Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: To analyze how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) coordinate collaborative research and development (R&D) projects through an open innovation strategy. Originality/value: This research was motivated by a theoretical gap in the management of collaborative R&D projects in open innovation strategies. The originality of the paper is to advance the understanding of coordination mechanisms that SMEs can use to manage open innovation and obtain more effective results. Design/methodology/approach: The research followed a qualitative approach, through three case studies of collaborative projects. Data were collected by means of in-depth interviews with eleven managers directly involved in collaborative R&D projects. Findings: Results demonstrate that the use of coordination mechanisms depends on the applicability of each project’s results, i.e., the higher the chances of a certain R&D project becoming a real product, the higher the importance given to the coordination mechanisms. On the cases observed, the coordination mechanisms were defined by the enterprise, not by external partners. In addition, it was observed that open innovation projects that the enterprise seeks for external knowledge to complement internal resources (outside-in) were considered more important than transferring internal knowledge to external partners (inside-out). The paper contributes to organizational theory by highlighting the relation between the characteristics of collaborative R&D projects and the coordination mechanisms used. Regarding the managerial contribution, results serve as a guide for entrepreneurs and managers of SMEs interested in coordinating collaborative projects based on open innovation processes.

Abstract

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate Second Generation Ethanol’s (SGE) production cycle in order to understand the level of SGE’s technological intensity in the integrated cycle. The suggested methodology comprises of a review of literature surrounding the requirements and indexes of technological intensity. A wide selection of database and review of specialized literature have been described to demonstrate the proposed discussion and conclusions. It has been observed that SGE puts forward a higher level of technological intensity in relation to First Generation Ethanol (FGE).

Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to better understand the role that leadership plays in the success of Lean management (LM) implementation, by trying to identify what is the impact of the transactional, transformational, directive and empowering leadership styles on the success of such an implementation in Portuguese companies, and what are the most important leaders' attributes. Design/methodology/approach An on-line questionnaire was distributed to 65 manufacturing and services Portuguese organizations that have implemented LM. Findings The results suggest that the empowering leadership style has a positive impact on the success of LM implementation. Even though results do not allow concluding about the impact of the other styles, several leader's attributes were identified as having influence: individualized consideration, information sharing, skill development, intellectual stimulation, assigned goals and self-directed decision making. Originality/value Very few studies have addressed the role of leadership in the success of adopting LM and, to the best knowledge, only one paper studied the critical attributes of leaders in LM implementation. Moreover, the present study focuses in Portugal, country where this topic has rarely been investigated.

Abstract

Abstract
Innovation is recognised as an important source of competitive advantage by both academics and managers. Nowadays, supply chain partners play a crucial part in driving many aspects of innovation, from the definition of the product concept to the launch to the market. This chapter analyzes how the relationship between supply chain management and the innovation process is addressed in the literature and discuss ways to improve the performance by means of this relationship. A bibliometric analysis—including citation and co-citation analysis—is carried out to study the intellectual structure of the topic. In the end, four literature clusters were identified, and their characteristics are discussed. © 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.