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Article
Publication date: 1 June 2004

Rodney McAdam, Thomas McConvery and Gren Armstrong

Designated peripheral regions within the European Union (EU) have economies and standards of living which are below average. One of the primary reasons recognised by local…

7683

Abstract

Designated peripheral regions within the European Union (EU) have economies and standards of living which are below average. One of the primary reasons recognised by local government for this poor economic standing has been low levels of innovation within indigenous small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). These SMEs have difficulties in growing and exporting or being part of successful supply chains. The aim of this paper is to explore how innovation is successfully incorporated or hindered in SMEs within an EU peripheral region. An innovation model was applied in a multiple case study methodology involving 41 SMEs. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered and analysed. The paper concludes that SMEs must strategically plan for innovation and move beyond continuous improvement, or “kaizen”, and states that such plans must avoid quick fixes and address the underlying cultural barriers to innovation, such as organisational structure, owner‐manager leadership issues, a lack of empowerment and lack of use of employees' ideas and suggestions for innovation.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 10 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

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Article
Publication date: 13 June 2008

Wilson Irvine and Alistair R. Anderson

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of information communication technology (ICT) in small rural hospitality businesses. Although ICT is often presented as a means of…

4123

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of information communication technology (ICT) in small rural hospitality businesses. Although ICT is often presented as a means of reducing the impact of being rural, little is known about the extent or level of use of ICT. This paper addresses these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather and analyse data. The study had two stages: an initial survey to determine the extent and pervasion of ICT; and a second interview stage to explore the role and applications of ICT.

Findings

The authors find that 84 per cent of the businesses use ICT effectively, mainly to provide information and improve service quality. In addition, some firms had adopted very successful methods of using the internet for sales and marketing but ignored supply functions. The authors were surprised to find that ICT was seen as a way of enhancing personal service and that rather than a barrier, it was seen to promote quality of service. Moreover the respondents did seem to have used ICT effectively to overcome the disadvantages of location and rurality.

Research limitations/implications

The survey was carried out in a single rural environment and this limits its generalisability. Nonetheless, the study develops some interesting issues about the application of ICT in the rural context.

Practical implications

The paper identifies the benefits derived from the enthusiasm of some rural business owners. They had recognised the efficacy of computing and can provide lessons in how to apply ICT to overcome distance.

Originality/value

The paper addresses a gap in research and offers some insights into the application of ICT in rural areas.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2006

Nerys Fuller‐Love, Peter Midmore, Dennis Thomas and Andrew Henley

The purpose of this paper is to advocate the use of scenario analysis to develop foresight for the improvement of policies supporting rural entrepreneurship and illustrate the…

5343

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to advocate the use of scenario analysis to develop foresight for the improvement of policies supporting rural entrepreneurship and illustrate the approach with an application in Mid Wales.

Design/methodology/approach

A general overview of the economic problems of rural areas and their manifestation in the case study of Mid Wales is followed by an outline of the origins and approach of scenario analysis. Application of the technique involved a group of policy makers and entrepreneurs undertaking a structured programme of scenario development. The resulting scenarios, their usefulness for enterprise support, and wider implications are summarised.

Findings

The scenario analysis exercise enabled key stakeholders to confront and deal with considerable uncertainties by developing a shared understanding of the barriers to small firm growth and rural economic regeneration.

Research limitations/implications

A major conclusion is that effective approaches for support of rural entrepreneurship differ widely according to context and need to take in to account a range of external issues. Further research, which extends the approach beyond the case discussed in this paper and focuses on the social learning dimension of participation, would help to validate these findings.

Originality/value

The use of scenarios for the analysis of policy questions is rare and this paper opens new ways of working for enterprise agencies and other stakeholders promoting the growth of employment and income in a rural context.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 12 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

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Article
Publication date: 28 October 2013

Piers Thompson, Robert Williams and Brychan Thomas

This paper aims to examine the impact of developing more active web sites and increasing e-commerce on the relationship between innovation and growth performance in SMEs. Using…

2841

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact of developing more active web sites and increasing e-commerce on the relationship between innovation and growth performance in SMEs. Using the existing literature and empirical analysis the study seeks to consider the potential of engagement with the internet to achieve the often hard to attain ambition of both innovation and growth.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to examine the relationship, data are drawn from the Federation of Small Businesses' Lifting the Barriers to Growth Survey. In order to establish whether the use of more sophisticated web sites are associated with being an innovative high performance business, while controlling for other firm and entrepreneurial characteristics, multivariate analysis in the form of multinominal logits and discriminant function analysis are utilised.

Findings

The results suggest that although theoretically web sites with tools allowing interaction with customers or suppliers could benefit SMEs through a reduction in transaction costs and wider access to information, enabling them to jointly experience innovation and growth, in practice there is less evidence that this occurs. Those firms with active web sites are more likely to be innovative, but less likely to be both innovative and achieving growth.

Research limitations/implications

The paper suggests a framework for analysing the impact of e-business at process level that can be used with other SME case studies.

