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ABSTRACT This thesis investigates innovative entrepreneurship in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The thesis is guided by the National Innovation Systems theory, where innovation is seen as result of interactions and learning between different institutions or actors. The objective was to investigate how conducive is the national system of innovation of Ethiopia in the perception of entrepreneurs and how relevant is the innovation policy of Ethiopia is to innovative entrepreneurship. A field study was conducted in order to collect empirical data through semi-structured interviews, observations and participation. Most of the interviews took place in the innovation hub iceAddis with most of the sample focusing on entrepreneurs that were members there. The results of the field study show that the national system of innovation of Ethiopia is not particularly conducive nor developed to empower to innovative entrepreneurs. Moreover, the policy although very ambitious does not explicably aim to empower entrepreneur. Other goals of the policy could have had spillover effects on entrepreneurs but they were not yet attained in the perception of innovative entrepreneurs. Keywords: Ethiopia, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, ICT, National Systems of Innovation

The publications submitted for this PhD by Published Work represent the product of a decade long programme of research on the nature of the defence innovation system and the organisations, institutions and relationships that underpin defence technological innovation. This has been informed by the systems of innovation approach as well as broader academic perspectives on the nature of innovation and as such the publications are located in the field of innovation studies and in particular the sub-community of scholars that concern themselves with defence technological innovation. In the thesis, I contend that – taken together – the publications make three contributions to knowledge. First, the publications contribute to our understanding of what I term the “defence innovation system”. This illuminates an important corner ignored by most scholars of innovation systems and one that has received too little attention given the role that defence R&D and procurement has played as a stimulus to many significant technological innovations as well as its many implications for international security and society. The defence innovation system has often resisted analysis not least because of the limitations of publicly available information. My publications show recognition of the importance of this topic and shed light on the dynamics of defence technological innovation. Second, the publications contribute to our understanding of the organisations and relationships that underpin the defence innovation system and their response to changes in their operating environment since the end of the Cold War. My focus on organisation-level case studies of defence firms and government defence research establishments is in contrast to most of the academic work in this field that has been preoccupied with national or industry level structure and trends. A recurring theme in my publications, explicitly and implicitly, has been the co-evolutionary character of change in the defence innovation system and the changing relationship between government and defence industrial firms. Third, I examine changes in the boundaries of the system by introducing a transnational dimension to the analysis of defence technological innovation and in doing so my publications have drawn attention to the need to examine transnational linkages between nationally-located systems.

When shopping for apparel, many consumers seek advice from friends and family or store personnel. In-store kiosk systems might serve as an alternative decision support system. In the present study we address the key question of how such kiosk systems are evaluated by consumers. We conducted three focus group discussions with regular apparel shoppers aged between 23 and 39 years. In sum, qualitative information from 15 participants was subject to a qualitative content analysis with the aim of gaining a more comprehensive understanding of how apparel shoppers experience the shopping process. Getting a more in-depth understanding of the needs and wishes associated with the apparel shopping process gives a basis for evaluating the potential acceptance of electronic decision support systems in apparel shopping. Although our study is exploratory in nature, we are able to draw an initial picture of how kiosk systems could be used in apparel shopping. (authors' abstract)

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[pt] O objetivo central desta tese é investigar a aglomeração industrial de petróleo e gás da região produtora da Bacia de Campos (BC) e a possibilidade desta concentração geográfica de firmas, independente de suas diversas nomenclaturas (cluster, milieu, redes, distritos industriais, arranjos, sistemas locais, entre outras), consistir em fator que contribui para as atividades inovadoras das empresas ali situadas. Os fundamentos desta pesquisa baseiam-se em duas vertentes distintas: uma vertente teórica e uma vertente empírica. A vertente teórica consiste em um modelo analítico híbrido que combina elementos das abordagens de clusters e de sistemas de inovação. A vertente empírica está baseada em dez estudos de caso em firmas localizadas na aglomeração, cujos bens e serviços são de alta complexidade tecnológica e que atuam em áreas de intenso dinamismo tecnológico. Duas dimensões-chave, originadas do modelo híbrido, formam a base do modelo de análise empírico: as conexões de conhecimento entre os atores (proveniente da abordagem de cluster) e a postura das firmas em relação à tecnologia (proveniente da abordagem de sistema de inovação). As contribuições deste trabalho estão centradas na caracterização da aglomeração industrial, sob o prisma da complexidade e do dinamismo tecnológico, e nos resultados do estudo empírico que apontam para a existência de grupos de firmas nos quais a aglomeração industrial exerce papel fundamental para as atividades inovadoras das firmas. / [en] The main objective of this thesis is to investigate the oil and gas industrial agglomeration in the Campos Basin (BC) production region verifying the possibility of this geographical cluster of firms, independent of its nomenclatures (cluster, milieus, network, industrial district, arrangements, local systems, and others), to consist in a feature that contributes to the innovative activities of the firms localized there. The fundaments of this research are based on two different paths: a theoretical and an empirical one. The theoretical path consists in a hybrid analytical model combining elements from the cluster and innovation systems approach. The empirical path is based on ten case studies with firms localized in the agglomeration, supplying goods and services which are technologically complex, and acting in areas with intense technological dynamism. Two keydimensions, originated from the hybrid model, are the base of the empirical analytical model: the knowledge linkages between actors (from the cluster approach) and the posture of the firms in relation to technology (from the innovation systems approach). The main contributions of this work are centred on the industrial agglomeration characterization, under the technological complexity and dynamism features, and on the results of the empirical study showing evidences for the existence of some groups of firms where the industrial agglomeration plays a fundamental role for their innovative activities.

