Amir Zakery
@iust.ac.ir
Management Economics and Progress Engineering Department
Iran University of Science and Technology
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Business and International Management, Management of Technology and Innovation, Strategy and Management
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Mohsen Ghaffari, Alireza Aliahmadi, Abolfazl Khalkhali, Amir Zakery, Tugrul U. Daim, and Haydar Yalcin
Elsevier BV
Javad Mashayekh and Amir Zakery
Informa UK Limited
Mohammad Javad Asgari, Amir Zakery, and Mir Saman Pishvaee
Emerald
PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the impact of the factors affecting open innovation (OI) intensity, in terms of three components of cooperative innovation, resource search and external research and development (R&D), as well as the impact of OI intensity on commercialization performance in small and medium-sized enterprises.Design/methodology/approachThe data obtained from the distributed questionnaire among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT) in Iran, was analyzed using inferential and parametric statistics to examine the research hypotheses. In this analysis, structural equation tests were used to confirm or reject the research hypotheses using Smart PLS software.FindingsThe results indicate that all three OI components influence commercialization in technology-based firms of ISTT, while the most important one is cooperative innovation. Among the factors affecting OI components, innovative incentives are the most effective one that increases both external R&D and cooperative innovation. Facilitators and limitations of open innovation are also affecting OI intensity, with lower priorities.Practical implicationsScience park managers and policymakers should lay the ground for enhancing the cooperation intensity among firms. Cooperation intensity is the most effective open innovation component to improve commercialization performance.Originality/valueOpen innovation antecedents and its consequence on commercialization performance have been investigated for the same time in SMEs of a science park.
Amir Zakery and Mohammad Sadegh Saremi
Emerald
PurposeInternational businesses play a significant role in the growth, innovation and survival of technology-based firms (TBFs). Creating new opportunities in international markets, using communication networks and confronting constraints on available resources have distinguished the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and intensified the importance of knowledge acquisition and continuous learning. This study aimed to (1) configure (the types and sources of) and (2) measure the internationalization knowledge of TBFs, by focusing on a knowledge-intensive part of the health industry in an emerging country: Iranian advanced medical equipment companies.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, a qualitative approach was adopted to interview the leaders of eight TBFs exporting medical equipment. Obtained data were investigated using content analysis.FindingsAccording to the content analysis results for configuration, technological knowledge and market knowledge were mainly obtained through direct experience and vicarious learning; however, internationalization knowledge is not so established as the third major knowledge area to integrate technological with market knowledge in line with corporate strategies of an internationalizing firm. For measurement of knowledge assets of internationalizing firms as a prerequisite for continuous improvement, several intellectual capital indices were extracted, including human, structural and relational capital.Originality/valueThis research complements existing literature in internationalization knowledge configuration via deploying an "Intellectual capital" perspective. It could enhance efforts for improving the learning of internationalizing SMEs, especially in the developing countries.
Ali Sarkeshikian, Mohhamadali Shafia, Amir Zakery, and Alireza Aliahmadi
Emerald
PurposeIn the organizational technology acceptance (TA) decision-making process, stakeholders have many divergence opinions. Sometimes, an opposing stakeholder of a decision can stop the whole process of decision-making. In such a case, consensus may take a long time followed by a high risk. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, to find the best model with the least prediction error for the simulation of the consensus process in TA decisions. Second, to investigate the time required for the consensus process to yield the TA decision in different scenarios and to propose solutions to reduce the required time in a case study.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses real-world data containing 1,186 actual observations. Stakeholders are decision-maker agents, and the observations are derived from survey data and used for simulation. Data were obtained from 126 experts in the Iranian rail freight industry. Opinion dynamics theory was used for agent-based simulation of stakeholders’ behavior. The agents interacted over time and their effects on other agents’ opinions were investigated.FindingsThe results illustrate an appropriate opinion changing model, a data-gathering method and a simulation scenario for TA consensus. The suitable model was selected after examining the advantages and disadvantages of and comparing the prediction results for different models with the real database of opinions. To reduce the consensus process time, the results suggest gathering the team members and networking with some leaders as advocators. A large number of advocators with high acceptability and continuous exchanging messages with other agents can improve the acceptance rate and have the most significant impact on other stakeholders’ opinions.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, previous studies simulate individual TA processes. However, there is a difference between the individual TA and the organizational TA. The organizational TA requires the simultaneous decision-making of different stakeholders. In this research, the organizational TA was investigated.
