Absorptive Capacity

Digitalization is essential for supply chain (SC) systems to thrive in the extremely dynamic and competitive business environment of the present day. The purpose of this study is to examine the role and the importance of absorptive capacity (ACAP) on supply chain innovation performance (SCIP), mediated by digital capability (DCAP), supply chain resilience (SCR), supply chain agility (SCA), and digital innovation (DI). The study has been designed to empirically investigate the hypothesized relationships on a sample of 116 firms across industries in Saudi Arabia, using a partial least-squares-based structural equation model (PLS-SEM). Based on the findings, all the hypothesized paths are supported, justifying that ACAP positively and significantly impacts DCAP, SCA, and SCR. Moreover, SCA and SCR partially mediated the relationship between ACAP and SCIP. This study contributes to the resource-based view (RBV) and a dynamic capability (DC) theories by examining how the innovation of di...

The Philippines Initiative Against Corruption (PIAC) is a citizen-driven framework to promote transparency and accountability in public infrastructure projects. It introduces a presumption of accountability for politicians, engineers and contractors involved in substandard or overpriced projects, while empowering citizens to report anomalies through social media. A centralized digital archive will support investigations and strengthen public oversight.

abstractA firm's ability to acquire and exploit external knowledge is often critical to achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage. In this study, we adopt a multi‐dimensional view of absorptive capacity and focus specifically on the application of external knowledge that has been obtained via university‐firm collaborations. We examine various organizational conditions that we propose influence a firm's ability to apply external knowledge for explorative and exploitative innovations. We collected data by a survey of firms in industries that frequently work with university research centres (URCs) and from publicly available sources. Results show that predictors of exploration and exploitation of the application of external knowledge differ. Surprisingly, technological relatedness, a common measure of absorptive capacity, is negatively associated with the application of external knowledge to explorative innovations, indicating that knowledge from more distant sources is ...

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between absorptive capacity, innovation performance and Information Technology in Romanian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is the first study conducted in Romania which deals with concepts regarding knowledge absorptive capacity and information technology, based on such a large sample of 357 small and medium-sized enterprises from creative industries. The findings identify the effect of multiple dimensions of knowledge absorptive capacity on SMEs' innovation performance from an Information Technology perspective, offering new theoretical and pragmatic insights.

There is a myth that a big company normally has a difficulty to adapt in the dynamically change environment to remain competitive over time. The objective of this study is to investigate the conflicting pressure of absorptive capacity and organizational inertia on alliance ambidexterity in Telkom Group, previously Indonesia ICT Monopoly Company. This study also examines how those alliances contribute to both new and complementary resources for business units. We have developed a model of alliance ambidexterity in an organization that needs to develop innovation. This study based on quantitative analysis of 175 head of business units within Telkom Group, Indonesia. The result of this study shows that absorptive capacity allows business units to more fully capture the benefits to become ambidexterity in alliance. Although organizational inertia is so common in a big company, resources required by business unit are normally fulfilled through partnership. This study also found that product and process innovation is driven by alliance ambidexterity which eventually could have an impact on the organizational performance.

The innovation performance of a firm is addressed using the System Dynamics method. The problem that motivated this study is the lack of a comprehensive theory that explains both the poor innovation performance of the Colombian industry and its scarce level of the technological capabilities. Although there are a number of attempts to explain the problem, their causal structures are not fully specified and their results have not been evaluated with regard to whether they altogether constitute a coherent and consistent theory of the underlying causes explaining the observed dynamics. Robledo's (1997) research on the innovation process of the Colombian capital goods industry is examined in detail. We tested that the dynamics that Robledo describes can be produced by the causal factors he postulates. In Colombia, industrialists, academics and policy-makers need to do both acknowledge innovation as a learning process and estimate the intangible benefits of R&D.

Drawing on the real options approach, we analyse which factors motivate firms to choose technological joint venture formation as their technology strategy. Scholars researching joint ventures through the real options lens have usually focused on the ending stage of the alliance rather than on its formation. Using a panel of 29 376 observations from 4050 manufacturing firms operating in Spain between 1998 and 2005, our results are consistent with real options approach predictions. We find that the greater the firm's absorptive capacity and the higher the degree of technological risk, the more likely the firm is to form a technological joint venture. Results also suggest that the greater the risk of pre-emption by rivals and the higher the opportunity costs associated with technological joint venture formation, the less likely the firm is to choose such a technology strategy. A further step towards bridging the gap between finance theory and strategic analysis is thus taken.

