scholarly journals The Mediating Role of Environmental Innovation on Knowledge Acquisition and Corporate Performance Relationship—A Study of SMEs in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Guo ◽  
Lifang Wang ◽  
Miao Wang ◽  
Xiaodi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Technical Knowledge ◽  
Environmental Innovation ◽  
Market Knowledge ◽  
External Knowledge ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
External Knowledge Acquisition

Open innovation theory believes that external knowledge acquisition is the key to gaining competitive advantage. This research aimed to examine the relationship between external knowledge acquisition, environmental innovation, and performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study divides the external knowledge acquisition of enterprises into external technical knowledge acquisition and external market knowledge acquisition, and examines this theoretical framework with environmental innovation as a mediator. Using a sample of 416 Chinese SMEs, empirical results revealed that high levels of technical knowledge acquisition and market knowledge acquisition were positively related to SMEs’ performance. The positive impact of technical knowledge acquisition is mainly embodied through economic performance; the positive impact of market knowledge acquisition is mainly embodied through environment performance. Meanwhile, environmental innovation plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between external knowledge acquisition and enterprise performance; environmental performance plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between environmental innovation and economic performance. This paper provides several managerial implications for managers and policy makers to improve SMEs’ performance.

Organizational Absorptive Capacity and Responsiveness: An Empirical Investigation of Growth–Oriented SMEs

2003 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianwen Liao ◽  
Harold Welsch ◽  
Michael Stoica
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Strategic Orientation ◽  
Knowledge Dissemination ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organizational Responsiveness ◽  
External Knowledge ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
External Knowledge Acquisition

This study examines the relationship between firm absorptive capacity and organizational responsiveness in the context of growth–oriented small and medium–sized enterprises (SMEs). By testing the different dimensions of absorptive capacity, external knowledge acquisition and intrafirm knowledge dissemination were found to be positively related to organizational responsiveness. In addition, the relationships between absorptive capacity and organizational responsiveness were moderated by environmental dynamism and the SMEs’ strategic orientation. Results demonstrate that the responsiveness of growth–oriented SMEs is expected to increase if (1) they have well–developed capabilities in external knowledge acquisition and intrafirm knowledge dissemination; (2) they have a well–developed external knowledge acquisition capability and adopt a more proactive strategy, such as being a prospector; (3) they face a turbulent environment and have a well developed internal knowledge dissemination capability. Implications and future research directions are provided.

The mediating role of environmental innovation in the relationship between environmental management and firm performance in a multi-stakeholder environment

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Grekova ◽  
H.J. Bremmers ◽  
J.H. Trienekens ◽  
R.G.M. Kemp ◽  
S.W.F. Omta
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Environmental Innovation ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Environmental Process ◽  
The Relationship

Nowadays, firms are increasingly challenged to bridge potentially conflicting economic interests of primary commercial stakeholders and sustainability demands from secondary non-commercial stakeholder groups. While a number of firms view investments in environmental management as disconnected from their value-creating activities, others have reported achieved cost efficiency and differentiation advantages. Prior research suggests that environmental innovation might be the missing link between environmental management and firm performance. However, the mediating effect of environmental innovation in the relationship between environmental management and a firm's performance had not been empirically tested so far. Our paper provides a contribution by conducting an empirical investigation into this possible mediating effect. Although the presumed mediating role of environmental innovation suggests that it is influenced by internal environmental management, environmental innovation literature is especially concerned with the role of external stakeholders in environmental innovation. This study investigates the role of the engagement of stakeholders such as supply chain partners, industry, and public authorities in environmental impact reduction. We hypothesise that environmental innovation positively mediates the relationship between environmental management and firm performance, and that the engagement of stakeholders has a positive impact on environmental innovation. The research model was tested with a variance-based structural equation model using data from 90 Dutch food and beverage firms. The results confirm the positive mediating effect of environmental process innovation on the relationship between environmental management and cost efficiency advantage. Environmental product innovation contributes to a differentiation advantage but it is not significantly influenced by environmental management. So we could not support a positive mediating effect of environmental product innovation on the relationship between environmental management and differentiation advantage. Instead, environmental collaboration with supply chain partners has a strong positive impact on environmental product innovation. It also positively influences environmental process innovation but this influence is much weaker than the influence of internal environmental management. Our findings can assist managers in their decision making regarding the implementation of environmental innovations and environmental collaboration with external parties. The study is also relevant to policy makers as a tool to assess the appropriateness of their policy.

