Innovation laboratories are environments especially designed for carrying out the innovation process. They are an example of a new kind of organisational structure that has emerged as a managerial response to challenges associated with organisational dynamic capability development. Using a mixed-method approach, this thesis attempts to create an understanding for the challenges and opportunities that exist in the management of an innovation laboratory, both on a level of organisational innovation and of individual creativity. The componential model of creativity and innovation in organisations is used as a framework for analysis of an innovation laboratory in the case company, the tech consultancy firm Semcon. The results confirm that there is a lack of clarity in the conceptualisation of innovation labs. Some important findings are that the implementation of an innovation laboratory could in itself be seen as an opportunity, but that acting in the borderland between the objectives of profitability and creativity could prove a challenge. A challenge may also lie in maintaining a realistic view of the actual abilities of the innovation laboratory. Cross-functional collaboration between consultants seems to bring opportunities in that it may contribute to knowledge creation and transfer within the firm, but there is a challenge in that teams are in need of leaders with skills in creativity management and agile project management, but also technical expertise. A general conclusion for managing innovation laboratories is that they need enough resources to have room for mistakes. The findings have implications for the management of existing innovation laboratories and those in the planning.

Quels sont les effets des émotions spécifiques sur le jugement et l'intention d'adopter des produits innovants ? L'objectif de cette thèse est double. Dans un premier temps, elle propose d'étudier dans quelle mesure les émotions spécifiques influencent le jugement et les intentions comportementales face à des produits innovants. Dans un deuxième temps, elle propose d'identifier les processus qui sous-tendent l'effet des émotions sur l'évaluation d'objets innovants. En lien avec les théories contemporaines de l'émotion (Zeelenberg & Pieters, 2006), nous proposons d'étudier les dimensions cognitives et motivationnelles des émotions afin d'expliquer et de prédire l'influence des émotions sur le jugement et l'intention d'adopter des produits innovants. Notre Etude 1 propose d'étudier les conditions de déclenchement des émotions spécifiques ainsi que l'impact de celles-ci sur l'évaluation et l'acceptation d'un objet innovant. Pour cela, le concept d'expérience utilisateur est étudié au travers des processus ascendants (caractéristiques de l'objet) et descendants (attentes affectives). Quatre-vingt-huit (88) participants de catégorie socioprofessionnelle variée ont été recrutés pour l'étude. Nous avons choisi de tester deux versions d'un dispositif de livres électroniques (moyenne qualité d'interaction versus mauvaise qualité d'interaction) et de manipuler leurs descriptions afin de faire varier les attentes affectives (positive, négative, contrôle) des participants. Les résultats suggèrent que l'expérience utilisateur ne dépend pas seulement des qualités intrinsèques de l'objet innovant mais également des attentes initiales de l'usager. Cette étude valide, par ailleurs, l'effet des émotions spécifiques sur l'évaluation de produits innovants. Les Etudes 2, 3 et 4 tentent ensuite de mettre évidence une partie des variables modératrices et médiatrices qui influencent le lien émotions spécifiques - évaluation. Pour l'Etude 2, cent quatre-vingt-neuf (189) étudiants ont été recrutés sur la base du volontariat. Pour la procédure d'induction émotionnelle, la méthode du rappel autobiographique a été sélectionnée pour induire l'amusement, la peur, la colère ou un état neutre chez les participants. Après l'induction émotionnelle, les participants devaient remplir un court questionnaire afin de donner leur avis sur un objet innovant (hédonique versus moins hédonique).Les résultats mettent, d'une part, en évidence le rôle modérateur de la nature du produit sur la relation entre émotions spécifiques et évaluation, et suggèrent, d'autre part,l'importance de la composante motivationnelle des émotions dans l'évaluation d'un produit innovant. Les Etudes 3 et 4 testent empiriquement l'importance de la composante motivationnelle des émotions dans la relation émotions spécifiques - évaluation. Pour susciter une émotion spécifique d'amusement ou de satisfaction, nous avons choisi la méthode des scénarii (Etude 3) et la méthode du rappel autobiographique (Etude 4). Deux types de produits ont été sélectionnés (catégorie loisirs versus catégorie bien-être). Pour l'Etude 3, quatre-vingt-dix-sept (97) étudiants ont été recrutés sur la base du volontariat. Cette étude s'inscrit dans la continuité des travaux de Griskevicius, Shiota, et Nowlis (2010). Les résultats montrent le rôle médiateur des dimensions motivationnelles dans la relation émotion spécifique et évaluation de produit innovant. L'Etude 