Governing new global health-care markets: the case of stem cell treatments

Stem cell innovation has enabled the growth of a global market of treatments for a wide range of diseases but most of this market operates outside the domain of orthodox forms of innovation governance. Much of the analysis of this issue has adopted a supply side perspective informed by the values of the orthodox scientific model of biomedical innovation, arguing that national and transnational regulation has failed to impose appropriate standards on the ‘illicit’ supply of stem cell treatments. In contrast, this paper shows how and why the analysis of global stem cell innovation governance must incorporate the market and health consumer demand into the conceptual framework. Central to the argument is the role of innovation models in mediating the relationship between demand and supply in the global market of new stem cell treatments. Different models of scientific and medical innovation mediate that relationship in different ways and, in jurisdictions where health consumer demand is frustrated, may result in parallel political demands for change in stem cell innovation governance. Such demands are likely to be resisted by the dominant scientific model, producing a further response from health consumers and a continuing dynamic in the political economy of stem cell treatments.     

Linking corporate sustainability and innovation in supply chain management – evidence of a Taiwan leading glass recycling company

This empirical study presents a combination of insights from corporate sustainability practices, supply chain management, and innovation literature, and a case study to discover new understandings on factors influencing firms to incorporate sustainable innovation initiatives into their supply chain practices. There is an apparent lack of literature in this field due to its modernity and evolving nature. Also, there is a lack of insights into how firms could translate sustainable innovation initiatives into practice. This study addresses this gap by examining a successful glass recycling company through the lenses of sustainable innovation context and the Global Reporting Initiative G3 Guideline framework. Primary data are collected through observations and in-depth interview before it is coded and analysed using nVivo. The findings show that sustainable innovation practices are mainly directed at improving the technological processes, resource sharing, and reduction of production cost among supply chain partners. A conceptual sustainable innovation framework is also proposed. This study contributes to sustainable innovation literature by providing insights into the evaluation of a firm's innovative sustainability efforts.     

Sectoral systems of environmental innovation: An application to the French automotive industry

This article seeks to show how a sectoral system approach may contribute to the analysis of the determinants of environmental innovations. By using Malerba's [F. Malerba: Sectoral systems of innovation and production, Res. Policy Vol. 102, 845-859, (2002)] concept of sectoral system of innovation and production, we develop a sectoral framework based on three building blocks: technological regimes, demand conditions and environmental and innovation policy. Within this framework, the sectoral patterns of environmental innovation result from the interplay between these three blocks. The conceptual framework is applied to the case of the French automotive industry, with a specific focus on the development of low emission vehicles. The analysis shows how technological regime and demand conditions lead to technological inertia, and so to a strong persistence of the dominant design. Finally, environmental and innovative policy are considered in an integrated way, so that we can study how they influence technological regime and demand conditions, and in the meantime how they are conditioned by these two blocks.     

Getting post-M&A integration mechanisms tuned in to technological relatedness and innovation synergy realisation

Studies on Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) typically relate innovation synergies to either context characteristics or post-M&A integration. There is little research on how to tune the relevant practices to the benefit of realising specific innovation synergies. It is the purpose of this paper to develop a conceptual framework on innovation synergy realisation in large M&As, that relates the following components: (1) strategic M&A characteristics; and (2) post-M&A integration mechanisms; to (3) innovation synergy realisation. The research explored how different innovation synergies were achieved in nine large medium-tech and high-tech M&As in the life sciences. From this case studies research, it turns out that higher degrees of technological relatedness allow for the realisation of more types of innovation synergy, brought about by the more demanding integration mechanisms structural linking and process re-design.     

Conceptual niche management of grassroots innovation for sustainability: The case of body disposal practices in the UK

The grassroots has recently been identified as an alternative site for the development of innovations that may contribute to shifts towards more sustainable systems of consumption and production. While the characteristics of these innovations have been elaborated, it remains unclear how these alternative ideas and practices can be purposively supported to populate incumbent systems. This is especially so in light of the difficulty the grassroots face in connecting forcefully with the mainstream.This article will address this issue by outlining an adaptation of conceptual niche management - an approach that focuses on the embedding of guiding principles used to fulfill basic societal needs - that is sensitive to grassroots innovation. The framework will be applied to the current UK body disposal system to illustrate how such transformative sustainability ideas may be capitalised on.     

