Technological collaboration in product innovation: The role of market competition and sectoral technological intensity

Drawing on the strategic alliances and innovation literature, this study proposes that the impact of technological collaboration on product innovation is contingent on market competition and sectoral technology characteristics. Specifically, it argues that the generally observed positive effect of technological collaboration on product innovation may be diluted in highly competitive markets, and the interactive effect of technological collaboration and market competition on product innovation will be further moderated by sectoral technological intensity. Data on the product innovation and technological collaboration of 944 Chinese firms across five manufacturing sectors provide robust support for the contingent effects of technological collaboration on product innovation.     

提高自主技术创新能力的途径选择

本文从组合创新模式的角度,提出了提高企业技术创新能力的三个可供选择的途径及不同选择途径应具备的条件。并通过调查研究,分析了我国企业技术创新能力提高途径选择的总体情况。最后,以杭州纺织机械厂和杭州凯地丝绸公司这两个企业为案例,对不同途径作实证分析     

基于TRIZ理论面向企业技术创新平台的构建

在介绍TRIZ理论及其应用的基础上,分析了基于TRIZ理论面向企业技术创新平台的内涵和建设目标与原则,探讨了基于TRIZ理论面向企业技术创新平台的基本结构和各子平台的功能,以期为产学研合作创新平台的建构提供具体的思路,加强学校与企业科技创新的合作与交流。     

The transformation of technological regimes

This article explores how the transformation of technological regimes is enabled and constrained by sectoral patterns of innovation. Four innovation patterns are distinguished: the supplier-dependent, the user-driven, the mission-oriented and the R&D-dependent innovation pattern. On the basis of a multiple case, it is shown that there are distinct differences between how these four innovation patterns enable and constrain the transformation of technological regimes and in the degree to which they do so. It is further shown that innovation patterns sometimes enable the development and acceptance of innovations that radically deviate from existing regimes and may help to transform such regimes. The implications for the management of technology are discussed.     

Prospective analysis of technological innovation systems: Identifying technological and organizational development options for biogas in Switzerland

In this article, we put forward a concept for the identification and analysis of future development options of technological innovation systems. The key element of our approach, the so-called variation analysis, is a methodology to identify coherent socio-technical and organizational variants within a specific innovation field. Consistent combinations of these two dimensions may be interpreted as nuclei for alternative future developments of innovation systems. The method may be used in discursive foresight processes to inform strategy formulation of firms or policy makers who see a utility in furthering the innovation field. The paper has a focus on developing the theoretical background and the analytical structure of the methodology. Empirically, we illustrate the method for the innovation system of biomass digestion in Switzerland.     

Persistence of innovation: Discriminating between types of innovation and sources of state dependence

This paper advances current research on the persistence of innovation drawing on a panel data set constructed from three waves of the German part of the Community Innovation Survey covering the time span from 2002 to 2008 (i.e., CIS IV, CIS 2007, and CIS 2009). We explore persistence patterns for various types of innovation (i.e., organizational, product and process innovation) and allowing for the moderating impact of firm-level characteristics. We use the ascertained patterns of persistence to comparatively evaluate various sources (and underlying theoretical accounts) of state dependence.     

Enhancing research collaborations: Three key management challenges

This conceptual paper explores three areas of research collaboration: (a) effectively harnessing differences, (b) setting defensible boundaries and (c) gaining legitimate authorization. The focus is on their potential lessons for individuals leading and managing research collaborations, evaluation of research partnerships and areas for further investigation. Examples from three partnerships - building the atomic bomb, the Human Genome Project and the World Commission on Dams - are used to highlight key elements of the ideas presented. The paper provides a framework for systematically thinking about integration of different perspectives and other elements essential to any particular collaboration. It also sketches out ideas for (1) managing differences which may destroy partnerships, (2) deciding what the collaboration should encompass, (3) understanding and accommodating forces which may distort what the collaboration is able to achieve, and (4) enlisting necessary supporters while preserving research independence.     

