Title: The impact of structural capital on product innovation performance: an empirical analysis

Authors: Carlos Fernández-Jardón; Ricardo V. Costa; Pedro Figueroa Dorrego

Addresses: Departamento de Economia Aplicada, at Facultad de Ciencias Economicas y Empresariales, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Universitario Lagoas, Marcosende, 36200 Vigo, Spain ' ISMAI, Maia Institute of Higher Education, Research Unit UNICES, Av. Carlos Oliveira Campos – Castelo da Maia, 4475-690 Avioso S. Pedro, Portugal ' Departamento de Organización de Empresas y Marketing, at Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y de la Comunicación, Universidade de Vigo, Campus A Xunqueira, s/n, 36005 Pontevedra, Spain

Abstract: By conducting a questionnaire within a network of Portuguese innovative small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and by using a combination of multivariate techniques to determine constructs and relations, the authors build on the intellectual capital and new product development perspectives to empirically analyse the influence of structural capital on product innovation performance. The results indicate that structural capital does have a significant and positive relationship with product innovation performance at Portuguese innovative SMEs. However, not all structural capital elements that were considered for the purpose of this study reveal such significant impact. In fact, 'product innovation management and strategy' stands out as the only structural capital element that significantly affects product innovation performance at the innovative SMEs level.

Keywords: intellectual capital; structural capital; product innovation; new product development; NPD; innovative SMEs; small and medium-sized enterprises; Portugal; product performance; innovation performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKBD.2014.059799

International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development, 2014 Vol.5 No.1, pp.63 - 79

Received: 24 Jun 2012
Accepted: 31 May 2013
Published online: 21 Jun 2014 *

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