Professor Jing Cai

Biography

Professor Jing Cai holds a Chair in Innovation, where her scholarly pursuits are centred around various facets of firm innovation strategy, dynamic capabilities, and innovation performance. Her academic journey includes the attainment of a PhD in Technology Management from the University of Sheffield and an MBA from the University of Science and Technology, Beijing. Notably, prior to her career in academia, she earned her first degree in Mechatronics from Tongji University, China, and worked as an electronic engineer.

Jing's scholarly contributions extend across diverse interdisciplinary domains within management, with her work featured in publications such as Research Policy, Long Range Planning, and the British Journal of Management.

Her current research interests are marked by a keen focus on open strategy and open innovation. Specifically, she explores how platform hub firms engage end users in the open strategizing process, emphasizing procedural transparency and inclusion to foster product development. Moreover, she is deeply intrigued by the dynamic perspective of the Attention-Based View and its far-reaching implications for firm strategy and performance. Additionally, Jing harbours a strong enthusiasm for enriching her expertise in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), its practical applications in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the intricate dynamics of AI-human interactions.

Research Overview

The nature of my current research is about technology management, or broadly speaking technology innovation. I am interested in complex interaction between new technology (new process/method) and multiple factors (e.g. strategy, corporate governance, customers/suppliers/technical partners). To what extent has this complex interaction led to firms’ competitive advantage and dynamic capability development?

Current Research

My current research includes four themes:

Theme 1) corporate governance, firm technology management, firm dynamic capability and technology strategies

This theme is built upon two frameworks, one for measuring static and dynamic technological capability in developing countries, one for predicting the effects on this of finance and corporate governance characteristics and applies them together to Chinese mobile telecommunications manufacturing. Later on, this theme is developed to include two technology strategies (bundling and unbundling technology acquisition strategies). The influence of these two technology strategies on firms’ dynamic technological capability is also examined in the Chinese automobile industry.

Theme 2) network embeddedness, innovation strategies and firm performance.

This theme is built upon open innovation and network theories. It looks at firm’s engagement with suppliers, customers and technical partners and how has this engagement influenced firm’s initiative to prioritize innovation in its strategy making and consequently firm business performance.

Theme 3) Technology adoption

This theme explores main stages of technology adoption process and key factors that determine adoption success. Currently two PhD programmes are undertaking around this theme: one looks at the adoption of e-payment system by Nigerian SEMs, and the other studies IT adoption by the Malaysian Education sector

Theme 4) New product/service development

This theme looks at new product or service design tools and methods which can be used to improve design quality. Two research projects are around this theme: 1) How to redesign clinical trials from a business perspective in order to improve trial quality and efficiency? 2) How to use social media tools to identify customers’ hidden demands?

Collaborations

My main collaborations include:

Prof. Andrew Tylecote, The University of Sheffield, Management School;

Prof. Shaun Treweek, The University of Aberdeen, Health Scinces

Dr. Xuefeng Liu, Xiamen University, Managment School;

Dr. Raluca Bunduchi, Edinburgh University, Business School;

Dr. Alision Smart, Glasgow University, Adam Smith Business School;

Dr. Jiajia Liu, The University of Manchester, Manchester Business School

Funding and Grants

Current

• To bring a unique agile range of web integrated tracking software to the oil and gas market using strategic, aggressive business development planning and implementation.

(August 2013 – July 2015) (Co-Investigator), £127,614 was awarded by the Knowledge Transfer Partnership / Solutions Aberdeen Limited. Joint with Dr. I. Heywood and Mr. R. Williams, The University of Aberdeen.

• Network embeddedness and firm innovation strategies: a research of Chinese mobile phone sector.

(January 2012-December 2015) (Co-Investigator) CNY380,000 with the equivalence of £38,000 was awarded by the National Nature Science Foundation of China. Joint with Dr. X.F. Liu, Xiamen University, China

Completed:

• Making clinical trials more efficient learning from current trends in business model innovation. (January -May 2014) (Co-investigator, joint with Shaun Treweek)

Funded by Fincipal’s Interdisciplinary Fund (£3000)

• Network embeddedness and SMEs’ innovation capabilities: a study of network relationships and structure.

(December 2011-May 2013) (Co-Investigator) CNY 30,000 with the equivalence of £3000 was awarded by the Soft Scince Foundation of Fujian Province, China. Joint with Dr. X.F. Liu, Xiamen University, China.

• Supplier management strategies and competitive advantage

(December 2009 -May 2010)  (Sole Principal -Investigator)

£2280 was awarded by the Carnegie Trust.

• Supplier management and firm innovation capabilities.

(July 2007 – December 2007) (Sole Principal Investigator).

£1200 was awarded the College of Arts and Social Science, The University of Aberdeen.

• Corporate Governance and Technological Development in China

 (May 2006-Decebmer 2007) (Co-Investigator) £44,950 was awarded by ESRC. Joint with Prof. A. Tylectote the University of Sheffield, Dr. J.J. Liu Manchester University and Prof. G.S. Wu from Tsinghua University, China.