This book examines the introduction of smart technologies into public administrations and the organizational issues caused by these implementations, and the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to rationalize and improve government, transform governance and organizational issues, and address economic, social, and environmental challenges. Cities are increasingly using new technologies in the delivery of public sector services and in the improvement of government transparency, business-led urban development, and urban sustainability. The book will examine specific smart projects that cities are embracing to improve transparency, efficiency, sustainability, mobility, and whether all cities are prepared to implement smart technologies and the incentives for promoting implementation. This focus on the smart technologies applied to public sector entities will be of interest to academics, researchers, policy-makers, public managers, international organizations and technical experts involved in and responsible for the governance, development and design of Smart Cities.

Cooperative activities, or joint ventures, are becoming increasingly popular as instruments of strategic action. But although more and more companies are entering into these alliances full of hope and enthusiasm, past experience shows that most will likely experience the disillusionment of having their ventures fall apart. William Murphy contends that our understanding of the strategic management of collective action needs improvement if the hoped for benefits of cooperation are to be realized. In this work, he examines the management of a specific type of cooperative action that has become critically important to company and national competitiveness: the cooperative research venture.

Murphy thoroughly details this new class of inter-firm cooperation to produce knowledge, which has only recently been made possible by changes in the competitive and legal environments. He begins with an introduction and review of the prior literature on cooperative ventures, followed by an extensive survey of competition and cooperation. The management challenges of cooperative research, particularly the need to forge a consensus among participants, are examined in a brief chapter, which precedes four studies of specific cooperative ventures: the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology, the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, Sematech, and U.S. Memories. A final chapter draws conclusions and lessons from the examples, and three appendixes detail antitrust laws applicable to cooperative ventures, Japanese and European microelectronic and computer ventures, and cooperative ventures under NCRA. This work will be an important resource for executives and managers in companies involved in research and development, as well as for college courses in business and economics. Public and academic libraries will also find it to be a valuable addition to their collections.

This volume deals with the role and impact of technology on the economy and society. The papers on corporate dimensions address the impact of patents, determinants of innovative activities, differential behaviour of multinationals, industrial groups and other firms with regard to innovations and technology. In contrast, the papers on social dimensions chiefly deal with the role of technology in reducing inequality. The majority of the papers employ econometric techniques and other statistical methods, and many are based on primary data. The studies emphasise the importance of innovations (especially patents) and human capital in influencing productivity across Indian states, the significance of patenting in determining the efficiency of firms, the role of business groups in promoting innovations, differences in the technological characteristics of multinational and domestic firms, and how mergers and acquisitions can promote R&D. The papers on social dimensions analyse how innovative activities can shape employment, the impact of technology on poverty, the socioeconomic characteristics of mobile phone ownerships, use of information and communications technologies at educational institutions, and the influence of Synchronous Technologies in reducing access to teaching programmes. The studies show that those Indian states that have invested in human capital and technology experienced higher labour productivity. Further, the studies establish a positive correlation between R&D spending and employment. Lastly, they demonstrate that the adoption of agriculture-related technologies can have a significant impact on rural poverty and consumption expenditures.

The Palgrave Handbook of Research Design in Business and Management uses a new state-of-the-art research design typology model to guide researchers in creating the blueprints for their experiments. By focusing on theory and cutting-edge empirical best-practices, this handbook utilizes visual techniques to appease all learning styles.

These proceedings gather selected peer-reviewed papers from the 11th World Congress on Engineering Asset Management (WCEAM), which was held in Jiuzhaigou, China, on 25-28 July, 2016. These proceedings cover a wide range of topics in engineering asset management, including: * strategic asset management; * condition monitoring and diagnostics; * integrated intelligent maintenance; * sensors and devices; * information quality and management; * sustainability in asset management; * asset performance and knowledge management; * data mining and AI techni ques in asset management; * engineering standards; and * education in engineering asset management. The breadth and depth of these state-of-the-art, comprehensive proceedings make them an excellent resource for asset management practitioners, researchers and academics, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students.