Submitted by admin tede (tede@pucgoias.edu.br) on 2017-05-12T15:00:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ANA LUÍZA SOUZA CARVALHO.pdf: 10625961 bytes, checksum: aa542af17bad777ba7ab09257912c4fa (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-12T15:00:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ANA LUÍZA SOUZA CARVALHO.pdf: 10625961 bytes, checksum: aa542af17bad777ba7ab09257912c4fa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-04-26 / The State of Goiás in the period 2015-2018 has created a program called "Inova Goiás", which intends to transform the state into Brazil's third largest innovation platform. Supported by this program, the State Government has launched a slogan "Goiás Estado Inovador" that brings the idea that Goiás intends to be innovative. Innovation is a contemporary theme, Joseph Shumpeter, father of innovation says that economic development can only exist through innovation. Because "Inova Goiás" is a public policy, the theoretical analysis developed by Mariana Mazzucato was important for understanding the role of the State in innovation systems, and consequently to understand Goiás in this innovation dynamic. Goiás is a Brazilian state that has no tradition of innovation and technology, and for that to happen structural changes must take place, so that the state can be innovative. The present study aims to analyze the program "Inova Goiás", in its proposals, goals, budget forecasts, a verification of the progress of the program, in order to analyze which actions proposed in the program were executed, how much resource was assigned to The program, and whether the program has succeeded as a public innovation policy. / Goiás é um estado brasileiro que não possui tradição em inovação e tecnologia. Assim, visando mudar esse quadro, o governo estadual criou, para o período de 2015 a 2018, o programa Inova Goiás, que pretende transformar o estado na terceira maior plataforma de inovação do Brasil. Pelo fato de o programa consistir em uma política pública, a análise teórica desenvolvida por Mariana Mazzucato foi importante para a compreensão do papel do Estado nos sistemas de inovação, e, consequentemente, para entender Goiás nessa dinâmica. A par dessas considerações, objetivou-se, nesta dissertação, analisar o Inova Goiás em suas propostas, metas e previsões orçamentárias. Para tanto, procedeu-se a uma verificação do andamento do programa, analisando a execução das ações propostas, os recursos designados, e se o programa tem conseguido obter êxito enquanto política pública de inovação.