Human Capital and External Knowledge Acquisition in Nonprofit Organizations

2015 ◽  
pp. 82-99
Author(s):  
Eric Kong
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
External Knowledge ◽  
Competitive Edge ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
External Knowledge Acquisition

Human Capital (HC) is defined as the human knowledge and knowing capability that an organization possesses that provide a competitive edge to the organization in the market. Organizational members' tacit knowledge, abilities, and skills to sense and understand the needs of external stakeholders, and constantly interact appropriately with the stakeholders for the benefits of their organizations, can be seen as a unique set of HC. External knowledge can be acquired through HC for strategic advantage and renewal. A review of the literature and a series of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 nonprofit members from 7 Australian NPOs reveal that there is a strong link between HC and external knowledge acquisition. This chapter argues that a better understanding of the relationship between HC and external knowledge acquisition is necessary if knowledge management, organizational learning, and an intellectual capital-view of the firm are to be fully integrated.

scholarly journals Ambidexterity in External Knowledge Search Strategies and Innovation Performance: Mediating Role of Balanced Innovation and Moderating Role of Absorptive Capacity

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 5111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Choo Yeon Kim ◽  
Myung Sub Lim ◽  
Jae Wook Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
External Knowledge ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Modes Of Innovation ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
External Knowledge Acquisition

The importance of external knowledge acquisition for innovation by firms is well established. In particular, there has been an increasing focus on the two distinct modes of firms’ external search strategies, which have a differential effect on their learning and innovation: search breadth and depth. By applying organizational ambidexterity lens, we hypothesize that pursuing high levels of both external search strategies is beneficial to achieve a balance between exploitative and explorative innovation, which, in turn, has a positive impact on the firm’s innovation performance. We also hypothesize that, even among the firms that maintain high levels of both search strategies, firms with higher absorptive capacity better achieve a balance between both modes of innovation, thereby producing higher performance. The findings on a multi-industry sample of Koran manufacturing firms confirm our hypotheses and imply that it is essential for firms to develop capabilities for different modes of external search activities in conjunction with internal absorptive capacity for superior innovation performance.

Inter-organizational social capital as an antecedent of a firm’s knowledge identification capability and external knowledge acquisition

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1332-1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Ortiz ◽  
Mario J. Donate ◽  
Fátima Guadamillas
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Organizational Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Social Capital ◽  
External Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Identification ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Structural Social Capital ◽  
External Knowledge Acquisition

Purpose This paper concentrates on the antecedents of external knowledge acquisition of companies based on their inter-organizational relationships. Specifically, it considers social capital (i.e., the result of a firm’s inter-organizational relationships) as an essential precursor of knowledge identification capabilities and deliberated knowledge acquisition strategies. This study aims to propose that cognitive and relational dimensions of a firm’s inter-organizational social capital are mediating factors of the relationship between structural social capital and knowledge identification capabilities and the relationship between structural social capital and the deliberated acquisition of external knowledge, respectively. The relationship between knowledge identification capability and external knowledge acquisition is also analyzed. Design/methodology/approach This is a cross-sectional quantitative study with a sample of 87 firms from Spanish biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. From an extensive literature review, we developed three hypotheses that were tested using the partial least squares technique and structural equations model. Findings The results only support a mediating effect of cognitive social capital in the relationship between structural social capital and knowledge identification capability and a partial mediation effect of relational social capital in the relationship between structural social capital and knowledge acquisition. In addition, the findings show that firms with more advanced abilities to identify and assess the value of external knowledge will be likely to develop optimal deliberated strategies to acquire effectively such knowledge from its network partners. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this study are small sample size and the cross-sectional nature of the study. The study also focuses on only two specific and innovative industries. Practical implications Managers should understand that “good” management of inter-organizational social capital allows the firm to develop dynamic capabilities for the identification and acquisition of valuable knowledge. The results of the study show that managers should concentrate on building knowledge identification capabilities and should also be aware of the possibilities that social capital can provide to a firm to formulate and implement effective strategies for external knowledge acquisition. Originality/value To date, there are relatively few studies focussing on knowledge identification capability and its relationships with the dimensions of a company’s social capital as enablers of external knowledge acquisition. For managers, the identification of valuable knowledge by using inter-organizational relationships and networks is an essential issue, especially in innovative industries characterized by continuous change. Theoretically, this research highlights that social capital contributes to the development of dynamic capabilities, allowing the firm to sense and seize business opportunities based on external knowledge acquisition to achieve competitive advantages.

