Purpose: This paper aims at investigating the rather unexplored issue of how green innovators address the knowledge needs emerging when initiating a sustainability path, comparing their knowledge strategies with those of non-green innovators. Design/methodology/approach: The authors investigate this issue using data from the 2008 Italian Community Innovation Survey (CIS). Focusing on manufacturing firms, they identify the main characteristics and knowledge assets of firms introducing environmental innovations (EIs) as opposed to those of other innovators. Findings: The authors' results suggest that the development of EIs entails a higher recourse to external knowledge, in the form of use of external sources of information, acquiring R&D from external firms and cooperation. Relationships with partners that do not belong to the supply chain - including KIBS, universities, research institutions and competitors - are far more important than for other innovations. On the contrary, differences between the two categories are less marked when it comes to investments in internal knowledge resources. Finally, proactive environmental innovators have very different knowledge strategies than reactive ones, which resemble non-green innovators. Originality/value: The main contribution of this paper is that it investigates the unexplored issue of how firms assess and develop the knowledge needed to develop EIs. By comparing them with the strategies of non-green innovators, the analysis performed in the paper allows understanding the peculiarities of such innovations. Furthermore, the authors contribute to the literature by verifying how knowledge management strategies vary according to the differential importance that sustainability has for the firm's innovative strategy
Purpose – The paper aims at analysing the relationships between standardisation and creativity in the process of service innovation in knowledge-intensive business services, specifically in those specialised in highly creative outputs (KIBS in design and communication). Studies on knowledge management and on service management emphasise the opportunity to gain efficiency through a standardisation of services and organisational processes. However, creative activities are characterised by informality and difficulty to be standardised. Design/methodology/approach – We adopt a qualitative research approach. We developed two case studies of medium-size KIBS specialised in design and communication, localised in Bangalore (India) and in Treviso (Italy), to identify how KIBS approach knowledge management both internally and externally and how firms structure the innovation process. Findings - KIBS can use a suitable knowledge management strategy to balance creative outputs with standardisation based on a working method. Standardisation can refer to the way the creative effort is organised and managed internally through appropriate organisational processes, approach confirmed empirically. Research limitations/implications – Main limitations related to the case study and the industry selected. We acknowledge the need to compare firms belonging to other industries to strengthen the results. Originality/value – From a theoretical point of view we enrich the research framework concerning knowledge management in services by exploring the relationship between standardisation and creativity. From an empirical point of view, our research is able to deepen our understanding on the KIBS knowledge management strategies and their impacts on processes of service provision and innovation
Purpose This paper aims to study the dark side of cooperative buyer-seller relationships to improve our knowledge of this phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach A selective definition of dark side has been adopted, linking it to relationships of a cooperative nature within which one of the two partners assumes an opportunistic behavior. Taking into account this definition, the first part of the paper critically reviews those studies which have analyzed cooperative relations along the supply chain, drawing attention to the formation of a dark side. The second part of the paper re-examines the association between cooperation and opportunism, taking the point of view of the disadvantaged partner and adopting the networking perspective developed by the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) Group. Findings The literature review enables one to identify two types of dark side. In the first case, the partner at a disadvantage is aware of what is going on, but remains trapped in the relationship because of a power imbalance and a strong dependence. In the second case, the relationship is spoilt by one partner keeping a secret from the other, exploiting an information asymmetry. The main constructs of the IMP approach have made possible to shed light on the two different types of dark side – trap and secret – that were examined from the perspective of the disadvantaged partner. Practical implications The analysis of the disadvantaged partner has made it possible to understand what strategies he can use to prevent or mitigate such a disadvantaged position. Originality/value The paper develops an original view of the phenomenon of dark side in cooperative relationships.
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