This study examines how perceived value of microfinance and exploratory innovation affect small and medium-sized enterprises(SME)performance in the context of a developing nation.Drawing on the strategic innovation an...This study examines how perceived value of microfinance and exploratory innovation affect small and medium-sized enterprises(SME)performance in the context of a developing nation.Drawing on the strategic innovation and microfinance literature,we hypothesize that(1)perceived value of microfinance affects exploratory innovation and SME performance,and(2)exploratory innovation serves as an effective mechanism through which microfinance enhances SME per-formance.We employ partial least squares structural equation modeling(PLS-SEM)to test our hypotheses.Using a sample of 581 Ghanaian SMEs with microfinance,the results of the PLS SEM support our hypotheses.We further conducted a qualitative analysis of comments provided by the SMEs(n=144)to gain a deeper understanding of exploratory innovation in developing econo-mies.Our findings show that SMEs purposefully attempt to strengthen their exploratory inno-vation in microfinance.We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings as well as future research avenues.展开更多
Efficient use of energy is an essential aspect of green building development.In order to achieve a more energy efficient society,innovation of solar photovoltaic(PV)technologies is a necessity.Collaboration between in...Efficient use of energy is an essential aspect of green building development.In order to achieve a more energy efficient society,innovation of solar photovoltaic(PV)technologies is a necessity.Collaboration between innovators is regarded as important for innovation;however,the existing literature has made few attempts to investigate how a collaboration network can affect technology innovation in the context of the solar PV sector.This study aims to fill this research gap.In this study,innovation activities are categorized as exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation.A conceptual framework and a series of hypotheses are proposed from the perspectives of network structure(including direct ties,indirect ties,and network efficiency)and network composition(such as geographical proximity,institutional proximity,and technological proximity).The empirical results show that in the solar PV sector of China,collaboration networks with different kinds of structure and composition can imply diverse effects on exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation.Followed with the derived results,it can be concluded that network collaboration is not always beneficial for PV technology innovation.The research findings could convey useful information to both practitioners and policy-makers to adopt appropriate strategies for promoting effective innovation collaboration.展开更多
In recent years,artificial intelligence(AI)has achieved tremendous development,akin to a significant leap,similar to progressing from 1 to 100.However,a significant gap still exists between current machine intelligenc...In recent years,artificial intelligence(AI)has achieved tremendous development,akin to a significant leap,similar to progressing from 1 to 100.However,a significant gap still exists between current machine intelligence and human wisdom:machine intelligence is constrained to post hoc inference based on existing data,lacking the ability for genuine exploratory innovation and possessing no prospective reasoning inherent to human wisdom.Drawing inspiration from human wisdom,this article presents conjectures for overcoming the four dilemmas faced by machine intelligence:neglect of silicon-based cognition,lack of artistry,pitfall of perfectionism,and obsession with uniformity.These conjectures aim to propel machine intelligence toward machine wisdom,achieving a great leap from 1 to i.展开更多
文摘This study examines how perceived value of microfinance and exploratory innovation affect small and medium-sized enterprises(SME)performance in the context of a developing nation.Drawing on the strategic innovation and microfinance literature,we hypothesize that(1)perceived value of microfinance affects exploratory innovation and SME performance,and(2)exploratory innovation serves as an effective mechanism through which microfinance enhances SME per-formance.We employ partial least squares structural equation modeling(PLS-SEM)to test our hypotheses.Using a sample of 581 Ghanaian SMEs with microfinance,the results of the PLS SEM support our hypotheses.We further conducted a qualitative analysis of comments provided by the SMEs(n=144)to gain a deeper understanding of exploratory innovation in developing econo-mies.Our findings show that SMEs purposefully attempt to strengthen their exploratory inno-vation in microfinance.We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings as well as future research avenues.
基金supported by the Humanities and Social Sciences Grant,Ministry of Education(Grant No.17YJCZH191)Research Start-up Funding in Shenzhen(Grant No.000376).
文摘Efficient use of energy is an essential aspect of green building development.In order to achieve a more energy efficient society,innovation of solar photovoltaic(PV)technologies is a necessity.Collaboration between innovators is regarded as important for innovation;however,the existing literature has made few attempts to investigate how a collaboration network can affect technology innovation in the context of the solar PV sector.This study aims to fill this research gap.In this study,innovation activities are categorized as exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation.A conceptual framework and a series of hypotheses are proposed from the perspectives of network structure(including direct ties,indirect ties,and network efficiency)and network composition(such as geographical proximity,institutional proximity,and technological proximity).The empirical results show that in the solar PV sector of China,collaboration networks with different kinds of structure and composition can imply diverse effects on exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation.Followed with the derived results,it can be concluded that network collaboration is not always beneficial for PV technology innovation.The research findings could convey useful information to both practitioners and policy-makers to adopt appropriate strategies for promoting effective innovation collaboration.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC72421002,72025405,and 62206303)+2 种基金the Science and Technology Innovation Program of Hunan Province(2023RC3009)the Science and Technology Project for Young andMiddle-aged Talents of Hunan(2023TJ-Z03)the Scientific Project ofNUDT(23-ZZCX-JDZ-28 and JS24-05).
文摘In recent years,artificial intelligence(AI)has achieved tremendous development,akin to a significant leap,similar to progressing from 1 to 100.However,a significant gap still exists between current machine intelligence and human wisdom:machine intelligence is constrained to post hoc inference based on existing data,lacking the ability for genuine exploratory innovation and possessing no prospective reasoning inherent to human wisdom.Drawing inspiration from human wisdom,this article presents conjectures for overcoming the four dilemmas faced by machine intelligence:neglect of silicon-based cognition,lack of artistry,pitfall of perfectionism,and obsession with uniformity.These conjectures aim to propel machine intelligence toward machine wisdom,achieving a great leap from 1 to i.