Technological strategic alliance (TSA) formation represents an important competitive mechanism for firms, and it can be considered as a real option on future technological opportunities. Our objective is to analyse, under a real options reasoning, how firms decide between forming TSAs or adopting alternatives one-step technology strategies. Using a panel of 29376 observations from 4050 manufacturing firms operating in Spain -covering the 1998-2005 period -, we find that the greater the firm's absorptive capacity and the greater the degree of technological risk, the more likely is the firm to form a TSA rather than adopting other technology strategies. Our results also show that the greater the risk of pre-emption by rivals and the greater the opportunity costs associated with TSA formation, the less likely is the firm to form a TSA.

Today's information and knowledge society requires new leaders who can confront a reality based on knowledge and foster innovation to achieve improvements in organizational performance. However, organizations sometimes fail to achieve sustainable competitive advantage due to their limited understanding of the relationships between these strategic variables. To date, very little research has analysed the direct and indirect relationships between these variables. Our study seeks to fill this research gap by analysing theoretically and empirically how the leader's perceptions of different intermediate strategic variables related to knowledge (knowledge slack, absorptive capacity, tacitness, organizational learning) and innovation influence the relation between transformational leadership and organizational performance. Based on the literature, we develop a theoretical model that shows the interrelations between these variables. We then test the model using data from 408 Spanish...

Making development financing in LDCs more conducive to development should be a priority for the next Programme of Action of the Istanbul Conference. It needs to go beyond the old and emblematic target of ODA to LDCs, which is too far to be reached. The present paper examines four issues.

Innovation has become a pivotal driver of competitive advantage in the automobile industry. This review paper investigates the role of various forms of innovation-including technological, process-oriented, business model, and sustainability-focused innovations-in enhancing organizational competitiveness. By analyzing recent trends and developments, the study underscores the strategic importance of innovation in addressing shifting consumer expectations, evolving regulatory frameworks, and dynamic market conditions. Furthermore, the paper identifies critical gaps in the current literature, offering valuable directions for future research and practical applications that aim to sustain long-term competitive advantage through continuous innovation.

Purpose: Test the influence of cultural orientation to innovation on the number of innovations measured in Brazilian companies. Originality/value: The study uses an approach that has not yet been explored in the area, the multilevel analysis. Design/methodology/approach: Five cultural orientation factors for innovation were considered: Rituals and Stories; Innovation strategies; Symbols and Heroes; Autonomy; and Standards and Communication. Innovation has been subdivided into four types: product, service, technology, and administration. The study consisted of a sample of 345 individuals in 60 organizations. The relationship between variables was analyzed using both linear regression and multilevel modeling. Findings: The results of the regression analysis showed positive and negative relationships of all cultural factors with some kind of innovation. The multilevel analysis indicated a relationship between the two variables only in the factors Rituals and Stories and Symbols and Her...

This study offers insight through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) into the joint impact of corporate absorptive capacity and corporate new business venturing on the performance of manufacturing firms in Nigeria as moderated by the quality governance mechanisms. Using the structured survey design, and respondents' data from 330 employees of manufacturing firms, we provide evidence that both absorptive capacity and corporate new venturing entrepreneurship dimensions do not directly yield significant positive impact on firms' performance. Rather, the significant effect depends on the quality of the corporate governance mechanisms. Firms' absorptive capacity as measured by acquisition, assimilation (potential absorptive capacity), transformation, and knowledge exploitation (realized absorptive capacity) only resulted in value creation when mediated by key governance mechanisms including frequency of board meeting, and the presence of ABOUT THE AUTHOR Asogwa Cosmas Ikechukwu holds PhD in Accountancy from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) and lectures Advanced Corporate Financial Reporting in Renaissance University, Enugu, Nigeria. He is an associate member of the ICAN and researches on corporate governance, earnings quality, social responsibility and corporate accounting knowledge management.

