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Through a series of studies, the overarching aim of this book is to investigate if and how the digitalization/digital transformation process affects various welfare services provided by the public sector, and the ensuing implications thereof. Ultimately, this book seeks to understand if it is conceivable for digital advancement to result in the creation of private/non-governmental alternatives to welfare services, possibly in a manner that transcends national boundaries. This study also investigates the possible ramifications of technological development for the public sector and the Western welfare society at large. This book takes its point of departure from the 2016 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report that targets specific public service areas in which government needs to adopt new strategies not to fall behind. Specifically, this report emphasizes the focus on digitalization of health care/social care, education, and protection services, including the use of assistive technologies referred to as "digital welfare." Hence, this book explores the factors potentially leading to whether state actors could be overrun by other non-governmental actors, disrupting the current status quo of welfare services. The book seeks to provide an innovative, enriching, and controversial take on society at large and how various aspects of the public sector can be, and are, affected by the ongoing digitalization process in a way that is not covered by extant literature on the market. This book takes its point of departure in Sweden given the fact that Sweden is one of the most digitalized countries in Europe, according to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), making it a pertinent research case. However, as digitalization transcends national borders, large parts of the subject matter take on an international angle. This includes cases from several other countries around Europe as well as the United States.

This book develops and articulates a new perspective on the relationship between natural resources and development by foregrounding issues of innovation, knowledge, and industrial dynamics. Despite growing academic attention to the relationship between economic development and natural resources in social sciences, the issue has received rather limited attention in the field of Innovation Studies. This is problematic given the centrality of innovation and technological change for growth and development. Against that background, this book makes three contributions. Firstly, it summarizes and synthesizes existing insights about learning and innovation in Natural Resource Based Industries. Secondly, it develops new insights based on original research work. Thirdly, it distils and explains the remaining research challenges in the field. Containing important insights for researchers, businesses, and policymakers, this book will be useful to all those with an interest in navigating a natural resource based development pathway. This book was originally published as a special issue of Innovation and Development.

This book sheds light on what has come to be known as corporate foresight and its influence on innovation management. Throughout the book, the contributors examine the practice of corporate foresight and how it may lead to the identification of opportunities for innovation. They also explore the complex processes and conditions that may enable (or impede) the potential of contemporary organizations to capture value from their corporate foresight exercises. Representing an interesting mix of competing ideas and perspectives, the book offers deep insights into the interactive effects of corporate foresight and its contribution to innovation management. This book was originally published as a special issue of Technology Analysis & Strategic Management.

Already in just a decade of existence, cryptocurrencies have been the world's best-performing financial asset, outperforming stocks, bonds, commodities and currencies. This comprehensive yet concise book will enable the reader to learn about the nuts and bolts of cryptocurrencies, including their history, technology, regulations and economics. Additionally, this book teaches sound investment strategies that already work along with the spectrum of risks and returns. This book provides a plain-language primer for beginners worldwide on how to confidently navigate the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrencies. Beginning by cutting to the chase, the author lists the common burning questions about cryptocurrency and provides succinct answers. Next, he gives an overview of cryptocurrency's underlying technology: blockchain. He then explores the history of cryptocurrency and why it's attracted so much attention. With that foundation, readers will be ready to understand how to invest in cryptocurrency: how cryptocurrency differs from traditional investments such as stocks, how to decide which cryptocurrency to invest in, how to acquire it, how to send and receive it, along with investment strategies. Additionally, legal issues, social implications, cybersecurity risks and the vocabulary of cryptocurrency are also covered, including Bitcoin and the many alternative cryptocurrencies. Written by a journalist-turned-professor, this book's appeal lies in its succinct, informative and easy-to-understand style. It will be of great interest to anyone looking to further their understanding of what cryptocurrency is, why it's a big deal, how to acquire it, how to send and receive it, and investment strategies.

Project management disciplines have been a part of IT for many years. Why then, are so many challenges still directly associated with how a project is managed? Many projects fail for a myriad of reasons; most, however, stem from poor or inadequate project evaluation and performance appraisal, while, improved project planning and direction is considered to be one of the key factors to IT project success. Eriona Shtembari arranges evaluation methods and techniques into three groups, managerial-financial-and-development. This book explores the process of project evaluation and the purposes of evaluation, given its strong relationship to the success of the project. It examines IT project evaluation; identifies methods and techniques to be used throughout the project life cycle; examines the benefits of project evaluation and proposes a systematic approach/framework of project evaluation to serve as a tool for successful project management. Shtembari analyses the most up-to-date research relating to the process and methods/techniques of project evaluation, throughout the project life cycle. From the systematic literature review, she identifies the most usable methods and techniques in project evaluation and focuses on the adequacy of these methods and techniques in the service sector. The theoretical underpinning of the book, serves as a base to interpret the interviews in the case study and build a theory as to how the project evaluation context relates to the proposed scientific theory. The findings in this book provide solutions for practitioners to help them boost the evaluation framework and consequently improve their IT project management.