如何建立有效的界面——关于技术创新界面管理的探讨

技术创新的界面管理得出了一些新的管理问题 ,本文主要研究分析了界面管理的原则 ,从组织技术与环境、组织模式与安排、观念与组织文化等三个层次阐述界面管理的条件 ,分析了与界面管理相关的问题     

Identification of innovating firms through technological innovation indicators: an application to the Spanish ceramic tile industry

The identification of technologically innovating firms is related to the development of indicators of their innovation activity. In this study, we carry out a review of indicators of firms’ technological innovation activity and then classify them according to whether they are based on inputs or outputs of the innovation process, and to the sources of the information they consider, whether primary or secondary. Their applicability as indicators of firm innovation is analyzed in the Spanish ceramic tile industry for the period from 1994 to 1996. From the results obtained we are able to conclude that the method based on direct information—self-assessment by managers—is more effective in identifying both product and process innovators. Within the set of methods based on secondary information, the literature-based innovation output (LBIO) method is the one which provides the best results when identifying product innovators alone.     

Historical evolution of technological diversification

A positive relationship exists between national technological size and technological diversification across fields of innovative activity. This paper shows how the nature of this relationship has changed historically. There has been a downward structural shift in the cross-country size-diversification frontier since 1965—for any given size countries have become less diversified or more narrowly concentrated in their technological specialisation. One explanation is that international technology sourcing by MNEs has led locations to focus on what they do best. A supporting factor may be a rise in technological interrelatedness, which encourages focus upon a specific selection of complementary combinations.     

Yes, now we can: Technological change and the exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities

The paper investigates how technological change in an industry influence which individuals will identify and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities. We propose that the introduction of new development tools will change knowledge-barriers to entry because they enable the abstraction of specialized knowledge that was previously needed for development. Empirically we test the argument using data from the web design industry in a Nordic country during the period 1992–2003. We compare the education and experience of founders before and after the introduction of web administration tools in 1998 and find a significant difference, which supports the main thesis of our argument.     

Dependency-based IT Governance practices in inter-organisational collaborations: A graph-driven elaboration

In an ever more globalised world IT (Information Technology) managers increasingly have to support value creation within inter-organisational collaboration settings. Such organisational forms with their inherent complexity require specific approaches for their IT management within. Especially important for unleashing the chances of networked arrangements is the right form of IT Governance. Choosing the right arrangement for IT Governance is heavily dependent on understanding the concepts on which such business constellations are built. In this paper we provide therefore first a systematically derived, graph-based perspective on the key terms of inter-organisational collaboration. Based on this understanding of concepts and structured representations of inter-organisational dependencies we present interorganisational governance practices for IT. Specifically, we assign accountabilities to top executive roles from both IT and business. By keeping a holistic perspective, the insights gained in this study are highly relevant for strategic information management in terms of Business-IT Alignment as well as monitoring and controlling of inter-organisational information infrastructures in a rapidly changing business environment.     

Analysis of sources of innovation, technological innovation capabilities, and performance: An empirical study of Hong Kong manufacturing industries

The concept of the regional innovation system (RIS) has been developed into an important framework for evaluating innovation performance. The study reported in this paper explores the relationship between the RIS and the firm's innovation system (FIS) according to the basic premise that firms that better utilize sources of information (SI) available within their regional innovation system (RIS) perform better due effect this has in enhancing the firm's technological innovation capabilities (TICs). The different innovation capabilities of a firm are regarded as the key components of the firm's innovation system. The sources of information available within an RIS include external sources (EXT) and external expert organizations, the latter of which are referred to as knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). This study also explores the dual role of KIBS as both sources of and bridges for innovation in the RIS. Data were obtained through a mailed survey using a self-administered questionnaire. The utilization concept and the dual role of KIBS were verified. The results show that externally available information affects all innovation capabilities of the firm, while external expert organizations affect only the firm's R&D and resources allocation capabilities. This study contributes to the RIS literature by providing empirical evidence on how firms can interact with the RIS by utilizing SI to enhance their TICs and achieve global competitiveness.     

