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Article
Publication date: 12 January 2015

Tor W. Andreassen, Line Lervik-Olsen and Giulia Calabretta

Improving the commercial success rate of innovations requires alternative approaches based on social science methodologies for identifying subtle, emerging changes in consumer…

4778

Abstract

Purpose

Improving the commercial success rate of innovations requires alternative approaches based on social science methodologies for identifying subtle, emerging changes in consumer needs and behaviors. The purpose of this paper is to address this call by proposing trend spotting to guide innovation researchers and service managers towards innovations that are more in accordance with emerging consumer needs.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors develop, describe, and employ a methodology for trend spotting to derive eight consumer trends that will have a strong influence on their choices. To provide further insights into these trends, the authors label and describe three customer segments as a function of life-cycle. The goal is to provide a framework for identifying innovations that are of higher value consumers.

Findings

The authors identified eight consumer trends, i.e. Always on the go, Always logged-in, Quality information faster, Nowism, Look at me now, Privacy, Sustainable living, and return on time (RoT), present across the three life-stage segments, i.e. Young free and single, Chaos in my life, and Got my life back.

Practical implications

For illustration purpose, the authors elaborate on the trend RoT and employ their findings and framework to illustrate how the airline industry may derive ideas for valuable innovations.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time trend spotting has been employed in the field of service marketing and service innovations.

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2021

Fernanda Edileuza Riccomini, Claudia Brito Silva Cirani, Carolina Corrêa de Carvalho and José Eduardo Storopoli

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the trends for educational innovation in higher education in Brazil, constructing a conceptual model of innovation trends in the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the trends for educational innovation in higher education in Brazil, constructing a conceptual model of innovation trends in the sector.

Design/methodology/approach

A preliminary profile online was done with 76 experts in university education, and 17 were contacted for in-depth perceptions. The analysis of the content was made of all material and, as a result, the critical analysis of the results, which culminated in the development of a conceptual model and characterization of trends, dimensions and subdimensions to innovation in higher education.

Findings

The dimension universal design of accessibility and learning had major considerations, contributing to implementation of new innovative practices for higher education. Some subdimensions emerged, namely, governance, risk management, curricular extension and affirmative policies.

Research limitations/implications

The difficulty in performing the deepening of all dimensions involved in terms of plurality of specialties involved.

Practical implications

The use of the model and characterization of trends could serve as tools to support the strategic planning of HEI, and the trends allow planning innovation practices, favoring improvements of higher education institutions (HEI), students, employees and community to learning organization.

Social implications

The identification of trends for higher education, highlighting innovation indicators or successful practices, and the characterization of the dimensions and subdimensions trends, and undeniable contribution to measure the educational innovation in higher education.

Originality/value

Encourages researchers, in partnership with institutions, to develop scientific projects with other institutions and researchers, to meet interests not only of HEI as a whole but also of countries that prioritize education with quality, to reach the real educational objectives.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 35 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2018

Bo Edvardsson, Pennie Frow, Elina Jaakkola, Timothy Lee Keiningham, Kaisa Koskela-Huotari, Cristina Mele and Alastair Tombs

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of context in service innovation by developing a conceptual framework that illuminates the key elements and trends in context…

2548

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of context in service innovation by developing a conceptual framework that illuminates the key elements and trends in context change.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a service ecosystem lens for understanding how elements and trends in context foster service innovation. A conceptual framework identifying the role of context change in fostering service innovation is developed and justified through illustrations across industry settings of health, retailing, banking and education.

Findings

Context change is conceptualized by three trends – speed, granularity and liquification – that provide an analytical foundation for understanding how changes in the elements of context – space, resources and institutional arrangements – can foster service innovation. The analysis indicates emerging patterns across industries that allow exploring scenarios, grounded in emerging trends and developments in service innovation toward 2050.

Practical implications

Managers are offered a framework to guide service innovation and help them prepare for the future. The paper also suggests areas for further research.

Originality/value

The paper contributes with a new conceptualization of context change to identify and explain service innovation opportunities. Managers are offered a framework to guide service innovation and help them prepare for 2050. The paper also suggests areas for further service innovation research, zooming in on contextual changes to prepare for 2050.

