rok 2006
Aaboen L, Lindelof P, von Koch C, Lofsten H (2006) Corporate governance and performance of small hightech firms in Sweden. Technovation 26:955-968 The approach uses data from a sample of 183 small hightech firms, new, technology-based firms (small high-tech firms) in Sweden (54 variables under the headings
of work experience, board and advice, financing, motivation-performance priorities, technological
innovation and strategy). This study identifies some core areas of importance in corporate governance. Few
managers in this study had a strong background and experience of finance and the preparation of business.
Only 64 per cent of the managers have had previous work experience before starting the firm. The survey
makes it clear that the small high-tech firms are likely to have a strong link with banking institutions. The
consequence of these links is that most of the firm's capital supply is from banks, and that there are strong
ownership links between banks and industry. The background of the founder does seem to have had an
effect on the problem of financing and ownership issues. It is private sector organizations (banks) and
families that are most frequently consulted by small high-tech firms (However, low means). It is also the
private and public sector organizations, in connection with external board membership, regional
development agencies and banks that are most frequently consulted. In the future, it is reasonable to search
for factor patterns that can begin to explain and predict the direction of corporate governance in small new
technology-based firms.
Adamides ED, Karacapilidis N (2006) Information technology support for the knowledge and social
processes of innovation management. Technovation 26:50-59 While the management of innovation is the
most knowledge-intensive organizational process, its information technology support has received only
fragmented attention. The majority of systems proposed are either aiming at augmenting individual
creativity and productivity, or at increasing the productivity of communication among the actors involved. In
this paper, building on the view of innovation as a process of consecutive problems resolution, we present an
information systems framework that aims at integrating different actors' perspectives and tools across
different activities, by explicitly addressing the knowledge and social dynamics of the whole process. The
framework is based on a systemic problem-knowledge representation scheme and an evolutionary problemresolution methodology that supports the innovation process in its entirety, enabling the gradual 'breeding' of
innovation concept(s). After reviewing the relevant literature, we present the structure, functionality and use
of Knowledge Breeder, a web-based software system that implements this methodology through a structured
dialogue and a formal argumentation scheme. By means of a use case we show how this system can support
the innovation process effectively.
Adams-Bigelow M, Kleinschmidt EJ, Kuczmarski TD, Notargiacomo R, Peters LS (2006) Rejoinders to
"Establishing an NPD best practices framework". Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:117-127
Akdeniz MB (2006) The design of things to come: How ordinary people create extraordinary products.
Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:467-469
Akgun AE, Lynn GS, Byrne JC (2006) Antecedents and consequences of unlearning in new product
development teams. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:73-88
Unlearning, which first
appeared almost 30 years ago as a subprocess of the organizational learning process, has received only
limited attention in the literature. Rather than building on empirical research, the existing scholarship is
largely anecdotal, aimed at reviewing the literature and generating new insights. Further, unlearning studies
tend to analyze the organizational level and neglect smaller units such as work groups and teams. To address
this gap in the understanding of unlearning, this article empirically investigates unlearning in work groups in
general and new product development (NPD) teams in particular. This study, based on the literature of
organizational memory and change, operationalized team unlearning as changes in beliefs and routines
during team-based projects and then discussed the importance of unlearning behavior in NPD teams.
Specifically it was argued that unlearning guards beliefs and routines against rigidity to cope with
environmental turbulence. This is of particular note when rigid product development procedures and group
beliefs inhibit the reception and evaluation of new market and technology information and reduce the value
of perceived new information. To test the antecedents and consequences of the team unlearning model, 319
NPD teams were investigated. Using structural equation modeling, it was found that (1) team crisis and
anxiety have a direct impact on team unlearning; (2) environmental turbulence also has a direct impact on
both team crisis and anxiety and team unlearning; and (3) after team beliefs and project routines have
changed, implementing new knowledge or information positively affects new product success. Specifically,
the findings revealed that changes in team members' collective beliefs in accordance with environmental
changes and the in-process planning or adjustment of project work activities and procedures as the projects
evolve enable teams to develop and launch new products successfully. Also, results indicated that team
crisis and anxiety in NPD projects assist team members in revising their previous beliefs and routines when
project teams are performing in turbulent environments. This article suggests that managers can enhance
team unlearning by (1) creating a sense of urgency by introducing an artificial crisis; and (2) avoiding the
groupthink phenomena by bringing in an outsider to challenge existing policies and procedures, and training
the team on lateral thinking. In addition, managers can plan project activities in a flexible manner that allows
changes as the project evolves to facilitate team unlearning. However, managers should also be cautious
when promoting team unlearning. Without careful and considerable evaluation, change in beliefs and
routines can cause information/knowledge loss.
Amir-Aslani A, Negassi S (2006) Is technology integration the solution to biotechnology's low research and
development productivity? Technovation 26:573-582
The demand for innovative and cost-effective
products has had considerable impact on the Research and Development (R&D) portfolio of pharmaceutical
companies. With the advent of the new enabling technologies, the biotechnology revolution has created a
need for a new and more appropriate paradigm for drug development. The progress in the biological
understanding of disease processes and related technological developments have been a major step forward
for drug discovery. However, the great majority of the biotechnology companies are confronted with the
same issues as major pharmaceutical companies in terms of R&D productivity. This article intends to unfold
the challenges faced by biotechnology companies involved in drug discovery by managing the complexity,
uncertainty and urgency of technology integration through organic, acquisition and partnering strategies
have become priorities for biotechnology companies in helping them achieving more efficiency in their
pharmaceutical R&D efforts. Such strategies help biotechnology companies apply their technologies across
a broad range of applications within the drug discovery value chain to maximize opportunities for product
development. Competitive advantage in the marketplace ultimately derives from providing better speed,
cost, quality and direction.
Anderson BP (2006) A handbook of intellectual property management. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:386-388
Anderson BP (2006) Intellectual property law in China. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:386388
Appleyard MM, Brown C, Sattler L (2006) An international investigation of problem-solving performance
in the semiconductor industry. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:147-167
Using a unique
survey of engineers in major semiconductor companies located in Japan, South Korea, and the United States,
this article analyzes how a firm's human resource (HR) system (i.e., practices that structure work, develop
skills, and reward performance) and knowledge system (i.e., information access, sharing and control) are
related to the problem-solving performance of engineers. Because of the short product market life cycles in
the semiconductor industry, expeditious problem solving is an important performance goal. Therefore, this
article examines the performance of engineers in terms of the time it takes them to solve problems in the
context of their firms' HR and knowledge systems. It was anticipated during this study that externally
oriented organizational systems, which support individual career performance and mobility (an externally
oriented HR system) and the use of private knowledge sources (an externally oriented knowledge system),
would be associated with superior performance in terms of problem-solving speed. The findings support this
hypothesis and demonstrate the importance of externally oriented HR systems and at the same time suggest
the surprising insignificance of the orientation of the knowledge systems. These findings are applicable to
engineers in the sample from the United States, whereas the findings for the Korean and Japanese engineers
are inconclusive. International variation is found where the U.S. engineers work under the most externally
oriented and the Japanese engineers under the least externally oriented systems, and the Korean engineers
fall in between. The findings of this article suggest that when constructing a work environment for new
product development, managers should take into account how the underlying components of their
organizational systems contribute to an internal or external focus, and how this orientation may influence
performance.
Assimakopoulos D, Yan M (2006) Sources of knowledge acquisition for Chinese software engineers. R & D
Management 36:97-106
This research adopts a triangulation strategy based on ethnographic case study
and questionnaire survey shedding light on how Chinese software engineers acquire codified and tacit
knowledge in their daily development work. Software engineers make effective use of complementary
resources within a broad spectrum of choices for seeking advice, learning how to solve technical problems,
and transferring knowledge to the local community of practice from far beyond the organizational boundary.
The analysis focuses on patterns of advice seeking relations within and across project team boundaries, also
highlighting the Internet software technology forums as an important channel for technical information
sharing across organizational boundaries. The implications for R&D managers are also discussed with
special reference to software development and other knowledge intensive computer related work in China.
Atuahene-Gima K, Li HY (2006) The effects of formal controls on supervisee trust in the manager in new
product selling: Evidence from young and inexperienced salespeople in China. Journal of Product
Innovation Management 23:342-358 How should sales managers enhance the support and commitment of
young, inexperienced sales people during a new product selling? Some scholars have suggested sales
managers should use formal controls (i.e., output and process controls) to develop the salespeople's trust in
their benevolence. Drawing on a sample of young, inexperienced sales people with rather low education
selling new products in China's competitive, volatile, and transitional economic environment, the present
study investigates the relationship between output and process controls and supervisee trust (i.e., the
salesperson's trust in the sales manager). The empirical results of the study suggest that process and output
controls have differential effects on supervisee trust. Specifically, the results indicate that process control
enhances supervisee trust by itself and also under conditions of intense training for new product selling and
when market volatility is perceived as high. However, process control hinders supervisee trust when the
manager is long-term oriented and engages in participative supervision. It was found that output control
engenders supervisee trust when the manager is long-term oriented but hinders supervisee trust when
salespeople have undergone intensive training for new product selling. Implications of these results are
provided for both researchers and practitioners involved in launching and selling new products.
Ball DF, Rigby J (2006) Disseminating research in management of technology: journals and authors. R & D
Management 36:205-215
This paper describes part of a study into the emergence and evolution of the
management of research and development (R&D), innovation and technology as a subject in its own right. It
deals with communicating research in this area via the relevant journals. The first part of this paper describes
the history and development of the bulk of the relevant journals. The second part focuses on the extent and
frequency of author participation and the author affiliation in the journals described in the first part of the
paper. Computing the number of author entries in these journals for the years 1954-2003 demonstrates the
substantial increase in publication over this period. The analysis also examines the affiliation of authors by
dividing the sample into academic and non-academic. Finally, the study then sets out to identify those who
make up the 'community' on the basis of publication in these journals over the period 1954-2003. The
importance of the study is not only as an historical record but also to act as a guide to practicing R&D
managers on which journals would best meet their needs.
Baraldi E, Nadin G (2006) The challenges in digitalising business relationships. The construction of an IT
infrastructure for a textile-related business network. Technovation 26:1111-1126 This article analyses the
phenomenon of the digitalisation of buyer-seller relationships. We discuss and systematise the challenges of
constructing an IT infrastructure capable of sustaining the inter-firm interactions necessary in a business
network. In particular, we deal with two relevant main questions (1) how are IT tools constructed and
introduced into business networks to sustain relationships and (2) what type of challenges emerge during
such attempts to construct and introduce IT. Relying on the case of an IT project for the "Stella" network (an
Italian home-textile network), we highlight the challenges related to resource heterogeneity and process
complexity. Furthermore. we analyse the relevance of such issues as inter-firm trust, power and dependence
in similar IT projects. Particular emphasis is then given to the possibility of the IT system representing not
only the formal, but also the informal interactions among firms, and consequently, to the intrinsic limits to
codifying relationships into rigid models. Even if the purpose of this paper is not to suggest generalised
solutions to the above challenges, we describe how each of them was faced by the project team in the
"Stella" network and we propose an indicative list of managerial implications relevant for all IT projects that
stretch to whole business networks.
Barczak G, Kahn KB, Moss R (2006) An exploratory investigation of NPD practices in nonprofit
organizations. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:512-527 Studies of practices in new product
and service development have focused predominantly on for-profit organizations, whereas attention to the
nonprofit sector has been minimal. Such attention is needed given that nonprofit organizations are unique in
their structures and are growing with regards to impact on the world economy and society in general.
Moreover, such disparate attention suggests a void in this discipline's understanding of new product
development (NPD) practices of nonprofit organizations. Two particular research questions are posed: (1)
To what extent are the practices of for-profit organizations employed in nonprofit organizations? (2) How do
the practices of nonprofits compare to those of for-profit organizations? In the course of answering these
questions, the present study reviewed literature and the Product Development and Management Association
(PDMA) certification work. The study subsequently identified six dimensions of successful NPD efforts:
strategy, portfolio management, process, market research, people, and metrics and performance
measurement. These dimensions were applied via an in-depth case-study methodology to six large, U. S.
nonprofit organizations: American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), American Cancer Society,
American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Club of America, and Goodwill
Industries. The dimensions assisted in categorizing and analyzing the responses of 40 respondents across the
six organizations. Results show that some NPD practices of large nonprofit organizations are similar to forprofit organizations, but other practices are more distinctive and related to the nature of nonprofit
organizations. Large nonprofit organizations tend to be very good at articulating their mission, embedding it
throughout, and using it to drive programs and activities. These organizations tend to view product
development as a tactical endeavor versus a strategic one and do not engage in portfolio management
practices for their new programs. Instead, broad criteria such as fit with mission, funding availability, and
presence of a champion are used for evaluating programs. The NPD process tends to be informal with little
structure, and individual departments and local chapters tend to undertake their own NPD initiatives and
have their own process for doing so. Non-profits place a heavy emphasis on ideation and less emphasis on
other activities such as concept development and testing, project evaluation, and business analysis. Pilot
testing is the most used type of market research. These results suggest that NPD processes within large
nonprofit organizations share some of the same weaknesses as those of for-profit organizations, with NPD
metrics being a particularly weak area. The NPD practices of nonprofits also have some unique
characteristics that include the following: a heavy emphasis on the mission, a desire for flexibility, strong
influence of external sponsors, and difficulty in assessing long-term program success. Management of
nonprofit NPD and directions for future research are discussed.
Barlow J, Bayer S, Curry R (2006) Implementing complex innovations in fluid multi-stakeholder
environments: Experiences of 'telecare'. Technovation 26:396-406 'Telecare' is the use of information and
communication technology to facilitate health and social care delivery to individuals in their own homes.
Governments around the world are seeking to introduce telecare partly to help address the challenges posed
by an ageing society. Telecare is inherently complex to implement and operate because it involves
combination of technological and organisational innovation in an environment of diverse stakeholders.
Using research on two telecare schemes in the UK, the paper explores the way project complexity,
organisational context and project management approach interacted during the planning and implementation
phases. The paper discusses how insights from research in related areas, including medical technology and
service sector innovation in general, could help to explain why mainstream telecare delivery has been
difficult and draws conclusions on the role of project management in the implementation of innovation.
Bayona C, Corredor P, Santamaria R (2006) Technological alliances and the market valuation of new
economy firms. Technovation 26:369-383
The article investigates a sample of 69 announcements of
technological alliances involving new economy firms in Spain, over the five-year period from 1997 to 2002.
The purpose of the study is to analyse the impact of these announcements on share prices and volatility in
these firms. Various alliance characteristics are also examined in order to analyse their influence on stock
market prices. Our findings suggest that, while there is no overall reaction of share prices to the
announcement of technological alliances, there is an increase in volatility during the event window.
Nevertheless, the analysis enables us to conclude that the market valuation is more positive for joint
ventures and cross-border, cross-sectoral, and two-partner alliances. The observed effect on volatility
indicates that the announcement of the formalisation of these alliances constitutes an abnormal amount of
information, with a potentially significant effect on the variability of share prices.
Becheikh N, Landry R, Amara N (2006) Lessons from innovation empirical studies in the manufacturing
sector: A systematic review of the literature from 1993-2003. Technovation 26:644-664
What is
innovation and what determines its development in manufacturing firms? The literature on the topic has
evolved exponentially during the last decades. However, the divergence of the research results makes it so
that the innovation process is still poorly understood. Relying on a systematic review of empirical studies
published between 1993 and 2003, this article propose and discuss a framework which brings together a set
of variables related to the innovation process and the internal and contextual factors driving it. The ensuing
results highlight several avenues which would help managers and policy makers to better foster innovation
and researchers to better channel their efforts in studying the phenomenon.
Becker B, Gassmann O (2006) Gaining leverage effects from knowledge modes within corporate incubators.
R & D Management 36:1-16
This paper analyzes the kind of knowledge that facilitates hatching and
leveraging of technologies through the incubation process. Four corporate incubator types can be
distinguished according to their source and type of technology: fast-profit incubators, market incubators,
leveraging incubators, and in-sourcing incubators. Applying the knowledge-based view of the firm, four
modes of mainly tacit knowledge were identified in respect to the different incubator types: (1)
entrepreneurial knowledge, (2) organizational knowledge, (3) technological knowledge, and (4)
complementary market knowledge. Knowledge strategies include both the leveraging of internal knowledge
as well as the in-sourcing of external knowledge for the firm through the corporate incubator. The research
is based on an analysis of a European Commission dataset from a benchmarking survey of 77 incubators as
well as 52 interviews in 25 large technology-driven corporations in Europe and the United States.
Belecheanu R, Riedel J, Pawar KS (2006) A conceptualisation of design context to explain design trade-offs
in the automotive industry. R & D Management 36:517-529 The paper explores decision-making rationale
when making trade-offs in design. A case study of a mass-market car manufacturer was conducted using
interviews, qualitative questionnaires and observation. It revealed that decision-making practices in trade-off
situations depend on the way that decision makers perceive the relative importance of design targets and
trade-off criteria. These practices are unformalised and embedded in the larger processes of car development
and often contradict the technical guidelines for making trade-offs that exist in the company. The paper
presents a conceptual framework to explain the rationale of trade-offs in different design contexts. How to
apply this framework to understand design trade-offs is described with an illustration of its use in two real
life examples.
Berends H, van der Bij H, Debackere K, Weggeman M (2006) Knowledge sharing mechanisms in industrial
research. R & D Management 36:85-95
Previous research has firmly established the importance of
knowledge sharing in Research and Development (R&D) settings. However, current theories provide only
fragmented insights into the origination of knowledge sharing, and thus offer limited guidance for
knowledge management practices in R&D. To integrate and extend these fragmented insights, we undertook
two exploratory field studies of knowledge sharing in industrial research organizations. The contributions of
this study are the following. First, we introduce three dimensions that differentiate origination mechanisms
for knowledge sharing. Second, we show that some of these mechanisms correspond to mechanisms
assumed in particular streams of literature, whereas others have been neglected till now. Third, based on our
field studies, we show that each of these knowledge-sharing mechanisms have a different value for industrial
research practices. Therefore, knowledge management in R&D should facilitate and stimulate a broad
portfolio of knowledge-sharing mechanisms.
Bernstein B, Singh PJ (2006) An integrated innovation process model based on practices of Australian
biotechnology firms. Technovation 26:561-572
An integrated approach to managing the innovation
process is attractive for organizations for many reasons. However, there is a relative paucity of models that
describe this approach. In this paper, an attempt is made to produce one such model. Based on a multiple
case study design involving nine biotechnology companies and one peak industry body from Australia, a
conceptual model is proposed that has the linear stage process model as the backbone. The twin mechanisms
of market pull and technology push are incorporated within the model, with a set of key organizational
constructs (management, communication, structure and control) embedded within these mechanisms.
Overall, the results of this study improve our understanding of the innovation process by building a more
comprehensive and integrated conceptual model.
Bigliardi B, Dormio AI, Nosella A, Petroni G (2006) Assessing science parks' performances: directions from
selected Italian case studies. Technovation 26:489-505
Performance measurement of science parks is
becoming paramount and calls for more rigorous approaches. The present work is aimed at providing a
sound and theory-grounded methodological framework to science parks performance measurement and
some practical suggestions useful for the design and the implementation of a Science Park's (SPs)
performance evaluation. By the review of recent literature it emerges that such a system is draw up as from
the real mission and strategy of the SPs, that are influenced by the environment context, the stakeholder's
commitment, the life-cycle of the SP, besides their technical and scientific cultures. Based on the analysis of
four Italian case studies, the empirical findings partly lend support to previous research output and partly
add new elements of discussion to the debate. More specifically, major results are that the evaluation criteria
should be aligned with science park (a) actual mission, (b) major stakeholders commitment, (c) economic
regional conditions, (d) legal forms, (e) nature of the scientific competence base available within research
centres and (f) SP's life-cycle stages.
Borjesson S, Dahlsten F, Williander M (2006) Innovative scanning experiences from an idea generation
project at Volvo Cars. Technovation 26:775-783
This paper discusses a project at Volvo Cars aimed at
idea generation and product expansion proposals. A major concern of many businesses is how to organize
and manage early phases of product development-the front end-to ensure innovativeness. Drawing on
models for new concept development, environmental scanning may be seen as a tool for executing idea
genesis, however, different in its components, as compared to environmental scanning for strategy purposes.
The case at Volvo Cars clearly showed the need for focusing on the back-end of the scanning process to
balance the need for uncertainty reduction without prematurely closing the scope of innovativeness.
Bosworth DL (2006) Economic and management perspectives on intellectual property rights. R & D
Management 36:463-465
Boyle T, Kumar V, Kumar U (2006) Determinants of integrated product development diffusion. R & D
Management 36:37-54 Integrated product development (IPD) is an approach for developing new products
focused on the early and active involvement of design, manufacturing, marketing and other key new product
development (NPD) stakeholders in order to achieve cross-functional integration and concurrent execution
of various NPD activities. The benefits of IPD are well known in both the academic literature and popular
press, including significant reductions in NPD cycle time and costs. However, in spite of these benefits, for
the majority of manufacturing organizations, IPD is not used on 100% of NPD projects. This research
develops a model of the organizational contextual factors influencing the diffusion of IPD in organizations.
Results of surveying 269 NPD managers indicate that the complexity of certain IPD practices and support
for IPD directly influence IPD diffusion, while an innovative organizational climate and the complexity of
the organization's NPD activities indirectly influence IPD diffusion through IPD support.
Bredin K, Soderlund J (2006) HRM and project intensification in R&D-based companies: a study of Volvo
Car Corporation and AstraZeneca. R & D Management 36:467-485
Projects have become the standard
mode of organising R&D activities. The main focus of this paper is to analyse the relationship between the
project operations of the R&D-based firm and its Human Resource Management (HRM). This paper draws
on a comparative case study of AstraZeneca and Volvo Car Corporation. It is argued that the project
intensification currently under way has some important structural and content effects on the HRM practice
of the firms. As to the content effects, we identify five critical areas within the HRM practice where special
attention is needed due to project intensification. As to the structural effects, we identify two separate logics
for HR specialists: the HR-based logic and the task-based logic. These logics give new knowledge about the
design of the HR organisation and how the HR departmental structures should be adapted in a projectintensive setting. The case studies also illustrate three alternative roles for line managers when they assume
increased HR responsibility.
Brockhoff K (2006) The behavioral foundations of strategic management. R & D Management 36:107-107
Broring S, Cloutier LM, Leker J (2006) The front end of innovation in an era of industry convergence:
evidence from nutraceuticals and functional foods. R & D Management 36:487-498
Industry
convergence, defined as a 'blurring' of boundaries between industries, induced by converging value
propositions, technologies and markets, appears to be a pervasive phenomenon leading to the emergence of
inter-industry segments. A current example of convergence can be witnessed in the nutraceuticals and
functional foods sector, emerging at the boundary between the food and pharmaceutical industries. Not only
technologies blur, but there is also a convergence of demand structures: consumers try to satisfy different
needs in one transaction. In this context, this paper explores how actors from different industry-specific
resource backgrounds can engage in an innovative activity requiring new technological and marketing
competences. Given that absorptive capacity is limited by existing competences, this paper asks how
organizations with different R&D competences are able to seize opportunities for innovation emerging from
convergence. Empirical findings based on primary data collected from 54 R&D projects of a nutraceutical
cluster show that there are different approaches of front end decision making: while some firms follow
existing processes for front end decision making, others leave existing paths and need partners to fill in gaps
already identified at the front end of innovation.