Previous studies informed by the concept of absorptive capacity predominantly laid emphasis upon static aspects and for the most part utilized quantitative methods. In contrast, the present comparative case study takes the processual nature of the phenomenon into account. Based upon findings from four case studies in the optics industry in the U.S. and Germany we contribute to the literature by elucidating how technology transfer between research institutions and private sector companies is organized. We highlight the absorption processes involved, the role of meeting management and information exchange practices that are moderated by boundary spanners and power relationships, the institutional and regional embeddedness of actors involved, as well as social factors that serve as a 'glue' for absorptive capacity.

In developing economies, little is invested in research and development. Therefore, it is proposed that lower-tech firms develop their absorptive capacity and be linked through market and institutional networks to achieve technological innovation persistence. This study uses an ordinal logistics model applied to a sample of Peruvian manufacturing firms, concluding that there is an effect on product and process innovation persistence. Thus, executives can emphasize organizational innovation and absorptive capacity as means to achieve product innovation in developing countries. Moreover, firms should to prioritize the relationships with the market and institutions to achieve a better good or service.

In developing economies, little is invested in research and development. Therefore, it is proposed that lower-tech firms develop their absorptive capacity and be linked through market and institutional networks to achieve technological innovation persistence. This study uses an ordinal logistics model applied to a sample of Peruvian manufacturing firms, concluding that there is an effect on product and process innovation persistence. Thus, executives can emphasize organizational innovation and absorptive capacity as means to achieve product innovation in developing countries. Moreover, firms should to prioritize the relationships with the market and institutions to achieve a better good or service.

Innovation capacity is on the focus of policy makers in emerging economies. Although some studies show the antecedents of innovation capacity for developed economies and high technological industries, scant research outcomes exist for different settings. This study tries to shed some light on the drivers of innovation capacity for low technological companies in emerging economies. Using the absorptive capacity as a driver of technological and non-technological innovation capacity, this study proposes a SEM model to contribute to the literature of innovation capacity including technological and non-technological innovation, and the relationship between them, in low-techonology industries in an emerging economy. A sample of 706 manufacturing companies from Peru is used. The academic contribution of this study states that absorptive capacity favors technological and non-technological innovation capacity and that non-technological innovation affects technological one. Accordingly, managerial contribution suggests improving absorptive capacity levels to internal R&D activities but also to organizational and marketing innovation activities.

The major challenge of European Union's agricultural industry is to ensure sustainable supply of quality food that meets the demands of a rapidly growing population, changing dietary patterns, increased competition for land use, and environmental concerns. Investments in research and innovation, which facilitate integration of external knowledge in food chain operations, are crucial to undertaking such challenges. This paper addresses how SMEs successfully innovate within collaborative networks with the assistance of innovation intermediaries. In particular, we explore the roles of innovation intermediaries in knowledge acquisition, knowledge assimilation, knowledge, transformation, and knowledge exploitation in open innovation initiatives from the wine industry through the theoretical lens of absorptive capacity. Based on two case studies from the wine industry, we identified seven key activities performed by innovation intermediaries that complement SMEs' ability to successfully leverage external sources of knowledge for innovation purposes. These activities are articulation of knowledge needs and innovation capabilities, facilitation of social interactions, establishment of complementary links, implementation of governance structures, conflict management, enhancement of transparency, and mediation of communication. Our in-depth qualitative study of two innovation intermediaries in the wine industry has several important implications that contribute to research and practice.

The major challenge of European Union’s agricultural industry is to ensure sustainable supply of quality food that meets the demands of a rapidly growing population, changing dietary patterns, increased competition for land use, and environmental concerns. Investments in research and innovation, which facilitate integration of external knowledge in food chain operations, are crucial to undertaking such challenges. This paper addresses how SMEs successfully innovate within collaborative networks with the assistance of innovation intermediaries. In particular, we explore the roles of innovation intermediaries in knowledge acquisition, knowledge assimilation, knowledge, transformation, and knowledge exploitation in open innovation initiatives from the wine industry through the theoretical lens of absorptive capacity. Based on two case studies from the wine industry, we identified seven key activities performed by innovation intermediaries that complement SMEs’ ability to successfully l...

