E=mc2: Material and energy innovation as a basis for economic growth – Thoughts for scientists and engineers

Theories that consider technology as the basis for economic growth focus on products – fundamental innovations. These theories have created much interest due to their ability to explain many economic events. However, technology-based long wave theories have been the subject of much criticism by traditional economists. Many of these concerns are addressed by changing a focus on products to engineering materials and forms of energy that are critical for the success of the fundamental innovations. Changing the focus from product to materials and energy not only addresses concerns of economists, but provides insights to scientists and engineers on the development of materials and energy and the management of research throughout the lifecycle of engineered materials and forms of energy.     

欠发达地区中小企业技术创新基金工作中的问题和对策研究

中小企业技术创新基金是国务院设立批准的专门支持科技型中小企业发展的政府专项基金。我国东部发达地区在利用国家创新基金培育和扶持科技型中小企业发展中取得了较好的成绩。而欠发达地区无论在创新基金项目申报、项目实施方面,还是在建立地方创新基金扶持体系、营造中小企业技术创新和融资环境方面,都远远落后发达地区。欠发达地区如何利用国家创新基金支持政策,促进地方经济的发展？文章对此进行了研究。     

基于生命周期视角的中小企业战略创新策略研究

中小企业对于经济增长、技术进步和大企业发展起到突出的作用。企业生命周期通常分为初创期、成长期、成熟期和衰退期四个阶段,不同的生命阶段,中小企业具有不同的特征。战略创新是在动态的环境中,企业为适应长期发展的需要对现有战略做出的根本性的变更,不同的发展阶段,中小企业战略创新的要点也不同。     

Putting policy into practice: an exploratory study of SME innovation support in a peripheral UK region

Abstract

Focussing on a regional Government sponsored support programme for technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the aim of this paper is to conduct a multi-level exploration of the relationships between policy interpretation and support programme design and the development of innovation capability among participant SMEs within a U.K peripheral region. The Innovplus programme was designed and implemented in Northern Ireland to help nascent high technology companies become more competitive and to contribute to the goals of the Regional Innovation Strategy. A knowledge-based absorptive capacity framework is used as the theoretical lens to explore the relationships between policy interpretation and programme design and the development of innovation capability within participant SMEs. The findings show that the design of the Innovplus programme, while linked to a coherent Regional Innovation Strategy, lacks consistency in relation to the policy and practical interpretation of knowledge and innovation. This inconsistency is reflected in the practical design of the programme, limiting its effectiveness as a result. In terms of the development of innovation capability, it was found that recognition and development of nascent absorptive capacity drivers in potential form was essential before participant SMEs could transition to realised absorptive capacity.     

高新技术企业自主创新的动力机制研究

高新技术企业是发展高新技术产业的重要基础,是调整产业结构与提高国家竞争力的生力军,在我国经济发展中占有十分重要的战略地位。文章分析了高新技术企业自主创新的内涵及动因,讨论了在诸多动因的带动下高新技术企业进行自主创新所产生的基本行为。     

实施国家科技型中小企业技术创新基金探析

自国家实施科技型中小企业技术创新基金以来,江苏省按照"优化环境、重在培育、加强监管、确保质量"的原则,认真组织实施创新基金项目,无锡尚德太阳能光伏电池、永中Office集成办公软件、"龙芯"CPU等一大批具有自主知识产权的重大高新技术成果迅速得到转化和产业化,成为引领江苏省高新技术新兴产业发展的重要力量。文章分析了江苏省实施国家科技型中小企业创新基金的总体情况、主要做法、主要成效和存在的问题,提出推动江苏省实施好国家科技型中小企业创新基金项目的对策建议。     

The politics of HRM: waiting for Godot in the Moroccan civil service

This study illustrates the fundamental importance of a political understanding in order to improve HRM in both public and private organizations. It complements studies that have found a statistical relationship between public staff management and economic growth by presenting a case study of Morocco, using the strategic human resource management (SHRM) model as a framework.

There are several reasons why HRM in the Moroccan civil service has stagnated, notably unfamiliarity with HRM models and the French administrative heritage. But the fundamental reason is Morocco's political system, where real power resides in the Palace, and where political actors are reluctant to take bold initiatives. Thus a focus on the management level is currently misplaced, and fundamental political action harnessing the authority of the Palace without disempowering other political actors is needed.

The study implies that a political analysis is sometimes a prerequisite for improving HRM in both public and private organizations.     

Technological capabilities and internationalization of high-tech ventures: The moderating role of strategic orientations

Venture firms' technological capabilities play a critical role in their internationalization. Applying a contingency-based approach to the internationalization of technology-based ventures, this study analyzes the moderating effects of strategic orientation on the relationship between technological capabilities and internationalization. The statistical analysis indicates that different strategic orientation types moderate the relationship between technological capabilities and internationalization in different directions. These findings suggest that strategic orientation offers an important context for understanding the internationalization of technology-based ventures.     