Brown S, Fai F (2006) Strategic resonance between technological and organisational capabilities in the
innovation process within firms. Technovation 26:60-75
The literature on innovation has been both rich
and varied in approach and has provided much insight into the process of, and difficulties contained within,
innovation. A number of important concepts including those of path dependency, technological trajectories,
together with the plethora of articles concerned with organizational learning, involving the contribution and
limitations of tacit knowledge, have helped us to understand the nature of innovation. As important as these
strands of literature are, we suggest that a key weakness in much of the literature on innovation is that it
does not deal sufficiently with the contextual issues concerning the changing paradigms of manufacturing
and the profound impact that these developments have had upon the innovation process. We offer the
concept of strategic resonance as a missing ingredient within some firms who are now faced with conditions
of hyper competition where ongoing innovation is a key requirement. The concept of strategic resonance is
not offered as a prescriptive panacea but it is suggested that firms need to understand and remove the
blockages to strategic resonance as part of their innovation development processes.
Bstieler L (2006) Trust formation in collaborative new product development. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:56-72 This research examines antecedents of trust formation in new product development
partnerships and the effect of trust on performance. Trust is modeled as an outcome of communication
behavior, shared problem-solving, perceived fairness, the existence of conflicts during the development
project, and partner egoism. The hypotheses are tested with data on 44 product development partnerships
representing the perspective of the manufacturer. The findings suggest that communication behavior and
fairness are positive contributors to trust. In contrast, conflicts during product development and perceived
egoism of the partner appear to have a detrimental effect. High levels of trust were found to create the
conditions for successful outcomes. A higher level of trust clearly differentiates between high- and lowperforming collaborative relationships in new product development. Trust also was found to be a powerful
mediator, particularly as it relates to mitigating conflicts during such partnerships.
Buesa M, Heijs J, Pellitero MM, Baumert T (2006) Regional systems of innovation and the knowledge
production function: the Spanish case. Technovation 26:463-472
This working document is based on a
broad multivariate data analysis of the regions conforming the Spanish R&D system, with the purpose of
establishing a typology of the regional innovation systems. The paper consists of four parts. It begins with a
brief introduction reviewing the main theoretical approaches. In the second part, we use a factorial analysis,
which allows us to differentiate between four main factors that have an impact on the regional innovation
capacity: The Regional Production and Innovation Environment, the University, the Public Administration
and Private Enterprise. In the third part, we determine a typology of the Spanish R&D system using the
cluster analysis with the four factors detected before. The regions that stand out are Madrid (Public
Administration), Catalonia (Environment), Basque Country (Enterprises) and Navarra (University), the rest
of regions showing the heterogeneity of the regional R+D system in Spain. Finally, we use patents as a
measure of the innovative capacity of the Spanish regions, calculating a regression with the four factors
explained before. We confirm the importance of the Regional Production and Innovation Environment more
than other factors on this kind of output.
Buganza T, Verganti R (2006) Life-cycle flexibility: How to measure and improve the innovative capability
in turbulent environments. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:393-407 Managing innovation
in rapidly moving environments, such as Interned-based services, is a major challenge for the consolidated
theories on product and service development. The innovation management literature identifies flexibility as
the right way for coping with these challenges. By increasing the development process flexibility, it is
possible to reduce the development time as well as the time and cost needed for last-minute concept
changes. But this is not enough. The product or service must also be flexible after it has been released: A
life-cycle flexibility (LCF) must be pursued. Focused on the Italian on-line discount brokers industry, this
article is a result of a two-staged research process that started with a qualitative explorative phase (i.e., casestudy methodology) and ended with a quantitative explorative one (i.e., questionnaire methodology). It
identifies three different LCF dimensions-frequency of adaptation, rapidity of adaptation, and quality of
adaptation-and it defines a metric for each of them. Subsequently, it identifies five managerial and
organizational practices that increase at least one of the three LCF dimensions: (1) to manage the back-end
technological competences; (2) to share the front-end technological competences with external suppliers; (3)
to utilize open and standard technologies; (4) to have a low formalization of the new service development
(NSD) procedures; and (5) to have high formalization of the NSD organization.
Calantone RJ, Chan K, Cui AS (2006) Decomposing product innovativeness and its effects on new product
success. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:408-421 Does product innovativeness affect new
product success? The current research proposes that the ambiguity in findings may be due to an overly
holistic conceptualization of product innovativeness that has erroneously included the concepts of product
advantage and customer familiarity. This article illustrates how the same measures have often been used to
assess product advantage with product innovativeness and product innovativeness with customer familiarity.
These paired overlaps in measurement use are clarified in this research, which decomposes dimensions of
product innovativeness along conceptual lines into distinct product innovativeness, product advantage, and
customer familiarity constructs. To further support this decomposition, structural equation modeling is used
to empirically test the distinctions. The measurement model supports the conceptual separation, and the path
model reveals contingent effects of product innovativeness. Although product innovativeness enhances
product advantage, a high level of innovativeness reduces customer familiarity, indicating that product
innovativeness can be detrimental to new product success if customers are not sufficiently familiar with the
nature of the new product and if innovativeness fails to improve product advantage. This exercise in metric
development also reveals that after controlling for product advantage and customer familiarity, product
innovativeness has no direct effect on new product profitability. This finding has strong implications for
firms that mistakenly pursue innovation for its own sake. Consideration of both distribution and technical
synergy as driving antecedents demonstrates how firms can still enhance new product success even if an
inappropriate level of innovativeness is present. This leads to a simple but powerful two-step approach to
bringing highly innovative products to market. First, firms should only emphasize product innovativeness
when it relates to the market relevant concepts of product advantage and customer familiarity. Second,
existing technical and distribution abilities can be used to enhance product quality and customer
understanding. Distribution channels in particular should be exploited to counter customer uncertainty
toward newly introduced products.
Cantisani A (2006) Technological innovation processes revisited. Technovation 26:1294-1301 This work
is part of an inquiry into the causes of the small occurrence of innovations in the Brazilian society. It was
based on a retrospective analysis of cases experienced by the author, as well as on the study of certain
industries. The systemic model of the technological innovation process presented here, while revisiting the
models in the literature, emphasizes the crucial role of the activity of the conception of new ideas and its
interaction with other phases of the process. Conception is critical and was, therefore, separated from other
activities mainly because it is subject to the action of innovations inhibiting factors. A model for these
factors is also presented. The author expects that an enhanced understanding of the innovation process in its
complexity and of the action of inhibiting factors will help R&D managers to achieve better success levels.
Carayannis EG, Popescu D, Sipp C, Stewart M (2006) Technological learning for entrepreneurial
development (TL4ED) in the knowledge economy (KE): Case studies and lessons learned. Technovation
26:419-443
Innovative technologies are reshaping the global economic landscape, by improving speed
and ease of communications and interaction among the various economic actors involved in the productive
cycle. In this paper, we discuss the role that technological learning and information and communication
technologies (ICT) play in fostering entrepreneurial development in the Knowledge Economy and support
our conceptual constructs with a series of case studies from developed, developing and transitioning
economies. We compare and contrast entrepreneurial initiatives, policies and practices and the experience of
ways and means to promote learning and entrepreneurship such as global/local (glocal), real-virtual
incubator networks (G-RVIN) and other real and virtual infra-structures and infra-technologies (such as
Innovation Networks and Knowledge Clusters or INKC) and derive lessons learned for policy makers,
practitioners and entrepreneurs.
Carayannis EG, Turner E (2006) Innovation diffusion and technology acceptance: The case of PKI
technology. Technovation 26:847-855 This paper proposed a model for security technology adoption and
implementation through the examination of factors affecting adoption and implementation of Public Key
Infrastructure (PKI) technology. In the early 1990s, PKI was widely believed to be the panacea for solving a
number of security issues that would open the door for business-to-business (13213) electronic commerce.
However, history has demonstrated a lack of broad-based adoption of PKI by organizations, although the
use of digital certificates has become fairly prevalent. Why has implementation of the PKI technology been
so narrow? What are the factors that mediate security technology adoption and implementation? Technology
use, diffusion and adoption literature provide a conceptual framework and theoretical motivation for
examining the case of PKI. Additional insight is provided by the examination of the experience of a few
organizations that have, to some degree, implemented PKI technology, supplemented by a review of
published information on other organizational PKI experiences. The combination of theoretical and practical
considerations yield a security implementation model that we believe sheds light on the factors affecting
PKI implementation and shows promise for examination of security technology adoption in general. We
believe that the model and the research that supports it has important implications for both academics and
practitioners in gaining a better understanding of the process for adoption of security technologies by public
and private organizations.
Carbonara N, Scozzi B (2006) Cognitive maps to analyze new product development processes: A case
study. Technovation 26:1233-1243
A few methods have been proposed in the literature to identify and
address problems that arise during New Product Development (NPD). In this paper, cognitive maps are used
to investigate such problems. In particular, the development of four new sofa models as performed in a
company working in Southern Italy is studied. Based on direct observations and interviews with actors
involved in the process, maps depicting the entire development process and the four examined cases are
developed and analyzed. The analysis results show that some interpretative and cognitive issues are mainly
responsible for the problems caused in NPD. Moreover, cognitive maps reveal a powerful tool to analyze
and study the NPD process.
Castellion G (2006) Fast second: How smart companies bypass radical innovation to enter and dominate
new markets. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:382-384
Castellion G (2006) Democratizing innovation. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:193-195
Chang SC, Chen RH, Lin RJ, Tien SW, Sheu C (2006) Supplier involvement and manufacturing flexibility.
Technovation 26:1136-1146
Supplier involvement is touted as enhancing a firm's competitive edge, but
its linkage with specific dimensions of manufacturing flexibility (e.g., volume flexibility) has not been
established. This study investigates the relationship between supplier involvement, manufacturing
flexibility, and business performance in the motherboard. industry. Using data collected from 105
manufacturing firms, we first verified the effect of manufacturing flexibility on business performance. A
field study was then conducted to benchmark various supplier involvement practices in the motherboard
industry and to decipher the impact of supplier involvement on different dimensions of manufacturing
flexibility. Our findings indicate that supplier involvement plays a major role in the development and
performance of a firm's manufacturing flexibility. More importantly, we found specific associations between
various supplier involvement activities and different dimensions of manufacturing flexibility. Not all
supplier activities contribute equally to the development of different types of manufacturing flexibility, and
manufacturing flexibility should be integrated with supply chain management. Finally, research propositions
are presented and several managerial implications are discussed.
Chen CJ, Chung MC, Wei CH (2006) Government policy of technology selection for advanced traveler
information systems. R & D Management 36:439-450
Technology selection is widely recognized for its
increasing importance in the field of technology management. Different from previous work that only used a
single evaluation method, this study uses the grey statistics method with survey techniques and scenario
approach to develop a three-stage model for the technology selection issue. An empirical case of the
Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) technology selection in Taiwan was chosen to illustrate the
application of this model on the technology selection problem. The results indicate that GPS/GIS technology
is the preferred ATIS technology developed in Taiwan. The application of the model provides an avenue for
government policy makers and researchers to deal effectively with the technology selection issue.
Chen HH, Lee AHI, Tong YH (2006) Analysis of new product mix selection at TFT-LCD technological
conglomerate network under uncertainty. Technovation 26:1210-1221
Since new product development
(NPD) is characterized by a tremendous degree of complexity and uncertainty, no single development
approach within a firm will necessarily lead to a final successful product. To increase the possibilities of
having products developed successfully, NPD mix is usually selected in practice, and this leads to an even
more complicated and uncertain problem of choosing an appropriate set of new products. In addition,
surviving independently in a high technology industry is very difficult, and a firm needs to take serious
consideration of technological conglomerate network (TCN) in NPD selection. There are currently few
mathematical or effective models practically proved to be able to handle these critical and complicated
issues, and this is the challenge of the research. Critical success factors (CSFs) of NPD in TCN is first
discussed, and 10 CSFs within three groups are selected. While analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a popular
multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method, is capable of dealing with the aforementioned managerial
problems by generalizing subjective judgment of experts, human judgment is usually imprecise and vague.
To compensate this deficiency in AHP, a fuzzy AHP model is proposed, and a firm is able to select the most
appropriate product mix for development by applying the model.
Chen XD, Reger G (2006) The role of technology in the investment of German firms in China.
Technovation 26:407-415 China, as being the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) host country in the
world and the leading developing country in terms of volume of FDI inflows, has been increasingly
attracting international attention from companies and policy makers. As more and more German
manufacturing companies move into China, the investment is becoming larger in size and of higher quality.
In the meantime, issues of the motives and nature of German FDI in China and related technological
activities are developed to a more important topic for both Chinese and overseas researchers. This paper
aims at the analysis and explanation of FDI movement driven by German companies in China and the role of
technology hereby. Our research includes a literature review, a database analysis and a mail survey on
German firms investing in China. Different indicators suggest that the motives for German FDI are longterm based and are deeply market-oriented, which can be characterised through seeking new markets and
enlarging market shares. Technology transfer is therefore mainly dedicated to production and managerial
facilities.
Cheng JMS, Sheen GJ, Lou GC (2006) Consumer acceptance of the internet as a channel of distribution in
Taiwan - a channel function perspective. Technovation 26:856-864
A study of consumer acceptance of
the Internet as a channel of distribution in Taiwan was conducted using a channel function perspective. The
Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was adopted as the theoretical basis on which to develop the
research framework. The relevant research hypotheses were examined in three online channel function
environments (i.e., information collection, financial payments, and product variety/assortment). Most of the
hypotheses were supported by the empirical findings. The implications of these findings are highlighted, and
suggestions for future research are noted as well.
Chesbrough H, Crowther AK (2006) Beyond high tech: early adopters of open innovation in other
industries. R & D Management 36:229-236
Companies have historically invested in large research and
development departments to drive innovation and provide sustainable growth. This model, however, is
eroding due to a number of factors. What is emerging is a more open model, where companies recognize
that not all good ideas will come from inside the organization and not all good ideas created within the
organization can be successfully marketed internally. To date, Open Innovation concepts have been regarded
as relevant primarily to 'high-technology' industries, with examples that include Lucent, 3Com, IBM, Intel
and Millenium Pharmaceuticals. In this article, we identify organizations in industries outside 'high
technology' that are early adopters of the concept. Our findings demonstrate that many Open Innovation
concepts are already in use in a wide range of industries. We document practices that appear to assist
organizations adopting these concepts, and discover that Open Innovation is not ipso facto a recipe for
outsourcing R&D. We conclude that Open Innovation has utility as a paradigm for industrial innovation
beyond high tech to more traditional and mature industries.
Chiaroni D, Chiesa V (2006) Forms of creation of industrial clusters in biotechnology. Technovation
26:1064-1076
Since its origin, biotechnology has developed in few centres of excellence identifiable as
biotech clusters. Even if these usually present common features in terms of organisations involved and
critical resources available, the process of creation significantly varies from case to case. Most literature
contributions, however, concentrated on the description of clusters that remain a "black box", where less
attention has been paid to their dynamics. This paper investigates different forms of cluster creation in
biotech, primarily based on five in-depth case studies of biotech clusters in Europe (Cambridge, Heildelberg,
Aarhus, Marseilles, Milano) at different stages of development. Moreover, the paper briefly analyses other 7
interesting cases of biotech clusters, both in Europe and US. The paper proposes a taxonomy identifying two
major forms of cluster creation: (i) spontaneous clusters, that are the result of the spontaneous co-presence
of key factors; (ii) policy driven clusters, that are triggered by the strong commitment of governmental
actors whose willingness was to set the conditions for the cluster creation, either as a response to an
industrial crisis or as a deliberate decision to foster the biotech sector. In a few cases, both forms of cluster
creation coexist, thus determining a hybrid process.
Chipika S, Wilson G (2006) Enabling technological learning among light engineering SMEs in Zimbabwe
through networking. Technovation 26:969-979
The contribution of networks to small and medium
enterprise (SME) development is analysed to a very limited extent in a Sub-Saharan African context, despite
the general claim that SMEs are important for both national economic development and poverty alleviation.
The implication is that networks play a relatively minor role in this context, unlike their perceived
significance for SMEs in more developed countries. An analysis of networks and technological learning
among four light engineering SMEs in Zimbabwe, however, reveals a clear positive association between the
two, while also showing that networks are not necessarily a magic bullet. Capacity, including motivation to
learn, and entrepreneurship qualities are important determinants of a firm's ability to make use of networks.
Also, some networks might actually be disabling in terms of technological learning, while others will be
more or less important during the development trajectory of a firm. The study has important implications for
the role of enterprise support organisations that seek to promote the development of SMEs in Zimbabwe,
and elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Chiu YC, Chen B, Shyu JZ, Tzeng GH (2006) An evaluation model of new product launch strategy.
Technovation 26:1244-1252 The objective of this article is to develop an empirically based framework for
formulating and selecting a product launch strategy. Managers usually face Fuzzy decision scenarios.
Traditional decision-making methods fail to satisfy a manager's need in this regard. Thus, a hierarchical
fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (Fuzzy MCDM) method for evaluating a new product launch strategy
is proposed in this study. In order to show the practicality and usefulness of this model, an empirical study
of the Taiwan IC industry is demonstrated. The results show that the fast follower strategy is the most
applicable.
Chorev S, Anderson AR (2006) Success in Israeli high-tech start-ups; Critical factors and process.
Technovation 26:162-174 This paper develops a model of the factors deemed critical for success in hightech new ventures in Israel. Israel presents an interesting forum, geographically distant from main markets
but richly endowed with human capital, new high-tech ventures are seen as an essential element of the
economy. Yet, despite its importance, high-tech is characterised by risk and challenge. Consequently, a
model which draws on the experience of success and failure should be valuable. Our multi stage
methodology enrolled the wisdom and experience of founders, managers and financiers of high-tech
businesses to identify and categorise the importance of the factors and the role played by these factors. We
found that success factors could be grouped as critical or as important. The first group categorised the idea,
strategy, the core team's commitment, expertise and marketing as critical. Important factors were deemed to
be management, customer relationships and research and development. The least important factors proved to
be those external to the firm, the economy, politics and the general business environment. Overall the study
emphasises that the attitudes and abilities of the core team are paramount. Although the model is based on
the Israeli experience, many of the aspects are global. Consequently, the study may have broad applicability.
Christensen CM (2006) The ongoing process of building a theory of disruption. Journal of Product
Innovation Management 23:39-55
Coombs JE, Bierly PE (2006) Measuring technological capability and performance. R & D Management
36:421-438
The relation between technological capability and firm performance is more complex than
what is generally assumed. Researchers have not been able to consistently find empirical support for this
apparently 'simple' relation. The objective of this study is to illustrate the theoretical and empirical
complexity of this relation and explain why the use of different measures can lead to dramatically different
results. In this study, we analyse the technological capability-performance relation in 201 large US public
manufacturing companies. A variety of patent statistics and a measure of research & development (R&D)
intensity are used as indicators for technological capability. The following six measures of performance are
used as dependent variables: return on assets, return on equity, return on sales, market value, market value
added, and economic value added. The results vary substantially, depending on which measures are used for
the independent and dependent variables. A detailed understanding of precisely what each measure
represents and the shortcomings of each measure is needed to explain why these differences exist. We
conclude by discussing the effectiveness of a variety of technological capability measures using patent
citations, and illustrate why a measure of R&D spending and the total number of patents are usually not
valid measures of a firm's technological capability.
Cornelius B, Persson O (2006) Who's who in venture capital research. Technovation 26:142-150
A
bibliometric analysis of research papers in venture capital reveals an increasing interest over time by
researchers across a broad spectrum of business disciplines. It also reveals the dominance of North
American, particularly American researchers who entered the field early. Interestingly, the analysis
demonstrates that two schools of entrepreneurial research compete for dominance in the venture capital
framework. Much of the core research, the knowledge base, crosses disciplinary lines but is developed, from
there-on, in a discipline specific fashion. Researchers whose primary interest is in finance and economics
use quantitative, neo-classical models almost exclusively and publish, with the exception of the most cited
authors, solely in economics and finance journals. These researchers tend to be more successful at achieving
internal university funding for their projects while the second group, publishing in journals dedicated to
management and entrepreneurship research, uses a broader array of theoretical techniques, apply both
quantitative and qualitative methodologies and are more often funded externally. The core group of
researchers, with reputations supported by large numbers of citations, appear to be able to raise funds both
internally (through university bodies) and externally.
Corso M, Martini A, Pellegrini L, Massa S, Testa S (2006) Managing dispersed workers: the new challenge
in Knowledge Management. Technovation 26:583-594
Knowledge Management (KM) has become a
central theme in today's business environment and a commonly cited source of competitive advantage. In
today's global economy, many economic activities in and among firms are based on the contribution of
workers that are geographically dispersed and have loose contractual links with the company. Building on
evidence from three case studies, this paper explores the relations between dispersed worker activities, KM
tools and worker satisfaction.
Cozzarin BP (2006) Are world-first innovations conditional on economic performance? Technovation
26:1017-1028
The objective of the research is to determine whether past economic performance has an
impact on a firm's ability to innovate. Specifically, the concern is with producing a world-first innovation, a
Canada-first innovation and a first-to-the firm innovation taking prior performance into consideration.
Ordered logistic regression coefficients for market share, labour productivity and profit are statistically
significant for seven out of 12 industries. However, when compared to other firm level characteristics such
as strategies, competitive environment, information sources, R&D and use of patents the importance of
economic performance fades quite drastically. Across all industries this study found that internal information
was a very important factor for innovation. In three of the 12 industries (clothing and textiles, metal, and
electric and computer) internal, external and general information were utilized by managers extensively.
Managers in the wood and paper, furniture, vehicles, and miscellaneous industries utilize internal and
general information. While the plastics and machinery industries rely on internal and external information
sources. The remaining industries food, non-metal, and petrochemicals, rely on internal sources of
information exclusively.
Csaszar F, Nussbaum M, Sepulveda M (2006) Strategic and cognitive criteria for the selection of startups.
Technovation 26:151-161 A decision aid is proposed that would enable venture capitalists to improve the
accuracy of their decision-making processes. The methodology complements strategic criteria with cognitive
ones. When questions on technical know-how and business expertise do not give enough clues, they are
supplemented with a different viewpoint given by a cognitive model. The methodology is demonstrated
using an e-Business case.
Danneels E (2006) Dialogue on the effects of disruptive technology on firms and industries. Journal of
Product Innovation Management 23:2-4
De Meyer A (2006) Innovating strategy process. R & D Management 36:111-112
Demaid A, Quintas P (2006) Knowledge across cultures in the construction industry: sustainability,
innovation and design. Technovation 26:603-610
In the construction industry both the design and
management processes differ significantly from the stylised models usually promoted in the academic and
business press. To the complexity that is normal business in construction industry projects add the
uncertainty associated with the changing legal and ethical imperatives of sustainable development and the
result is a mess. Innovative products, together with the companies that make them, are being built on the
back of a rigged market in recycled raw materials and policy changes are spawning unintended
consequences. Making sense of those processes that use knowledge about sustainability, at the level of the
firm, is particularly daunting because companies behave differently in different international contexts. The
problem is further complicated by the collaborative nature of projects; specialization and the need to
communicate with and between experts increases both costs and uncertainties. We discuss a fundamental
tension between understanding knowledge creation and use, and the drive to capture processes in formal
documents and systems. We propose similarities between developments in the field of sustainability and
developments in the field of risk, with risk having the advantage of being further down the evolutionary line.
Both fields have strong dimensions of formal rules and socio-economic behaviours. Such complexity, we
argue, requires a number of perspectives to make sense of how knowledge is used in construction and allied
industries.
Dettwiler P, Lindelof P, Lofsten H (2006) Utility of location: A comparative survey between small new
technology-based firms located on and off Science Parks - Implications for facilities management.
