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More and more self-interested businesses are organizing themselves in interdependent, non-hierarchically controlled networks to jointly create superior value by engaging in open innovation projects. In aligning the heterogeneous actors toward a focal value proposition, it is crucial for the orchestrators of such arrangements to manage their inter-organizational relationships by navigating the interplay of contractual and relational governance mechanisms. Despite the relevance of how contracts and relational governance co-evolve, knowledge on the interaction of contracts and relational governance in specific contexts is still missing. Through a multiple-case study of ten multinational ecosystem orchestrators, we explore how large multinational orchestrators govern the interplay inter-organizational relationship mechanisms in open innovation projects across ecosystems. Based on our findings, we propose a five-dimensional, sequential model of governing the interplay of inter-organizational relationship mechanisms in open innovation projects across ecosystems and discuss our contributions in the context of the current literature.

Digital Transformation is currently at the core of companies’ strategies for companies to leverage the business potentials of applying digital technologies, like mobile, social networks, IoT, big data and artificial intelligence and machine learning. This is especially true in retail, which is being pressed to adopt the same metrics and practices existent in ecommerce. IoT is a crucial technology for this, since it allows collecting real time information from the physical world. This paper presents a case study of Digital Transformation in a Brazilian wholesaler, which used IoT aiming to improve inventory control and ended up with an information platform that allowed wide improvements of operations, improvements in customer experience and innovation in the business model.

A growing number of researchers and practitioners stress the potentials of creating value through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and collaborations with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). However, little attention has been paid as to how value and value creation is defined in the context of CSR and NGO collaborations and integrated across key functional areas within the company. This research gap is explored empirically through a cross-industry case study of five companies’ application and approaches to CSR and NGO collaborations to facilitate value creation. The findings reveal different scenarios of how companies approach CSR and NGO collaborations in their value propositions and in value creation through collaborative activities across core business functions. The findings reveal that the type of value creation originate from the way the business-NGO collaborations are applied across the companies’ collaborative activities in communication, HRM and sustainable innovation/R&D.

This study extends the knowledge of the human resource management (HRM)–innovation relationship and examines how innovation-facilitating bundles of HRM practices are applied to facilitate radical pharmaceutical front-end innovation (FEI). The empirical investigation is an explorative case study of science-driven FEI and HRM practices across one in-depth case study and seven validation studies among international pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The findings provide a theoretical overview of key HRM practices in support of radical pharmaceutical FEI as well as an empirical mapping of how innovation-facilitating bundles of HRM practices are applied to actively develop radical, science-driven pharmaceutical FEI, including the identification of the key innovation challenges and opportunities involving innovation-facilitating HRM practices in pharmaceutical FEI. The article contributes to the existing innovation literature in terms of identifying how radical FEI may be facilitated through the application of innovation-facilitating bundles of HRM practices. The empirical contribution and managerial implications provide nine specific suggestions for how pharmaceutical management groups can better support radical pharmaceutical FEI through targeted HRM practices. The derived results of the study also underline inherent challenges of the pharmaceutical industry and regulations (FDA) that may not stimulate radical innovation, which cannot be resolved by HRM, but require the attention of policy makers. The value added lies in the specificity of the empirical, pharmaceutical context in which the issue of supporting radical, science-driven FEI is investigated.

The Internet of Things (IoT) promises a revolution in terms of new services, products and possibilities for innovation in business models. Those possibilities, however, are linked to a competitive and social context in which concerns with data privacy and sustainability must be balanced at the risk of getting negative results and damage to firms' image and reputation. This paper presents a review of the literature that aimed to bring together these concepts (IoT, BMI and privacy/sustainability) and identify how academic research is studying those issues and to identify the main topics and research questions in those studies. We will then present a Brazilian case of Iot Implementation in the context of smart cities and discuss this case considering the topics and questions found in the literature.

Managing waste in a sustainable way is a challenge in our symbiotic society. This study focuses on developing a sustainable solution for the waste management of disposable food packaging. For the proposed solution, the designed model is an amalgam of the Internet of Things technologies together with alternative methodologies for managing in a sustainable manner the disposable food containers. Meanwhile, the solution promotes the development of localized socio-economic ecosystems for a circular economy. A blueprint has been developed based on systematic analysis of the acquired qualitative and quantitative data in addition to a pilot run in the city of Uppsala, Sweden for verifying its viability. It is found that the proposed model although tested on small scale is feasible upon consideration of the local society's habitual gestures and peculiarities.

