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1 – 10 of 68Fang Fang, Keith Dickson and Daoping Wang
The purpose of this paper is to explore the core elements and their constitutive activities of innovation of high-technology enterprises (HTEs) in the context of China to embrace…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the core elements and their constitutive activities of innovation of high-technology enterprises (HTEs) in the context of China to embrace effective management processes for dealing with standards setting.
Design/methodology/approach
The basic methodology of the empirical investigation is a single case study of ZTE Corporation (ZTE), a leading Chinese manufacturer in the telecommunication industry. Interviews were conducted from November 2008 to July 2009 with ZTE’s managers and senior R&D employees, as well as with R&D personnel from ZTE’s partners. Interviews were carried out face to face or by emails and supplemented by telephone calls and online communications. Secondary data provide complementary information.
Findings
The key to innovation for HTEs pursuing dominant positions in high-technology industries is standardization-oriented innovation. To deal with special requirements raised by the peculiarities of standardization for HTEs’ innovation management, HTEs need to emphasize three core elements in innovation, i.e. strategic innovation planning, internal R&D practices and external co-operative innovation, and focus on their key component activities. Moreover, through the case study of ZTE, three enabling factors for standardization-oriented innovation – intellectual property rights (IPR) management, market focus and co-operation along industry chains – are identified.
Originality/value
This paper is an attempt to understand and configure key innovation activities within a standards setting. It proposes a model for innovation management of HTEs in the Chinese economy, with three critical elements and their key constitutive activities being highlighted and three enabling factors being identified.
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Keith Dickson, Anne‐Marie Coles and Helen Lawton Smith
This paper is based on a research project about inter‐firm RD collaboration which was undertaken in two phases. In the first phase, which took place between 1988 and 1990, 27…
Abstract
This paper is based on a research project about inter‐firm RD collaboration which was undertaken in two phases. In the first phase, which took place between 1988 and 1990, 27 pairs of small and large, technologically intensive firms were interviewed, all of which were in the process of RD collaboration. In the second phase, which took place approximately five years later, many of the original participants were recontacted to investigate both the fate of their original collaborations and the subsequent collaborative history of each firm. During the course of this second phase, a distinct group of small firms were identified which used long‐term collaboration as part of their innovation practice. These firms had gone through what was sometimes a fairly painful learning experience and had emerged as strategic collaborators.
Adrian Woods, Anne‐Marie Coles and Keith Dickson
The right to copyright protection is an important asset in industries which rely on individual creativity for competitiveness. Considers the role and function of UK copyright law…
Abstract
The right to copyright protection is an important asset in industries which rely on individual creativity for competitiveness. Considers the role and function of UK copyright law for design protection in the furnishing fabric sector, with particular reference to the implications for introducing knowledge of the law into design training. Reports on the findings of an industry survey which investigated both the actual experience of design infringement and practitioners’ views about potential measures of improving awareness of copyright law. The increasing propensity to find copies in overseas markets is documented along with data pertaining to the sources of information on legal measures to which currently designers have recourse. It is concluded that, due to changing factors in the industry, modern design training courses need to review the educational requirements of future designers in this area.
In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of…
Abstract
In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.
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Since the first Volume of this Bibliography there has been an explosion of literature in all the main areas of business. The researcher and librarian have to be able to uncover…
Abstract
Since the first Volume of this Bibliography there has been an explosion of literature in all the main areas of business. The researcher and librarian have to be able to uncover specific articles devoted to certain topics. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume III, in addition to the annotated list of articles as the two previous volumes, contains further features to help the reader. Each entry within has been indexed according to the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus and thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid information retrieval. Each article has its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. The first Volume of the Bibliography covered seven journals published by MCB University Press. This Volume now indexes 25 journals, indicating the greater depth, coverage and expansion of the subject areas concerned.
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Helen Goworek, Tom Fisher, Tim Cooper, Sophie Woodward and Alex Hiller
This paper aims to investigate consumers' perspectives on sustainable clothing consumption and to examine ways in which this information could influence retailers' policies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate consumers' perspectives on sustainable clothing consumption and to examine ways in which this information could influence retailers' policies.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative research was conducted using focus groups, home tasks and workshops with 99 participants. The sample represented different groups of consumers in relation to their sustainability behaviour.
Findings
Focus group participants had a limited awareness of the sustainability impacts of clothing. Where participants displayed pro‐environmental behaviour, this was not necessarily intentional, but was largely a response to other influences. The respondents' maintenance and disposal of clothes were found to be influenced mainly by existing habits and routines, which usually take precedence over awareness of sustainable practice. The research indicated that consumers could be persuaded to change their behaviour in relation to sustainability by being encouraged and enabled to reflect more on their behaviour.
