Study on Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Independent Innovation Pattern

Study on Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Independent
Innovation Pattern
ZHENG Zuting1, ZHANG Ying2
1 School of Economics and Management, Hebei Polytechnic University, P.R.China, 063000
2 School of Resources and Environment, Hebei Polytechnic University, P.R.China, 063000
[email protected]
Abstract: For small and medium-sized enterprises the independent innovation is the effective measures
to face the financial crisis, is the essential choice to survive and develop, and is the necessary way to
realize the sustainable development. This article considers the small and medium-sized enterprises
practical development; constructs the small and medium-sized enterprises independent innovation
pattern; points out that the small and medium-sized enterprises should develop independent innovation
on the basis of imitation innovation and cooperation, enhance innovation consciousness, focus on
elements input of capital and talents, operate the five innovation centering the core technology
innovation; and proposes the security measures to realize the small and medium-sized enterprises
independent innovation pattern.
Keywords: small and medium-sized enterprises; independent innovation pattern; construction; security
measures.
1 Introduction
Small and medium-sized enterprises generally refer to the enterprises which is small-scaled or at the
preliminary development stage. The small and medium-sized enterprises in our country have the
following distinguish characteristics: large quantity, various investment subjects, and feasible operation
methods. They play a very important role in the national and regional economy. In recent years, with the
support of national policy, the small and medium-sized enterprises have developed rapidly and have
become the strong power to stimulate economic growth, create employment, promote technical
innovation and enlarge market supply.
The current financial crisis has resulted in fierce competition in the market, which makes it more
difficult for the small and medium-sized enterprises to survive and develop in the market. The
independent innovation is the only way for the small and medium-sized enterprises to control their own
development fate, to face the current financial crisis, and to realize the sustainable development. But the
independent innovation of small and medium-sized enterprises also has some problems and limiting
factors. Most enterprises lack independent innovation consciousness and scientific management system,
generally have weak conditions of the talent, the technology and the capital, and suffer from the low
efficient executive power of the relevant policies and regulations of the state.
Scholars both at home and abroad have studied the enterprise's technical innovation and independent
innovation on different levels, but most research only focus on the study on the policy-making of
promoting independent innovation, few research has concentrated on the study on the small and
medium-sized enterprise independent innovation pattern. The small and medium-sized enterprise
independent innovation pattern proposed in the article is of great significance to the development of the
small and medium-sized enterprises independent innovation both in theory and in practice.
2 Construction of Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Independent Innovation
Pattern
Independent innovation refers to the process of grasping the unique core technology of independent
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intellectual property rights and the process of realizing new product value based on the core technology.
The existing research tends to identify the independent innovation with owning core technology, but
neglect new product value realization process. According the practical development of small and
medium-sized enterprises in China based on the connotation of independent innovation and technology
innovation mode, this article proposes the small and medium-sized enterprise independent innovation
pattern. The pattern includes three levels, they are: independent innovation based on imitation
innovation and cooperation innovation,
independent innovation focusing on innovation
consciousness and elements input
five innovations centering on core technology innovation, as
shown in Figure 1
Ⅲ
Ⅰ
Ⅱ
2.1 Independent innovation based on imitation innovation and cooperation innovation
At present, small and medium-sized enterprises in China have the problems of smaller size, weak
anti-risk ability, limited innovation fund, weak research and development ability, and lack of intellectual
property protection. They are difficult to realize both innovation input and profit maximization. And it is
not practical for them to operate independent innovation directly. According to the real conditions, the
small and medium sized enterprises in our country should operate independent innovation based on
imitation innovation and cooperation innovation [1].
Imitation innovation is the most effective way for the small and medium-sized enterprises to catch up
with the world advanced technology at the least cost and the most rapid speed, and it’s the necessary
way to realize the independent innovation. The small and medium-sized enterprises may continue to
introduce advanced technology from the foreign countries at the appropriate time and operate the
independent innovation on the basis of the digestion and absorption of the introduced technology.
Cooperation innovation may improve the resource structure, spread and reduce the risk, shorten
innovation cycle, enlarge innovation space, reduce ineffective investment and trade cost, and improve
the efficiency and benefit. The small and medium-sized enterprises may develop the vertical cooperation
with the science research institution and the colleges and speed up the industrialization of the science
and technology achievement conversion by the close combination of production, teaching and research;
may develop the lateral cooperation with the same scale enterprises to invest together in establishing
research center, to assume risk and gain benefit together.