The aim of this chapter is to explore and explain how knowledge management strategies are implemented effectively across divisions through the application of change agents in the shape of so-called “knowledge ambassadors.” Knowledge ambassadors can play an active role in supporting knowledge sharing and effective integration of knowledge management strategies. The chapter is based on a three-year longitudinal participative case study of the implementation of a knowledge management strategy across an organization and its seven geographically dispersed divisions. The results of the study reveal different steps and key activities in effective implementation of a knowledge management strategy and how knowledge ambassadors play a vital role in effective integration of knowledge management tools, continuous support of knowledge sharing practices, and in developing a knowledge culture within the organization.

The overall aim of this chapter is to identify the concept of digital business models (DBMs). The literature review explores extant literature in mapping the DBM concept and identifying established and new frameworks for DBMs, thereby providing a platform for understanding, discussing and developing them in established companies as well as in digital start-ups. The objective of this chapter is to provide answers to the following questions: (1) How do we define the DBM concept and the key drivers and challenges of DBMs? (2) Which business model frameworks and tools can be applied in exploring and leveraging DBMs? (3) What are the benefits and challenges of the frameworks in mapping DBMs?

This chapter aims to explore and explain the use of collaborative innovation and partnerships in leveraging the development of different types of sustainable business models (SBMs). Through open source innovation and collaborations with other types of partners/stakeholders companies get access to new knowledge, capabilities, resources and networks/partners, which is a prerequisite to SBM. Thus the emphasis of this chapter is to explore the concept of businesses and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) collaborating in designing new SBMs. Through a literature review and case examples, a typology of SBM archetypes through business-NGO collaborations is identified and presented. Each of the identified four SBM archetypes through business-NGO collaborations are explained through a mapping of the unique characteristics of the archetype, a case example and a discussion of the specific drivers and potential challenges to be considered by businesses and managers in engaging in these collaborations.

Sustainable Business Models: Innovation, Implementation, and Success aims to provide new knowledge of what sustainable business models are, how they create value, how they are implemented and managed, and how to ensure their success. The purpose of this chapter is therefore to summarize each of the book’s chapter contributions and to provide an overview of the key contributions and conclusions of each chapter. Also this chapter explores potential venues for further developments of the research and practice field of sustainable business models as well as paths for future research.

The aim of this chapter is to identify the concept of sustainable business models (SBMs) bridging from traditional business models (BMs) to sustainable business models (SBMs) while using value creation in exploring the characteristics of SBMs. The literature review of the chapter provides the platform to assess and to map, discuss, and develop the SBM pyramid framework. The SBM pyramid provides a framework and tool for how to identify, understand, develop and evaluate the level of sustainability of BMs and the BM dimensions—theoretically and empirically. A case example is offered to provide an illustration of the concept empirically and to explore the use of the framework in exploration and assessment of the levels of sustainability of the overall BM, the individual BM dimensions and the value proposition, delivery, creation and value capture of a company/business in practice. The three-dimensional framework can be applied by theorists and practitioners in identifying, developing and evaluating the level of sustainability in the value creation, value delivery, and value capture of any existing (sustainable) BM and it's BM dimensions and in designing new SBM innovations.

Please provide department/institute/university/city/country details for the affiliation of the author Annabeth Aagaard.

The business model concept is not new and there has been an increasing number of papers published, fast growing communities on Business model's (BM) and an abundance of conference sessions and panels on the subject of BM's. Business model and business model innovation has been the focus of substantial attention by both academics and practitioners. However, it appears that researchers and practitioners have yet not researched widely on how sensors can be applied and embedded in BM's and what businesses can gain from sensing business models (Lindgren and Taran in J Green Eng 2:1-10, 2011). Society and Businesses today invest tremendous amount of resources in sensors and digitalization to achieve better and deeper understanding of their BMs. Taking these enormous amounts of resources invested into account, when creating a "sensing BM" still turn out to be a very complex venture and has several invention iteration still to go before we reach a full scale "sensing business model". The paper shows different levels and attempt of sensing business models and shows these in reference of a definition and framework of a sensing business model. Five different businesses - working with different sensing BM's and sensor technology - are presented. The use cases show combination of biological and mechanical sensors together with physical and digital sensors. In combination the sensoring BM could lead businesses into a new area of business modeling.

