounded in the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) theory and the Knowledge-Based View (KBV), this paper develops an integrative research model which analyzes those relations using partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling on a dataset of 175 Spanish manufacturing SMEs. Results suggest that e-business use emerges from technological and internal organizational resources rather than from external pressure. In addition, results show that e-business use contributes positively to firm performance through organizational innovation. First published online: 21 Sep 201

The Framework of Enterprise Information Processing Network for Knowledge Discovery and Sharing

The challenges of the global marketplace are increasingly forcing today\u27s process-centered organizations to utilize the knowledge, capabilities, and resources to be found within their information processing networks. The issue of whether or not companies should exploit their intangible knowledge assets is far more critical than their ability to invest and manage their existing physical assets. Under this paradigm shift, information-oriented productivity depends on the sharing of knowledge and skills among workers, so that enterprise strategies can be driven by the collective intelligence and competence of the group to face today’s business challenges and enable organizational learning. Management of organizational knowledge to create business values and competitive advantages is critical towards the organizational development. This paper focuses on the transformation of an enterprise information-processing network into a knowledge network for supply chain co-evolution. The ultimate goal is to develop a technological framework for a knowledge network that brings people, information, technologies, business processes, and organizational strategies together to better utilize knowledge in e-business. A knowledge network is introduced to enhance collaboration, encourage innovation, boost productivity, achieve adaptivity, and increase the information system efficiency. In tomorrow’s enterprises, knowledge will be the key to release creative energies that will inspire enormous innovations and great discoveries

Crowdsourcing innovation: uma proposta de arquitetura de serviços de mediação focado na inovação necessidades das PME

Crowdsourcing is evolving into powerful outsourcing options for organizations by providing access to the intellectual capital within a vast knowledge community. Innovation brokering services have emerged to facilitate crowdsourcing projects by connecting up companies with potential solution providers within the wider ‘crowd’. Most existing innovation brokering services are primarily aimed at larger organizations, however, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) offer considerable potential for crowdsourcing activity since they are typically the innovation and employment engines in society; they are typically more nimble and responsive to the business environment than the larger companies. SMEs have very different challenges and needs to larger organizations since they have fewer resources, a more limited knowledge and skill base, and immature management practices. Consequently, innovation brokering for SMEs require considerably more support than for larger organizations. This paper identifies the crowdsourcing innovation brokerage facilities needed by SMEs, and presents an architecture that encourages knowledge sharing, development of community, support in mixing and matching capabilities, and management of stakeholders’ risks. Innovation brokering is emerging as a novel business model that is challenging concepts of the traditional value chain and organizational boundaries.O crowdsourcing está a evoluir para opções poderosas de outsourcing para as organizações, fornecendo acesso ao capital intelectual dentro de uma comunidade de vasto conhecimento. Serviços de mediação de inovação surgiram para facilitar projetos de crowdsourcing, ligando-se empresas com fornecedores de soluções potenciais na maior ‘multidão’. Os serviços de mediação de inovação existentes destinam-se principalmente em organizações maiores, no entanto, Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PME) oferecem um potencial considerável para a atividade de crowdsourcing, uma vez que são normalmente os motores de inovação e de emprego na sociedade, eles são tipicamente mais rápidos e ágeis para o ambiente de negócios do que as grandes empresas. As PME têm desafios e necessidades muito diferentes das organizações maiores, uma vez que têm menos recursos, um conhecimento mais limitado e base de habilidades e práticas de gestão imaturas. Consequentemente, a intermediação da inovação para as PME necessitam de apoio consideravelmente maior do que para grandes organizações. Este documento identifica as adaptações de serviços de mediação de inovação necessárias por parte das PME, e apresenta uma arquitetura que estimula o compartilhamento do conhecimento, o desenvolvimento da comunidade, combinando recursos e gestão de riscos das partes interessadas. Intermediação de Inovação está a emergir como um modelo de negócio inovador que está desafiando os conceitos da cadeia de valor tradicional e fronteiras organizacionais

Socio-technical factors influencing channel use for knowledge-sharing in regional SME networks

The economic sustainability of regional areas is dependent on cross-industry innovation and knowledge-sharing among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The web-based initiatives deployed in regions worldwide to facilitate SME knowledge-sharing have typically been unsuccessful. This paper argues that the main reason for these failures is the lack of understanding of the socio-technical factors which influence the use of web-based channels (websites, online forums and expertise databases) as well as the more conventional channels (face-to-face and e-mail). This paper reports the findings of interpretive case studies of two regional SME business networks. It evaluates the major channels on six socio-technical criteria: link strength; trustworthiness; tacitness; usability; durability and currency. None of the channels were strong against all socio-technical factors. This highlights the importance of achieving an appropriate mix of channels to facilitate SME knowledge-sharing.<br /

Business knowledge absorptive capacity in micro and small innovative enterprises

Purpose – The aim of the presented article is to assess the impact of the capacity to absorb business advice on the improvement of business knowledge, and indirectly, on raising the level of strategic and operational management in micro and small innovative enterprises using business advice services. Research method – A review of the literature on examining the specificity of knowledge and management development in enterprises, the role of business advice and the capacity to absorb knowledge in this process. The second part of the article presents the results of the empirical research carried out using the CATI technique on a sample of 400 micro and small innovative Polish enterprises using business advice services. Results – The use of business advice services and the level of knowledge absorptive capacity increase the level of business knowledge of managers. 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