Technologietransfer & Kommerzialisierung

Zusammenfassung

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emerging technological field with immense transformative potential. Within this context, we discuss the diverse ways AI is transforming innovation. We introduce a conceptual framework in which we argue AI plays the following two roles: originator and facilitator of innovation. Additionally, we discuss different applications and implications for innovation theory and practice using a reflection on the traditional innovation process and the front end of innovation perspective. For this, we use the perspectives of AI as technology push, AI as market pull, AI to advance steps in the innovation funnel as well as AI as a contributor to new product development. Finally, we discuss future directions for research in these fields.

Zusammenfassung

The dominant design life cycle shows that standardization leads to stability and increased technology development. However, the breakneck speed of innovation means standards now require more frequent renewal. Therefore, this article conceptualizes standard inertia to include the factors impeding the emergence of a new standard. New standards must overcome the standard inertia generated by accumulated investments in knowledge, capabilities, and other resources, including identity and legitimacy. Multinational and small and medium-sized enterprises face complementary obstacles, and standard inertia is, thus, an ecosystem-level mechanism. Dominant designs may embed subsets of underlying dominant designs, meaning the emergence of a new design may overthrow an entire technology ecosystem. Therefore, inertial factors protecting the prior design also emanate from all ecosystem levels. Ecosystem platforms may consequently enable new forms of interaction required to break established patterns.

Zusammenfassung

To provide further knowledge and technology transfer to society, universities are exploring new collaborative models. These new models are regarded as promising alternatives to the patent-centric linear model. However, their implementation requires revising the roles of the actors in the technology transfer process and their relationships. While collaborative models could indeed be an attractive option for universities, there is limited evidence on how these collaboration processes could be effectively introduced. We use a longitudinal embedded multiple case study to explore the contribution of knowledge interactions between scientists and students in the preliminary steps of the technology transfer process. We investigate the learning dynamics between the focal actor, i.e., the scientist, and the students in a university setting to decipher how the introduction of such collaborative processes can contribute to knowledge and technology transfer. Our results suggest that students enrolled in an educational program can contribute to the scientist’s interest and engagement in technology transfer. However, we find out that the extent of the students’ contribution depends on the shared consensus over the technology function and the openness of the scientist to reconsider the technology’s meaning. We contribute to the ongoing exploration of alternative models for technology transfer and the identification of additional roles that students can take in entrepreneurial university ecosystems.

Zusammenfassung

Publishing in international journals is important but also a tricky task. Before this background, this editorial gives a consolidated overview of key aspects to guide authors along developing and submitting a scientific article in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. For this, we provide insights into formal requirements, with a major on specific article requirements that must be considered. With two checklists, we summarize key questions which every author should consider before submitting an article to IEEE TEM. Beyond that, the readers might also find these suggestions helpful for any other academic outlet, especially in the field of technological innovation and engineering management.

Zusammenfassung

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emerging technological field with immense transformative potential. Within this context, we discuss the diverse ways AI is transforming innovation. We introduce a conceptual framework in which we argue AI plays the following two roles: originator and facilitator of innovation. Additionally, we discuss different applications and implications for innovation theory and practice using a reflection on the traditional innovation process and the front end of innovation perspective. For this, we use the perspectives of AI as technology push, AI as market pull, AI to advance steps in the innovation funnel as well as AI as a contributor to new product development. Finally, we discuss future directions for research in these fields.

Zusammenfassung

The emergence of digital innovation in academia and practice has been established, and it is time to consider when and how it affects innovation performance. Before this background, we examine how innovation practices such as open innovation and dominant design impact innovation performance, particularly in the case of digital innovation. We develop a theoretical framework that is tested on a long panel of patent data for 788 technologies over 32 years. Open innovation has no impact on the innovative performance of technologies in general, but for digital innovation, we find a positive effect. In addition, dominant design has a stronger impact on the innovative performance for digital innovations than for other innovations. We conclude that the management of digital innovation is different from that of other innovations since both open innovation and dominant design are more important for innovative performance. Indeed, some of the benefits of openness may only apply to digital innovation.