Details

Journal of Service Management, vol. 29 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-5818

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 August 2015

Kirsi Hyytinen and Marja Toivonen

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the future prospects of innovative services linked to sustainable energy systems.

1319

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the future prospects of innovative services linked to sustainable energy systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Service perspective is examined in the context of socio-technical transition and linked to the bottom-up and top-down social processes that foster sustainability. The foresight method applied is trend analysis.

Findings

Two groups of trends were identified: the trends driven by technological development and the trends focussing on societal, managerial and consumer issues. The former consists of renewable energy sources, hybrid solutions, smart grids and smart energy markets. The latter involves distributed energy production, demand response, optimisation of sustainability and the role of energy as an opportunity and as service. The study reveals that energy is increasingly understood as a comprehensive and tailor-made service solution for communities and individual households. Consumers will enter the energy market as active participants; it raises the need for many types of services.

Research limitations/implications

Deepening of understanding is required in several topics of this study, and more formal methods of foresight are needed to test the generalisability of its qualitative results.

Practical implications

More effective policy measures are needed for fostering new services and social and system innovations in the area of sustainable energy. Innovation management practices should be developed in these areas.

Originality/value

The paper aims to narrow the research gap linked to foresight in services by examining services in the area of sustainable energy systems – one of the “grand challenges” today.

Article
Publication date: 25 April 2022

Zhouyang Gu, Fanchen Meng and Siyuan Wang

Recent years have seen a substantial increase in academic interest in social capital and innovation. Nonetheless, the bibliometric and visualization study on this subject is…

Abstract

Purpose

Recent years have seen a substantial increase in academic interest in social capital and innovation. Nonetheless, the bibliometric and visualization study on this subject is inadequate. This study aims to analyse the leading trends in literature that have connected social capital with innovation over the past few decades.

Design/methodology/approach

This study attempts to provide an overview utilizing various bibliometric techniques combined with assorted themes and data extracted from the Scopus database. Results based on 716 documents reveal not only the principal modern trends but also the evolution of these scientific production developments.

Findings

Results based on 716 Scopus indexed documents reveal the trends and trajectories as well as specific topics, journals and countries of social capital and innovation research Furthermore, this study offers an overview of trends and trajectories, as well as a visual and schematic framework for further research on this subject.

Originality/value

Since there is lack of analyses the bibliographic data on social capital-related innovation, so this study is a unique contribution to the literature as complement. This may benefit researchers in identifying current trends and prospective study areas, as well as assisting future authors in conducting more efficient studies.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 2 December 2021

Maria Laura Ferranty Mac Lennan, Eliane Fernandes Tiago and Cristina Espinheira Costa Pereira

The fashion industry is diverse and demands a high amount of resources and labor for its operation. It has powerful tools that can positively impact the environment and society as…

35793

Abstract

Purpose

The fashion industry is diverse and demands a high amount of resources and labor for its operation. It has powerful tools that can positively impact the environment and society as a whole. In this sense, it becomes necessary for fashion to adopt sustainable strategies quickly. One way would be the adoption of eco-innovations by companies in the sector. The objective of this research is to identify the main eco-innovation initiatives carried out by companies in the fashion sector and to verify what the trend is in the sector in relation to the types of eco-innovation, whether technological or non-technological in nature.

Design/methodology/approach

To meet the objective, the sector’s sustainability reports are analyzed based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) initiative. The method used to treat the data is content analysis. The authors chose to use the GRI-G4 and GRI-Standards versions of the GRI structure, as they include topics relevant to its stakeholders. The analysis based on these criteria considers 18 reports prepared by four companies (Cia Hering, Grupo Malwee, Dudalina and Lojas Renner).

Findings

From the data analysis, it was noticed that eco-innovations of technological trends prevail in Brazilian fashion, in the first place, those of process (24.56%), followed by eco-innovations of product (10.53%). The pressure exerted by internal or external stakeholders will be fueled by the current scenario of sustainable development, positively influencing the adoption of eco-innovation. This characteristic can be attributed to the fashion sector, since technological eco-innovations overlap with non-technological ones in all the years that make up the analysis.