Research limitations/implications
This study uses qualitative research and is limited to UK consumers. Future research in this field could incorporate quantitative methods or in‐depth interviews. Academics could conduct further research and generate theories which apply to the sustainable consumption of clothing.
Social implications
The findings have implications for retailers, academics and society. Retailers can develop and implement more sustainable policies and practices in relation to clothing production and consumption. There are wider implications for society and the environment in that retailers' practices can impact greatly on the sustainability of the planet's resources.
Originality/value
This paper's originality lies in its assessment of the implications for retailers of consumers' views on the sustainable consumption of clothing.
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Keith Pyper, Anne Marie Doherty, Spiros Gounaris and Alan Wilson
Drawing on Resource-based Theory, the purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the effect of International Strategic Brand Management (SBM) on export performance within the…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on Resource-based Theory, the purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the effect of International Strategic Brand Management (SBM) on export performance within the Business-to-Business (B2B) context. To be able to purposely assess the relationship, this paper also sets out to discover what antecedent international resources, (financial resources) and international capabilities (market information, branding and marketing planning) contribute to the ability of B2B exporters to effectively manage their brands abroad.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed method firm-level approach was employed. First, a qualitative study of 34 in-depth interviews explored the focal inter-relationships and constructs identified within the literature. A survey of 208 successful UK exporters was then conducted and the results were analysed using structured equation modelling.
Findings
The results confirm that certain marketing capabilities (branding and marketing planning) are advantageous antecedents to the employment of effective SBM in foreign markets which, in turn, leads to increased financial and market performance internationally.
Practical implications
This paper outlines practical brand management considerations managers need to account for to achieve effective exporting. Practitioners are advised to prioritise the development of robust international branding and marketing planning capabilities which can enable them to exploit their limited financial resources for optimal benefits. Furthermore, by developing these capabilities, firms can focus on the essence of their brand and communicate their brand image through the effective strategic management of their brand to business customers, evoking positive brand associations, enhanced perceived brand value and the achievement of increased export performance.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to focus on international SBM as the deterministic factor leading to improved B2B export performance. An innovative framework is offered which positions the pivotal role of International SBM as the central focus. The construct for international branding capabilities is extended specifically for use in the B2B domain.
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Keith Newton, Norman Leckie and Barrie O. Pettman
The body of literature in the field now commonly known as the “quality of working life” (QWL) has grown steadily over a period in which the industrialised nations have…
Abstract
The body of literature in the field now commonly known as the “quality of working life” (QWL) has grown steadily over a period in which the industrialised nations have increasingly come to question the role and status of human beings in the modern technological environment. In recent years concern with the nature of work, its impact upon people, and their attitudes towards it, seem to have sharpened. Investigation of, and experimentation with, the qualitative aspects of working life—its ability to confer self‐fulfilment directly, for example, as opposed to being a means of acquiring goods—has gained momentum under the influence of a unique set of economic, social, political and technological factors. The outpouring of books, reports and articles from a wide variety of sources has, not surprisingly, grown apace.
Abstract
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Mika Ruokonen and Sami Saarenketo
This paper addresses the strategic orientations (entrepreneurial orientation, learning orientation, and market orientation) of rapidly internationalizing small software companies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper addresses the strategic orientations (entrepreneurial orientation, learning orientation, and market orientation) of rapidly internationalizing small software companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical analysis is based on an intensive investigation of ten small Finnish software companies that have exhibited rapid and proactive internationalization behavior.
Findings
It is argued that the manifestations of the orientations evolve as the small company develops, and these concepts are thus strongly related to the internationalization process. Further, an entrepreneurial orientation, especially a strong desire to seek growth in international markets, must be embedded in the mindset of the rapidly internationalizing small company. However, It is argued that it does not have an effect on the success of the international venture if it is not combined with strong learning and market orientations.
Research limitations/implications
This paper brings an evolutionary viewpoint to the existing academic debate of strategic orientations of companies. It is suggested that the current conceptualization of entrepreneurial orientation should be developed to include also measures of market orientation.
Practical implications
It is suggested that the members of the management team of a small and global software company should not only possess a highly entrepreneurial mindset and previous experience of international operations, they should also show strong commitment to considering the customers the most important stakeholders of the company, and a willingness and ability to learn rapidly from all available information about global markets.
Originality/value
This is the first qualitative investigation of the strategic orientations during the internationalization process of small companies.
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