Zusammenfassung

The innovation of products, services, and business models is key to firm survival, performance, and growth in today's turbulent business environments. However, accelerating environmental dynamics also require speeding up the innovation process. A suitable solution may be the use of agility, especially at the front end of innovation. In this study, we aim to identify agility enablers in this first stage of the innovation process. We follow a two-step procedure. First, we review existing agility frameworks and find that several agility enablers are already discussed, but no holistic framework exists yet. Second, we conduct qualitative expert interviews to obtain a better understanding of additional enablers and enabler attributes. By comparing the theoretical and managerial sources, we find gaps in each side's attention. As a result, we introduce a novel, agile front end of innovation framework that helps firms pay attention to agility enablers that can speed up the innovation process.

Zusammenfassung

People can now monitor and quantify their daily life activities through quantified-self products, such as self-tracking devices. These types of products are invading the market, and the reasons for their adoption must be understood. Word of mouth (WOM) plays a crucial role in the adoption of disruptive innovations. In line with the literature, this article demonstrates that quantified-self products are disruptive innovations that have distinct antecedents explaining why individuals use WOM. Hence, this article examines the need for uniqueness (NFU) and perceived values as drivers of satisfaction that in turn impact WOM. Data from a sample of 496 actual users of self-tracking devices were collected through an online survey. The results emphasize the positive impact of the NFU on satisfaction through utilitarian and hedonic values. We propose theoretical and managerial insights and suggest that companies must adopt a new perspective on disruptive innovations, particularly related to satisfaction and WOM, by considering the variables proposed in the research model.

Zusammenfassung

Today, firms pursuing a pioneering strategy are often engaged in supply chain relationships to benefit from external resources and to improve their innovation. However, this effort can be impeded by power asymmetries in such relationships and especially by the execution of coercive power by their partner firm. Contracts could potentially reduce this risk of opportunistic behavior. Our survey study on 778 small to medium-sized enterprises in the European packaging and medical equipment industries examines how coercive power of the partner and the contractual arrangement between firms moderate the pioneering strategy's innovation outcomes in the short and long run. Our results confirm the negative effect of coercive power on innovation performance in both the short and long term. However, the compensating effect of rather complete contracts differs temporally. Whereas, contract completeness protects against higher dependence at the beginning of the collaboration, their effect diminishes over time. In contrast, rather incomplete contracts enhance the innovation performance in the long term, possibly complemented with trust.

Zusammenfassung

We report the experience of the FucoSan InterReg project that had the ambition to generate commercialization opportunities for biotechnology research in a marine environment. Fucoidan, a promising biomarine polysaccharide extracted from seaweed, offers a broad array of potential applications; however, the supporting innovation value chain is still under development. We explore how the use of business modelling tools can contribute to building a shared understanding of commercialization opportunities across a diverse range of research and development actors. We analyze data (interviews, workshops, and surveys) from a German-Danish network of actors involved in the FucoSan InterReg project to identify how the tools contribute to setting up a base to support future activities across a potential innovation value chain. The results point towards the direct and indirect positive effects of engaging in the co-creation of a shared understanding of the functionality and possibilities of promising biomarine products. The findings support the idea that interdisciplinary and multilateral interactions help actors to identify the necessary connections and interdependencies to build a sustainability-driven innovation value chain.

Zusammenfassung

This paper uses horizon scanning as a foresight methodology to investigate the opportunities, challenges and futures of ICT for health and ageing, particularly focusing on identifying the ethical and social issues associated with this sector. It uses empirical evidence gained from the analysis of interviews, literature reviews, and policy documents to identify the primary signals within the areas of future technologies, future environments, future companies, and future older people. In addition, we build on contemporary internet-based discussions amongst the general public and the ICT start-up sector to identify weak signals regarding ethical and social issues, based on and around these areas. Our findings show that the key ethical and social issues identified are concerned with the issue of the elderly being seen as collections of diseases, the human face of ICT, privacy and informed consent, autonomy, stereotyping of older people, and general anxieties around ICTs. We conclude our paper with recommendations for addressing these ethical and social concerns, specifically through the adoption of responsible research and innovation practices.