Job Satisfaction as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Performance Appraisal and Voice Behavior

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 1315-1323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Zhang ◽  
Bei Hu ◽  
Min Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Industrial Clusters ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Voice Behavior ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Relationship

We explored the mediating effect of job satisfaction in the relationship between employees' performance appraisal and their voice behavior. A questionnaire was administered to 864 employees at enterprises representing high-tech industrial clusters from 5 cities in China. Developmental performance appraisal was found to have a more positive influence on employees' voice behavior than evaluative performance appraisal did. Compared with prohibitive voice behavior, both developmental and evaluative types of performance appraisal had a more positive impact on promotive voice behavior, and job satisfaction was found to play a mediating role in the relationship between these variables.

scholarly journals How authentic leadership promotes individual performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 1585-1607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neuza Ribeiro ◽  
Ana Patrícia Duarte ◽  
Rita Filipe
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Citizenship ◽  
Organizational Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Authentic Leadership ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Civic Virtue ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how authentic leadership (AL) can affect individual performance through creativity and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)’s mediating roles. Design/methodology/approach The sample included 177 leader-follower dyads from 26 private and small and medium-sized organizations. Followers reported their perceptions of AL, and leaders assessed each follower’s level of creativity, individual performance and OCB. Findings The findings show that AL has a positive impact on OCB (i.e. altruism, sportsmanship, civic virtue, conscientiousness and courtesy), employee creativity, and individual performance. Creativity partially mediates the relationship between AL and individual performance. Some dimensions of OCB, namely, altruism, civic virtue and courtesy, also play a mediating role in this relationship. Research limitations/implications Additional studies with larger samples are needed to determine more clearly not only AL’s influence on individual performance but also other psychosocial variables affecting that relationship. Practical implications Organizations can increase employees’ creativity, OCB and individual performance by encouraging managers to adopt more AL styles. Originality/value This study is the first to integrate AL, creativity, OCB and individual performance into a single research model, thereby extending previous research. The study also used a double-source method to collect data (i.e. leader-follower dyads) to minimize the risk of introducing common-method variance.

scholarly journals Trade Policies and Economic Growth

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Thanawat Chalkual ◽  
Jeanne Peng ◽  
Shijia Liang ◽  
Yao Ju
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Gdp Growth ◽  
Trade Policies ◽  
Gdp Growth Rate ◽  
Restrictive Trade ◽  
Tariff Rates ◽  
Economic Growth Rates ◽  
The Relationship

This paper aims to examine the relationship between trade policies and economic growth. In order to test whether restrictive trade policies have a positive impact on economic growth, we investigate America, Australia and China, and, analyse how their economic performance varies between a free trade environment and a relatively protective trade environment. In this paper, we focus on comparative advantage and use various data such as tariff rate, GDP growth rate, unemployment rate, etc. to test the influence of trade policies on economic growth.We find some support that less restrictive trade policy leads to better economic growth; however overall tariff rates do not seem to have a strong effect on economic growth rates

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