Forests 2016, 7(6), 118; doi:10.3390/f7060118
Innovation Strategy in Slovak Forest Contractor Firms—A SWOT Analysis
1
Department of Economics and Management of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G.Masaryka 24, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia
2
Department of Marketing, Trade and World Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G.Masaryka 24, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia
3
Headquarters, The University Forest Enterprise, Študentská 20, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Thomas J. Straka and Eric J. Jokela
Received: 21 March 2016 / Revised: 25 April 2016 / Accepted: 25 May 2016 / Published: 31 May 2016
Abstract
The aim of the study is to determine the innovation strategy of contractor firms in the Slovak forestry service sector in the area of further innovation activities development. The strategy identification was based on the analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in this sector. The results indicate that weaknesses of contractor firms exceed their strengths and, considering the degree and importance of their impact, opportunities exceed identified threats. Based on these findings revealing the relations in the area of innovation activities of forestry service contractors, the “Strategy of Partnership” was suggested as the most suitable type of strategy. It can be concluded that such a form of grouping cooperation brings many benefits to contractors in the form of information availability, guidance, training, and management of conflicts, risks and uncertainty, which are associated with the innovation process. View Full-TextKeywords:
innovation; strategy; contractor firms; forestry service sector
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MDPI and ACS Style
Štěrbová, M.; Loučanová, E.; Paluš, H.; Ivan, Ľ.; Šálka, J. Innovation Strategy in Slovak Forest Contractor Firms—A SWOT Analysis. Forests 2016, 7, 118.
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