Determination of the proximate, nutritionally valuable minerals and anti-nutrient compositions in larvae of Cirina forda (W) showed that they contained high levels of protein, (55.50%±1.20%) with ash, moisture, fat, and carbohydrate levels being (10.26%±0.01%), (10.85%±0.38%), (4.68%±0.01%) and (18.70%±0.84%) respectively. Fibre was not detected. Protein solubility was higher in alkaline media than in acidic media while the isoelectric points were pH 4, 6 and 9 indicating that C. forda may be useful in food formulations involving foods like meat products. Phosphorus had the highest value of (215.54±0.21) mg/100 g while manganese had the lowest value of (1.14±0.10) mg/100 g. Copper, Co, Pb, Cr and Ni were not available. Water absorption capacity was (300%±0.15%), oil absorption capacity was (358.44%±0.21%) and foaming stability was (3%±0.00%). The results of anti-nutritional analysis revealed that oxalate and phytic acid contents were (4.11±0.05) mg/100 g and (1.02±0.00) mg/100 g respectively and that these values fell within nutritionally accepted values. Tannin was not detected in C. forda. C. forda, a rich source of animal nutrients, usable in human diets and animal feeds formulations.

Scholars of industrial clusters and networks have recently called for more research on network's chance over time. This paper contributes a further step along that path. It uses micro-level data based on the execution of a pair of identical studies in the main wine cluster in Chile in 2002 and 2006. Through the collection of social network data, it explores the role of a set of mechanisms of social interaction to explain the change in the cluster knowledge network. Two particular findings are important. First, in line with other network studies, we find that well-known micro-level mechanisms of social interaction, such as homophily, reciprocity and transitivity, do influence the formation of new knowledge linkages among cluster firms. Second, however, we find that these mechanisms seem not to work when firms have weak knowledge bases, as firms with a level of knowledge bases below a minimum threshold persist being completely cast out of the cluster knowledge network, in some cases even exiting the cluster. A more general finding of this study is the coexistence of a significant instability at the micro-level with meso-level stability in the structural properties of the intra-cluster knowledge network, in line with the idea of retention put forward by evolutionary economists to explain the path dependent nature of economic systems. Possible reasons for this and implications for further research are discussed.

Most analyses of the relationship between spatial clustering and the technological learning of firms have emphasised the influence of the former on the latter, and have focused on intra-cluster learning as the driver of innovative performance. This paper reverses those perspectives. It examines the influence of individual firms' absorptive capacities on both the functioning of the intra-cluster knowledge system and its interconnection with extra-cluster knowledge. It applies social network analysis to identify different cognitive roles played by cluster firms and the overall structure of the knowledge system of a wine cluster in Chile. The results show that knowledge is not diffused evenly 'in the air', but flows within a core group of firms characterised by advanced absorptive capacities. Firms' different cognitive roles include some -as in the case of technological gatekeepers -that contribute actively to the acquisition, creation and diffusion of knowledge. Others remain cognitively isolated from the cluster, though in some cases strongly linked to extra-cluster knowledge. Possible implications for policy are noted.

Large scale, quantitative information about the variability of target soil properties is required for forest management. This project is attempting to determine whether or not the New Zealand Soil Classification system (NZSC), when used in combination with a soillandscape model, adequately communicates this information. In the first phase of this project a soil-landscape model was developed and a pilot variability study conducted. The soils in the study area, located in the W oodlaw Block of the Longwood Range, are formed from either Permian andesite or greywacke on moderately steep to steep hill slopes under a moist cool climate and a vegetation cover of beech and podocarp forests. The soil-landscape model was developed using the land systems approach. The model consists of predictive relationships between topographic features and soil classes. There is a clear relationship between slope steepness, the abundance of surface boulders and the gravel content of the soil. A soil-landscape unit map showing the distribution of predicted soil classes has been produced. The results of the pilot variability study have showed that the soils sampled are acidic and have moderate to high P-retention values. An analysis of variance indicated that both of these properties are significantly variable between sites and between horizons. There appears to be a relationship between land component type and the magnitude and variability of these properties. The clay mineralogical analysis revealed that the dominant clay minerals present in all the soils sampled are chlorite-vermiculite, kaolinite, sepiolite, and allophane. The presence of allophane and kaolinite may be related to the moderate to high P-retention values.