Coping with complexities is an everyday reality for private, public and third sectors that face intricate, overlapping, obscuring and ever-changing challenges. Developments in technology and systems of value creation are driving a new need to understand, facilitate and manage complexity. The book proposes design and design research as a solution to respond to the complexities associated with the intensifying and rapid changes in societies, technological fields and environments. A four-step design process for managing complexities is introduced in the four parts of this book, spanning from design research in the field to practice-based contexts. This publication collates high-level research and the latest scholarship on this topic, while many of the case studies described herein draw on rich experiences and applications in practice. The ways designers work to overcome complexities through design, and the methods and frameworks presented in the chapters, provide critical insights and form an important scholarly contribution in this subject area.

This book offers a new understanding of innovation in the built environment. The ways meaning of innovation is constructed has important implications for policymakers, project managers, academics and students. Through a longitudinal research study into innovation in firms and projects, the book addresses some key themes, challenges and concerns that practitioners face when managing innovation in the built environment. It examines the key drivers for innovation in the construction, engineering and infrastructure firms and projects. In particular, the questions of how and why innovation becomes recognised and sustained over time are explored. Different theoretical perspectives are considered to explain different aspects of innovation. This includes sensemaking, organisational and individual identity, storytelling and narration. The book has practical implications for how organisational activities become labelled as 'innovation' and for what purpose. It shares some lived stories of innovation as mobilised by practising managers. The connectivity between the formal narratives of innovation at the policy level and the lived narratives of innovation articulated by practitioners is explored. Combining the theory with practice, this book presents an insightful view on the implications of innovation in the business world today.

The Frugal Innovation and Bottom of the Pyramid Markets series comprises four volumes, covering theoretical perspectives, themes and various aspects of interest across four key geographical regions where BOP markets are located - South America, Asia, Africa and more engineered countries. BOP always addresses the poorest people or socioeconomic order or groups within a country, society, region or continent, thus, this series contributes a profound understanding of BOP markets across the most important geographical areas around the world and presents valuable insights on how the private sector can work together with other stakeholders to develop and operationalize economically viable business models in BOP markets, all the while contributing to sustainable development. Private actors such as multinationals, SMEs and entrepreneurs have a critical role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals agenda as laid down by United Nations in September 2015. Yet, BOP markets face unique challenges and the private sector alone cannot orchestrate sustainable value creation activities. Each volume presents several theoretical strands that highlight the diverse approaches and solutions to developing BOP markets further. Frugal, reverse and inclusive innovations can foster (sustainable) development and provide new business models and value streams that other countries can also benefit from. A variety of stylistic elements, such as research work, interviews and roundtable discussions, offer a wide and vivid impression of ongoing challenges and fruitful solutions.

This book celebrates the contributions of David B. Audretsch, Distinguished Professor at the School of Public and Environment Affairs (SPEA) at Indiana University (USA), co-founder and co-editor of Small Business Economics, and former Director of the Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group at the erstwhile Max Planck Institute of Economics (Jena, Germany). For his pioneering work, which explores the links between entrepreneurship, government policy, innovation, economic development, and global competitiveness, he has received the 2001 Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research from the Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research and the 2011 Schumpeter Prize from the University of Wuppertal (Germany). This volume features original contributions from over 50 leading scholars to map, analyze and evaluate the impact of Audretsch's research on a broad spectrum of research fields, ranging from economics to entrepreneurship and geography. The development and evolution of key ideas which have significantly shaped theory and future research across these fields are also explored.

This book provides an authoritative resource on the topic of intelligent robots, artificial intelligence and the ethical implications of these revolutionary innovations. It examines the moral and ethical problems that arise in relation to the development, design and use of intelligent robots, which are capable of autonomous or semi-autonomous decision-making. These problems might relate, for example, to medical robots, driverless cars, intelligent military drones, pedagogical robots, police robots, legal robots and many others. The main question addressed in this book is how we can understand, explain and apply the concept of ethics in relation to intelligent robots and artificial intelligence. In each chapter, the author examines a different aspect of this question. The author also questions how we can ensure that intelligent robots are of service to humans and under what conditions intelligent robots could become more ethical than humans. The book employs an original approach to examining this cutting-edge research question, combining different research areas, and offers a wealth of practical relevance and real-world examples, illustrated through vivid case studies. With its jargon free approach and a dedicated chapter on relevant concepts at the end, this book is also accessible to readers without prior knowledge on intelligent robots and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. By providing a general account of this debate, and of the consequences of the innovations resulting from these trends, the book serves as an important contribution to the discussion and will find a natural readership among scholars and students of the innovation economy and those concerned with the ethical considerations arising in the wake of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