Zusammenfassung

The engagement with industry actors is a key element in the transition towards an entrepreneurial university model. The purpose of this paper is to explore the university-industry collaboration (UIC) drivers from the industry side. It analyses how, and to what extent, policy interventions could increase the engagement of industry actors in UICs. An experimental research design involving a feasibility and pilot study (January to June 2018) with 36 firms. In a non-urban region context, with a satellite university campus. The pilot explores a randomized control trial (RCT) design, with a training intervention to a randomized group of participants in the pilot. Firms involved in universities' students (academic forms of UICs) might not necessarily consider the university as a research partner, even in a geographic proximity setting. In addition, there is a potential “dark-side” to proximity, when industry participants build their perceptions using second-hand experiences or indirect information. A training intervention facilitates to overcome pre-existing biases but does not trigger a substantial change in the UIC's behaviour of the firms in the short-term. The pilot study provides valuable insights for researchers interested in a larger randomized control trial. It also provides insights for university managers that want to understand the motivations of industry participants in UICs. The experimental approach of the research generates evidence on the feasibility to intervene in the activation of UICs from an industry perspective, a central aspect in transition towards an entrepreneurial university model.

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When implementing social media strategies on Facebook brand pages, companies focus on factors that prompt electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWoM) about brand contents. This study examines individual and collective factors that lead to brand content sharing behaviors. The research conducts a field study of a real brand on its Facebook fan page to gather actual behavioral data. Both declarative and behavioral data are used to explain brand eWoM, based on 250 participants. Empirical results show that the Facebook activity has a positive influence on brand content sharing for active users (posters) but not for nonactive users (lurkers), while brand engagement positively affects brand content sharing for both active and nonactive users. Furthermore, brand community involvement does not have an influence on brand content sharing. Findings offer companies useful recommendations for using the determinants included in our research design to understand and analyze the sharing behaviors of users.

Zusammenfassung

An increase in the number of companies that publish corporate social responsibility (CSR) statements, and a rise in their ‘sustainability’ research, reflects a growing acceptance that broad ethical considerations are key for any type of company. However, little is known about how companies consider moral objectives for their research and development (R&D) activities, or the basis upon which these activities are chosen. This research involves qualitative investigation into Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, comprising 30 in-depth, pan-European interviews with key personnel in the industry, and focus groups with employees at 14 different companies. Through investigation of the ‘responsible’ activities these companies currently undertake, we shed light on the types of moral goals they set and their underlying ethical standpoints. By reviewing both the responsible innovation and sustainability discourses, and presenting phenomenological evidence, we demonstrate that companies have adopted some aspects of RRI, even though it might not be recognised as such. Our findings indicate that these innovators recognise some of the ethical and societal concerns associated with their activities but their approach is often piecemeal; primary focus is upon the most immediate issues and on legal compliance, to the detriment of broader societal issues and wider challenges. We recommend explicit mechanisms that draw upon established ethical thought and practical academic work to improve companies’ abilities to carry out their sustainability activities, and incorporate them into a responsible business strategy. We conclude with recommendations for innovators, corporate research and development, and policy

Zusammenfassung

Internationalization is a hot topic in innovation management, whereby the phenomenon of "Born Globals" is still limited to research in the domains of Entrepreneurship and International Management. As business model design plays a key role for Born Globals, we link these two concepts. For this, we propose hypotheses about the influence of efficiencycentered and novelty-centered business model design on international firm performance. To test these hypotheses, we performed a quantitative survey with 252 founders of international companies in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Additionally, we gained further insights through a case study analysis of 11 Born Globals. The results show that business model design matters to international firm performance and the business model design of Born Globals tends to be more efficiency-centered. Based on a multiple case study, we analyzed business models in a more sophisticated way and derived propositions that yielded in an archetype of a Born Global's business model.

Zusammenfassung

Customer capital has attracted a great deal of attention among marketing scholars in recent years. This study explores at first the links between customer capital with firm innovativeness (i.e., the ability to generate new ideas and actions within firms) and customer response speed (i.e., the ability to respond to the customers’ needs immediately). Furthermore, it is analysed how firms’ marketing capability mediates these relationships. For this, a unique environment in post-sanctions Iran is chosen. By using the original survey data from 107 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), our results confirm that durable relationships that a company builds with its customers over the time enhance the market information within firms. This, in turn, enables firms to respond faster to market changes with innovative products and services. Furthermore, the lifetime relationship with the customers enhances the awareness of firms about customers’ needs and demands in a timely manner. Accordingly, it accelerates the process of responding the customers’ requirements before competitors can catch up.