Research limitations/implications

As limitations of this research, it is worth mentioning the availability of GRIs in the fashion sector. Even considering it a step forward, noting that larger companies support the adoption of these reports, it is important to highlight that only four companies make up the available database (Cia Hering, Lojas Renner, Dudalina and Malwee). From the adoption of the dissemination of sustainability reports by other organizations, the base could be expanded.

Practical implications

From this study, practical questions emerge that can contribute to managers and companies in the Brazilian fashion sector. Initially, the focus on eco-innovations is predominantly related to the technological component, with an emphasis on process eco-innovations. In this sense, business actions seek to resolve the accusations normally attributed to the sector, such as the adoption of unsustainable practices. For example, in cotton production, firms use large amounts of pesticides and water, despite the sector being accused of not taking proper responsibility regarding sustainability related issues.

Social implications

Investment in eco-innovations indicates a positive attitude and change resulting from pressure and the need to return the market to society’s demands for more sustainable production technologies with less environmental impact.

Originality/value

The originality of the study lies in the systematization of a GRI analysis model applied to measure eco-innovations in fashion. Through the applied methodology, it is possible to emphasize that eco-innovations of technological trend prevail in the industry, first in processes and then in product development.

Details

Innovation & Management Review, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2515-8961

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 September 2022

Xingwei Li, Xiang Liu, Yicheng Huang, Jingru Li, Jinrong He and Jiachi Dai

The green innovation behavior of construction enterprises is the key to reducing the construction industry's carbon emissions and realizing the green transformation of the…

Abstract

Purpose

The green innovation behavior of construction enterprises is the key to reducing the construction industry's carbon emissions and realizing the green transformation of the construction industry. The purpose of this study is to reveal the evolutionary mechanism of green innovation behavior in construction enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on resource-based theory, Porter's hypothesis and signaling theory. First, a measurement model of the green innovation behavior of construction enterprises was constructed from three aspects: environmental regulation, enterprise resources and public opinion through hierarchical analysis. Then, the state values of the measurement model of green innovation behavior of construction enterprises were calculated through the time series data from 2011–2018. Finally, the Markov chain model was used to predict the evolutionary trend of green innovation behavior of construction enterprises, and the accuracy of the prediction effect of the Markov chain model was verified using the time series data of 2019.

Findings

The Markov chain model of green innovation behavior of construction enterprises constructed in this study has high accuracy. This model finds that the transition of the growth state of green innovation behavior in China's construction industry is fluid and predicts the evolution trend of the innovation behavior of construction enterprises. In the future, the green innovation behavior of construction enterprises has a probability of 70.17% to be in a continuous growth state and 40.27% to be in a rapid growth state.

Originality/value

Based on the Markov chain model of green innovation behavior of construction enterprises, this study finds that the transition of the growth state of green innovation behavior of construction enterprises in China has the characteristics of liquidity. In addition, it reveals the development process of the green innovation behavior of construction enterprises from 2011–2018 and predicts the evolution trend of the green innovation behavior of construction enterprises.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 31 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 May 2019

Saba Khalid and Abu Elias Sarker

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the rationales for, the trends and the impacts of innovations in the public management system of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the rationales for, the trends and the impacts of innovations in the public management system of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Design/methodology/approach

This study has adopted an interpretative and exploratory approach. To this end, extensive reviews have been made of government documents, reports of international organizations and relevant academic research articles.

Findings

The findings show that the UAE Government has embarked on a massive innovation program to bring dynamism and to feed the requirements of the UAE Vision 2021. As pressured by both external and internal forces, the directions of innovations in the UAE public management system correspond to the global trends. The results of innovations are positive in terms of the enhancement of efficiency, effectiveness, citizens’ satisfaction and citizens’ trust in public services.

Originality/value

This paper links theoretical insights from different sources to analyze the dynamics of public management innovations in the UAE which will be helpful for further comprehensive empirical research in the future.

