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.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a stepping stone for technological innovation in the development control process. As a foundational piece of research on this topic, it leverages classic technology adoption theory alongside an investigation of how municipalities adopt innovation for tools of planning, such as geographic information systems. This thesis provides a qualitative analysis of opportunities and barriers to the potential for the adoption of an online development control process, investigating satisfaction with the current process, perceptions on potential aspects of innovation within the process and willingness to adopt. The survey conducted revealed a gap between perceived versus actual satisfaction with the current process, conflicting views between municipal and consulting planners, and a strong overall interest the ability to submit development control applications online. This paper found that perceived barriers such as complacency with the current system can be overcome when confronted by innovation; however barriers including capital cost investment are real and require further consideration in the adoption process. Findings from this thesis point to a strong willingness for innovation of the process, especially the conception of an intuitive online development control process.

This thesis examines how IT and the digitization of information have transformed the Swedish graphic industry. The debate concerning the productivity paradox, i.e. if investments in IT contribute to productivity growth, is one important starting point for the thesis. Previous research on this phenomenon has mainly used different types of statistical databases as empirical sources. In this thesis though, the graphic industry is instead studied from a mainly qualitative and historical process perspective. The empirical study is focused on describing the development of internal critical production processes in the graphic industry and its external markets. The aim is to show how innovations based upon IT have influenced the transformation of the Swedish graphic industry and if this has led to changes in productivity. Furthermore, to identify other significant effects and changes in the graphic industry’s markets that also has occurred as a result of the introduction of IT innovations. The process study shows that digitization of information flows in the graphic industry began in the 1970s, but the start of the development and use of digitized information happened in the early 1980s. Today almost all types of materials in the industry, for example text and pictures, have developed into a digital form and the information flows are hereby more or less totally digitized. The consequences from use of IT in production processes are identified here as different outcomes and effects. One conclusion drawn from the analysis is that investments and use of IT have positively influenced changes in productivity. The conclusion is based on the appearance of different automational effects, which in turn have had a positive influence on factors that may be a part of a productivity index. In addition to productivity, other mainly informational effects are also identified. These effects include increased capacity to handle and produce information, increased integration of customers in the production processes, increased physical quality in produced products, and options for management improvements in the production processes. The appearance of such effects indicates that it is not always the most obvious ones, such as productivity, that is of greatest significance when IT is implemented in the processes of an industry. Also the part of the study using an external perspective shows that IT innovations have had great influence on the graphic industry’s markets. The transformation of markets is analyzed through the use of the Innovation influence model, which is grounded in the Technological systems and Development blocks concepts. It shows that suppliers to graphic companies have played an important role in the IT innovation development process and they have thereby contributed to the ongoing transformation of the industry. Furthermore, IT innovations have been an important tool for graphic companies to handle different structural tensions they have experienced. The innovations introduced have thereby contributed to the development of new products, distribution channels, and markets. At the same time different products have disappeared and old markets contracted. These progresses have also been a result f the digitization of society. Altogether, this development has resulted in a transformation pressure that has come to greatly influence the industry. Because of this there today exist fewer but larger graphic and suppliers companies. Altogether the study shows that if a productivity paradox existed in the graphic industry, it is today to be considered as resolved. The pace in which the transformation of the industry, caused by IT innovations, has occurred has been extraordinary compared to previous developments. IT has become an unconditional part of the industry and society. Therefore it is of great importance to include several perspectives, e.g., internal process perspectives as well as external market perspectives, when discussing the value that might be derived from IT investments.

This thesis accomplishes two major goals: 1. it establishes an innovation decision making framework suitable for the public service sector; and 2. it provides in-depth understanding of the established framework through two detailed accounts of innovation in Saskatchewan Department of Highways and Transportation. The major benefit from applying the findings from this research is a disciplined and structured approach to managing innovation. This in turn significantly increases the chance of innovations success. <p>The decision making framework identifies the most important success drivers that influence the innovation process from conceptual ideas to diffusion. The accompanying idea to launch innovation stage gate model is a structured and disciplined approach to managing innovation and allocating resources in a most optimized way. Both the guiding innovation framework and the idea to launch process maintain a strong strategic focus and provide an environment for intelligent risk taking.

