IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i3p2126-d1044597.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainable Development towards Openness SME Innovation: Taking Advantage of Intellectual Capital, Sustainable Initiatives, and Open Innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Chanchai Phonthanukitithaworn

    (Mahidol University International College, Mahidol University Salaya, 999 Phutthamonthon 4 Rd., Nakornprathom 73170, Thailand)

  • Wutthiya Aekthanate Srisathan

    (International College, Khon Kaen University, 123 Mitrphap Rd., Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
    Center for Sustainable, Innovation and Society, International College, Khon Kaen University, 123 Mitrphap Rd., Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand)

  • Chavis Ketkaew

    (International College, Khon Kaen University, 123 Mitrphap Rd., Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
    Center for Sustainable, Innovation and Society, International College, Khon Kaen University, 123 Mitrphap Rd., Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand)

  • Phaninee Naruetharadhol

    (International College, Khon Kaen University, 123 Mitrphap Rd., Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
    Center for Sustainable, Innovation and Society, International College, Khon Kaen University, 123 Mitrphap Rd., Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand)

Abstract

The issues of the relationship between the innovative maturity of enterprises, the orientation of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the principles of sustainability, and the expansion of their participation in sustainable development with business efficiency are very important and interesting. In this case, it is important to find a good balance between a policy that focuses on sustainable development and businesses’ needs. This will help SME companies be as efficient as possible and have the least amount of impact on the environment. This is especially important for countries where small- and medium-sized businesses are the main driving force of the country’s economy. This research aims to examine how the conceptualizations of intellectual capital (e.g., relational capital, social capital, and structural capital) affect open innovation and sustainability-oriented initiatives to foster open sustainability innovation for small- and medium-sized businesses. Using structural equation modeling based on second-order factor analysis, survey data were collected from 481 SMEs in Thailand. Intellectual capital in SMEs enhances opportunity recognition in SMEs to develop open sustainability innovation, while sustainability-oriented initiatives and an open innovation strategy should be well-placed. SMBs and business policymakers should pay attention to the idea of intellectual capital in terms of socio-rational resources, in which open sustainability innovation projects could be developed through sustainable cooperation.

