1,721,022 research outputs found
Inter-organizational relationships involving SMEs: A bibliographic investigation into the state of the art
No full textThe theme of inter-organizational relationships involving SMEs (SME IORs) has generated a relevant body of knowledge that has not been systematized yet. This article carries out a systematic literature review on SME IORs using bibliometric techniques, aiming to provide an overview of the main subfields of research and to identify promising paths for future research that can contribute to develop a more comprehensive body of knowledge around SME IORs. Four factors of thematically connected research emerge, which represents the main subfields of inquiry within the field of SME IORs. Insights regarding the content of these topics, the different theoretical foundations of the literature on SME IORs, and potential paths for future research are discussed
Industry 4.0 and business models: a bibliometric literature review
No full textPurpose: Following an increasing interest in the area that merges digital/I4.0 technologies and business models (BMs), which led to a proliferation of articles in this domain, the purpose of this article is to systematize this body of literature by means of a structured literature review. Design/methodology/approach: After a careful selection of articles, we carried out the analysis with the support of bibliometric techniques, using the bibliographic coupling approach complemented with factor analysis and the content analysis of articles. Findings: The results of the literature review analysis allow us to organize the literature around four main research streams, namely digital technologies and business model innovation, digital strategy and BMs, digital platforms and BMs, and IoT, servitization and BMs. On such a basis, we outline gaps and provide promising avenues for further research in this research area. Research limitations/implications: This study has implications for academics in terms of conceptualization of relevant constructs, integration of two streams of research and specific technologies whose relationship with the BM still deserves attention. Practical implications: This study has implications also for managers, who may take advantage of the description of some BM archetypes driven by digital/I4.0 technologies and also appreciate the relevance of taking a strategic approach, with a particular focus on the BM, toward the use of digital technologies. Originality/value: This study merges two relevant streams of research in an attempt to see how they have developed synergically and what potentials their merge could offer for future research
Paving the way for inter-organizational management control mechanisms in innovation contexts
No full textToward increasing affective commitment in SME strategic networks
No full textPurpose
To hinder the high failure rate of strategic networks, recently scholars have concentrated on behavioral aspects such as trust, conflict management, resolution and commitment as fundamental antecedents of strategic network performance. Within this context, this paper focuses on the antecedents of affective commitment, based on the rationale that an increasing affective commitment cannot occur naturally during network evolution. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to understand how affective commitment is achieved along the development process of small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) strategic networks.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the aim of the paper, a qualitative approach based on multiple case studies was used. Two case studies of Italian SME strategic networks having an increasing and decreasing level of affective commitment were selected to have a base of comparison, following a “polar types” theoretical sampling approach.
Findings
By comparing two cases in which partners show a different affective commitment along the network development process, this study allows providing a twofold contribution. The former is to unveil the most relevant elements partners may rely on to achieve an increasing affective commitment and the latter is to propose a dynamic approach toward the study of affective commitment in SME strategic networks.
Research limitations/implications
Considering the limited generalizability of this exploratory study due to the analysis of two cases, future studies with a larger number of strategic multipartner networks can expand the understanding of the dynamics leading to increasing commitment.
Practical implications
The paper provides a series of practical guidelines for managers to create a trusting environment with a high level of affective commitment within the context of SME networks, which can contribute to their survival.
Originality/value
The originality of the study consists in having adopted a dynamic approach toward studying affective commitment in the context of SME networks, which resulted in the identification of relevant factors that can lead to increasing affective commitment
Patent management: the prominent role of strategy and organization
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this article is twofold; to verify the existence of different profiles of firms based on the level of sophistication of their patent management core processes and to test the impact of the interplay between two patent management supporting dimensions, namely patent strategy and organization for patenting, on the level of sophistication of patent management core processes. Design/methodology/approach: The method consists of a survey study, collecting data from a set of European patent management professionals. These data are analyzed with factor analysis, cluster analysis and regression analysis to test several hypotheses. Findings: The results show that patent strategy positively and significantly impacts patent management sophistication, and that the patent organization positively moderates this relationship. In other words, a patent strategy, supported by a well-developed patent organization and culture, will positively influence the processes of managing a firm's patent portfolio. Originality/value: This study is, to the authors’ knowledge, the first one to provide quantitative evidence that supports the notion that it is important to take a strategic and organizational perspective of patent management
A state-of-the-art analysis of the interplay among digitalization, servitization and business model
No full text
- …