This thesis accomplishes two major goals: 1. it establishes an innovation decision making framework suitable for the public service sector; and 2. it provides in-depth understanding of the established framework through two detailed accounts of innovation in Saskatchewan Department of Highways and Transportation. The major benefit from applying the findings from this research is a disciplined and structured approach to managing innovation. This in turn significantly increases the chance of innovations success. <p>The decision making framework identifies the most important success drivers that influence the innovation process from conceptual ideas to diffusion. The accompanying idea to launch innovation stage gate model is a structured and disciplined approach to managing innovation and allocating resources in a most optimized way. Both the guiding innovation framework and the idea to launch process maintain a strong strategic focus and provide an environment for intelligent risk taking.

Current research has pointed out that a subsidiary ́s external network, constituted by its suppliers and customers at the local market, is very important for the corporation as a whole. In this study we seek to explore if this is the case for a certain Multinational corporation through exploring the usage of its networks. More specifically how the knowledge within its networks sharing contribute to the company’s innovation development process. A number of interviews have been conducted with personnel at a Multinational corporation, General Electric Healthcare Life Sciences in Uppsala. The results have been analyzed using a theoretical frame of reference covering network theory and a subsidiary’s part in it. Our findings show that even though the external network may play a necessary part, the internal network of a large Multinational corporation is an important resource and should not be ignored.

An aging population is becoming an increasingly growing global phenomenon, and 2050 is said to be a historical breaking point where 65+ will outnumber those between 0-5 years old. However, previous research has failed to provide sufficient explanations for consumer behavior for this particular segment, and a large incidence have been found to share the belief that technology fails to be adapted to meet their needs properly. An overlooked aspect of knowledge management was found and a research gap was thus identified addressing the role of cognition when assessing and interpreting customer needs. The purpose has been to develop a deeper understanding of certain aspects of how companies within this industry acquire and assimilate knowledge, and how product developers perceive the role of cognition in these processes. In order to shed light on these dimensions of knowledge management, a research question has been formulated as follows: "How does psychological distance affect knowledge acquisition, absorptive capacity and relationship quality?" A quantitative study was carried out involving 45 companies operating in a variety of industries ranging from robotics, hygiene and special nutrition, to eldercare and mobility products. Altogether, 51 responses were collected and analyzed using simple- and multiple regression, and were subsequently discussed based on a developed theoretical framework. The results found in this study have been used to identify combinations of cognitive dimensions and relationship quality for the purpose of developing a better understanding of its respective impact on knowledge acquisition and absorptive capacity. The findings culminated in a model through which to explain for these combinations of psychological distance, level of construal and relationship quality and their effect on the ability to acquire and disseminate new knowledge from elderly.High-level information was found easier to acquire among the respondent companies, and low-level contrarily easier to absorb. Greater psychological distance in combination with low relationship quality had a positive impact of high-level construal individuals to acquire knowledge from external sources. In contrast to these findings, perceived proximity in the psychological distances and high relationship quality were jointly found to assist in knowledge dissemination processes for low-level construal individuals.