This book sets out to explain blockchain for the non-technical expert, to decipher the dense technicalities that dominate the field and to present the opportunities for busy professionals using practical applications and case studies. Presented in a clear and structured way and with documented real-world cases, the book is a practical reference guide that can be used across different industries. It offers both a constructive and critical review of the pain points blockchain is facing today, illustrates the pitfalls as well as the opportunities for business and describes the steps towards overcoming them. It also aims to provide a unique view of both the intersection and synergy of blockchain with other emerging technologies and the wider digital ecosystem, as we see increasingly that blockchain alone won't be able to deliver business solutions. Most important, the book identifies trends and a path for the future of blockchain and its impact on society as a whole. The book is written for business audiences across all sectors. It is not a technical guide to blockchain, but it enables businesspeople to be better informed and prepared to plan ahead and develop strategies using blockchain.

You may be familiar with the success stories of Spanx, GoldieBlox, and other women-owned businesses that have taken their markets by storm. But, today, only two percent of women-owned firms generate more than one million dollars annually. The Next Wave is here to help women drive up that number. Drawing on the Kauffman Firm Survey and many other sources, Susan Coleman and Alicia M. Robb cull together data-driven advice for women-owned, growth-oriented businesses as they finance their expansion. They not only consider the unique approaches and specific concerns of female business owners, but also take into account the growing pool of investors who will play a role in selecting and grooming a new generation of women entrepreneurs. Since growth-oriented firms typically require external capital, the investor perspective is critical. Telling entrepreneurs what the research means for them, outfitting them with resources, and illustrating the road ahead with real world cases, this book serves as a pioneering strategy guide for the next wave of women who want to "go big" to bring home their goals.

The COVID-19 pandemic represents an extraordinary inflection point that caught airlines worldwide unprepared, causing CEOs to recalibrate their business models. This book explains why this unprecedented pandemic is different from the past disruptions experienced by the airline industry during the past 50 years, and what airlines and related businesses now can do to adapt to the dramatically changed marketplace. This book presents two future scenarios: continuous improvements and elastic supply. These are considered in three specific contexts for the rebuilding of the airline business. These contexts, in the order of urgency with respect to change from the status quo, are the following. The first context is for airlines to become better prepared to deal with frequent and deeper disruptions that could be localized or globalized relating to such areas as climate change, geopolitics, and cybersecurity. The second context is to collaborate and integrate within the much broader travel ecosystem, possibly using platforms to innovate on new value systems. The third context, which has always been the case and drives the first two, is for airlines to offer real solutions to people's travel needs, solutions developed with imagination and turbocharged innovation, even as we contemplate new technology airplanes and mobility as a service solutions. This book is recommended reading for all senior-level practitioners of airlines and related businesses, as well as aviation policy makers worldwide.

This book addresses the rapidly changing citizen roles in innovation, technology adoption, intermediation, market creation, and legitimacy building for low-carbon solutions. It links research in innovation studies, sustainability transitions, and science and technology studies, and builds a new approach for the study of user contributions to innovation and sociotechnical change. Citizen Activities in Energy Transition gives detailed and empirically grounded overall appraisal of citizens' active technological engagement in the current energy transition, in an era when Internet connectivity has given rise to important new forms of citizen communities and interactions. It elaborates a new way to study users in sociotechnical change through long-term ethnographic and historical research and reports its deployment in a major, decade-long line of investigation on user activities in small-scale renewables, addressing user contributions from the early years to the late proliferation stages of small-scale renewable energy technologies (S-RETs). It offers a much-needed empirical and theoretical understanding of the dynamics of the activities in which users are engaged over the course of sociotechnical change, including innovation, adoption, adjustment, intermediation, community building, digital communities, market creation, and legitimacy creation. This work is a must-read for those seeking to understand the role of users in innovation, energy systems change and the significance of new digital communities in present and future sociotechnical change. Academics, policymakers, and managers are given a new resource to understand the "demand side" of sociotechnical change beyond the patterns of investment, adoption, and social acceptance that have traditionally occupied their attention.