国际交通运输业发展方式转变研究

交通运输业对世界经济会产生最直接的影响,世界各国都要从战略上重视交通运输业的发展,从根本上保证交通运输业在世界经济发展中发挥基础性、战略性作用。国际交通运输业要实现全面发展必须转变发展方式,从国际交通运输业综合运输体系建设方面进行全面改革,提高交通运输业信息化水平,通过科技创新提高交通运输业服务水平。国际交通运输业需要建立统一的安全保障框架,促进其全面协调发展。     

论技术创新在石油企业的重要性

当今世界,石油资源不仅仅只是作为一种重要的能源,而且更是一种重要的经济资源和战略资源。石油资源的多少、石油企业能否持续健康发展,不仅直接影响着国民经济的发展进程、国防安全和社会稳定,并且在一定程度上还决定着综合国力及国际地位的高低,因此许多国家都把石油企业放在重要的战略位置上。历经五十年的发展,我国石油企业取得了举世瞩目的成绩,但也存在许多问题和挑战,因此深入、广泛和持久地推进企业的技术创新活动具有很重要的现实意义。可以推测,随着我国大中型企业改革的深化和市场经济体制的不断发育和完善,在我国石油企业中必将会出现技术创新的热潮。     

Supplier dependence asymmetry and investment in innovation: The role of psychological uncertainty

A key source of competitive advantage for large firms accrues from investments in innovative products and processes by their suppliers, incentivized by a positive relationship climate. A fundamental hindrance lies in a condition that commonly characterizes buyer-supplier relationships: asymmetric levels of dependence between business partners. Such asymmetry has been shown to be detrimental to the relationship, enhancing the likelihood of conflict, and negatively impacting the performance of the more dependent party. Considering that such dependence asymmetry is likely to persist, large buyers face the challenge of promoting a relationship environment that provides an incentive for suppliers to invest in innovation. In this study, we propose that large, dominant buyers can influence suppliers' intentions and behaviors by mitigating the effects of their perceived riskiness and ambiguity that emerge from a situation of dependence asymmetry. Specifically, using the lens of resource dependence theory, we investigate the effects of these two psychological dimensions of uncertainty on a supplier's trust, commitment, and willingness to invest in innovation, as well as the moderating effect of a buyer's information sharing in shaping a supplier's perceived uncertainty. The model is tested with a scenario-based experiment and results are corroborated by interviews with experienced managers of retail suppliers. Our findings indicate that a supplier's dependence on a large buyer increases its perception of ambiguity and riskiness in the relationship, negatively impacting its trust, commitment, and willingness to invest in innovation. However, a buyer who shares relevant and timely information with the supplier mitigates its perceived uncertainty, promoting the supplier's positive attitudes towards the buyer and incentivizing innovation. Sharing operational and strategic information such as point-of-sales data, sales forecasts, or strategic plans, becomes a valuable strategy to powerful buyers in the pursuit of becoming a preferred customer and enhancing a supplier's resource mobilization towards the relationship.     

加快科技金融体系建设 推进柳州国家高新区 经济发展方式转变和高新技术产业发展

"十二五"规划指出,我国要加快经济发展方式转变和大力发展战略性新兴产业。国家高新区是高新技术产业的集聚区,也是发展战略性新兴产业的重要载体和平台。柳州国家高新区是柳州乃至广西经济发展与创新的中坚力量,在"十一五"期间取得了巨大的成绩。然而,柳州国家高新区在"十二五"期间面临科技金融体系不完善,制约其高新技术产业规模化发展的问题。文章分析了柳州国家高新区高新技术产业的发展现状以及科技金融投入与创新的情况,提出了加快和完善科技金融体系建设的举措,推进柳州国家高新区高新技术产业全面发展的建议。     

研发人员和研发资本流动对区域创新绩效的影响机制研究——以长三角为例

我国正处于全面贯彻落实区域协同发展战略的关键阶段,长三角一体化发展已上升为国家战略。研发人员、研发资本是实施创新驱动发展、保障长三角区域创新绩效提升的重要战略资源。基于长三角、长江经济带面板数据,采用空间计量分析方法,分析长三角研发人员及资本流动的方向、结构特征和时空相关性以及研发人员及资本流动对区域创新绩效的影响。研究结果表明:长三角地区研发人员流动主要通过直接效应和空间溢出效应影响创新绩效;研发资本流动主要通过资源配置效应与资本流出的空间溢出效应影响创新绩效。在实证分析基础上,结合江苏省具体情况提出促进江苏省经济高质量发展的相关研发人才与资本引进策略设计等政策建议。     

Aligning adoption messages with audiences' priorities: A mixed-methods study of the diffusion of enterprise architecture among the US state governments

