Indicators of innovativeness and enterprise competitiveness in the wood products industry in finland

Välimäki, Harri; Niskanen, Anssi; Tervonen, Kimmo; Laurila, Ilkka P.

doi:10.1080/02827580410017898

Cited by 33 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Multiple sources provide evidence that more innovative firms experience greater financial success (Rubera and Kirca, 2012;Dobni, 2010;Gibb and Haar, 2010;Han et al, 1998) and it is claimed that innovativeness is one of the most important mechanisms available to keep pace with the competition (Uzkurt et al, 2012). The positive connection between innovativeness and performance holds for forest sector firms (Nybakk, 2012;Knowles et al, 2008a;Crespell and Hansen, 2008;Välimäki et al, 2004). However, most of these studies were done during what might be called "normal" economic times when companies were not coping with the extreme turbulence of the Downturn.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Innovativeness in the Face of Decline: Performance Implications

Hansen

2014

Int. J. Innov. Mgt.

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The recent global recession has focused efforts towards better understanding of both firm response and the outcome of that response to recession, or decline. Past research suggests that firms either respond by being conservative, reducing costs, etc., or, they proactively try to innovate out of the decline. This work examines the various responses to decline with respect to firm innovativeness. Using data from US manufacturing firms, it is shown that innovativeness has important performance implications even in dire economic times. However, increasing innovativeness levels during decline is not shown to be superior to maintaining innovativeness. Findings provide limited evidence that decreasing innovativeness is not a desirable downturn strategy. Potential, practical, and theoretical implications of the findings are presented.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Innovativeness in the Face of Decline: Performance Implications

Hansen

2014

Int. J. Innov. Mgt.

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“…The core capabilities of a firm have a positive influence on the outcome of wooden products innovations (Bull and Ferguson 2005). Innovativeness has been found to have positive impacts on the competitiveness and profitability of wood products enterprises (Välimäki et al 2005). According to Korhonen (2006), creative use of information and combination of new knowledge linked to innovations are prerequisites for growth.…”

Section: Secondary Processing Firms and Wood Products Within Pulp Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking resource-based view with business economics of woodworking industry: earlier findings and future insights

Lähtinen¹

2007

Silva Fenn.

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The business environment and sources of competitiveness in the woodworking industry have changed notably since the 1990s. Wood products are traded globally, and with the increase of trade, abundant forest resources are no longer the main source of sustainable competitiveness. Competition within the woodworking industry is increasing both between European and non-European enterprises, as well as within the EU. Capability to create value-added, making rational strategic choices, and creative usage of intangible and tangible resources have been emphasized as crucial for sustaining woodworking industry competitiveness in higher cost-level countries. Resource-based view (RBV) defines the availability of intangible assets, capabilities and tangible resources, and their heterogeneous combination to form the basis for company success. The objective of this review is to examine the possibilities to employ the RBV to the study of the woodworking industry by combining existing empirical results of the factors of companies' competitiveness with assessment of the RBV. In the existing literature, strategies implemented in woodworking companies have been approached rather widely, while the role of intangible and tangible resources in building firm-level success has received less focus. In addition, a significant gap exists in linking firms' financial accounting information with empirical data on their resource-usage and business strategies. In future studies, more information of the effects of these strategic elements on the actual business success of the firms would be needed.

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“…The results of the pre-tests led to some valuable adjustments of the questions and the structure of the questionnaire. For example, it was indicated that information required for more sophisticated indicators of innovativeness, e.g., "R&D investment'" and "share of new products from total turnover" (Välimäki et al 2004) was difficult for managers to provide. The questionnaire was Furtherprocessed goods = impregnated goods, poles, panelling, mouldings, floorings, planed construction wood, blanks for joinery or furniture industry, engineered wood products, building modules c) Spruce focus = a raw material mix consisting of more than 66% spruce; pine focus = a raw material mix consisting of more than 66% pine; hardwood focus = a raw material mix consisting of more than 66% hardwood (in subsequent analyses where data about raw material mix were used, SBUs with a hardwood focus were excluded from analysis due to the small size of this group); no focus = neither a spruce, pine nor hardwood share of more than 66%.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This lack of precision and consistency might be a consequence of the difficulties associated with the measurement of such a complex concept as innovativeness. After all, because "[innovativeness] is a strategic, cultural, social, and managerial issue" (Välimäki et al 2004) it leaves a lot of possibilities for different approaches in operationalization. And perhaps Rogers (1998) has a point when he states that because innovativeness is such a multifaceted and complex organizational trait, there is no single measure that can capture the concept.…”

Section: Organizational Innovativenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antecedents and barriers to product innovation – a comparison between innovating and non-innovating strategic business units in the wood industry

Stendahl¹,

Roos²

2008

Silva Fenn.

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Increased competitive pressure from low-cost economies and substituting materials has raised the need for new strategies focusing on product differentiation in the Nordic wood industry. With the aim to identify factors that can facilitate increased product innovation activity, this study compared organizational characteristics and perceived barriers to product development among innovating and non-innovating strategic business units (SBUs) in the Swedish and Finnish wood industry. Multivariate analysis of data from a cross-sectional sample of 110 SBUs suggested that organizational size and educational level among white-collar workers are significant antecedents of product innovation activity. Furthermore, the difficulty of giving practical priority to development work in the everyday stress was identified as the most important perceived barrier to product development among managers in both innovating and non-innovating SBUs. A low competence level among the personnel and a low need to innovate was perceived to be the second most important barriers to product development among managers in, respectively, innovating and non-innovating SBUs. Practitioners who wish to increase product innovation activity in the wood industry are advised to promote an increased educational level in wood industry companies. They are further encouraged to seek ways to reduce the perceived barriers to product innovation identified in this study.

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Indicators of innovativeness and enterprise competitiveness in the wood products industry in finland

Cited by 33 publications

References 4 publications

Innovativeness in the Face of Decline: Performance Implications

Innovativeness in the Face of Decline: Performance Implications

Linking resource-based view with business economics of woodworking industry: earlier findings and future insights

Antecedents and barriers to product innovation – a comparison between innovating and non-innovating strategic business units in the wood industry

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