Industrial transformation is a research and teaching field with a focus on the phenomenon and mechanisms of industrial development and renewal. It concerns changes in economic activities caused by innovation, competition and collaboration, and has a rich heritage of evolutionary economics, institutional economics, industrial dynamics, technology history and innovation studies. It borrows concepts and models from the social sciences (sociology, history, political sciences, business/management, economics, behavioural sciences) and also from technology and engineering studies. In this book, the authors present the key theories, frameworks and concepts of industrial transformation and use empirical cases to describe and explain the causes, processes and outcomes of transformation in the context of digitalization and sustainability. They stress that industrial transformation consists both of Darwinian "survival of the fittest" selection, and of intentional pursuits of innovation, and of industrial capabilities creation. The work argues that managing the global trends of transformation is not only about new technology and innovation: existing institutional settings and dynamic interactions between technological change, organizational adaptation and economic activities also have a profound impact on future trajectories. The areas under investigation are of great relevance for strategic management decisions and industrial and technology policies, and understanding the mechanisms underlying transformation and sustainable growth.

The Frugal Innovation and Bottom of the Pyramid Markets series comprises four volumes, covering theoretical perspectives, themes and various aspects of interest across four key geographical regions where BOP markets are located - South America, Asia, Africa and more engineered countries. BOP always addresses the poorest people or socioeconomic order or groups within a country, society, region or continent, thus, this series contributes a profound understanding of BOP markets across the most important geographical areas around the world and presents valuable insights on how the private sector can work together with other stakeholders to develop and operationalize economically viable business models in BOP markets, all the while contributing to sustainable development. Private actors such as multinationals, SMEs and entrepreneurs have a critical role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals agenda as laid down by United Nations in September 2015. Yet, BOP markets face unique challenges and the private sector alone cannot orchestrate sustainable value creation activities. Each volume presents several theoretical strands that highlight the diverse approaches and solutions to developing BOP markets further. Frugal, reverse and inclusive innovations can foster (sustainable) development and provide new business models and value streams that other countries can also benefit from. A variety of stylistic elements, such as research work, interviews and roundtable discussions, offer a wide and vivid impression of ongoing challenges and fruitful solutions.

Digital Transformation in Accounting is a critical guidebook for accountancy and digital business students and practitioners to navigate the effects of digital technology advancements, digital disruption, and digital transformation on the accounting profession. Drawing on the latest research, this book: Unpacks dozens of digital technology advancements, explaining what they are and how they could be used to improve accounting practice. Discusses the impact of digital disruption and digital transformation on different accounting functions, roles, and activities. Integrates traditional accounting information systems concepts and contemporary digital business and digital transformation concepts. Includes a rich array of real-world case studies, simulated problems, quizzes, group and individual exercises, as well as supplementary electronic resources. Provides a framework and a set of tools to prepare the future accounting workforce for the era of digital disruption. This book is an invaluable resource for students on accounting, accounting information systems, and digital business courses, as well as for accountants, accounting educators, and accreditation / advocacy bodies.

You may be familiar with the success stories of Spanx, GoldieBlox, and other women-owned businesses that have taken their markets by storm. But, today, only two percent of women-owned firms generate more than one million dollars annually. The Next Wave is here to help women drive up that number. Drawing on the Kauffman Firm Survey and many other sources, Susan Coleman and Alicia M. Robb cull together data-driven advice for women-owned, growth-oriented businesses as they finance their expansion. They not only consider the unique approaches and specific concerns of female business owners, but also take into account the growing pool of investors who will play a role in selecting and grooming a new generation of women entrepreneurs. Since growth-oriented firms typically require external capital, the investor perspective is critical. Telling entrepreneurs what the research means for them, outfitting them with resources, and illustrating the road ahead with real world cases, this book serves as a pioneering strategy guide for the next wave of women who want to "go big" to bring home their goals.

A staggering 70% of digital transformations have failed as per McKinsey. The key reason why enterprises are failing in their digital transformation journey is because there is no standard framework existing in the industry that enterprises can use to transform themselves to digital. There are several books that speak about technologies such as Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics in silos, but none of these provides a holistic view on how enterprises can embark on a digital transformation journey and be successful using a combination of these technologies. FORMULA 4.0 is a methodology that provides clear guidance for enterprises aspiring to transform their traditional operating model to digital. Enterprises can use this framework as a readymade guide and plan their digital transformation journey. This book is intended for all chief executives, software managers, and leaders who intend to successfully lead this digital transformation journey. An enterprise can achieve success in digital transformation only of it can create an IT Platform that will enable them to adopt any new technology seamlessly into existing IT estate; deliver new products and services to the market in shorter durations; make business decisions with IT as an enabler and utilize automation in all its major business and IT processes. Achieving these goals is what defines a digital enterprise -- Formula 4.0 is a methodology for enterprises to achieve these goals and become digital. Essentially, there is no existing framework in the market that provides a step-by-step guide to enterprises on how to embark on their successful digital transformation journey. This book enables such transformations. Overall, the Formula 4.0 is an enterprise digital transformation framework that enables organizations to become truly digital.

