Firms have to keep innovating if they want maintain competitive advantage; hence, this study investigates the innovation activities in Nigerian firms considering role Nigeria plays African economy. Specifically, objectives of are (1) determine factors that affect firms’ innovative and (2) evaluate impact decision on performance or product firms. 2014 Enterprise survey data conducted by World Ba...

The objective of this study is to analyze the different role that efficacy beliefs play in the prediction of learning, innovative and risky performances. We hypothesize that high levels of efficacy beliefs in learning and innovative performances have positive consequences (i.e., better academic and innovative performance, respectively), whereas in risky performances they have negative consequen...

The application of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) materials in rehabilitating bridges and constructing primary bridge components is increasing rapidly across the world because their superior strength durability characteristics when compared to regular concretes. However, there have been few new constructed using UHPC with formworks, ready-mix trucks, construction equipment. This paper p...

Measuring the innovative performance of European Union (EU) is vital to assist in defining public policies that can contribute to stimulate innovation. This study aims to examine the socio-economic factors that contribute to the EU innovative performance. In order to validate the research, the empirical study uses two linear regressions, considering as dependent variables, respectively, the pat...

This paper examines the link between innovative activity, outcomes and the performance of SMEs in Wales. A range of European, UK and locally developed initiatives in Wales seek to encourage innovative activity in indigenous SMEs. However, it is the contention of this paper that these initiatives have often been instituted without a clear appreciation of how, if, and which innovative activities ...

thin-walled hollow steel columns, either circular or box shaped, are commonly used as piers in bridges. recent earthquakes, e.g. hyogoken-nanbu or kobe 1995, on the other hand have shown that these columns are vulnerable to damage when subjected to earthquake loading. this paper presents a new innovative thin-walled hollow steel column fabricated of corrugated plates, “thin-walled steel columns...