4, réalisée auprès de cent douze (112) étudiants, permet de répliquer les résultats obtenus dans l'Etude 3. Elle s'appuie sur la mesure développée par Fredrickson (2004) afin d'opérationnaliser le construit de dimension motivationnelle. Cette thèse s'attache donc à répondre à deux missions : produire des contributions théoriques sur les émotions et assister designers, concepteurs et ingénieurs dans la conception de produits innovants. / How might specific emotions differentially influence consumer judgments and behavioural intentions with respect to innovations? The purpose of this dissertation is two sided. First, it examines the relationship between emotions and evaluation/behavioural intentions with respect to innovations and second it studies some moderators and mediators influencing this relationship. In contemporary emotion research, cognitive and motivational dimensions of specific emotions are recognized as central in the decision making process (Zeelenberg & Pieters, 2006). Consequently, the claim of our dissertation is that understanding and investigating the cognitive and motivational dimensions of specific emotions can be useful to predict their influence on judgments and behavioural intentions with respect to innovations. Our Study 1 investigated how specific emotions arise and explored their influence on product's evaluation and usage intention. This study addressed the concept of user experience through bottom-up (product's characteristics) and top-down (affective expectations) processes. Eighty eight (88) participants from various socio professional categories were recruited to participate to this study. Two different version of an e-book (medium quality experience versus low quality experience) were selected. The affective expectations (positive, negative, control) were manipulated through an oral presentation of the product. Our results suggested that the user's emotional experience do not only depend on the product's intrinsic characteristic but also depend on his/her prior expectations. In addition, findings confirmed the role of specific emotions on product's evaluation. Our Study 2 sought to explain how specific emotions influence products' desirability. One hundred and eighty nine (189) undergraduates volunteered to participate to this study. Depending on the experimental condition, participants were induced to feel anger, fear or amusement through an autobiographical recall method. Then, they were asked to evaluate either a hedonic product or a less hedonic product. First, results demonstrate that the nature of product moderates the relationship between incidental emotions and desirability. Second, our findings highlight the motivational implication of emotions on product desirability. Our Studies 3 & 4 examined the hypothesis that emotion-specific short-term goals (motivational dimension) might explain the impact of specific emotions on product's desirability. We addressed two specific positive emotions – amusement and satisfaction-, and used two type of product (welfare versus recreational). In study 3, ninety seven (97) undergraduate participants were induced to feel either amusement or satisfaction through scenarios. Findings show that amusement enhances the desirability of recreational product and that satisfaction enhances the desirability of welfare product. Consistent with the proposed hypothesis, results demonstrate that emotion specific-goal mediates the influence of specific positive emotions on product desirability. Study 4, conducted on one hundred and twelve (112) undergraduates, allows replicating findings of study 3 using different methods to induce emotions- autographical recall-, and to measure emotion-specific goals. Thus, on the one hand, this dissertation reveals that specific emotions come into play prior to use, when the users form expectations. On the other hand, it demonstrates that the study of the motivational functions of emotions can be helpful to predict the influence of specific emotions on consumer judgment. This dissertation offers new contributions in the research of emotion from a theoretical perspective and in product design from an applicative perspective.

Trots en ökande trend av antalet kvinnliga entreprenörer är proportionen till manliga entreprenörer fortfarande relativt låg. Anledningen kan bland annat bero på att entreprenörskap definieras efter egenskaper som återfinns bland typiska manliga egenskaper som till exempel riskbenägenhet och en stor självtillit. Med stor sannolikhet är detta en av orsakerna till att få kvinnor kan identifiera sig själva med rollen som entreprenör. Denna studie undersöker vad som i nuläget utförs för att främja entreprenörskap bland kvinnor och vad detta kommer att bidra till i framtiden gällande det kvinnliga entreprenörskapet. Metoden har skapats genom ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt i form av intervjuer. Totalt innehöll studien sex deltagare och bestod av representanter från Svenska Uppfinnareföreningen, Almi, Nutek, Idélab och Arbetsförmedlingen Kultur samt en kvinnlig entreprenör vid namn Mia Seipel, Boobdesign.

