Organizational Innovation, Technological Innovation, and Export Performance: The Effects of Innovation Radicalness and Extensiveness

This study focuses on the relevance of different types of innovation for firms’ export performance. Despite ample research on the innovation–performance relationship, previous studies have mainly focused on technological innovations, leaving the effects of organizational innovations relatively unexplored. Hypotheses on the relationship between organizational and technological innovations and firm export performance are tested by structural equation modelling using data from 218 Swedish export ventures. The results indicate that organizational innovation enhances export performance both directly and indirectly by sustaining technological innovation. Moreover, by fine-graining our analysis of the mediating role of technological innovation, according to its radicalness and extensiveness, for organizational innovation, we show how the latter enhances both the radicalness and extensiveness of technological innovation although, notably, only extensiveness is actually beneficial for export performance. This study helps alleviate the scarcity of research examining the links among different types of innovation in relation to export performance and contributes to international business and marketing literature by generating new evidence regarding the mechanisms through which organizational and technological innovations may improve export performance

La evolución en el dibujo infantil

El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo, analizar la evolución del dibujo infantil de acuerdo a las etapas propuestas por Viktor Lowenfeld (1980). Se hizo énfasis en las primeras etapas del dibujo, a saber: la etapa del garabateo, la pre-esquemática y la esquemática. Específicamente se buscó: 1) Describir las características del dibujo en niños y niñas de 4 a 6 años de edad, 2) indagar si los dibujos de los niños y las niñas participantes del estudio, guardan correspondencia con las etapas descriptas por Lowenfeld, y analizar si se suceden en las mismas edades, y 3) Comparar las características del dibujo de niños y niñas provenientes de sectores socioeconómicos medios-altos de la población y de sectores socialmente vulnerables, con el fin de indagar si existen diferencias entre ambos contextos socioeconómicos. La muestra estuvo compuesta por un total de 76 niños y niñas entre los 4 a 6 años de edad, pertenecientes a dos contextos socioeconómicos culturales diferentes (vulnerable y no vulnerable). Se utilizó un enfoque cuantitativo, descriptivo- comparativo, con un diseño transversal. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron la técnica del dibujo libre, y una planilla de evaluación realizada ad hoc con el fin de determinar en qué etapa del dibujo se encontraban los niños y las niñas. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que, en la actualidad, los niños y niñas realizan los dibujos siguiendo las características propuestas por V. Lowenfeld, como así también, las etapas del desarrollo del dibujo se suceden en el mismo orden mencionado por dicho autor. Sin embargo, se observa que dichas etapas aparecen en edades más tempranas. Resulta interesante destacar que se encontraron diferencias significativas en el grupo de 5 años-4 meses a 6 años-6 meses, ya que los niños pertenecientes a contextos vulnerables, mostraron en sus dibujos, características de la etapa pre-esquemática, a diferencia de los niños pertenecientes a contextos no vulnerables, quienes mayormente se ubicaron en la etapa esquemática. Estos resultados aportan evidencia acerca de la influencia del contexto socioeconómico sobre el desarrollo de la capacidad creadora infantil.The aim of this investigation was to analyze the evolution of child drawing according to the stages proposed by Lowenfeld (1980): The scribbling stage, the pre-schematic stage and the schematic stage. Three specific objective were established: 1) to describe the characteristics of children`s drawing in children aged 4 to 6 years old of the present study, 2) to investigate if the drawings of the children participating in this study have correspond to the mentioned stages, and analyze if they happen at the same ages that the author proposed, 3) to compare the characteristics of children’s drawing from upper-middle socioeconomic sectors of the population and socially vulnerable sectors, in order to investigate whether there are differences between the two socio-economic contexts. The sample included a total of 76 children between ages of 4 to 6, belonging to different socioeconomic-cultural contexts (vulnerable and not vulnerable). A quantitative, descriptive-comparative approach with a cross-sectional design was used. The instruments used where the free drawing technique and an evaluation worksheet carried out ad hoc by students of the faculty. The results showed that at present, children make in their graphics the drawings characteristic proposed by Lowenfeld. In addition, developmental stages of drawing follow each other in the same order that was proposed by said author. However, the advance in the ages in relation to said stages was evident. Interestingly, significant differences were found in the age group from 5 to 6 years old, since children belonging to vulnerable contexts showed in their drawings the characteristics of the pre-schematic stage, unlike children that belong to non-vulnerable contexts, which were mostly in the schematic stage. These results provide evidence about the influence of the socioeconomic context on the development of creative capacity at present.Fil: Ciabuschi, María Juli

Insights into Early Stage of Antibiotic Development in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Survey of Targets, Costs, and Durations

Antibiotic innovation has dwindled to dangerously low levels in the past 30 years. Since resistance continues to evolve, this innovation deficit can have perilous consequences on patients. A number of new incentives have been suggested to stimulate greater antibacterial drug innovation. To design effective solutions, a greater understanding is needed of actual antibiotic discovery and development costs and timelines. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) undertake most discovery and early phase development for antibiotics and other drugs. This paper attempts to gather a better understanding of SMEs’ targets, costs, and durations related to discovery and early phase development of antibacterial therapies

A missing operationalization: entrepreneurial competencies in multinational enterprise subsidiaries

We seek to provide a comprehensive operationalization of firm-specific variables that constitute multinational enterprise subsidiary entrepreneurial competencies. Towards this objective, we bring together notions from the fields of entrepreneurship and international business. Drawing on an empirical study of 260 subsidiaries located in the UK, we propose a comprehensive set of scales encompassing innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness, learning, intra-multinational networking, extra-multinational networking and autonomy; which capture distinct subsidiary entrepreneurial competencies at the subsidiary level. Research and managerial implications are discussed

Social, cultural and economic aspects of antimicrobial resistance.

Although often considered only a medical problem, antimicrobial resistance is an evolutionary challenge accelerated by social, cultural and economic factors that lead to the misuse, overuse and abuse of life-saving antimicrobial medicines. The antimicrobial resistance challenge is compounded by inadequate attention to disease prevention and response, global circulation of people and products, differences in industry and market regulations across countries, and a fragile pipeline of new antibiotics and their alternatives. While the discovery of new antimicrobials will provide temporary solutions, sustainable success requires rigorous social science research that explores the drivers of antimicrobial resistance. These solutions should promote balance between equitable access to, conservation of, and innovation for antimicrobials, adapted to local conditions across the globe

Boundary Capabilities in MNCs: Knowledge Transformation for Creative Solution Development

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.The management of knowledge across country units is critical to multinational corporations (MNCs). Building on the argument that boundary spanning leads to the development of creative problem solving outcomes, this study advances the concept of MNC knowledge transformation and examines its relationship with solution creativity. Using questionnaire data on 67 problem solving projects, we find that opportunity formation is an underlying mechanism linking MNC knowledge transformation to the development of creative solutions. These insights contribute to our understanding of boundary spanning in global organizations by substantiating MNC knowledge transformation and elaborating the relationship between boundary spanning and creative solution development. If successful at knowledge transformation, collaborators from across the MNC can construct previously unimagined opportunities for the generation of creative outcomes.This study was funded by the Irish Research Council with co-funding from the European Commission (Marie-Curie Fellowship). We are very grateful for the insightful comments of Phillip C. Nell, the three reviewers, editors and participants at the paper development workshop at Ivey Business School

Antibiotic research and development: business as usual?

This article contends that poor economic incentives are an important reason for the lack of new drugs and explains how the DRIVE-AB intends to change the landscape by harnessing the expertise, motivation and diversity of its partner