This thesis examines Flora Krauch’s use of Progressive Era social reform methods to develop and expand infants’ and children’s merchandise departments in American department stores and specialty shops. Krauch used the pages of the industry’s first trade journal, The Infants’ Department, to wage her battle against the commercialization of these departments, and to urge the use of mother education and child welfare as their foundation. At the turn of the twentieth century, retailers began to demonstrate their civic leadership in socially responsible ways. By 1916 independently owned department stores faced new forms of competition which led them to build alliances with individuals who highlighted the significance of scientific management methods and commercialization. The Retail Research Association and Harvard Business School spearheaded these merchandising shifts. The effects of these trends are apparent in children’s departments. To explore how Krauch rejected commercialization, this thesis analyzes all available newspaper and journal articles Krauch wrote from 1909 to 1940, as well as primary sources from the U.S. Children’s Bureau and Harvard Business School. Krauch was a leading force in the effort to challenge commercializing forces through the professionalization of women in retail buying and sales, and through the education of mothers about the health and safety of infants’ and children’s merchandise.

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O abacaxi é uma das frutas tropicais mais famosas, produzidas e consumidas no mundo. O seu bom aspecto visual pode levar à aquisição de fruto ácido, sem doçura e sem a qualidade de consumo desejada. O Smooth Cayenne é o cultivar de abacaxi mais produzido mundialmente e a sua produção no Brasil está concentrada na região Sudeste. O seu volume de comercialização no Entreposto Terminal de São Paulo - ETSP da Companhia de Entrepostos e Armazéns Gerais de São Paulo CEAGESP vem diminuindo ao longo do tempo quando comparado ao cultivar Pérola, cujas regiões de produção estão mais distantes e as estradas de acesso são piores. O objetivo deste estudo foi retratar a qualidade do abacaxi Smooth Cayenne, considerado como o mais valorizado pelos atacadistas, com medidas simples e objetivas, que possam ser facilmente adotadas pelos produtores na colheita. Os frutos, produzidos nos estados de São Paulo e Minas Gerais, foram coletados semanalmente, entre Outubro de 2007 a Janeiro de 2009. Foi considerado saboroso o abacaxi que apresentou, nos terços apical, mediano e basal, teor de sólidos solúveis - SS maior ou igual a 12 ºBrix, um limite máximo de acidez titulável - AT de 0,6% expressos em ácido cítrico e a relação SS/AT maior ou igual a 20. Não foi possível estabelecer uma boa correlação entre as variáveis de caracterização destrutivas e não destrutivas do abacaxi. A avaliação dos aspectos qualitativos de sabor exige a utilização de medidas destrutivas. Os frutos saborosos, mostraram-se menores, mais leves e mais firmes e com maior pH do que os não saborosos. Foi desenvolvido um modelo de regressão logística em que a variável resposta indica a probabilidade de um abacaxi ser saboroso ou não. O modelo que utilizou as variáveis: teor de sólidos solúveis, circunferência da base, comprimento com coroa e firmeza mostrou efeito significativo, para os abacaxis Smooth Cayenne colhidos no segundo semestre, em relação à probabilidade do abacaxi ser saboroso. / The pineapple is one of the most famous and worldly produced and consumed fresh fruit. Its good appearance can take to the acquisition of an acidic and sugarless fruit, lacking the necessary consumption qualities. The Smooth Cayene pineapple is the variety most produced worldwide and in Brazil. Its production is concentrated at the Southeast Region. Its volume at CEAGESPs market has been decreasing over time, when compared to the Pérola variety, that has more production are more distant and access roads are worse. The purpose of this study was to make a Smooth Cayenne pineapples quality profile, measuring and correlating the quality attributes of the fruit, considered the most valued, by the CEAGESPs pineapple whosalers, using simple and objective measures, that could be easily adopted by the growers at harvest. The fruit, that was collected each week from 2007, October to 2009, February, was produced at the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. A fruit was considered tasty when, at its apical, median and basal transversal slices,presented the soluble solids content equal or superior to 12o Brix, an acidity equal or inferior to 0,6%, measured by titratable acidity, reported as % citric acid and the relation soluble solids and titratable acidity equal or superior to 20. It was not found a good correlation between the internal and external characteristics of the fruit. The evaluation of the taste demands destructive measures. The tasty fruits are smaller size, weight less and have more firmness, higher pH than the non tasty fruits. A logistic regression model was developed to indicate the probability of the fruit being tasty or not tasty. The variables soluble solids content, basal circumference, length of the fruit with its crown and firmness has shown significance for the fruits harvested at the second semester of the year. The same wasn´t true for the fruits harvested at the first semester, from January to July, perhaps because there were fewer tasty fruits at this time.

