Metodologia para avaliar as empresas quanto ao seu grau de inovação

: estudo exploratório

Abstract

Globalization and strong competitiveness characterizing business environment, brought great pressure for companies to seek new ways to differentiate from their competitors. The constant search for new tools that allow organizations to identify and exploit new opportunities, and reconfigure and protect their knowledge, competences and technologies to achieve sustainable competitive advantage has fond its answer in a strategy focused on innovation. In line with this, new product development and innovation are in the very core of value creation. High innovativeness embedded in products, services and processes holds the potential for growth and profits. However, innovation capability of firms is dependent upon several factors and the lack of external financial support is one of the most difficult barriers organizations must overcome. According to that, many countries, including Portugal, have been developing policies to stimulate business Research, Development and Innovation, promoting cooperation and knowledge exchange. These policies include Incentive Programs like National Strategic Reference Framework and the 7th Framework Programme. The present study aims to develop a method capable of classifying organizations that apply to these programs, according to their innovative capacity, drawing on a system of indicators. This investigation assumes as theoretical framework systemic approaches about innovation in which, the innovation concept is defined as a non-linear linear, evolutionary, complex and interactive process, wherein relationships between the firm and its environment assume an important role. The system of indicators developed was supported by several sources of information identified in this study and also by a survey fulfilled in order to understand what the importance/influence of each indicator is identified, in the innovation capacity of a company. This work sought to have an innovative character in both the sample that was chosen to study, as the model that was developed to rank the companies.

Date of Award	6 Jul 2016
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Jorge Julião (Supervisor)