Analyzing Indian research and development organizations: a SWOT analysisKumar, Abhishek; Srivastava, Alpana; Kumar, R.P. Jeevan; Tiwari, Rajesh K.
2018 International Journal of Innovation Science
doi: 10.1108/ijis-04-2017-0029
This SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis was conducted to have a portrait of the competitiveness of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on the global map. Being a 75-year-old scientific organization, CSIR has raised each and every laboratory with a specific mandate and competency. It is definite that the organization would get some assistance from these points, which are briefly stated, as the institutional data reside with the laboratory only. To some extent, they can be considered on their discretion; however, the organization has raised its position to international standards, but still it can consider few areas/suggestions from this analysis. These points are suggestive and flexible in nature, which are identified and defined to elevate this organization on the globe. Scientific publications do make a difference, but on the ground, if the technologies are not viable and received by public, it makes no difference. Today, India is fortunate to have a Prime Minister like Mr Modi, who always re-evaluates the issues and solutions so that the country moves from developing to a fast-pace developed nation. It is a fact that if these research organizations reorganize themselves and prioritize the research problems, they are capable enough to become a pioneer among the world R&D industry. This paper aims to analyze the organization and suggest few points with significant findings which can assist in scaling toward excellence on a global scale.Design/methodology/approachOn the basis of random sampling, laboratories were identified where their achievements and contribution toward industry and society were evaluated. On the basis of their setup, the organization and laboratories were evaluated to frame-out a SWOT analysis.FindingsSWOT analysis is a deliberate technique carried out to analyze the current situation of the system and to analyze the internal and external environment, which provides and edge to the organization to sustain. The major factors assessed were manpower, machines, money and funding, and achievements and deliverables were studied.Originality/valueThe research, i.e. SWOT, is unique in nature, as it was not carried out earlier on such a scale. To some extent, the points suggested in SWOT and conclusion can be considered on their discretion; however, the organization has raised its position to international standards, but still it can consider few areas/suggestions from this analysis. These points are suggestive and flexible in nature, which are identified and defined to elevate this organization on the globe. Scientific publications do make a difference, but on the ground; if the technologies are not viable and received by public, it makes no difference. Today, India is fortunate to have a Prime Minister like Mr Modi, who always re-evaluates the issues and solutions so that the country moves from developing to a fast-pace developed nation. It is a fact that if these research organizations reorganize themselves and prioritize the research problems, they are capable enough to become a pioneer among the world R&D industry.
The innovative grant of university–industry–research cooperationWong, Jehn-yih; Wan, Tung-hsuan; Chen, Hung-chih
2018 International Journal of Innovation Science
doi: 10.1108/ijis-01-2017-0004
This study aims to make government usage of technology research grants more efficient and to evaluate how to use university–industry–research cooperation to promote industrial innovation in Taiwan.Design/methodology/approachThis case study aims to use the triple helix model and other references to develop indicators which can estimate the performance of university–industry–research cooperation in Taiwan. The study selects three facets: “(prior) mechanisms,” “(in-progress) regulations” and “(post-hoc) operations” to find out the critical indicators contributing the final outcome. The study found that a successful university–industry–research cooperation requires the following factors: strengthening review methods for the mechanisms; its relationships of rights and obligations; policy needs in regulations; and plan incentives in operations.FindingsIt is recommended that, to promote university–industry–research cooperation in Taiwan, resource distributors and program management units should not only continue program application incentives and strengthen interdepartmental resource integration, they should also consider the establishment of a fair, just and open review mechanisms, and they should enhance the relationship between the rights and obligations of university–industry–research cooperation.Originality/valueThe study of this program includes application review before, during and after the program, management examination and performance evaluation to formulate recommendations as reference points for resource distributors and grant recipients. And because of industry–university cooperation being the main way of research and technology development, the findings and suggestions of this study may also be helpful for other grant systems in the world.
Dynamic capabilities of new product development teams in performing radical innovation projectsDarawong, Chonlatis
2018 International Journal of Innovation Science
doi: 10.1108/ijis-07-2017-0060
This paper aims to examine the impact of dynamic capabilities of new product development (NPD) team on project performance, including efficiency and effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from NPD team members who have worked on radical new product projects in large manufacturing firms in Thailand. Respondents represented different departments, including research and development (R&D), quality control, production and marketing. These individuals worked in a wide range of large manufacturing industries with an average of more than 500 employees. These industries include food, automotive, auto parts and electric and electronics products.FindingsThe results indicate that NPD team with sensing, learning and integrating capabilities can increase project effectiveness. In addition, teams with high learning, integrating and coordinating capabilities will enhance project efficiency.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the research findings may not be generalizable in all aspects to other industries. Second, the use of cross-sectional data in this study may not be appropriate for testing causal relationships among constructs. Third, although the samples of this study were from a wide range of functional areas, the majority were R&D personnel.Practical implicationsTo improve project effectiveness, project managers should consider investing in information technologies that provide a wide range of information sources, such as business research databases and academic journals. To improve project efficiency, the managers can establish both formal and informal activities during NPD projects. These social activities can provide opportunities for team members to physically meet and adjust their personal behavior to get along with each other.Originality/valueThese findings provide a wider picture of the beneficial role of dynamic capabilities of NPD teams toward project performance, including efficiency and effectiveness.
