Open Innovation Strategies Applied by SMEs from Mexican Software Clusters. A Multiple Case Study Analysis

Master's Thesis from the year 2018 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 82,0, Sheffield Hallam University, language: English, abstract: The centrepiece of this dissertation consists of the answer to the question of how SMEs from the Mexican software industry take advantage of both local and external sources for knowledge exchange in order to promote the own innovation activities. The corresponding insights counteract some inconsistencies regarding the mainstream research on open innovation activities, which were spotted during the literature review and specifically refer to the niche existence of SMEs and knowledge-driven clusters from emerging economies of Latin America and a major lack of a holistic perspective on the local situation and context. In structural terms, it is worth mentioning that the golden thread of this dissertation follows a specific structure, starting with a literature review as the basis for the research question and the propositions. Then, the track of thoughts is continued with the explanation of a justified methodological idea, the documentation of the results, the analysis of the collected data and the discussion of the analysis' contribution to the current state of knowledge. The lessons learned from this case study and suggestions for future research form the closing element of this document. For a thorough coverage of this research gap, the author deployed a methodological construct consisting of a multiple case study strategy, mixed with an interpretivist philosophy and a predominantly inductive approach. Additionally, he resorted to a qualitative mono method featuring semi-structured interviews with open questions, realized within a cross-sectional time horizon between the middle of February and the middle of March. The target group comprised the CEOs of three software SMEs from the clusters of Mexico City and Monterrey, who voluntarily participated in said interviews after having agree to the sent e-mail requests. Although the results underwent a triangulation and the conclusions may sound plausible, they still require an extensive reconfirmation in the given context, what might be attained via a series of additional inductive and qualitative multiple case studies covering more SMEs from several Mexican software clusters. A transition towards more deductive, longitudinal and quantitative studies would be only sensible if the previously mentioned kind of studies led to a basis reflecting the situation of these SMEs unambiguously.

As a future-driven individual, Axel Capalbo's dedication to combining conventional methods of strategic business management with modern approaches in innovation management began during his academic career at the FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, the National University of Colombia and the Sheffield Hallam Business School. Throughout this period, his regular confrontation with intricate contemporary challenges resulted in a strengthened multidimensional perspective and analytical astuteness in pursuit of developing precise solution scenarios in the context of consulting. During the elaboration of case-specific concepts, these competencies were complemented with an interdisciplinary, multilingual communication in English, German and Spanish. Following his graduation, Axel Capalbo commenced his professional path in the software consultancy sector with a high degree of ambition and the sheer affinity towards learning continuously from business luminaries. He is actively applying the aforementioned skill set to this day with the purpose of organising, coordinating, implementing and supporting digitalisation projects for renowned clients across several key sectors such as insurances, banking and mass media.