Under the age of knowledge economy, innovation has become the key step to success in this competitive world. The importance of innovation, especially technology innovation cannot be overemphasized. Technology innovations are the power that initiate and drive the evolution of our society and economy. Despite the essential importance of technology innovation, any technology innovation will be worthless without a proper commercialization. However, technology commercialization seldom becomes fully realized. The Taiwan government as well realizes the value of technology innovation and technology commercialization. Therefore, different types of funding plans or policies have passed every year to support and incubate the innovation and technology innovation development of Taiwan firms. Without exception, Taiwan also has SBIR programs to encourage small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization. Nevertheless, more than half of the SBIR innovation projects fail in the process of commercialization. This study aims to provide a better understanding of factors that influence the technology commercialization of SMEs which participated in the Small Business Innovation Research Project (SBIR). The sample of 970 firms comprised 1169 SBIR projects with ending years between 1 to 5 years respectively. In addition, a detailed interview and case study on NanoWin Technology Co. Ltd was preceded. This paper has studied and constructed a conceptual framework and its associated case examples in its relationship with technology commercialization. The findings suggest three board strategies and ten related concepts that contribute to the success of technology commercialization in SMEs: R&D strategy (market demand oriented, time to market, outer resource arrangement and core technology competence); Marketing strategy (focus on niche markets, create customer values and apply 4P strategy); Business strategy (clear strategy target, value chain positioning and profitable business models).

Innovation and commercialization are crucial for the competitiveness and economic well-being of countries. Despite the importance of innovation, recent studies have showed that Canada is lagging behind other countries in terms of its innovation and commercialization performance. The claim is often made that Canada performs well in generating the knowledge needed for innovation; however, the problem lies in transforming this knowledge into commercial success. Thus, a major preoccupation is how to turnaround this weak commercialization performance. Despite the wide range of programs, policies and regulations implemented by the Canadian Government along with its provincial counterparts to engender a turnaround, little has changed in Canada’s commercialization performance. Therefore, the search for solutions continues. Given that commercialization takes place at the firm-level, this study will explore the relationship between firm-size and commercialization. Several existing studies have examined the link between innovation and firm size, but few have examined the link between commercialization and firm size. Despite the arguments supporting medium-sized firms’ ability to commercialize innovations, there is a weak empirical base that explores the position of Canadian medium-sized firms and their innovation and commercialization capabilities. This study will contribute to the existing knowledge by covering the gap in the literature concerning the role of medium-sized firms in commercialization, compared to small and large firms. This study provides evidence suggesting that small and medium-sized firms should be considered differently.

