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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.

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 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.

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]

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]

Galbraith, in his work on The New Industrial State, provides the crucial institutional base from which to appreciate corporate technological innovation. This approach is modified by the work of other institutional writers in the context of changing industrial realities, including the rise of start-up entrepreneurs. Post Keynesians have developed a monopoly capitalist research agenda that implies certain important elements of human agency that institutionalists have left unstated. Finally, this paper sketches important elements of a future heterodox analytical framework on innovation that incorporates Galbraithian and Post Keynesian features for understanding corporate business strategy and public policy management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OVERVIEW: Radical innovation is an engine of growth, but identifying likely opportunities can be challenging. Building on previous work, this paper explores the use and importance of nine strategies for selecting early-stage opportunities in a sample of 94 firms. Four strategies -- building alternative visions, prototyping, using probe-and-learn methods, and mobilizing sponsorship and championship -- are used by more than half of the firms surveyed. Usage of all of the strategies is higher in innovating firms than in non-innovating firms, regardless of company size. This confirms the utility of these approaches for innovation managers seeking to enable radical innovation in their companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OVERVIEW: Successful innovation requires the management of multiple contexts: those of the customer, the offering itself, the business model for the offering, and the strategic aims of the hosting corporation. An approach to managing these contexts and the constraints they impose was developed and implemented at Pitney Bowes. Although it is designed to manage multiple constraints, the approach is based on a deep and continuing reliance on the customer for direction. In this paper, the constraint-driven process is discussed and examples of innovation based on the approach are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overview: Eric von Hippel, a leading researcher in the field of user innovation, gave the Annual Knowledge and Innovation Foundational Scholar interview during the Strategic Management Society's 42nd Annual Conference held in London, Sept 17–20, 2022. This article is an edited transcript of that interview in which von Hippel provides insights into his research journey and perspectives on the importance of user innovation. He defines user innovation as the process by which individuals or firms create new products, services, or behaviors for their own use rather than for sale, and contrasts it with producer innovation. This type of innovation can occur in various contexts and can range from small modifications to existing products to the development of entirely new offerings. von Hippel also discusses the strategy-related implications of this distinction and highlights the growing area of research and practice in user innovation. Finally, he reflects on his own experiences with user innovation and provides thoughts on the intriguing issues future research in this field should address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Voice of Technology, which is a reporting protocol for R&D staff to analyze new and emerging technologies for senior management. Specifically, the threats and opportunities created by new technologies that have the potential to change the nature of competition are described in business terms, and recommendations are made for intellectual property positions. The protocol also brings the R&D staff and decision makers in the business into contact with smaller, entrepreneurial companies.

Roadmapping is an established and proven approach used globally for supporting technology and strategic planning, thus facilitating innovation. Sustaining the implementation of organizational roadmapping can prove challenging due to its inherently flexible and adaptable nature. We address this issue, reporting an in-depth case study of roadmapping implementation within Subsea 7, a leading marine engineering, construction, and services company. We provide insights regarding its history, future opportunities relating to digitalization, challenges in the age of COVID-19, and lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing, or even simply sustaining, profitability in today's rapidly changing environment is a daunting task. Today's firm must contend with increasing competition, changing customer requirements, and unprecedented technological change. Further, changing government regulations, such as the recent wave of deregulation, have dramatically changed the way business has traditionally been done in certain industries. In such a turbulent environment many firms have discovered that a total organizational sales effort is necessary. For many firms, this means a paradigm shift that involves strengthening their sales culture. The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the sales culture (SC) concept and discuss its importance in contemporary business strategy. First, we will discuss market orientation from a corporate culture perspective. Second, the sales culture component of a market orientation will be defined and examined. Third, an exploratory investigation of constructs associated with sales culture will be investigated using an example taken from an industry that is experiencing rapid change, the banking industry. Finally, strategic implications, limitations and suggestions for future research will be shared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selecting the right technology for a given application is critical to the future of any enterprise. Companies invest billions of dollars each year in new technologies intended to provide competitive advantage. While there have been many attempts to rationalize the technology selection process, most are not sufficiently focused on the technology itself and many processes simply add a layer of complexity to an already difficult process. We have developed a three-stage technology selection tool that provides a framework and a simple risk-managed process for evaluating and selecting new technologies. The tool provides a powerful visual aid to help clarify key attributes of various technologies and the decisions related to their adoption, illustrating for both team members and senior management the decision-making processes engaged by technologists and project managers in considering new technologies. The three-stage filter was tested during a new product development project for a leading multinational company seeking smart material technologies to drive strategic innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact of innovation to the sustainable development and renewal of the business in the U.S. It highlights the criteria for the innovative qualification of the companies such as the breakthrough innovation program in the company and the breakthrough of innovation talent management. It also stresses several categories for a sustainable innovation including resources and capabilities, standards and certifications and innovation process.

