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Problem definition: Firms developing novel and innovative products regularly face a canonical product development and introduction problem: introduce a proven and immediately available product or delay product introduction until the successful development of an advanced version. Academic/practical relevance: Limited access to resources for the development of an advanced version adds another wrinkle to this problem, particularly for cash-constrained start-ups. For such start-ups, the introduction of an on-hand product can generate additional funds to support the development of an advanced product. However, the lower performance of the on-hand product can negatively impact the perception of the firm’s future products and lower future profitability. Methodology: We study the trade-off between revenues that an on-hand product generates for research and development funding and the negative effect it has on future profits. We characterize the optimal introduction timing of the on-hand product as a function of the financial resource constraints, the interdependence between these sequential products and the cost of development. Results: We identify important differences between the optimal product introduction strategies of a start-up and an established firm. Specifically, although it is always optimal for an established firm to accelerate the launch of a better-quality on-hand product, a start-up might find it optimal to delay its launch. The impact of technological failure and different forms of learning on the optimal strategy of the start-up are also explored. We translate our analytical findings into a managerial framework and illustrate these results using examples from the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries.

High market uncertainty impedes an entrepreneur's ability to evaluate the state of the market for a business opportunity. For many entrepreneurial ventures, data collection and analysis techniques and technologies are becoming an important source to manage uncertainty. This trend is often referred to as “data-driven entrepreneurship.” We consider a dynamic approach using data to overcome market uncertainty for business opportunity-related evaluations. In particular, we examine the entrepreneur's investment portfolio in which each investment generates expected returns and some information about a specific aspect of the market for a single business opportunity. We develop a model that analyzes imperfect market data (e.g., financial, social, regulatory), while factoring in the entrepreneur's risk preference and operational shortages of resources, routines, reputation, and regulations. Our numerical findings show that, rather than pursuing the highest expected returns, an entrepreneur may choose perfect information, risk hedging, or market-controlling investments based on his/her cash level and risk preference. Hence, the entrepreneur, fueled by the availability of data analysis, could overcome uncertainties and obtain better insights for business opportunity decisions.

The innovation has been recognized as a competitive advantage for almost all organizations. Yet, it has been a rather elusive topic when it comes to implementation. Operations design and strategy are mostly concerned about effective implementation of ideas. Hence, in this paper we marry these two fields (operations design and innovation), and identify three key areas for evaluating the innovation strategy, based on our previous research on innovation management. We further offer three prescriptions for practical implementation, which may be of value to managers with their assessment of the value of their innovation strategies.

The purpose of this paper is to examine sustainability-oriented innovations within the electric and energy utility industry in US through the lens of innovation theory and obtain insights on the development and commercialization of sustainability-oriented utility innovations. This research focuses on the top MSCI ESG-rated U.S. utility companies and explores a mix of innovations and strategies that differentiate these top companies. The three emerging propositions from this study are the importance for companies to diversify their innovation portfolio, engage their customers, and establish an intrapreneurial culture. The conjoining of these three propositions offers an evaluation and decision making framework for the companies to maximize the efficacy of profitable and sustainable innovations at all levels and gain a competitive edge against their competitors.

When colleges commit to responsible management education (RME), they begin a journey of integrating a potentially transformative pedagogy into an established academic culture. This process can be challenging as academic institutions are notoriously difficult to change, particularly when it comes to faculty-led processes such as pedagogy. In this paper, we explore an eight-year period in which one academic institution, Babson College, transitions from signing the PRME to integrating RME into the college's operations and pedagogy. This case study analysis shows that the same factors that facilitated widespread, early adoption of RME have also hindered the college from fully achieving its desired impact on student learning and the broader community. This case contributes to the growing body of research on RME by providing a longitudinal perspective that highlights the complexity of aligning an academic institution with this transformative pedagogy.

While innovation is on the agenda of almost all organizations, successful innovation management remains quite elusive for many managers. This paper on innovation management strategy identifies four key interrelated areas that an innovator needs to concurrently define and organize for a systemic and effective innovation: the innovation concept, the consumer context, the competitive context, and the collaborative context. We refer to the framework involving these four areas as the 4Cs of innovation. Careful consideration of each of these four areas addresses specific issues, regarding operations, marketing, finance, and regulations, for the organization to enhance the effectiveness of the innovation strategy. We offer a practical diagnostic tool to implement the 4Cs of innovation framework. Further, we discuss our research on 99 highly innovative clean technology projects funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy as an example of how to utilize the 4Cs of innovation framework. Our analysis brings out important insights for managers of established firms and startups on how to prioritize innovation activities and highlights the effective use of 4Cs of innovation for guiding successful innovation strategies.

