Mature SMEsand Technological Innovation: Entrepreneurial Networks in the United Kingdom and Portugal

Oswald Jones, Carlos Cabral Cardoso and Martin Beckinsale
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Oswald Jones: Aston Business School, Birmingham, B4 7ET, United Kingdom
Carlos Cabral Cardoso: Universidade do Minho, (Escola de Economia e Gestao), Braga, Portugal
Martin Beckinsale: Aston Business School, Birmingham, B4 7ET, United Kingdom

International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), 1997, vol. 01, issue 03, 201-227

Abstract: This research examines the links between national culture, entrepreneurship, networks and innovation. Both networking and entrepreneurship are seen as central to the innovative capacity of smaller firms. At the same time, the cultural environment in which such firms operate will influence the ability of entrepreneurs to develop new products and processes. We consider these problems by examining five SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) and five in Portugal. All 10 companies are manufacturing-based and operate in "traditional" (low-technology) sectors. The case studies are utilised as a means of identifying the problems confronting owner/managers in such companies as they try to access newer technologies. We conclude that Portuguese managers are less likely to have been exposed to management education and tend to place greater reliance on family members for creating networks. Hence the options for innovation tend to be much narrower than small firms in the UK.

Keywords: SMEs; innovation; culture; networks; entrepreneurship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1997
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DOI: 10.1142/S1363919697000127

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