Towards an integrated framework for managing the process of innovation

Innovation has become a major driving force for business growth and success. However, successful and sustained innovation represents challenges rooted in technological uncertainties, ambiguous market signals and embryonic competitive structures. Notably, in the management of innovation, many challenges still remain in both theory and practice, which demand improved managerial approaches. In this context, the development of a practical and explicit management framework for the process of innovation could be beneficial. This research sets out to develop the concept of ‘Innovation Readiness Levels’ (IRL), an explicit model for managing the process of incremental innovation. Basically, IRL is a framework depicting the development of an innovation over its lifecycle. Within the emerging framework proposed in this paper, five key aspects that determine the effective implementation of innovation are identified. The lifecycle of innovation is then divided into six phases, and for each phase, associated assessment aspects and criteria are identified. By providing better monitoring and control, IRL is intended to help implement innovation over the lifecycle more effectively. It is also expected to apply as a management tool, for which guidance of use is suggested.     

A conceptual and analytical framework for business process reengineering

BPR has become a hot buzzword in management and information systems disciplines. However, there is a lacuna in recognizing the characteristics and the way of performing BPR. In this paper, we categorize the reasons for BPR failure as the lack of understanding of and the inability to perform BPR, and we reviewed BPR based on the four key concepts: fundamental, radical, dramatic, and process. We argue that SSM can be applied in performing BPR in the following ways:

1. (1) SSM can be a general methodology for BPR,

2. (2) SSM can be an analytical framework for BPR, and

3. (3) SSM is able to deal with the ill-defined and complex business situation in a BPR effort.

To illustrate the applicability of SSM in the context of BPR, we describe a live case of a BPR effort in developing and implementing an image processing system for hospital ward ordering. Finally, in order to demonstrate the power of SSM, by extending SSM considerations of What/How, we elaborate further on the What's and How's conceptual framework of an analysis and redesign effort. Based on this framework, we review the roles of information technologies in BPR.     

SCOR template—A simulation based dynamic supply chain analysis tool

The supply chain operations reference model model (SCOR) is developed and maintained by the Supply Chain Council (SCC). The SCOR model is a reference model that can be used to map, benchmark, and improve supply chain operations. SCOR template is a simulation based analysis tool, developed to capture the dynamics of supply chain operations. The first version of the SCOR template was presented in a previous article by Persson and Araldi (2009). Since the finalisation of the first article concerning the SCOR template, a second version of the SCOR template has been constructed and tested in at a case company; Alfa Laval at Ronneby, Sweden—a manufacturer of heat exchangers. Version 2 of the SCOR template is more complete than the previous version. More metrics were introduced and the return processes included. Emphasis has been on making supply chain analysis simple with the introduction of a new building block—the metric module. The case study at Alfa Laval has been based on data from a value stream mapping (VSM) and aimed at comparing different scenarios in the production networks for one specific product. The results of the comparison are one of the pieces of data that the company managers will use when deciding where to allocate production resources in the international production network.     

Assessment of hidden and future customer needs in Finnish business‐to‐business companies

The development of new products should be based on the needs expected to exist even several years ahead – at the moment of market introduction and during the whole lifecycle of the product. To develop successful new products in the toughening business environment, companies should be able to surpass customers' expectations and to assess emerging customer needs proactively. Early, thorough understanding of the customer's real needs, including the assessment of hidden and future customer needs and requirements, plays a very important role in the successful development of new products.
The purpose of our paper is to study the assessment of new (hidden and future) customer needs for product development in Finnish business‐to‐business companies. We have carried out a survey in 93 Finnish business‐to‐business companies and SBUs to study their common problems in the assessment of unrecognized customer needs and potentially effective ways in clarifying new customer needs and dealing with important problems. On the basis of the results, we propose several possible ways to facilitate the assessment of unrecognized customer needs.     

Flexible and Family‐Friendly Working Arrangements in UK‐Based SMEs: Business Cases

Interest in researching flexible working arrangements has been growing as such practices have been heralded as the way to reconcile or balance the increased pressures of work and family life. Relatively little attention has been paid to the experiences of flexible working arrangements in small and medium sized enterprises. We report the findings of empirical work on ten small and medium‐sized enterprises and four larger organizations. The reasons for introducing particular flexible working arrangements in SMEs were explored. Our findings show that business case reasons were used when introducing flexible working arrangements in both SMEs and larger organizations, although in different ways.     

A portfolio–evaluation framework for selecting R&D projects

This study aims to form the basis for constructing a framework for evaluating alternative portfolios of R&D projects. This study provides an extensive literature review on portfolio selection. Most of the existing studies deal with the portfolio selection problem by evaluating individual projects and then seeking ways to combine them for an R&D portfolio. However, the combination of individually good projects unnecessarily constitutes the optimal portfolio. In particular, this study discusses three portfolio effects: (1) the difference between the preference for the portfolio as a whole and the preference for the projects, (2) the interrelation among projects, (3) the size of portfolio selection problems. This study develops a three–phase framework for evaluating R&D portfolios and proposes a new taxonomy of the portfolio attributes (i.e. independent, interrelated, and synergistic). This study concludes with a discussion of future research, directed toward increasing the applicability of portfolio–selection approaches for managing R&D portfolios.     