The later part of twentieth century saw developed nations emerge into knowledge economies, hinging on technological change which serves as the main driver for growth of economies in the long run. Entrepreneurs have attained attention as the tool for imbibing these fast evolving technological changes in the form of new start-ups and deliberate on these changes in their existing business also. Economies now count knowledge as a part of the capital stock and technology is no longer an unintentional offshoot of a firm's investment action. FDI plays an eminent role in fostering growth through innovation, by serving as the source for knowledge and technological spillovers depending upon the absorptive capacity of the nation. In this paper a modest attempt has been made to explore the present literature regarding the link between FDI and entrepreneurship. This will help to present insights into how spillovers generated by FDI can aid entrepreneurs in promoting and sustaining long term economic growth. It also elaborates upon various channels through which transmission of knowledge and technological know-how takes place in an economy.

Rival firms produce products with a multitude of characteristics and consumers choose to purchase those products that most closely match their ideal set of characteristics. Orthodox production theory ignores the view that products are bundles of characteristics and consequently it offers no analysis of how to divide limited production budgets between different characteristics. It also ignores the heterogeneity of firms with respect to their capabilities and the fact that production decisions are undertaken in historical time . Each of these factors has implications for the firm's feasible productive set at any point in time and its production strategy. Here a new framework of analysis of production is offered which incorporates these missing features. In addition it incorporates lessons from behavioural consumer economics , which recognises the possibility that consumers may have hierarchical preferences over characteristics, rather than trade-offs between them, and that they will form aspiration levels for each characteristic in terms of actual or perceived performance.

This paper presents an empirical study to explore how firms invest in their IT infrastructure to support strategic flexibility. It investigates how IT infrastructure capabilities relate to strategic flexibility, how firms build flexibility into their IT investment decisions, and how the firms use IT to support strategic flexibility. Our cases indicate that different types of needed flexibility at the organizational level, ask for different types of IT infrastructure capabilities. In both cases, flexibility is supported by centrally organized management-oriented IT infrastructure capabilities. In the IT investment process, flexibility in the investment decision-making process is implicitly taken into account, whereas IT infrastructure flexibility is explicitly valued for. In both cases, management expects more explorative use of applications supported by IT infrastructure investments to better enhance strategic flexibility than exploitative use does. The implications for further research are discussed.

Abstract: In Higher Education and Research Organisations (HEROs), one of the most important activities in the R&D process is the effective management of knowledge transference. A correct analysis and diagnosis of that process through knowledge management methodology is essential for the correct orientation of organisation strategy. The aim of this paper is to describe the analysis carried out in order to diagnose the research & development & transference (R&D&T) activities at a public university in Spain. The diagnosis analyses the key phases in the knowledge transference process, because these different stages define important implications for the monitoring of the intellectual capital and the organisation's performance. Also with in the diagnostic analysis preformed here an methodological innovation is introduced related with the cause and effect relations of the knowledge collaboration and a process witch deals mainly with intangibles.

The growth of innovative small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the establishment of networks of SMEs, such as clusters, are seen as contributing to the creation of jobs and increasing competitiveness. Interaction with inward foreign direct investment (FDI) can provide SMEs with access to information, know-how and technologies, increasing their innovative capabilities and improving their positioning on international markets. In many Latin American and Caribbean countries, weak institutions and an inadequate business environment impede the development of innovative SMEs and of clusters, and the relatively high inflows of FDI over the past years have not, to a sufficient extent, led to the establishment of linkages with the local economy nor produced desired spillover effects. This report looks at the situation in this respect in Latin America, and at the role of regional innovation systems, as well as at possible policy indications for countries in the region, with a view to fostering the interaction of SMEs with inward FDI. The Special Office in Europe (SOE) has for a number of years systematically analyzed the flow of FDI, in particular of European origin, to Latin America and the Caribbean, and this study represents a continuation and extension of this work.

We determined gut mucosal barrier injury (MBI) among 129 recipients of an allogeneic or autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) who had been given different myeloablative regimens by measuring integrity using the lactulose/rhamnose (RHA) ratio and absorption using the ratios of rhamnose/3-O-methylglucose and xylose/3-O-methylglucose. Regimens that did not contain idarubicin induced oral mucositis and disturbed gut integrity and absorption earlier than did those containing the anthracycline. By contrast, regimens containing idarubicin induced more severe and prolonged oral and gut MBI. Gut integrity and absorption of most patients were still abnormal at discharge from hospital. These results confirm that the integrity and absorptive capacity of the gut is affected adversely by myeloablative regimens in general, although only two patterns of mucosal injury emerged depending on whether or not idarubicin was used.