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We propose a model for the learning process in technology entrepreneurship based on the findings from an in-depth case study of an engineering degree that emphasizes technology entrepreneurship. Taking learning paradigms from entrepreneurship education into account, we specify the links between pedagogical approaches, activities, and learning contexts and specific technology entrepreneurship learning outcomes. For example, we examine how the use of existential learning with self-directed activities in real-world contexts contributes to achieving high-level entrepreneurial competencies such as the ability to critically self-reflect on the choices made by the technology-based venture. As such, we contribute to the definition of teaching models for technology entrepreneurship education.

Zusammenfassung

Qualitative Forschung in der Betriebswirtschaftslehre – ein nach wie vor oft vernachlässigtes Thema. Denn schwerpunktmäßig werden qualitative Verfahren vorwiegend in soziologischen Bereichen angewandt, obwohl in vielen Lehrbüchern zur empirischen Forschung die Zusammengehörigkeit von quantitativen und qualitativen Verfahren – auch in der Betriebswirtschaftslehre – beschworen wird. Vor diesem Hintergrund stellt vorliegender Beitrag die historische Entwicklung der Wissenschaftsziele in der Betriebswirtschaft dar, um über die Mischform der angewandten Forschung auf die Rahmenbedingungen für anwendungsorientierte, qualitativ-empirische Forschung in der Betriebswirtschaftslehre zu sprechen zu kommen. Nach der Definition elementarer Begrifflichkeiten wie Bezugsrahmen, Modell und Theorie und der Abgrenzung quantitativer zu qualitativer Forschung schließt der Beitrag mit dem Vorschlag einer theoriegenerierenden Forschungsstrategie für qualitative Untersuchungen im betriebswirtschaftlichen Kontext. <

Zusammenfassung

The responsibility of industry towards society and the environment is a much discussed topic, both in academia and in business. Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) has recently emerged as a new concept with the potential to advance this discourse in light of two major challenges industry is facing today. The first relates to the accelerating race to innovate in order to stay competitive in a rapidly changing world. The second concerns the need to maintain public trust in industry through innovations that generate social value in addition to economic returns. This Special Issue provides empirical and conceptual contributions that explore corporate motivations to adopt RRI, the state of implementation of concrete RRI practices, the role of stakeholders in responsible innovation processes, as well as drivers and barriers to the further diffusion of RRI in industry. Overall, these contributions highlight the relevance of RRI for firms of different sizes and sectors. They also provide insights and suggestions for managers, policymakers and researchers wishing to engage with responsibility in innovation. This editorial summarizes the most pertinent conclusions across the individual articles published in this Special Issue and concludes by outlining some fruitful avenues for future research in this spac

Zusammenfassung

Why another book on innovation, and why use the big word “revolution”? The simple answer to this question is the fact that we believe the time is right to explore what could be the next phase of innovation management not only in corporate practice, but also in the academic fiel

Zusammenfassung

This paper explores telecare as one of the practical applications in the field of e-health. Using 11 expert interviews the study evaluates development of cross-national analogies between the different institutional contexts of health systems in Germany, Austria, and Denmark. Telecare is treated as a set of ideas regarding future processes in health and home care services, involving technological solutions, starting to change stakeholders' behaviour, work practices, and social roles. A system-centric framework is proposed to evaluate the interdependencies between telecare, the changing relationships, and the institutional context. Complexity and documentation requirements were identified as major hindrances to the improvement of efficiency and quality of health outcomes in Austria and Germany. On the contrary, in Denmark, governmental guidance supporting patient-centered approaches was found to be driving socially innovative solutions. Implications for research and practice, as well as future research directions, are elaborate

Zusammenfassung

There is a consensus among scholars that real options reasoning is crucial for improving project performance but there has been little empirical support thus far; hence, we explore how real options reasoning may influence project timeliness, efficiency, and effectiveness. Our longitudinal analysis of 110 electronic commerce projects, drawn from new technology ventures, indicated the differential effects of real options reasoning on project performance. We find that higher uncertainty does not always lead to a greater use of real options reasoning. Although perceived environmental state uncertainty is positively linked to real options, perceived environmental effect and response uncertainty are no

