IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bjz/ajisjr/2559.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Uig Linkages in Improving Competitive Advantage: A Case of the Clothing, Textiles, Leather, and Footwear Industry of South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Sipho Mbatha
  • Sinqobile Sihlobo

Abstract

The South African clothing, textiles, leather, and footwear (CTLF) sector has been under competitive attack, mainly from Asian countries. The many studies undertaken so far have not focused on the role of research and development linkages among university, industry, and government (UIG), and hence, this study was undertaken. This study uses mixed methods, interviews of managers and directors from UIG actors, and a survey of CTLF firms to understand the role of UIG linkages in improving competitive advantage. The data was thematically and descriptively analysed. The findings highlight that most CTLF firms were not involved in UIG research and development linkages. As a result, CTLF firms have not utilised researchers available in the universities nor research-related industry and government funding that supports innovation and technological improvements. For the CTLF to improve its competitive advantage, its development strategies must include being engaged in UIG research and development linkages.

Suggested Citation

  • Sipho Mbatha & Sinqobile Sihlobo, 2024. "The Role of Uig Linkages in Improving Competitive Advantage: A Case of the Clothing, Textiles, Leather, and Footwear Industry of South Africa," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 13, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bjz:ajisjr:2559
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2024-0048
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.richtmann.org/journal/index.php/ajis/article/view/13704
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.richtmann.org/journal/index.php/ajis/article/view/13704/13264
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2024-0048?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Weiwei Ye & Yan Wang, 2019. "Exploring the Triple Helix Synergy in Chinese National System of Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-17, November.
    2. Sipho Mbatha & Anne Mastamet Mason, 2023. "Examining the Effectiveness of the South African Apparel Industry’s Systems of Innovation," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 12, January.
    3. Sipho Mbatha, 2021. "Competitive Advantage Threats and Opportunities in the South African Clothing, Textiles, Leather, and Footwear (CTLF) Industry," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 10, November.
    4. Sipho Mbatha, 2022. "Roles of Practitioners in Industry-Government Research Collaborations of South African Clothing, Textiles, Leather, and Footwear Industry: Implications for SDGs and Agenda 2063," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 11, July.
    5. Spyros Arvanitis & Nora Sydow & Martin Woerter, 2008. "Is there any Impact of University–Industry Knowledge Transfer on Innovation and Productivity? An Empirical Analysis Based on Swiss Firm Data," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 32(2), pages 77-94, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thomas Bolli & Martin Woerter, 2013. "Technological Diversification and Innovation Performance," KOF Working papers 13-336, KOF Swiss Economic Institute, ETH Zurich.
    2. Beck, Mathias & Junge, Martin & Kaiser, Ulrich, 2017. "Public Funding and Corporate Innovation," IZA Discussion Papers 11196, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Maria De Paola & Michela Ponzo & Vincenzo Scoppa, 2018. "Are Men Given Priority for Top Jobs? Investigating the Glass Ceiling in Italian Academia," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 12(3), pages 475-503.
    4. Pedro de Faria & Francisco Lima, 2012. "Interdependence and spillovers: is firm performance affected by others’ innovation activities?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(36), pages 4765-4775, December.
    5. Dziallas, Marisa & Blind, Knut, 2019. "Innovation indicators throughout the innovation process: An extensive literature analysis," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 80, pages 3-29.
    6. Tao Zhuang & Zhixia Zhou & Qingjun Li, 2021. "University‐industry‐government triple helix relationship and regional innovation efficiency in China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 349-370, March.
    7. R. Harris & Q. C. Li & J. Moffat, 2011. "The impact of higher education institution-firm knowledge links on firm-level productivity in Britain," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(13), pages 1243-1246.
    8. Andrew A. Toole & Dirk Czarnitzki & Christian Rammer, 2015. "University research alliances, absorptive capacity, and the contribution of startups to employment growth," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(5), pages 532-549, July.
    9. Hermannsson, Kristinn & Lisenkova, Katerina & Lecca, Patrizio & McGregor, Peter G. & Swales, Kim, 2012. "The system-wide impacts of the external benefits to higher education on the Scottish economy: An exploratory micro-to-macro approach," SIRE Discussion Papers 2012-70, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
    10. Daniela Bragoli & Flavia Cortelezzi & Massimiliano Rigon, 2023. "Firms' innovation and university cooperation. New evidence from a survey of Italian firms," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1400, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    11. Irina I. Frolova & Vladimir V. Nosov & Nadezhda B. Zavyalova & Aleksei E. Dorofeev & Tatiana M. Vorozheykina & Lyudmila I. Petrova, 2020. "Labor opportunism as a blocking factor for the innovative development of industrial enterprises," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 7(3), pages 2228-2242, March.
    12. Paola Cardamone & Valeria Pupo & Fernanda Ricotta, 2018. "Exploring the relationship between university and innovation: evidence from the Italian food industry," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(5), pages 673-696, September.
    13. Paola Cardamone & Valeria Pupo & Fernanda Ricotta, 2016. "Do Firms Benefit from University Research? Evidence from Italy," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 2(3), pages 445-471, November.
    14. Enrico Guzzini & Donato Iacobucci, 2017. "Project failures and innovation performance in university–firm collaborations," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 865-883, August.
    15. Thomas Bolli & Martin Woerter, 2013. "Competition and R&D cooperation with universities and competitors," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 38(6), pages 768-787, December.
    16. Gabriela Dutrénit & Carla De Fuentes & Arturo Torres, 2010. "Diferencias en la efectividad de los canales de interacción sobre los beneficios obtenidos por investigadores y empresas en México," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 2710, Department of Economics - dECON.
    17. Scandura, Alessandra, 2016. "University–industry collaboration and firms’ R&D effort," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(9), pages 1907-1922.
    18. Dominique Foray & Martin Woerter, 2021. "The formation of Coasean institutions to provide university knowledge for innovation: a case study and econometric evidence for Switzerland," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(5), pages 1584-1610, October.
    19. Utku Ali Rıza Alpaydın & Rune Dahl Fitjar, 2024. "How do university‐industry collaborations benefit innovation? Direct and indirect outcomes of different collaboration types," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(2), June.
    20. Nobuya Fukugawa, 2013. "University spillovers into small technology-based firms: channel, mechanism, and geography," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 38(4), pages 415-431, August.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bjz:ajisjr:2559. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Richtmann Publishing Ltd (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.richtmann.org/journal/index.php/ajis .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.