It may be surprising to focus on and praise imperfection, but, in reality, perfection is a fiction. Every aspect of our technologies is based on understanding and exploiting imperfections in the materials we use. Imperfections are key to our use of metals, glass, electronics, computers, optical fibres, and building materials. Catalysis, as used throughout chemical industries, is dependent on imperfections, as are a wide range of modern advances in biology and medicine. This book provides examples in each area that are readily understandable to non-scientists but also aim to offer a far deeper insight into how the technologies and disciplines advance and operate. However, once we change our focus from idealised perfection to reality, the implications can extend far beyond the realm of the sciences. The second part of the book examines the importance of our ability to recognise and adapt to imperfections in such wide-ranging areas as cookery, successful career development, love, life, and the survival of humanity. Using a broad range of accessible examples, this book aims to give readers the tools to recognize technological imperfections and apply those lessons to improving several key aspects of our lives, crucially enabling them to define a world that will survive current excesses and environmental destruction.

Financial market bubbles are recurring, often painful, reminders of the costs and benefits of capitalism. While many books have studied financial manias and crises, most fail to compare times of turmoil with times of stability. In Bubbles and Crashes, Brent Goldfarb and David A. Kirsch give us new insights into the causes of speculative booms and busts. They identify a class of assets-major technological innovations-that can, but does not necessarily, produce bubbles. This methodological twist is essential: Only by comparing similar events that sometimes lead to booms and busts can we ascertain the root causes of bubbles. Using a sample of eighty-eight technologies spanning 150 years, Goldfarb and Kirsch find that four factors play a key role in these episodes: the degree of uncertainty surrounding a particular innovation, the attentive presence of novice investors, the opportunity to directly invest in companies that specialize in the technology, and whether or not a technology is a good protagonist in a narrative. Goldfarb and Kirsch consider the implications of their analysis for technology bubbles that may be in the works today, offer tools for investors to identify whether a bubble is happening, and propose policy measures that may mitigate the risks associated with future speculative episodes.

Powder flow has attracted increased attention in recent years as novel formulated and functional products are being developed in powder forms, particularly in pharmaceutical and high value additive manufacturing industries. This book meets a need for a truly integrated modern treatment of dry powder flow, covering theory, robust characterisation techniques, modelling tools and applications. Written by leaders in the field, the book opens by introducing the wide range of powder processing problems faced by industry, the complexities of powders and the myriad of ways their flow behaviour can be characterised. The authors then move on, with contributions from experts, to describe fundamental properties that can be measured, defining the states of stress and shear rate and the considerations that need to be taken account. By providing a comprehensive treatment of all available characterisation techniques, as well as various modelling tools, the reader obtains a clear, practical overview. Case studies and applications connect theory to practical examples across a broad range of industries. This book stands out by not only providing the reader with guidance on what to measure but also how to interpret results, ensuring this is an invaluable text for anyone working on powder flow in the chemical, pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries, as well as students and researchers across chemical and process engineering disciplines.

Energy Science and Applied Technology includes contributions on a wide range of topics: - Technologies in geology, mining, oil and gas exploration and exploitation of deposits - Energy transfer and conversion, materials and chemical technologies - Environmental engineering and sustainable development - Electrical and electronic technology, power system engineering - Mechanical, manufacturing, process engineering - Control and automation - Communications and applied information technologies - Applied and computational mathematics - Methods and algorithms optimization - Network technology and application - System test, diagnosis, detection and monitoring - Recognition, video and image processing The book will appeal to academics and engineers involved in energy and applied sciences.

'Supply Chain 4.0' has introduced automation into logistics and supply chain processes, exploiting predictive analytics to better match supply with demand, optimizing operations and using the latest technologies for the last mile delivery such as drones and autonomous robots. Supply Chain 4.0 presents new methods, techniques, and information systems that support the coordination and optimization of logistics processes, reduction of operational costs as well as the emergence of entirely new services and business processes.

This edited collection includes contributions from leading international researchers from academia and industry. It considers the latest technologies and operational research methods available to support smart, integrated, and sustainable logistics practices focusing on automation, big data, Internet of Things, and decision support systems for transportation and logistics. It also highlights market requirements and includes case studies of cutting-edge applications from innovators in the logistics industry.