高参与工作系统和组织创新绩效:社会资本的中介作用

根据前人的研究,本文提出了社会资本存在结构、认知和情感三个维度。在此基础上,本文提出了高参与工作系统对企业绩效的作用机制模型。通过实证研究发现,高参与工作系统通过员工和组织间的信任关系对创新绩效产生了积极影响。然而,当认知信任很高的时候,由于搭便车、过度投资等原因,认知信任的上升反而会降低企业绩效。情感信任对组织创新绩效一直具有积极的影响。以往在中国情境下进行的研究发现,高参与工作系统更有利于提高人际网络联系的紧密程度,从而不利于结构洞的形成和组织创新的发生。虽然本文没有发现高参与工作系统对人际网络紧密程度的影响,但是发现人际网络紧密程度对于创新绩效的负向影响。因此,对于中国企业而言,高参与工作系统可能是一个悖论。虽然高参与工作系统可以提高组织信任关系和相互忠诚,但也降低了结构洞和弱联系网络的形成。     

A role for public procurement in system innovation: the transformation of the Greater Manchester (UK) waste system

The transformation of socio-technical systems to more sustainable states is more policy induced than market driven. Reflecting this, the potential for governments to direct system transformation has been widely debated. However, this debate concentrates on supply side policies and under analyses the potential for public buyers to steer system innovation. This paper draws from ideas on system innovation, transition management and public procurement to explore how a major public buyer was able to do just this. The paper describes the transformation of the Greater Manchester (UK) waste system from a relatively simple landfill model to a highly complex, multi-technology solution of intensive recycling, composting and energy production. The paper draws three main conclusions: (1) it is possible to orchestrate system innovation through public procurement in certain circumstances; (2) this involves developing the required interdependencies between technologies, institutions and practices; (3) system transformation can be orchestrated from within the incumbent regime.     

On the diffusion of toilets as bottom of the pyramid innovation: Lessons from sanitation entrepreneurs

There is an emerging body of literature on product innovations for the poor at the bottom of the income pyramid. However, there is little on why delivery systems succeed or fail in this context and the present paper attempts to fill this void by examining why and how sanitation entrepreneurs are succeeding in India to diffuse toilets — an innovation for rural households, which never had access to one before. The literature is analyzed and confronted with the actual field practices. We demonstrate that the common thread that unifies progressive sanitation entrepreneurs is their adoption of a ‘market based approach’. There are market failures stemming from the demand side due to problems in expression of demand and its mismatch with the perceived value of the innovation. In response, sanitation entrepreneurs go beyond the standard linear model of assessing need and appropriateness of technology. They create innovations in ‘technological design’ as well as in the ‘delivery platforms’ to include practices for ‘accompaniment’, ‘sustainable maintenance’ and ‘generation of knowledge'. Thus, they make-up for sluggish or missing markets and informational asymmetries to ensure sustained use of toilets.     

科技创新智库构建与治理机制研究

在国家全面深入实施创新驱动发展战略与推进供给侧结构性改革背景下，新型智库在国家战略决策咨询，以及政府等主体决策咨询层面的作用愈发重要。作为面向科技前沿领域与科技产业政策研究的新型智库，科技创新智库的价值意义日益凸显。基于对现实情境的回应，有必要对科技创新智库进行系统深入研究。因此，从概念、构建及治理3个维度对科技创新智库进行理论层面的剖析：首先，从概念层面给予科技创新智库较为清晰的界定；其次，从构建机理及特征等层面进行剖析，提出科技创新智库的结构构建机制与制度构建机制；最后，从治理机理及特征等层面进行分析，提出科技创新智库正式治理机制、非正式治理机制。     