Ali Sarkeshikian, Amir Zakery, Mohammad Ali Shafia, and Alireza Aliahmadi
Emerald
Purpose Much research has been conducted on technology acceptance (TA), which is mainly about the acceptance by one user. As more than one person should be involved in business-to-business TA decision-making, it is suggested that different processes for making a consensus among different stakeholders should be considered. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a model for essential activities and characteristics of advocators for accelerating the stakeholders’ consensus in the technology acceptance (SCTA). Design/methodology/approach The conceptual model of this research is presented using a thematic analysis of the interviews with the relevant experts and existing literature. Furthermore, the structural equation model was applied for analyzing empirically how advocators’ characteristics and activities affect consensus. In total, 248 respondents completed the questionnaires. Experts’ opinions, Krippendorff’s alpha index, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and goodness of fit indices were applied to verify the reliability of the results. Findings Results show that “being leader” and “being influential” are two main characteristics for the advocators’ team that significantly affect SCTA. Reducing perceived “risk” for each stakeholder, developing a “common understanding” among them and demonstrating “resource readiness” are also the main tasks of advocators leading to SCTA. Originality/value The role of advocators in SCTA has been neglected. The main contribution of this study is identifying the required advocators’ activities and characteristics for achieving SCTA.
Amir-Mohsen Karimi-Majd, Masoud Mahootchi, and Amir Zakery
Elsevier BV
Amir Zakery and Abbas Afrazeh
Informa UK Limited
Amir Zakery, Abbas Afrazeh, and John Dumay
Emerald
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to shed light on improving value creation from intellectual capital (IC) through reducing causal ambiguity and finding effective IC interventions. Design/methodology/approach First, several guiding rules demonstrating the contribution of system dynamics (SD) to the field of IC management are introduced. Second, evidence for modelling resource dynamics is provided across a knowledge-based industry, insurance. Third, a management problem of an insurance company is modelled and then simulated using SD tools to monitor and improve the alignment of key resources with the firm’s market growth strategy. Findings The modelling and further simulation practice demonstrated the advantages of applying SD for analysing resource management problems to identify the critical IC components, intervention points and decision rules that may stimulate value-creating loops. Specifically for the case of an insurance company’s failure in market growth, it led to recognising the critical role of agency sales productivity as a key component of company’s relational capital and the intellectual liabilities that can lead to value destruction. Originality/value Reducing causal ambiguity in IC value creation through modelling and simulating firm resource dynamics is the main contribution of this paper. It enables finding the best intervention points for developing IC-based initiatives to stimulate value-creation mechanisms, as well identifying possible points of value destruction.
Amir Zakery and Abbas Afrazeh
Emerald
Purpose– Intangible resources are the most distinctive firms’ assets in competitive environments especially in service businesses. Insurance firms seeking more efficient performance than competitors should improve their intellectual capital (IC) strategies in both aspects of IC creation and utilization. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and improves IC participation in insurance firms’ efficiency.Design/methodology/approach– A two-phase framework: “explaining IC role in efficiency” and “measuring efficiencies of IC creation and application” is developed in order to find IC strategies increasing firms’ efficiency and though competitiveness. Efficiency is measured using data envelopment analysis and the generalized estimating equations is used as the regression method in order to explain efficiency with IC measures.Findings– Empirical results in Iran insurance sector (during a seven-year period for 17 Iranian insurers) show some IC components influence firms’ efficiency and could be intervention points for performance improvement. Then the firms are categorized into four zones in terms of IC efficiency and strategies are recognized for each category.Research limitations/implications– Although the research is initiated by the need to embed intangible resources in performance improvement in insurance sector, the research framework could be strongly applied in other knowledge-based industries.Originality/value– This paper embeds an innovative link between classic efficiency and IC which aligns resource management with competitiveness strategies.
Amir Zakery
Elsevier
Amir Zakery
Elsevier