Using a combination of theoretical discussion and real-world case studies, this book analyses the use of robotics, artificial intelligence and services automation (RAISA) within the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Divided into two sections, the book first concentrates on the theoretical aspects surrounding the use of RAISA in travel, tourism and hospitality. Themes explored include: economic fundamentals customer attitudes chatbot adoption service quality Following on from this, the second section concentrates on current and future use of RAISA technologies in specific subsectors of the tourism economy: hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, museums, and events. With an international scope of authorship and focus, the book is a useful reference source for scholars, students, and general readers interested in robotics, artificial intelligence, and automation technologies. Alongside this, the business insights and case studies examined in the book offer practitioners guidance on how these technologies can and will be incorporated into organizations, particularly those in the travel and tourism industry.

The ten national foresight case studies presented, covering a wide-ranging set of themes (research, science and technology, education and training and the environment) and countries, help to underline the practical aspects of using dialogue and participation effectively in foresight exercises. The book is particularly useful in defining the concept of dialogue, debate, interaction and participation and in outlining a range of uses in different foresight contexts. This book constitutes an important contribution to the futures field and will prove an inspiration to those embarking on foresight exercises and similar open, participatory forward-looking processes.' - Jennifer Cassingena Harper, Malta Council for Science and TechnologyThis illuminating book combines theory and practice to analyze the experiences and impacts of foresight activities in various European countries. It includes case studies with a focus on different societal issues including national development, science and technology, and sustainable development. The contributors expertly describe and analyze foresight projects carried out in countries at various stages of economic development including mature market economies, transition economies and young democracies. The theoretical chapters on stakeholder participation, negotiation and dialogue, learning, and visioning are useful in the planning and analyses of foresight activities. The case study chapters explicitly demonstrate how the societal context can influence the planning and impact of foresight policy. Scholars of foresight and technology assessment will find plenty of information in this invaluable book. It will also prove essential for Masters courses on foresight or future studies, and public policy courses with a focus on future policy and planning. Contributors: A. Alvarenga, K. Borch, P. De Smedt, S.M. Dingli, E. Goell, L. Groff, E. Hideg, T. Kristof, C. Kroeze, F. Merida, E. Nemcova, E. Novaky, L.A. Pace, O. Saritas, M. Sogaard Jorgensen, S.I.P. Stalpers

Within the open innovation paradigm, firms need to operate efficiently in markets for technology. This book presents original research on technology transactions, market intermediaries and, specifically, the role of auctions as a novel transaction model for patented technologies. Frank Tietze delivers an in-depth discussion of the impact of empirical results upon transaction cost theory, and in so doing, provides the means for better understanding technology transaction processes in general, and auctions in particular. Substantiating transaction cost theory with empirical auction data, the author goes on to explore how governance structures need to be designed for effective distributed innovation processes. He concludes that the auction mechanism is a viable transaction model, and illustrates that the auction design, as currently operated by market intermediaries, requires thorough adjustments. Various options for possible improvements are subsequently prescribed. The theoretical facets of this book will strongly appeal to business economists, while its practical implications will provide an illuminating read for both academics and practitioners in the fields of innovation and intellectual property. Revealing empirically substantiated technology prices, this book will also prove to be of great interest to policy makers for further developing the markets for technology.

Multinational companies are crucial actors in a global knowledge-based economy, combining the advantages of global and locally coordinated production and innovation strategies with specific regional and national factors. This book questions how MNCs can best exploit institutionally embedded knowledge, explores the utilization of external institutionally embedded knowledge in corporate innovation processes, and addresses the challenges of embeddedness. The expert contributors draw on managerial, economic, geographic and sociological perspectives to explore the essential roles of regional and national knowledge infrastructures and the cultural and political environment of MNCs. They build upon, update, and extend the discussion on the regional and national embeddedness of MNCs with new country case studies and comparative analyses, focusing on the relationship between innovation in companies and regional studies. Significantly, the book also establishes a link between two important debates that have hitherto been largely disconnected: regional studies and international business studies separately address issues that fall within the scope of the book, but do not provide an integrated analysis of the embeddedness of MNCs. This path-breaking book goes some way to fill this gap in the literature and as such, will prove invaluable to academics, R&D managers, regional policy makers and students with an interest in international business, business economics, regional studies and organization studies. Contributors: P. Ahrweiler, B.T. Asheim, E. Baier, C. Barmeyer, P. Cooke, J.R. Diez, B. Ebersberger, N. Gilbert, J. Guimon, B. Hancke, M. Heidenreich, S.J. Herstad, S. Iammarino, B. Klement, K. Koschatzky, J.-P. Kramer, K. Kruth, E. Marinelli, J. Mattes, R. Narula, A. Pyka, D. Rehfeld, M. Schilperoord, OE. Soelvell, S. Strambach