We determined gut mucosal barrier injury (MBI) among 129 recipients of an allogeneic or autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) who had been given different myeloablative regimens by measuring integrity using the lactulose/rhamnose (RHA) ratio and absorption using the ratios of rhamnose/3-O-methylglucose and xylose/3-O-methylglucose. Regimens that did not contain idarubicin induced oral mucositis and disturbed gut integrity and absorption earlier than did those containing the anthracycline. By contrast, regimens containing idarubicin induced more severe and prolonged oral and gut MBI. Gut integrity and absorption of most patients were still abnormal at discharge from hospital. These results confirm that the integrity and absorptive capacity of the gut is affected adversely by myeloablative regimens in general, although only two patterns of mucosal injury emerged depending on whether or not idarubicin was used.

The absorption-desorption characteristics towards hydrogen of the composites 95wt.% Mg-5wt.% activated carbons derived from bean pods and apricot stones, obtained by ball milling in argon atmosphere were investigated. Hydriding of the composites was performed at temperatures 573 K and 473 K and pressure of 1 MPa and dehydriding -at T = 623 K and P = 0.15 MPa. Absorption capacity values of 5.43 wt.% and 6.13 wt.% (at T = 573 K and P = 1 MPa) were reached for the composites containing activated carbons derived from bean pods and from apricot stones, respectively. The hydriding/dehydriding characteristics of the studied composites were compared with those of pure magnesium. It was established that the activated carbons derived from bean pods and apricot stones improved the hydrogen sorption kinetics of magnesium.

The objective of this proposal is to present a theoretical reflection on the concept of projects absorptive (absorption) capacity and the role of managers' and employees' commitment in the implementation of work routines. The general problem lies in a context of simultaneous project implementation, which can create additional pressure on employees with regard to available resources. The development of a theoretical framework, highlighting project implementation demands, absorptive capacity, routines and commitment, thus leads to the proposal of a three-stage conceptual framework. The first moment represents the project during its implementation. The second moment specifically concerns absorptive capacity as a resource and the final moment highlights the relationship between absorptive capacity and commitment. Ultimately, this theoretical approach attempts to demonstrate that examining the project's absorptive capacity reveals a significant theoretical originality, and that digging deeper into the concepts of commitment and work routines pushes the limits of project management research.

The paper studies the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth when sufficient provisions of infrastructure is a pre-requisite. In the overlapping generations structure setting, we show that technology spillovers via FDI take place only when the host country has the sufficient level of infrastructure. Infrastructure has a subsequent positive feedback on further investment which leads the country grow faster. If infrastructure falls short of the critical level, however, then FDI has little effect on growth as the country is trapped in a low-growth equilibrium. We also present the simulations and empirical results based on panel data for 42 developing countries between 1970 and 2000. They provide support to the model that FDI and infrastructure are complements in affecting per capita GDP growth.

Background: Implementation of digital monitoring technology systems is considered beneficial for increasing the safety and quality of care for residents in nursing homes and simultaneously improving care providers' workflow. Co-creation is a suitable approach for developing and implementing digital technologies and transforming the service accordingly. This study aimed to identify the facilitators and barriers for implementation of digital monitoring technology in residential care for persons with dementia and wandering behaviour, and explore cocreation as an implementation strategy and practice. Methods: In this longitudinal case study, we observed and elicited the experiences of care providers and healthcare managers in eight nursing homes, in addition to those of the information technology (IT) support services and technology vendors, during a four-year implementation process. We were guided by theories on innovation, implementation and learning, as well as co-creation and design. The data were analysed deductively using a determinants of innovation framework, followed by an inductive content analysis of interview and observation data. Results: The implementation represented radical innovation and required far more resources than the incremental changes anticipated by the participants. Five categories of facilitators and barriers were identified, including several subcategories for each category: 1) Pre-implementation preparations; 2) Implementation strategy; 3) Technology stability and usability; 4) Building competence and organisational learning; and 5) Service transformation and quality management. The combination of IT infrastructure instability and the reluctance of the IT support service to contribute in co-creating value with the healthcare services was the most persistent barrier. Overall, the co-creation methodology was the most prominent facilitator, resulting in a safer night monitoring service. Successful implementation of novel digital monitoring technologies in the care service is a complex and time-consuming process and even more so when the technology allows care providers to radically transform clinical practices at the point of care, which offers new affordances in the co-creation of value with their residents. From a long-term perspective, the digital transformation of municipal healthcare services requires more advanced IT competence to be integrated directly into the management and provision of healthcare and value co-creation with service users and their relatives.

