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Companies and organizations use various innovation governance structures, processes and metrics to make decisions about allocation of resources to the development of an innovative idea. Although many metrics measuring the process of innovation and the performance of the enterprise have been developed, a fundamentally solid and complete metric speaking to the quality and viability of the innovative idea itself is lacking. The business, applied innovation, creativity, unmet user needs and problem-solving (BACUP) model of innovation quality is proposed as such a metric based on viewing innovation from the five different viewpoints mentioned in its definition. BACUP is shown to facilitate discussion and analysis in innovation theory and is proposed as a tool allowing any innovation governance structure to achieve innovation assurance by mitigating risk and uncertainty and maximizing an innovation’s chance for success.

The BACUP framework was inspired by researching definitions of innovation and coming upon a survey in which different definitions were obtained from several different roles in companies and organizations. To use BACUP as a metric, the author and research assistants made qualitative judgments about innovations. Several judgments were obtained independently and consensus was plotted on the BACUP graphs.

BACUP can be used to illustrate and discuss major concepts in innovation theory. BACUP can be used to compare the relative viability of different innovative ideas. BACUP can be used to detect vulnerabilities in innovative ideas and provide information to innovation management and governance so that corrective measures can be taken. BACUP can be extended by other researchers and practitioners.

In its current form, BACUP is not a quantitative tool; however, the authors envision other researchers applying existing quantitative tools and incorporating them into the BACUP framework.

BACUP is an innovative idea quality metric employable in any existing innovation management/governance structure or methodology. BACUP also gives practitioners a way to engineer innovative ideas into successful innovations.

BACUP can lead to predictable and repeatable improved innovation outcomes, resulting in superior solutions to problems in all domains.

The BACUP framework is a novel, multi-dimensional view of innovation. Application of BACUP as a metric yields a new type of capability for innovation governance called innovation assurance.

Permeation of private sector banks has triggered intense competitiveness in the Indian banking sector; therefore, customer satisfaction has become the epicenter of all activities. The study seeks to explicate the antecedents and reverberation of customer satisfaction in the Indian retail banking sector.

Top six Indian private sector banks were selected based on market capitalization. Cross-sectional data from 460 retail bank customers were collected by employing a structured questionnaire and evaluated wielding structural equation modeling.

The study discerns seven antecedents of customer satisfaction, namely tangibility, reliability, empathy, responsiveness, assurance, perceived service innovation and bank reputation. The results unveil that assurance, bank reputation and perceived service innovation significantly escalate customer satisfaction, which further markedly accentuates customer loyalty. However, tangibility was the only dimension bearing an insignificant relationship. In addition, both perceived trust and perceived risk significantly moderate the association between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the model.

Incorporation of merely private sector banks and considering cosmopolitans restraints generalization of findings to some extent. The study bespeaks essential determinants of customer satisfaction that might succor bank professionals to retain customers and ameliorate profitability.

There is a paucity of literature on “perceived service innovation” and “bank reputation” in the Indian banking scenario. Therefore, the study augments the literature by integrating aforesaid important constituents along with other antecedents and reverberation. Moreover, the study uses theoretical lens to anchor its hypotheses through a comprehensive conceptual model in the backdrop of Indian retail banking.

With the development of social media and Internet technology, many firms have started to use various crowdsourcing innovation platforms to operate their open innovation business modes. The purpose of this study is to explore how such platforms' assurance mechanisms enhance the effectiveness of crowdsourcing innovations and how to apply assurance mechanisms to handle different innovation tasks, thereby motivating more seekers to use crowdsourcing innovations.

The authors use a Python-based technology to collect the research data comprising 2,302 solvers and 8,390 trade records from zbj.com and apply statistical methods to test the postulated hypotheses.

The effectiveness of assurance mechanism is confirmed by its positive relationship with solver's behaviour, thereby improving seeker's retention behaviour. However, task complexity, task novelty and task professionalization have different moderating effects on the relationships among assurance mechanism, solver's (innovator's) behaviour and seeker's behaviour.

This study enriches the literature on crowdsourcing innovations and extends the application of uncertainty reduction theory to innovation research. It also makes the theoretical contribution that the assurance mechanism adopted by the platform has different impacts on user's behaviour depending on the task characteristics.

The findings provide guidance to the platform operator on how to design the assurance mechanism to match the innovation task and innovator's behaviour to reduce seeker's uncertainty, thereby facilitating the seeker's decision-making.

A particular value of this study lies in exploring the impact of the platform assurance mechanism of social media-based crowdsourcing innovations on innovator's behaviour, which may further improve seeker's behaviour, based on uncertainty reduction theory.