Zusammenfassung

Internationalization is a hot topic in innovation management, whereby the phenomenon of “Born Globals” is still limited to research in the domains of Entrepreneurship and International Management. As business model design plays a key role for Born Globals, we link these two concepts. For this, we propose hypotheses about the influence of efficiency-centered and novelty-centered business model design on international firm performance. To test these hypotheses, we performed a quantitative survey with 252 founders of international companies in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Additionally, we gained further insights through a case study analysis of 11 Born Globals. The results show that business model design matters to international firm performance and the business model design of Born Globals tends to be more efficiency-centered. Based on a multiple case study, we analyzed business models in a more sophisticated way and derived propositions that yielded in an archetype of a Born Global’s business model. Internationalization is a hot topic in innovation management, whereby the phenomenon of “Born Globals” is still limited to research in the domains of Entrepreneurship and International Management. As business model design plays a key role for Born Globals, we link these two concepts. For this, we propose hypotheses about the influence of efficiency-centered and novelty-centered business model design on international firm performance. To test these hypotheses, we performed a quantitative survey with 252 founders of international companies in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Additionally, we gained further insights through a case study analysis of 11 Born Globals. The results show that business model design matters to international firm performance and the business model design of Born Globals tends to be more efficiency-centered. Based on a multiple case study, we analyzed business models in a more sophisticated way and derived propositions that yielded in an archetype of a Born Global’s business model.vInternationalization is a hot topic in innovation management, whereby the phenomenon of “Born Globals” is still limited to research in the domains of Entrepreneurship and International Management. As business model design plays a key role for Born Globals, we link these two concepts. For this, we propose hypotheses about the influence of efficiency-centered and novelty-centered business model design on international firm performance. To test these hypotheses, we performed a quantitative survey with 252 founders of international companies in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Additionally, we gained further insights through a case study analysis of 11 Born Globals. The results show that business model design matters to international firm performance and the business model design of Born Globals tends to be more efficiency-centered. Based on a multiple case study, we analyzed business models in a more sophisticated way and derived propositions that yielded in an archetype of a Born Global’s business model. Read More: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S1363919617500050 Internationalization is a hot topic in innovation management, whereby the phenomenon of “Born Globals” is still limited to research in the domains of Entrepreneurship and International Management. As business model design plays a key role for Born Globals, we link these two concepts. For this, we propose hypotheses about the influence of efficiency-centered and novelty-centered business model design on international firm performance. To test these hypotheses, we performed a quantitative survey with 252 founders of international companies in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Additionally, we gained further insights through a case study analysis of 11 Born Globals. The results show that business model design matters to international firm performance and the business model design of Born Globals tends to be more efficiency-centered. Based on a multiple case study, we analyzed business models in a more sophisticated way and derived propositions that yielded in an archetype of a Born Global’s business model. Read More: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S1363919617500050 Internationalization is a hot topic in innovation management, whereby the phenomenon of “Born Globals” is still limited to research in the domains of Entrepreneurship and International Management. As business model design plays a key role for Born Globals, we link these two concepts. For this, we propose hypotheses about the influence of efficiency-centered and novelty-centered business model design on international firm performance. To test these hypotheses, we performed a quantitative survey with 252 founders of international companies in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Additionally, we gained further insights through a case study analysis of 11 Born Globals. The results show that business model design matters to international firm performance and the business model design of Born Globals tends to be more efficiency-centered. Based on a multiple case study, we analyzed business models in a more sophisticated way and derived propositions that yielded in an archetype of a Born Global’s business model. Read More: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S1363919617500050 Internationalization is a hot topic in innovation management, whereby the phenomenon of “Born Globals” is still limited to research in the domains of Entrepreneurship and International Management. As business model design plays a key role for Born Globals, we link these two concepts. For this, we propose hypotheses about the influence of efficiency-centered and novelty-centered business model design on international firm performance. To test these hypotheses, we performed a quantitative survey with 252 founders of international companies in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Additionally, we gained further insights through a case study analysis of 11 Born Globals. The results show that business model design matters to international firm performance and the business model design of Born Globals tends to be more efficiency-centered. Based on a multiple case study, we analyzed business models in a more sophisticated way and derived propositions that yielded in an archetype of a Born Global’s business model. Read More: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S1363919617500050 Internationalization is a hot topic in innovation management, whereby the phenomenon of “Born Globals” is still limited to research in the domains of Entrepreneurship and International Management. As business model design plays a key role for Born Globals, we link these two concepts. For this, we propose hypotheses about the influence of efficiency-centered and novelty-centered business model design on international firm performance. To test these hypotheses, we performed a quantitative survey with 252 founders of international companies in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Additionally, we gained further insights through a case study analysis of 11 Born Globals. The results show that business model design matters to international firm performance and the business model design of Born Globals tends to be more efficiency-centered. Based on a multiple case study, we analyzed business models in a more sophisticated way and derived propositions that yielded in an archetype of a Born Global’s business model. Read More: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S1363919617500050