Introduction Immaturity of motility, intestinal epithelial barrier function and absorptive capacity may play a role in the pathophysiology of intestinal diseases in preterms. We determined the gastric electrical activity and emptying, and intestinal permeability, in preterm newborns to verify if a maturation pattern exists in preterm newborns during the first month of life. Patients and methods Eighteen preterm newborns (median 34 wks, range 2 wks) completed the study. They underwent the recording of gastric electrical activity by means of cutaneous electrogastrography, the ultrasound examination of gastric emptying, and the lactulose-to-mannitol ratio from permeability-absorption test on days 3, 7, 15, and 30 after birth. Results Gastric electrical activity and emptying showed only slight changes between day 3 and day 7. On the contrary, an evident maturation in permeability, expressed as L/Mratio, was evident over time (Friedman Repeated Measures Analysis, p = 0.004). Conclusion I...

This paper investigates the determinants of longevity at a macroeconomic level, emphasizing the important role played by education. To analyze the determinants of longevity, we build a model where households intentionally invest in health and education, and where education exerts external effects on longevity. Performing an empirical analysis using data across 71 countries, we find that society's tertiary education attainment rate is important for longevity, in addition to any role that basic education plays for life expectancy at the individual level. This finding uncovers a key externality of education, consistent with the theoretical hypothesis advanced in our macroeconomic model.

We argue that education exerts positive external effects on health, beyond the standard internal effects documented in the literature. We put forward a model that clarifies the links between education and longevity in the presence of such an externality. We then implement an innovative approach to control for endogeneity problems, and present evidence for the significant role played by higher education in explaining longevity across countries. Our findings provide empirical evidence in support of our hypothesis of educational externalities on health.

This paper investigates the nature of the aggregate production function of health services. We build a model to analyze the role of public policy in determining social health outcomes, taking into account households choices concerning education, health related expenditures and saving. In the model, education has a positive external effect on health outcomes. Next, we perform an empirical analysis using a data set covering 72 countries from 1961 to 1995. We find strong evidence for a dual role of education as a determinant of health outcomes. In particular, we find that society's tertiary education attainment levels contribute positively to how many years an individual should expect to live, in addition to the role that basic education plays for life expectancy at the individual household level. This finding uncovers a key externality of the educational sector on the ability of society to take advantage of best practices in the health service sector.

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A lack of collaborative innovation and absorptive capacity in firms causes projects to fail. Managers/employees in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are not sufficiently aware of the practices of intellectual capital and nor do they collect, share, transfer, and utilize knowledge properly. This current study, therefore, focuses on the relationship between collaborative innovation and the financial performance of Portuguese IT sector SMEs, with a mediating role of absorptive capacity and a moderating role of intellectual capital based on three sub-domains (human capital, organizational capital, and social capital). Close-ended questionnaires were used to obtain data from 308 employees and managers. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, data were also collected through an online survey method. The simple random sampling technique was used to collect data and analyze it using the PLS-SEM method. The results show that collaborative innovation has a positive and significant impact on the fin...

The key to the success of the company in this dynamic era is innovation capability and absorptive capacity. There is a paucity of research that links these two things with supply chain integration, especially for SMEs. This study aims to analyze the relationship between innovation capability, absorptive capacity and supply chain integration in improving the performance of SMEs in the creative industry of Yogyakarta Indonesia. The empirical test, which used a sample of 143 managers of the creative industry SMEs in Yogyakarta supports most of the hypotheses in the study. The study conducted structural equation modeling to test the proposed relationship. The results demonstrate that innovation capability and absorptive capacity have a significant influence on the performance of SMEs both directly and through increasing supply chain integration as a moderating variable. The results of this study are expected to be able to contribute to SME managers both owners and the government in improving the performance of creative industry SMEs in Yogyakarta.

