Search

This paper aims to provide an understanding of dynamic capabilities (DC) and critical factors (CF) responsible for the development of sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI), presenting an overview of the literature through descriptive analysis and identifying dynamic capabilities and critical factors for SOIs. For that, we develop a systematic literature review. Therefore, we propose a conceptual framework that shows that SOI's development depends on DC (absorptive, environmental, competence, the ability for innovation, resource integration, organizational, networking, and technological) and fourteen CFs. We also identify paths for further studies regarding four main streams. The framework is a state of the art representation, and its structure would be useful to promote SOIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes towards growing interest in the role of actors and agency in regional innovation policy processes. While entrepreneurial agency has begun to be explored, the paper broadens this focus to include actor roles in the maintenance of regional innovation policies over time. Drawing on the concept of institutional work, and evidence from Wales, it finds maintenance to be a process of strategic care, involving interplay between structural factors promoting durability, and normative and deterrence practices at the regional level. These practices, it suggests, can contribute towards stability and persistence, but with mixed effects over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence shows that training can increase product innovation. Yet in most studies survey design omits the differentiation between 'new' and 'improved' technical innovation. Thus, our objective is to quantify the impact of training on product and process innovation, especially in terms of new versus improved innovations. We use a national, establishment level, mandatory survey, explicity designed as longitudinal. We use a 2SLS approach to correct for endogeneity of training in the innovation production function. We find that training has no effect on new products, while it augments improved products. Training has a positive and significant effect on new and improved process innovations. A question that comes to mind is: 'Can we specifically train for new product innovation?' While there are highly cited papers in strategic management, we conclude after scanning the economics literature that a widely accepted theory of new product innovation does not exist. Perhaps, it is possible to train for new product innovation, while remaining cognizant of our inability to predict the recombinant knowledge required for newness. As Polanyi (1958. Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy. University of Chicago Press) surmised: ' ... invention must be acknowledged to be unpredictable, a quality which is assessed by the intensity of the surprise it might reasonably have aroused'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses how far co-creation methodologies can be applied to policy-making innovation in the platform economy. The driving question is how co-creation collaboration-based policy-making can increase diversity and strengthen the participation of actors. The analysis is based on a three-year case study on the platform economy in Barcelona, describing how co-creation dynamics contributed to the participatory definition of local public policies and agenda. The methodology is based on participatory design techniques, involving participant observation and content analysis. Results indicate that co-creation can increase participation diversity aligning academic, economic, and social viewpoints in policy innovation from a quadruple helix perspective. In addition, collaboration schemes assist in engaging a wide diversity of participants in the policy ideation process which, in this case, resulted in 87 new policy measures, with contributions from more than 300 people of different backgrounds and perspectives. The case study demonstrates the value of a cycle of collaboration going beyond mere symbolic engagement or citizen support to public policy-making. It further shows the importance of combining co-creation with methods of action research, strategic planning and knowledge management, as well as with face-to-face interactions and online channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on several published articles on technological innovations, as of May 2004. Lessons to be learned from the business strategy of Apple; Approach to product development used by a business to generate innovation; Strategy behind the success of the Sony PlayStation digital game console.

This paper investigates how and to what extent the Smart Specialisation approach to innovation policy is currently being translated into strategic decisions and policy interventions in Europe. It defines three complementary conditions that operationalize the intervention logic of Smart Specialisation and tests them empirically. The results reveal that Smart Specialisation is being partially implemented. There are in fact significant indications that regions and countries have put in place mechanisms that may circumvent the logic of selective intervention. Implications for policy evaluation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intense global competition, rapid technological changes, advances in manufacturing and information technology and discerning customers are forcing manufacturers to adopt manufacturing practices and competitive priorities that enable them to deliver high quality products in a short period of time. Identifying manufacturers' competitive priorities and effective manufacturing practices has long been considered one of the key elements in manufacturing strategy research. This paper presents the results of a study conducted to identify some of the effective manufacturing practices that have a significant influence on manufacturing performance. This study also identifies the main competitive objectives of manufacturing industries that participated in the study. The results reported in this paper are based on data collected from a survey using a standard questionnaire administered to 1000 manufacturers in Australia. Evidence indicates that product quality and reliability are the main competitive factors for manufacturers and price has become surprisingly a relatively less important factor. Results show that simultaneous pursuit of advanced quality practices can neutralize the potential negative impacts of manufacturing difficulties and significantly improve product quality and manufacturing performance. Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is shown to be an important tool for improving product quality and on time delivery performance. FMEA practice driven by the intention to improve customer satisfaction is more effective than that practised to fulfil customer requirements. Effective supplier relationships are shown to contribute positively to the manufacturing performance. The results also suggest that maintaining a supplier rating system and product data management and regularly updating them with field failure and warranty data are important manufacturing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning and Scheduling are the interrelated manufacturing functions and should be solved simultaneously to achieve the real motives of integration in manufacturing. In this paper, we have addressed the advanced integrated planning and scheduling problem in a rapidly changing environment, where the selection of outsourcing machine/operation, meeting the customers (single or multiple) due date, minimizing the makespan are the main objectives while satisfying several technological constraints. We developed a mixed integer programming model for integrated planning and scheduling across the outsourcing supply chain and showed how such models can be used to make strategic decisions. It is a computationally complex and mathematically intractable problem to solve. In this paper, a Chaos-based fast Tabu-simulated annealing (CFTSA) incorporating the features of SA, Tabu and Chaos theory is proposed and applied to solve a large number of problems with increased complexity. In CFTSA algorithm, five types of perturbation schemes are developed and Cauchy probability function is used to escape from local minima and achieve the optimal/near optimal solution in a lesser number of iterations. An intensive comparative study shows the robustness of proposed algorithm. Percentage Heuristic gap is used to show the effectiveness and two ANOVA analyses are carried out to show the consistency and accuracy of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design of a retail banking distribution strategy is an important issue in that industry. This paper shows the effect of new electronic distribution technologies such as PC banking on the choice of a bank's distribution strategy. We present a competitive model of distribution strategy choice, including heterogeneous consumers and banks, that allows a rich variety of customer preference and technology cost parameters. Sensitivity analysis shows how several parameters affect the competitive outcome. This analysis suggests that changing consumer behavior and attitudes, instead of banks' cost structure with new technologies significantly affects the bank's distribution strategy choice. If the segment of consumers that prefers PC banking remains small relative to the segment that prefers branches, then there will still be a market for specialized branch banks. Branch banking without PC banking services will be a viable strategy until the segment that prefers PC banking grows larger (amounting to about 40 percent of all transactions). Banks offering both branch and PC banking services can prevent successful and profitable entry by virtual banks (Internet banks offering only PC banking services) as long as the segment of customers that prefer PC banking remains relatively small (less than two-thirds of all transactions). Beyond this fraction, virtual banks will be profitable. This analysis suggests that it may be a long time (if ever) before virtual banks turn a profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses foresight as a dynamic strategic practice and theorises the connections of foresight and strategic management. The paper argues that organisations have a rising need to foster relevant future-oriented knowledge in a continuous process that builds on the systemic understanding of the operational environment. For this purpose, the paper outlines a conceptual framework for continuous organisational foresight practice. The framework is based on two conceptual bedrocks. The first is the idea of continuity, referring to the long-term accumulation of organisational practices. The second bedrock is the notion of discontinuity as an organisational transformation factor. Furthermore, the framework builds on the notion of four knowledge spaces in an organisation, and it is constructed through six layers depicted in detail. The paper demonstrates this framework through a case study of a Finnish research and technology organisation, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development of strategic information systems, information economics, and the impacts that innovations in the information technology (IT) industry have on outsourcing, using the report "Information: Industry Structure and Competitive Strategy" by the author as a reference. The authors present information about research into the impact of information systems technology on organizational strategy and corporate performance, demonstrating how advances in IT can affect the economies of entire industries.