The financial services industry is one of the most rapidly growing industries worldwide. Although mobile payment (m-payment) systems have generated a lot of hype, not all supportive infrastructures are in place where one firm’s service can be applied globally. Technology has provoked major changes in this industry with how firms operate and innovate as well as how they adapt their business models. Additionally, how services expand and understanding the ways new services are developed in different countries are becoming increasingly relevant. This qualitative, multidisciplinary study compares the sectoral system of innovation (SSI) and service innovation of m-payment systems between a developed country, the United Kingdom (UK), and a developing country, India. The dissertation draws upon 27 original interviews in the UK and India in order to analyse and identify the drivers of innovation. The analytical framework is designed for a firm-level analysis where variables affecting the resources and capabilities act as a way of integrating knowledge and influencing the innovation process. The main research questions are: how does a diverse SSI shape business models within the m-payment systems; why and to what extent do the processes of service innovation differ between m-payment systems as explained in the UK and India? The SSI approach links innovation to the interactions of the different actors in the economy and the system. Innovation is either the process of creating or the recombining of knowledge for some new use to become an outcome of that process. Innovation does not sit within the boundaries of an organization nor does it sit neatly at one level, but instead it is a multifaceted construct. Thirteen case studies are employed with the main industries being banking, telecommunications and technology. A thematic analysis is applied in using an inductive, exploratory approach from an interpretive perspective. The outcomes of interpretism are helpful in presenting an understanding of the causal mechanisms of innovation through a theoretical framework of resource-based view (RBV) and knowledge-based view (KBV). Findings from the research will show a lack of an all-encompassing and exhaustive perspective of m-payment systems. A hindrance of innovation has caused a fundamental problem identified in the UK showcasing a lack of strong innovative, specific institutions; while in India, poorly managed implementation of institutions has led to strengthening of cognitive institutions amongst firms. In particular, innovation in emerging fields that have yet to reach their technological maturity is just as strong in developing countries as compared to developed countries. Furthermore, innovation happens in developing countries through processes that are more complex than originally conceptualized. The contribution to the theoretical understanding of innovation is two-fold. Firstly, in researching mobile financial systems in a developed and developing country, an m-financial SSI framework is constructed that is usable by policy-makers, analysts and firms exploring their value chain positioning. Secondly, the research emphasises the importance of integrating firms’ activity (including new product and service design) into integrated service systems since the particular nature of these systems for m-payments varies between contexts. Therefore, the research helps to show how m-payment systems vary and in particular what are the drivers of innovation between a developed and developing context. Thus, existing theory needs to take into consideration the possibility that emerging market firms are perhaps more innovative than developed countries, and as a consequence, future research should address this with caution. For management practice, the research has shown that there is still not a complete model in explaining the performance of firm level innovation. For practitioners, innovation and technological development needs to get better at interoperability with users and merchants. Furthermore, business models will need to evolve from limited proprietary solutions towards cooperation and standardised solutions if there are to be successful, global firms.

<p>The thesis aims at understanding mechanisms behind knowledge generation and learning in a mature cluster by analysing firms in south-east Sweden engaged in the development and manufacturing of aluminium products. The point of departure is in concepts and assumptions related to spatially concen-trated systems of similar and related firms and industries, such as agglomera-tions, clusters or innovation systems.</p><p>Three sets of empirical analyses have been conducted: a mail survey, a series of in-depth interviews and a register-based analysis. The analyses focus on three themes: inter-firm relations, the embeddedness of the clustered firms in the region, and the role of labour and labour mobility in cluster development. </p><p>It is shown that also in a rather mature and low-tech cluster, firm competi-tiveness rests on continuous knowledge upgrading and innovation. In general terms, firms in this cluster do have business relations with other firms at all different spatial scales. While there are manifold buyer-supplier relations within the cluster, most firms have their most important linkages outside the region. The firms regard themselves as part of a cluster and various mecha-nisms contribute to this. There is a strong sense of trust and loyalty, and this applies in particular to those engaged either in some of the more organized supplier networks or the regional cluster initiative Aluminiumriket. Finally, the cluster does not seem to constitute a very fluid labour market for special-ised skills. Labour mobility between firms in this particular cluster seems to be fairly low.</p>

The thesis aims at understanding mechanisms behind knowledge generation and learning in a mature cluster by analysing firms in south-east Sweden engaged in the development and manufacturing of aluminium products. The point of departure is in concepts and assumptions related to spatially concen-trated systems of similar and related firms and industries, such as agglomera-tions, clusters or innovation systems. Three sets of empirical analyses have been conducted: a mail survey, a series of in-depth interviews and a register-based analysis. The analyses focus on three themes: inter-firm relations, the embeddedness of the clustered firms in the region, and the role of labour and labour mobility in cluster development. It is shown that also in a rather mature and low-tech cluster, firm competi-tiveness rests on continuous knowledge upgrading and innovation. In general terms, firms in this cluster do have business relations with other firms at all different spatial scales. While there are manifold buyer-supplier relations within the cluster, most firms have their most important linkages outside the region. The firms regard themselves as part of a cluster and various mecha-nisms contribute to this. There is a strong sense of trust and loyalty, and this applies in particular to those engaged either in some of the more organized supplier networks or the regional cluster initiative Aluminiumriket. Finally, the cluster does not seem to constitute a very fluid labour market for special-ised skills. Labour mobility between firms in this particular cluster seems to be fairly low.