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Essays On Innovativeness And Its Evaluation In Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises
Publisher Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland.
Series and Number of Publication Research Papers No 49. (Doctoral Thesis) ISBN 951-763-006-4 ISSN 0356-8210
Year of Publication 1995
Author Liisa Hyvärinen
Abstract
The thesis consists of four articles on the attributes and indicators of innovativeness
small and medium-sized industrial enterprises (SMEs).
In the definitions of innovativeness gathered from the literature and from the interviews
of six SME managers and ten business analysts, innovativeness in connected with the newness
of the innovation. Other important attributes are markets, differentiation from other enterprises
and the creativity of individuals. Human and individual aspects are emphasised by
business analysts and SME managers, whereas the literature gives more value to the environment,
products and markets.
With regard to the indicators of innovativeness, the business analysts consider
characteristics connected with the enterprise and its manager as important in
the input evaluation of SMEs’ development projects to be financed.
The commercial success of products is the most important output criterion.
In the case enterprises examined here, the decisions on and the evaluation
of development projects is partly intuitive and may be unconscious, too,
due to their few development activities. The SME managers place the main emphasis
on financial indicators, although both numerical and qualitative evaluation and
decision criteria are employed. Possible reasons for this are the limited financial resources
of the SMEs and the idea of today's ideal manager being an analytic controller of financing.
However, innovative managers consider making innovations as one of the bright sides of life.
The innovative case enterprises examined here are future- and growth-oriented
at the strategic level. On the operational level, they make inventions and innovations.
Nevertheless, they have few patents. Both the innovative and less innovative case enterprises
are strongly customer-oriented and they have specialised products and customers.
Most of their development activities concerning products and processes are related to
satisfying their customers' needs.
Number of pages 25 pages (and 4 published journal articles attached)
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