This proceedings volume explores the socio-economic dimension of the heritage sector from a broad, interdisciplinary perspective. Featuring contributions from the 2016 ALECTOR International Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey, this book presents current theoretical and empirical research related to such topics as: R&D and ICT in tourism; heritage products and services; climate change; finance and tourism; cultural communication; anthropological cultural heritage; and heritage management. Collectively, the papers presented in this book provides methodologies, strategies and applications to measure the socio-economic dimension of the heritage sector and also good practices in the heritage sector that drive regional, cultural and economic development and sustainability. The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre (ENPI) Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) Black Sea project "Collaborative Networks of Multilevel Actors to Advance Quality Standards for Heritage Tourism at Cross Border Level", or ALECTOR, focuses on different types of heritage assets as a means to invest in human capital and tourism innovation in order to achieve socio-economic development and cooperation with social partners in the Black Sea region. Featuring collaborations from Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey, the project proposes a cognitive and educational framework for using a region's assets, which would guide final beneficiaries (regions, communities, SMEs) to identify, signify, valorize and manage their natural and cultural resources, in order to use heritage potential as a vehicle for tourism. Presenting case studies of successful initiatives, the enclosed papers are divided into two parts: * Part I: Economics of Heritage features innovative research results on the heritage and tourism topics from countries such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Russia, and Romania * Part II: Best Practices features best practices, experiences, and promotion plans for cultural heritage through tourism from countries such as Bulgaria, Republic of Moldova, Turkey, Russia, and Romania

This book clarifies the common misconception that there are no systematic instruments to support ideation, heuristics and creativity. Using a collection of articles from professionals practicing the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), this book presents an overview of current trends and enhancements within TRIZ in an international context, and shows its different roles in enhancing creativity for innovation in research and practice. Since its first introduction by Genrikh Saulovich Altshuller in 1956 in the USSR, the TRIZ method has been widely used by inventors, design engineers and has become a standard element of innovation support tools in many Fortune 500 companies. However, TRIZ has only recently entered the domain of scientific publications and discussion. This collection of articles is meant as a record of scientific discussion on TRIZ that reflects the most interesting talking points, research interests, results and expectations. Topics such as Creative and Inventive Design, Patent Mining, and Knowledge Harvesting are also covered in this book.

The Lean Product Lifecycle is a playbook that provides frameworks, methods and tools to develop innovative new products and business models, while managing your core portfolio.

Follow the 6 key phases of a product’s life - idea, explore, validate, grow, sustain and retire – and discover how to develop products according to their life stage and ensure the right investment for each. For each stage there is a step-by-step guide of product development best practices using examples and case studies from several companies and start-ups.

Using the tools and templates in this book, you’ll be able to:

- Take a new product from idea to scale within a market.

- Understand the difference between executing on products that are already successful in the market and searching for profitable business models for new products.

- Use the right tools and methods for validating new products ideas and business models.

- Understand how to manage mature products and retire old products using lean innovation principles.

Discover how lessons from lean start-ups can transform your business.

Industrial Applications of Affective Engineering introduces new analytical methods such as fluctuation, fuzzy logic, fractals, and complex systems, and pursuing interdisciplinary research that traverses a wide range of fields, including information engineering, human engineering, cognitive science, psychology, and design studies. The book is split into two parts: theory and applications. The book is a collection of the best papers from ISAE2013 (International Symposium of Affective Engineering) held at Kitakyushu, Japan and Japan Kansei Engineering Meeting on March 6-8, 2013.

The geography of networks and R&D collaborations, in particular the spatial dimension of interactions between organisations performing joint R&D, have attracted a burst of attention in the last decade, both in the scientific study of the networks and in the policy sector. The volume is intended to bring together a selection of articles providing novel theoretical and empirical insights into the geographical dynamics of such networks and R&D collaborations, using new, systematic data sources and employing cutting-edge spatial analysis and spatial econometric techniques. It comprises a section on analytic advances and methodology and two thematic sections on structure and spatial characteristics of R&D networks and the impact of R&D networks and policy implications. The edited volume provides a collection of high-level research contributions with an aim to contribute to the recent debate in economic geography and regional science on how the structure of formal and informal networks modifies and influences the spatial and temporal diffusion of knowledge.

This book focuses on understanding the strategic role of the knowledge workers in companies, especially in creating an innovative company. The author presents the 'Sknowinnov method' and a decision-making model for the assessment of the value of strategic knowledge resources in companies. This method and its approach can be used as excellent tools for a quantitative knowledge analysis in an economic viewpoint. The IT tool that is developed for this method offers support in decision making at a strategic level regarding the profitability of any investment in employee qualifications and skills. The tool also connects the selected determinants described in an innovative company with the value of the personnel usefulness function, enabling the assessment of the rationality and effectiveness of knowledge. HR managers and knowledge management consultants for innovative companies would find this book and the IT tools presented specially useful. This book also adds value to researchers dealing with analysis of quantitative and qualitative methods in intellectual capital research.