Front end innovation (FEI) represents the first building blocks of product development, but is often regarded as a weak link in innovation literature. Various theorists emphasize that a firm’s innovation can benefit substantially by improving the front end of innovation process (Reinertsen, Res Technol Manag 42:23–31, 1999; Stevens and Burly, Res Technol Manag 46(2):16–25, 2003; Verworn et al., RD Cottam et al., Eur J Innov Manag 4:88–94, 2001; Morgan and Berthon, J Manag Stud 45(8):1329–1353, 2008). Innovation strategies are suggested in literature (e.g. Page, J Prod Innov Manag 10:273–287, 1993; Oke, J Change Manag 2(3):272–281, 2002; Adams et al., Int J Manag Rev 8(1):21–47, 2006; Igartua et al., Res Technol Manag May–June:41–52, 2010) as a facilitator of innovation and may therefore also be targeted at FEI support. The pharmaceutical industry has experienced a worldwide decline in the number of applications for new molecular entities to regulatory agencies since 1997. Therefore high pressures are put on pharmaceutical research and FEI to produce more valid candidates and faster for drug development. This paper explores how pharmaceutical FEI can be actively supported through the development and implementation of an innovation strategy. The empirical field and applied methodology is an action oriented longitudinal case study of a Danish pharmaceutical company. The findings and key learnings from the study are presented as propositions of how innovation strategies can be applied to actively facilitate FEI and with measurable results.

This article explores how radical front end innovation is supported in pharmaceutical companies. The empirical field is an explorative case study of front end innovation in the pharmaceutical industry, with an in-depth case study of the Danish pharmaceutical company, H. Lundbeck A/S, and explorative studies of seven European and American pharmaceutical companies. We aim to show how pharmaceutical innovation is unique in terms of front end innovation (FEI) and what this implies for effective management and organization of radical pharmaceutical FEI. The value added and the contribution of this article to the existing FEI literature is therefore in the specificity of the empirical setting in which the issue is investigated.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how Front End Innovation (FEI) is supported and managed among companies of different nationality within the context of pharmaceutical R&D. The present study is carried out in order to contribute to the development of a clearer understanding of active facilitation of innovation management and FEI in theory and in practice across international borders. I aim to show how different aspects of Pharma and nationality affect the way innovation management and radical FEI are supported within organisations. This is examined through an in-depth case study of the Danish and US based pharmaceutical company, H. Lundbeck A/S, and a comparative study including five European and American pharmaceutical companies. The findings from the study reveal a number of similarities and differences in innovation management and FEI support of radical projects and among the different nationalities. This presents propositions of important aspects to consider in facilitation of radical FEI in general and in multinational pharmaceutical companies. In addition, proposals are made for a global study of innovation management and FEI support including Chinese and other Asian pharmaceutical companies, which represent a growing market. The value added and the contribution of this paper to the existing FEI literature is therefore in the specificity of the empirical setting in which the issue is investigated.

This theoretical review is investigating how selected HR practices can help overcome the challenges companies face in establishing a basis for continuous innovation and thereby economic performance. In particular, the front end of innovation is being emphasised as a key element in companies’ innovativeness. If HR is to support these activities, focus should be on broader issues such as team-based organising, founded on a questioning attitude and a management style with a high level of empowerment. In addition, traditional HR themes such as recruitment, training and development have to be reinterpreted in a context of heterogeneity and polyvalence. Finally performance management and talent management should play a greater role in emphasising exclusive values and rational goal-oriented behaviour among employees, compared to the more inclusive mainstream values that characterise much HRM literature. A number of propositions for further research are presented.

Most industries face continuing pressures from rising R&D costs, shortening product lifecycles and global competition. These challenges have increased the focus on shortening development times, which again puts pressure on the efficiency of front end innovation (FEI). In the attempt to overcome these various challenges companies are looking for new models to support FEI. This theoretical paper explores in what way idea management may be applied as a tool in facilitation of front end innovation and how this facilitation may be captured in a conceptual model. First, I show through a literature study, how idea management and front end innovation are related and how they may support each other. Secondly, I present a theoretical model of how idea management may be applied in support of the open source front end of new product innovations. Thirdly, I present different venues of further exploration of active facilitation of open source front end innovation through idea management.

The pharmaceutical industry faces continuing pressures from rising R&D costs and depreciating value of patents, as patent lives is eroded by testing procedures and pressures from public authorities to cut health care costs. These challenges have increased the focus on shortening development times, which again put pressure on the efficiency of front end innovation (FEI). In the attempt to overcome these various challenges pharmaceutical companies are looking for new models to support FEI. This paper explores in what way idea management can be applied as a tool in facilitation of front end innovation in practice. First I show through a literature study, how idea management and front end innovation are related and may support each other. Hereafter I apply an exploratory case study of front end innovation in eight medium to large pharmaceutical companies in examination of how idea management is applied in facilitation of front end innovation in practice. In order for a pharmaceutical company to support FEI, I present propositions of effective facilitation of pharmaceutical FEI and idea management.