Do more with your GIS and understand the foundation of spatial analysis: geographic patterns and relationships. A geographic information system (GIS) enables so much more than mapping. A GIS inherently enables spatial analysis that can give you a better understanding of your geographic data. GIS analysis reveals answers to questions like: Where is it? Where's the most and least? How much is where? What's inside? What's nearby? What's changed But how do you get started? The second edition of The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 1 shows how and more. With easier to read maps and text, The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 1, second edition, dives beneath the surface of mapping, beyond displaying data to using it to reveal geographic insights. Learn the basic concepts of spatial analysis and GIS. Build on that understanding with essential map-building skills to unveil and display patterns and relationships. The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 1, second edition, also includes a guide to online lessons that reinforce the concepts and demonstrate GIS application. Written for both new and experienced GIS users using an easy to follow format, the second edition of The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 1 helps you build a foundation of the basic tasks needed to handle a wide range of analysis applications and prepares you for more advanced GIS skills.

This book examines the financial environment and theories pertaining to innovating firms, specifically in the early stage of technology development. The approach adopted in this book is to survey the relevant accounting, economic and financial conundrums of innovation, and technology from both theoretical and practical perspectives, to understand and highlight the relevant issues. Contemporary issues pertaining to technological innovation are examined, as well as general principles and techniques of economics and finance to address key issues and complexities of technological innovation.

This book describes a conceptual management system derived from the Business and Technology Relationship Model (BTRM). The BTRM describes the relationship between business and technology and provides simple definitions for service quality, alignment, agility, and governance. It explains our problems with traditional methods, democratizes the management and governance of enterprise technologies, and is suitable for introducing process automation. This book describes in detail how the BTRM, combined with a focus on value creation and value delivery, will enable continuous change, in the context of current, emerging and future technologies. It illustrates the potential for real-time insight and control not previously considered and provides a wide range of information to plan an implementation, understand where AI can be applied, and its importance in the world of self-managing systems. The topic of this book is particularly relevant for business managers, business technology managers and technology service providers.

This volume fills an important need for understanding about the interplay between China's intellectual property protection system and the potential for innovation in China's economy. Using examples from the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, the author suggests that, despite the widely documented challenges facing China's IPR protection system, the system has a demonstrable effect on innovation. The author suggests that China's patent system promotes innovation through economic incentives, soft factors of public encouragement, and intentional development strategies. This book is also useful as an overview of China's biotech and pharmaceutical sectors, offering a range of richly detailed case studies on China's industrial development strategies in these sectors. A number of important patent disputes between Chinese and foreign companies are also examined to useful effect. In the highly contentious policy world of intellectual property protection and pharmaceutical and biotech industry development, the volume offers a refreshing combination of detail and insight.'uPitman B. Potter, University of British Columbia, Canada'Yahong Li's pioneering study, Imitation to Innovation in China, breaks new ground in closely examining the extent to which the Chinese government's patent policies and patent activity by Chinese firms are influencing China's coming transformation from an imitation-oriented country to an innovation-oriented one. Her combination of theoretical and empirical approaches exploring the links between public policy, patenting activity and technological innovation (commercialization) is an important contribution to development studies, not just for China but for other newly innovative countries as well.'uWilliam O. Hennessey, Franklin Pierce Law Center, USA Following decades in which China's approach to technology has been to imitate, the country is now transforming itself to become innovation-oriented. This pioneering study examines whether patents play as similar a role in promoting innovation in China as they do in the West, exploring the interplay between patents and China's biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in particular. The author argues for a stronger patent regime based on an extensive review of the technological capacity, R&D models, patent filings and litigations, and issues in patent law, which involve China's biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. By comparing China with other developing countries and analyzing China's uniqueness in terms of its development stage, technological capacity and the strengths and weaknesses in its patent system, the author concludes that China is distinguished from the prevailing view that patents play a limited role in innovation in developing countries. The book also discusses whether and how patents can promote innovation in China's biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, based on the study of market scale, R&D capacity, innovation model and patent legislation and cases.

