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The purpose of this study is to assess innovation system performance and identify the system-blocking mechanisms for AI healthcare technology innovations related to the life science industry. The socio-technical analytical framework Technological innovation systems (TIS) was used to assess the structural and functional dynamics of AI healthcare technology innovations related to the life science industry in West Sweden. The case study employs a mixed-method research approach, triangulating qualitative and quantitative data from secondary published sources and interviews with 21 experts and 25 life science business executives. The results reveal that innovation system performance is primarily restricted by the system weaknesses of limited resources and insufficient communication from leading healthcare professionals regarding their needs for improving healthcare using AI technology innovations. This study shows that to improve innovation system performance, policy interventions intended to increase available resources and to formulate vision and mission statements to improve healthcare with AI technology innovations may be encouraged. This study contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms and interdependencies between system functions using the socio-technical TIS framework in a healthcare context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the far-reaching impact of some of the most potent disruptive technologies and disruptive innovations sweeping the world today like Digitalisation, Internet, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, 3D Printing and Renewable Energy to name a few. Industry aims to connect all production means to enable their interaction in real time thanks to technologies like Cloud, Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things. 3D Printing will radically change current manufacturing and construction practices. Renewable Energy will displace fossil fuels to a large extent. Education practices will be significantly impacted by the innovative applications of Information and Communication Technologies. Online business will dominate retail business. While new skills will be required, joblessness amongst large sections of the population will increase posing new socio-economic and political problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In times of overwhelming globalisation, fostering intercultural competence has become one of the most important missions of higher education institutions across the world. This competence has become one of the most desirable sets of competences for those who would like to see themselves working in international environments. Students need to be aware of cultural boundaries and the role of instructors in this process is crucial: to provide cultural information is not enough anymore and they need to guide their students' learning so that learners can competently navigate the L2 culture, knowing which values and behaviour patterns of the target culture will assist them in their future workplaces. This paper introduces a case study of how an international institution of higher education in Croatia teaches this competence in various courses. The paper presents qualitative survey data to measure college students' self-reported competences in four categories: motivation, strategy, knowledge and behaviour. Results show that students report higher competences in the areas of motivation and strategy, compared to knowledge and behaviour. Implications of these findings for future education in intercultural competence in institutions of higher education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the development of biotechnology clusters in North Carolina (NC) and Israel. In both NC and Israel, when the biotechnology was identified as a potential strategic priority, the framework conditions were suitable for successful policy-targeting. NC presents a case of a successful transition from a traditional manufacturing economy to a knowledge economy. The most successful part of this transition was a policy-led development of a biotechnology cluster in the Research Triangle. While Israel also presents a case of a successful transition from a low-tech economy to a knowledge-intensive economy, Israel failed to develop a successful biotechnology cluster. We suggest that this failure is mostly due to a failure to implement policy to encourage such development. We argue that the elements, which separate NC's success from Israel's failure, are: a clear vision and strategic planning; timely response, long-term commitment; strong leadership; cooperation between the government, private sector and academia, and an adjustable policy-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study analyses the concept of strategic fit as a factor explaining organisational performance. We propose that strategic fit should include aspects of environment perception as well as the gap between planning processes and strategic implementation. Studying the firm's capacity to reduce this gap, we identify various organisational capabilities and analyse their relationships. Through managers’ responses from a sample of firms in European high-technology sectors, we find sufficient empirical evidence to affirm that strategic fit facilitates improvement in organisational performance. We also observe that strategic flexibility, real options and organisational learning are sources of strategic fit. So-called learning organisations facilitate generation of options that give the organisation the strategic flexibility needed to achieve fit with the environment. Strategic flexibility is defined in both the adaptive and anticipative sense. Our article thus offers a new perspective to contribute to better understanding of strategic fit and its antecedents. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We perform a comparative case analysis of four working Living Labs to identify their common functions. Theoretically, we ground our analysis in terms of how they function, their processes of exploration and exploitation, where they work in the innovation strata and how new socially negotiated meanings are negotiated and diffused. Our research highlights four novel insights: first, Living Labs function at the low- and mid-level innovation strata; second, Living Labs are technologically agnostic; third, Living Labs use context based experience to surface new, socially constructed meanings for products and services; and finally, Living Labs are equally focused on exploration and exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western European nations, along with the USA and Japan, have been recognised as the world's most competitive economies. Eastern European nations have generally been considered to lag. This paper explores whether these descriptions remain accurate and the prospects for change over the coming decade. The Georgia Tech 'High Tech Indicators' (HTI) contribute to the US National Science Foundation (NSF) Science & Engineering Indicators. We cover 33 highly developed and rapidly industrialising countries. Our model of technological competitiveness contains four components - National Orientation, Socioeconomic Infrastructure, Technological Infrastructure, and Productive Capacity - contributing to 'Technological Standing.' We present indicator values, derived from survey and statistical panel data, for 13 European nations (plus the USA as a benchmark), for 1993-2005, and draw inferences about future high tech competitiveness. We see limited technological progress of the Eastern European nations. European prospects appear somewhat uncertain given the dramatic competitive thrusts from Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines a framework that integrates the critical success factor (CSF) method into the outsourcing decision. The framework builds upon the generic outsourcing evaluation methodology and uses the CSF method as a means of evaluating outsourcing at the business process level. The findings from applying the outsourcing framework in a retail bank are presented. The research found the application of the framework delivered positive results in business process outsourcing decisions. As well as linking outsourcing with organisational strategy, it provided a mechanism and language for prioritising which processes require attention through either internal improvement or outsourcing. However, the findings identified a number of challenges with applying the framework including defining processes and understanding complex interdependencies between business processes prior to outsourcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research paper is to investigate the fundamental role of managers in guiding and growing relationships of offshore software outsourcing partnerships. Offshore outsourcing allows businesses to reduce costs, increase shareholder value, gain competitive advantage, decrease cycle time, improve customer loyalty, gain staffing flexibility and increase revenue, and ultimately allows a business to focus on its core competencies. This study provides a strategic analysis on the key advantages and disadvantages between a contracted source vs a wholly owned offshore outsourcing subsidiary. The paper was focused on the dynamics of the management relationship with a look at how culture, language and the legal systems in foreign countries contribute to the overall outcome of offshore outsourcing ventures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internationalisation of corporate research is an issue with a large impact on strategic decision-making within the research-intensive pharmaceutical industry. However, sector-wide comparative statistics on the whereabouts of corporate research activities and the geographic distribution of their research partners is scarce. This paper describes the international research profiles of Europe's top 10 largest multinational pharmaceutical companies based on publication counts and author address information drawn from the thousands of pharmaceutical research articles published in 2005-2006. The results provide relevant aggregate-level background intelligence for strategic analysis of the industry's internationalisation processes and research cooperation patterns. The overall statistics indicate that international research activity of European industry is significantly more oriented towards the US science base than vice versa. Company-level statistical data on the research cooperation involving each company's central research centres based in country of corporate headquarters, reveal quite distinctive geographical characteristics alongside differential preferences for in-house or external research partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the end of the 90s there has been an increase in the emergence of biotechnology industries in Spain, partially as a result of growing support from institutionally based infrastructures. Through the use of empirical fieldwork, this study aims to reveal how future prospects are not as optimistic as most Spanish agents perceive. Our conclusions are based on the asymmetric behaviour shown by Spanish biotechnology firms in their business models. This asymmetry is based on the overwhelming dominance of business models centred on low investment, limited R&D expenditure and minor or incremental innovation, whereas the long term-long return model, which prevails in the leading countries in this field, is practically non-existent in the Spanish environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]