场景驱动的创新：内涵特征、理论逻辑与实践进路

新发展阶段，科技创新要超越传统的技术驱动，把握场景驱动的新范式、新机遇，发挥我国超大规模市场和丰富应用场景的优势，实现从创新追赶到创新引领的跨越。结合数字经济时代世界科技强国建设理论与实践，在回顾现有创新范式的基础上，系统探讨场景驱动的创新的内涵特征、理论逻辑、实践进路与典型案例，并展望未来研究和实践前沿。场景驱动的创新既是将现有技术应用于特定场景，进而创造更大价值的过程，也是基于未来趋势与愿景需求，驱动战略、技术、组织、市场需求等创新要素及情境要素整合共融，突破现有技术瓶颈，开发新技术、新产品、新渠道、新商业模式，乃至开辟新市场和新领域的过程。研究成果可为数字经济时代坚持创新引领发展，加快推进技术、场景和商业模式融合创新，以场景驱动原始性创新、关键核心技术突破、重大技术应用提供重要理论和实践启示。     

基于创新过程的科技创新政策体系研究

针对科技创新政策体系构建存在的理论基础薄弱、涵盖面不全等问题,从科技创新的主要特点及科技创新过程中存在的问题出发,基于政府作用角度构建了科技创新政策体系框架,并对比分析了中美两国近期实施的供给面、需求面和环境面科技创新政策,提出了若干对策建议。     

多创新方法集成与融合应用的LCUE矩阵法研究及实施

在日益复杂的产品需求和生产环境下，企业面临的生产难题也更加复杂，如何科学系统地使用创新方法解决企业生产难题，是长期困扰企业的问题。研究多个创新方法集成与融合应用概念模型，构建以企业生产难题为导向的多创新方法集成与融合应用理论体系，并基于多创新方法集成与融合应用过程，提出从多个维度指导企业实施多创新方法集成与融合应用的“LCUE矩阵法”。最后，结合某空调装配企业生产实际，以价值流方法为模板，基于LCUE矩阵实施多创新方法集成与融合应用，有效解决了企业生产难题，验证了多创新方法集成与融合应用及LCUE矩阵法的可行性。     

Understanding innovation in practice: a discussion of the production and re-production of Nordic Walking

Building on the work of those who have highlighted the role of consumers and lead users we focus on innovations not in products but in what people do. In developing a method of conceptualising the emergence and reproduction of practice we argue that innovation is not a one-off moment but a continuous on-going process. Specifically, we suggest that innovations in practice involve changing combinations of symbolic and material ingredients and of competence or know-how. In addition, we argue that managers, manufacturers and consumers are all variously involved in making and sustaining connections between these defining elements. We illustrate and elaborate on these ideas with reference to Nordic Walking, a form of speed walking with two sticks. First practiced in 1997, it is now a regular pursuit for more than seven million people in over 30 countries and is reputed to be Europe's fastest growing form of exercise. In discussing this case we specify the constitutive ingredients of Nordic Walking and its location relative to other practices that already exist. Our analysis raises a number of general questions. For example, how can managers and manufacturers institutionalise practices that require consumption of the things they make? Is there any fundamental difference in the role of ‘lead’ and ‘ordinary’ users in generating and sustaining innovations in practice? Taking these questions forward, we develop a theoretical position that relativises the conventionally distinct roles of consumers and producers and that represents a novel hybridisation of innovation studies and sociological theories of practice.     

Matchmaking as multi-sided market for open innovation

An obvious task in open innovation is to find suitable partners for collaboration. In this paper we present results from three participatory case studies of identifying and matching technology firms for collaborative innovation projects. We observe that matchmaking is a more complex process than an (online) market transaction. The cases show how innovation intermediaries organise the matching process as external service-providers and what economic contribution they can have. The paper conceptualises matchmaking for collaborative innovation as economic resource allocation process in the shape of a multi-sided market which involves the innovation partners and intermediaries. The paper concludes with theoretical and practical implications that such a conceptual lens opens for exploratory technology analysis projects and the management of matching processes for innovation partnership formation.     

Empowering Firm Owners by Separating Voting from Buying and Selling Shares

This paper discusses a new system of firm governance. In the system, the responsibility for voting the shares of a firm (“voice”) is given to the people who ultimately provided the money, who, however, have to delegate it to proxy voting institutions. The system helps overcome collective action problems and conflicts of interest within firms, and it reduces the private benefits of control. The disadvantages for firm governance may be relatively modest. However, since the new system of voice is a conceptual innovation, the analysis of its effects is rather tentative. Further research and experimentations are required for firmer conclusions.     