Prior studies on the diffusion of complex Information Systems (IS) innovations have leaned on the rhetoric of persuasion perspective to formulate rhetorical strategies that can persuade adopters to engage in adoption behaviors. Yet, most of them ignore the shifting priorities and changing identity of the audience. To address this gap, we extend the perspective by examining how innovators need to evolve the adoption message of an innovation by aligning it with the audience's diverse and shifting priorities (and related identities). We trace rhetorical changes that the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) introduced to promote the diffusion of enterprise architecture (EA) between 2000 and 2012 among the 50 US states. We conduct a mixed methods analysis: first we qualitatively discern changes in the content of the rhetoric (message change); then we use a latent semantic analysis to measure the frame resonance between NASCIO's shifting rhetoric and the audience's changing priorities (alignment with audience priorities). Our findings highlight the importance of: 1) frame ambiguity that renders a complex IS innovation appealing to varied audiences over its diffusion trajectory; and 2) listening to the community members' priorities and aligning the adoption message with their dominant beliefs. Our analysis posits the rhetoric of identification as a complementary lens to account for the co-evolution of shared priorities and identity alignments between innovators and their audiences.     

加快转变经济发展方式的思考与研究

只有坚持科学发展才能全面建成小康社会,而只有加快转变经济发展的方式才能做到科学发展,这是贯彻落实十八大精神和科学发展观的内在要求。加快转变经济发展方式,就必须解放思想,坚持改革开放,实施创新驱动发展战略,推动经济战略性调整,推动城乡发展一体化、实施技术进步和创新,全面提高开放型经济水平。     

Innovation centres and their importance for the growth of new technology-based firms: experience gained from the Federal Republic of Germany

The following study is based on three countrywide surveys aimed at investigating the effect of innovation centres as an instrument of local economic development and innovation policy in the Federal Republic of Germany (F.R.G.). The conceptual bases of 31 centres, the situation of 177 resident entrepreneurs and the characteristics of 29 site managers are investigated by means of written inquiries, structured interviews and oral inquiries. The representative nature of the data gathered allows a first cautious stocktaking of this still unequivocal instrument of economic development policy after 5 years' experience of innovation centres in the F.R.G. The main emphasis of the present investigation is on the implication that services rendered by the centres have for the growth and innovation opportunities of young companies that predominantly stem from the pool of new technology-based firms.     

Smithian National Product and the Wealth of African Nations

Abstract . Given the contemporary interest in growth, conventional measures of economic growth (changes in real GDP or real GDP per capita) may be less preferable than a measure that is more plutological by design. The plutological measure presented in this paper is that of Adam Smith (1776 ). While Smith's work pre‐dated formal national income accounting, there was a macroeconomic accounting scheme implicit in his theorizing on economic growth. This study articulates Adam Smith's concept of national product (referred to as Smithian national product, or SNP). It uses current output data to compute SNP for a set of six African countries, and examines the growth experience of these countries when using SNP as opposed to the more conventional GDP measure.     

新疆优势资源转换在工业化建设中的互动研究

新疆具有鲜明的资源产业富集优势,是全国重要的战略储备基地,但传统产业比重大,高新技术产业发展滞后的矛盾始终制约着新疆的发展。推进新型工业化,必须建立在优化结构、提高质量和效益的基础上,即在资源转换方式上进行"创新"和"互动",以此推进经济增长方式的根本转变,加速新疆工业化建设步伐。     

Business Strategy at the Base of the Pyramid

The design and implementation of base of the pyramid (BoP) solutions or products require multinational companies to make adjustments to their business strategies and processes. While this strategic opportunity has been argued for in BoP related publications, a 'traditional' strategic management perspective has not been applied. This paper aims towards using the strategic management process as an analytic framework for case studies at the BoP, allowing analysis of which aspects are particularly critical for achieving respective solutions. This includes reaching sustainability related objectives. A total of seven cases covering both products and services have been researched, allowing a contribution towards the applicability of strategic management in respective situations. Further, the importance of specific strategy process elements is assessed. While it seems obvious that strategic management thought can be applied, the analytic criteria put forward (i.e. company, initial need, motivation, external analysis, stakeholder, product/service, strategic choice, organizational implementation, supply chain, economic outcome, effects on sustainable development) are particularly geared towards the BoP solutions. While previous literature centres on analysing needs, the case based research provides the insight that aspects of internal organization, supply chain management and sustainability outcomes are of equal importance. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

INNOVATION POLICY: RATIONALES,LESSONS AND CHALLENGES

Innovation policy has emerged as a new field of economic policy during the last few decades. This paper explores the rationales for national innovation policies, as laid out in the existing literature on the subject, and considers what the lessons and challenges for theory and practice in this area are. Innovation policy attempts to influence innovation activity, often with the purpose of increasing economic growth. But it can also have more specific aims such as preventing unwarranted climate change, improving national health, and so on. The increasing attention given to innovation policy at the national level from the 1990s onwards went hand in hand with the development of a new, systemic understanding of innovation, which in a better way than before accounted for the ‘stylised facts’ of innovation activity as identified by empirical work. The system approach, as the paper shows, came to have a significant influence on the subsequent policy discourse. Drawing on recent advances in innovation-systems theory, a synthetic framework for the analysis of innovation policy is developed and used to highlight issues of particular relevance for the conduct of innovation policy and future scholarly work in this area.