Technovation 26:506-517
This paper aims to highlight the role of facilities management (FM) for new
technology-based firms (NTBFs) that are located on respectively off Science Parks. It incorporates FM as a
contributory background element in the enhancement of the entrepreneurial environment, which is one
explanatory factor of the superior performance and growth of NTBFs located inside Science Parks.
Differences in location preferences between on and off park NTBFs are brought into evidence in this paper
by means of an extensive quantitative survey. This resulted in the finding that the proximity to university is
especially significant among NTBFs inside parks. Furthermore, infrastructure has high significance in both
groups whereas significance of facilities cost differs in range of significance. In a model it is argued that FM
indirectly contributes to beneficial scenarios for interaction, interfirm relations and networks that can be
found particularly in Science Parks. A discussion and a set of hypotheses in the conclusive part link FM and
location, issues to the performance for NTBFs.
Di Benedetto CA (2006) From the Editor. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:473-474
Di Benedetto CA (2006) From the editor. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:391-392
Di Benedetto CA (2006) Untitled. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:299-300
Di Benedetto CA (2006) From the editor. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:201-202
Di Benedetto CA (2006) From the editor. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:105-105
Di Benedetto CA (2006) Welcome to a new volume of JPIM! Journal of Product Innovation Management
23:1-1
Diaz-Diaz NL, Aguiar-Diaz I, De Saa-Perez P (2006) Technological knowledge assets in industrial firms. R
& D Management 36:189-203
This research focuses on identifying and measuring the technological
knowledge assets that constitute the basis of the knowledge management process and on the study of
contextual factors that determine their use. To that end, a longitudinal study of 1,444 Spanish industrial
firms between 1998 and 2000 was conducted using information gathered by the Survey of Business
Strategies. The results enable us to identify technological knowledge assets with different levels of
codification and to have a general view of how age, size and sector affect the use of those assets by Spanish
industrial firms.
Dodgson M, Gann D, Salter A (2006) The role of technology in the shift towards open innovation: the case
of Procter & Gamble. R & D Management 36:333-346
As with all new ideas, the concept of Open
Innovation requires extensive empirical investigation, testing and development. This paper analyzes Procter
and Gamble's 'Connect and Develop' strategy as a case study of the major organizational and technological
changes associated with open innovation. It argues that although some of the organizational changes
accompanying open innovation are beginning to be described in the literature, more analysis is warranted
into the ways technological changes have facilitated open innovation strategies, particularly related to new
product development. Information and communications technologies enable the exchange of distributed
sources of information in the open innovation process. The case study shows that furthermore a suite of new
technologies for data mining, simulation, prototyping and visual representation, what we call 'innovation
technology', help to support open innovation in Procter and Gamble. The paper concludes with a suggested
research agenda for furthering understanding of the role played by and consequences of this technology.
Dowling M, Helm R (2006) Product development success through cooperation: A study of entrepreneurial
firms. Technovation 26:483-488 In this paper we examine the moderating affect of age on the relationship
between cooperation and new product success for entrepreneurial firms in the high technology region in and
round Jena in the former East Germany. Cooperative strategy has already been shown in a variety of
research settings to be an important strategic alternative for entrepreneurial firms to support growth
strategies. We develop hypotheses that such cooperative relationships will also lead to higher new product
development success; however, the type of successful cooperation will vary with the age of the start-up firm.
Younger firms are shown to be more successful when they cooperate with other firms, while older firms will
profit more from cooperation with research institutions. This study adds to a growing literature on the
importance of cooperative strategy for entrepreneurial firms.
Easingwood C, Moxey S, Capleton H (2006) Bringing high technology to market: Successful strategies
employed in the worldwide software industry. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:498-511
The launch stage can be critical for many new products, but particularly so for technology-intensive ones.
This study examines this key stage in a high-tech sector: the worldwide computer software industry. Using a
research instrument developed across a number of high-tech sectors, but adapted to the targeted sector, it
describes a worldwide telephone-based survey of 300 organizations, resulting in 190 interviews, a response
rate of 63%. It shows that five distinct and interpretable strategies are employed: (1) alliance strategy
involves forming early strategic alliances as well as tactical alliances at the execution stage together with the
development of unique distribution channels; (2) targeted low risk attempts to reduce the risk of adoption
among identified segments by producing versions of the product specifically customized to the segments; (3)
low-price original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is the only price-driven strategy and combines low price
with channel building to OEMs who are looking for attractive price-to-performance ratios; (4) broadly based
market preparation is an early-stage strategy that concentrates on educating the market vis-a-vis the
technology and developing channels; and (5) niche-based technological superiority uses a technologically
superior product to dominate a niche and corresponds closely to the chasm-crossing strategy expounded by
Moore and others. Regarding superior product performance, successful software companies first of all
engage in a broadly based preparation of the market but switch to a targeted strategy at the following stages
of positioning and execution, built around superior technological performance and reduced risk. A
somewhat different mix of strategies is adopted when the objective is superior market development, namely
opening up new markets, reaching new customers, and developing new product platforms. Again the mix
includes broadly based market preparation, this time along with alliances. This strategy is very much about
working with partners. The broadly based market preparation strategy is key for both objectives, is long term
in nature, and avoids narrowly defined niches. It seems that starting broad based and narrowing down,
perhaps to a niche, only at a later stage when this is clearly the appropriate thing to do, pays dividends.
Emden Z, Calantone RJ, Droge C (2006) Collaborating for new product development: Selecting the partner
with maximum potential to create value. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:330-341
The
partner selection process in the formation stages of collaborative new product development (NPD) is a
neglected topic. The present study investigated the partner selection processes to ascertain the potential of
creating competitively advantageous products through collaboration. The goal was to develop a process
theory of partner selection for collaborative NPD alliances using a theory development approach. The
literatures on NPD, interfirm knowledge transfer and generation, and interorganizational relationships were
tapped. These literatures motivated the approach and the research questions. Parallel with the analysis of the
literature, a series of case study interviews were conducted with managers currently in collaborative dyads.
Managers' inputs were used (1) to guide the theory development process and (2) to validate the relevance of
the literature-based assertions. The method of narrative analysis for building theory from case studies was
adopted: Multiple indicators were collapsed into single constructs, and recurring sequences or divergences
were analyzed. This resulted in the unveiling of phases in the partner selection process. The study's findings
suggest that technological alignment of the partners triggered the partner-evaluation process. This phase was
followed, in order, by the strategic alignment and relational alignment phases. These later phases were as
important as the initial phase in ensuring the transfer and integration of critical know-how and in creating
product value through collaboration. In addition to clarifying the definition of codevelopment alliances, this
study reveals a comprehensive theoretical model of the technological, strategic, and relational aspects of
partner selection in codevelopment alliances, as well as the order in which these aspects are practiced.
Eng TY (2006) Mobile supply chain management: Challenges for implementation. Technovation 26:682686
Mobile supply chain management (mSCM) is fast gaining recognition as a major source of cost
reduction and supply chain performance. However, there is little published academic literature on the
application and implementation of mobile and/or wireless technology in SCM. This article attempts to
explore the challenges of mobile technology for successful implementation of mSCM. The implications of
mobile or wireless technology for successful implementation of mSCM are examined with reference to three
critical areas of SCM: (1) competitive advantage based on the notion of value chain analysis in SCM; (2)
relationship management for successful collaboration along the supply chain and strategic partnerships; and
(3) coordination and integration of disparate functions and activities to enhance overall supply chain
performance. The article identifies the implications of mobile technology for SCM and develops
propositions that have important consequences on the likelihood of a successful implementation of mSCM.
Eng TY, Wong V (2006) Governance mechanisms and relationship productivity in vertical coordination for
new product development. Technovation 26:761-769 This article explores the theoretical explanations of
governance mechanisms in vertical coordination between firms over the product life cycle stages with
reference to the high-technology industry. Firms in the high-tech industry face uncertainties of fast-changing
environments such as rapid technological innovations and shortening product life cycles. Drawing on
transaction cost analysis in vertical coordination, conditions under which transactional inefficiencies may
arise are analyzed on different stages of product life cycle theory. Theoretical analysis suggests that
interaction patterns over a product life cycle produce differing implications for achieving cost minimization
and value maximization. The implications of this variation in transaction cost inefficiencies suggest that
there are different opportunities for enhancing efficiencies or for creating value at different stages of the
product life cycle. The article proposes that by considering the impact of exogenous factors on the stage of a
product life cycle and relationship productivity, high-tech firms operating in volatile markets can safeguard
their exposure to transactional inefficiencies.
Falkingham LT (2006) Insight in innovation: Managing innovation by understanding the laws of innovation.
R & D Management 36:107-108
Fan PL (2006) Catching up through developing innovation capability: evidence from China's telecomequipment industry. Technovation 26:359-368
The significance of the innovation capability of domestic
firms in late-industrialized countries is highly debated in the literature. This research studies the history of
China's telecom-equipment industry from the middle of 1980s to 2002, with a focus on the innovation
capability development of four domestic firms: Huawei, ZTE, DTT, and GDT. The research finds that
innovation capability and self-developed technologies have been the key to leading domestic firms' catching
up with the multinational corporations. This finding is substantiated by both regression analysis between
'leadership of the telecom-equipment industry' and 'innovation capability' and development experience at the
company level. This research emphasizes that domestic firms should prioritize building innovation
capability from the very beginning to build up their competitiveness and to survive the competition with the
multinational companies as well as other domestic companies. It also suggests that domestic firms should
focus on in-house R&D development to build their innovation capability, supplemented with external
alliances.
Feldman LP (2006) Product leadership: Pathways to profitable innovation. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:99-100
Fennelly D, Cormican K (2006) Value chain migration from production to product centred operations: an
analysis of the Irish medical device industry. Technovation 26:86-94
The medical device industry in
Ireland is largely confined to manufacturing operations. This narrow focus limits the competitiveness of the
industry in Ireland and consequently poses a threat to development and growth. Economic opinion indicates
that more emphasis must be placed on higher value-added activities such as research and development
(R&D) and new product development. This paper explores the concept of value chain migration in the Irish
medical device industry. Specifically, it examines the shift from production to product-centred operations in
the medical device industry. A significant proportion of organisations that occupy this industry are
multinational subsidiaries. Typically, subsidiaries depend on their parent company to develop new products
using R&D resources close to headquarters. Few subsidiaries have control of their product development
activities and spending on research and development is inadequate. Subsidiaries cannot depend on the
benevolent actions of the parent company to secure future viability. This study examines the competitive
environment of multinational subsidiaries based in Ireland. The nature and extent of R&D activity in the
industry is explored and potential threats and shortcomings are noted. The argument for and against moving
towards product centred operations is examined and presented. The findings of this study reveal that the
proactive subsidiary is far more responsive to its business environment than an organisation with centralised
control. For example, certain initiatives can help to maintain market entry barriers, can help to control the
power of suppliers and customers and can help to guard against substitutes. Moreover, subsidiaries must
proactively manage the supply of new product developments by securing an adequate share of the output of
parent company R&D. To do this, they must demonstrate solid performance, build local capabilities in new
product development and actively manage relationships.
Fernandes KJ, Raja V, Whalleyc A (2006) Lessons from implementing the balanced scorecard in a small
and medium size manufacturing organization. Technovation 26:623-634 The UK manufacturing sector is
facing massive challenges to survive in today's global and volatile marketplace. In an attempt to overcome
these challenges, companies are adopting newer management systems to clarify their vision and strategy and
translate them into action. The balanced scorecard (BSC) is one such approach which is gaining significant
interest, especially within the small and medium size enterprises (SME). In this paper, a case study with a
SME demonstrates how BSC can be implemented successfully using a systematic and structured
methodology. This paper lists the experimental results of the proposed deployment method and highlights
the experiences, successes and lessons leant during the implementation process. In conclusion, this research
exercise confirms the validity and usefulness of the proposed methodology and offers managerial insights
and guidelines for similar implementations.
Fernandes KJ, Raja V, White A, Tsinopoulos CD (2006) Adoption of virtual reality within construction
processes: a factor analysis approach. Technovation 26:111-120
Globalization has allowed construction
companies to become part of the global economy. However, this economic survival is dependent on their
ability to attain the levels of technology development, which can make them globally competitive. The UK
Construction sector is a highly knowledge intensive sector where tackling critical technology adoption
issues are central to their survival. One such issue is of understanding factors that affect the adoption of
Virtual Reality within top UK construction firms in the public sector. Previous literature suggests that
various factors play a role in the adoption of VR systems; however. there is little empirical research about
the factors affecting the adoption of this technology in the construction sector. This research paper
investigates forms of barriers that affect adoption of VR technology in top UK construction firms in the
public sector. A three phase Factor Analysis Approach that incorporates discriminant and empirical analysis
reveals that factors such as Champion within a Company, Top Management Support, Internal Needs, Degree
of Business Competition, Coordination of Organizational Resources and Participation of Users would affect
the adoption of visualization technology.
Ferneley E, Bell F (2006) Using bricolage to integrate business and information technology innovation in
SMEs. Technovation 26:232-241 Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) can experience difficulties
in adopting Information Systems (IS) and aligning them with their strategic development. Using the concept
of bricolage, an improvisational approach that allows learning from concrete experience, we explore IS
adoption and organisational change in two SME case studies. The case studies cover IS rationalisations and
innovations and small-and large-scale change over a 4-year period, and highlight the roles of different
actors, internal and external to the SMEs. We find that bricolage is a useful concept as it deals with the need
for SMEs to learn about the possibilities of IS in situ, simultaneously exploiting the can-do approach that is
usually found in SMEs. However, bricolage needs organisation space and the possibility for trust to grow
between end users, developers and management as visions are explored and revised. The paper concludes
with a set of guiding principles that can be adopted by SMEs to enable IS bricolage to contribute to an
organisation's strategic direction.
Fisscher O (2006) The three faces of leadership. R & D Management 36:547-548
Foo CT, Wai LS, Lang TS (2006) The mind of a technopreneuress: differentiating the self-leading,
entrepreneurial from custodial, managerial female. Technovation 26:175-184
One emerging trend in the
21st Century is the rise in the roles of women in society. In Singapore, increasingly women are filling-up not
just the mundane, clerical ranks or the executive, managerial positions but also emerging as entrepreneurs.
Or as coined by us as 'technopreneuress'. For most interestingly, according to recent statistics, women are
emerging as technologically more competent than before. In this paper, we explore the inner processes of the
psychological adaptation and changes necessary in the female psyche before a societal, technopreneurial
matriarchy may take root. Already, politically we witness the rise of women leaders in South East Asia:
Megawati in Indonesia, Arroyo in Philippines and possibly in post-Bush US, the rise of Mrs Clinton. We
structured our empirical investigations to focus on those personal traits, interpersonal and leadership styles
that differentiate women as self-leading 'technopreneuress', i.e. the entrepreneurial from the managerial. We
conclude by integrating our research findings with left-right brain attributes and on the future mind of the
successful, technology-oriented entrepreneur.
Fragkaki AG, Leontiou IP, Kioukia-Fougia N, Tsivou M, Spyridaki MHE, Georgakopoulos CG (2006)
Organization of the doping control laboratory in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games: A case study.
Technovation 26:1162-1169
The organization with special attention to the Quality Assurance system of
the Doping Control Laboratory of Athens (DCLA) implemented during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games is
presented in this study. The DCLA has been accredited by the International Olympic Committee
(IOC)/World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) following the requirements of the WADA International
Standard for Laboratories (ISL) and by ESYD, the greek accreditation body, according to ELOT EN
ISO/IEC 17 025 standard. The DCLA is the first IOC/WADA accredited Doping Control Laboratory that
performed doping control analyses during Olympic Games operating under the new requirements of WADA
International Standards.
Franke N, von Hippel E, Schreier M (2006) Finding commercially attractive user innovations: A test of leaduser theory. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:301-315
Firms and governments are
increasingly interested in learning to exploit the value of lead-user innovations for commercial advantage.
Improvements to lead-user theory are needed to inform and to guide these efforts. The present study
empirically tests and confirms the basic tenets of lead-user theory. It also uncovers some new refinements
and related practical applications. Using a sample of users and user-innovators drawn from the extreme sport
of kite surfing, an analysis was made of the relationship between the commercial attractiveness of
innovations developed by users and the intensity of the lead-user characteristics those users display. A first
empirical analysis is provided of the independent effects of its two key component variables. In the
empirical study of user modifications to kite-surfing equipment, it was found that both components
independently contribute to identifying commercially attractive user innovations. Component 1, the high
expected-benefits dimension, predicts innovation likelihood, and component 2, the ahead of the trend
dimension, predicts both the commercial attractiveness of a given set of user-developed innovations and
innovation likelihood due to a newly proposed innovation supply side effect. It was concluded that the
component variables in the lead-user definition are indeed independent dimensions, so neither can be
dropped without loss of information-an important matter for lead-user theory. It also was found that adding
measures of users' local resources can improve the ability of the lead-user construct to identify commercially
attractive innovations under some conditions. The findings reported here have practical as well as theoretical
import. Product modification and development has been found to be a relatively common user behavior in
many fields. Thus, from 10 to nearly 40 percent of users report having modified or developed a product for
in-house use in the case of industrial products or for personal use in the case of consumer products in fields
sampled to date. As a practical matter, therefore, it is important to find ways to selectively identify the user
innovations that manufacturers will find to be the basis for commercially attractive products in the
collectivity of user-developed innovations. The implications of these findings for theory as well as for
practical applications of the lead-user construct are discussed-that is, how variables used in lead-user studies
can profitably be adapted to fit specific study contexts and purposes.
Frietsch R, Grupp H (2006) There's a new man in town: the paradigm shift in optical technology.
Technovation 26:13-29 The contribution gives a short introduction into the enabling character of modern
optical technology and tries to trace the paradigm shift from bulbs to opto-electronics and photonics in
quantitative terms using science and technology indicators. As an example of the economic potential of the
new optical technology, the impact on foreign trade is investigated and discussed. As it turns out, there seem
to be different strategies of nations concerning adoption of modern optical technology. Most of the countries
considered follow the strategy to start from the traditional strength in their homebase and differentiate from
there to the prosperous new product lines. But also newcomers are observed which do not follow this
traditional path. Overall, the contribution adds evidence to the notion that the evolution in changing areas of
technology is nation-specific.
Funk JL (2006) The future of mobile phone-based Intranet applications: A view from Japan. Technovation
26:1337-1346 This paper looks at the future of mobile phone-based Intranet applications using data from
the Japanese market and models of industry evolution. Owing to the faster and greater agreement on
protocols for defining the way in which content and information is presented on phones and the faster
introduction and promotion of push-based Internet mail and methods of accessing content via the input of a
URL, Japanese firms have moved faster to introduce mobile phone-based mobile applications than the rest
of the world. Based on analysis of published material in Japanese newspapers and magazines and interviews
with more than 30 firms (users, suppliers, and service providers), this paper discusses the status and future of
these applications; the latter focuses on both technological change and models of industry evolution.
Galanakis K (2006) Innovation process. Make sense using systems thinking. Technovation 26:1222-1232
Several theories have been developed and try to communicate to managers how innovation occurs in a firm
and which factors affect the outcome of this process. These theories come from different perspectives that
either focus on management, economic or social sciences and create a complex net. This complexity often
makes managers take a decision, the outcome of which contradicts their original aims. The objectives of this
paper are to communicate innovation theory to the different actors in the system under a common
perspective and to reveal the complexity of innovation systems. The new concept has at its centre the firm,
which is the generator and promoter of innovations in the market, the industrial sector and the nation. The
model's main focus is the Knowledge Creation from public or industrial research; the New Product Design
and Development process, and the Product Success in the market. This process is affected by other internal
factors of the firm as well as by the National Innovation Environment. This innovation system has been
codified, under a system dynamics approach, to create a model, the 'Creative Factory' that includes all the
aspects that academia, a firm or the policy making bodies need to consider around innovation activity.
Galende J (2006) Analysis of technological innovation from business economics and management.
Technovation 26:300-311
This paper identifies and analyses the main contributions to the analysis of
firms' innovative activities of five approaches related to business economics and management: industrial
organization, transaction costs economy, positive agency theory, resource-based view and evolutionary
theory. Complementarity can be noted among these approaches. They can all be applied for analysing a
specific aspect of innovative activity. However, the contributions of evolutionary theory seem to comprise
the most comprehensive approach for studying the firm's innovative process from an internal point of view
and dealing with its complex characteristics.
Gassmann O (2006) Opening up the innovation process: towards an agenda. R & D Management 36:223228
Geels FW (2006) Co-evolutionary and multi-level dynamics in transitions: The transformation of aviation
systems and the shift from propeller to turbojet (1930-1970). Technovation 26:999-1016 This article deals
with system innovation in Freeman and Perez's innovation typology (incremental, radical, system, technoeconomic paradigm). This article conceptualises these changes as transitions from one socio-technical
system to another. These transitions are co-evolution processes that are not only about technological
discontinuities, but also about markets, user practices, regulation, culture, infrastructure and science. In a
critical discussion of co-evolution literatures, the article distinguishes three levels of co-evolutionary
processes. To understand transitions, these insights are combined in a multi-level perspective, consisting of
niche, regime and landscape levels. Transitions come about when co-evolutionary dynamics at these three
levels link up and reinforce each other. The perspective is illustrated with a historical case study: the
transition from aviation systems based on propeller-aircraft to aviation systems based on turbojet aircraft
(1930-1970). The case study provides not just an evolutionary economic analysis of technological change,
but also deals with the long-run evolution of technology and the socio-economic system.
Gimenez G (2006) Investment in new technology: Modelling the decision process. Technovation 26:345350
This paper presents a model designed to throw light on the economic mechanisms determining the
decision to acquire a new technology to replace an existing one. The investment decision is governed by a
cost-benefit analysis, which is influenced by the factors analysed in the model described. These factors are
the lapse of time between the acquisition of the technology currently in use and the moment at which the
new technology becomes available; the useful life of the new technology; the speed of the innovation
process; interest rates; the acquisition cost of the new technology; and learning costs. A static comparative
analysis is performed on the basis of these factors with the aim of recommending the most appropriate
instruments for technology policy measures.
Githens G (2006) Managing agile projects. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:469-470
Githens G, Wojtas M (2006) The PDMA ToolBook 2 for new product development. Journal of Product
Innovation Management 23:191-193
Govindarajan V, Kopalle PK (2006) The usefulness of measuring disruptiveness of innovations ex post in
making ex ante predictions. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:12-18
Greasley A (2006) Using process mapping and business process simulation to support a process-based
approach to change in a public sector organisation. Technovation 26:95-103
A case study demonstrates
the use of a process-based approach to change regarding the implementation of an information system for
road traffic accident reporting in a UK police force. The supporting tools of process mapping and business
process simulation are used in the change process and assist in communicating the current process design
and people's roles in the overall performance of that design. The simulation model is also used to predict the
performance of new designs incorporating the use of information technology. The approach is seen to have a
number of advantages in the context of a public sector organisation. These include the ability for personnel
to move from a traditional grouping of staff in occupational groups with relationships defined by reporting
requirements to a view of their role in a process, which delivers a performance to a customer. By running the
simulation through time it is also possible to gauge how changes at an operational level can lead to the
meeting of strategic targets over time. Also the ability of simulation to proof new designs was seen as
particularly important in a government agency were past failures of information technology investments had
contributed to a more risk averse approach to their implementation.
Grimpe C (2006) Making use of the unused: shelf warmer technologies in research and development.
Technovation 26:770-774
The fruits from research and development activities (R&D) do not always
necessarily follow a company's technology strategy. Sometimes, sales blockbusters result from explicitly
prohibited bootlegging activities which are supposed to consume about 20% of the overall research budget.
