Search results

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has a comprehensive and coherent innovation system producing significant outcomes. However, as with every system, continuous improvement is required to optimize system performance. This chapter analyzes KSA’s innovation system based on the 2018 Global Innovation Index indicators among 127 countries. The chapter identifies the highlighted performance areas of the system and its market failures. In turn, the systemic analysis of the country’s NIS reveals the strong interactions but also the system’s failures, proposing a set of action policies to be undertaken that will generate a significant improvement over the expected results of the system. The main system failures identified are the low knowledge diffusion or knowledge spillover effects and the minimal access to equity funding for startups, or the absence of a risk capital culture. However, the country’s innovation system is coherent, presenting strong interaction linkages between the research, innovation, and commercialization node. It presents a remarkable improvement since 2011, presenting an above-average performance in terms of allocated resources for research and innovation.

This chapter considers the role of technology transfer intermediaries (TTIs) in the processes of innovation in networks involving universities, research and development centres, and business firms from an international perspective. A diversity of types of TTIs is recognised in terms of their particular interests in the operation of innovation processes and the conditions they impose in transactions involving intellectual property. It will identify the various objectives of sponsoring stakeholders as differentiating the missions and accountabilities and, in turn, determining the focus and roles of different types of TTIs and the interactions and networking between them, both formal and informal.

In discussion, the chapter will propose that the significance of systemic influence on the processes of technology transfer and innovation should be researched at two levels. At the micro-level of personal interactions, examining how systemic influences shape tacit knowledge transfer between and learning by individuals engaged in research and innovation processes. Second, at the level of national cultures, examining the ways in which the cultural context institutionalises patterns of innovation and technology transfer networking.

Because the discontinuous and uncertain characteristics of knowledge-based innovation cannot be reasonably interpreted by conventional management approaches, quantum mechanics which begins with uncertainty and concerns with a dynamic process of the complex system, has been exploratorily used in the management field. Although the theoretical new insights are provided by pioneering studies, quantitative research is in short supply. This paper aims to propose a quantum mechanics-based framework for quantitative research, thus extending the application of quantum mechanics in the knowledge management area from a dynamic system evolutionary standpoint.

Based on the similarity comparison between knowledge-based system evolution and atomic motion, the authors construct the atom-like structure of the knowledge-based system and elaborate the evolutionary mechanism of the knowledge-based system, thereby establishing the quantitative model. Apple and Zhongxing Telecom Equipment were selected for an empirical study to demonstrate the usefulness of the models for research on knowledge-based innovation and explore the unique knowledge-based innovation characteristics of the two firms.

First, the transition force of dynamic knowledge shows an inverted U shape; accumulating dynamic knowledge to a moderate degree not only facilitates transforming dynamic knowledge into static knowledge but also balances the relationship between the influence of knowledge force range and dynamic knowledge transformation. Second, existing knowledge is gradually substituted by new knowledge and knowledge density at a high knowledge energy level distinctly increases with a narrower bandwidth. Third, the investment loss is associated with resource configuration, resource utilization and the amount of accumulative dynamic knowledge before investment. Knowledge loss is negatively correlated with the knowledge compatibility coefficient.

The authors use the advanced method in quantum mechanics to legitimately unveil the emergence mechanism of knowledge-based innovation. Meanwhile, the authors capture the non-linear transformation relationship of heterogeneous knowledge and expose the change in ways of both investment loss and knowledge loss that cannot be quantified by conventional models. In doing so, the authors not only reveal the principle of qualitative knowledge change but also offer practical implications for developing flexible and targeted innovation strategies.

First, by proposing a complete quantum mechanics-based framework, the authors not only supplement the quantitative research contents to knowledge-based innovation literature which proposed calls to conduct research in way of quantum mechanics but also overcome the difficulties of knowledge-based system conceptualization and measurement. Second, the authors reveal the uncertain change of knowledge transformation and measure the loss of investment and knowledge, which contribute to identifying defects of firms in knowledge-based innovation. Third, the authors explore the internal mechanism that led to knowledge-based innovation exhibits non-linear characteristics and capture unique dynamic relationships between different variables which affect the emergence of knowledge-based innovation.

