Technological Innovation: An Assessment of Operational Practices of Small and Medium Textile Enterprises in Ghana ()
1. Introduction
The 21st century has seen massive development in all sectors of the economy as a result of technological innovation. Society is witnessing technology paradigms as a result of man’s quest for cheaper, quicker and easier ways of doing things. Creativity and inventions are driving technological innovations and paradigms. Design and technological innovations comprise new or significantly modified technological products and processes, where technological novelty emerges, unlike improvements, from their performance characteristics [1]. Technological paradigms often become embedded in designers’ frameworks of perceptions, calculation, and routines which eventually inspire creativity and innovation [2]. Innovation thus becomes the result of creative activity [3].
Technological development can be seen as social construction capable of being institutionalized [2]. Once institutionalized, they tend to become paradigms, dominating development for some time [2]. See technological innovation as a process by which enterprises master and implement the design and production of new products to the business irrespective of whether the products are new to their competitors or their customers, or the world [4].
One of the core functions of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) in Ghana is to promote the application of science, technology and innovation (STI) in industry and entrepreneurship [5]. Design and technological innovation in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the textile design sector can contribute immensely to economic growth, as posited by Mcsherry [6]. Unfortunately, much is not known about the technological innovation of textile SMEs in Ghana. It is also not clear whether textile SMEs are making use of the current design and technological innovation available in the textile design sector to yield the expected output.
The lack of access to the most current technology has left the SMEs in Ghana behind in today’s competitive economy [7]. Technology and innovation are essential means of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development because of their potential to drive innovative entrepreneurship that delivers growth and productive employment [8]. According to a study conducted in OECD countries, of which Ghana is part, less than 20% of SMEs adopt digital technologies in production and marketing, even though the effective use of design and the right technology is fundamental to the creation of innovative products and processes [9].
Textile Production Technologies
Fundamentally, technology is the key to achieving a competitive advantage. Novel and advanced technologies and manufacturing systems have turned the attention of labour-intensive firms towards technological attractiveness. In the textile industry, advancement in technology and products is massive. Even though some of the initial technologies advanced in the textile sector are still being used currently, technological developments have added to this global industry [10].
Technology offers a predictable outcome for most of the manufacturing industries, improving manufacturing leading to an improved outcome. This has made technological advancement a prerequisite for success in most sectors. The textile industry has not been left out in this regard as it has witnessed numerous technological improvements that have transformed the sector globally [11].
Technological progress in the textile sector is a difficult subject to determine as it covers several diverse things. Owing to this complexity, it is essential to explore the significance of technological advancement vis-a-vis the shifts and/or transformations it has brought to the global textile industry [12]. Technology has unquestionably made it much easier to meet production deadlines as it has revolutionized processing, making it possible to shift to innovative ways of fabric production in general. The application of these innovative technologies has had a profound impact on the manufacture of textiles, expanding globally the production of high-level specialty fabrics produced as woven, knitted and non-woven made from natural, synthetic and inorganic materials [13].
The current study, therefore, seeks to assess the extent to which managers of STMEs are taking advantage of the technology available in textile design, production and marketing space, as there is a growing interest worldwide to boost the innovative activity of enterprises, especially in technological innovation. Technological innovation is required to ensure new production patterns to maintain or enhance the competitiveness of national economies [1]. Investigating how design innovation and technology are utilized in textiles concerning SMEs will not only ensure sustainable development of the enterprises but also contribute to sustainable economic growth at the national level.
Empirical studies have shown that design and technological innovations in SMEs can lead to high economic growth [14] [15] [16] [17] [18].
2. Methodology
This research made use of the quantitative research approach. Descriptive design was considered apt for the study since it is versatile and practical; given that, it identifies present conditions [19]. This approach is used to describe variables rather than to test a predicted relationship between variables. In the view of Glass and Hopkins [20], descriptive research involves gathering data that describe events and then organizes, tabulates, depicts and describes the data collection. Thus, the approach was chosen to analyse and discuss the operational practices of small and medium scale textiles enterprises in Ghana.
Population
A population is the complete set of subjects that can be studied [21]. The accessible population for this study included all small and medium scale textile manufacturers located in Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern and Western Regions. Preliminary enquiries showed that the four regions have a combined population of 99 Small and Medium Scale Textile enterprises with a total of 870 workers as shown in Table 1.
Sample Size determination
The sample size for the quantitative aspect of the study was computed using the following mathematical approach by Yamane [22];
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Table 1. Regional distribution of SMTEs in the selected regions.