扩大免疫后中国免疫规划工作面临的机遇与挑战

预防接种是有效预防控制乃至消灭某些传染病的最经济和最有效手段。建国初期,我国就确立了“预防为主”的卫生工作方针,并于1960年消灭了天花。自1978年起实施儿童计划免疫,于1988、1990和1995年先后实现了以省、县、乡为单位儿童“四苗”接种率达到85%的目标,可免疫性疾病的发病率大幅度下降。2000年顺利实现无脊髓灰质炎目标。2002年乙肝疫苗纳入儿童计划免疫。2008年实施国家扩大免疫规划,把乙脑、流脑、甲肝纳入儿童免疫规划。目前我国正处于构建社会主义和谐社会和全面建成小康社会的重要时期,免疫规划工作作为我国卫生事业成效最为显著、影响最为广泛的工作之一,正确分析扩大免疫后免疫规划工作面临的机遇与挑战,合理制定应对策略,以进一步促进我国免疫规划工作持续向前发展,具有重要的意义。     

Is the Internet a US invention?—an economic and technological history of computer networking

Although the inventions embodied in the Internet originated in a diverse set of industrial economies, the US was consistently the source of critical innovations and an early adopter of new applications. Why did other nations, including several that made important inventive contributions to the Internet, not play a larger role in its development, particularly in the creation of new business organizations, governance institutions, and applications? We argue that the role of the US “national innovation system” in the creation of the Internet echoes several key themes of US technological development before 1940. The presence of a large domestic market, a set of antitrust and regulatory policies that weakened the power of incumbent telecommunications firms, and a diverse private/public research community that was willing to work with both domestic and foreign inventions were important preconditions for US leadership in computer networking innovation.     

设计在技术创新中的角色演化研究

产品设计在新产品开发中扮演着重要的角色,有关它的研究在国外已经十分成熟.以宁波设计密集型的厨电企业为例,从设计演化视角探讨企业新产品研发模式和设计、技术与市场的关系,结果发现三家企业的设计创新经历了设计差异化、设计是新产品开发子过程和设计主导三个阶段.设计差异化阶段是市场拉动的创新模式,市场需求知识是创新动力,设计嵌入在技术研发中;设计作为新产品开发子过程是技术推动的创新模式,技术是产品创新的动力,设计虽然没有摆脱对技术的依附性,但却成为新产品开发的独立阶段,市场从主导作用转向影响作用;设计主导阶段是产品设计驱动的创新模式,设计作为创新动力,地位等同于技术与市场,企业构建设计主导的技术创新网络,标志着企业创新模式从封闭式走向开放式,而且设计在新产品开发中形成了与技术和市场的互补.     

Knowledge diffusion, market segmentation and technological catch-up: The case of the telecommunication industry in China

This paper examines the growth of technological capability in the telecommunication industry in China. We apply a modified version of Lee and Lim's [Lee, K., Lim, C., 2001. The technological regimes, catch-up and leapfrogging: findings from the Korean industries. Research Policy, vol. 30.] model of technological learning and catching-up. Using the three cases of the Shanghai Bell, the CIT-led R&D consortium, and indigenous companies such as Huawei, we analyze how the catching-up in the telecommunication industry occurred. We find that the important factors in the catch-up are the strategy of “trading market for technology,” the knowledge diffusion from Shanghai Bell both to the R&D consortium and to Huawei, and industrial promotion by the government. As a condition for successful catch-up, the paper points out that the technological regime of the telephone switches is featured by a more predictable technological trajectory and a lower cumulativeness. These conditions and strategies helped the Chinese firms to achieve a stage-skipping catch-up, namely, by skipping the stage of analogue electronic switches to jump to digital electronic switches.     

从快速成形技术看技术创新的特征

概述了快速成形技术的原理和发展，通过对快速成形技术发明发展过程的分析，讨论了技术创新的几个特征：突破传统是技术创新的内涵，市场需求和科技推动是技术创新动力，多学科交叉是技术创新的途径，技术创新必须能够创造良好的社会效益和经济效益。     

虚拟创新:未来技术创新的主导模式

本文探讨了信息化时代技术创新的新模式 :虚拟创新 ,及其特征、理论依据、运作模式 ,和虚拟创新应注意的关键因素 ,并对应用前景作了展望