This paper revisits common, yet often untested assumptions on factors hampering the implementation - or even clear articulation - of regional innovation strategies. Based on a dedicated framework drawing on political science literature, it reflects on whether there are merit and promise in future higher-level attempts to promote a more strategic take on regional innovation policy. It investigates which relevant factors in local politics, policy and administrative facilitate or prevent the definition of clear priorities for action. Drawing on a Europe wide survey of stakeholders managing strategic processes, it finds that while a number of obstacles need to be overcome, these are regionally specific rather than attributable to restrictive national cultures. Furthermore, it demonstrates how stakeholder involvement bears different challenges at different levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a nation is making strategies in a technology domain, it makes sense to know where the nation is currently in the domain and to know where other nations are as well. This paper presents a method to position nations’ efforts in a technology domain. The method builds a network of International Patent Classifications (IPCs) based on their co-occurrence in patent applications and applies an index called the Revealed Patent Application Advantage (RPAA), which reflects where nations’ efforts have been spent in a technology domain denoted as the IPC network. We applied the proposed method to position the efforts that have been spent in the electric vehicle (EV) technology domain by mainland China, Germany, Japan, and the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current design approaches are not focused on yielding computer-based information systems which are robust to rapidly changing environments. The 1990s are bringing with them an increasing inter-organizational locus of information systems, a tighter coupling of information systems to strategic management, and an increasing turbulence of operational environments. In combination, these factors are making robustness under dynamic conditions a key effectiveness requirement of many large computer-based information systems. Coming from a strategic planning perspective, this paper explores the challenge of designing robust information systems and suggests some prescriptive guidelines for improving the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If the transformative potential of the Agenda 2030 is to be realised, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have to be fully embraced at the local level. Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) have recently emerged as a powerful tool to localise the SDGs, representing an innovation by and for the cities to advance progress on their local priorities in a participatory, inclusive and transparent manner. Through the capability lens, this paper briefly analyses recent experiences of a range of VLRs, by focusing on four issues. First, VLRs strengthen the innovation of data and measurement frameworks at the local level; second, through participation and inclusion of communities and minorities, VLRs foster transparency and accountability, hence contributing towards (re)building the social contract; third, VLR processes have been widely anchored to the design of new long-term strategic plans for sustainable human development; and, fourth, VLRs contribute to overcome institutional fragmentation and foster multilevel policy coherence towards the SDGs. Our policy insights and recommendations intend contributing to laying the foundation for the next generation of local reviews in line with the core elements of the Capability Approach and the sustainable human development paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recombination innovation is a process of creatively combining different knowledge domains in an invention. Recombination innovation in R&D collaboration - joint recombination process, which is integration of the organisation’s internal knowledge with the partner’s new knowledge, serves as the stepping stone of the knowledge search in the technological space. This paper tries to illuminate how different dimensions of proximity of the collaborating partners affect the probability of the collaborative innovation to be recombination innovation. Our result shows that technological proximity has a negative effect on joint recombination innovation. Geographical proximity has an inverted U-shaped effect on joint recombination innovation. The positive effect of organisational proximity on joint recombination innovation is not supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the evolution of the ICT cluster in southern Sweden. It forges a link between the literatures on cluster development and regional innovation systems (RISs), and explores both conceptually and empirically how cluster evolution is shaped by regional context conditions, including changes in the policy support structure and the knowledge base configuration of the RIS. We use qualitative research methods and descriptive statistics to analyse the development and transformation of the ICT cluster. Cluster emergence was enabled by strong analytical and synthetic knowledge bases in the region. The global crisis and changing geography of the ICT industry triggered a transformation of the cluster towards a new growth path with stronger symbolic components. Cluster transformation was facilitated by policy actions that promoted a diversification of knowledge bases in the region. The strategy was to combine existing competences in ICT with new competences in media and design, and to develop new activities around the theme of New Media, which integrates analytical, synthetic and symbolic knowledge. We show that the endowment of the RIS of a variety of knowledge bases and their combination has essentially supported long-term cluster development and transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since small-town newspapers are facing increased competition and technological changes that are threatening their survival, the purpose of this paper was to analyze the strategy-making activities of these organizations from an ecological perspective. Findings indicate that family-owned newspapers were finding stability in retaining their core print businesses while migrating content to the web. Too many variations from the norm appeared to weaken financial footholds and were often eventually abandoned. Such behaviors indicate a rationale for upholding a "tried-and-true" approach in newspapers. While profits may fluctuate, the uncertainty that occurred with variation seemed to play a role in increasing the threat of failure for these small, family-owned newspapers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many inter-firm networks take a skewed power-law- or scale-free distribution in which one or a few central actors are connected to numerous peripheral actors. Research argues that central actors can act as early adopters and catalysts for the adoption of technological innovations, but studies are inconclusive regarding central actors’ de facto role in this matter. Peripheral