Another group of R&D outcomes are those planned technologies which collect dust at the R&D unit because
strategy has changed, business units do not see chances for applicability or because of risk considerations.
Those 'shelf warmers' are possible 'goldmines' that are waiting for being exploited. An innovative
organization structure is needed to deal with such kind of technologies. The article reports from an internal
Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) unit at a large German industrial conglomerate that is dedicated to
promoting innovative shelf warmer technologies. It is shown that successful innovations 'off the beaten
track' require mote than simple startup financing but a solid organizational commitment to such 'irregular'
projects.
Guerin S (2006) Why people buy things they don't need: Understanding and predicting consumer behavior.
Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:293-295
Gupta M, Kohli A (2006) Enterprise resource planning systems and its implications for operations function.
Technovation 26:687-696
Over the last decade, our world has changed dramatically due to the growing
phenomenon of globalization and revolution in information technology. There is tremendous demand on
companies to lower costs, enlarge product assortment, improve product quality, and provide reliable delivery
dates through effective and efficient coordination of production and distribution activities. To achieve these
conflicting goals, companies must constantly re-engineer or change their business practices and employ
information systems. In 1990s. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have emerged as an enabling
technology, which integrates various functional (operations, marketing, finance) information systems into a
seamless suite of business applications across the company and thereby, allowed for streamlined processing
of business data and cross-functional integration. Thus, ERP systems provide an enticing solution to
managers who have struggles with incompatible information systems and inconsistent operations policies.
However, successful implementation of ERP systems requires active participation from senior-level
managers from various functional areas so as to delineate its impact on the business level as well as
functional level strategies. In this paper, we have endeavored to provide operations managers a brief
overview of ERP systems and highlight its implications for operations function. Specifically, the objective
of this paper is to give a broad based overview of enterprise resource planning systems. Using SAP R/3 as
an example system, we discuss how an ERP system can assist in enhancing strengthening business strategy
and making consistent operations decisions: process design, production planning and scheduling, inventory
management, quality management, human resource management.
Hanel P (2006) Intellectual property rights business management practices: A survey of the literature.
Technovation 26:895-931
The survey focuses on the empirical literature regarding the use and
management of intellectual property rights (IPRs). It overviews policy changes regarding intellectual
property (IP) protection in the US that led, according to some commentators, to patent friendly era in the
US. Then it looks at the IPRs use and strategies in the US, Canada, EU, Japan and Australia and at the
protection of IP in specific industry groups. Also reviewed is the relationship between the use of IPRs and
the size of firm and its ownership (national vs. multinational). Numerous articles show that management of
knowledge assets in general and IPRs in particular are increasingly important. The value of firms in
knowledge intensive activities is determined by the value of its IP. IP is used as a financial asset. Firms
allocate more human resources to management of IPRs and their training, but there remain important
international differences. The recent literature on the impact of IP on the value of the firm, its assessment,
valuation, accounting and management of IP are reviewed. The last section of the paper deals with
enforcement of IPRs, infringement and dispute resolution. A special attention is given to internet and
computer infringement of IP and to insurance as a protection for legal costs.
Haour G (2006) Competitiveness in research and development: Comparisons and performance. R & D
Management 36:465-465
Hart MA (2006) Design for six sigma as strategic experimentation. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:470-472
Hart MA (2006) Service design for six sigma: A roadmap for excellence. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:470-472
Hart MA (2006) Axiomatic quality: Integrating axiomatic design with six-sigma, reliability, and quality
engineering. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:470-472
Henderson JE (2006) Strategic management society book series: Strategy in transition. R & D Management
36:108-111
Henderson R (2006) The innovator's dilemma as a problem of organizational competence. Journal of
Product Innovation Management 23:5-11
Hienerth C (2006) The commercialization of user innovations: the development of the rodeo kayak industry.
R & D Management 36:273-294
In this study, we analyze the commercialization process of user
innovations in open communities. We have traced 16 cases of user innovators who have commercialized
their own innovations or have been involved in the commercialization process to some extent. By
developing and manufacturing new products, the user innovators in our sample created a fast-growing
community. They used low-cost manufacturing techniques and were able to start a new industry before
established manufacturers could enter the market. The transformation process from a user innovation
community to a commercial and manufacturing community brought about a number of major changes. In
this paper, we track those changes as: the motives for innovating, the community size and characteristics, the
type of innovation, the type of assistance and the disclosure of information, the form of communication, and
competition between innovating users.
Hitomi K (2006) An analysis of industrial networks for regional-independent production. Technovation
26:1077-1080 Industrial networks for regional-independent production are defined. An industrial network
consisting of an agricultural system which produces strawberries, a manufacturing system which fabricates
strawberry jam, and a commerce system which sells both strawberries and strawberry jam, is assumed and
mathematical formulation is made on this industrial network. Optimization analysis is made to maximize
total profits for this regional-independent production.
Hobo MS, Watanabe CH, Chen CJ (2006) Double spiral trajectory between retail, manufacturing and
customers leads a way to service oriented manufacturing. Technovation 26:873-890
Notwithstanding
Japan's ineffective utilization of the potential benefits of the advancement of IT, certain self-propagating
interaction between ERP (enterprise resources planning) firms and their customers has been observed.
Advanced utilization of ERP enables firms to construct a virtuous cycle between the affluence in the
commodities in sales, productivity and profits leading to an active involvement of the consumers, thereby
constructing a double spiral trajectory between ERP customers and their customers (consumers). These
noteworthy trends can be observed in certain EEMRs (electric and electronic mega retail firms) which
incorporate invaluable advantages as close not only to electric and electronic manufacturing industry but
also to consumers. These firms have constructed a virtuous cycle between the affluence in the commodities
in sales, productivity and profit which suggests a double spiral trajectory between EEMRs, manufactures
and consumers. This double spiral trajectory prompts us a new concept of manufacturing industry as SOM
(service oriented manufacturing) corresponding to a ubiquitous society. This paper, based on an empirical
analysis taking Japan's leading EEMRs, attempts to demonstrate the foregoing hypothesis.
Hoecht A, Trott P (2006) Innovation risks of strategic outsourcing. Technovation 26:672-681 Outsourcing
was originally confined to peripheral business functions and mainly motivated by a cost saving logic, but
has now developed into a routine strategic management move that affects not only peripheral functions but
the heart of the competitive core of organisations. At the same time there is a move from traditional
outsourcing with one or a small number of key partners and long-term contracts to strategic outsourcing with
multiple partners and short-term contracts. This paper investigates the innovation-related risks that can arise
from strategic outsourcing and adopts a trust, collaboration and network perspective for this analysis. It uses
the example of Information technology/Information Systems (ITAS) outsourcing to highlight the increased
risks that arise from a move from traditional to strategic outsourcing and discusses some measures that
managers can take to attempt to control these risks. The nature of the risk is closely related to the risk of
information leakage that arises from collaborative research and technology development between
organisations in technology-intensive sectors that has been analysed by Hoecht and Trott [Hoecht, A., Trott,
P., 1999. Trust, risk and control in the management of collaborative technology development. International
Journal of Innovation Management 3(l), 257-270].
Hoegl M, Parboteeah KP (2006) Team reflexivity in innovative projects. R & D Management 36:113-125
In this article, we provide a theoretical extension and empirical test of team reflexivity. Building on West's
(1996) conceptual discussions of team reflexivity, we argue that in the context of teams with innovative
projects (e.g. product development teams), team reflexivity will be positively related to team effectiveness
and efficiency. Furthermore, we specify social skills and project management skills as important
determinants of team reflexivity. Using data from 575 members, leaders, and team external managers
referring to 145 software development teams, we find that team reflexivity is positively related to team
effectiveness but not efficiency. Furthermore, both social skills and project management skills are positively
related to team reflexivity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Hsieh MH, Tsai KH, Hultink EJ (2006) The relationships between resource configurations and launch
strategies in Taiwan's IC design industry: An exploratory study. Journal of Product Innovation Management
23:259-273
Within the last decade, the link between launch strategies and new product performance has
been widely investigated. However, the relationship between resource configurations and launch strategies
has received little attention. This study endeavors to fill that void by examining the relationships between
resource configurations and launch strategy selections. In addition, this study investigates the moderating
effects of market growth and competitiveness on the relationship between resources and launch strategies.
Drawing on contingency theory and strategic studies, this study proposes that resource contingencies affect
changes in launch strategies. This study also suggests that market characteristics play a contingent role in the
relationships between the configurations of resources and launch strategy choices. Based on extensive
studies reporting on market characteristics and their links to strategies, this study proposes that two market
characteristics-market growth and competitiveness-are relevant for launch strategy decision making.
Taiwan's integrated circuit (IC) design industry has been used as the analytical sample, as it has been
identified as a promising sector for new product development. Based on the result of investigating 90 firms,
four resource configurations are identified: (1) strategic and organizational abilities; (2) technological
capabilities; (3) societal assets and goodwill; and (4) physical assets. Furthermore, two different launch
strategies-innovative and product advantage and cost oriented-also are discovered. The results from a
seemingly unrelated regression model reveal that technological capabilities and societal assets and goodwill
contribute to the variation in the firms' choices of launch strategies. This study further conducted the simple
slope analysis to observe the effect of the technological capabilities on the innovative and product advantage
strategy under different levels of the market growth rate. The results interestingly showed that firms with
technological capabilities demonstrated different degree of tendencies in employing this strategy in
alignment with various market growth rates. The finding sheds some lights on the moderating role market
characteristics play on the relationships between resource configurations and launch strategy selections.
Academic implications and suggestions for practitioners also are provided.
Hua SY, Wemmerlov U (2006) Product change intensity, product advantage, and market performance: An
empirical investigation of the PC industry. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:316-329
Product change decisions, such as the frequency of new product introductions, can impact product
performance characteristics, sales, and market share of several generations of products and, therefore, a
firm's long-term survival and growth. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a firm's product
change frequency, also referred to as product change intensity. A conceptual model linking a firm's product
change intensity to its product advantage-and, in turn, to its market performance-with strategic product
change orientation and technology competence as moderating effects, was used as a foundation for the
study's hypotheses. These were tested using hierarchical and linear regressions, based on survey data
collected from 55 U.S. companies in the personal computer (PC) industry. The analysis confirmed that a PC
firm's product rate of change is positively associated with its product advantage and that its product
advantage, in turn, is positively associated with its market share and growth performance. However, the
hypothesized moderating effects were not confirmed. Rather, a firm's product change orientation and its
level of technology competence are more likely to have a direct impact on product advantage. The
implications of these findings are that, in general, firms that release new products frequently will have them
viewed more favorably by the market than products with lower change intensities. Also, firms with higher
levels of competence in the product technology domain tend to create products with greater market
attraction. Finally, more radical changes to PC product architectures may pay off better than relatively minor
changes. These results may not apply to other industries due to the specific design of personal computers
and the nature of this fast-paced market. Neither do the findings necessarily apply to all firms regardless of
those firms' specific product and market strategies. More research is necessary to understand how a firm's
adopted strategy, and the industry in which it operates, affect the relationships demonstrated in this study.
Hung SC, Chu YY (2006) Stimulating new industries from emerging technologies: challenges for the public
sector. Technovation 26:104-110
Stimulating new industries from emerging technologies is central to
successful high-tech based economic growth, employment, competition and sustainability in modem market
economies. The Taiwanese experiences in developing new technology-based industries (e.g. integrated
circuits, personal computers, notebooks, scanners, and TFF LCDs) illustrate some of the ways policy makers
can shape the development of emerging technologies into new industries. These ways of actions are
manifold, but at least policy attentions to three key mechanisms are critical. These mechanisms encourage
partnership in the commercialization process, foster entrepreneurship and venture initiatives in the
innovation system, and sustain commercialization and the creation of new firms. The study of Industrial
Technology Research Institute in Taiwan on biochips and nanotechnology further shows how the policy
makers can build a statutory body to effectively address the functions of three mechanisms as a whole.
Hyvattinen H (2006) Interface standards and creating innovation markets - implications on SMEs in a
technology programme. Technovation 26:262-273 Creating markets for innovations developed and fixed
interface standards are both exceptional features for technology programmes and especially interesting from
the point of view of innovating SMEs. This article examines the influence of these features of a technology
programme in the field of building automation on the innovation processes of participating SMEs. It also
explores the use of a technology programme based on an open interface standard with market creation as a
way of escaping from a locked-in market situation resulting from domination of systems based on closed
interfaces. Market creating technology programmes seem to have a potential for significantly helping SMEs
in the commercialization of the products developed. This could be enhanced by setting the timeframe of
demand creating activities according to the needs of the commercialization processes. The results suggest
that technology programmes based on an open standard have a potential to relieve lock-in situations in the
markets to some extent. Judging from the experiences of the case companies, demand creating activities may
have a significant role in this. The interoperability problems experienced suggest a need for systematic
efforts to ensure the actual interoperability of components in technology programmes based on an interface
standard.
Jolly DR (2006) Management of technology - Managing effectively in technology-intensive organizations.
R & D Management 36:466-466
Jonker M, Romijn H, Szirmai A (2006) Technological effort, technological capabilities and economic
performance - A case study of the paper manufacturing sector in West Java. Technovation 26:121-134
Although there is a substantial body of literature on the importance of technological capabilities for
economic development, the exact relationships between technological efforts, technological capabilities and
economic performance at micro-level still remain unclear. How do technological efforts affect technological
capabilities? To what extent and how do improvements in technological capabilities result in better
economic performance of firms? This paper aims to develop adequate quantitative measures of machinelevel technological effort, technological capabilities and economic performance for the paper industry in
West Java, Indonesia. It explores the empirical relationships between these micro-level variables, focusing
both on the relationships between efforts and capabilities and between capabilities and economic
performance, with a view to deepening our general understanding of the role of capabilities in successful
and less successful processes of industrialisation.
Jordan G, Segelod E (2006) Software innovativeness: outcomes on project performance, knowledge
enhancement, and external linkages. R & D Management 36:127-142
The purpose of this study is to
investigate the relationship between product innovativeness and groups of outcomes flowing from the
computer software product development process and the associated knowledge acquisition process. Data
from interviews of managers in 94 software projects are analysed, and three groups of outcomes are
measured: project performance, knowledge enhancement, and the strengthening of linkages to external
actors/sources. The high innovative products show higher project performance for all measures of project
performance compared with low innovative products. Similar results were found for all measures of
personnel knowledge enhancement outcomes. Changes in the importance of linkages to nine different
external sources of knowledge used by the firms during the knowledge acquisition process, also show some
positive outcomes with respect to rising innovativeness levels. Strengthening of external linkages is found
for 66% of the investigated linkages between one or two innovativeness levels. Of these, the linkages to
hardware manufacturers, co-operation partners, and universities and other research institutions show
strengthening when high innovativeness products are compared with low-level products. As the project
performance and knowledge enhancement outcomes are due, in part, to knowledge gained within linkages to
external actors/sources, managers could consider whether giving special attention to managing these
linkages would be a winning innovation strategy for their particular firm.
Jung JY, Wang YH (2006) Relationship between total's quality management (TQM) and continuous
improvement of international project management (CIIPM). Technovation 26:716-722
The purpose of
this study is to investigate the relationship between the total quality management (TQM) practice and the
continuous improvement of international project management (CIIPM) practice. Based on a literature review
and qualitative interviews with TQM and project management experts, four hypotheses are posed on how
TQM elements affect CIIPM. A cross-sectional survey collected from over 100 mid to senior level
international managers is used to validate these hypotheses. The study suggests that the relationship between
'soft' TQM elements and CIIPM is more significant than the relationship between 'hard' TQM elements and
CIIPM.
Kafouros MI (2006) The impact of the Internet on R&D efficiency: theory and evidence. Technovation
26:827-835 Particularly for the manufacturing sector, the efficiency of the R&D-process defines to a great
extent a firm's competitiveness. Although there are many studies which present practical examples of how
firms utilize the Internet to support their everyday research activities, there is not much theory to explain
how and why the Internet improves R&D efficiency. This paper attempts to fill this void by exploring the
association between the Internet and R&D efficiency. Initially, in order to provide a better unit of analysis, it
adopts a feature-based approach to the Internet. Then it offers a conceptual framework which by using
theoretical explanations, past empirical research and examples from practice explains how and why two
features of the Internet ('search' and 'communication') improve three critical dimensions of R&D efficiency
(cost, time and quality) and a firm's absorptive capacity. Finally, by using the Cobb-Douglas framework, it
provides econometric evidence which indicates that the Internet does improve R&D efficiency. Besides the
contribution to scholarly knowledge, there are important implications in practice, since the findings of this
paper inform decision and policy makers that the Internet has a significant impact on firms' innovative
capacity.
Kahn KB, Barczak G, Moss R (2006) Perspective: Establishing an NPD best practices framework. Journal
of Product Innovation Management 23:106-116 Achieving NPD best practices is a top-of-mind issue for
many new product development (NPD) managers and is often an overarching implicit, if not explicit, goal.
The question is what does one mean when talking about NPD best practices? And how does a manager
move toward achieving these? This article proposes a best practices framework as a starting point for muchneeded discussion on this topic. Originally presented during the 2004 Product Development Management
Association (PDMA) Research Conference in Chicago, the article and the authors' presentation spurred a
significant, expansive discussion that included all conference attendees. Given the interest generated, the
decision was made to move forward on a series of rejoinders on the topic of NPD best practice, using the
Kahn, Barczak, and Moss framework as a focal launching point for these rejoinders. A total of five
rejoinders were received and accompany the best practices framework in this issue of JPIM. Each rejoinder
brings out a distinct issue because each of the five authors has a unique perspective. The first rejoinder is
written by Dr. Marjorie Adams-Bigelow, director of the PDMA's Comparative Performance Assessment
Study (CPAS), PDMA Foundation. Based on her findings during the CPAS study, Adams comments on the
proposed framework, suggesting limitations in scope. She particularly points out discrepancies between the
proposed framework and the framework offered by PDMA's emerging body of knowledge. Dr. Elko
Kleinschmidt, professor of marketing and international business at McMaster University, wrote the second
rejoinder. Based on his extensive research with Robert G. Cooper on NPD practices, he points out that best
practices really raise more questions than answers. Thomas Kuczmarski, president of Kuczmarski and
Associates, is the author of the third rejoinder. Kuczmarski highlights that company mindset and metrics are
critical elements needing keen attention. Where do these fit-or should they-in the proposed framework? The
fourth rejoinder is written by Richard Notargiacomo, consultant for the integrated product delivery process
at Eastman Kodak Company. Notargiacomo compares the proposed framework to a best practices
framework Kodak has used for new product commercialization and management since 1998. The distinction
of the Kodak framework is the inclusion of a product maturity model component. Dr. Lois Peters, associate
professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), is the author of the fifth rejoinder. She brings out issues
of radical innovation, a natural focal issue of RPI's radical innovation project (RRIP). It is highlighted that
radical innovation may require unique, distinctive process characteristics a single framework cannot
illustrate. Multiple layers of frameworks may be more appropriate, each corresponding to a level of
innovation desired. The overall hope is that the discourse on best practices in this issue of JPIM generates
more discussion and debate. Ultimately, the hope is that such discourse will lead to subsequent continued
study to help discern what NPD best practice means for our discipline.
Kalafsky RV, MacPherson AD (2006) The post-1990 rebirth of the US machine tool industry: a temporary
recovery? Technovation 26:665-671 After several decades of decline, the US machine tool (NIT) industry
entered a modest period of recovery in the mid-1990s. With the slowdown of the global economy in the
early 2000s, however, this recovery has stalled. By now, there are clear signs that rates of firm exit are
increasing. This paper compares the results of a survey of MT producers (conducted in 2000) with more
recent industry data (2004). Four years after the optimistic findings of the 2000 survey were reported, we
find that many of the small-to-medium sized producers have either ceased operations or have downscaled
substantially. While virtually every US manufacturer of MT products has been negatively affected by the
global economic downswing, adverse business conditions have had a disproportionately severe impact upon
firms that cater primarily to local markets. MT manufacturers located within the nation's traditional
industrial heartland have been the hardest hit, notably as a result of rising import competition. In contrast to
locally-oriented producers, our findings suggest that a small number of innovative MT companies have been
faring quite well as a result of continued export development. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of
several futures for the domestic MT sector.
Kaplan AM, Haenlein M (2006) Toward a parsimonious definition of traditional and electronic mass
customization. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:168-182
Although mass customization, a
term introduced by Davis (1987) to describe the oxymoron of mass producing customized products, has
been part of research for more than a decade, literature has not come up with a commonly accepted
definition of this term up to now. The present article attempts to close this gap by proposing a definition of
traditional and electronic mass customization, which is based on answering three research questions. First,
for which kind of customized goods (products versus services) is mass customization applicable at all?
Second, at which step of the value creation process must the customer be given the chance to customize his
or her good to be able to speak of mass customization? And finally, which prerequisites in terms of
production cost and monetary price need to be fulfilled when comparing mass-customized with massproduced goods? Using an extensive analysis of extant literature in the field, the authors develop two
definitions of traditional mass customization, a working and a visionary one, as well as one for electronic
mass customization, stating how new opportunities arising from advances in communication and
information technology can influence this concept.
Karniouchina EV, Victorino L, Verma R (2006) Product and service innovation: Ideas for future crossdisciplinary research. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:274-280
Khilji SE, Mroczkowski T, Bernstein B (2006) From invention to innovation: Toward developing an
integrated innovation model for biotech firms. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:528-540 A
review of extant literature reveals various theories on innovation, including technology push, market pull,
and an organizational approach. All of these theories have been criticized for their lack of integration and
inapplicability to today's competitive environment. An integrated view of innovation has emerged that
synthesizes the variables in previous approaches. However, the application of this view has been restricted
to investigating the innovation processes within the computer and manufacturing industries, whereas the
biotechnology industry has been ignored. This is despite biotech managers' well-acknowledged thirst for
innovation and the ability of biotech to shape the way we live. The present article contributes to the
literature by applying an integrated approach to the biotech industry, thereby extending understanding of
innovation management beyond the traditional field of inquiry. An integrated approach is of particular
relevance to biotech companies, given the complexities of managing the industry's long development cycle
and intense collaborative activities. In-depth interviews with eight organizations in Maryland formed the
basis for an investigation into the challenges of managing the innovation process in biotechnology firms.
The findings revealed that biotech entrepreneurs are ill prepared to lead their organizations through several
transformations necessary along the product life cycle because of their fixation on a technology-push
approach and lack of an understanding of integrated innovation. These leaders also lack the
commercialization knowledge necessary to push products to markets, resulting in avoidable delays and loss
of productivity. The existing research has dispelled myths associated with biotech. Specifically, it suggests
biotech entrepreneurs cannot rely solely on inventions but must invest in a timely application of knowledge
to organizational and market forces to take full advantage of the innovation potential associated with the
industry. This article presents a conceptual framework for applying the integrated innovation model to
biotech firms and makes the case for incorporating market-oriented mechanisms, building and using
appropriate organizational capabilities, developing effective collaborations, and creating parallel interactions
as major elements in a general strategy toward the success and improved efficiency of biotech companies.
The limitations of current research are discussed, and avenues are highlighted for much-needed future
research into the biotech industry.
Kingston G (2006) Innovation that fits. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:586-588
Kingston G (2006) Getting it right the first time: How innovative companies anticipate demand. Journal of
Product Innovation Management 23:292-293
Klein R (2006) Software-produkt-management. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:195-197
Klein R (2006) The business of software. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:195-197
Kling R (2006) In search of efficiency - concurrent concept elaboration and improvement. Technovation
26:753-760
In an aim to increase competitiveness, efficiency is coming more and more into focus in
product development. In this article, the author studies the view of efficiency in software development
groups, and identifies a strong ubiquitous yet implicit strive for efficiency improvements. 'Efficiency'
appears a somewhat elusive, omnipresent concept, which is not explicitly talked about, but is often
implicitly alluded to. How can software developers become more efficient if they do not know what this
means? The author proposes a change strategy that concurrently furthers the local understanding and
meaning of efficiency and improves actual efficiency, through a collaborative, participative change program.
