International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management

There are three distinct functions in the product realization chain — product design, process design, and process execution; thus there are two interfaces (product design — process design; process design — process execution) rather than one (product-manufacturing). Case studies of four organizations manufacturing high-tech products in New Zealand are explored to study the organization of process design functions and success strategies. Similarities in structuring, relationships between functional groups, and the methods for product and process design implementation are investigated. De-coupling of process design functions occurs best with high volume production with stable process technology — an infrequent situation with high-tech NZ manufacturers.

In this paper our aim is to assess the potential of using patent statistics in predicting the future sales anticipations and present value of a company active in the science-based industry. Instead of using conventional patent and patent application counts as indicators, we constructed patent citation weighted portfolios for each company. This way the heterogeneity of patents can be taken into account. Our data covers biotechnology patents held by Finnish biotechnology companies. Empirical results imply that particularly backward citations are related to present value estimations of the companies. In contrast to some previous studies, forward citations do not seem to predict the present value estimations. The findings provide some important implications on interpreting the significance of patent citations regarding valuation of science-based companies, and planning technology and innovation policies.

In this paper we challenge the traditional notion of ambiguity as an undesirable element in New Product Development (NPD) and explore how companies sometimes sustain or even increase ambiguity during their NPD projects. Based on qualitative analysis of case data from four NPD projects in the medical-device industry, we present a model by which this process can be better understood. We identify four ways that NPD projects can benefit from temporarily sustaining ambiguity: retaining fallback options, saving costs, saving time, and retaining ideas.

Little research has been done on the adoption and implementation of administrative innovation and its diffusion within the organization. In our study we explore this in the context of Total Quality Management in a large, global company. The analysis is based on extensive historical data and in-depth interviews. Our findings highlight the role of internal change agents in the diffusion process within the firm. We also open up the dynamics of the adoption process and illustrate how the adopted administrative innovation is transformed during the adoption and implementation phases.

This paper discusses the impact of the Internet on the magazine publisher's competitive advantage on three analytic levels: the products, the company and the industry. The analysis is based on interview data from the Finnish magazine publishing industry. On the product level, the Internet is a means of differentiation, while on the company level firm-specific resources and capabilities determine how companies can react to the strategic changes on the product level. However, it seems that the Internet has not significantly changed the five forces that shape the nature and state of competition in the magazine publishing industry.

Many Chinese companies rely on externally acquired innovations rather than developing their own. The best way to rapidly commercialize externally acquired innovations in a Chinese company, however, is still a rather new research topic. This paper reports research towards development of an integrated model for commercialization of acquired innovations. Development of the preliminary model was based upon a review of the literature. The preliminary model covers four main factors, namely, technological collaboration, organizational collaboration, customer collaboration and resource collaboration. Managers from four entrepreneurial Chinese companies evaluated the model. Each of the four case companies had acquired innovations from external sources. Our empirical results indicate that the factors of partner matches/relationships, product champions, pioneer users and financial alliances tend to be more important than other factors. The managers also added two more factors, namely, government regulations and university support. This paper provides initial empirical evidence that demonstrates the multifaceted determinants of rapid commercialization of acquired innovations in the context of Chinese manufacturing. Our findings suggest that the innovative firms operating in China integrate technological collaboration, government policies and university research activities in order to facilitate commercialization of their acquired innovations. In summary, collaborations both inside and outside of companies are critical for successful commercialization.