Suggested Citation

  • Chanchai Phonthanukitithaworn & Wutthiya Aekthanate Srisathan & Chavis Ketkaew & Phaninee Naruetharadhol, 2023. "Sustainable Development towards Openness SME Innovation: Taking Advantage of Intellectual Capital, Sustainable Initiatives, and Open Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-24, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:2126-:d:1044597
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/3/2126/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/3/2126/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Soontarin Nupap & Nopasit Chakpitak & Gilles Neubert & Yuthana Tra-Ngarn, 2016. "Stakeholder Involvement in Intellectual Capital System Implementation for SMEs in Thailand Long-term Competitiveness Development," Post-Print hal-02313433, HAL.
    2. Dongwoo Ryu & Kwang Ho Baek & Junghyun Yoon, 2021. "Open Innovation with Relational Capital, Technological Innovation Capital, and International Performance in SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-13, March.
    3. George Martinidis & Nicos Komninos & Arkadiusz Dyjakon & Stanislaw Minta & Małgorzata Hejna, 2021. "How Intellectual Capital Predicts Innovation Output in EU Regions: Implications for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-19, December.
    4. Ching-Hsun Chang, 2020. "Green Open Innovation Activities and Green Co-Innovation Performance in Taiwan’s Manufacturing Sector," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-15, September.
    5. Chao Hung Wang & Wei‐Jr Juo, 2021. "An environmental policy of green intellectual capital: Green innovation strategy for performance sustainability," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 3241-3254, November.
    6. Jian Xu & Binghan Wang, 2018. "Intellectual Capital, Financial Performance and Companies’ Sustainable Growth: Evidence from the Korean Manufacturing Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-15, December.
    7. Chanchai Phonthanukitithaworn & Chavis Ketkaew & Phaninee Naruetharadhol, 2019. "Relevant Factors for Success as an Online Entrepreneur in Thailand," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(1), pages 21582440188, January.
    8. Yongfu Li & Yu Song & Jinxin Wang & Chengwei Li, 2019. "Intellectual Capital, Knowledge Sharing, and Innovation Performance: Evidence from the Chinese Construction Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-20, May.
    9. de Villiers, Charl & Sharma, Umesh, 2020. "A critical reflection on the future of financial, intellectual capital, sustainability and integrated reporting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    10. Soontarin Nupap & Nopasit Chakpitak & Gilles Neubert & Yuthana Tra-ngarn, 2016. "Stakeholder involvement in intellectual capital system implementation for long-term competitiveness development of SMEs in Thailand," International Journal of Innovation and Learning, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 20(3), pages 328-346.
    11. Zhonghua Zhao & Fanchen Meng & Yin He & Zhouyang Gu, 2019. "The Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility on Competitive Advantage with Multiple Mediations from Social Capital and Dynamic Capabilities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, January.
    12. Wang, Chao-Hung, 2014. "How relational capital mediates the effect of corporate reputation on competitive advantage: Evidence from Taiwan high-tech industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 167-176.
    13. García-Granero, Eva M. & Piedra-Muñoz, Laura & Galdeano-Gómez, Emilio, 2018. "Eco-innovation measurement: A review of firm performance indicators," MPRA Paper 119905, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Chihcheng Lo & Chunhsien Wang & Yi-Chun Chen, 2020. "The Mediating Role of Intellectual Capital in Open Innovation in the Service Industries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-12, June.
    15. Radziwon, Agnieszka & Bogers, Marcel, 2019. "Open innovation in SMEs: Exploring inter-organizational relationships in an ecosystem," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 573-587.
    16. McGuirk, Helen & Lenihan, Helena & Hart, Mark, 2015. "Measuring the impact of innovative human capital on small firms’ propensity to innovate," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(4), pages 965-976.
    17. W. A. Srisathan & C. Ketkaew & P. Naruetharadhol, 2020. "The intervention of organizational sustainability in the effect of organizational culture on open innovation performance: A case of thai and chinese SMEs," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 1717408-171, January.
    18. Erica Mazzola & Manfredi Bruccoleri & Giovanni Perrone, 2012. "The Effect Of Inbound, Outbound And Coupled Innovation On Performance," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 16(06), pages 1-27.
    19. Stefan, Ioana & Bengtsson, Lars, 2017. "Unravelling appropriability mechanisms and openness depth effects on firm performance across stages in the innovation process," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 252-260.
    20. Chang Soo Sung & Joo Y. Park, 2018. "Sustainability Orientation and Entrepreneurship Orientation: Is There a Tradeoff Relationship between Them?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-14, February.
    21. repec:ucp:bkecon:9780226316529 is not listed on IDEAS
    22. Helena Santos-Rodrigues & Pedro Figueroa Dorrego & Carlos Mª. Fernandez-Jardon, 2011. "The main intellectual capital components that are relevant to the product, process and management firm innovativeness," International Journal of Transitions and Innovation Systems, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(3), pages 271-301.
    23. Sambasivan, Murali & Siew-Phaik, Loke & Abidin Mohamed, Zainal & Choy Leong, Yee, 2013. "Factors influencing strategic alliance outcomes in a manufacturing supply chain: Role of alliance motives, interdependence, asset specificity and relational capital," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(1), pages 339-351.
    24. Henry Kaiser, 1974. "An index of factorial simplicity," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 39(1), pages 31-36, March.
    25. Guowei Li & Zhe Luo & Muhammad Anwar & Yuqiu Lu & Xiantao Wang & Xuening Liu, 2020. "Intellectual capital and the efficiency of SMEs in the transition economy China; Do financial resources strengthen the routes?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-25, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhiqiang Cai & Wenjie Zhang, 2024. "Quantitative evidence of the community of shared future for mankind as a driver of sustainable development in human society," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Md. Sohel Rana & Syed Zabid Hossain, 2023. "Intellectual Capital, Firm Performance, and Sustainable Growth: A Study on DSE-Listed Nonfinancial Companies in Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-23, April.