This conceptual paper articulates an analytical framework, which collectively borrows from the concepts of Sectoral, National and Technological Innovation Systems, for examining the prospects for the emergence of renewable energy industries in a given country. In order to examine the dynamics within the national energy system under consideration, a list of system functions has also been compiled from the literature. It is believed that the adoption of such a functions approach has the potential to enhance our understanding of the process of, and drivers behind, the emergence and transformation of energy innovation systems. Towards the end of this paper, other theoretical concepts are acknowledged as also relevant for investigating the potential establishment of renewable energy industries. While every theoretical approach has its strengths and weaknesses, an effort has been made in this paper to justify the adoption of a suitable framework that is based on the systems of innovation approach.

The purpose of this paper is to model the relationship between “innovation systems” players and markets to indicate the “innovation functions” behavior during the petrochemical technology life cycle.

In a general classification, innovation systems are divided into four categories: technical, sectoral, regional and national. If two approaches are hybrid, their benefits would be combined. According to the sectoral structure of the governance model in Iran, in many sectors, such as petrochemical technology, the combination of one another with a sectoral approach is essential. Hence, this paper has introduced a new hybrid approach, called a techno-sectoral innovation system, and has used system dynamics as a methodology and a petrochemical industry as a case study.

The results predict the functions state of the innovation system and detect activation of innovation motors in each stage of innovation life cycle. Validation is investigated using Monte Carlo simulation that shows the error of the indices is acceptable. It can be concluded that the model is relatively in a development state and the motor of entrepreneurship functions.

This case-based model can help other researchers, as a generic model. It could be customized with the input parameters and relational flows of new cases, and functions (F1-F7) can show the result of each scenario made by the innovation analyst and the policymaker.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of innovation in smart service systems to conceptualize how actor’s relationships through technology-enabled interactions can give birth to novel technologies, processes, strategies and value. The objectives of the study are: to detect the different enablers that activate innovation in smart service systems; and to explore how these can lead dynamically to the emergence of different innovation patterns.

The empirical research adopts an approach based on constructivist grounded theory, performed through observation and semi-structured interviews to investigate the development of innovation in the Italian CTNA (Italian acronym of National Cluster for Aerospace Technology).

The identification and re-elaboration of the novelties that emerged from the analysis of the Cluster allow the elaboration of a diagram that classifies five different shades of innovation, introduced through some related theoretical propositions: technological; process; business model and data-driven; social and eco-sustainable; and practice-based.

The paper embraces a synthesis view that detects the enabling structural and systems dimensions for innovation (the “what”) and the way in which these can be combined to create new technologies, resources, values and social rules (the “how” dimension). The classification of five different kinds of innovation can contribute to enrich extant research on value co-creation and innovation and can shed light on how given technologies and relational strategies can produce varied innovation outcomes according to the diverse stakeholders engaged.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the interdisciplinary debate promoted by service research community by establishing the conceptual frame within which different perspectives addressing systemic and multifaceted approaches to innovation are framed. Growing research interest in innovation has led to different definitions, which are referred to here as “innovation system(s)”, “innovation network(s)” and “innovation ecosystem(s)”. The paper examines the theoretical foundations, outcomes, and patterns of contributions to which each innovation perspectives is tied and proposed a subject and the framework allowing an exploration of an interdisciplinary dialogue between the different research positions.

A literature review was conducted to discern differences in concepts and their meanings. An overview obtained using Web of Knowledge leads to a focus on studies, followed by a content analysis using NVivo, which enables identification of key concepts and their definitions. By highlighting relationships among terms, the paper establishes a framework of the ontological assumptions of different innovation discourses and explores their contribution to the interdisciplinary dialogue promoted by service research perspective on innovation.

A comparison among the three innovation perspectives leads us to focus on innovation itself, alongside context, actors, enablers, and governance, which are useful to mark the commonalities and differences among the three research approaches. The framework is helpful to break down the fragmented and sometimes overlapping points of view of innovation and provides a more integrative stance from which to address the emergence of the service ecosystems approach on innovation.

The investigation focuses on three innovation perspectives and on top-cited articles alone; hence, it can be complemented with a full analysis through a bibliometric approach to test whether the features highlighted are linked to other elements. Moreover, the different approaches grouped on “innovation ecosystems” perspective suggest the possibility to enhance service ecosystems discourse on innovation by looking at different knowledge and contributions that are rapidly growing in this area.

The central idea this work puts forward is that after some decades of separation, there is a need to move towards an increasing convergence of economics, business and service based on the milestones of innovation systems, innovation networks, and innovation ecosystems thoughts.