actors in scale-free networks tend to cluster, which implies that they are structurally embedded and mutually dependent. A major thesis in this paper is that clustered peripheral actors in scale-free networks may restrict central actors’ propensity to adopt innovations, and as a result impede their diffusion. The paper discusses which implications this may have for stakeholders in the private and public sector domain and practitioners of strategic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic planning can be an arduous and complex task; and, once a plan has been devised, it is often quite a challenge to effectively communicate the principal missions and key priorities to the array of different stakeholders. The communication challenge can be addressed through the application of a clearly and concisely designed visualisation of the strategic plan – to that end, this paper proposes the use of a roadmapping framework to structure a visual canvas. The canvas provides a template in the form of a single composite visual output that essentially allows a ‘plan-on-a-page’ to be generated. Such a visual representation provides a high-level depiction of the future context, end-state capabilities and the system-wide transitions needed to realise the strategic vision. To demonstrate this approach, an illustrative case study based on the Australian Government's Defence White Paper and the Royal Australian Navy's fleet plan will be presented. The visual plan plots the in-service upgrades for addressing the capability shortfalls and gaps in the Navy's fleet as it transitions from its current configuration to its future end-state vision. It also provides a visualisation of project timings in terms of the decision gates (approval, service release) and specific phases (proposal, contract, delivery) together with how these projects are rated against the key performance indicators relating to the technology acquisition process and associated management activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Systems of innovation can play an important role in linking technological innovation to manufacturing and industrial competitiveness. This paper aims to understand the systems and actors from a perspective of cooperative strategies, taking the case of a key emerging industry – nanotechnology. Longitudinal trends in R&D output worldwide and in select large countries were analysed based on bibliometrics. S-curves were adapted to detect the transitions for select countries. Tech mining was used to identify patterns of cooperation among countries. Academic research emerged to be the strength of Asia and India, but major challenges remain on several other elements of the system of innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores what can be lost, both theoretically and pedagogically, if we reduce “planning” to “plan-making.” Under conditions of political conflict and plurality, complexity and connectedness, a subject-centered theory of reflective practice should give way to a situated and relational, inter-subjective and learning-oriented deliberative practice. By exploring diverse planners’ practices in Italy, based on 31 grounded, practice-focused oral histories, this paper represents an innovation, in terms of method and theory, in assessments of contemporary Italian urban and regional planning. The innovation is in identifying significant issues such as relationship-building, joining expertise with political power, integrating top-down and bottom-up approaches, refining participatory intelligence systems, and assuring public accountability in the conduct of planning for further analysis, and it identifies topics, strategies and skills that planning educators can and should address as well. Throughout, we explore not formal legal issues but informal social and political characteristics of critically pragmatic and interactive, deliberative practices that will be resonant with experiences of readers and practitioners in many contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we assess how important ‘industry’ is to innovation. Our empirical estimates show that ‘industry factors’ matter little to how firms’ search for new innovations and that firms within the same industry have widely different perceptions of the obstacles constraining technological change. These results offer empirical support to recent evolutionary theory where firms have heterogeneous capabilities and pursue different approaches to innovation. Structural variables at the industry level have a stronger influence on firm innovation. This result supports ‘sectoral innovation system’ approaches where firms are more ‘constrained’ by technological regimes underlying industry evolution. Hence, the driving forces behind technological evolution are found at both the firm and industry level, but to different degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the sectoral systems of innovation (SSI) framework for analysing shifts in technological trajectory and economic growth has evoked a great deal of interest. Many researchers working on the National Systems of Innovation (NSI) concept have welcomed the approach and shown interest in the interplay between national and sectoral frameworks and related policy prescriptions. This paper attempts to analyse emerging and missing linkages between SSI and NSI in the biopharmaceutical sector in India. It does so in the light of major expansion in the Indian pharmaceutical industry and the new efforts to incorporate strategies targeting biotechnology innovation. The paper studies the policy regime facilitating this new era and discusses the future growth prospects of the Indian biopharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the question of how Indian pharmaceutical firms have transformed themselves from reverse-engineering firms focused on the domestic market to research-driven firms with global presence. It analyses the crucial and changing role of national, then international, innovation and regulatory policies and their impact on growth, performance and technology evolution of Indian pharmaceutical firms. The paper argues that although public policy increased market turbulence, it also provided new opportunities for firms to expand and build new technology, knowledge and