A staggering 70% of digital transformations have failed as per McKinsey. The key reason why enterprises are failing in their digital transformation journey is because there is no standard framework existing in the industry that enterprises can use to transform themselves to digital. There are several books that speak about technologies such as Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics in silos, but none of these provides a holistic view on how enterprises can embark on a digital transformation journey and be successful using a combination of these technologies. FORMULA 4.0 is a methodology that provides clear guidance for enterprises aspiring to transform their traditional operating model to digital. Enterprises can use this framework as a readymade guide and plan their digital transformation journey. This book is intended for all chief executives, software managers, and leaders who intend to successfully lead this digital transformation journey. An enterprise can achieve success in digital transformation only of it can create an IT Platform that will enable them to adopt any new technology seamlessly into existing IT estate; deliver new products and services to the market in shorter durations; make business decisions with IT as an enabler and utilize automation in all its major business and IT processes. Achieving these goals is what defines a digital enterprise -- Formula 4.0 is a methodology for enterprises to achieve these goals and become digital. Essentially, there is no existing framework in the market that provides a step-by-step guide to enterprises on how to embark on their successful digital transformation journey. This book enables such transformations. Overall, the Formula 4.0 is an enterprise digital transformation framework that enables organizations to become truly digital.

Unlike other books available on the market, this combines rigorous academic theory with practical insights, making it both suitable for students and practitioners at the intersection between digital transformation, marketing and strategy implementation; Provides insights from contributors from GE, Volvo, Adobe, Siemens, DHL, Thales and other companies known for their exceptional abilities to drive profits via digital transformation; Practical steps to drive profits via digital strategy implementation both internally as well as externally (via-a-vis customers).

Even though the study of innovation and entrepreneurship is a diverse, multi-disciplinary endeavour, the role of culture is often neglected or under-emphasized. Building on the cultural turn that has swept across the social sciences and humanities over the past couple of decades, Culture, Innovation and Entrepreneurship provides cutting-edge theoretical and empirical insights about how culture shapes innovation and entrepreneurship. It features novel contributions that enhance our understanding about a variety of important theoretical issues related to symbolic management, framing, legitimacy, optimal distinctiveness, institutional logics and the dynamics of cultural entrepreneurship in and across organizations. This book also addresses a diverse range of topics such as the design of craft goods, the creation of the Guggenheim museum, entrepreneurial ecosystems, open innovation, crowdfunding, the mafia and grand challenges. The chapters in this volume will be of interest to a diverse array of scholars, from those interested in entrepreneurship and innovation to cultural studies, contemporary social theory, organization studies and management. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal Innovation: Organization and Management.

Crowdfunding is emerging as a new source of financing for creativity and innovation. It promotes the launching and scaling of new projects for different types of creators by providing networked platforms and handy digital tools. This book provides insight into crowdfunding and how crowdfunding contributes to our communities and society. The book includes an overview of existing discussions across different disciplines, i.e. entrepreneurship, information systems, marketing, and correlates the literature to the best crowdfunding practices. The book begins with origins, basic notions, and antecedents of crowdfunding. In the main parts, it demonstrates the five distinguished facets of crowdfunding: Creativity, diversity, balance, connection, and change. It also addresses the drawbacks of crowdfunding and subsequent outcomes of crowdfunding success. Finally, it provides a perspective on the future of crowdfunding.

The well-ordered, fully aligned view of organization and management practice, with its unfailingly positive results, bears little relationship to the world that managers and others experience every day. This straight-line, 'do this and you'll get that' idealization is far removed from the wiggly reality. Despite this, the former continues to dominate the ways in which management is spoken about and judged in formal organizational arenas and wider society. This creates unrealistic expectations of what managers (from CEO to the front line) can sensibly achieve independently of the actions of others. Crucially, too, it distorts the ways in which they and others account formally for their actions. And so, the fantasy continues. Against this background, the book offers a radically different way of thinking about, and engaging with, the irreducible complexity of organization and management practice. Using straightforward language throughout, it sets out to help managers and others to become consciously aware of what they already know deep down about how organization works and what they - and everyone else - are actually doing in practice. It then offers a practical approach to everyday practice that takes complexity seriously. Armed with these new insights, readers will be better placed to apply their innate understanding and practical judgement to the demands that they and others face day to day. Whether these arise from their roles as managers, other practitioners, policy makers, regulatory authorities, or participants more generally.