Source: Fieldwork (2021).
where,
n = sample size for employees;
N = Population for respondents;
e = level of precision (5% margin of error);
Sample size:
, n = 274 = 275 app.
A non-response rate of 10% (27.5) was added → n = 275 + 27.5 = 302.5
The actual sample size was approximated to 300.
Again, the same formula was used to determine the number of SMTEs sampled from each region.
Sample size:
, n = 79 approximated to 80 SMTEs selected from the four (4) earmarked regions.
Sample selection procedure
A multi-stage sampling procedure involving convenient, purposive and stratified sampling techniques was employed in this study. From the 90 SMTEs from the four regions, the researcher sought to conveniently select 80 SMTEs from the four regions. The Stratified sampling was subsequently employed to determine the number of respondents to be drawn from each region. Based on the required sample size of 300 the number of respondents from each region was proportionately calculated using the formula: A/B × C, where A is the total number of SMTEs in the region, B is the total number of workers in region C is the determined sample size. For example, the sample size for the Ashanti Region was calculated using the above formula where A = 213, B = 870, C = 300; thus, 213/870 × 300 = 73.
The same procedure was used to obtain the proportion of SMTEs in each of the selected regions and the summary is shown in Table 2.
Data Collection Instruments
A self-administered questionnaire was designed to gather data from the sample regarding the operational practices of SMTEs in Ghana. Questionnaires were used largely because they are more likely to produce honest responses due to the anonymity of respondents and are less likely to be influenced by the characteristics of the researcher.
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Table 2. Sample determination of SMTEs in the selected regions.
Source: Fieldwork (2021).
The response format was based on a 5-point Likert-scale rating pattern with weightings of very frequently (SA) = 5, frequently (A) = 4, occasionally (NS) = 3, rarely = 2, never (SD) = 1. The average of these points is 3.0 (5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1) = 3.0 thus 15/5. This was used in quantitative data analysis. Data were processed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
3. Presentation and Discussion of Results
This section presents the data analysis and discussions on the operational practices of SMTE’s in Ghana. Producers in the area of embroidery, printing, weaving and dying were considered for the study. The results of the data analysis were presented in the form of frequency and standard deviation tables. Of the 300 questionnaires distributed, 273 were considered valid for further analysis, with a 91% valid response rate. The remaining 27 questionnaires were partially responded to and some were barely readable.
Operations of Small Medium Textile Enterprises in Ghana
This section discusses the operations of the small and medium scale textile enterprises.
Table 3 asked questions relative to the source of ideas and inspirations behind the textile designs. The responses were anchored on a five-point Likert scale where 1 = never to 5 = frequently. From the responses, it could be observed that the means of the measurement items for idea generation are generally occasional.
Furthermore, the majority of respondents stated that things they see in the environment (M = 3.96, ±SD = 0.868), images and stories from books, journals, and magazines (M = 3.92, ±SD = 1.093), and the internet (M = 3.71, ±SD = 1.052) occasionally inspire their designs. The majority of respondents, however,
stated that their designs are rarely inspired by intuition (M = 2.95, ±SD = 1.228) and that they never repeat existing designs for customers (M = 1.89, ±SD = 1.168) but rather occasionally improve or modify old designs (M = 3.52, ±SD = 1.137).
From the analysis, it could be concluded that textile designs are occasionally improved or modified for customers; inspired by the environment; images and stories from the internet; books, journals, and magazines.
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Table 3. Descriptive statistics on idea generation.
Source: Fieldwork 2021.
Table 4 asks respondents how frequently they use various software applications in their operational activities, particularly their designs. The responses were tallied on a 5-point Likert scale, with 1 = never and 5 = very frequently. Most of the respondents (M = 3.03, ±SD = 1.818) said they use embroidery software suites like embird D.O Digital, My Editor, Hatch Brother Embroidery, and TrueSizer on a limited basis for their designs. In comparison to the use of WeavePoint (M = 2.15, ±SD = 1.618), most respondents (M = 4.15, ±SD = 1.445) stated that they frequently use Adobe Photoshop suits for generating their designs.
The responses suggest that textile enterprises mostly prefer to use Adobe Photoshop/Adobe Illustrator/CorelDraw for generating their designs, whereas others use other embroidery software suits.