Details

Asian Education and Development Studies, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-3162

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 November 2019

Alberto Onetti

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the current practices in “corporate-startup collaboration” and “Open Innovation” (OI) in Europe. OI has increasingly become…

1542

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the current practices in “corporate-startup collaboration” and “Open Innovation” (OI) in Europe. OI has increasingly become mainstream. A growing number of European corporates are adopting OI approaches to innovate and benefit from a more agile business environment. As Henry Chesbrough – the father of OI – finds out, there is “no single best model for engagement”. It highly depends on the goals that companies want to achieve. Models and approaches of corporate-startup collaboration are continuously evolving. A study of the variety of their effective-implementations in a real business context is therefore beneficial.

Design/methodology/approach

For the purpose of this research, the authors analyzed the European corporates that are considered as “innovation leaders” according to “SEP Europe’s Corporate Startup Stars” annual ranking. According to experts’ evaluations, these companies represent the most advanced case studies in open innovation. The paper analyses the experience of 31 European large corporates implementing effective corporate-startup collaboration. The research approach is exploratory and descriptive.

Findings

By adopting a practitioner-oriented perspective, the authors contribute to shed new light on how European corporates adopt OI and internalize arising innovations across organizational boundaries. Six key areas of OI activities have been identified and compared based on required resources’ commitment. Nearly all of the corporates have implemented low-commitment strategies such as organizing one-off startup events and/or sharing free resources with startups. By contrast, only a limited number of corporates engaged actively through acquisitions (M&A), which requires the highest level of commitment. Startup procurement and investments seem to be the most effective approaches to startup-corporate collaboration, while corporate accelerators and innovation outposts are adopted by only nearly half of the companies considered.

Research limitations/implications

Although the research is not a comprehensive survey, it is useful to identify current and future trends of successful corporate-startup collaboration as well as best practices by European leading companies working at the forefront of OI.

Practical implications

This study provides evidence of the main trends in corporate-startup collaborations, both opening up their innovation processes for mutual benefits. The results have important implications both for corporates and policy makers since the study also highlights the main barriers that hinder successful corporate-startup collaborations. Although many of the analyzed corporates report to have introduced “startup-friendly procedures” – including shortening payments times, simplification of vendor registration and qualification process – the vast majority of companies still need to be educated about the opportunities and benefits arising from Open Innovation (OI). This is particularly true for mid-size companies and small and medium-sized companies that based on some preliminary evidences have not yet fully engaged in open innovation due to limited resources and lack of ability to understand the disruption threats posed by recent technology and market evolution.

Originality/value

To date, there is little evidence on current practices of “Open Innovation” and “corporate-startup collaboration” in Europe. Only recently, large European corporations have concretely started to engage with startups. This paper attempts to shed new light on this so-far under-explored issue.

Details

Journal of Business Strategy, vol. 42 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0275-6668

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 May 2022

Anqi Cao, Fangfang Shi and Billy Bai

The purpose of this review paper is to identify the themes of hospitality and tourism innovation research published in academic and trade journals between 2010 and 2020, to…

1390

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this review paper is to identify the themes of hospitality and tourism innovation research published in academic and trade journals between 2010 and 2020, to explore the common and different areas of interest between academia and the industry and to examine the trends of innovation research themes during this period to suggest future research directions.

Design/methodology/approach

The EBSCO Hospitality and Tourism Index was used as the data source. Co-word analysis was conducted via the Leximancer software to identify key areas of interest in hospitality and tourism innovation. Trends in hospitality and tourism innovation over the ten-year period were revealed by a time-dimension analysis.

Findings

This study produced a conceptual map demonstrating focal points and trends in hospitality and tourism innovation. Trade journals were found to be dominated by product innovation driven by technological development, while academic journals covered more topics, such as employee innovation, sustainable innovation, leadership innovation and user generated content (UGC). Academia was shown to follow in the footsteps of industry in publication on several topics. Furthermore, academic interest in certain topics, such as hotel service innovation, UGC and social media, lasted several years.

Practical implications

This study can facilitate knowledge transfer between academia and the industry. It also provides directions for future research based on historical and comparative analysis.

Originality/value

This research extends the scope of existing review studies by including articles published by trade journals. It also adds a time dimension, which helps to unveil the evolution process of hospitality and tourism innovation research and practice.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 34 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 80000