Zusammenfassung

Purpose Networking and being a part of an established business network supports the process of translating new ideas into marketable solutions and acquiring customers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how aspiring entrepreneurs in a Danish rural area setting manage to get embedded into relevant business networks. Before the literature background on social capital and regional development, the authors use the embeddedness approach in explaining whether weak or strong ties are most beneficial to get the business started and how lacking strong ties can be compensated. Design/methodology/approach This paper takes an economic sociology perspective on social capital and is empirically based on a case study. The sample consists of a group of young aspiring entrepreneurs, living in the rural area of Southern Jutland, who are all committed to an organization which supports regional start-ups. Findings The authors found that aspiring entrepreneurs have different needs depending on their development status and type of innovation. Founders, who are developing or have developed new product innovations, seem to have an increased need for “strong ties” with consultants and those with knowledge about building up a professional network. Founders, who are developing or have developed a significantly improved service, have strong ties with former fellow students and researchers at the university. Originality/value This study illustrates that aspiring entrepreneurs connected to a regional entrepreneurship center gained access to a wider relevant network. Depending on their level of embeddedness, they could build new strong relationships and exploit information stemming from new “weak ties” and as such harness more benefits. The study shows that less privileged start-ups can substitute strong ties, especially through the support of professional managers of startup-supporting organizations. Finally, a model explaining the impact of social capital on the entrepreneurial sphere of regional business networks and on its innovativeness is deduced.  

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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and innovation are common keywords in management research and practice. Both of them are understood in different ways. To discover the boundaries of CSR and innovation, this paper sheds light on the traditional view of CSR, with a focus on its (CSR) integration into the corporate strategy and its linkages to innovation. On the basis of a systematic literature review, a conceptual framework is developed. This framework categorises socio-political stakeholders and identifies other relevant stakeholders on the basis of a theoretical typology. Finally, dialogue strategies are examined regarding their fit within the corporate innovation process. In this regard, stakeholder collaboration is suggested as the appropriate strategy of engaging strategically significant stakeholders. The paper concludes with implications, limitations and further research suggestion

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The uptake of solutions that increase energy efficiency is significantly lower for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is due to several barriers, among which legislation, motivation, finance and other resources play a large role. In this paper, we describe a framework of market readiness and use it to assess the asymmetry between existing solutions and opportunities in the market. The aim is to identify which steps can be taken in order to introduce more energy optimizations into SMEs, and who should be taking those steps. More specifically, we explore how four Danish SMEs, in different parts of the value chain in the food processing industry, view energy efficiency improvements, focusing on the potential reuse of waste heat, along with what they consider important for taking on such projects. The findings show that while the companies operate very differently, they share common motivations and barriers when it comes to energy efficiency. Based on these findings, this paper argues that the biggest advancements are not to be made within the SMEs, but partly through the legislation that affects the financial benefits of energy improvement solutions, and through the marketing approach that solution suppliers take towards their potential customers when addressing the inherently individual needs of SME

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Considering growing public awareness of social, ethical and ecological responsibility, companies have constantly been increasing their efforts in CSR communications. Social Media as tools of brand communication receive increasing attention and it is expected that the marketing sector will experience changes through this phenomenon in the future. This empirical study investigates the types of content that is communicated for different brands and industries in leading Social Media portals on the German market in 2011. It turns out that this kind of CSR communication differs in terms of portals used, as well as in contents. Also, remarkable differences between industries can be observe