This book analyzes the common set of obstacles to the development and integration of government Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects and effective e-government initiatives in developing countries. It draws on the expertise and experience of more developed states in the Pacific, notably Australia and New Zealand, both highly rated in global rankings for e-government and active in a variety of e-government development projects across the region. There has been a general failure to identify priorities and align projects with local needs in ICT/e-government projects. Small Island Developing States (or SIDS) present a unique problem in terms of e-government. Not only do they suffer from a common set of barriers to ICT development such as their remoteness, geographical dispersion, moist tropical climates, largely rural populations, and lack of ICT capacity and infrastructure, but are also dependent on external agencies for investment, and must negotiate with powerful donors who have conflicting agendas. E-government is widely regarded as 'transformational', increasing efficiency, productivity, accountability, economic growth, and citizen involvement. But while the governments of SIDS are committed to harnessing ICTs for effective government and economic development, they face major challenges in establishing successful e-government initiatives, due to the problems outlined above, coupled with a lack of HR capacities and appropriate strategies and policies. Drawing on the experience of the states mentioned above, as well as regional quasi-governmental bodies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), aid agencies, and the private sector, the book will be of interest to researchers and students in the fields of e-government, public administration, political science, communication, information science, and social media.

This book presents a curated collection of research on ethnic entrepreneurship, focusing on the informal sector. The common theme of the expert contributions is that entrepreneurial motivation to start informal business is paramount to ethnic groups. In particular, the book explores the factors influencing ethnic groups to start informal businesses and how this creates innovative business activity. It also charts the evolution of ethnic entrepreneurship and informal businesses in advanced and emerging economies; the diversity of entrepreneurial strategies; the economics of co-ethnic employment; and the issues surrounding immigrant entrepreneurship. The book is a valuable resource for researchers in the field of informal ethnic entrepreneurship, as well as for policy makers and entrepreneurs.

This book discusses the experience of enterprise transformation and upgrading and the role of government in promoting this dramatic change in Asian emerging economies. The author specifically explores the direction, influencing factors, paths and modes of enterprise transformation and upgrading by conducting intensive case studies on a number of enterprises having accomplished upgrading in mainland China and Taiwan, and draws experience and lessons from them. These theoretical and practical insights have great significance for Chinese enterprises in improving their ability to respond to drastic external changes and provide useful reference for the formulation of government policies.

Many people have great ideas. Without the necessary skills and means most never get to realize them. If they could cooperate with competent firms and entrepreneurs together both could achieve much and this is increasingly happening. Mechanisms are being established making a division of labour between inventors and implementers a reality. This is changing the nature of innovation from an internal R&D, or purely entrepreneurial attempt, to a more cooperative innovation. An Idea Economy emerges, where anyone has the possibility to profit from their ideas, and everyone will benefit from more and better innovation. This book presents us the emergence and structure of the Idea Economy by extending the seminal concepts of Entrepreneurial Society and Open Innovation. Part I describes the big picture on how innovation is evolving, where we are today, and what an Idea Economy will look like. Part II points the way forward, discussing in detail on how cooperation in the innovation process works, and why this is only recently becoming possible.

This volume is devoted to innovation with a special focus on its two sides, namely creation and destruction, and on its role in the evolution of capitalist economies. The first part of the book looks at innovation and its effects on economic performance, addressing issues of motives, behavioral rules under uncertainty, actor properties, and technology characteristics. The second part concentrates on potential consequences of innovative activities, in particular structural change, the "innovation-mediated" effect of skill-oriented policies on regional performance, the destructive effects of innovation activities, and the question whether novelty is always good. The role of innovation in the evolution of capitalism itself is discussed in the third part.

This book focuses on Indian manufacturing industries and analyses the impact of inward foreign direct investment on the domestic sector on the one hand, and exports and outward foreign direct investment by Indian companies on the other. Although the emphasis is mostly general, specific industries, such as the automotive industry or the wind energy sector are also explored. The differences between low and high technology industries are also addressed. In terms of theoretical setting and analysis, the book draws both from international business and industrial organization literature. The various characteristics of Indian industries, such as the determinants and impacts of R&D, the effects of spillovers, the drivers of productivity and technical efficiency are thoroughly researched employing appropriate quantitative methodologies that are relevant to the specific domain and topic under investigation. The book also focuses on the bearing of policy on promoting manufacturing industries in India and is therefore of interest to researchers, industrialists and policy makers alike.

This book contributes to the current discussion in society, politics and higher education on innovation capacity and the financial and non-financial incentives for researchers. The expert contributions in the book deal with implementation of incentive systems at higher education institutions in order to foster innovation. On the other hand, the book also discusses the extent to which governance structures from economy can be transferred to universities and how scientific performance can be measured and evaluated. This book is essential for decision-makers in knowledge-intensive organizations and higher-educational institutions dealing with the topic of performance management.