market capabilities. From the 1950s Indian firms have pursued a variety of research, marketing and internationalization strategies to tackle changes prompted by policy, markets and knowledge complexities. The paper traces firm strategies that vary both in time and by firm, and argues that the successful firms have evolved substantively towards knowledge-based strategies. The paper then attempts to identify future directions for strategy, knowledge and markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of innovation resources and processes of people and organizations that are knowledgeable and responsible for the whole cycle of product life is prevalently recognised as one of the essential principles and practices needed to sustain a competitive advantage in today's global marketplaces. However, to integrate such innovation processes inevitably involves a large number of geographically dispersed teams that collaboratively diagnose, analyse and respond to dynamic and complex customer requirements. In this paper. Part 1 in a series of two, the authors review the development of management views about integrating and co-ordinating innovation processes and illustrate the empirical management issues for integration through the case studies of leading international fashion-buying companies. The effective management mechanisms for integration and co-ordination observed for collaborative innovation processes are presented. Through the research result analyses in the cases studied, the contextual aspects governing global fashion innovation activities are illustrated. Based on these premises, a contingency-based strategic framework for selection of an appropriate management mechanism is suggested. The paper concludes with a discussion of management implications for the strategic framework in today's global competitive environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing diffusion and acceptance in the business world of Total Quality Management (TQM) has attracted greater interest on the part of academia. Although fundamental questions focus on how the different dimensions of TQM can bring about better business performance, a more recent recurring issue pertains to the relationship between TQM and technological innovation and whether technological innovation might provide a source of competitive advantage. Unfortunately, from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, the relationship between TQM and technological innovation appears contradictory and complex. This paper argues that the relationship might be better understood from the contingent perspective of strategic management and thus proposes a multidimensional intervening variable in the relationship, called Business Innovation Capability (BIC). An empirical study of 105 Spanish industrial firms reveals that the effect of some business practices suggested by TQM on technological innovation can be better understood when BIC dimensions are taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1990s the introduction of new technology, and in particular of low cost delivery channels, has accelerated the pace of innovation taking place within the UK financial services industry and has created a need for a more strategic approach to the study of innovation within this industry. In this paper, the case study of telephone banking is used to describe the main aspects of' strategies adopted by the first and second movers, when implementing this delivery channel. It shows that the successful innovator -- First Direct -- adopted the logic of 'value-innovation', whilst the second movers have followed the 'conventional' logic. In contrast with previous studies, the strategic approach applied in this case study also reveals that differentiation in the financial market place is not achieved with the implementation of distribution channels or just technology, but bringing to the market 'unprecedented value'. Finally, the implications for the general theory of innovation in relation to financial services organisations are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although manufacturing contributes a large part to the current performance of companies, few companies deal systematically with issues related to strategic capacity management. As well as decisions on outsourcing and acquisition of resources, this involves triggering process innovation, process development and improving performance by adapting organizational structures. Action Research in companies reveals the importance of capacity management at a strategic level as well as the implementation at tactical and operational levels. The methods of Strategic Capacity Management, as proposed in this paper, provide an industrial company with tools for implementing its manufacturing strategy. Only the design of organizational structures has received attention in the past—little research has been done in the area of manufacturing technology and integral models for sourcing. Through matching product configurations with product-market strategies and product development, the methods point to areas of improvement. The new methods include decision-models for outsourcing and capacity management, product development, and a manufacturing technology scan. All the methods deploy performance evaluations as a base for selecting alternatives to define improvements. These improvements lead to decisions on investments for resources, resource utilization and development of processes, including initiation of manufacturing technologies, as demonstrated by four case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comparative case study investigates the contrasting approaches to telecommunications standard-setting adopted by two developing countries, China and India, using the 3G standard as a case study. Despite facing comparable opportunities in the form of fast-growing markets, and comparable challenges in terms of meeting consumer demand and fostering industrial development, the two countries adopted sharply different standards strategies, with China investing heavily in its home-grown Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access standard, and India allowing operators to choose any international standard. In this paper, we trace the antecedents of this divergence to the different policy approaches