The importance of the chief technology officer role is widely accepted, particularly in today's turbulent, global conditions. However, not enough is known about the key activities of CTOs or the factors that influence their priorities. Thirty in-depth interviews conducted with the CTOs in global firms identified key activities: aligning technology and corporate strategy and business models, determining technology entry and exit points, and preparing business cases to secure funding for technology development. The research also showed that priority areas for CTOs are related to technology transition points--major contextual and business discontinuities that impact the focus of the CTO. We conclude that the determination of priorities at these technology transition points is highly idiosyncratic and closely related to whether the CTO functions more or less strategically. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the study "Innovation: The Classic Traps," by Rosabeth Moss Kanter published in the "Harvard Business Review." The author observes that as innovation periodically resurfaces in the consciousness of corporate executives, they repeat the mistakes they made the last time. She describes the classic mistakes companies like Quaker Oats, Allied Signal, GM and AT&T make in innovation strategy, process, structure and skills.

Radical innovation in large firms is a risky endeavor, exacerbated by high levels" of uncertainty and long cycle times. Moreover, management lacks evaluation tools that are appropriate for the degree of ambiguity of the information available from these types of projects. Add to this the difficulties of managing in the context of the large firm where many processes are tuned toward repetition and continuous improvement, and it becomes clear that commercialization of radical innovation (RI) is a difficult proposition at best. Portfolio managers will almost invariably build a team, learn appropriate processes, clarify their mandate within the company, generate initial projects, and begin to enrich their portfolios, only to have their efforts cancelled out due to an unsatisfactory financial return. The "what have you done for me lately?" question plagues these groups, and ends up costing the company investment of resources in opportunities that are never leveraged. Having an evaluation tool to assess the relative values of projects within the context of the entire radical innovation portfolio, and to track changes in the relative value of the portfolio over time, can help RI portfolio managers articulate their contribution to the company's growth strategy and can aid in innovation strategy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth through innovation requires not only good technical ideas but alignment of priorities between all the functions responsible for successfully developing and commercializing the idea. The ability to create, modify and maintain this alignment as business conditions change, new opportunities arise, and new capabilities are developed can mean the difference between capturing the benefits of being a market leader versus a market follower. Roadmapping has emerged as a best practice, particularly for large, global organizations, in providing the framework for technology strategy creation and management where cross-functional alignment and integration are key requirements. By employing roadmapping from an enterprise perspective, where key functions in the business "own" their individual strategies which are fully integrated as needed to meet business priorities, an organization can fully exploit its entire spectrum of capabilities to drive growth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Discusses the importance of awareness of the corporation's external environment and longer-term future in technology planning. Anecdotes to illustrate the corporate approach to thinking about the future; Advantage of exploring the future through the industry; Examples of general principles about exploring the future. INSET: The Effective Futurist: Skills, Characteristics and Mental....

Focuses on the role of internal research & development (R&D) in the success of some business enterprises. Factors that influence the effectiveness of R&D; Information on companies that became successful through internal R&D; Role of classic R&D within the corporate innovation mechanism; Common threads within corporate innovation strategies.

Discusses the efforts of General Motors Corp. to implement technology roadmapping. Reason for the creation of technology roadmapping in the company; Expectations and desired outcomes from roadmapping; Format used by the company in technology roadmapping; Reactions of some groups in the company toward roadmapping.