质量管理实践对企业创新绩效的影响：资源基础理论的新解

质量管理实践对企业创新绩效的影响,学界还未有统一的定论.本文将质量管理实践分为质量管理基础实践和质量管理核心实践,并基于资源基础理论引入企业资源禀赋和组织惯性两个中介变量,建立了质量管理实践到企业创新绩效的双元中介模型,提出了20个研究假设,并用204个制造企业的样本进行实证研究.研究结果显示,质量管理实践不仅通过资源禀赋的中介作用正向影响企业创新绩效,同时还通过组织惯性的中介作用负向影响企业创新绩效,正向和负向路径的同时存在,正是以往结论出现冲突的根源.本文解释了学界关于质量管理实践对企业创新绩效作用存在异质性观点的原因,并且丰富了质量管理实践对企业创新绩效作用的本土研究.     

创新政策对我国制造业转型升级的影响——基于政策组合的政策文本研究

创新政策是推动我国制造业转型升级的重要驱动力，在对创新体系和政策组合理论回顾的基础上，使用政策文本量化分析和质性文本分析法，对我国制造业创新政策动态变迁及其对相关创新活动的影响进行研究。结果表明：我国制造业创新政策主体集中度较高、政策主体分布较为广泛、政策发布数量波动较大；环境面政策组合使用最为频繁、需求面政策组合使用最少、总体上对政策组合的使用呈现出“先扬后抑”的倒U型形态；制造业创新体系中4类创新活动强度差异较大；不同政策组合对创新活动的影响差异较大。最后，针对如何利用创新政策推动我国制造业创新变革提出相关对策建议。     

沟通管理在科研团队知识创新过程中的反馈机制研究

知识创新是一个复杂的过程,如何设计合理科学的管理机制来优化创新过程,从而提高团队创新绩效,已成为众多学者关注的焦点。很多学者提出沟通管理对知识创新过程及其绩效有较大的影响,但是沟通管理如何优化知识创新过程进而影响其创新绩效,在此之后创新绩效会发生怎样的变化,是值得我们思考的问题。以系统动力学理论为基础,考察了沟通管理在科研团队知识创新过程中正、负反馈的动态特性;对沟通管理在科研团队知识创新绩效中的反馈机制进行了数学描述,并解释了知识创新绩效形成S型曲线的原因;最终提出了科研团队知识创新过程中沟通管理的具体实施策略。     

Mediating effect of creativity between breadth of knowledge and innovation

Several previous studies have investigated the effects of creativity and knowledge on innovation, both of them being considered prerequisites of innovation. However, the relationship among the different variables can be confusing due to redundant causality. In this paper, we study the influence of the mediating effect of creativity between breadth of knowledge (diverse sources of knowledge) and innovation by developing a conceptual model, and then test it on the Spanish ceramic cluster of Castellón. Empirical findings show that creativity is the mechanism through which the different sources of knowledge influence innovation. The implications of these results in relation to creativity, knowledge and innovation theory and practices are discussed.     

质量管理实践、吸收能力与创新绩效——基于船舶企业智能制造视角

质量管理与创新绩效研究广受关注,却鲜有文献关注智能制造转型升级阶段两者之间的关系。引入吸收能力作为中介调节变量,将质量管理实践划分为基础和核心质量管理实践两个维度,并基于实际吸收能力和潜在吸收能力的调节作用,构建新的理论框架。在智能制造视角下,以192家中国船舶企业为例,应用SPSS统计软件,采用回归分析与实证分析方法,研究吸收能力对质量管理实践与创新绩效的影响。结果表明,智能制造背景下,基础质量管理实践和核心质量管理实践对创新绩效正向影响显著;实际吸收能力分别在基础质量管理实践、核心质量管理实践与创新绩效之间具有部分中介效应;潜在吸收能力在基础质量管理实践与创新绩效之间具有显著正向调节效应,但在核心质量管理实践与创新绩效之间起显著反向调节作用。