Leveraging supply chain collaboration in pursuing radical innovationYunus, Erlinda N.
2018 International Journal of Innovation Science
doi: 10.1108/ijis-05-2017-0039
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between supply chain collaboration and innovation. It particularly investigates the effect of collaboration on radical innovation and highlights the positive impact of innovation, both radical and incremental, on business performance.Design/methodology/approachA survey of 230 Indonesian firms was conducted and the instrument was tested for reliability and validity to warrant its psychometric properties. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsThis study reveals that collaboration with suppliers brings radical innovation, while collaboration with customers brings incremental innovation. Contrary to this study’s conjecture, albeit interesting, collaboration with customers negatively affects radical innovation. Both radical and incremental innovations further exert a positive influence over firm performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses on the relationships between supply chain collaboration, innovation and firm performance. The results enhance our understanding of types of innovation that are promoted by each dimension of collaboration. Further studies could extend the research by using a more elaborate measure of innovation or perform a longitudinal examination.Practical implicationsManagers are encouraged to pursue innovation as it improves firm performance. They could exploit their current partnership with customers to generate incremental innovation or leverage their supplier network to develop radical innovation.Originality/valueStudies that specifically investigate the impact of firms’ collaboration with their supply chain partners on radical innovation are quite scarce. This empirical study is among the very few to fill this void by providing an integrative assessment of customer, supplier and internal collaborations and their impact on both radical and incremental innovation.
Structural model of patent quality applied to various countriesChang, Shu-Hao; Chang, Hsin-Yuan; Fan, Chin-Yuan
2018 International Journal of Innovation Science
doi: 10.1108/ijis-05-2017-0036
In the current knowledge-based economy era, national innovation ability is crucial. Abundant information can be obtained through patent analysis, and such information can help in the formulation of policies and the making of R&D decisions; numerous researchers thus continue to make patent analyses. The quality of patents possessed by a country indicates the level of innovation and technology in the country, and this study aims to assess the quality of patents possessed by various countries.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the authors determined patent quality in various countries from the perspective of the reflective measurement model and used a novel method to construct a structural model of patent quality.FindingsThis study discovered that patent family, number of claims, number of international patent classifications, forward citations, nonpatent references and maintenance time are the structural factors that affect patent quality. Forward citations and the number of claims are particularly highly explained by patent quality, which is a latent construct.Originality/valueThe results of this study provide valuable information to the government and help in the assessment of patent quality in various countries. In addition, the assessment model proposed in this study can be used in the investigation of patent quality in academic research and can predict patent quality, which will be of interest to the government and industry.
The innovation process impact on the new product performance: a case studyFouad, Fatimaezzahra; Tourabi, Amina; Lakhnati, Ghizlane
2018 International Journal of Innovation Science
doi: 10.1108/IJIS-08-2017-0071
PurposeIn the presence of a low rate of investment in research and development in the fish industry, the Moroccan government launched in 2009 a new fisheries program which directs fish processing companies towards a non-price competitiveness strategy. These companies are driving to establish a modernized value chain that supports product innovation in its performance generation. This study therefore aims at measuring the impact of this value chain on the performance of a new product taking into account the early stages of development, namely prototyping.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the authors tried to collect the data in a dichotomous qualitative form for the structure of the innovation process which reflects the measure of elapsed time for each stage of the innovation process in the two cases, namely, sequentiality and parallelism of the steps. The authors then addressed a second time to the quality managers to provide them with quantitative data. Nevertheless, the evaluation of the improvement of the innovative product had remained qualitative.FindingsThe study shows that there is a positive and significant relationship between the partially parallel structure and the internal improvement objectives of the new prototype.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study was the very small sample of firms operating in innovation, which did not allow us to apply a parametric analysis such as logistic or linear regression according to a normal law on a sufficient number of observations according to the transversal approach. As theoretical implications of this study, Davila et al. (2006) argue that to succeed in a product development process, it must be possible to measure the resulting performance. Assessing performance in the product development process is particularly important for managers and decision makers to address key management issues such as “what we do”, “what we have learned” and “what should we do in the future” (Tatikonda, 2007).Practical implicationsThe empirical implications of this study have shown that accelerating the execution of innovation activity is enormously favored to increase the performance of the innovative product over the medium term. This will enable the company to be efficient in terms of market entry time with good quality and as soon as possible mainly in the early stages of development of the new product.Originality/valueCompared with previous studies, the originality of this study is to answer two inadequacies in the theory of performance of the new product, namely, the objective/quantitative nature of the practice measured in the innovation process and the use of a holistic approach based on the performance indicators of the innovative product at each stage of the innovation process.