A CRM performance measurement framework: Its development process and application

We suggest a performance measurement framework called a customer relationship management (CRM) scorecard to diagnose and assess a firm's CRM practice. The CRM scorecard was developed through a rigorous and stepwise development process collaborated with a number of firms in a variety of industries. During the development process, we conducted an extensive literature review to build a theoretical causal map, in-depth interviews with practitioners to extract a hierarchical map from industrial perspectives, feasibility tests to check whether or not Key Performance Indicators (KPI) could be measured, and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis to prioritize the evaluation factors on the CRM scorecard. The CRM scorecard contains antecedent/subsequent and objective/perceptual evaluation factors in four different perspectives to comprehensively measure corporate CRM capability and readiness. To illustrate the applicability of the proposed CRM scorecard, we apply the framework to a retail bank in Korea well-known for its exemplary CRM strategy.     

Leveraging value in multi-stakeholder innovation networks: A process framework for value co-creation and capture

To develop innovative solutions for complex societal and scientific challenges, organizations need to move beyond the boundaries of single firms and engage in collaborative networks. In these networks, multiple, diverse stakeholders are working together to co-create innovative value. Co-creation in a network creates new challenges in terms of changed processes and outcomes. Guided by grounded theory methodology, we explore these aspects by studying a public–private partnership involving 57 stakeholders. We take the number and diversity of stakeholders into account to shed light on the distinct processes through which value is co-created and captured. We also identify the types of value outcomes that accrue to the network and its participants. Overall, we present a multi-level cyclical process framework for leveraging value in multi-stakeholder collaborations and visualize these collaborations as a value space in which all stakeholders are uniquely positioned. In doing so, this study provides novel insights into the systemic, multi-actor nature of value co-creation and supports collaborators in maximizing value for both individual stakeholders and the network as a whole.     

Identification of intangible assets in knowledge‐based organizations using concept mapping techniques

This paper proposes a procedure for identifying the intangible assets that generate value to knowledge‐intensive organizations using concept mapping techniques. Concept mapping is a form of structured conceptualization that incorporates and processes the opinion of a set of experts. A double statistical treatment consisting of a multidimensional scaling analysis and a cluster analysis is applied to a set of data provided by experts to obtain the results, which are presented in the form of maps. As a case study, the social and legal departments in a Spanish university were analyzed. As a result, 60 items referring to different intangible assets of these departments were identified and grouped into 10 clusters, and they were in turn grouped in regions corresponding to the three basic components of intellectual capital: human capital, structural capital and relational capital. The evaluation of the relative importance of each of them leads to the preeminent position of the structural capital.     

A diagnostic framework for planning

The traditional framework for strategy formulation in the field of business policy is deliberately broad and generalized, so as to encompass an almost limitless number of potentially influential factors. There is also a need for a more focused view, a means for showing similarities and differences among firms and how these relate to strategy formulation—a framework, in other words, that allows companies to be diagnosed by key situational elements and uses these, in turn, to define the appropriate strategy alternatives. What is proposed is a framework based on three familiar key elements—organizational levels, management styles, and stages of growth—integrated with and related to four basic strategy alternatives.     

Rent appropriation of knowledge‐based assets and firm performance when institutions are weak: A study of Chinese publicly listed firms

Research summary : A firm's strategic investments in knowledge‐based assets through research and development (R&D) can generate economic rents for the firm, and thus are expected to affect positively a firm's financial performance. However, weak protection of minority shareholders, weak property rights, and ineffective law enforcement can allow those rents to be appropriated disproportionately by a firm's powerful insiders such as large owners and top managers. Recent data on Chinese publicly listed firms during 2007–2012 were used to demonstrate that the expected positive relationship between knowledge assets and performance is weaker in transition economies when a firm's ownership is highly concentrated and its managers have wide discretion. Moreover, rent appropriation by insiders was shown to vary with the levels of institutional development in which a firm operates. Managerial summary : Investing in knowledge‐based intangible assets (e.g., R&D) is an important value‐creation activity for the firm. Such value creation process can be facilitated by large shareholders and powerful managers, who can then take an advantageous position with critical insider information on these valuable intangible assets and therefore enjoy more opportunities to appropriate more value from them, leaving less value for other minority shareholders. The value distribution becomes increasingly skewed against minority shareholders when the institutional protection for them is weak. Indeed, in a large sample of Chinese publicly listed firms, we found that R&D investment becomes less positively associated with firm financial performance with the presence of large shareholders, high managerial equity, or CEO/Chairman duality, especially in Chinese provinces with weak institutional development. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Complementary assets,start-ups and incentives to innovate

We examine to what extent market conditions facilitating start-up formation affect firms' R&D investment and profits. We consider a model in which R&D efforts of an incumbent firm generate partly tacit technological know-how embodied in a key R&D employee, who might use it to form a start-up. The availability of complementary assets influences whether new firms are created and determine expected profits for start-up's founders. A large availability of complementary assets has the direct effect that the generation of start-ups is fostered. However, as a strategic effect, the incentives of incumbents to invest in R&D may be reduced because of the increased danger of knowledge loss occurring through start-up formation. We characterize the effects of an increase in the availability of complementary assets, showing that counter-intuitively there are cases in which it induces an increase in incumbents' R&D investment.     

