In this paper, we report on the results of a large-scale study about typical front-end-related innovation practices in 553 Japanese mechanical and electrical engineering companies. We explore typical activities concerning the generation and assessment of new product ideas, the reduction of...

As a consequence of the demographic change, the workforce is aging and shrinking at the same time. Based on the resource-based view of the firm, we discuss implications for innovation and human resource management in SMEs. A review of the literature and empirical studies show that a shortage of...