Conceptions of efficiency are claimed to moderate efficiency as well as learning processes. Four different
conceptions of efficiency are identified.
Klink RR, Athaide GA (2006) An illustration of potential sources of concept-test error. Journal of Product
Innovation Management 23:359-370 A critical step in prelaunch market analysis needing improvement is
concept testing. This article reviews the literature on the three basic design decisions inherent to concept
testing: (1) stimuli design; (2) respondent selection; and (3) response measurement. By incorporating
findings from diffusion theory, the current review identifies a number of potential sources of concept-test
error (e.g., failing to account for adoption orientation could unintentionally mask the response of earlier
adopters). Through an exploratory study that replicates in many ways a typical concept test, the present
study illustrates how results of conventional concept testing can be sensitive to respondents' adoption
orientation and the response measure used. This study offers implications for NPD practice that include
accounting for the adoption orientation of respondents, using appropriate response measures such as
affective questions for later adopters, and incorporating more product-related information and repeat
exposure for later adopters.
Kobe C (2006) Democratizing innovation. R & D Management 36:365-366
Kodama M (2006) Knowledge-based view of corporate strategy. Technovation 26:1390-1406 This paper
discusses a framework of the strategy-making process for executing and continuing both the building of a
new, ongoing market position and the acquisition of new capabilities so that a corporation could achieve
innovation in the future. This paper describes the case of high-tech corporations in the field of Information
and Communication Technology which is undergoing intense change in Japan. This paper also would like to
present a new viewpoint on knowledge-based theory of the firm based on data obtained from qualitative
research into the time series strategy-making process over the past I I years. These corporations successfully
introduced new products and services to the market through a spiraling knowledge integrating approach
through networked knowledge communities as a dynamic view of strategy aimed at deliberately and
continually creating new markets.
Koh WTH (2006) Singapore's transition to innovation-based economic growth: infrastructure, institutions
and government's role. R & D Management 36:143-160
Technological progress and innovation plays a
central role in a country's economic progress. As an economy advances to the global technological frontier
and narrows the technological gap, an innovation-based growth strategy that focuses on investments in R&D
and technology creation offers the greatest potential for economic growth. In this paper, we discuss the
requirements for a successful transition, in terms of changes to the technology infrastructure, economic
institutions and the incentives' structure. This paper outlines the efforts made by Singapore to re-make itself
as an innovation-based economy, and the challenges faced by the government in transforming the nation's
infrastructure and institutions to develop innovation capabilities and encourage entrepreneurship.
Kohn S, Husig S (2006) Potential benefits, current supply, utilization and barriers to adoption: An
exploratory study on German SMEs and innovation software. Technovation 26:988-998 This paper deals
with the employment of software in the innovation process in small and medium-sized enterprises. Based on
an explorative market study of existing software tools developed to specifically support activities and
methods in the innovation process, we found out that a large variety of these software products was
available. Hence, our further research addresses the question of how far these products are specifically used
in practice in German SMEs. The core outcome of our explorative investigation is the finding that software
products are rarely used to support the innovation process in German SMEs. We identified some of the
barriers to SME adoption of innovation software in Germany. Based on these findings, initial explanations
and implications can be provided for suppliers of innovation software and for SMEs.
Kratzer J, Leenders R, Van Engelen JML (2006) Managing creative team performance in virtual
environments: an empirical study in 44 R&D teams. Technovation 26:42-49
Creative performance in
R&D is of vital importance to organizations. Because R&D usually is organized in teams, the management
of creative performance inherently refers to the team level creative performance. Over the last decades,
R&D teams have become increasingly virtual. In this article we argued that the level of a team's 'virtuality'
can be described by three factors: the proximity of team members, the communication modes used, and the
manner in which the team task is coordinated. An exploratory empirical study in 44 R&D teams reveals that
the creative performance is affected by each of these factors. The results of the study indicate that the more
variable R&D teams are in the manner in which they employ these three factors, the higher is their creative
performance. Virtuality of R&D teams is neither generally positive or negative for their creative
performance: the creative outcome is a function of how virtuality in these teams is managed.
Kuesten CL (2006) Made in China: What western managers can learn from trailblazing Chinese
entrepreneurs. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:591-594
Kuesten CL (2006) New food product development: From concept to marketplace. Journal of Product
Innovation Management 23:197-199
Kumar S (2006) A comparative analysis of key information technology players. Technovation 26:836-846
The study examines global operations of software development companies from US and India which over
the years have become key information technology (IT) players in software outsourcing in the world. The
analysis indicates common business strategy of Indian software companies is not to compete head on with
US counterparts and instead focus on acquiring niche, outsourcing markets that are still open and growing
rapidly due to worldwide slowdown in IT spending budgets. A comparative analysis provides further insight
on these companies' operational and financial competitive strengths and weaknesses in the marketplace. The
impact of these companies on the global IT industry is also explored.
Kumar S, Budin EM (2006) Prevention and management of product recalls in the processed food industry: a
case study based on an exporter's perspective. Technovation 26:739-750 During 1999-2003, the US Food
and Drug Administration reported a total of 1307 processed food product recalls, most of which were
avoidable. There are many areas of the processed food supply chain where significant exposure to risk
exists. Additionally, there are systems that can be used in-house at manufacturing facilities, such as hazard
analysis and critical control point (HACCP) and radio frequency identification (RFID) that can be very
beneficial in recall avoidance. Effective employee training is another key point for consideration. In the
event of a recall, a company must be prepared in advance with a detailed crisis management procedure.
Companies should consider recall insurance, depending on their size and market dominance. Public relations
strategies are critical in surviving a recall. Care must be taken to connect to the consumer and communicate
a strong message. Findings from analysis suggest potential reduction of product recalls through
recommended preventive measures including the use of HACCP and RFID systems.
Kumar S, Kropp J (2006) Studying the operational efficiencies of a multi-product supply chain using excel
spreadsheet model. Technovation 26:1186-1200
This paper presents a simple Excel spreadsheets-based
model with @Risk add-in software that incorporates the effects of variability in demand, forecast and lead
time. The model replicates a four-stage supply chain with multiple-retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and
suppliers to demonstrate how a multi-product supply chain will react to certain changes. The model was
created so that it could be used in either a teaching setting or in industry for making supply chain design
decisions. From the teaching aspect, students can look at a supply chain and see the effects of changes
without having to experience it firsthand. Professionals in industry can modify the model to make it more
like their own supply chain and see what the affects are when they want to make changes in one or more
attributes. Other key characteristics of a supply chain such as, bullwhip effect, total supply chain cost
analysis and information sharing can also be studied using this model.
Kumar S, Malegeant P (2006) Strategic alliance in a closed-loop supply chain, a case of manufacturer and
eco-non-profit organization. Technovation 26:1127-1135
Increasing attention is being given now a days
to developing environmental management (EM) strategies for the supply chain. This research: (1)
investigates the factors leading to the development of a closed-loop supply chain, (2) describes the closedloop supply chain design, (3) focuses on the collection challenges companies have been facing. More
specifically, this paper tends to (4) show that manufacturers can create value by implementing a partnership
with an eco-non-profit community organization in the collection process of used products for the closedloop supply chain. This study focuses on the reuse-a-shoe program of Nike and the creation of
Throwplace.com to point out the benefits of strategic alliances between manufacturers and eco-non-profit
organizations.
Kuo YF, Yu CW (2006) 3G telecommunication operators' challenges and roles: A perspective of mobile
commerce value chain. Technovation 26:1347-1356 In recent years, in the wake of the bottleneck facing
the e-commerce development, mobile commerce is another type of service many expect to utilize and
develop. In the past, influenced by the bandwidth limitation, the promotion of mobile commerce was not
successful. Now, the 3G technology has broken through the limitation, allowing a higher transmission rate
and more complex e-commerce interactions. The mobile commerce value chain is then formed. On this
value chain, 3G telecommunication operators are the most crucial members. Moreover, mobile commerce
value chain is essentially the aggregation of the conventional mobile communication value chain and
Internet value chain. The business models and value chains of the conventional mobile communication and
the Internet may not completely apply. Thus, a further investigation into the roles that 3G
telecommunication operators play on the mobile commerce value chain is indeed necessary. As a result,
based on the value chain, this study attempts to investigate the present and future challenges for 3G
telecommunication operators and their advantages, to outline the roles they may play in the future
development of mobile commerce.
Kwak YH, Anbari FT (2006) Benefits, obstacles, and future of six sigma approach. Technovation 26:708715
Understanding the key features, obstacles, and shortcomings of the six sigma method allows
organizations to better support their strategic directions, and increasing needs for coaching, mentoring, and
training. It also provides opportunities to better implement six sigma projects. This paper examines the
evolution, benefits, and challenges of six sigma practices and identifies the key factors influencing
successful six sigma project implementations. It integrates the lessons learned from successful six sigma
projects and considers further improvements to the six sigma approach. Effective six sigma principles and
practices will succeed by refining the organizational culture continuously. Cultural chances require time and
commitment before they are strongly implanted into the organization.
Lakemond N, Berggren C (2006) Co-locating NPD? The need for combining project focus and
organizational integration. Technovation 26:807-819 Most studies of new product development practices
focus on comparisons of individual projects, to identify factors contributing to their success or failure. This
paper builds on an in-depth field study of the interaction of one single NPD project with the organizational
context of the firm. The project typified many recommended practices for new-design projects: a co-located,
cross-functional project team, close collaboration with external system suppliers, a hard-driving project
manager and strong top management support. However, when evaluated in their organizational context as to
their consequences for other on-going projects, these attributes turned out to have a deeply ambivalent
character. By combining results from the case study and evidence from the literature several implications for
NPD-organizing are suggested: the value of alternating co-location and physical separation according to the
requirements of specific project phases; to take project duration into account in location decisions; and to
address both interaction within the project and mechanisms for its interaction and integration with other
departments and projects.
Lakemond N, Berggren C, van Weele A (2006) Coordinating supplier involvement in product development
projects: a differentiated coordination typology. R & D Management 36:55-66
Supplier involvement in
product development has been a widely discussed theme in recent years. Sometimes, one 'best method' for
involvement, derived from studies of one particular industrial context, has been suggested. In this article,
however, various forms for coordinating such involvement are distinguished, based on a study of six
different product development projects. Three main approaches are formulated and discussed: project
integration coordination, disconnected sub-project coordination, and ad hoc coordination. Based on the
empirical study and the literature, the drivers of different types of supplier coordination are discussed.
Several managerial implications are suggested related to the need to differentiate inter-organizational
coordination, not only from project to project but also throughout a project. The importance of taking into
account short-term, project-based drivers as well as long-term strategic objectives of supplier coordination is
also discussed.
Langerak F, Hultink EJ (2006) The impact of product innovativeness on the link between development
speed and new product profitability. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:203-214 A review of
the literature reveals that the relationship between development speed and new product profitability is not as
strong and straightforward as conventional wisdom suggests. A number of studies show positive results,
others show mixed results, and some present no evidence of a relationship. In other words, the valence of the
link between development speed and new product profitability is unclear at this time. Therefore, this study
investigates whether or not speeding new products to market has positive or negative effects on new product
profitability. Prior research shows that product innovativeness influences both development speed and new
product profitability. This raises the question of whether increasing speed is equally successful in improving
profitability across new products that differ in their degree of innovativeness. Therefore, this study also
investigates the moderating effect of product innovativeness on the relationship between development speed
and new product profitability. The results from a survey-based study of 233 manufacturers of industrial
products in the Netherlands reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between development speed and new
product profitability. The findings also show that the optimal point is different for two new product typesproduct improvements and line additions-that vary in their innovativeness. These results provide an onset for
the development of a decision tool that helps managers to determine how much to spend on accelerating the
development of individual new products and how they should allocate that spending across products in their
new product portfolio.
Lawson CP, Longhurst PJ, Ivey PC (2006) The application of a new research and development project
selection model in SMEs. Technovation 26:242-250
The work reported in this paper investigates
Research and Development (R&D) project selection models, focusing on the application of a new hybrid
project selection model in a UK based engineering Small to Medium-sized Enterprise (SME). Work is done
to enable the new project selection model to be applied in an SME and the model is then field tested. Field
test results provide insight into the barriers to the adoption of such a model in an SME, either as a decision
support tool or as a knowledge acquisition and learning tool. Insights are gained into the suitability and
limits that exist within SMEs for the use of such decision support models. As an outcome of the field test
results a simple R&D project portfolio cash-flow tracking method is proposed.
Lee JD, Park C (2006) Research and development linkages in a national innovation system: Factors
affecting success and failure in Korea. Technovation 26:1045-1054 Various partnerships are regarded as a
key component of national innovation systems (NISs). This study explores the contributions R&D
partnership to successful innovation in the Korean intermediate sector in the context of a NIS. A sample of
successful and innovation projects is drawn from firms in the Korean electronic parts and mechanical
industries. These industries are typical of Korean intermediate goods industry, which has experienced rapid
technological advances in recent years. We divide the data to two main criteria-type of innovation (product
versus process innovation) and source of innovation (demand-pull versus push innovation)-and base the
empirical analysis on the four resulting domains. Main findings are that (1) financial support government in
the early stage of R&D and from downstream firms in general improves innovative activities' chance of
success and collaborative R&D, especially collaboration with downstream firms and universities, likewise
improves the chance of success.
Leiponen A (2006) Managing knowledge for innovation: The case of business-to-business services. Journal
of Product Innovation Management 23:238-258
The present study builds a typology of organizational
knowledge in business services and empirically examines the effects of knowledge on innovation
performance. It is suggested that firms differ with respect to their knowledge creation approaches and that
these approaches have implications for firms' innovation activities. A conceptual framework of knowledge
assets with degrees of tacitness and collectiveness as the principal axes is used to ground the empirical
analysis. The organizational knowledge framework is empirically operationalized using survey data from
167 business service firms and supplementary case study evidence from 16 other firms. It is found that
business service improvements and new service introductions are significantly associated with collectively
held knowledge, such as codified service solutions or team-based competences and procedures. In contrast,
relying solely on tacit knowledge held by individuals may hamper innovation. The results also suggest that
tacit collective knowledge is more closely associated with new service introductions, whereas explicit
collective knowledge is associated with service improvements. Tacit collective knowledge is thus
conducive. A managerial implication is that new service introductions necessitate team competences and
routines, whereas incremental service improvements are more likely if procedures are in place to codify
services into explicit solutions or technologies. Thus, the knowledge management approach should depend
on the strategic orientation of the service firm toward continuous improvement of existing services or
development of completely new services.
Lettl C, Herstatt C, Gemuenden HG (2006) Users' contributions to radical innovation: evidence from four
cases in the field of medical equipment technology. R & D Management 36:251-272
This paper focuses
on contributions of users in early phases of radical innovation projects. In a multiple case study analysis in
the field of medical equipment technology, we identify characteristics of users who contribute substantially
to the development of radical innovations by being their inventors and (co)-developers. These innovative
users have high motivation to seek new solutions, possess a diverse set of competencies, and are embedded
in a supportive environment. We furthermore observe that they play an entrepreneurial role as they establish
and organize the required innovation networks. These innovation networks are needed to transform the
users' radically new concepts into first physical prototypes and marketable products. The study highlights
how manufacturing firms can benefit from innovative and entrepreneurial users in the early phases of radical
innovation projects.
Lichtenthaler U, Ernst H (2006) Attitudes to externally organising knowledge management tasks: a review,
reconsideration and extension of the NIH syndrome. R & D Management 36:367-386
Companies may
carry out all major knowledge management tasks, i.e. knowledge acquisition, accumulation and exploitation,
internally and externally. Therefore, we propose the integrate-or-relate decision in knowledge accumulation
as a complement to the well-known make-or-buy and keep-or-sell decisions in knowledge acquisition and
exploitation. A key factor for taking adequate decisions, for building up organisational capabilities and for
realising a firm's knowledge potential are unbiased attitudes to the knowledge management tasks. While past
research has focused on the 'not-invented-here' (NIH) syndrome as a negative attitude to acquiring external
knowledge, a more holistic view is adopted in the present article by extending prior research on two
dimensions. Firstly, we consider all major knowledge management tasks and do not limit our analysis to
knowledge acquisition. Secondly, we take into account that, apart from overly negative attitudes,
excessively positive attitudes may exist. Accordingly, we identify the following six syndromes: 'NIH' vs.
'buy-in' in knowledge acquisition, 'all-stored-here' vs. 'relate-out' in knowledge accumulation and 'only-usedhere' vs. 'sell-out' in knowledge exploitation. After briefly reviewing research into NIH and developing a
knowledge management framework, the syndromes are defined, and possible antecedents, consequences and
managerial actions are described.
Lim LPL, Garnsey E, Gregory M (2006) Product and process innovation in biopharmaceuticals: a new
perspective on development. R & D Management 36:27-36
Developing new products and processes is
increasingly a focal point of competition and often requires the development and successful implementation
of novel process technologies. The process development and production of a new biological entity are
significantly more complex than those for small molecule drugs. Conventional new product development
models in the literature on firm level innovation fail to explain the nature of development projects for
biopharmaceuticals. This paper makes the case that a new perspective is required to understand the
management of product and process development in biopharmaceuticals. An explanatory model is proposed
for this purpose.
Lin CH, Tung CM, Huang CT (2006) Elucidating the industrial cluster effect from a system dynamics
perspective. Technovation 26:473-482
This study applies the system dynamics (SD) methodology to
explore factors affecting the industrial cluster effect, which is crucial in determining national and industrial
competitive advantage. A literature review finds few studies that utilize SD to investigate factors affecting
the industrial cluster effect. In a global business environment, competition is not just between individual
companies and supply chains, but also among companies in regional clusters. The concept of SD, devised by
Jay W. Forrester et al, helps mankind realize the variation of a complicated system, and perceive how an
internal feedback loop within a system impacts whole system's behavior. This study establishes a dynamic
model of various factors of industrial cluster effect through the causal loop diagram also known as the
cause-and-effect chain. This study considers four important interactive dimensions of industrial
competitiveness: manpower, technology, money, and market flows. This study also constructs a
comprehensive causal loop diagram of the industrial cluster effect. All factors in the cause-and-effect chains
influence positively the industrial cluster effect. The SD approach is adopted to analyze the complicated
relationship of factors affecting industrial cluster effect. The SD approach is more effective than other
methodologies.
Linford R (2006) The good supervisor: Supervising postgraduate and undergraduate research for doctoral
theses and dissertations. R & D Management 36:220-221
Linton J (2006) Ranking of technology and innovation management journals. Technovation 26:285-287
Linton J (2006) Introductory words on the near and not so near future of Technovation. Technovation 26:2-2
Linton JD (2006) Entrepreneurship today. Technovation 26:139-141
Linton JD (2006) How to get research published in journals. R & D Management 36:219-220
lo Storto C (2006) A method based on patent analysis for the investigation of technological innovation
strategies: The European medical prostheses industry. Technovation 26:932-942
In this article, a
methodology based on the analysis of granted patents useful to investigate strategies of technological
innovation implemented by innovative firms is presented. This methodology adopts a conceptualization
which considers technological innovation as an outcome of a change of either the technological components
or a diverse combination of the components themselves. The methodology is applied to analyze the
characters of the-strategies of technological innovation pursued by 12 European firms in the human
prosthesis industry. Undoubtly, the complexity of this industry offers interesting hints to study the
implementation of technology strategies adopting the search concept. Furthermore, there is a lack of
empirical studies that considered this industry. Even though the methodology and the study presented have
still an explorative nature, the results of the empirical analysis suggest several reasons to carry on a further
investigation for a deeper comprehension of the innovation process in high-tech industries.
Luiten E, van Lente H, Blok K (2006) Slow technologies and government intervention: Energy efficiency in
industrial process technologies. Technovation 26:1029-1044
Many government interventions seek to
increase the efficiency of industrial processes and to stimulate innovation. In this article we present and
analyse four case studies of innovations in energy-efficient industrial process technologies: two in the paper
and pulp industry and two in the iron and steel industry. We study the various networks around these
technologies and investigate how they are affected by government intervention. An important relationship
(an inverted U) is found between the momentum of the networks and the effectiveness of government R&D
support for energy-efficient process technologies. It is concluded that R&D support can only be effective
when it takes account of the characteristics of so-called slow technologies'.
Luthje C, Prugl R (2006) Preparing business students for co-operation in multi-disciplinary new venture
teams: empirical insights from a business-planning course. Technovation 26:211-219 Interdisciplinary cooperation among people trained in technical and economic fields has been identified as an important success
factor in new venture teams. However, empirical findings also indicate that individuals often refuse to
engage in close and trustful relationships with representatives of other disciplines. Thus, the question arises
whether education programs on interdisciplinary co-operation may be suitable to prepare students for future
activities in multi-functional business start-up teams. In this study, we investigate the psychological effects
of an interdisciplinary business-planning course held at the Vienna University of Economics and Business
Administration with the intention of promoting co-operation between technology-oriented professionals and
business management students. The findings show that this course experience changes the students'
attitudinal beliefs with respect to representatives of the technical discipline by reducing stereotypical
assumptions. At the same time, the course fosters awareness of the challenges involved in cross-disciplinary
co-operation. The more students communicate with their technical counterparts and the more they
familiarize themselves with the technical aspects of the project, the stronger these effects become.
MacGregor S (2006) Multinational enterprises, innovative strategies and systems of innovation. Journal of
Product Innovation Management 23:297-298
MacGregor SP (2006) Strategic technology management: Building bridges between sciences, engineering
and business management. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:102-104
MacGregor SP (2006) Strategic management of technological innovation. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:102-104
Maclean A (2006) The crisis of innovation in water and wastewater. R & D Management 36:217-219
Markides C (2006) Disruptive innovation: In need of better theory. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:19-25
Marques JPC, Caraca JMG, Diz H (2006) How can university-industry-government interactions change the
innovation scenario in Portugal? - The case of the University of Coimbra. Technovation 26:534-542 This
article describes and discusses the results of a case study illustrating the interaction between universityindustry-government, with specific reference to the University of Coimbra, Portugal. This example is
examined in the context of a knowledge-based economy. The main aim is to incorporate the knowledge
already acquired, in an effort to show how a triple helix model explains, clearly and usefully, how the part
played by the University of Coimbra has been effective in promoting a regional dynamic of innovation and
entrepreneurship. Analysis of this case confirms the relevance of a triple helix model in understanding
reality in a straightforward and practical manner. It was noted that the interaction and alliances established
tended to form a mesh of emerging communications, networks and organizations, which in our case are
expressed in the creation of tri-lateral networks and hybrid organizations. Finally, the crucial role of the
University is highlighted, as the promoter and driving force for the multiplicity of networks and relations
established.