that the two countries adopted to their respective electronics industries in the early to mid-1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a growing literature exploring the impact of international standards on the long-term competitive position of large technology-based multinational enterprises and, as a corollary, how these firms participate in standard-setting, comparatively little attention has been given to these phenomena with regard to the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is perhaps a reflection of a 'master storyline' that assumes international standard-setting activities are almost solely the purview of larger organisations. Accordingly, this paper explores how small and medium technology-based enterprises participate in international standard-setting processes and the strategic marketing advantages that may accrue through such participation, using a qualitative case-study approach involving six technology-based SMEs in Australia. Summary frameworks depicting different means of participation and marketing related benefits are presented. The findings suggest that innovative technology-based SMEs may use the international standard-setting environment and processes more strategically than often supposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last 10 years, the European Union has devoted specific attention and resources to the establishment of macro-regional strategies, with the objective of joining together transnational areas to favour the effective and organized management of common challenges. In most macro-regions, however, the identification of strategies to increase competitiveness is a rather difficult task, given the extreme internal diversity in economic activities. Focusing on the youngest macro-regional strategy - EUSALP - this paper highlights the specific combinations of territorial growth assets that allow to overcome the inefficient use of local abundant strategic resources, in line with a 'balanced development' approach. The results, obtained on the basis of a database gathered at NUTS3 level, are useful to provide policy suggestions to support the competitiveness of EUSALP through synergies and complementarities, according to a cooperation networks perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modularity literature, an architectural decomposition and ‘mirroring’ between task boundaries, knowledge boundaries, and firm boundaries has been suggested as a way to enhance managerial efficiency and as a source of potential strategic advantage. Despite its intuitive appeal, empirical support for ‘mirroring’ is significant but mixed. In this paper, we utilise an industrial economics and knowledge-based perspective to hypothesise how the combined effects of product architecture type, product complexity and the rate of product component change may influence task, knowledge and firm boundaries and hence be associated with either phases of mirroring or non-mirroring (‘misting’). We suggest that whether mirroring or misting is an efficient strategic choice is influenced by the characteristics of both the product architecture and the rate of technological change at the product component level, and changes across time as products evolve. Our framework helps to reconcile existing mixed evidence and provides the foundation for further empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets out to identify how marketing management can provide the lead in adopting a more creative approach to innovation al the idea generation stage. Both the proactive and reactive approaches to innovation strategy are discussed in the context of change factors and the sourcing of new ideas for innovation. Four loci of idea initiation are identified, which appear to vary in importance according to industry sector. Although evidence is presented to suggest that heuristic techniques are being used increasingly to enhance creativity, their use is limited both by the perception of their function and the strategic mode adopted by the organisation. The concept of the marketing-centred creative circle is introduced to counter these limiting factors. It is argued that the creative circle offers a bridging function in the generation of new ideas for innovation and in extending the existing stock. As well as performing this function, a more creative and entrepreneurial atmosphere will emerge as lateral relationships develop. With the development of successive marketing-centred creative circles within the organisation, a unified approach to creative innovation will evolve as the traditional proactive and reactive strategies merge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological innovations in agricultural tractors have revolutionised farming, increased labour productivity and reduced operator's hazards. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relation between agricultural tractors’ technological innovations and farm size, as well as users’ attitude on environmental impact of agricultural tractors according to their age and years of activity in the farm. Results, concerning Italy, highlight that high technological innovations of tractors are associated to larger farms, which are managed professionally by more efficient and sophisticated agricultural machineries. Empirical evidence also shows that the older the tractor adopters are and the longer they have been working in agriculture, the higher is their commitment to environment protection and safe working conditions. These results could be important for critical strategic management implications to spur technological innovation in agricultural tractors that better satisfy farmer's needs and to support the fruitful adoption of innovations for an efficient and safe modern agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic capability development refers to the renewal of the organisational capabilities which are sources of competitive advantage. The aim of this paper is to examine how strategic capability and competitive advantage build up over time. Recent literature points to the integration of dynamic capability and ambidexterity perspectives in explaining organisational capability development. Literature analysis reveals the role of knowledge integration and product innovation in integrating dynamic