The Relationship between Innovation, Information Communication Technology, and Quality: A Latin American Enterprises Perspective

Gonzalo Maldonado Guzman¹, Juan Ernesto Mojica Peñalba², Victor Manuel Molina Morejón³
(1. Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Mexico; 2. University of Panamá, Panamá;
3. Autonomous University of Coahuila, Mexico)

Abstract: The new business environment requires organizations, a rethinking of its business strategies, to adapt them to the new business environment that demands a market increasingly globalized and competitive. Therefore, the innovation of Information Communication Technology (ICT) emerge as two essential elements that should be incorporated in the design and implementation of corporate strategies, and these are two factors that improve the quality of the companies, specially the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In this sense, this study with a sample of 1970 companies from 21 Latin American countries analyzes the existing relationship between the innovation, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the quality of the small and medium enterprises of 21 Latin American countries. The results obtained show, on one side, that the innovation has a significant positive effect on the quality of the companies and, on the other side, the information Communication Technology also have a significant positive effect on the quality of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Key words: innovation; information communication technology; quality; small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

JEL code: M21