Marsh SJ, Stock GN (2006) Creating dynamic capability: The role of intertemporal integration, knowledge
retention, and interpretation. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:422-436
Uncertainty about
the ability for technological knowledge to be transformed to meet market demands, lack of complementary
technologies, the lack of developed markets for a given technical feature, and other types of uncertainty add
significant challenges to organizations as they develop products for future markets. In spite of these
significant challenges, some organizations develop a dynamic capability in new product development that
becomes a powerful source of competitive advantage and a source of renewal, growth, and adaptation as the
environment changes. Many approaches to new product development (e.g., cross-functional development
teams, quality function deployment, early supplier involvement, heavyweight product development teams)
address the need to integrate knowledge more rapidly and effectively within projects. These approaches do
not address, however, how knowledge is integrated over time or how integration of knowledge from
previous new product development efforts influences the firm's new product development performance. This
study focuses on providing a greater understanding of the integrative practices that contribute to this
capability in new product development. Based on insights from the innovation and learning literatures, this
study proposes relationships about the influence of knowledge retention and interpretation activities on the
organization's ability to integrate knowledge developed in prior new product development projects and on
new product development performance. Data collected from a sample of new product development
professionals are employed to test the proposed relationships among knowledge retention, knowledge
interpretation, integration of prior knowledge, and new product development performance. The findings
suggest that knowledge retention and interpretation activities positively impact a firm's new product
development performance. In particular, practices that enable the retention and interpretation of knowledge
improve new product development performance indirectly through the firm's enhanced ability to apply
knowledge developed in prior product development projects to subsequent projects. Practices that enable the
interpretation of knowledge in the firm's current strategic context also improve new product development
performance directly. These findings lead to important implications for managing new product development.
Martensson A, Valiente P (2006) Understanding migration strategies by decoupling application roles and
technology generations. Technovation 26:351-358
Companies invest large amounts of money in new
technologies. Not surprisingly, much of the research carried out in relation to IT-investments has focused on
the adoption of new technology and the related implementation barriers such as knowledge barriers and
psychosocial factors. However, the process of abandoning old technologies has not been so much in focus.
In this paper, the analysis focuses on renewal investments where subsequent technology generations fulfil a
similar application role. Taxi Stockholm is used to illustrate this long-term process where slowly evolving
requirements on the dispatch function over time forces technology changes. A CCT-model is presented
using Customers, Companies and Technology as factors to support the understanding of technology shifts.
This model is used to express the relation between the application role and technology generations. The
importance of considering not only a complete life cycle of a specific technology, but also multiple such
technologies providing a long-term perspective is stressed. As the use of IT matures in companies, adopting
new technologies increasingly means abandoning old technologies. By combining a business perspective
(through the application role), a technology generation perspective and a technology switching perspective
and finally adding the time component, an analytical expression is presented.
McCarthy IP, Tsinopoulos C, Allen P, Rose-Anderssen C (2006) New product development as a complex
adaptive system of decisions. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:437-456
Early research on
new product development (NPD) has produced descriptive frameworks and models that view the process as
a linear system with sequential and discrete stages. More recently, recursive and chaotic frameworks of NPD
have been developed, both of which acknowledge that NPD progresses through a series of stages, but with
overlaps, feedback loops, and resulting behaviors that resist reductionism and linear analysis. This article
extends the linear, recursive, and chaotic frameworks by viewing NPD as a complex adaptive system (CAS)
governed by three levels of decision making-in-stage, review, and strategic-and the accompanying decision
rules. The research develops and presents propositions that predict how the configuration and organization
of NPD decision-making agents will influence the potential for three mutually dependent CAS phenomena:
nonlinearity, self-organization, and emergence. Together these phenomena underpin the potential for NPD
process adaptability and congruence. To support and to verify the propositions, this study uses comparative
case studies, which show that NPD process adaptability occurs and that it is dependent on the number and
variety of agents, their corresponding connections and interactions, and the ordering or disordering effect of
the decision levels and rules. Thus, the CAS framework developed within this article maintains a fit among
descriptive stance, system behavior, and innovation type, as it considers individual NPD processes to be
capable of switching or toggling between different behaviors-linear to chaotic-to produce corresponding
innovation outputs that range from incremental to radical in accord with market expectations.
Merino MTG, Do Carmo MLP, Alvarez MVS (2006) 25 Years of Technovation: Characterisation and
evolution of the Journal. Technovation 26:1303-1316
The International Journal of Technological
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Technology Management (Technovation) celebrates its 25th anniversary
this year, and it does so holding a prominent position within the field of technological innovation
management, although not in entrepreneurship, and as part of the Science Edition of the Journal Citation
Reports drawn up by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). Our goal in this paper is to characterise
the journal, analysing how its development has helped it to reach such a position. The sources of information
we have used are: the journal itself, the ISI and the Emerald Group Publishing Limited. The information
drawn from Emerald has enabled us to characterise the review, its orientation, style, originality and
readability. With the information from the journal itself as well as the ISI, we have tried to show how the
journal has evolved, not only globally but also in certain specific questions (thematic profile, impact
publications and authorship of papers). Finally, we comment on the results and draw certain conclusions in
addition to opportunities for the journal.
Mikkola JH (2006) Capturing the degree of modularity embedded in product architectures. Journal of
Product Innovation Management 23:128-146
This article focuses on integrating various perspectives on
product architecture modularity into a general framework and proposes a way to measure the degree of
modularization embedded in product architectures. The article addresses trade-offs between modular and
integral product architectures and how components and interfaces influence the degree of modularization.
The article identifies the following key elements of product architecture modularity: components (standard
and new-to-the-firm), interfaces (standardization and specification), degree of coupling, and substitutability.
A mathematical model, termed the modularization function, is applied to measure the key elements and their
combined effect on the degree of modularization embedded in product architectures. The application of the
modularization function is illustrated by two distinct sets of product architectures: Chrysler Jeep's
windshield wipers controllers and Schindler's hydraulic and traction-pull transmission elevators. The
analysis of the Chrysler case shows that the silent-relay architecture produces more opportunities for
modularization than the solid-state architecture due to the higher substitutability factor and lower new-tothe-firm component composition. The Schindler case captures the dynamics of modularity created by three
types of components (standard, customizable, and new to the firm) and two types of interfaces (fundamental
and optional). Based on the case studies, the article outlines testable propositions and discusses the
managerial and theoretical implications for the modularization function.
Miller JC (2006) Breakthrough: Stories and strategies of radical innovation. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:100-102
Miller JC (2006) Juice: The creative fuel that drives world-class inventors. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:100-102
Millson MR, Wilemon D (2006) Driving new product success in the electrical equipment manufacturing
industry. Technovation 26:1268-1286
This study of the Electrical Equipment Manufacturing Industry
investigates three major hypotheses important to new product market success which are: The greater the
degree of organizational integration during the development of new products, the greater the market success;
the greater the degree of organizational integration during the development of new products, the greater new
product development proficiency; and the greater new product development proficiency, the greater the
market success. The most and least successful new products of US firms in the electrical equipment
manufacturing industry were employed in this research. Our definition of "Organizational Integration" is the
degree of cooperation and communication between internal and external new product development (NPD)
"support" groups and NPD teams. "NPD Process Proficiency" is defined as how well NPD activities, stages,
and the NPD process as a whole are performed. "New product market success" is depicted by four measures
that encompass profit expectations, sales potential, success entering new markets, and entering existing
markets with new products successfully. Our study is based on data obtained from survey instruments
mailed to recipients such as New Product Development Managers who had already been designated by
executives of our sample organizations. Our research reveals a number of interesting findings. Overall
organizational integration between NPD teams and all other groups associated with an NPD effort was
found to have a significant association with new product success. Moreover, it was determined that
organizational integration has a significant correlation to the proficiency with which the various stages of the
NPD process are performed. Additionally, the proficiency with which various stages of the NPD process
were performed was noted to have a significant relationship with new product market success. Our study
discovered a number of other findings that suggest important implications for both product development
managers and scholars.
Montalvo C (2006) What triggers change and innovation? Technovation 26:312-323
Innovation and
competitiveness amongst firms are currently seen as some of the main economic multipliers in industrialised
and emerging economies. After 50 years of theoretical and empirical development in innovation studies
explaining Why? and How? innovation occurs at the firm level remains as a prime challenge for academics
and practitioners. Innovative behaviour in organisations has been attributed to dissimilar factors (e.g.
institutional arrangements, entrepreneurial or risk taking behaviours, economic opportunities, organisational
learning, technological and organisational capabilities, etc.). The communality of current theories and
studies is that they tend to put emphasis on individual determinants of the innovative behaviour. In
consequence, much of the generated knowledge is still rather fragmented because the diverse insights are not
unified in single and testable theoretical body towards the explanation and prediction of innovative
behaviours in firms. This paper introduces and empirically tests a structural model from the behavioural
sciences that enables the organisation and integration of knowledge generated in diverse areas of innovation
studies to explore, explain and predict the innovative behaviour of the firm in specific contexts.
Morgan A, Colebourne D, Thomas B (2006) The development of ICT advisors for SME businesses: An
innovative approach. Technovation 26:980-987
The potential contribution of information and
communications technology (ICT) to improving the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) has long been recognised. However, the realisation of this potential has been problematic and over
recent years there have been a number of initiatives supported by government agencies and the European
Union which have endeavoured to aid and encourage the up take of ICT to enable access to such promised
benefits. One of the range of factors that has been identified as impacting upon the level of ICT adoption
amongst SMEs is access to, and confidence in, external specialist advice. [IOM, 1997. IT Means Business?:
a survey of managers' attitudes in smaller businesses to information and technology. IoM Report. IOM, 2000
Does Technology Mean Business. IoM Report]. This article reviews one related initiative 'Technology
Means Business' and offers a number of unique insights for individuals and organisations who may be
involved in the development of similar initiatives now and in the future.
Nelson B, Paulson L (2006) The PDMA handbook of new product development. Journal of Product
Innovation Management 23:97-99
O'Connor GC, DeMartino R (2006) Organizing for radical innovation: An exploratory study of the structural
aspects of RI management systems in large established firms. Journal of Product Innovation Management
23:475-497 To escape the intense competition of today's global economy, large established organizations
seek growth options beyond conventional new product development that leads to incremental changes in
current product lines. Radical innovation (RI) is one such pathway, which results in organically driven
growth through the creation of whole new lines of business that bring new to the world performance features
to the market and may result in the creation of entirely new markets. Yet success is elusive, as many have
experienced and scholars have documented. This article reports results of a three-year, longitudinal study of
12 large established firms that have declared a strategic intent to evolve their RI capabilities. In contrast to
other academic research that has analyzed specific projects to understand management practices appropriate
for RI, the present research reported explores the evolution of management systems for enabling radical
innovation to occur repeatedly in large firms and reports on one aspect of this management system:
organizational structures for enabling and nurturing RI. To consider organizational structure as a venue for
capability development is new in the management of innovation and dynamic capabilities literatures.
Conventional wisdom holds that RIs should be incubated outside the company and assimilated once they
have gained traction in the marketplace. Numerous experiments with organizational structures were
observed that instead work to manage the interfaces between the RI management system and the mother
organization. These structures are described here, and insights are drawn out regarding radical innovation
competency requirements, transition challenges, senior leadership mandates, and business-unit
ambidexterity. The centerpiece of this research is the explication of the Discovery-Incubation-Acceleration
framework, which details three sets of necessary, though not sufficient competencies, for building an RI
capability.
O'Regan N, Ghobadian A, Gallear D (2006) In search of the drivers of high growth in manufacturing SMEs.
Technovation 26:30-41 Though considerable attention in the extant literature has been devoted to growth
and performance of firms, there is a dearth of research on high growth firms. Furthermore, the majority of
literature in this area focuses on large firms while research on high growth small firms is underdeveloped.
This paper investigates the drivers of high growth in manufacturing SMEs. Following a number of focus
group interviews with six managing directors of manufacturing firms, a number of drivers of high growth
were identified and investigated in a sample of 207 manufacturing SMEs. The results of this study indicate
that high growth firms place a greater emphasis on external drivers such as strategic orientation, their
operating environment and the use of e-commerce compared with firms having static or declining sales. The
analysis shows that high growth firms compete largely on the basis of price. While high growth firms have
increased their sales by over 30% during the past three years or longer, it is questionable if manufacturing
firms can sustain their competitive advantage without recourse to greater research and development, and
innovation in the longer term.
O'Regan N, Ghobadian A, Sims M (2006) Fast tracking innovation in manufacturing SMEs. Technovation
26:251-261
Many SMEs have difficulties achieving successful innovation, despite having significant
investment in research and development. This paper explores the innovation process within the context of
strategy, organizational culture and leadership styles in an effort to fast-track effective innovation in SMEs.
The domain of the study is the electronics and engineering sectors. The analysis confirms the close
association between strategy, organizational culture, leadership and innovation. It also depicts the attributes
of each concept associated with innovation. The analysis also confirms that high performing firms place a
much higher emphasis on strategy attributes and have stronger and more defined leadership and culture
styles compared with low performing firms. The paper provides systematic steps to enable managers to
effectively manage and deploy innovation. It is unique in that it fills the 'how to...' gap for SMEs.
Okudan GE, Rzasa SE (2006) A project-based approach to entrepreneurial leadership education.
Technovation 26:195-210
This paper discusses the evolution of the Entrepreneurial Leadership course
(ENGR 310), which is one of the four core courses at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). The
current teaching practices in the course, based on project-based learning practices, have been developed
based on a comprehensive review of similar courses and entrepreneurship education literature. This paper
discusses the new course curriculum, and relevant innovative changes. The results of a comprehensive
assessment conducted to measure student satisfaction and perceptions of the course are included along with
a summary of the experience gained while teaching the improved version of the course. In addition to the
assessment results, two other results attest to the success of the course: (1) All teams completing the build
and sell project made profits. In fact, one team made about $700 in profit, a great accomplishment
considering the time they were allotted to work on the project. (2) Most students taking the class, who were
not graduating, decided to enroll in the Entrepreneurship Minor. This paper aims to share implementation of
these changes as an avenue for entrepreneurship educators to learn from others' experiences, and to
contribute to the entrepreneurship education literature.
Okudan GE, Zappe SE (2006) Teaching product design to non-engineers: A review of experience,
opportunities and problems. Technovation 26:1287-1293
Despite many developments in software and
related tools, improving effectiveness and efficiency in product design is a concern. One of the reasons for
this fact might be the use of different languages, tools, etc. by designers coming from different disciplines.
Accordingly, in order to cross-train our students in the Entrepreneurship Minor and the Masters in
Manufacturing Management program at Penn State, we have been offering Engineering Design Principles:
Quality and Manufacturing Management (QMM 492) as a course where non-engineering students get a
chance to cross-train before they are put in product design teams with their engineering counterparts. This
paper aims to provide a review of our experience with the course in addition to potential opportunities and
problems.
Oyelaran-Oyeyinka B, Lal K (2006) Learning new technologies by small and medium enterprises in
developing countries. Technovation 26:220-231
This paper, based on new field data, examines the ways
in which small and medium enterprises in selected developing countries learn to use and augment their core
capabilities with new technologies. This paper presents three findings. First, there is clear evidence of
increasing complexity in the adoption and use of Information and communication technologies (ICTs)
among developing country firms. Second, climbing the technological ladder requires skills upgrading
through explicit learning of the new technologies. Third, firm performance is highly associated with learning
capabilities, levels of technology, and a host of firm-level knowledge, skills and experience. The study
found that across countries and sectors, non-formal learning is the dominant form of mastering new
technologies. However, formal local and overseas training is positively associated with increasing
technological complexity. There is also a close correlation between technical complexity of firms' internal
ICT tools and available telecommunication infrastructure.
Palmberg C (2006) The sources and success of innovations - Determinants of commercialisation and breakeven times. Technovation 26:1253-1267 Successful innovation is typically defined at the firm level using
indicators such as market shares, productivity, or profitability. Nonetheless. firms are typically
simultaneously involved in many innovation development projects which produce varying levels of success.
This paper defines the success of innovations through the time taken for the innovations to reach
commercialisation and break-even, and investigates the relationships between the sources and success of
innovations using a unique database of Finnish innovations commercialised during the 1980s and 1990s.
The paper contributes to previous research by covering a range of different types of innovations from
various industries, and by applying duration analysis.
Panebianco S, Pahl-Wostl C (2006) Modelling socio-technical transformations in wastewater treatment - A
methodological proposal. Technovation 26:1090-1100
The introduction of new technologies into
established systems often involves major socio-technical transformation processes. Institutional context and
technical systems frequently co-evolve over long periods of time, helping to stabilise each other, thus,
preventing change. This applies in particular to the introduction of small-scale, decentralised technologies in
wastewater treatment where prevailing systems are highly centralised. This problem is illustrated for a case
study in the former German Democratic Republic. Since the human dimension has been largely neglected in
the design and implementation of technical infrastructures, there is a lack of appropriate scientific
approaches to analyse the dynamics of change in complex socio-technical systems. This paper introduces
agent based modelling as a methodological approach to improve the understanding of the adoption and
diffusion of small-scale technologies in wastewater treatment. A conceptual agent-based model is
developed, which allows representing the complex dynamics of the socio-technical system. The model is
particularly suited to support collective learning and decision-making processes required in managing the
transformation processes. Instead of presenting results from the model and its application in participatory
settings, this paper attempts to encourage a discussion process on methodological innovations to deal with
analysis and facilitation of transformation processes in socio-technical systems.
Park Y, Kim S (2006) Knowledge management system for fourth generation R&D: KNOWVATION.
Technovation 26:595-602 Since the advent of the embryonic model almost a century ago. R&D systems
have gone through an evolutionary process of development that can be classified into three generations.
Today, the fourth generation of R&D is emerging that emphasizes both strategic and operational importance
of knowledge management (KM). Despite the importance of KM, the network between conceptual scheme
of the fourth generation R&D and practical system of KM remains a missing link. In response, the main
objective of this paper is to present a framework for designing, and implementing knowledge management
system (KMS) for the fourth generation R&D. The proposed system is named KNOWVATION, which
combines the notions of knowledge and innovation. First, the evolutionary classification of the R&D
generations and the corresponding characteristics of the respective generations are defined. Second, the
organizational structure and knowledge functions of the fourth generation R&D are derived. Finally, the
overall design framework and detailed sub-modules are presented.
Perdomo-Ortiz J, Gonzalez-Benito J, Galende J (2006) Total quality management as a forerunner of
business innovation capability. Technovation 26:1170-1185
Although it is true that the issues of quality
and innovation have been dealt with extensively from different perspectives, studies on the relationship
between the two concepts are few. This study tackles this relationship by analyzing the links between the
broader concepts of total quality management (TQM) and business innovation capability (BIC). Specifically,
it is argued that TQM can favor the development of BIC. An empirical study of 102 firms in the sectors of
machinery and instruments for measurement, analysis and control revealed that, indeed, both concepts are
compatible and make it possible to identify which dimensions of TQM explain the generation of BIC.
Perks H, Jeffery R (2006) Global network configuration for innovation: a study of international fibre
innovation. R & D Management 36:67-83 This paper develops and empirically investigates the notion of
network configuration for innovation. In many industries, firms are increasingly locked into a state of
network innovation. Innovation, in such contexts, is often driven by those firms who configure the network
to access and control critical innovation knowledge widely dispersed throughout the network. The paper
presents the findings of an in-depth study of the evolution of three innovation networks in the global fibre
industry. The mechanisms by which firms configure extended networks throughout the innovation processes
are unravelled and discussed. A typology of three configuration types derived from the finding is forwarded.
The findings suggest that successful innovation network configuration involves recognising where the
innovation value resides in the network and developing capabilities and mechanisms to understand and
access such value. However, this is problematic for firms embedded in their own base of knowledge and
patterns of relationships. Specific managerial implications and suggestions for future research are forwarded.
Persson M, Ahlstrom P (2006) Managerial issues in modularising complex products. Technovation 26:12011209 Modularisation is an increasingly common strategy for many companies. However, present literature
is lacking in two respects. First, it tends to focus on the positive effects of modularisation, disregarding any
problems during the modularisation process. Second, it is mostly based on rather simple products. We
identify managerial issues in modularising complex products. Through a 4-year in-depth case study at Volvo
Car Corporation, we uncovered a number of problems that needed to be dealt with. We synthesise these into
three major issues. which need management attention to be resolved.
Phaal R, Farrukh CJP, Probert DR (2006) Technology management tools: concept, development and
application. Technovation 26:336-344
Effective systems for managing technology in complex business
environments require integrated sets of management tools and processes, underpinned by well-founded
conceptual frameworks. Understanding how such systems operate, and how best to implement them,
represents an ongoing challenge, especially considering the multidisciplinary and multifunctional nature of
technology management. This paper describes the development of a technology and general management
tool catalogue, which focuses on the 'matrix' class of tools, classified into four generic types. The practical
development and application of such tools is discussed, illustrated by two case examples.
Phillips W, Lamming R, Bessant J, Noke H (2006) Discontinuous innovation and supply relationships:
strategic dalliances. R & D Management 36:451-461
The authors address the need for supply
relationships to generate, support, and respond to discontinuous innovation (DI), noting that established
ways of working appear insufficient. The peculiarities of DI are explained and contrasted with well-known
concepts within innovation. The need for customer firms to be both closely collaborative with suppliers
while also exploring potential, unpredictable DI elsewhere is proposed, by means of strategic dalliances. A
model is presented for understanding and exploring this emerging management challenge.
Pichler R (2006) Agile estimating and planning. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:588-589
Pilkington A, Teichert T (2006) Management of technology: themes, concepts and relationships.
Technovation 26:288-299
In this paper, bibliometric (co-citation analysis) and social network analysis
techniques are used to investigate the intellectual pillars of the technology management literature as reported
in Technovation. Network analysis tools are also used to show that the research agenda of scholars from
different parts of the world differ substantially from each other, and it is argued that such differences may
have exacerbated the delays experienced in developing technology management as a respected academic
discipline.
Piller FT, Walcher D (2006) Toolkits for idea competitions: a novel method to integrate users in new
product development. R & D Management 36:307-318
Research has shown that many innovations
originate not in the manufacturer but the user domain. Internet-based toolkits for idea competitions (TIC) are
a novel way for manufacturers to access innovative ideas and solutions from users. Idea competitions build
on the nature of competition as a means to encourage users to participate at an open innovation process, to
inspire their creativity, and to increase the quality of the submissions. When the contest ends, submissions
are evaluated by an expert panel. Users whose submissions score highest receive an award from the
manufacturer, which is often granted in exchange for the right to exploit the solution in its domain.
Following the idea of evolutionary prototyping, we developed a TIC in cooperation with a manufacturer of
sports goods. The TIC was launched as a pilot in one of the company's markets. Submissions were evaluated
using the consensual assessment technique. The evaluation of this study provides suggestions for further
research, but also implications for managers willing to explore TIC in their organization.
Pinegar JS (2006) What customers want: Using outcome-driven innovation to create breakthrough products
and services. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:464-466
Pitt L, van der Merwe R, Berthon P, Salehi-Sangari E, Barnes BR (2006) Swedish BioTech SMEs: The
veiled values in online networks. Technovation 26:553-560
For many years, sociologists have
conceptualized and debated the value of 'social capital', the resources embedded in an actor's social network.
The notions of network organizations and strategic alliances have become important forms of
entrepreneurial venture, yet often the value in these networks is veiled by network complexity. These
associations of individuals and organizations are typically undocumented, difficult to identify by third
parties, and even pass unrecognized by their constituent members. They consist of informal Internet
networks that are extremely valuable because of the strategic social capital embedded in them. Drawing on
social network theory, this paper outlines a methodology for viewing and valuing informal Internet
networks, using small-to-medium sized enterprises in the Swedish biotechnology arena as a backdrop. It
demonstrates that networks can be constructed from the links between the web sites of actor firms, and that
it is possible to use social network theory to identify the most prominent actors. Then, using structural hole
analysis, the entrepreneurial opportunities surrounding these actors can be unveiled.