Table 5 presents the descriptive statistics on textile production methods used by the textile enterprises in their production processes. The responses were measured on a 5-point Likert scale where 1 = Never to 5 = Very frequently. The results show that the majority of the respondents (M = 4.18, ±SD = 1.274) frequently use computer-generated designs in their production. Manual screening (M = 3.78, ±SD = 1.487) and Digital embroidery (M = 3.75, ±SD = 1.626) technologies are occasionally used in the production processes by the producers. More so, Dye sublimation printing (Digital printing) (M = 2.43, ±SD = 1.682) and semi-automatic screen printing (M = 2.41, ±SD = 1.532), are rarely adopted and used by textile producers.
However, the results showed that Automatic screen printing (M = 1.98, ±SD = 1.518), manual embroidery (M = 1.41, ±SD = 1.061) and digital weaving (M = 1.41, ±SD = 1.034) were technologies never used by the textile producers.
From the response, it could be concluded that textile producers mostly use computer-generated designs, manual screen printing and digital embroidery technologies in their production relative to the textile technologies used in the production process. However, it is observed that they rarely use dye-sublimation printing, semi-automated screen printing, automatic screen printing, manual dyeing, manual embroidery and digital weaving technologies in their production.
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Table 4. Descriptive statistics on software used by SMTEs.
Source: Fieldwork 2021.
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Table 5. Descriptive statistics on textile production by SMTEs.
Source: Fieldwork 2021.
Table 6 summarises the responses concerning the type of advertising media mostly used by the textile producers. Also, this was measured on the 5-point Likert scale, where 1 = never to 5 = very frequently. The results reveal that respondents resort to fliers, posters, signboards, billboards (M = 4.39, ±SD = 1.167) and face-to-face (M = 4.13, ±SD = 1.416) advertising to promote their business. Additionally, they use WhatsApp (M = 3.63, ±SD = 1.713), Facebook (M = 3.53, ±SD = 1.680) and Instagram (M = 3.23, ±SD = 1.781) platforms are used occasionally whereas the Websites (M = 2.35, ±SD = 1.711), radio (M = 2.13, ±SD = 1.527), television (M = 2.02, ±SD = 1.592) and YouTube (M = 2.00, ±SD = 1.544) are the rarely used media platforms adopted by the enterprises. The responses imply that textile producers prefer to use the traditional forms of advertisements: fliers, posters, and face-to-face engagements. However, the results showed less preferences for contemporary advertisement media platforms by the producers.
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Table 6. Descriptive statistics on advertising by SMTEs.
Source: Fieldwork 2021.
The results of the study suggest that the textile production approach adopted by the SMTEs in Ghana was to occasionally improve or modify old designs for customers; take their inspiration for their designs from the environment, the internet, books, journals, and magazine. Furthermore, it was discovered that most of the textile enterprises in Ghana mostly use computer-generated designs and manual screen printing and digital embroidery technologies in their production. However, it was observed that they rarely or never use dye-sublimation printing (digital printing), semi-automated screen printing, automatic screen printing, manual dyeing, manual embroidery and digital weaving technologies in their production.
Subject to the marketing of textile products, the study found that textile producers prefer to use traditional marketing tools such as fliers, posters, and face-to-face engagements. However, the results showed more minor preferences for contemporary advertisement media platforms by the producers. The results relative to the use of the traditional marketing tools by SMEs are not surprising. The outcome is given extra weight by the works of Gaweseb [23], who in his dissertation argued that discussion on marketing methods has always focused on large firms, corporations and organisations, whereas little has focused on those adopted by SMEs. From this background, the results confirm that because of the unique characteristics and constraints SMTEs operate in, there is a lack of resources to implement or adopt the same marketing tools and platforms as those adopted by large-scale enterprises.
4. Conclusion
The study concludes that textile producers generally use computer-generated patterns, manual screen printing, and digital embroidery in terms of textile technology but rarely use dye-sublimation printing (digital printing), semi-automated and automatic screen printing, manual embroidery and digital weaving in their production. The study established that SMTEs continually resort to traditional advertising techniques rather than contemporary marketing and advertising mediums for marketing their products. This is one area that appears to be a shortfall relative to the operations of the SMTEs. This probably may be due to low technical skills and awareness about technological advancement in marketing, which is one of the major barriers to a knowledge-based modern economy. In this contemporary environment, a little effort in innovative activities significantly affects the performances of respective SMEs. In view of this, SMTEs should seek more knowledge regarding innovative contemporary marketing strategies to boost sales. Ghanaian SMTEs must continuously integrate external technological resources with robust technological processes to provide frequent on-the-job training to employees, attract and hire talented experts, upgrade their machines and equipment, invest in Research and Development, and apply innovative technology to enhance their operations.