capability and ambidexterity. However, little attention has yet been paid to knowledge integration within innovation projects as a context for capability development. Accordingly, this paper aims to develop a conceptual framework for strategic capability development focusing on the role of knowledge integration within product innovation projects. This framework contributes to identifying and emphasising the role of micro processes in capability renewal which in turn enhances our understanding of strategic capability development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks into the strategic actions of companies who attempt to overcome the technological issue of backwards compatibility through the development of conversion devices. Using an exploratory case study of conversion devices for film analogue photography, the paper demonstrates how market characteristics and the technological characteristics of older products change the hierarchy of benefits sought by users. The paper exposes the significance of accurate strategic actions, such as the simultaneous development of multiple types of gateway devices, to target groups of users effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patent information can be used for strategic planning purposes. Conventional patent analysis has commonly focused on factual information and, in particular, on information extraction, visualisation and interpretation. Less scholarly attention has been devoted to the strategic role of an integrated system of patent intelligence in supporting decision-making in R&D investments. Our paper addresses this gap and explores how patent analysis may benefit those firms that intend capturing the beneficial effects of Open Innovation. We also critically discuss the intrinsic limits of both patent information and patent analysis, which should be taken into account by systems of patent intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relatively little attention has been paid to the understanding of process innovation, compared to the well-researched product innovation. This paper contributes to improve our understanding of process innovation and its specific process capabilities and performance by exploring, across many industries, 4,608 process-oriented innovators. Process innovation is defined as adoption of technologically new or significantly improved production methods, including changes in equipment, organisation or methods of product delivery. Process-oriented innovators or process seekers are those firms which usually only introduce process innovation, and no product innovation. These have received less attention by scholars. Results show that process innovation without also organisational innovation complements constrains innovative performance. Complex process-based innovation complementarities result from the simultaneous development and integration of new machinery and organisational innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the resource-based view and the dynamic capability approach, the present paper analyses the effect of learning competences and innovation strategy on new product success (NPS). The study uses a sample of Spanish manufacturing firms. Results highlight that the new product innovation strategy is positively related to NPS and both exploration and exploitation competences. The study also finds that technological dynamism plays a moderator role in these relationships that weakens the effect of innovation strategy on both NPS and exploitation. Finally, it was also concluded that both exploitation and exploration competences not only have a positive and curvilinear effect on NPS, but also compete for scarce resources. This suggests that a balance between exploitation and exploration is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The innovation process has a considerable rate of failure, from 40% to 80%, depending on the experts consulted. This paper developed a quality management approach, to help Executive Management Teams to handle the innovation process in a better way, based on the problem-solving procedure and the application of quality tools and techniques. It includes three major phases: ‘External Environment Investigation’, ‘Strategic Decision Making’, ‘Innovation Project Execution’, and a series of steps are arranged to span across the approach in each phase. A case study is conducted to demonstrate how the quality management approach proposed in this research can be used as a guideline to drive the product and service innovation process. The ideas and benefits of the proposed approach are further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Decision makers considering policy or strategy related to the development of emerging technologies expect high quality data on the support for different technological options in order to track trends and allocate resources. A natural starting point would be R&D funding statistics. This paper explores the limitations of such aggregated data in relation to the substance and quantification of funding for emerging technologies. Using biotechnology as an illustrative case, we test the utility of a novel taxonomy to demonstrate the endemic weaknesses in the availability and quality of data from public and private sources. Using the same taxonomy, we consider the extent to which tech-mining presents an alternative, or potentially complementary, way to determine support for emerging technologies using proxy measures such as patents and scientific publications. We find that using proxy measures provides additional visibility of technological emergence and suggest these are a useful complement to financial data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decision taken by firms to invest in innovation oriented activities is an important strategic issue closely linked to their knowledge management process, especially when that decision involves the renewal of the necessary knowledge to protect themselves from obsolescence and imitation by competitors. This paper aims to analyse the effect of existing and recently hired R&D human resources on product innovation as well as their interaction, focusing on the degree of novelty of innovation. The results of an empirical research among 965 Spanish firms show that, although existing