Prajogo DI, Ahmed PK (2006) Relationships between innovation stimulus, innovation capacity, and
innovation performance. R & D Management 36:499-515
This paper examines the integration of the
human and technological aspects of innovation management by modelling the innovation stimulus innovation capacity relationship in determining innovation performance. The research framework developed
in this study was tested amongst 194 managers of Australian firms. The survey responses indicate that both
the relationships between innovation stimulus and innovation capacity and between innovation capacity and
innovation performance are significant and strong. However, innovation stimulus does not show any direct
effect on innovation performance, suggesting that its effect is mediated through innovation capacity. The
overall practical implication that can be drawn from the findings is that to achieve high innovation
performance, organizations first need to develop the behavioural and cultural context and practices for
innovation (i.e. stimulus), and only within such conducive environments is it possible for organizations to
develop innovative capacity in research and development and technology so as to more effectively deliver
innovation outcomes and performance.
Prugl R, Schreier M (2006) Learning from leading-edge customers at The Sims: opening up the innovation
process using toolkits. R & D Management 36:237-250 Recently, toolkits for user innovation and design
have been proposed as a promising means of opening up the innovation process to customers. Using these
tools, customers can take on problem-solving tasks and design products to fit their individual needs. To date,
arguments in favor of this new concept have been limited to the idea of satisfying each user's needs in a
highly efficient and valuable way. The aim of this empirical study is to extend our knowledge of how users
deal with 'the invitation to innovate' and how attractive individual user designs might be to other users. In
studying the users of toolkits for the immensely popular computer game The Sims, we found that (1) users
are not 'one-time shoppers'- in fact, their innovative engagement is rather long-lasting, continuous, evolving,
and intense. We also found that (2) leading-edge users do not merely content themselves with the official
toolkits provided by the manufacturer. They employ user-created tools to push design possibilities even
further. (3) Moreover, individual user designs are not only attractive to the creators themselves; instead,
certain innovative solutions are in high demand among other users. Based on our findings, we discuss how
toolkits and their users might add to the process of innovation in general. We argue that toolkits could serve
as a promising market research tool for guiding a firm's new product development efforts. Furthermore,
toolkits may serve as a creche for interested but inexperienced users who could evolve into leading-edge
users over time. These innovative users might then be integrated into more radical product development
efforts.
Pujari D (2006) Eco-innovation and new product development: understanding the influences on market
performance. Technovation 26:76-85 The greening of product innovation process has been under study by
researchers, but mostly it is at an anecdotal level. Extant literature asks for empirical study to explore how to
make greener products more successful at the market place. This paper reports on a survey of environmental
new product development (ENPD) projects in North America wherein influences on the market performance
are investigated. New activities such as design for environment/life cycle analysis and supplier involvement
for environmental responsiveness are identified in the ENPD process. The paper uses hierarchical regression
method to find relative and incremental impact of eco-innovation activities in ENPD projects on market
performance. Factors that influence market performance of greener products are found to be cross-functional
co-ordination between new product development professionals and environmental specialists, supplier
involvement, market focus and life cycle analysis.
Rasmussen E, Moen O, Gulbrandsen M (2006) Initiatives to promote commercialization of university
knowledge. Technovation 26:518-533
In addition to teaching and research, universities are increasingly
expected to take on technology transfer and commercialization as a part of their mission. This development
gives new challenges to the institutions in making initiatives to promote commercialization of university
knowledge. Through case studies of four European universities of science and technology in Finland,
Ireland, Norway and Sweden, this article analyses several commercialization initiatives. All four universities
have increased their commercialization activities and focus the last two decades, and have a more or less full
range of support mechanisms for entrepreneurship. The challenge seems to be how to coordinate them with
each other and with the traditional university activities.
Rasmussen EA, Sorheim R (2006) Action-based entrepreneurship education. Technovation 26:185-194
Innovativeness through the creation of new companies and new business areas are seen as key factors to
achieve economic goals at the firm, the regional, and the national level. A restricting factor is the availability
of competent individuals to manage projects and become entrepreneurs. Universities can address this need
by increasing the motivation and competence of their graduates to become key persons in innovative and
entrepreneurial activity. Entrepreneurship education has traditionally focused on teaching individuals, but
many initiatives are increasingly becoming more action-oriented, emphasizing learning by doing. This paper
presents a number of action-based activities at five Swedish universities. The cases show that
entrepreneurship education focuses less on teaching individuals in a classroom setting and more on learningby-doing activities in a group setting and a network context. Several initiatives have multiple goals, such as
educating entrepreneurs, establishing new ventures, and commercializing university research. Implications
for setting up an action-based entrepreneurship education program are provided.
Rice J, Galvin P (2006) Alliance patterns during industry life cycle emergence: the case of Ericsson and
Nokia. Technovation 26:384-395
Industry Life Cycles (ILCs) have been proposed as a means of
analyzing the processes of company entry and exit in competitive industries. This paper utilizes ILC
approaches to better understand the changing rationales for alliance formation for two large multination
electronics firms, Nokia and Ericsson. Through the use of alliance announcements by the firms, we find that
the rationale for alliance formation changes over the industry life cycle in response to changing
organizational needs and industry imperatives. We also find that the rapid emergence of standards-based
alliances has been a strategic response by firms and industries to the growing complexity of information and
communication technology systems and the costs involved in ignoring the scale economies that standardsbased alliances deliver.
Rosenthal SR, Capper M (2006) Ethnographies in the front end: Designing for enhanced customer
experiences. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:215-237
Ethnographic research, carefully
planned and implemented, is an effective method for providing user-centered perspectives early in the
product innovation cycle. This article contributes operational perspectives on ethnographic inquiry in
general and, in particular, on its effective integration in the front end of the product development process. It
also explores issues of cost-benefit analysis in deciding when and how extensively to employ this mode of
inquiry in the product innovation context. Based on a review of ethnographic approaches, in-depth case
descriptions of two projects of this type and a review of twelve other projects, this article addresses three
questions: (1) What key process steps and alternative approaches lead to insightful identification of relevant
customer experiences? (2) What critical dimensions of customer experience offer hidden opportunities for
innovative product design? (3) How are ethnographic studies planned, executed, and leveraged in the front
end of the product development process when defining new product concepts? An analysis of these projects
and related literature suggests particular kinds of product insights expected to be achieved from
ethnographic inquiry, along with lessons for planning, conducting, and leveraging ethnographies. A
successful ethnography may call attention to design opportunities not obvious at the outset but arising
instead through appreciation of unconscious concerns or desires of the consumer. Accepting the notion of
initial ambiguity helps ensure that such studies incorporate a broad coverage of potential kinds of issues and
provide time and opportunities for serendipitous learning. Successful planning for ethnographies calls for an
open mind coupled with explicit procedures for screening for diversity in respondents, gaining access to the
desired range of respondents, and selecting a suitable ethnography team. Ethnographies use multiple
observation and inquiry techniques in the field, often in combination with other techniques traditionally used
in marketing research. They require teamwork, capturing relevant visual accounts, flexible probing for
insights when surprises arise, and skill in modifying the ethnographic guide as needed during the study. The
findings from ethnographies in the front end may be leveraged through traditional market research,
innovation workshops, and formal product concept development.
Saiki T, Akano Y, Watanabe C, Tou Y (2006) A new dimension of potential resources in innovation: A
wider scope of patent claims can lead to new functionality development. Technovation 26:796-806
Notwithstanding a significant expectation to increase the contribution of technology to productivity in
megacompetition, the productivity of technology in Japan's high-technology industry has been declining,
resulting in a decrease in competitiveness. The only solution to this twisted trap is to shift the current vicious
cycle between R&D, technology stock and production to a virtuous cycle. Given strong constraints in fiscal
investment, a practical solution to achieving a virtuous cycle is effective utilization of potential resources in
innovation. A wider scope for patent claims can be an ingenious trigger leading to a virtuous cycle involving
new functionality development, increased productivity of technology, production increases, greater R&D
investment and a sustainable wider scope of patent claims. Japan's Patent Office introduced the Revised
Examination Guideline (June 1993 Examination Guideline), including description requirements for patent
applications. This induced leading high-technology firms to broaden their scope relative to claiming patents
and succeeded in constructing the foregoing virtuous cycle, thereby demonstrating the significance of a new
dimension of potential resources in innovation. On the basis of an empirical analysis focusing on technomanagerial efforts by Japan's pharmaceutical firms with both indigenous and the US capital, this paper
attempts to demonstrate the foregoing hypothetical view. A noteworthy implication obtained from the
research is that while leading pharmaceutical firms with indigenous capital have constructed a virtuous cycle
by means of a wider scope of patent claims and have achieved new functionality development as a result,
firms with the US capital have demonstrated a higher level of performance.
Salmeron JL, Hurtado JA (2006) Modelling the reasons to establish B2C in the fashion industry.
Technovation 26:865-872
The Internet is changing the way in which businesses operate. 'Brick and
mortar' companies can now use the Internet to reach more customers and sell products in addition to the
traditional channels. Moreover, the Internet is an excellent means of communication and advertisement.
Nevertheless, only a minority of the businesses operating in the fashion sector have developed e-commerce.
This paper studies the decision of establishing B2C in one of the Top European fashion designing
businesses. The findings show that the use of cognitive maps can help in the decision making process
identifying the true strategic objectives that a firm pursues.
Sanchez JIL, Rata BM, Duarte AR, Sandulli FD (2006) Is the Internet productive? A firm-level analysis.
Technovation 26:821-826
The lack of empirical research on the impact of Internet usage on workplace
productivity motivated this paper. A Cobb-Douglas production function was used to confirm that
information technology investment and Internet usage at work contributes to increases in productivity. The
model is tested on a data set of 464 Spanish firms, based on computer assisted telephonic interviews. Results
show how both information technology investment and Internet usage at work have a positive impact on
workplace productivity.
Sankaran JK, Mouly VS (2006) Value-chain innovation in aquaculture: insights from a New Zealand case
study. R & D Management 36:387-401
We report a case study of value-chain innovation in a niche,
export-oriented aquaculture industry, namely, Chinook/King salmon, that contrasts with the much more
common Atlantic/Norwegian salmon. The firm in question is vertically integrated, thus offering a 'cradle-tograve' vista of innovation that spans 'production' (i.e. farming), processing, marketing, and distribution. A
major finding is the need for a delicate balance between the relative expenditures on production research and
developmental research in integrated aquaculture firms, especially those that focus on niche species.
Interaction effects between the two research strands complicate the trade-off: production research adds value
at the fish farm by lowering the unit cost of production - and in turn facilitates new product development as
it is easier to add value to a lower-cost product than a higher-cost product. From the case study findings, we
synthesize a process model of value-chain innovation that is applicable for integrated aquaculture firms. We
also induce several implications for the management of Research & Development and innovation in such
firms.
Shehabuddeen N, Probert D, Phaal R (2006) From theory to practice: challenges in operationalising a
technology selection framework. Technovation 26:324-335
Industrial managers are often faced with the
dilemma of selecting a single most appropriate technology from a range of competing options. The rapid
development of technologies, together with their increasing complexity and variety, has made the task of
technology selection difficult. Current approaches to the technology selection decision have usually been
narrowly focused on assessment of the financial viability of technology options, or conventional investment
justification factors. In many cases, the selection processes are based on generic decision support tools
which are not fully adapted for technology selection. Where specific approaches exist, they tend to be
theoretically based rather than empirically tested on practical cases. Whilst the role of theory and
accumulated management experience cannot be ignored, the engagement with 'real-life' situations brings to
the surface many important issues that would not be visible otherwise. The difficulties associated with
translating theoretical ideas into practically applicable approaches represent a major challenge of this
research work. This is compounded by the problems associated with applying the developed approach,
interpreting the results obtained, and articulating how this new practical understanding affects the theoretical
concepts that have guided the research. This inductive-deductive testing of concepts has contributed to the
richness of the understanding obtained. There is an abundance of literature relating to the selection of
technology for R&D purposes, i.e. R&D project selection. Similarly, many literature sources exist for
investment justification, and a number of frameworks and tools have been proposed. However, empirical
work conducted during this research project indicate a clear need to explore the issues surrounding the
selection of 'packaged' or 'off-the-shelf' technology, i.e. technologies that do not require extensive R&D after
acquisition. This paper focuses on the experience of operationalising of a framework for technology
selection. This is achieved through the application of a software tool, which is based on the structure
provided by the framework. The paper reports on how theoretical concepts presented in the framework relate
to 'real-life' technology selection considerations.
Siguaw JA, Simpson PM, Enz CA (2006) Conceptualizing innovation orientation: A framework for study
and integration of innovation research. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:556-574 The term
innovation orientation has been frequently used in the innovation literature, but with a mix of
conceptualizations and meanings. Drawing from work found in the innovation, management, and marketing
literatures over the past 35 years, the concept of innovation orientation as a system is conceptualized and
defined in this article. The domain of innovation orientation is delineated as a multidimensional knowledge
structure and a framework for understanding innovation orientation and its consequences in an
organizational context are developed. The framework defines the innovation orientation knowledge structure
as composed of a learning philosophy, strategic direction, and transfunctional beliefs within an organization
that de. ne and direct the organizational strategies and actions toward specific innovation-enabling
competencies and processes. These innovation-oriented firm competencies are in the areas of resource
allocation, technology, employees, operations, and markets. The framework then explains that these
appropriately developed innovation-enabling competencies lead to innovation outcomes, specifically ideal
innovation form, type, and rate that, in turn, affect firm performance. An inventory of propositions for future
research that correspond to the innovation orientation concept is also presented in this comprehensive
framework. This study provides two important contributions to the existing innovation literature. First, the
article examines the vast innovation literature to arrive at a clear definition of the innovation orientation
construct to provide a consistent conceptualization for future research. Second, the article develops a
comprehensive, organized framework for understanding innovation orientation and its effects. In doing this,
the framework extends the dynamic capabilities research stream by offering an explanation of how
innovation orientation fosters the development of organizational competencies and makes it possible for a
firm to recognize and respond to shifts in market dynamism.
Simpson D (2006) Ten rules for strategic innovators: From idea to execution. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:466-467
Sims MA, O'Regan N (2006) In search of gazelles using a research DNA model. Technovation 26:943-954
Though considerable attention in the extant literature has been devoted to growth and performance of firms,
there is a dearth of research on rapidly growing and high-performance companies or gazelles, in small to
medium sized firms. This paper examines the drivers of rapid growth in manufacturing SMEs. In addition,
the paper develops and tests a new approach to multi-variate analysis based on the conditional formatting of
spreadsheets and the use of nested logical operators for complex comprehension. When analysing the results
of most searches/studies, it is usually quite difficult to fully gain an understanding of the whole picture (i.e.
the results in context). Using this new technique, we identify gazelles using a ranked database in a
spreadsheet to create complete (non-loss) analysable visual patterns. Firms were ranked in terms of their
'growth footprint', using changes in employee numbers, profits, turnover and margin to calculate their
individual growth performance/potential. The results of the study indicate that gazelles are less than 15 years
old, have a CEO who is less than 50 years of age. They have a good financial performance (measured by
gross profit per employee) and are privately owned and managed by their owners. The CEOs of the
identified gazelle companies were further interviewed and it was found that self-organization and agility are
key drivers of success.
Slater SF, Mohr JJ (2006) Successful development and commercialization of technological innovation:
Insights based on strategy type. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:26-33
Smart P (2006) Leadership, management, and innovation in R&D project teams. Journal of Product
Innovation Management 23:384-386
Smit HTJ, Trigeorgis L (2006) Strategic planning: valuing and managing portfolios of real options. R & D
Management 36:403-419
This article presents a value-based strategic planning framework suitable for
valuing and managing portfolios of corporate real options. The proposed framework combines insights from
strategic management theory with novel quantitative valuation tools from finance. Strategic planning is
viewed as a process of actively developing and managing portfolios of corporate real options in the context
of competitive interactions. As such, the expanded valuation framework recognizes that future growth
opportunity value deriving from the firm's resources and capabilities must explicitly account for uncertainty,
adaptability, and competitive responsiveness. The resulting expanded valuation framework is able to capture
the value of the adaptive resources and capabilities that enable a firm to adapt and re-deploy assets, develop
and exploit synergies, and gain competitive advantage via time-to-market and first- or second-mover
advantages. We show how two basic metrics in this value-based framework, current profitability of assets in
place and future growth option value, can be obtained from financial market data and how they can be used
in active portfolio planning.
Smith PG (2006) Managing the unknown: A new approach to managing high uncertainty and risk in
projects. Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:589-591
Smith PG (2006) Doing business in the new China: A handbook and guide. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:295-297
Smith PG (2006) Doing business in the new China: A handbook and guide. Journal of Product Innovation
Management 23:295-297
Smith R (2006) Modeling R&D investments. Research-Technology Management 49:16-22 Financial data
from 91 of the top 100 U.S. companies that invested in R&D during 2004 and 2003 were examined,
including the relationship between these companies' sales, profits, growth rates, capital investments, and
number of employees. This resulted in two linear equations that provide a high degree of correlation with the
data and can be used to estimate R&D investment levels for companies about which that is unknown. The
first of these calculates current-year R&D based on previous-year R&D, company size, and capital
expenditures. The second, much simpler model, predicts current-year R&D from previous-year R&D. This
simpler model may be driven by the relatively static financial years 2002-2004 from which data were
analyzed.
Song M, van der Bij H, Weggeman M (2006) Factors for improving the level of knowledge generation in
new product development. R & D Management 36:173-187
Globalization and other rapid changes in
markets and technologies increasingly require companies to generate new knowledge in order to remain
competitive. In order to innovate successfully, firms must generate knowledge faster than their rivals. This
study develops and tests a conceptual model that focuses on how managerial controllable variables influence
the level of knowledge generation in new product development. Based on literature and 'theory-in-use' field
research in seven knowledge-intensive organizations, the authors developed research hypotheses and tested
the hypotheses using data collected from 277 firms in high technology industries. The findings suggest that
information technologies, organizational crisis, individual commitment, the R&D budget, and job rotation
increase levels of knowledge generation, whereas lead user and supplier networks are negatively associated
with the level of knowledge generation in new product development, and the influence of co-location of
R&D staff is not significant.
Su CT, Chen YH, Sha DY (2006) Linking innovative product development with customer knowledge: a
data-mining approach. Technovation 26:784-795 In today's digital economy, knowledge is regarded as an
asset, and the implementation of knowledge management supports a company in developing innovative
products and making critical management strategic decisions. Product innovation must link technological
competence such as engineering and process know-how with knowledge about the customer, so that the
product will meet the customers' needs, in order to secure market acceptance. Even though the importance of
knowledge management in the technological innovation of a product has long been recognized, its potential
for customer knowledge management has not been widely researched. To address the importance of the need
of customer knowledge in innovative product development, this paper proposes an E-CKM model with a
methodology for precisely delineating the process of customer knowledge management for innovative
product development. In the knowledge management domain, an important task is the conversion of tacit
knowledge into explicit knowledge, allowing information technology, such as web-based surveys and data
mining to extract customer knowledge from different market segments. An empirical study applying the ECKM model has been carried out, and it meets the evaluation criteria in a multiple-assessment scheme for
showing a satisfactory result. The result is used in the decision making for innovative product development
in order to reduce project risk and secure commercial success.
Subramaniam M (2006) Integrating cross-border knowledge for transnational new product development.
Journal of Product Innovation Management 23:541-555
Multi-source knowledge integration, though
widely regarded as fundamental for developing new products, remains obscurely understood and a
significant challenge for organizations to accomplish. Prior research provides many insights on the
approaches by which organizations transfer knowledge; however, how such transferred knowledge gets
effectively embodied in products remains uncertain. Also unclear is whether different approaches for
knowledge transfer differ in their effectiveness at realizing integration. This study analytically separates the
transfer of cross-border knowledge from its embodiment into products. It examines cross-border knowledge
transfer based on three different approaches: namely, the use of cross-national teams, cross-national
communication, and cross-national collaboration in the development of new transnational products. It
examines cross-border knowledge embodiment based on the extent to which new transnational products
developed balance standardization with adaptation. The study uses a cross-sectional survey administered to
key members of transnational new product development teams in leading multinational companies across
the world. The survey focuses on manufactured products that were developed across several industries:
consumer products, consumer durables, and industrial products. Results from 90 new transnational product
introductions surveyed reveal that knowledge integration is effective only when knowledge is transferred
through cross-national collaboration, and not when transferred through cross-national teams and crossnational communication. As integrating cross-border knowledge in the development of transnational
products involves making difficult trade-offs for balancing standardization with adaptation, transferring
knowledge through cross-national collaboration stands out as being critical for successful outcomes.
Although cross-national teams and cross-national communication enhance knowledge flows, they do not
result in effective knowledge integration when developing new transnational products. These findings
highlight an important point: All knowledge transfer approaches may not necessarily achieve knowledge
integration. Hence, it is essential to systematically probe into the interrelationships between knowledge
transfer and its effective integration and to identify an underlying set of contingencies that provide insights
into when and why some knowledge transfer approaches are better than others at integrating knowledge.
Suikki R, Tromstedt R, Haapasalo H (2006) Project management competence development framework in
turbulent business environment. Technovation 26:723-738
Today's turbulent business environment
characterised by uncertainty and inability to predict the future is extremely challenging, and thus requires the
development of new competences. Especially within project management, competence development is one
of the critical success factors. Competence development is seen as a critical Success factor ensuring
companies' competitiveness. Learning organisation. organisational learning, organisational culture,
knowledge management and project management laid the foundation for the project management
competence development (PMCD) framework introduced in this paper. The most essential features for
organisations to update competences are presented. The proposed framework has been in use in Nokia case
unit since year 2001 with good results. However, further studies are needed to create an evaluation method
to provide a means to measure the impacts of the framework and develop it further.
Talay MB, Deck MJ (2006) Non-cooperation: The dark side of strategic alliances. Journal of Product
Innovation Management 23:388-389
Tellis GJ (2006) Disruptive technology or visionary leadership? Journal of Product Innovation Management
23:34-38
Teng CI, Tseng FC, Chiang DM (2006) Customer-capturing strategies: The way to replace existing
technology characterized by network effects. Technovation 26:1384-1389 Network effects are the basis of
competitive advantage in digital economies. Although some researchers have indicated that technologies
characterized by network effects are difficult to replace, real-world situations have not confirmed this
argument. Challengers still defeat market leaders in markets with network effects. The analytical results
presented here include the following: (1) a proposed new concept, resilience, can describe the resistive
strength of a network to challenger customer-capturing strategies, (2) three types of networks can be
identified based on their resilience values, and (3) high-resilience networks possessing technology are
difficult to replace.
Terziovski M, Morgan JP (2006) Management practices and strategies to accelerate the innovation cycle in
the biotechnology industry. Technovation 26:545-552
This paper examines management practices and
strategies that are critical to successful commercialisation in the biomedical sector and how these practices
and strategies impact upon performance innovation. The paper also details emerging issues and challenges
for the biotechnology industry including human resource issues, access to venture capital, the development
of basic business capabilities, and efficient and stable supply chain linkages. The research findings are based
on data obtained from an action research methodology where 14 representatives of the biomedical sector
were active participants. The qualitative data was analysed using a multiple cross-case analysis technique
that explores the underpinning determinants of performance innovation in the industry. The research study
identifies high-performance work practices and critical success factors to accelerate the 'Innovation Cycle'
from idea to market. The paper concludes that managers in the biomedical industry need to acquire new
business acumen skills to maintain a competitive advantage in a fiercely competitive global market.
Organisations are recognising that knowledge workers with the requisite skills and expertise are critical to
improving innovation performance.
Uddin AK (2006) The role of diffusion of innovations for incremental development in small enterprises.