    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. Yuqiu Lu & Guowei Li & Zhe Luo & Muhammad Anwar & Yunju Zhang, 2021. "Does Intellectual Capital Spur Sustainable Competitive Advantage and Sustainable Growth?: A Study of Chinese and Pakistani Firms," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440219, February.
    2. Omar Carrasco-Carvajal & Mauricio Castillo-Vergara & Domingo García-Pérez-de-Lema, 2023. "Measuring open innovation in SMEs: an overview of current research," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 397-442, February.
    3. Antonia Madrid-Guijarro & Dominique Philippe Martin & Domingo García-Pérez-de-Lema, 2021. "Capacity of open innovation activities in fostering product and process innovation in manufacturing SMEs," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(7), pages 2137-2164, October.
    4. Lu, Qinli & Chesbrough, Henry, 2022. "Measuring open innovation practices through topic modelling: Revisiting their impact on firm financial performance," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    5. Miloš Hitka & Alžbeta Kucharčíková & Peter Štarchoň & Žaneta Balážová & Michal Lukáč & Zdenko Stacho, 2019. "Knowledge and Human Capital as Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Human Resource Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-18, September.
    6. Rafał Prusak & Edyta Kardas, 2024. "The Analysis of Mutual Relations and Dependencies of Intellectual Capital Components in Polish Enterprises in the Context of Sustainability Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-28, September.
    7. Jacqueline Tsz Yin Lo & Calvin Kam, 2021. "Innovation Performance Indicators for Architecture, Engineering and Construction Organization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-25, August.
    8. Zhang, Jingjing & Groen, Aard, 2021. "Informal and formal open activities: Innovation protection methods as antecedents and innovation outputs as consequences," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    9. Zahoor, Nadia & Gabriel Pepple, Dennis & Choudrie, Jyoti, 2021. "Entrepreneurial competencies and alliance success: The role of external knowledge absorption and mutual trust," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 440-450.
    10. Schäper, Thomas & Jung, Christopher & Foege, Johann Nils & Bogers, Marcel L.A.M. & Fainshmidt, Stav & Nüesch, Stephan, 2023. "The S-shaped relationship between open innovation and financial performance: A longitudinal perspective using a novel text-based measure," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).
    11. Benny Lianto, 2023. "Identifying Key Assessment Factors for a Company’s Innovation Capability Based on Intellectual Capital: An Application of the Fuzzy Delphi Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-21, March.
    12. Wei‐Jr Juo & Chao‐Hung Wang, 2022. "Does green innovation mediate the relationship between green relational view and competitive advantage?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2456-2468, July.
    13. Scaliza, Janaina Aparecida Alves & Jugend, Daniel & Chiappetta Jabbour, Charbel Jose & Latan, Hengky & Armellini, Fabiano & Twigg, David & Andrade, Darly Fernando, 2022. "Relationships among organizational culture, open innovation, innovative ecosystems, and performance of firms: Evidence from an emerging economy context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 264-279.
    14. Carlos M. Jardon & Xavier Martínez-Cobas, 2019. "Leadership and Organizational Culture in the Sustainability of Subsistence Small Businesses: An Intellectual Capital Based View," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-16, June.
    15. Carmona-Lavado, Antonio & Cuevas-Rodríguez, Gloria & Cabello-Medina, Carmen & Fedriani, Eugenio M., 2021. "Does open innovation always work? The role of complementary assets," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    16. Liao, Zhongju & Chen, Jie & Chen, Xueli & Song, Malin, 2024. "Digital platform capability, environmental innovation quality, and firms’ competitive advantage: The moderating role of environmental uncertainty," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    17. Lujing Liu & Jiyue Zhang & Jian Xu & Yiqun Wang, 2022. "Intellectual Capital and Financial Performance of Chinese Manufacturing SMEs: An Analysis from the Perspective of Different Industry Types," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-17, August.
    18. José Vale & Rafaela Miranda & Graça Azevedo & Maria C. Tavares, 2022. "The Impact of Sustainable Intellectual Capital on Sustainable Performance: A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
    19. Elena Dinu, 2022. "Exploring the effect of intellectual capital management on innovativeness in an R&D institute," Nowoczesne Systemy Zarządzania. Modern Management Systems, Military University of Technology, Faculty of Security, Logistics and Management, Institute of Organization and Management, issue 4, pages 49-66.
    20. Madanaguli, Arun & Dhir, Amandeep & Talwar, Shalini & Clauss, Thomas & Kraus, Sascha & Kaur, Puneet, 2023. "Diving into the uncertainties of open innovation: A systematic review of risks to uncover pertinent typologies and unexplored horizons," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).

    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:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:2126-:d:1044597. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.