Sustainability has become a new premise for doing business - moving it from political discourses into company boardrooms (Dryzek, 2005; Bisgaard, 2009; Aagaard, 2016). However, applying business model innovation as a way to create sustainable value requires several alterations of our ways of understanding, creating and evaluating businesses and their business models. The objective of this article is to explore how sustainable business models can be created and evaluated across different companies and industrial contexts. Although many authors have stressed the business potentials of sustainable innovation and business models, little theoretical and empirical knowledge exists of the concepts and the implications, drivers and challenges, as stressed by Weisenfeld (2012) and Parmentier & Gandia (2013)

Growth and growth facilitation among SME’s and entrepreneurs have attracted attention from both academics and practitioners for decades. However, the existing literature of growth models tends to oversimplify the different stages, and the inherent determinism in these models does not reflect reality, where firms may have individual choices and not pre-destined evolutionary paths. In addition, firm performance is often seen as the outcome or success criteria in the majority of the SME and entrepreneurial management literature, where performance is primarily measured in innovation, financial performance, and growth. The objective of this paper and the research project behind has been to compensate for these shortcomings and to achieve application-oriented knowledge of what creates growth in SME’s small and medium enterprises and within a specific low growth region in Denmark. This paper aims at identifying and describing the key internal business processes that contribute to growth in a longitudinal study of eleven SME case companies located in a low-growth region. The findings of the study reveal seven key growth facilitating themes and activities, which are critical in active support of firm growth in a low-growth region. These findings are to be examined in a larger quantitative cross-national study.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an acknowledged and well-established strategic approach in both theory and practice. A large majority of the existing literature emphasises CSR integration within larger corporations, although CSR also plays a pivotal role in small to medium-sized companies, SMEs. This study explores how four Danish SMEs have integrated CSR, and how the levels of external, internal and diagonal integration affect the qualitative and quantitative results of CSR. Whereas external CSR integration constitutes the external CSR communication and involvement of customers, suppliers and other stakeholders, the internal CSR integration is explained and measured through the level of employee involvement and the content and the effects of internal oriented CSR activities and communication. The diagonal integration is understood as integration with the business strategy.

Front end innovation (FEI) represents the first building blocks of product development, but is often regarded as a weak link in innovation literature. Various theorists emphasize that a firm’s innovation can benefit substantially by improving the front end of innovation process (Reinertsen, 1999, Steven & Burly, 2003, and Vernorn et al., 2008) and that innovation strategies play a central role in optimization of innovation (Clark & Wheelwright, 1995; Cottam et al., 2001; Morgan & Berthon, 2008). Cottam et al. (2001) stress that in order to maximize the benefits of previous innovations innovative activities must be given a strategic direction. An explicit innovation strategy is addressed as a success factor for several reasons. First, it provides a guideline for dealing with strategic issues, such as selecting the markets to enter and the skills to develop (Lester, 1998). Second, strategically planned projects enable the firm to take advantage of synergy between parallel innovation projects. Third, learning-by-doing can materialise, enabling the firm to reap benefits of previously successful innovations along with firm-specific skills that emanate from them (Rothwell, 1992). The pharmaceutical industry has experienced a worldwide decline in the number of applications for new molecular entities to regulatory agencies since 1997. The decrease in drugs being launched should be held against the fact that medical research and research costs have increased tremendously in the same period. Hence high pressures are put on pharmaceutical research and FEI to produce more valid candidates for drug development and faster. As drug development has become more risky and costly, (Schmid & Smith, 2005; Herson, 2005) the FEI, represented by the research and discovery departments of pharmaceutical companies, are increasingly being compelled to provide stronger drug candidates for efficient drug development and quick market launches. This challenges the organization and structures of pharmaceutical FEI emphasizing the need to support and enable the front end activities in a targeted manner. In an industry where a newly discovered therapeutic agent with blockbuster potential still faces more than a 90% change of failure during the development phase (Duyck, 2003), and knowing that the fully loaded cost for the development of the agent amount to about one billion dollars (Pacl et al., 2004) underlines that enhancing the ‘predictability’ of the discovery process/FEI ought to be an immediate priority area of investment for Pharma (Duyck, 2003).This paper explores how pharmaceutical front end innovation can be actively supported through the development and implementation of an innovation strategy. The empirical field of pharmaceutical innovation and the pharmaceutical industry were selected due to this industry’s unique characteristics with an R&D process lasting up to 10-12 years, which is highly controlled and regulated by external authorities, such as The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that requires comprehensive documentation, testing and screening of all drugs being developed and launched for the American market. The applied methodology is an in-depth action-oriented case study of an innovation strategy development and implementation process in a Scandinavian pharmaceutical company. Through a three-year Ph.D. study the process of identifying, developing and integrating a targeted innovation corporate strategy and divisional action plans is examined and effects and results are evaluated and measured. The findings and key learnings from the study are presented as propositions of how innovation strategies can be developed and integrated in ways that can affect FEI positively and in active support of the FEI process. Keywords: Front End Innovation, Innovation management, Innovation strategy, Pharmaceutical innovation, Action research