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possibility of using the new marketing research tool of prediction markets (PMs), which integrates customers to into the marketing research process. The research questions are: does taking part in PMs influence customers’ brand perception? Is there a danger of damaging a brand through this tool? Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a series of five short-term (less than one hour) and five long-term (three weeks) experimental online PMs where customers are integrated into marketing research and apply a series of online-surveys before and after taking part as virtual stock market traders. Subjects of research are taken from the sporting goods industry. Findings – The paper shows that PMs can be used by marketing researchers without the danger of damaging the brand of the products that are subject of the PMs, although customers are being integrated to improve the markets’ forecasting accuracy. Research limitations/implications – The study’s subject are medium priced sporting goods only. Possibly in other product fields, results may differ. Thus, the authors see a field for further research in this limitation. Practical implications – Managers for marketing intelligence have more reason to make use of the efficient and rather new tool, PMs. Marketers can potentially improve their forecasting accuracy by integrating customer information into their reports. In addition, the authors see a high potential in the area of innovation management as well. Originality/value – There has been no research on perceptions of PMs and brands at all so fa

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Uses new approaches and solutions to tackle innovations in an international context. Some of the challenges of innovating are remarkably consistent and recent times have shown the emergence of new ways for stimulating and managing the innovation process. The authors explore these new routes and assess their value for markets and companies.

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Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to study the benefits that an Asian company can achieve by using e-commerce. Another objective is to identify and rank the barriers influencing the application of e-commerce by innovative small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India, Malaysia, and Iran Design/methodology/approach: The survey design uses a sample of 601 SMEs from three countries. In this study, data were collected by sending out questionnaires electronically and by mail. The Friedman test is used to analyse questionnaire data in conjunction with SPSS 16 software. Findings: The results indicate that an "enhanced company brand and corporate image" is the most important e-commerce advantage from the perspective of East Asian SMEs, whereas "doubts about the security and privacy" is the most important barrier. Research limitations/implications: Differences between the three countries in terms of electronic structure and infrastructure are the most important limitations for the study. Practical implications: As the company brand and the image of the company are very important in this region, companies should strategically invest into these areas. Nowadays, in times of social media, this is not as cost intensive as it was ten years before. So particularly, SMEs have a good chance to succeed in this area. Originality/value: This paper offers researchers a broader and more comprehensive view of the benefits of and barriers to electronic commerce application by SMEs. Researchers, educators, and practitioners will benefit from this paper. The analyses are more complex and varied than the methodologies used in most of the limited previous research. © Emerald Group Publishing Limite

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The market in the UK for renewable energy is arguably at a very critical phase in its development. Key drivers for current policy include energy security, climate change and energy prices, added to which the UK has agreed specific targets with other EU countries to help meet these challenges. The paper includes a general overview of worldwide energy demand and a comprehensive overview of renewable energy alternatives. Based on that, it describes the development of the UK renewables marketplace with a market overview including a summary of selected key organisations currently operating. Finally, this paper recapitulates the key findings of our quantitative research, based on a survey of 65 organisations operating in the market, into the state of the UK market, including a view on the trends and outlook for the future. Finally, the paper offers some concluding remarks which state, among others, that the UK market is still in its early stages compared to the EU and in general the renewable energies markets are growing internationall

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Advertizing high-technology products is a tricky and critical task for every company, since it means operating in an environment with high market uncertainty. The work presents results of a content analysis of 110 adverts for consumer electronics products which examines how these products and the incorporated technology are communicated to the customer. Based on established coding schemes, the content and the appeals of the adverts are evaluated by coders. The results show that these adverts are very informative, mainly have rational appeals and feature products being in the early stage of their life cycles. Regarding the specific content, the ‘mother brand’ is shown to play a very important role. On the other hand, the results show that incorporated technology, its superiority and functionality do not play an important role in the advertisement

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A literature review of Performance Measurement Systems (PMS) in Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) shows that the main contributions focus on the development of theoretical models, but not on guidelines for practical implementation. In this context, an important neglected aspect is the general fitness or readiness of a SME to implement a PMS. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to determine critical prerequisites for a successful PMS implementation in SMEs. For this purpose, a case study in a German SME was conducted. The findings indicate that the existence of specific contingency factors – Corporate Strategy, software-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Activity Based Costing (ABC) – strongly supports the successful implementation of a PMS and its later use. Hence, further research shall include these prerequisites as new variables determining the PMS process. Based on that, researchers and managers of SMEs can develop individual indicators to identify their own PMS readines