This research sheds light on the different ways innovation, in multi-actor and the interconnected setting, is theoretically framed and described. By capturing established thinking in different innovation perspectives, the paper provides an integrated framework to making sense of the full picture of economies and societies seen as complex networks and systems of service systems.

This paper aims to explore the implementation of an innovation in an executive education programme in the context of the Indian manufacturing industry. This paper presents an understanding of a conceptual framework for delivering a unique manufacturing leadership programme, explaining the different linkages between government, industry and academia for changing the mindset of participants and growth of a nation by developing highly skilful employees to lead India’s manufacturing industry.

The paper reports a single case study of an innovative manufacturing leadership development programme. Primary data were obtained from focus group studies and interviews. Documentary evidence in the form of reports, student work, course curriculum and meeting minutes was studied. The individual participants in the programme are used as units of analysis to explore systems of innovation, at individual levels. The analysis was carried out by applying theoretical models to explain the design, delivery and development of the programme over the years.

The findings from this research are an exploration of factors for sustaining the value of a system of innovation with special focus on a subsystem of knowledge creation and competence building. Institutional change is found to be a key input to the innovation process in terms of a collaborative mindset between three different academic institutes well known in different areas of expertise. Building an innovative coordination mechanism and curriculum combining academics with practical learning helped in changing the mindset of the students and faculty of the programme. This is linked to the development of country through leadership development by mindset change in mentors and students. The findings show that the studied programme has grown in terms of creating demand (in the form of increased applicants), guaranteeing 100 per cent placement with an average 50 per cent increase in salary and accelerated career in terms of role in the organisation. This was possible through continuous improvement practices for making local changes to the programme from time to time and building a community of practice in collaboration with industry.

The value of this research lies in highlighting the importance of international cooperation in speeding up the process of transferring management and technological knowledge from academia to industry. The framework developed for implementing a system of learning for creating a national system of innovation in manufacturing can be generalised to develop more such programmes in emerging nations for addressing skill challenges to lead future innovative projects.

The study aims to analyse the wood and furniture innovation system in the region of Thessaly, Greece, and the recording and benchmarking of innovative activity of enterprises in order to detect best practices applied, and to propose ways of increasing efficiency through improvement of the use of innovation inputs.

Following the systemic approach, an empirical study registers the economic dimension of innovation in the enterprises of the sector in the region. The data collection is based on the Oslo manual. Based on data envelopment analysis, a benchmarking analysis of wood and furniture firms was applied by measuring the efficiency of both innovation inputs and the sector's innovation system.

Efforts have to be made to import innovation into the production process by means of investment in technological equipment. Generally, an increase in innovation performance incurs an increase in sales. The efficiency of the innovation system is evaluated as adequate when the majority of firms apply innovation inputs satisfactorily. However, there is additional margin for improvement regarding R&D, staff training and the diffusion of innovation. The analysis of the innovation system at the sector level in the region may lead to a better innovation‐oriented policy and decision making.

The study provides useful data concerning innovation in the sector, and the efficiency analysis proposes a benchmarking tool in order to set margins for business operation improvement.

Industries struggle to strengthen their competitiveness in global markets. The findings show the absence of a strategy in the wood and furniture sector with regard to innovation, and utilization of the relative expenditures.

The present study expands on previous research and knowledge, offering a profound analysis of the effects and improvement of innovative activity in the wood and furniture sector. It is a prototype research paper in Greece in relation to innovative activity in this sector.

This paper aims to identify inducement and blocking mechanisms which impact the development of the life sciences innovation system in Finland. Innovation system analysis of emerging technologies is important for the design of technology-specific innovation policy measures to promote desirable futures

This exploratory study uses a functional technological innovation system analysis framework designed to identify policy goals for emerging technological fields. The data consist of 33 qualitative face-to-face interviews with senior managers and decision-makers. Best practices are identified from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Finnish life sciences innovation system is analyzed in detail.

The Finnish system has a good capability to perform top-level basic research, but the commercial aspect is largely missing because of the lack of business know-how, small size of the domestic market, networking failures, scarcity of funding and poor public image.

The two regions have different scopes which prevents direct comparisons between them.

This study applies the technological innovation system model to the life sciences industry. It provides new information on the characteristics of the industry and factors affecting its dynamics. The results can be applied for policy design by policy makers.