This study aims to examine the extant literature to analyze the relationship between quality assurance (QA) and innovation in the higher education context.

This study selected 63 articles through a systematic literature review in Scopus and Web of Science databases and performed a descriptive and thematic synthesis-analysis on the sample.

The research identifies several perspectives discussed on QA systems covering experiences, criticisms and practice implications. The literature review shows there is no clear consensus on whether innovation in higher education institutions (HEIs) is fostered or hindered by QA processes. However, it seems that the likelihood of innovativeness and positive QA outcomes are directly linked to how these processes are managed in universities.

This review highlights the university management concerns that emerge with QA issues as it is not yet clear to what extent innovation is actually promoted in scenarios where QA is applied. Hence, this literature review could be considered comprehensive but not exhaustive. Further studies are recommended to improve the understanding of how HEIs can both innovate and ensure quality at the same time.

The paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by advancing the opportunities and challenges that HEIs face due to QA system features.

This paper aims to examine the processes of sustainability reporting assurance (SRA) and the influence they have on shaping perception from disclosures. Given the evidence of inconsistencies and ambiguities in assurance processes, this paper examines how legitimacy is attained and maintained at different stages of SRA.

Evidence collected from 23 semi-structured interviews with assurance providers (APs), consultants, professionals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) (non-APs) was used to conduct a thematic analysis from the perspectives of interviewees.

APs and non-APs are united in recognising the value of SRA, although, perspectives on transparency between the two groups differ. Experience and industry knowledge are essential to SRA delivery with non-APs preferring accounting APs. Nevertheless, non-APs are concerned about the role of companies in deciding assurance scope, as it can affect scrutiny. APs favour data accuracy (as opposed to data relevance) assurance due to team dynamics and internal review influences, with the latter also restricting assurance innovation. APs are interested in accessing better evidence and stakeholder engagement evaluations. Providing advisory services was not rejected by all APs. The perspectives of APs and non-APs demonstrate how progress in SRA has gained pragmatic legitimacy with noticeable gaps that serve to undermine attainment of moral legitimacy.

SRA is a developing practice that will adopt changes as it continues to mature; some of these changes could impact findings in this research. General perspectives on SRA were sought from interviewees, this affected the ability for an in-depth focus on any of the range of interesting SRA issues that arose over the course of the research. Interviews were conducted with relevant parties in the SRA space that operate in the UK. Perspectives from parties outside the UK were not solicited.

Companies make an important decision to commission SRA. Findings in this research have highlighted specific non-APs issues of concern that can be useful in structuring operations and reporting regimes to facilitate assurance procedures. The findings will also be helpful to APs as they can direct more emphasis on stakeholder concerns towards demonstrating greater stakeholder accountability. Regulatory and standard setters can enact appropriate policies that can potentially drive the practice forward for assessment of cognitive legitimacy.

The findings provide relevant account of stakeholder voices on the quality of corporate disclosures that has a direct effect on the wellbeing of communities and sustainability of societies. Collective stakeholder input on expectations can shape sustainability discourse.

This research demonstrates the applicability of financial audit quality indicators in SRA processes, extends the debate around the effectiveness of new audit fields and highlights the challenges of maintaining legitimacy with different audiences.

The purpose of this paper is to present the construction process innovations that enabled the successful delivery of the hybrid mass timber high-rise building in Canada, the Brock Commons Tallwood House at the University of British Columbia. It is one of a set of papers examining the project, including companion papers that describe innovations in the mass timber design process and the impact of these innovations on construction performance. The focus of this paper is on innovation in the construction phase and its relationship to innovations implemented in previous project phases.

A mixed-method, longitudinal case study approach was used in this research project to investigate and document the Tallwood House project over a three-year period. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques were used. Members of the research team observed prefabrication and construction, conducted periodic interviews and reviewed project artefacts.

The research identified three innovation “clusters,” including the use of innovative tools, techniques and strategies in the design and construction processes and the role they played in delivering the project. The “clusters” were further characterized according to the type of “connectivity” they afforded, either facilitation, operationalization or materialization. These two perspectives support a compounding view on innovation and help to understand how it can flow throughout a project’s life cycle and across its supply chain. Three process-based innovations were initiated during the design phase, integrated design process, building information modeling and virtual design and construction and flowed through to the construction phase. These were seen to enable the creation of connections that were crucial to the overall success of the project. These innovations were operationalized and enacted through the construction phase as design for manufacturing and assembly and prefabrication, staged construction and just-in-time delivery, integration of safety and risk management and a rigorous quality control and quality assurance process. Finally, a full-scale mock-up was produced for practice and constructability assessment, materializing the radical product innovation that was the mass timber structure. These strategies are used together for a synergistic and integrated approach to increase productivity, expedite the construction schedule and develop an innovative building product.