Technovation 26:274-284 Diffusion of innovations plays an important role for incremental change leading
to sustained development in all societies. The diffusion of an innovation is in fact determined by a stream of
improvements in the performance characteristics of that innovation, its progressive modification and
adaptation. The local technological capability and indigenous knowledge can contribute significantly to the
process of adaptive improvements. This paper hinges briefly upon the interface between innovation and
diffusion and the role of adaptive improvements to this effect in the context of promoting technologies in
rural micro-industries. Observations made in the paper are based on a sample survey comprising of three
phases undertaken recently on a number of small and medium industries (SMIs) covering various districts of
Bangladesh. It is found that accumulated indigenous knowledge embodied in local farmers and artisans play
a crucial role in innovation-diffusion interaction.
van de Vrande V, Lemmens C, Vanhaverbeke W (2006) Choosing governance modes for external
technology sourcing. R & D Management 36:347-363
This study examines the effect of uncertainty on
governance mode choice of interfirm relationships in new business development (NBD). We combine
transaction cost economics and real options reasoning, arguing that in the early stages of NBD, where
technological and market uncertainty are very high, companies are better off using governance modes that
are reversible and involve a low level of commitment. When uncertainty has decreased as a result of prior
R&D investments, transaction costs considerations become dominant and companies will shift towards
governance modes that are less reversible and more hierarchical. We argue that technological distance leads
to less hierarchical governance modes and prior cooperation between firms leads to subsequent choices for
more hierarchical modes. Finally, we propose that higher exogenous uncertainty leads to less hierarchical
governance modes.
Vavakova B (2006) Reconceptualizing innovation policy. The case of France. Technovation 26:444-462
In March 2004, French researchers from the public research sector staged a protest movement
unprecedented in its scope and length. The paper situates this conflict within the evolution of French
innovation policies, notably with regard to the public research sector and its relationship to industry. Since
the crisis of the 1970s it had become evident that French firms invested little in research and development
when compared to their competitors. Since 1982, a succession of innovation policies were thus put in place
to deal with this problem by enhancing the contribution of public sector research to the innovative
performance of national industry. This paper analyzes these shifts in policy and the unexpected and often
contradictory results that they have produced over time. These have included a rise in contract research but a
decline in patenting activity by public sector research institutes, conflicts over the direct appropriation of
benefits by research institutions and the holding of roles and functions concurrently across public and
private sectors by researchers in these institutions and throughout, the continued under performance of
French firms in R&D.
Vazquez-Bustelo D, Avella L (2006) Agile manufacturing: Industrial case studies in Spain. Technovation
26:1147-1161
Changes in the business environment are leading firms to adopt a new production model
termed agile manufacturing. This moves away from the traditional mass production paradigm and focuses
on manufacturing highly customised products as and when customers require them. In this paper, we present
an initial approach to agile manufacturing based on case studies on four factories in Spain. Despite different
activities, products and production processes, similar trends were found in all four in the development of
agile manufacturing. Based on the conclusions of the case studies, an agile manufacturing conceptual model
has been drawn up and a number of hypotheses inferred. This work confirms the suitability of case study
methodology in the early stages of research, especially for drawing up hypotheses. The study presented here
is of an exploratory nature and the conclusions drawn from it offer possible routes for future research in the
field of agile manufacturing.
Vojak BA, Griffin A, Price RL, Perlov K (2006) Characteristics of technical visionaries as perceived by
American and British industrial physicists. R & D Management 36:17-26
This research explores which
characteristics most frequently appear in industrial technical visionaries and which are perceived as being
the most important contributors to their success. Industrial technical visionaries are defined as 'technical
individuals who effectively synthesize multiple technologies and business strategy to identify new and
innovative breakthrough products and processes'. The perceptions of a total of 418 American and British
industrial physicists were evaluated for this study to produce the first descriptive analysis of these key
individuals based on a large-scale investigation. The research provides a profile of technical visionary
characteristics that can be employed in identifying those with the potential for contributing in this role. In
addition to their recognized depth and breadth of technical expertise, technical visionaries are, first and
foremost, emotionally involved, energetic, stubborn in pursuing objectives and interpersonally capable.
They are a self-motivated driving force in a firm, not just the source of technical insight. These individuals'
knowledge of, and ability to navigate, the business world is perceived as more important to their success
than most of their technical skills, other than technical depth. Finally, the traits associated with technical
visionaries' 'idealist' nature are perceived as important, indicating that this characteristic should not be
overlooked as defining who these individuals are.
von Hippel E, von Krogh G (2006) Free revealing and the private-collective model for innovation
incentives. R & D Management 36:295-306
A central tenant of open innovation is free revealing of the
detailed workings of novel products and services, so that others may use them, learn from them, and perhaps
improve them as well. We explain that innovators frequently do freely reveal proprietary information and
knowledge regarding both information-based products and physical products they have developed. We
explain why free revealing can make good economic sense for innovators and for society as well. The article
develops the case for free revealing in terms of a 'private collective' model of innovation incentives.
Vonortas NS, Spivack RN (2006) Managing large research partnerships: Examples from the Advanced
Technology Program's Information Infrastructure for Healthcare program. Technovation 26:1101-1110
This study investigates the organization and management of large research partnerships that form around
risky, early stage, complex technologies. Rather than developing specific products ready for the market,
large research partnerships with diverse memebership are more appropriate for combining the diverse
resources and capabilities required to advance the state of the art in early stage technologies and to create
standards, thus decreasing the uncertainty of subsequent research. Some form of effective central authority is
desirable in order to galvanize a common vision for the partnership, to establish clear milestones, and to take
the burden of day-to-day negotiation and decision-making. Too much or too little management concentration
brings similar detrimental results: members feeling left out of the decision-making process and a perception
of unfair distribution of power to influence the process and the vision of the partnership.
Vuola O, Hameri AP (2006) Mutually benefiting joint innovation process between industry and big-science.
Technovation 26:3-12 This longitudinal study is based on nine in-depth case studies carried out over the
past 9 years, entailing observation of and participation in the actual innovation processes taking place at the
interface of big-science-industry cooperation. The resulting mutually benefiting innovation model integrates
industrial and big-science R&D at moments when they best catalyse technological innovation processes by
matching specific needs from both sides and facilitating their joint efforts during the cooperation. The bigscience centre being CERN2 with its multiple skills, diverse assets and technology validation practices
generate, when needs from both sides are clearly defined and well coupled, a most fertile ground to enable
and boost industrial innovation. The big-science centre benefits from the cooperation through access to
cutting edge technologies at reasonable cost and through manufacturing prospects which both bring optimal
performance per cost ratio in instrument design and production. At the same time, it generates meaningful
social practice and input into industrial innovation and new business creation. A successful matching
process includes: industrial scouting and scanning to find applicable new technologies in the industry;
assessment of related business development needs in order to find and create the right motivations for
mutually benefiting cooperation; identification of functional specifications for big-science instruments: and
an active match-making of needs, motivations and people as well as timing. The research documented in this
report complements previous research efforts by providing detailed recommendations to all parties present
in big-science collaborations, namely the big-science centres, member state policy-makers and industry
experts and managers.
Wallin MW, Dahlstrand AL (2006) Sponsored spin-offs, industrial growth and change. Technovation
26:611-620
This paper focuses on the role of sponsored spin-offs for industrial growth and dynamics. A
sponsored spin-off is a firm born out of the venturing activities and the active involvement of an established
organization; in this paper the latter in the form of retained partial ownership in the new firm. Sponsored
spin-offs are one mechanism whereby the respective potential advantages of large and new firms may be
exploited. Little is known about the nature and magnitude of contributions by existing firms to the creation
of new technology-based firms and the effects these new firms have on innovation, change and renewal. In
this paper, an empirical sample of 101 Swedish IPO firms is used in the analysis of three research questions.
(1) Are sponsored spin-off's an important mechanism for the creation of new technology-based firms? (2)
Are sponsored spin-off firms important for industrial growth? (3) Are sponsored spin-offs influencing
industrial renewal and change? The results add to the understanding of how, and to what degree the
venturing activities of existing firms contribute to the creation of new firms, as well as how and to what
extent these spin-offs differ from other new firms in terms of their impact on industrial growth and change.
Wang HC, Pallister JG, Foxall GR (2006) Innovativeness and Involvement as Determinants of Website
Loyalty: I. A test of the style/involvement model in the context of Internet buying. Technovation 26:13571365
This paper is the first of the series of studies entitled "Innovativeness and Involvement as
Determinants of Website Loyalty", which was designed to test Foxall's [1995. Cognitive styles of consumer
initiators. Technovation 15(5), 269-288] style/involvement model in the context of Internet buyer
behaviours. The study was built on 1044 Taiwan Internet buyers randomly selected from a well-known
brand's Website in the printer market. Foxall (1995) proposed that consumer choice is shaped by adaptiveinnovative cognitive style [Kirton, 1976. Adaptors and innovators-a description and measure. Journal of
Applied Psychology 61(5), 622-629] and product-domain involvement [Zaichkowsky, 1985. Measuring the
involvement construct. Journal of Consumer Research 12(3), 341-352]. Aiming to provide more theoretical
insights of the style/involvement model, Goldsmith and Hofacker's [1991. Measuring consumer
innovativeness. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 19(3), 209-221] Domain Specific
Innovativeness (DSI) scale and Mittal's [1989. Measuring purchase-decision involvement. Psychology and
Marketing 6(2), 147-162] Purchase Decision Involvement (PDI) scale were used in order to examine
Foxall's model in a more domain specific context in contrast to the more abstract measurements previously
employed. The sample was divided into four consumer segments according to their DSI and PDI scores.
Findings revealed that these four segments differed significantly in their brand loyalty in the traditional
market, perceived risk when buying at the brand's Website, attitudinal loyalty to the brand's Website, and
behavioural loyalty to the brand's Website (actual buying frequency at the brand's Website). Discussions of
how consumers' cognitive style and involvement level interact with each other and impact on their decisionmaking process underlying the tendency to brand loyalty, perceived risk and Website loyalty were
presented.
Wang HC, Pallister JG, Foxall GR (2006) Innovativeness and involvement as determinants of website
loyalty: II. Determinants of consumer loyalty in B2C e-commerce. Technovation 26:1366-1373
This
paper is the second of the series of studies entitled "Innovativeness and Involvement as Determinants of
Website Loyalty", which was designed to test Foxall's [(1995). Cognitive styles of consumer initiators.
Technovation 15(5), 269-288] style/involvement model in the context of Internet buyer behaviours. In this
paper, a consumer Website loyalty model was proposed to describe how consumer transfer their existing
brand loyalty in the traditional retail market to the same brand's Website in the B2C e-commerce market and
how their perceived risk at the brand's Website mediates this loyalty transformation. Data were collected via
an email invitation and Web-based questionnaire. One thousand and fourty four Taiwan Internet buyers
randomly selected from the database of a well-known brand's Website have completed the survey. The
multiple regression technique indicated the robustness of this loyalty transformation model (adjusted R(2) =
0.50). Findings further indicated the impact that consumers' cognitive style/involvement have on their
loyalty transformation model. After segmenting consumers via their DST and PDT scores, the distinct
loyalty transformation models are revealed: the adjusted R(2) of more-involved innovators' loyalty
transformation model was the highest (0.60), followed by more involved adaptors' model (0.45), less
involved innovators' model (0.45), and finally, less involved adaptors' model (0.42). Discussions of how
consumers' cognitive style and involvement level interact with each other and impact on the predictors of the
Website loyalty are discussed. Proposals are made of how Website managers can use this knowledge to
build marketing strategies.
Wang HC, Pallister JG, Foxall GR (2006) Innovativeness and Involvement as Determinants of Website
Loyalty: III. Theoretical and managerial contributions. Technovation 26:1374-1383 This paper is the third
of the series of studies entitled "Innovativeness and Involvement as Determinants of Website Loyalty",
which was designed to test Foxall's [1995. Cognitive styles of consumer initiators. Technovation 15(5), 269288] style/involvement model in the context of Internet buyer behaviours. This paper aims to demonstrate
the theoretical and managerial contributions of Foxall's (1995) style/involvement by reviewing the
development of cognitive style studies in past 20 years to show the trend and revisions in research designs,
and how the current series of studies can add value to the existing literature. While a considerable body of
evidence could only identify the personality profile of the earliest users of innovations [e.g. Foxall, G.,
Haskins, C.G., 1986. Cognitive style and consumer innovativeness: an empirical test of Kirton's AdaptationInnovation Theory in the context of food purchasing. European Journal of Marketing 20(3/4), 63-80; Foxall,
G.R., Haskins, C.G., 1987. Cognitive style and discontinuous consumption: the case of "healthy eating".
Food Marketing 3(2), 19-35; Goldsmith, R., 1983. Psychographics and new product adoption: an
exploratory study. Perceptual and Motor Skills 57, 1071-1076; Goldsmith, R., 1984. Personality
characteristics associated with adaption-innovation. Journal of Psychology 117(2), 159-165], Foxall's (1995)
style/involvement model well captured the personality files of less-involved adaptors, innovators and moreinvolved innovators as well as their significantly different use/buying frequency of innovations. Aiming to
continue to investigate the cognitive style theories in terms of the innovativeness measurement and
consumers' actual behaviours, Wang et al. [2005a. Innovativeness and involvement as determinants of
Website loyalty: a test of the style/involvement model in the context of Internet buying, re-submitted]
designed an empirical Website survey and findings confirmed Foxall's (1995) style/involvement model in an
Internet buying context; although the former used the Domain Specific Innovativeness (DSI) scale
[Goldsmith, R.E., Hofacker, C.F., 1991. Measuring consumer innovativeness. Journal of the Academy of
Marketing Science 19(3), 209-221], and the latter used the Kirton Adaption/Innovation (KAI) scale [Kirton,
M., 1976. Adaptors and innovators-a description and measure. Journal of Applied Psychology 61(5), 622629]. Comparisons among Wang et al. (2005a) and Foxall's (1995) previous studies [Foxall, G.R., Bhate, S.,
1991. Cognitive style, personal involvement and situation as determinants of computer use. Technovation
11(3), 183-199; Foxall, G.R., Bhate, S., 1993a. Cognitive styles and personal involvement of market
initiators for 'healthy' food brands: implications for adoption theory. Journal of Economic Psychology 14(l),
33-56; Foxall, G.R., Bhate, S., 1993b. Cognitive style and use-innovativeness for applications software in
home computing: Implications for new product strategy. Technovation 13(5), 311-325; Foxall, G.R.,
Pallister, J.G., 1998. Measuring Purchase Decision Involvement for financial services: comparison of the
Zaichkowsky and Mittal scale. International Journal of Bank Marketing 16(4/5), 180-194; Szmigin, I.,
Foxall, G.R., 1999. Styles of cashless consumption. International Review of Retail, Distribution and
Consumer Research 9, 349-365; Pallister, J.G., Foxall, G.R., Wang, H.-C., 2005. Consumer innovativeness
and product involvement as determinants of purchases of financial services, submitted for publication] in the
research design context were summarised s as to investigate why a more significant result was revealed in
the former study. Together, this series of studies testing Foxall's (1995) style/involvement model provides a
robust foundation for future consumer researches.
Wang TY, Chien SC (2006) Forecasting innovation performance via neural networks - a case of Taiwanese
manufacturing industry. Technovation 26:635-643 In the 'knowledge economies' era, most managers have
discovered that technology can be considered as the key asset in sustaining the competitive advantage of
their corporations. Many researchers have tried to discuss the relationships between technological
performance and other influential factors, such as strategic management, information resources, etc. But
they do not mention the issues concerning how each dimension influences innovation performance and how
to forecast innovation performance based on these dimensions. This study presents a forecasting model that
predicts innovation performance using technical informational resources and clear innovation objectives.
Specifically, we propose a neural network approach, which utilizes the Back-Propagation Network (BPN) to
solve this problem. Also we examine the results and compare them to those attained using the statistical
regression method. The result shows that the BPN method outperforms the statistical regression method as
far as forecasting performance concerned. With this method, a decision maker can predict innovation
performance and adjust allocated resources to match his/her company's innovation objectives.
West J, Gallagher S (2006) Challenges of open innovation: the paradox of firm investment in open-source
software. R & D Management 36:319-331
Open innovation is a powerful framework encompassing the
generation, capture, and employment of intellectual property at the firm level. We identify three
fundamental challenges for firms in applying the concept of open innovation: finding creative ways to
exploit internal innovation, incorporating external innovation into internal development, and motivating
outsiders to supply an ongoing stream of external innovations. This latter challenge involves a paradox, why
would firms spend money on R&D efforts if the results of these efforts are available to rival firms? To
explore these challenges, we examine the activity of firms in open-source software to support their
innovation strategies. Firms involved in open-source software often make investments that will be shared
with real and potential rivals. We identify four strategies firms employ - pooled R&D/product development,
spinouts, selling complements and attracting donated complements - and discuss how they address the three
key challenges of open innovation. We conclude with suggestions for how similar strategies may apply in
other industries and offer some possible avenues for future research on open innovation.
Wonglimpiyarat J (2006) The dynamic economic engine at Silicon Valley and US Government programmes
in financing innovations. Technovation 26:1081-1089
This paper is concerned with the development of
Silicon Valley, the government programmes in financing innovations and the specific characteristics/factors
contributing to the success of the valley. It is argued that the capacity to foster clusters of innovation, an
effective use of university resources, the supporting infrastructure, the culture of a willingness to accept risk
as well as the venture capital (VC) programmes are catalysts for the economic development at Silicon
Valley. By using Porter's competitive Diamond Model as a basis to examine the activities in the US Silicon
Valley, the study attempts to fill a gap in practical VC management research which is practically nonexistent and provide valuable insights for policy makers.
Wright S (2006) Cases to accompany contemporary strategy analysis, 5th edition. R & D Management
36:548-551
Wright S (2006) Contemporary strategy analysis, 5th edition. R & D Management 36:548-551
Wu CW, Chen CL (2006) An integrated structural model toward successful continuous improvement
activity. Technovation 26:697-707
This paper provides a different view from Bassent et al.'s (2001)
toward a successful continuous improvement (CI) activity. Their concept encourages a business that is
resting on its present accomplishments to seek greater gain. However, their behavioral model is not easy to
operate for managers. In order to operate Cl activity effectively and obtain company-wide involvement for
management, we need a system which can meet the current Cl status and lead the firm toward the correct
road as described by Bessant et al. This system has to be open in the way that it can fit into any organization
so that it can easily embed the necessary regenerative input into its physical structure. This system has also
to be super in the way that it can successfully lead the organization structure toward the evolutionary route.
Thus, we propose an open super system which places a pyramid composed by problem, models and tools,
and promotion, at its core. Using Bessant et al.'s five evolutionary levels as a time map, this system can
analyze a firm's improvement ability from the presentation of cases and find the proper regenerative input
from the failure status. A firm can inject this input into its structure to upgrade its level of capability.
Applying this open super system on our previous studies, we derived five improvement levels and the
different ability types in each level. From there, we discovered some failure status in each level. We also
drew some important perspectives on the injection of regenerative input from failure status, including the
promotion of the technique-excellence ability, the value problem, and efficiently solving problem. To help
the readers to understand this system better, we give 'AB two stage' system as an example to show how to
inject regenerative input into the physical structure to fulfill the expectations from different perspectives.
Wu NC, Nystrom MA, Lin TR, Yu HC (2006) Challenges to global RFID adoption. Technovation 26:13171323
Because of its potential to revolutionize global supply chain management (SCM) systems, ultra
high-frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) was recently the cause of much optimism.
Wal-Mart mandated its top 100 suppliers to begin using RFID on I January 2005; this day was viewed as a
watershed day in the industry. However, that date has come and gone, and the expected rapid industry
adoption of RFID has not taken place. This paper explores the existing challenges and obstacles to RFID's
quick adoption, the potential resolutions and approaches to the challenges, and the migration strategies to
expand the RFID industry.
Wu WY, Tsai HJ, Cheng KY, Lai MK (2006) Assessment of intellectual capital management in Taiwanese
IC design companies: using DEA and the Malmquist productivity index. R & D Management 36:531-545
While withstanding a highly competitive environment, an increasing number of firms have recognized that
intangible assets rather than tangible ones are vital to achieving competitive advantages. Intellectual capital
has replaced physical capital as the primary basis of value creation. Although the importance of intellectual
capital in ensuring superior competitive advantages is well accepted, exactly how these two constructs are
related has seldom been investigated, particularly for the high-technology industry. Taking a sample of 39
Taiwanese IC design companies, this study adopted data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist
productivity index to evaluate the impact of intellectual capital on competitive advantage. The analytical
results revealed that approximately one third of the companies sampled had excellent efficiency in
intellectual capital management, while the others still had considerable room to improve their intellectual
capital management. The results of this study provide a valuable reference for future studies in alternative
contexts.
Yawson RM, Amoa-Awua WWK, Sutherland AJ, Smith DR, Noamesi SK (2006) Developing a
performance measurement framework to enhance the impact orientation of the Food Research Institute,
Ghana. R & D Management 36:161-172 Research institutions in Ghana are facing various challenges. It is
the contention that viable research and development institutions are needed for achieving sustainable change
in areas of national importance. A key aspect of institutional viability is strong performance management.
This implies clear and workable approaches to performance measurement. This paper looks at the initial
experiences in a collaborative effort to develop a performance measurement framework for the Food
Research Institute (FRI) and the application of the Balanced Score Card (BSC) at institutional level. The
process of diagnosing and analysing institutional monitoring and evaluation capacity and systems is
described using a mix of diagnostic tools. Stages in applying the BSC approach are documented and the
added value of the scorecard perspectives in highlighting focal areas for performance measurement and
management within FRI. These are placed in the context of ongoing changes in the external environment
posing both threats and opportunities. Changes implied by the introduction of the concept are discussed in
the context of current constraints and the way forward is mapped out in terms of enhancing FRIs' impact
orientation through the application of improved performance measurement and management.
Youtie J, Libaers D, Bozeman B (2006) Institutionalization of university research centers: The case of the
National Cooperative Program in Infertility Research. Technovation 26:1055-1063
This study uses an
institutional design theoretical framework and a cross-case analysis qualitative research methodology to
consider the National Cooperative Program in Infertility Research (NCPIR) centers as an effort to enhance
scientific and technical knowledge by designing institutions (in this case the NCPIR centers) to promote the
growth of knowledge by promoting collaboration, building collaborative networks and promoting "scientific
and technical human capital." In considering the NCPIR centers from an institutional design perspective, we
consider their level and type of institutionalization of the centers. Then we seek to assess the extent to which
the level and type of institutionalization developed within these centers optimizes the objectives that have
been set forth. We found that although the NCPIR centers have some if not many administrative elements
found in fully articulated research centers and substantial quantities and varied types of research and training
outputs, they are not sufficiently institutionalized to achieve the ambitious and challenging goals of serving
as a national infertility research source, national training resource, and national inter-institutional linkages
over the long run.
Yusuf Y, Gunasekaran A, Wu CL (2006) Implementation of enterprise resource planning in China.
Technovation 26:1324-1336 ERP implementation is a 'Triple Play' that combines people, technology, and
processes. It embodies a complex implementation process, especially in developing countries like China,
often taking several years, huge amount of fund and involving a major business process reengineering
exercise. In this paper, an attempt has been made to identify some Chinese-specific difficulties in the
implementation process and provide solutions to implement ERP system successfully through questionnaire
survey, interviews, and secondary data. On the basis of analysis of questionnaire results, some common
difficulties have been explored by authors, such as support of top management, costly and time-consuming,
cultural differences, technical complexity, lack of professional personnel, and inner resistance. The
difficulties are largely due to the nature of enterprise's ownership and size. Suggested solutions to overcome
these difficulties: ERP software packages selection, ERP implementation team, BPR, Training, and
Outsourcing-Application Service Provider. These solutions can effectively solve ERP difficulties.