Innovation and commercialization are crucial for the competitiveness and economic well-being of countries. Despite the importance of innovation, recent studies have showed that Canada is lagging behind other countries in terms of its innovation and commercialization performance. The claim is often made that Canada performs well in generating the knowledge needed for innovation; however, the problem lies in transforming this knowledge into commercial success. Thus, a major preoccupation is how to turnaround this weak commercialization performance. Despite the wide range of programs, policies and regulations implemented by the Canadian Government along with its provincial counterparts to engender a turnaround, little has changed in Canada’s commercialization performance. Therefore, the search for solutions continues. Given that commercialization takes place at the firm-level, this study will explore the relationship between firm-size and commercialization. Several existing studies have examined the link between innovation and firm size, but few have examined the link between commercialization and firm size. Despite the arguments supporting medium-sized firms’ ability to commercialize innovations, there is a weak empirical base that explores the position of Canadian medium-sized firms and their innovation and commercialization capabilities. This study will contribute to the existing knowledge by covering the gap in the literature concerning the role of medium-sized firms in commercialization, compared to small and large firms. This study provides evidence suggesting that small and medium-sized firms should be considered differently.

Knowledge and technology has in recent decades become a driving force of economic growth and national productivity (Goldfarb & Henrekson, 2003). This recognition has had an impact of the universities’ core mission. Traditionally, the core mission of uni-versities has been teaching and researching, but nowadays the universities are also ex-pected to take on an active role in commercialization of the research result as a part of their mission. The Swedish government invests heavily in R&D and perceives the in-vestment as vital for the innovation system. However, the high investment have caused a lot of controversy and debates due to the perception of low innovation output in rela-tion to the investment, a phenomenon which is generally known as “The Swedish para-dox”. The Swedish paradox is influenced by several factors, one of them is that the high expenditures in university R&D generates poor outcome in relation to the investments (Henrekson & Rosenberg, 2001; Goldfarb and Henrekson, 2003). The purpose of this thesis was to explore how Swedish universities’ influence the Swedish paradox through their commercialization activities and support structures. Commercialization activities refer to the various activities which universities may choose in order to commercialize its research, including patenting, licensing, spin-offs and human capital activities. The support structure refers to the structure which the universities use to facilitate commer-cialization. In order to fulfill the purpose a multiple case-study approach was chosen in which semi-structured interviews were conducted. The chosen universities in the study were Halmstad University, Jönköping University, Linnaeus University and Lund Uni-versity. The underlying reason for the chosen approach was that the material needed to answer the purpose was to be found in a qualitative approach. The main finding of the study is that there exists insufficiencies in university commer-cialization activities and support structures which may explain why research results tend to remain at the universities, hence influencing the Swedish paradox. The results gave indications of; the tendency of too complex commercialization systems, lack of encour-agement of researchers’ involvement in commercialization, the modest use of collabora-tive agreements for collective efforts in commercialization and low prioritizing of li-censing and patenting, and finally, the necessity of a culture which advocates commer-cialization and senior management support who places commercialization as a central issue. This study leverages an insight into universities commercialization and its influ-ence on the Swedish paradox, the result of this study is valuable for both universities, in order to improve their commercialization performance and for the region and nation for a possibility to increase the output of university commercialization.

Governments of the G7 have relied primarily on two strategies to develop their respective economies, the commercialization of research using licensing models and new venture creation. Yet, they have acknowledged no specific approach to achieving commercialization success. In fact, the results of the methods used for the commercialization of results are generally viewed as not satisfactory, thus creating room for new approaches to be proposed. One of the strategies used to assist the commercialization process has been recently instituted through social actors called innovation intermediaries. Their involvement in the commercialization process has the potential not only to facilitate the process but also to diffuse knowledge and foster innovation. To date, their practices are still under development, motivating academics in various disciplines to originate research studies aimed at gaining a better understanding of them. The literature has proposed definitions and attributed functions to innovation intermediaries, but it has not arrived at a definitive description of these actors or their activities. In practice, innovation intermediaries do not have a standard operational structure, established methods, or metrics to report their results; they have yet to, establish their own practices or use evidence to inform their activities. The objective of this study is to clarify their practices and challenge their current modus operandi with a view to improvement. To explain the activities of innovation intermediaries (their practice), to expose the role of evidence, and to represent the main concerns of innovation intermediaries, a framework based on distinctive attributes of the practice was produced using insights gained from a systematic literature review, an exploratory study, and literature stressing the importance of evidence. The framework was tested using a confirmatory study in the form of an online survey with the participation of 55 innovation intermediaries from around the world. The results show that innovation intermediaries have a predisposition to focus their practice on strategic concerns, finding a fit for the venture offering in the market while neglecting to oversee the mechanisms required for developing a viable venture offering. They tend to support their decisions anecdotally, referencing their previous experiences without the support of systematic methods to corroborate their conclusions. Their prioritized goals are first, to persuade investors and sponsors to collaborate with their clients; second, to help their clients occupy a leading position in their markets, and third, to support their clients to refine the venture offering and transform it into a commercial success. The emergent framework has characterized the practice of innovation intermediaries, identified particular gaps in their activities and their use of evidence, and suggested that the current focus in the practice of innovation intermediaries may not be contributing all that it could to the commercialization process. This framework may be of significant value to advance this field of knowledge and hopefully contribute to professionalize the practice of these social actors. Ultimately, this research could form the foundation for strengthening evidence-based best practices for innovation intermediaries.

