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Cooperation For Innovation And Its Impact On Technological And Non-Technological Innovations: Empirical Evidence For European Smes In Traditional Manufacturing Industries

Author

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  • DRAGANA RADICIC

    (Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln, UK)

  • DAVID DOUGLAS

    (Leeds Beckett University Business School, UK)

  • GEOFF PUGH

    (Staffordshire University Business School, UK)

  • IAN JACKSON

    (University of Wolverhampton Business School, UK)

Abstract

Drawing on a sample of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in traditional manufacturing industries from seven EU regions, this study investigates how cooperation with external organisations affects technological (product and process) innovations and non-technological (organisational and marketing) innovations as well as the commercial success of product and process innovations (i.e., innovative sales). Our empirical strategy takes into account that all four types of innovation are potentially complementary. Empirical results suggest that cooperation increases firms’ innovativeness and yields substantial commercial benefits. In particular, increasing the number of cooperation partnerships has a positive impact on all measures of innovation performance. We conclude that a portfolio approach to cooperation enhances innovation performance and that innovation support programs should be demand-led.

Suggested Citation

  • Dragana Radicic & David Douglas & Geoff Pugh & Ian Jackson, 2019. "Cooperation For Innovation And Its Impact On Technological And Non-Technological Innovations: Empirical Evidence For European Smes In Traditional Manufacturing Industries," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(05), pages 1-41, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:ijimxx:v:23:y:2019:i:05:n:s1363919619500464
    DOI: 10.1142/S1363919619500464
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    Cited by:

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    2. Beynon, Malcolm J. & Jones, Paul & Pickernell, David, 2023. "Evaluating EU-Region level innovation readiness: A longitudinal analysis using principal component analysis and a constellation graph index approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    3. Antonio García-Sánchez & Ruth Rama, 2022. "Cooperative innovation and crises: Foreign subsidiaries, state-owned enterprises, and domestic private firms [Directorship Interlocks in Comparative Perspective: The Case of Spain]," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 49(6), pages 915-927.
    4. Irina I. Frolova & Vladimir V. Nosov & Nadezhda B. Zavyalova & Aleksei E. Dorofeev & Tatiana M. Vorozheykina & Lyudmila I. Petrova, 2020. "Labor opportunism as a blocking factor for the innovative development of industrial enterprises," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 7(3), pages 2228-2242, March.
    5. Dragana Radicic & Jonathan Pinto, 2019. "Collaboration with External Organizations and Technological Innovations: Evidence from Spanish Manufacturing Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-31, April.

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