Technologies such as renewable energy alternatives including wind, solar and biomass, storage technologies and electric engines are creating a different landscape for the electricity industry. Using sources and ideas from technologies such as renewable energy alternatives, Research and Technology Management in the Electricity Industry explores a different landscape for this industry and applies it to the electric industry supported by real industry cases. Divided into three sections, Research and Technology Management in the Electricity Industry introduces a range of methods and tools including technology assessment, forecasting, roadmapping, research and development portfolio management and technology transfer. These tools are the applied to emerging technologies in this industry with case studies including data from various organizations including Bonneville Power Administration and Energy Trust of Oregon, from sectors including lighting and wind energy. The final section considers innovation through these technologies. A product result of a collaboration between Bonneville Power Administration and Portland State University, Research and Technology Management in the Electricity Industry is a comprehensive collection of methods, tools, examples and pathways for future innovation in the electricity industry.

This book explores public sector entrepreneurship from an international perspective. It features essays from eminent scholars in the field addressing entrepreneurial public policies from different countries. Public sector entrepreneurship is at the cusp of becoming a watchword in international policy circles. This book is a pioneer volume in this emerging field and provides topics and policies that are broadly applicable across different economies. Public sector entrepreneurship refers to innovative public policy initiatives that generate greater economic prosperity by transforming a status-quo economic environment into one that is more conducive to economic units engaging in creative activities in the face of uncertainty. In today's economy, public sector entrepreneurship affects that transformation primarily by increasing the effectiveness of knowledge networks; that is, by increasing the heterogeneity of experiential ties among economic units and the ability of those same economic units to exploit such diversity. Through policy initiatives that are characterized by public sector entrepreneurship, there will be more development of new technology and hence more innovation throughout the economy.

Ideas are like goods and services--they can be sold--indeed, they must be. Friesen maintains that many executives, particularly those who aspire to similar positions in upper management, often do not understand this and wonder why their recommendations go unheeded and why they don't move up the organizational ladder. Others may wonder why they don't seem to have the authority they thought they had and why people who report to them often appear indifferent. Friesen's book makes clear that there are productive ways of selling your ideas, and he shows that these methods can and must be learned. He shows why organizations tend to be defensive and how to sell ideas effectively in a way that averts resistance to change. The result is an engrossing and practical book of advice for people at all levels in all organizations, public and private.

Executives at all levels and in every type of organization achieve their executive status in one of two ways: they either inherit it or they earn it through hard work, aspiration, and a bit of luck. Friesen directs his book at executives who wish to improve their ability to sell and implement ideas, and, in doing so, continue their rise up the corporate ladder. This book will also be of value to executives who have a desire to increase their authority and/or their administrative position and to those who wish to inspire a sense of loyalty among their employees, and those who hope to lead their orgaizations into the next century.

Friesen explains why organizations tend to be defensive and how recognizing this can lead to greater levels of personal success. He also provides a thorough background on the nature of power, contrasting legitimate power and authority, and helping one understand how to increase it without formal advancement in the organization. A specific process one can use to sell ideas as well as to develop relationships is described and illustrated. The book is intended for specialists in organizational behavior and top-level executives. It is organized to provide value as a reference work and to provide readers with unusual and useful strategies for their personal advancement and the enrichment of their communication skills.

This set brings together two essential books in understanding how to deliver and manage business transformation - A Handbook of Business Transformation Management Methodology and Business Transformation Essentials. The Handbook of Business Transformation Management Methodology providesa '360-degree' view on what business transformation means and how to manage it successfully. Suitable for business executives dealing with organizational change, illustrative case studies ensure this is also a valuable resource for academics interested in change and transformation management. Using a variety of case studies including: Allianz SE, Shell, SAP, Vodafone, and Mercedes-Benz, Business Transformation Essentials provides unprecedented insights into characteristics of current transformation programs and the potential that can be leveraged by applying a holistic transformation management approach.

Today, innovation is a key driver for performance and growth in business. It provides a strong competitive advantage and is one of the best ways to speed up the rate of change and adaptation to the global environment. Concurrently, the innovation topic is also regaining more and more visibility and interest among the academic communities worldwide.
However, 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, especially from an international perspective. Even if these processes are taking place in very different industries, there are many parallels in successfully managing them.
Thsi voluem explores these new routes and assesses their value both for markets and companies. More specifically, the book is organized around three themes:
- How to stimulate and nurture innovations
- How to commercialize innovations
- How to lead and manage the innovation process