Problem definition: We examine how the presence of capital market frictions influences the decision to invest in production cost reduction and the resultant production volume. This investment can increase the firm’s cash flow by increasing the profit margin, but it can also decrease the firm’s risk-free cash reserves and thus affect its exposure to capital market frictions. Academic/practical relevance: Process improvement aimed at production cost reduction has generated myriad of theoretical questions about efficient investment options and capacity choices. From a managerial perspective, process improvement is a fundamental concern in operations strategy. Nevertheless, its analysis typically excludes financial constraints by assuming a perfect capital market. Methodology: We formulate a two-stage profit maximization model in which a capital-constrained firm commits to a cost-reduction investment in the first stage in anticipation of its production decision in the second stage of this two-stage decision process. The firm considers capital market frictions when making decisions at each stage, while considering uncertainty in demand for its offering and in reducing its unit production cost. Results: When a firm faces small initial capital and low preinvestment unit production costs, it can benefit from investing in production cost reduction in the presence of capital market frictions more so than in their absence. Moreover, uncertainty in the production cost reduction mitigates the impact of market frictions on the net benefit (i.e., additional profit), whereas demand uncertainty decreases the feasible parameter space, where investing in production cost reduction is optimal. Managerial implications: A firm’s decision to invest in production cost reduction affects its operational and financial capabilities. Managers should thus consider this investment as an operational hedge not only against the uncertainty of matching supply and demand but also against exposure to capital market frictions and the resultant financial risk.

The climate change debate and economic recovery strategies in various industries demand highly innovative projects featuring stretched performance goals for developing clean technology. These projects face multiple sources of uncertainty in high risk situations, and require specialized know-how and longer periods for revenue growth than their counterparts in other industries. We use data from 207 clean technology projects funded by the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy to conduct a comparative study of how operations design can hedge risk and enhance project valuation in technology development and deployment stages. We find that deployment feasibility is significantly and positively related to project valuation. On the other hand, stretched technical performance goals, development feasibility and market growth targets are associated with lower valuation. We also find some significant differences for these results across institution types: mature firms, start-ups, universities, and research centers. We examine the risk profile of these projects by technology and institution type, and discuss the managerial and policy implications for these findings.

Many durable products provide value only when used together with contingent services or consumable components, e.g. light fixtures (bulbs), printers (ink), electronics (batteries). Consumers need only have access to the contingent consumable components to continue to derive service from a durable. In fact, many firms rely primarily upon the revenues generated from the contingent services or consumables as the primary source of profitability, e.g. giving away the razors to make money on the blades. Such firms often invest considerable effort into making sure that consumers of their durables are held captive to their own branded consumables by impeding their access to generically available consumables. They do so by designing their products in such a way that they are not readily compatible with the generic consumables. We consider the implications of competition from third-party manufacturers that can provide generic consumables and the manufacturer’s production decisions of a durable good under such contingencies. This allows us to draw managerial insights about how a firm should decide on his product compatibility and production quantity when the generic contingent consumables enter the market.

Open innovation through collaboration could be beneficial for various reasons, but participating firms must also consider the strategic consequences of their formation on the supply chain. This study is concerned with how open innovation through inter-firm collaboration and strategic alliances may generate value for competing suppliers by stimulating the adoption of the new component innovation by the downstream supply chain. The analysis specifically examines three types of firm interaction representing different levels of open innovation. First, in the joint venture, fully integrated suppliers would develop and market the component. Second, in the development alliance, partially integrated suppliers share the development outcome, but compete in marketing. Finally, independent suppliers do not form any kind of collaborative formation. The findings reveal that the value of open innovation comes not only from technology development, but also how well it stimulates the downstream OEM to invest.

Despite the existing challenges in the capital market, technological and market uncertainties, the current business environment may be fertile for innovative firms that could find affordable and scalable clean technology innovations. Navigating innovation management process for any clean technology project is a practical issue that requires attention of financial and non-financial factors affecting technology development and deployment. Such endeavor has precipitated many of the complex questions involved with clean technology industry. This article surveys literatures on resource-based view of the firm, operations management, innovation and technology management, and clean technology. The article identifies key drivers – operations, market and regulatory – of clean technology projects, and further demonstrates their interrelatedness within a comprehensive integrated conceptual framework of development and deployment. This integrated framework contributes to our understanding of innovation management process for clean technology firms, including supply and demand sides.