For African enterprises, entrepreneurs and governments to take full advantage of new digital opportunities, they need a shared strategic understanding of where they are, what they have, and what they may need to have for the future. This book presents this shared strategic vision to guide future coordinated actions of African enterprises, entrepreneurs, consumers/citizens and governments in using new and emerging digital technologies. It showcases how consumers/citizens, entrepreneurs, organisations, institutions and governments are leveraging new and emerging digital innovations to disrupt and transform value creation and service delivery in Africa.

This volume presents a series of perspectives that evaluate the merits of and potential for establishing institutionalized social valuation protocols within university settings. The volumes open with a comprehensive overview of the existing literature that addresses issues related to assessing the social value of university innovations. The first section provides sociological, organizational, and economic perspectives on issues informing the forecasting and/or demonstrating the social value of university innovations. The second section explores potential metrics and measures for either forecasting or demonstrating the social and economic value of university innovations. The third section concludes by considering issues of governance over and the organizational positioning institutionalized protocol for forecasting and demonstrating the social and economic value of university innovations.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies in Education, Research, and Industrial Applications, ICTERI 2021, held in Kherson, Ukraine, during September 28-October 2, 2021. The 12 full papers were included in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 24 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: The Fundamentals of ICT; Natural Language Processing for the Ukrainian Language; The Applications of Novel ICT; and ICT in Teaching and Learning.

This book provides an overview of the emerging smart connected world, and discusses the roles and the usage of underlying semantic computing and Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies. The book comprises ten chapters overall, grouped in two parts. Part I "Smart Connected World: Overview and Technologies" consists of seven chapters and provides a holistic overview of the smart connected world and its supporting tools and technologies. Part II "Applications and Case Studies" consists of three chapters that describe applications and case studies in manufacturing, smart cities, health, and more. Each chapter is self-contained and can be read independently; taken together, readers get a bigger picture of the technological and application landscape of the smart connected world. This book is of interest for researchers, lecturers, and practitioners in Semantic Web, IoT and related fields. It can serve as a reference for instructors and students taking courses in hybrid computing getting abreast of cutting edge and future directions of a connected ecosystem. It will also benefit industry professionals like software engineers or data scientists, by providing a synergy between Web technologies and applications. This book covers the most important topics on the emerging field of the smart connected world. The contributions from leading active researchers and practitioners in the field are thought provoking and can help in learning and further research. The book is a valuable resource that will benefit academics and industry. It will lead to further research and advancement of the field. Bharat K. Bhargava, Professor of Computer Science, Purdue University, United States

This informative book provides an extensive study in the fields of industry structure, firm strategy and public policy through the use of network concepts and indicators. It also elucidates many of the complexities and challenges involved. The contributors explore the role of networks in industries, reflecting a belief that some of the most important analytical and policy questions related to networks must fully consider the industry level. This includes examining the very structure of industries, the role of relationships in different sectoral systems of production and innovation, and the delineation of real industry boundaries. Innovation Networks in Industries will be a useful enhancement to the studies of postgraduate students in the fields of innovation, industrial economics and strategy. It will also be an invaluable guidance tool for academic researchers and policy-makers.

Management is a constellation of concepts and ideas. Its many definitions span the boundaries of leadership and strategy on the one hand and business administration on the other; from people management to P&L accounts, to both change and stability, sometimes simultaneously. There are few concepts that have attracted as much business interest as the management of organisations. Presenting a wide, deep and engaged body of research about management, this book explores how management competencies have developed over time and whether these are still relevant to the management of contemporary organizations. The author addresses this question by tracing the evolution of management competencies from the First to the Fourth Industrial revolution, investigating the role and style of managers in each 'revolution' and in multiple geographies. Ultimately, this book suggests that that five 'core management competencies; will be relevant as the Fourth Industrial Revolution gathers momentum.