and recently hired R&D human resources have a positive individual effect on innovation, their interaction has a negative effect on the firm's product innovations. However, the results also highlight that the greatest likelihood of achieving product innovations with a higher degree of novelty occurs when the firm has a solid internal base of R&D human resources complemented by the hiring of R&D personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts a standard-related lens on technology trajectory to analyse the mobile telecommunication technology choices beyond the third generation (3G) in one of the largest emerging countries. The attempt is made to model and map the technological evolution based on different standard platforms and through competing technologies under the globalised background. The interplay between different stakeholders behind different technological standards in China is examined. Whether and to what extent technological developments have respectively shaped the paths is also explored. We identify the key technological, commercial and institutional dynamics driving such technology evolution, and argue that large emerging countries can pursue their own policy agenda while dealing with the diverse interests of various stakeholders home and abroad. We also indicate that there remain some high uncertainties in terms of future technology trajectories under the emerging contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conceptual framework is presented to address the interaction of innovative capability, marketing capability and technological capability. The proposed framework attempts to examine the role of marketing and technological capabilities in developing innovative capability. While innovation has been linked to market orientation through organisational innovativeness, little is known about learning processes between exploration and exploitation for enhancing innovative capability. This paper suggests four theoretical propositions to: (a) distinguish the difference between tactical and strategic marketing capabilities for enhancing innovative capability; (b) examine technological capability as mediator of marketing capability and innovation capability; (c) explore the processes of exploration and exploitation in enhancing innovative capability; and (d) integrate environmental uncertainty as moderator of innovative capability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Strategic niche management (SNM), a tool to understand and manage radical socio-technical innovations and facilitate their diffusion, has always departed from a technical artefact. Many radical innovations, however, do not revolve around such an artefact. Social entrepreneurship is a new business model that combines a social goal with a business mentality and is heralded as an important new way to create social value such as sustainability. This study examines if and how SNM can be applied to such a social innovation. It identifies theoretical and practical limitations and proposes solutions. The main conclusion is that SNM can be used to analyse radical social innovation, although it requires rethinking the initial entry point for research and management. Exemplifying quotes are proposed as an alternative. Second, this paper suggests using values to describe niche-regime interaction as a better way to anticipate future niche-regime interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health organisations are being challenged to change rapidly in response to a variety of competing demands. There is a temptation to look for externally promoted solutions rather than making better use of existing organisational talent. Evidence from the fields of knowledge transfer and diffusion of innovation suggest that it takes a range of purposeful actions to successfully innovate, including supportive management. This paper describes the development and subsequent use of a knowledge transfer framework which can help in a sense-making process to enable decision makers take a systems approach to innovation development and adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While 'new technology' and 'strategy' are pervasive and foundational to this journal's inquiry, each term is filled with ambiguity. This paper seeks to extend our understanding by developing a model relating technology to strategy. The model is a two-by-two frame based on the distinction between 'planned' vs 'emergent' strategy and 'latent' vs 'sensible' technology. The frame generates four distinct domains that we label 'development', 'capitalisation', 'creation' and 'cultivation'. The paper then considers the 'creation' quadrant through a case history of the stent industry. This case indicates that (a) new technologies lack the 'revolutionary' characteristic with which they are normally associated; (b) that the courthouse rather than the marketplace is an important if not primary domain where new technology firms compete; and (c) that new technology firms are much more aggressive when interacting with other new technology firms than they are with firms from the existing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural heritage institutions have been grappling with the accelerating pace of technology-driven changes in society since the 1990s. These institutions understand well the imperative to adapt and innovate. But what is innovation? Organisations often have a narrow view of innovation, focusing on new technology or product development. Innovation touches on most aspects of an organisation, including its offerings, audiences, processes and its platforms and venues. This paper explores the nature of innovation, reviewing broader business models of the nature of innovation and how organisations innovate, and how these models may be applied to a cultural institution. The paper also explores concrete examples of fostering innovation within the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation, including the role of integrated strategic planning, process improvement, product development and grass-roots participation. It also looks at specific mechanisms, such as an 'Idea Bank' (in support of idea generation), and the internal use of 'Web 2.0' technologies such as Wikis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]