This paper details an in-depth investigation into the diffusion dynamics of multiple systemic innovations for the construction process of a unique building project, the tools and techniques used by the construction manager and team, and the challenges, solutions and lessons learned.

This paper aims to propose a performance measurement system to evaluate the key aspects of entrepreneurial activities in Brazilian universities.

This study was developed in two phases. Both phases consisted of a survey sent to Brazilian universities (public, private and not-for-profit) whose technology transfer offices (TTO) had contributed to the annual report by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI, 2015), which evaluates the implementation of the Innovation Law. Multiple correspondence analysis was used to analyze the answers.

A set of 13 indicators and 13 characteristics of the organizational structure of the institutions was identified for the purpose of evaluating the level of development of the entrepreneurship activities.

The main limitation of this study relates to the low quality of the survey responses. It was not possible to qualitatively validate all the selected indicators. This is because universities are still not internally organized, because the higher authorities do not enforce the collection and treatment of data based on the existing legislation.

The results of this study, with the definition of indicators, can be used to inform public policy for the stimulation of entrepreneurship in other countries and regions.

Theorizing in the extant sustainability assurance literature is limited. This paper aims to identify apposite organizational theories from related fields which scholars could apply to sustainability assurance research. Through the introduction of theoretical perspectives new to the field, the authors seek to extend current research.

A literature review was undertaken and papers using theory to examine research questions concerned with sustainability assurance and business sustainability issues more broadly were categorized by theory and sub area of focus. The authors then considered how organizational theories used in other areas of business sustainability research might augment the current paucity of theorizing applied in sustainability assurance research, thereby opening up new research possibilities.

The review identified gaps in current theorizing in sustainability assurance research and theoretical frameworks which have the potential to augment research avenues in sustainability assurance, enhance the way researchers interpret their data and increase the understanding of sustainability assurance decisions.

Innovation in sustainability assurance research may lead to developments in sustainability assurance practice, which enhances the credibility of sustainability reports. It will inform ongoing debate regarding whether sustainability assurance should be mandatory, whether a specific reporting format and level of assurance should be prescribed, how the practice can be developed and whether alternatives to enhancing the credibility of sustainability reports need to be found.

Enhanced theorizing may shed light on whether sustainability assurance enhances the credibility of sustainability disclosures and whether it leads, or fails to lead, to real improvements in preparers' sustainability-related practices.

By identifying theories which could be applied to sustainability assurance research, this paper facilitates the development of new avenues of research and new ways of interpreting data from the field.

To provide an overview of a model for clinical governance in the National Health Service that incorporates continuous improvement and innovation as a core theme.

The paper considers the core functions of clinical governance and how these are related to established structures and roles within the modern NHS. A case study approach is used to describe the implementation of a theoretical model in a large teaching NHS Trust.

A clinical governance cycle is described that comprises three functional domains: accountability, assurance, and innovation. For each domain there is a definable outcome and a key role. Critical success factors for implementation of the model are described.

This paper introduces a new model for clinical governance that focuses on continuous improvement. The paper will be of particular interest to managers and lead clinicians responsible for the development of robust systems for clinical governance and modernisation in the NHS.

Faced with the existential threat of COVID-19, the College of Business Administration (CBA) at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) decided to work toward the dual goals to achieve accreditation and an effective social and educational response to the pandemic. CBA’s quality improvement process was implemented synergistically with Seligman’s (2011) PERMA well-being model, namely positive emotions, engagement, relationship, meaning, and accomplishment/achievement. The case study methodology, which was based on direct observations, faculty and students’ interviews, surveys, feedback, documents, and archival data records, allowed to capture the context and lived reality of all the participants in QAA processes. Results showed that quality improvement was facilitated through three domains: (1) governance and academic leadership, (2) teaching and learning, and (3) digitalization and technology. Within each domain, specific programs, activities, human resources, and networks were enabled through a framework based on the PERMA well-being model. As a result of this hybrid QAA well-being implementation process, CBA achieved NCAAA accreditation for its offered programs, while experiencing high levels of well-being and commitment to teaching and learning by the staff members and students. The description of CBA’s accreditation journey might be insightful for other higher education institutions (HEIs).