While many organizational actors, including firms, governments, universities, and non-profit organizations may have an impact on the innovative capacity of the firms with which they engage, we have little knowledge of their relative importance. The literature on innovation intermediaries reports on the impact of specific types of organizations, but has not considered the relative importance of different types of organizations. While the studies using Community Innovation Survey (CIS) data are able to consider relative effects, data on the nature of those effects are limited. In the interests of a better understanding of the relative nature and degree of the innovation enabling contributions of a range of organizational actors, I conduct a comparative examination of the contributions of firms, governments, universities, industry associations, and research institutes. Using survey data from a sample of 499 firms, I identify the actors that are most strongly associated with each of ten innovation intermediation activities.

Abstract Title: Innovation and its influence of LBS company: Jiepang in China Level: Final assignment for Master of Business Administration   Author: Yang OU, Zijian LI   Supervisor: Maria. Fregidou-Malama   Date: 2012-June   Aim: Chinese firms desire to win the market, and they should consider innovation. The aim of the study is to explore the effects of innovation for LBS firm to gain success in China. Method: The main research method is case study. Jiepang as our case company is a LBS firm in China. And we interview two persons from different department, and one is its co-founder. Result & Conclusions: Innovative action and behavior must cover whole organization, all employees should be participant. In China, LBS is a rising industry, but LBS firms face to many threats from competitors and substitutes too. Thereby in order to survive in the market and gain success, innovation is a very important strategy for LBS firm, but not the unique method.       Suggestions for future research: Open innovation process is becoming a hot topic currently, so how to innovate with customer or user, how to cooperate with them? And if the data collection can take from multi-cases, it would be make research result more convincing.         Contribution of the thesis: In this study, we introduce and popularize a new industry, LBS in China. And we give a deeper understanding of the importance of innovation and how innovation can improve the competitiveness of the company in this industry.

While many organizational actors, including firms, governments, universities, and non-profit organizations may have an impact on the innovative capacity of the firms with which they engage, we have little knowledge of their relative importance. The literature on innovation intermediaries reports on the impact of specific types of organizations, but has not considered the relative importance of different types of organizations. While the studies using Community Innovation Survey (CIS) data are able to consider relative effects, data on the nature of those effects are limited. In the interests of a better understanding of the relative nature and degree of the innovation enabling contributions of a range of organizational actors, I conduct a comparative examination of the contributions of firms, governments, universities, industry associations, and research institutes. Using survey data from a sample of 499 firms, I identify the actors that are most strongly associated with each of ten innovation intermediation activities.

The concept service infusion implies that services are being included in a product-centric business to some extent. This movement towards integrating services will change how the business is performed in such a company; in other words, service infusion will lead to changes in the business model. This thesis aims to describe how service infusion affects the business in general and more specific effects in the business model. Volvo Trucks are somewhere in the process of service infusion and have several services offered to the market, such as Dynafleet, fuel advice, and driver training. In 2008, the service driver training was launched on the Romanian market and Volvo Trucks struggled with selling the service for a fee. This led to Volvo Trucks making the decision to start giving away the service for free. The objective of the service driver training was from the begging to sell it for a fee and the transition from service for free to service for fee is the main focus in this thesis. Through an analysis of the theoretical framework chosen for this thesis and a case study performed on Volvo Trucks, four success factors for the transition from free to fee could be identified: deep understanding of customers, show the value of the service, introduce sales commissions, and develop a pricing strategy. All these success factors are chosen to ease the transition from a service for free into a service for fee.

