Title: Interorganisational information acquisition in an innovative SME network: innovation and information types

Authors: Esther Lage; Bráulio Alturas; Raul M.S. Laureano; Adriana L. Fernandes

Addresses: Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal ' Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal ' Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal ' Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal

Abstract: Information and innovation have been increasingly recognised as sources for firms' competitive advantage. One of the ways firms have acquired these resources is through cooperative relationships, such as networks. This research proposes a conceptual model of antecedents and consequences of the volume of relevant information acquisition and innovation generation in the context of a Portuguese Innovative SME Network. This is an exploratory-descriptive study, conducted through a survey of 60 SMEs (34.9% of the population). The results showed that for most firms, the participation on the network does not contribute to the acquisition of relevant information from other firms.

Keywords: information acquisition; interorganisational relationships; innovative network; SME; innovation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2021.119806

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2021 Vol.26 No.4, pp.443 - 466

Received: 22 Feb 2019
Accepted: 22 Dec 2019
Published online: 21 Dec 2021 *

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