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Economic geography in an era of global competition poses a paradox. In theory, location should no longer be a source of competitive advantage. Open global markets, rapid transportation and high-speed communications should allow any company to source anything from any place at any time. But in practice, location remains central to competition and institutions seem to help in the development of regions. This article examines the role of Malaysia's Multimedia Development Corporation as a regional development agency—in the development of the MSC Project—the Multimedia Super Corridor Cluster, a project to develop the information and communications technology sector, started by the government of Malaysia to kickstart the transition to a knowledge-based economy. Even though the MDC has played a significant role in developing the MSC project, there is much more it can do to develop it as a 'regional cluster'. It is concluded that the MDC has been doing a good job of marketing the MSC in general and attracting companies to set up shop in Malaysia in order to form a new knowledge-based sector. It is suggested that the business-related function should receive equal attention when any innovation cluster is designed and operated.

The discussion of open innovation has always been centred on the organisation where innovation occurs. The focus would be on the inflow and outflow of knowledge into the organisation; several studies and cases published have addressed the concept around business (or government) organisations and their research and development (R&D) activities. The open innovation framework is based on a focal organisation, which is usually a business organisation that provides a platform for other organisations to collaborate—either helping the focal organisation to commercialise its knowledge and gain economic benefits or vice versa. This notion, we argue, is where an open innovation platform is 'supplier-driven', that is, 'supplier' indicating the focal organisation where innovation occurs. In this article, however, we propose an alternate framework for open innovation, that is, one that is 'customer-driven' where the customer organisation or demand-creating organisation provides a platform for open innovation. This alternate notion is derived from the case of the flagship applications of Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC Malaysia). The MSC Malaysia flagships can be seen as open innovation type platforms established by the customer, that is, the Malaysian government—which provides the demand pull for creating an open-innovation platform. This framework of a 'customer-driven' open innovation platform could provide lessons for other emerging economies to understand how their governments can play a more active role, as policymaker and demand-generating entity, to create a platform for open innovation.

This systematic review of theoretical approaches is to determine whether the recruitment and selection process in SMEs shows evidence of a strategic 'fit' and second, examining the extent of a structured, innovative and flexible recruitment and selection process. HR managers may be aware of Strategic Human Resource Management but their understanding of recruitment and selection process as a HR architecture linking the firm and HR strategy may be vague. Findings in literature shows that priority research tends to be non-HRM related functions. HRM practices are seen as less important. The review also shows evidence that recruitment and selection is an under researched area and no specific research papers provided insights on the concept of 'fit' in recruitment and selection. Although general literature presents various models of recruitment but the compatibility between the individual, job and environment – 'fit', as a strategic process in SMEs seems disconnected and unexplored. This suggests that the HRM functions in the Malaysian SMEs are treated and perceived as secondary, routine and an insignificant function.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically the critical factors for the diffusion of web technologies in supply chain management (SCM) functions, based on the technology‐organizational‐environment model, and to identify the benefits resulting from diffusion.Design/methodology/approachData were collected, via an internet survey, from 251 respondents, ranging from middle‐level to top‐level managers, from firms which currently utilize web technologies for their supply chain activities. Structural equation modelling was employed for five factors: relative advantage; competitive pressure; complexity; trialability; and top management support, which have been hypothesized to affect the diffusion of web technologies in SCM functions.FindingsThe results suggest that all the factors except trialability are significant predictors of web technologies' diffusion in supply chain functions. The results show also that by diffusing web technologies, organizations can enhance their supply chain activities.Research limitations/implicationsThe survey was conducted in a Malaysian context, using a limited set of variables, thus limiting the generalizability of the findings.Practical implicationsThis study provides a greater understanding of managers' perception of web technology diffusion in their organizational SCM functions, and benefits realizing from diffusion of web technology, such as operational efficiency.Originality/valueThose interested in adopting web technologies in their supply chain activities may find these results helpful in guiding their efforts.