Title: Investigating the effects of managerial and technological innovations on operational performance and customer satisfaction of manufacturing companies

Authors: Ayman Bahjat Abdallah; Anh Chi Phan; Yoshiki Matsui

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Applied Science University, P.O. Box 166, Amman 11931, Jordan ' Faculty of Business Administration, University of Economics and Business – Vietnam National University, Hanoi 301, E4, 144 Xuan Thuy, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam ' Department of Business Administration, Faculty of International Social Sciences, Yokohama National University, 79-4 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan

Abstract: This study constructs multi-item scales to measure key components of managerial and technological innovations and examines their impact on operational performance. It also examines the direct effects of managerial and technological innovations on customer satisfaction as well as the indirect effects through operational performance. Data were collected from 214 manufacturing plants in the machinery, electrical and electronics and automobile industries in seven countries - Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea and the USA. We find that managerial innovation significantly and positively affects overall operational performance, quality performance, delivery performance, and flexibility performance. The results show that technological innovation significantly and positively affects overall operational performance, cost performance, delivery performance, flexibility performance, and innovative performance. We also find that both types of innovation have a direct effect and an indirect effect through operational performance on customer satisfaction.

Keywords: managerial innovation; technological innovation; operational performance; innovative performance; customer satisfaction; empirical research; manufacturing industry; machinery industry; electrical and electronics industry; automobile industry; Austria, Finland; Germany; Italy, Japan; Korea; United States; USA; cost performance; delivery performance; flexibility performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2016.074824

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2016 Vol.10 No.2/3, pp.153 - 183

Published online: 21 Feb 2016 *

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