In an era where data-driven decision-making is becoming central to organizational success, understanding how emerging technologies influence business operations is critical. This study analyzed the application and impact of Business Intelligence and Data Analytics on digital transformation inside Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), highlighting its role in enhancing competitive advantage. Our analysis highlighted the sector-specific disparity in BI/DA adoption, with the industrial leading at 60% and retail behind at 38%, underscoring differences in digital readiness among sectors. The principal barriers to adoption included inadequate skills (78%), financial concerns (62%), and data silos (43%), underscoring the need for digital training, affordable technology, and change management strategies. SMEs indicated substantial benefits from business intelligence and data analytics, including improved operational efficiency (68%), greater customer service (59%), and critical market insights (55%), highlighting their strategic significance. A significant correlation was observed between adoption levels and performance outcomes, with high adopters achieving 23% larger revenue growth, a 30% decreased in costs, and a 35% enhancement in client retention compared to low adopters. The crucial role of leadership, demonstrated by strong support from top management, was associated with higher BI/DA performance indicators (8.2 compared to 5.4). A strong positive correlation (0.64-0.75) was established between BI adoption, DA utilization, revenue growth, and customer retention, confirming that digital maturity enhances business performance. These findings emphasized that Business Intelligence and Data Analytics are not only technological improvements but strategic tools for transformation. For SMEs aiming to thrive in the digital era, the implementation of integrated BI/DA, supported by leadership and a data-driven culture, is essential for sustained growth and competitiveness.

The present study describes an Integrated Methodology developed combining Social Network and Content Analysis approaches, to investigate the organizational mechanisms responsible for the creation of Social Capital within Communities. The ...

The innovation performance of a firm is addressed using the System Dynamics method. The problem that motivated this study is the lack of a comprehensive theory that explains both the poor innovation performance of the Colombian industry and its scarce level of the technological capabilities. Although there are a number of attempts to explain the problem, their causal structures are not fully specified and their results have not been evaluated with regard to whether they altogether constitute a coherent and consistent theory of the underlying causes explaining the observed dynamics. Robledo's (1997) research on the innovation process of the Colombian capital goods industry is examined in detail. We tested that the dynamics that Robledo describes can be produced by the causal factors he postulates. In Colombia, industrialists, academics and policy-makers need to do both acknowledge innovation as a learning process and estimate the intangible benefits of R&D.

This paper explores export spillovers that arise from foreign direct investment generated linkages between domestic and foreign firms in Turkish manufacturing industry. By making use of a recent firm level dataset, we investigate how supplying to foreign affiliated firms, as proxied by their presence in downstream industries and foreign presence in firms’ own industry affects (i) extensive and intensive margins of domestic firms’ exporting, (ii) the quality of exports proxied by unit values, (iii) the decision of domestic firms to export or start exporting, (iv) firms’ export orientation towards destination markets with high income levels. The results of the study suggest that even after controlling for firm heterogeneity, stronger presence of foreign firms in downstream industries yields better export performance of domestic firms. We do not find any evidence on the effect of supplying to foreign affiliated firms on the quality of exporting. Furthermore, it is shown that foreign pr...

The fifteen years following the introduction of the seminal construct of absorptive capacity (AC) by Levinthal (1989, 1990) have seen the proliferation of a vast literature citing the AC construct in over 1500 published papers, chapters and books and interpreting it or applying it in many areas of organization science research, including organization theory, strategic management, and economics. However, with very few exceptions, the specific organizational routines and processes that constitute AC capabilities remain a black box. In this paper we propose a routine based model of AC that also operationalizes the AC construct. We decompose the construct of AC into two components, internal and external AC capabilities, and identify the configuration of meta-routines underlying these two components. The meta-routines are expressed within organizations by configurations of practiced routines that are observable and measurable. The ability of organizations to discover and implement complementarities between practiced AC routines may explain why some firms are successful early adopters and most firms are imitators. Success as an early adopter of a new management practice or an innovation is expected to depend on the extent to which an organization designs and implements the configuration of its internal and external absorptive capacity routines.