This book offers a selection of the best papers presented at the annual international scientific conference "Digital Transformation in Industry: Trends, Management, Strategies (DTI2021)," held by the Institute of Economics, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in Ekaterinburg (Russia) on October 29, 2021. The book focuses on the idea of introduction mechanisms for digitization processes and on highlighting successful digital transformation strategies in all sectors of industry. Key topics include the development of a cyber-physical production system for Industry 4.0; digital design technologies for enhancing the competitiveness of products and companies; digital twin-driven product manufacturing and services; and the effects of the industrial digital transformation on society and the environment. With regard to implementing IT and other technological innovations, lessons learned in developed and developing economies, as well as small and large enterprises, are included. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable asset for researchers and managers of industrial organizations alike.

This open access book presents the foundations of the Big Data research and innovation ecosystem and the associated enablers that facilitate delivering value from data for business and society. It provides insights into the key elements for research and innovation, technical architectures, business models, skills, and best practices to support the creation of data-driven solutions and organizations. The book is a compilation of selected high-quality chapters covering best practices, technologies, experiences, and practical recommendations on research and innovation for big data. The contributions are grouped into four parts: * Part I: Ecosystem Elements of Big Data Value focuses on establishing the big data value ecosystem using a holistic approach to make it attractive and valuable to all stakeholders. * Part II: Research and Innovation Elements of Big Data Value details the key technical and capability challenges to be addressed for delivering big data value. * Part III: Business, Policy, and Societal Elements of Big Data Value investigates the need to make more efficient use of big data and understanding that data is an asset that has significant potential for the economy and society. * Part IV: Emerging Elements of Big Data Value explores the critical elements to maximizing the future potential of big data value. Overall, readers are provided with insights which can support them in creating data-driven solutions, organizations, and productive data ecosystems. The material represents the results of a collective effort undertaken by the European data community as part of the Big Data Value Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the European Commission and the Big Data Value Association (BDVA) to boost data-driven digital transformation.

This book is the result of years of research following a realization of the mismatch of engineering skills produced by universities and those that industry required, based on the situation in Sub-Saharan Africa, equally applicable to other regions in Africa and indeed worldwide. The book is meant to assist engineering academics and engineers in industry to build capacity and cope with the dynamic trends in technology brought on by the 4th Industrial Revolution and to prepare for the 5th Industrial Revolution, an era predicted to be dominated by critical and system thinkers with creative and innovative skills as basic necessities. The book is also useful for policy-making researchers in academia, industrial and public sector researchers, and implementers in governments that provide required funding for the development of human resources and skills. The book primarily consists of the novel research and innovation approaches of modelling and building systems thinking sub-models which were ultimately integrated into the Universal Systems Thinking (UST) model aimed at improving the quality of engineers and engineering practice. The initiatives in this book include strategies for bridging the gap between industry and academia through systems thinking research. The book provides information on how to model, simulate, adjust and implement integrated systems thinking approaches to engineering education and training for capacity building and sustainability. The book also covers approaches to address research gaps and mismatch of skills while capitalizing on the successes of several projects carried out and supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering over the years.

This book examines different innovations in worldwide agricultural-systems including the applications of artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT) and features of machine learning (ML) for the benefits of the farm-community. Specifically, it examines the use of agricultural equipment and IoT to reduce physical stress; innovative equipment that measure and reduce mental work load; and innovative techniques to help with employee safety. Featuring case studies and future implications, this book is an excellent guide for academics and researchers in the agri-sector.

This book systematically summarizes China Internet development over the past 25 years, highlighting its strong impact on China's economy and society, and discussing the Chinese people's transition from beneficiaries and participants to builders, contributors and joint maintainers of cyberspace development. It describes the development achievements, status and development and trends in China Internet in 2019, systematically summarizes the main lessons learned during development, and analyzes China's strategic planning and policy actions. Further, it discusses topics such as development outcomes, future trends in information infrastructure, network information technology, digital economy, e-government, construction and management of network contents, cyberspace security, the legal construction of cyberspace, and international cyberspace governance. In addition, the book suggests improvements to the index system for China Internet development and offers an overall assessment of cyberspace security and informatization work throughout China in order to comprehensively and accurately demonstrate the level of China Internet development.

This volume presents a portfolio of cases and applications on technology roadmapping (TRM) for products and services. It provides a brief overview on criteria or metrics used for evaluating the success level of TRM and then offers six case examples from sectors such as transportation, smart technologies and household electronics. A new innovation in this book is a section of detailed technology roadmap samples that technology managers can apply to emerging technologies.