The e-book reader, Kindle, which Amazon.com officially promoted in November, 2007, has caught the eye of global market, and the sale volumes reached 500,000 in 2008(Bureau of Industrial Development, MOEA, 2009). Moreover, the Kindle2 promoted in March, 2009, has also created a good performance. The success in Kindle lets many Taiwanese manufacturers think the feasibility of developing the e-book reader market in Taiwan. Therefore, this research uses Innovation-Decision Process (Rogers, 2003) and New Product Adoption Model (Holak, 1988) to study the effects of perceived attributes of innovation, include relative advantage, compatibility and complexity, on purchase intention Taiwanese having. Furthermore, the influences about substitutes and reading habits on the purchase intention were also discussed in this study. According to the possible consumer groups, this research focus on Taiwanese who live in Taiwan now and who must be office workers had college degree or be university, graduate, or PhD students. The period of survey was from March 19 to April 18 in 2010 and the questionnaires were handed out through personal interview and e-mail. The number of questionnaires collected is 202 and only 158 questionnaires had confirmed to the standard the study requested. In 158 questionnaires, 42% are office workers and 58% are students; 59% are male and 41% are female; the age distribution of 158 questionnaires is from 20 to 59 years old, and 58% are in the range 20 to 29 years old; About the disposable monthly income, 40% are in the rang NT$5,000 to NT$9,999; 85% are live in south of Taiwan. The findings showed: (1) At present, Only 28% respondents have the purchase intention of e-book reader (selling price for NT$10,000 about); (2) The first three factors which attract Taiwanese to purchase an e-book reader include easy to carry (70%), saving the space to store paper books (40%), and easy to read when you are moving (37%); (3) The relative advantage affected the purchase intention positively; (4) The degree respondents approved of reading paper books usually was positively correlated with purchase intention; (5) The purchase intention was higher when respondents had netbooks or smartphones, and more items of substitutes they had.

21st century has been the so-called the era of knowledge-based andinnovation-driven economy. As Taiwan has been stepping into the stage of slower growth, the major issue for Taiwan¡¦s future development is how we progress toward the innovation-based industrial growth. Facing the hypercompetitive future, staying efficient, keeping costs down, delivering products and services on time and to a sufficient standard of quality are goals that merely ensure the organization stays alive. Continuous innovation has been widely regarded as the major source of competitive advantage and the base on which an enterprise builds its core competence, uplifts its competitiveness and expands its global market share. With the recognition of the importance of organizational innovation, the purpose of the study is trying to examine the current status of organizational innovation in Taiwan's traditional industry, hoping to provide some guidelines for the industry to enhance its competitiveness via innovation. The research suggested two main steps to enhance the innovation system: (1) examine and evaluate a firm¡¦s existing organizational innovation and (2) reconstruct the innovation system. After the analysis of Taiwan¡¦s traditional industry, the guidelines to improve organizational innovation include: (1) improving administrative innovation, (2) improving information system, (3) collaborating with external organizations, (4) developing brand names, (5) developing disruptive innovation, and (6) reinforcing flexibility and adaptability.

Due to these impacts from the price raising of the materials, the moving out of the industries, the rise of mainland China, and the merger of industries . China Steel Corporation will face more serious challenge from the global competition in the future. Although China Steel Corporation manages well, the past successful experiences could not promise future success. The competitive environment of industry is changing rapidly. To deal with this is to create and develop on the go, to proceed in time, to get with it, to respond quickly and lead the trend then can ensure to keep the development of competition superiority to make China Steel Corporation sustainable development. The target of innovation development for China Steel Corporation : 1.To research and develop high quality and high value for market segmentation. 2.To foster new technology and execute blue sea strategy for creating new market of non competition. 3.To develop on line equipment of automatic inspection system for ensuring quality innovation of products. 4.To research positively the investing chances for the materials of coal and iron mines to maintain the cost and quality of production. The key points of success for promoting innovation program as below: 1.The innovation program is for future innovation and brings with high risk. Therefore, it should offer related staffs more encouragement and assistance. 2.The innovation program needs cross department¡¦s coordination and cooperation for future application. 3.To promote the innovation program to the highest level of the company, it needs to track the execution progress and plan the topic of new program quarterly. It should take notices as below for the future development of China Steel Corporation. 1.To Integrate resources for managing the competition of inner and outer environment. 2.To organize human resources reasonably for hiring new employees in advance for retirement tide would increase the organization vitality. 3.To add production lines of high quality for speeding up procedure raise effects for creating beneficial market. 4.To speed up the investment of steel materials in demanded and grown countries for responding effectively to the growing power of each country and area.