The link between heritage and hospitality dates back hundreds of years. However, there are no firm rules that manage this old relationship. The research tackles the concept of ‘heritage hospitality’ as a new concept; which represents a managed heritage-hospitality link through the application of traditional heritage and traditional hospitality in hotels. This study addresses the relationship between heritage and hospitality at selected hotels in Siwa oasis in Egypt. Relationships between indigenous peoples and hotels, heritage and hospitality, hotels and heritage tourism, the possibility of applying the ‘heritage hospitality’ concept and the present status of heritage application in Siwan hotels were explored to achieve the research goal of providing a balance between commercialization and authenticity in hospitality. Field observations, a questionnaire survey, key informant interviews, and a focus group discussion were conducted in Siwa from October 2, 2010 to October 21, 2010. The present status of heritage application in Siwan hotels has been documented in this study. Although Siwa oasis is rich in both cultural and natural heritage, Siwan hotels utilize only one aspect of the cultural heritage: tangible cultural heritage. Thus, Siwan hotel operators may invest more in quality heritage presentation in order to contribute to the preservation of Siwan heritage and to earn more money. Authenticity is important to the enhancement of the link between heritage and hospitality. However, it is necessary to combine both old and modern practices in a balanced approach. This research contributes to practice and to conceptual and empirical understanding of heritage-hospitality nexus and, hopefully, will inspire more research on balancing authenticity and commercialization in hotels, particularly in developing countries like Egypt.

Compared to China and southeast Asian countries, corporations of traditional industry in Taiwan are more and more uncompetitive in terms of cost of human and manufacture. The application of nanotechnology is an opportunity that can adds product value and upgrade industry in the traditional industry in Taiwan. Traditional industry corporations face stable environment and long technology life and manufacture mainly, so they have less need for new technology and are lacking in experience of commercializing technology. The appearance of nanotechnology will affect Taiwan traditional industry¡¦s competitive advantage and make it without other choice but to face the emerging technology. Corporations must combine nanotechnology with its domain technology. Because it is different from the general process of commercializing technology adapted to the used technology, traditional industry corporations¡¦ processing the technology commercialization will face different problems and need different help. The methodology of this research includes case study, secondary data collection approaches, and interviews of corporate managers and related experts. Then we integrate the three parts of the process of technology commercialization, the plan of National Science and Technology Program for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology for traditional industry, and Industrial Technology Research Institute¡¦s (ITRI) guidance and promotion project into the model of nanotechnology commercialization of traditional industry in Taiwan. In this research, we find that government must actively facilitate nano-industry cluster, process nano-fundamental research and train people of talent to build a complete nano-industry environment. In the early stage of technology commercialization, the key point is how to bring in nanotechnology. The traditional industry corporations must cooperate with the modifiers and connectors, process technology transfer and then combine nanotechnology and their domain technology together. Finally, they could introduce their new products to the market.