Practical implications

These results suggest that further work must be undertaken to establish whether SMEs should be encouraged to make such investments and if so what additional help is required to ensure that investments in this digital infrastructure achieves an appropriate return on investment.

Originality/value

The results are of importance to both SMEs and policy makers providing insight into the nature of potential benefits from web site development using a large dataset. A clear need to investigate further how more innovative SMEs can benefit from company web sites and ecommerce to grow is identified.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

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Article
Publication date: 1 July 2006

Alison Morrison

To explore and critically analyse entrepreneurship theories and concepts within the context of the small family tourism business, and the extent to which owner‐managers and their…

12089

Abstract

Purpose

To explore and critically analyse entrepreneurship theories and concepts within the context of the small family tourism business, and the extent to which owner‐managers and their enterprises can be classified as entrepreneurial.

Design/methodology/approach

A model has been developed and applied to support a “drilling down” approach that moves from a surface understanding of entrepreneurship as a process through to an industry setting, to penetrate the organisational context and consequential entrepreneurial socio‐economic outcomes.

Findings

It has been demonstrated that understanding of the entrepreneurial process, as it interplays with family business, is best served by reference to the cultural, industry setting and organisational context within which entrepreneurs are embedded.

Originality/value

The tourism industry has been deliberately selected as an illustrative context due to the low degree of entrepreneurial behaviour that it has traditionally exhibited. Through the application of the model explanations are provided for this, and conclusions are drawn that do classify small family tourism businesses as a manifestation of entrepreneurship as broadly conceived.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 21 March 2016

Jacquetta Shelton, Igor Martek and Chuan Chen

The users of construction technologies such as builders and trades people have been acknowledged as sources of potentially important innovations. These innovations may be in the…

2053

Abstract

Purpose

The users of construction technologies such as builders and trades people have been acknowledged as sources of potentially important innovations. These innovations may be in the form of safer, less labour intensive, or cheaper methods and processes. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the Australian construction industry is providing an environment where user-based innovation is being supported and implemented.

Design/methodology/approach

An explorative study was undertaken to provide an insight into actual experiences of the implementation of user-based innovation. The data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews providing case studies on multiple aspects of the implementation of innovative construction technologies. The cases involved a cross section of advances, including product, tool, and system technologies.

Findings

The main motivation behind developing the technologies was problem solving. The associated industries of manufacturing and retail, as well as consultants within the construction industry present the greatest barriers to implementation.

Originality/value

This research provides a better understanding of the factors that are preventing the successful implementation of user-based innovative construction technologies in small firms.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 23 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

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Article
Publication date: 14 January 2025

João M. Lopes, Sofia Gomes, João J.M. Ferreira and Marina Dabic

Europe’s outermost regions are often geographically isolated, and they face challenges when it comes to fostering innovation. This study aims to evaluate the impact of Science and…

70

Abstract

Purpose

Europe’s outermost regions are often geographically isolated, and they face challenges when it comes to fostering innovation. This study aims to evaluate the impact of Science and Technology Parks (STPs) on the stimulation of innovation performance and the regional development of innovation in the outermost European regions. This study contributes to the development and interpretation of STP literature, which is especially relevant for policymakers operating within these regions.

Design/methodology/approach

We collected the data from six Regional Innovation Scoreboard reports (RIS, 2012; RIS, 2014; RIS, 2016; RIS, 2017; RIS, 2019; and RIS 2021), available at https://ec.europa.eu, for the following outermost regions of Europe: the Autonomous Regions of Azores and Madeira (Portugal), the Canary Islands (Spain) and the Outermost Regions of France, which encompass Martinique, Mayotte, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Saint-Martin and Reunion Island.

Findings

The results demonstrate that, for STPs to positively impact regional policies for innovation and regional development, policymakers must make significant investments into research and development (R&D). The outermost European regions display characteristics that negatively affect innovation performance and regional development. Furthermore, we found that innovative products and services are negatively affected by these regions, as they deploy only a limited number of resources. We also conclude that the impact of STPs on the outermost European regions depends on the policies of regional governments. STPs represent important inputs to formulating and implementing innovation strategies for regional development.

Research limitations/implications

This study has some limitations. This research only analyses the European Union's (EU’s) outermost regions, and we have only included data extracted from the Regional Innovation Scoreboard from 2007 to 2021. Disaggregated data for the five outermost regions in France was not available. This would have increased the sample and made the results even more robust, had the information been available.

Practical implications

The results propose that regional actors in the outermost regions (industry–government–academia) better articulate their resources (which are more scarce) and their priorities with regard to Science, Technology and Innovation, thus accelerating innovation and development of their regions.

Originality/value

In this panel data study, we adopt a methodology that enables the evaluation of STP performance under different levels of intensity of gross domestic expenditure on research and development activities in the context of the RIS. In this study, the RIS refers to the peripheral regions of the EU. This study therefore aims to evaluate the impact of STPs in stimulating innovation performance and regional development in the outermost regions of Europe.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

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