Fábio de Oliveira Paula

Innovation performance of Italian manufacturing firms: The effect of internal and external knowledge sources

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain how internal and external sources of knowledge influence the innovation performance (IP) in Italian manufacturing firms and how different these relationships are for low-technology (LT) and high-technology (HT) firms. Design/methodology/approach The study proposed a model relating external knowledge, internal knowledge and IP that was tested using Bayesian structural equation modeling with a sample of Italian manufacturing firms of Community Innovation Survey 2010. It was run separately for high-tech firms (including HT and medium-HT aggregations of manufacturing industries of NACE Rev. 2) and low-tech firms (including LT and medium-LT aggregations). Findings The results showed a difference between high-tech and low-tech manufacturing firms in Italy. The investments to leverage internal knowledge sources are important for high-techs and not significant for low-techs. On the other hand, the level of external KS improves significantly the IP of low-techs and has a negative effect for high-techs. The level of absorptive capacity is central to improve the positive effect of the external knowledge on the IP for all firms, but it is still underdeveloped. Originality/value The effects of 2008 economic crisis hit the Italian manufacturing industry specifically hard and are still felt. Innovation is a solution for firms’ growth and Italy is considered a below-average innovator country in Europe. The study could identify important gaps in Italian manufacturing firms that hinder their innovative performance improvement.

Shopping mall image: systematic review of 40 years of research

Abstract Scholars have measured mall image, or mall attractiveness, since the mid-1970s. The models proposed are strongly rooted in the retail location and store image theories. However, apart from this common ground, the constructs adopted share few similarities with respect to the selection of mall attributes used to measure mall image. As a result, the extant literature is fragmented, offering several different models that are difficult to compare. This state-of-affairs is averse to the progress of knowledge, as it lacks external validity needed when different contexts are investigated, which is the case of shopping centres established in several different urban environments, countries and cultures. As a result of a systematic literature review, which employed bibliometric analysis and content analysis, both the roots and the frontier of research were identified. A list of mall image attributes was generated and identified those that seemed theoretically more relevant in capturing the construct of mall image.

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF PROCESS INNOVATION IN AN R&D LABORATORY OF AN OIL & GAS COMPANY

The main goal of this paper was to study how process innovation development occurs in a successful oil and gas firm. We tried to reach this goal by means of a case-study analysis of a Brazilian multinational oil and gas company’s R&D laboratory that is recognized as successful in innovating. This study analyzed the innovation development by investigating the strategic choices to develop process innovation and the appropriability mechanisms that allow the firm to benefit from the innovations. Concluding, we proposed a framework connecting the strategic choices and the appropriability mechanisms of the focused firm, which may be appropriate for oil and gas firms with similar overall strategies.

Strategic alliances of shopping centers in Brazil: network perspective

Purpose The shopping center (SC) industry in emerging countries has grown fast over the past decade; however, recently, it is showing signs of slowing down. Nevertheless, some SC-companies perform well. As those firms operate in alliance networks, relational opportunities and risks should be considered in their strategic analyses. Although there is a significant amount of research on SC from a marketing perspective, there is a dearth of research on strategic alliances from an SC management perspective. This paper aims at answering the following question: How do characteristics of the alliance networks of leading SC-companies contribute to their success by mitigating the structural threats the SC-industry in Brazil is facing? Design The case study method was adopted for analyzing two leading Brazilian SC-companies. Several data sources were used to allow for data triangulation. The lack of literature on strategic alliances and the SC-industry, as well as the research’s exploratory nature, justified this choice. Findings The research made evident that the SC-companies’ alliance network characteristics not only mitigate some of the structural industry threats but also enhance opportunities. It illustrated how firms can conduct a strategic analysis from a network perspective with the right tools. It also made evident how much more accurate the results of a comprehensive relational analysis are compared with traditional analyses that do not consider the strategic implications of relational factors. Practical implications The research contributed to SC management by highlighting the importance of taking into account the network characteristics of their relationships with key partners and of considering these as alliances and not merely contractual arrangements. Originality/value There is a dearth of research on the strategic implications of alliances of firms that own and manage a portfolio of SCs, as well as of their relationships with other actors in the industry, such as retailers and real estate owners, from a network perspective.

UM ESTUDO BIBLIOMÉTRICO SOBRE ALIANÇAS, INOVAÇÃO E DESEMPENHO

O objetivo deste artigo e analisar os trabalhos mais relevantes para o estudo do impacto das aliancas para inovacao no desempenho das firmas e identificar os temas mais relevantes que formam o arcabouco teorico dessa area. A pesquisa analisou, a partir de um corte longitudinal compreendendo tres periodos de seis anos entre 1997 e 2014, a evolucao dos temas e trabalhos, identificando os que mantiveram relevância e em torno de quais temas os estudos convergiram. A pesquisa foi realizada aplicando-se tecnicas bibliometricas de analise de citacoes e co-citacoes a artigos da base de dados Web of Science identificados a partir de palavras-chave que representam os conceitos de Inovacao, Aliancas e Desempenho. O trabalho revela os 50 trabalhos mais influentes para a area de conhecimento pesquisada e conclui que os temas centrais (Inovacao, Aprendizado / Conhecimento, Aliancas e RBV) e os artigos influentes atingiram configuracoes estaveis entre 2003 e 2008.