Ana Isabel Jiménez-Zarco

Bio: Ana Isabel Jiménez-Zarco is an academic researcher from Open University of Catalonia. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social media & Telemedicine. The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 75 publications receiving 1167 citations. Previous affiliations of Ana Isabel Jiménez-Zarco include University of León & Open University.

Drivers, Benefits and Challenges of ICT adoption by small and medium sized en-terprises (SMEs): A Literature Review

Abstract: In the knowledge society, firms need to develop competitive advantages based on an adequate and intensive use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), which is an essential ele- ment of success in today's market. This fact is especially relevant for small and medium sized en- terprises (SMEs), whose survival depends, among other factors, on the use they make of ICTs to develop new organizational models, compete in new markets or enhance their internal and external communication relationships. Given the relevance of this topic, the present work studies the impact of the adoption of ICT among SMEs. To do this, we first analyze the current situation of the use of ICT among SMEs in order to show their increasing penetration into the business environment. Then, we study the ob- jectives as well as the main challenges behind the adoption of ICT among SMEs. Later, we ana- lyse the entrepreneur as well as the innovation orientation as key factors in the ICT adoption proc- ess. Finally, we conclude by reviewing the main benefits that ICT can bring to certain areas of SMEs.

ICT use in marketing as innovation success factor

Abstract: Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the role that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) plays in the processes of product innovation and marketing – as an element that strengthens the cooperation and communication among agents within the innovation project, reducing the obstacles to innovation and enhancing the development of differentiated products as well.Design/methodology/approach – The study of a sample of 2,038 companies from all sectors of economic activity in Catalonia allows the contrast of initial hypotheses and establishes a profile of an innovative company based on the significant relationships that exist between innovation and ICT use in marketing and cooperation.Findings – Two ideas stand out from the analysis. First, intensive ICT use in marketing makes the company more innovative, as it perceives that its usage breaks down barriers to innovation and speeds up processes that in turn become more efficient. Second, increasing ICT use in marketing encourages company predisposition...

The knowledge-creating company

Abstract: How have Japanese companies become world leaders in the automotive and electronics industries, among others? What is the secret of their success? Two leading Japanese business experts, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi, are the first to tie the success of Japanese companies to their ability to create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. In The Knowledge-Creating Company, Nonaka and Takeuchi provide an inside look at how Japanese companies go about creating this new knowledge organizationally. The authors point out that there are two types of knowledge: explicit knowledge, contained in manuals and procedures, and tacit knowledge, learned only by experience, and communicated only indirectly, through metaphor and analogy. U.S. managers focus on explicit knowledge. The Japanese, on the other hand, focus on tacit knowledge. And this, the authors argue, is the key to their success--the Japanese have learned how to transform tacit into explicit knowledge. To explain how this is done--and illuminate Japanese business practices as they do so--the authors range from Greek philosophy to Zen Buddhism, from classical economists to modern management gurus, illustrating the theory of organizational knowledge creation with case studies drawn from such firms as Honda, Canon, Matsushita, NEC, Nissan, 3M, GE, and even the U.S. Marines. For instance, using Matsushita's development of the Home Bakery (the world's first fully automated bread-baking machine for home use), they show how tacit knowledge can be converted to explicit knowledge: when the designers couldn't perfect the dough kneading mechanism, a software programmer apprenticed herself withthe master baker at Osaka International Hotel, gained a tacit understanding of kneading, and then conveyed this information to the engineers. In addition, the authors show that, to create knowledge, the best management style is neither top-down nor bottom-up, but rather what they call "middle-up-down," in which the middle managers form a bridge between the ideals of top management and the chaotic realities of the frontline. As we make the turn into the 21st century, a new society is emerging. Peter Drucker calls it the "knowledge society," one that is drastically different from the "industrial society," and one in which acquiring and applying knowledge will become key competitive factors. Nonaka and Takeuchi go a step further, arguing that creating knowledge will become the key to sustaining a competitive advantage in the future. Because the competitive environment and customer preferences changes constantly, knowledge perishes quickly. With The Knowledge-Creating Company, managers have at their fingertips years of insight from Japanese firms that reveal how to create knowledge continuously, and how to exploit it to make successful new products, services, and systems.

On relationship marketing

Abstract: Relationship marketing is the development and outbreak of the combined theory of the traditional marketing,and it is a new idea.It puts more emphasis on the long-term and satisfying relation between enterprises and customers.and its success relies on some conditions.Its application in China has its own characteristics.