Cooperation innovation can further improve the technology innovation ability and accumulate technical
knowledge and experience for the independent innovation. Independent innovation is the ultimate goal
of the enterprise development; imitation innovation and cooperation innovation just serve as effective
support. In the process of technology innovation, the small and medium-sized enterprises continue to
accumulate technical knowledge and experience by technology introduction, imitation and cooperation
innovation, to increase the investment on innovation gradually, to attract and introduce technical talents,
to improve the independent research and development ability, to add to the numbers of the independent
technology products, to realize the independent innovation eventually.
2.2 Independent innovation focusing on innovation consciousness and elements input
The lack of innovation consciousness is the main limiting factor for the small and medium-sized
enterprises to realize independent innovation. The basic reason is that the entrepreneur is lack of
long-term vision and long-term strategic plan. Independent innovation must rely on the entrepreneur.
The enterprise independent innovation consciousness comes from the entrepreneur’s independent
innovation consciousness. So we may strengthen the entrepreneur’s independent innovation
consciousness, orient the entrepreneur to consider enterprise survival and development in long-term
vision [2], to realize the innovation elements combination, to influence and drive the technical talents in
studying the technology and solving the technical problem with higher passion and greater willpower,
and to create the “pioneering and innovative” enterprise culture and the “all hands to the pumps”
innovation atmosphere.
Capital and talent are the most basic input elements of the small and medium-sized enterprises
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independent innovation. The independent innovation requires sustainable and large amount of
investment, and experiences long life cycle. So the government should find various financing channels
to solve the capital difficulties of small and medium-sized enterprises. The enterprises may extract
innovation fund from the profit unceasingly on the basis of normal operation, make full use of national
supporting fiscal and tax policy, try to attain the national fiscal supporting funds, grasp national financial
support policies on enterprise innovation and the supporting policies on the capital market construction,
and broaden the innovation fund source channels.
Talent is the core of independent innovation. Only with the core innovation talents, the enterprise can
effectively develop independent innovation. Enterprises should further establish and perfect effective
interest-distribution mechanism, combine independent innovation and distribution system, stimulate the
enthusiasm and creativity of technical talents continuously, strengthen internal training, fully excavate
internal human capital, update enterprise employees’ knowledge, and take independent innovation
activities in daily production process. The government should encourage the enterprises to take the ways
of stock and option distribution to attract, encourage and use technical and management talents with
entrepreneurial capability.
2.3 Five innovations centering on core technology innovation
Five innovations refer to the core technology innovation, research and development innovation,
production innovation, management innovation and marketing innovation, among which the core
technology innovation is the core, the rest are the auxiliary. The core technology innovation is the key of
independent innovation; it means the enterprises attain the ownership of the core technology, relying on
their own strength, through their own independent research and development activities; its achievements
are the new scientific discoveries and the technology ownership of independent intellectual property
rights [3]. The research and development innovation means reforming research methods and ways,
researching and developing new products and new technology. The production innovation means the
innovation in the production process in order to convert the research achievements to the batch of
products in accordance with the design requirements. The management innovation means that the
enterprises implement scientific management, arrange and organize independent innovation in an overall
strategy. The marketing innovation means the innovation in the new product advertising and promotion
process, including market survey and research, new product market development.
Five innovations centering on core technology innovation reflects the entire process of small and
medium-sized enterprises independent innovation. Through continuously improving research
organization ability and researchers R&D ability, enterprise innovate the research and development to
research and develop new technology; innovate the production process to convert the new technology
into products; innovate management to improve the management efficiency in each link to adapt to new
technology and new product production; innovate marketing methods to carry out effective marketing
strategy aiming at target market according to the characteristics of the new product and new technology.
Above all, the five innovations show the entire innovation process from researching core technology to
realizing the technology commercialization.