Flexibility planning for managing R&D projects under risk

Incorporating managerial flexibility in an innovative R&D project is important, because managers face greater uncertainty in today's competitive and dynamic changing environment. It is essential to bring managerial flexibility into R&D project planning to decrease technical and market risks, while increasing potential market value. The objective of this paper is to develop a flexibility planning methodology based on real option analysis to improve managerial flexibility for R&D projects. The proposed methodology identifies potential risks that may occur during every R&D stage. It also recognizes a cascading option structure to resolve the identified risks, and evaluates and selects adequate options that maximize the potential value of the project. Instead of using a traditional option pricing method, a dynamic programming model that considers multidimensional product performance and market payoff is used to evaluate the R&D project value. Using the proposed methodology, managers can identify future scenarios as a function of their management actions. The proposed flexibility planning methodology can help managers improve managerial flexibility of R&D project and increase the success rate of product launch. A drug development project is used to illustrate the proposed methodology.     

一种新型的基于Hadoop框架的分布式并行FP-Growth算法

针对传统FP-Growth算法在大规模数据环境下存在的挖掘效率低和内存溢出问题,在传统FP-Growth算法的基础上,提出一种新的并行FP-Growth算法,并在分布式计算框架Hadoop的MapReduce编程模式下实现并行化处理。实验数据表明,并行的FP-Growth算法与传统的FPGrowth算法相比,具有相同数据量下计算时间短,相同时间内处理数据量增大的优点,并在一定条件下解决了大数据挖掘的内存溢出问题。     

Capabilities as marketable assets: A proposal for a functional categorization

While it is through creating and marketing products that firms achieve success, there are also significant opportunities for them to create value by exploiting the capabilities they utilize in creating products. However, seeing capabilities in this light demands new ways of thinking about product markets and marketing policies.     

A framework for the analysis of global, regional and local business networks

In this article we are dealing with the global, regional and local questions of the business. We raise the following question: is there a relation between network management (networking) and the spatial type of the network. We make a cross analysis of networking and spatial types of the network. The paper builds on the model of networking (Ford et al., 2002; Ford et al., 2003; Håkansson et al., 2009), the network paradoxes (Håkansson and Ford, 2002) and the model of 6 Cs (Ritter & Ford, 2006). We emphasize the strategic importance of the interpretation of network pictures. In order to answer the research question we create a theoretical conceptual frame called the Spatial Networking Matrix. We use the method of explorative expert interview in order to introduce some experiences of company leaders and managers concerning networking and spatiality. We conclude that after further development, the Spatial Networking Matrix can help to analyze networking and spatial types of networks at once, deepen the understanding of the real business world and through all of these, be a useful tool for business practice.     

A framework for strategic industrial pricing

A model for pricing decision making in an industrial setting is described. Written from the perspective of a price setter, the model starts with an evaluation of the relative strengths and weaknesses of both buyer and seller. These evaluations are then input into a strategic framework, which integrates tactical considerations with several environmental concerns. The article concludes with a set of strategic pricing alternatives, in a matrix form, to be used by price negotiators and pricing executives of industrial companies.     

基于框架表示法的工程项目案例知识表示研究

知识管理系统是当今研究热点之一。对一个知识管理系统而言,如何选择一种合适的知识表示方式至关重要。在建筑工程领域,对于工程项目案例知识的表示问题,由于案例知识的复杂性,一直都是一个难点。论文利用框架表示法善于表示结构性知识的特点,提出了一种有效的表示方法。通过继承把工程项目案例知识的层次关系表现出来,建立了工程项目案例知识二层框架结构。     

海外油气资产市场化处置的探索与实践

2014年国际原油价格大幅下跌以来,各大石油公司面临巨大的生产经营压力.中国石油海外板块一些项目出现亏损,经济效益有所下降.通过非核心资产股权转让回收现金,可以为石油公司有效缓解财务压力,优化资产组合,实现减亏止损.中国石油天然气勘探开发公司业务发展部树立卖方思维,合理评估待售资产价值,发挥交易顾问作用,协同精细组织商务策划,合规及时履行报批手续,通过对小型非核心资产进行包装、市场推介、招投标管理、协议谈判和签约交割等,完成了澳大利亚H项目股权转让交易,成功实践了市场化处置海外油气资产的业务流程和模式.