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elements input
management innovation
core technology innovation
R & D innovation
innovation consciousness
independent innovation
production innovation
entrepreneur
cooperation innovation
Figure 1 The small and medium-sized enterprise independent innovation pattern
marketing innovation
talent
capital
imitation innovation
small and medium-sized enterprises
Ⅲ
Ⅱ
Ⅰ
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3 Security Measures of Realizing Small and Medium-sized Independent
Innovation Pattern
3.1 To perfect the related policy, law and regulation and to provide system support to independent
innovation
The government should take related measures to support the small and medium-sized enterprises
independent innovation, including direct subsidy, tax policy, credit policy, government procurement,
industrial policies, coordination function, risk investment, infrastructure services; should formulate
concrete preferential policies to support small and medium-sized enterprises independent innovation,
such as special loans, interest loans, financial guarantee, the tax etc [4]; and should concern the
implementation of the related policy in detail. And the government should perfect financial policies,
establish and perfect the mechanism of business-starting investment, meet the financial requirements of
small and medium-sized enterprises, promote financial institutions to support technology innovation of
small and medium-sized enterprises; should encourage the corresponding financial institutions to
provide loans to promote technological progress, improve the financial services to small and
medium-sized enterprises technology innovation, encourage the banks and the small and medium-sized
enterprises with good capital integrity to establish stable cooperation relationship, and to improve
commercial bank's financial services to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Perfect the legal system of intellectual property rights. The greatest value of independent innovation is
the formation of intellectual property. So the perfect system of intellectual property rights is very
necessary to promote the development of independent innovation. Firstly, the government should
establish forward-looking, flexible and open intellectual property system, and make it adapt to changing
needs; Secondly because different intellectual products have different protection requirements on
intellectual property, the government should establish patents and copyrights of different standards and
types according to the different requirements of industries, intellectual products; should formulate all
kinds of corresponding application fees, examination system, protection degree and time; should arrange
extensive intellectual achievement exhibition, conference and seminar to provide more transformation
ways.
3.2 To optimize the innovation environment and to provide environmental support for
independent innovation
The government should take effective measures to provide small and medium-sized enterprises with fair
market competition environment. In the creation of the fair competitive environment, the government
should not be passive but play a positive role. In fact, whether America or Europe developed countries
all take various measures to support business development and to create good market competition
environment, such as intellectual property protection, the technical standards and import quotas and
anti-dumping measures [5]. At present, China’s enterprises are smaller-sized mostly and weak in
participation in global market competition. It demands that the governments at all levels and the relevant
departments should take effective measures to create a fair development environment to support its
innovation and development. Small and medium-sized enterprises management departments at various
levels may orient service institutions to perfect small and medium-sized enterprise talents service system,
help to solve the practical problems such as technical talent introduction and title assess in small and
medium-sized enterprises, make the technical talents in small and medium-sized enterprises enjoy the
equal treatments in professional qualification assessment, and the selection, the awards, the training and
cultivation of technical talents.
3.3 To perfect independent innovation service system and to provide service guarantee for
independent innovation
The government should establish public technical support platforms; according to the industry
characteristics of regional small and medium-sized enterprises, orient and encourage small and
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medium-sized enterprises to change development mode, to break the “small and all-inclusive”
development mode, to advocate distributed cooperation; should establish public technical support
platforms to serve small and medium-sized enterprises mainly in the relatively concentrated industrial
cluster regions of small and medium-sized enterprises or in the regions with industrial advantages;
should encourage enterprises and social aspects to actively participate in the public technology platform
construction of small and medium-sized enterprises; should cultivate technical service agencies,
encourage technical service agencies, industry associations and technical service company to provide
services including the information service, the design, the research and development, common features
technology transfer, technical talents training, etc; should promote scientific research achievements
conversion, especially the commercialization and industrialization of scientific research achievements
with independent intellectual property rights.
The income from the Units and individuals’ engagement in technical transfer, technical development
business, related technical consultation and technical service can enjoy the preferential tax policy
according to the national current policy regulations. The relevant departments of the state shall study to
formulate the policies of supporting technical service agencies development, increase the support to the
technical service agencies. All levels of small and medium-sized enterprises management departments
should strengthen technology information service; perfect the information service network; improve the
basic condition of the small and medium-sized enterprises information construction; optimize the
technology resources allocation; promote the technical exchange and cooperation among the small and
medium-sized enterprises, the small and medium-sized enterprises, universities and research institutions,
the small and medium-sized enterprises and big business; gradually establish service system combining
organically online information technology, technology consultation and off-line specialization technical
service to improve the instant effectiveness of technical service.
4 Conclusion
For small and medium-sized enterprises the independent innovation is the effective measures to face the
financial crisis, is the essential choice to survive and develop, and is the necessary way to realize the
sustainable development. The small and medium-sized enterprises should develop independent
innovation on the basis of imitation innovation and cooperation, enhance innovation consciousness,
focus on elements input of capital and talents, operate the five innovation centering the core technology
innovation, realize the entire independent innovation process from the core technology research to the
new product’s commercialization.
References
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