Magistro baigiamajame darbe išanalizuota ir pateikta inovacijų plėtros vertinimo metodika, ši metodika pateikiama praktiškai, pritaikant ją vertinant konkretų inovacijų plėtros projektą – automatizuotos traukinių ir vagonų komercinės apžiūros sistemos (AKAS) statybą AB „Lietuvos geležinkeliai“ Draugystės geležinkelio stotyje. Pirmoje darbo dalyje teoriniu aspektu tiriama inovacijų samprata, klasifikavimas, proceso problematika, pateikti inovacijų plėtros ekonominio naudingumo vertinimo principai. Antroje darbo dalyje nustatoma AKAS sistemos inovatyvumo ir ekonominio naudingumo vertinimo metodologija, kuri išskirta į dvi dalis: Lietuvos geležinkelio funkcijų atvejo analizės vertinimas ir AKAS sistemos tyrimo atvejo analizės vertinimas. AKAS sistemos tyrimui taikyti trys metodai: ekspertinė apklausa, inovacinių projektų rezultatų vertinimas, darbuotojų darbo laiko įdiegus AKAS sistemą analizės vertinimas. Trečioje darbo dalyje atliekami tirtų duomenų apdorojimai. Analizuojamos Lietuvos geležinkelio funkcijos ir AKAS sistemos tyrimo atvejis. Darbo gale pateikiamos išvados ir rekomendacijos AKAS sistemos tobulinimui. / Master‘s Work contains analyzed and presented innovation development evaluation methodology. This methodology presented in practical way using it evaluating particular innovation development project – automatical trains and wagons comercial review system‘s (AKAS) building in Join Stock Company „Lietuvos geležinkeliai“ Draugystės railway station. In the first part of the Work from theoretical point of view are examined the conception of innovations, classification, process issues, valuation principles of innovation development economical benefits listed. In the second part of the Work the evaluation methodology of AKAS system economical effectiveness and innovation is determined which is splitted in two parts: in case of Lithuanian railway‘s functions analysis evaluation and in case of AKAS system‘s survey analysis evaluation. Three methods was applied for analysis of AKAS system: experts survey, innovation projects results interpretation, analysis evaluation of workers work time after AKAS system‘s introduction. In the third part of the Work processing of examined data was made. Functions of Lithuanian railway and AKAS system case study are analyzed. Conclusions and recomendations for improvement of AKAS system presented in the end of the Work.

Abstract   This study addresses the research gap on knowledge transfer on a team level, by examining the potential and realized Absorptive Capacity (ACAP) on the receiver's side and potential and realized Disseminative Capacity (DCAP) on the sender's side. The research question and purpose relate to how ACAP and DCAP can aid innovation development teams in reaching their goals and what role social integration mechanisms play in this process. We develop a theoretical framework in which we synthesize existing literature and through which we analyzed the empirical data.   We follow a qualitative method and employ a single case strategy that fits our empirical data and allows to gain an understanding of social dynamics underlying knowledge transfer. The data was collected through interviews in the R&amp;D department of Atlas Copco, a large Swedish multinational corporation that operates in the mining and tunneling industry. From our analysis we conclude that social integration mechanisms can be used in order to lower the gap between potential and realized capacities. This can in turn lead to a higher innovative output of teams.

Disertacijos tyrimo objektas yra valstybinis rizikos kapitalas, kaip rizikos kapitalo rinkos skatinimo, pradedančio veiklą inovatyvaus verslo finansavimo ir valstybės politikos priemonė, padedanti spręsti netobulos/neefektyvios rinkos situacijas, kuriose privatus rizikos kapitalas pasiekia ne visus rinkos dalyvius. Tyrimo tikslas yra atskleisti valstybinio rizikos kapitalo reikšmę šalies rizikos kapitalo sektoriui ir poveikį ekonomikai bei, remiantis kitų Europos šalių patirtimi, sukurti hipotetinį valstybinio rizikos kapitalo plėtros modelį Lietuvoje. Siekiant tyrimo tikslo, disertacijoje yra apžvelgti teoriniai valstybinio rizikos kapitalo aspektai, išanalizuotos užsienio šalyse įgyvendintos valstybinio rizikos kapitalo priemonės, įvertintas rizikos kapitalo temos išnagrinėjimo lygis Lietuvos autorių mokslo darbuose, išanalizuota Lietuvos inovacijų kūrimo ir finansavimo bei rizikos kapitalo sistemų būklė bei suformuotas hipotetinis valstybinio rizikos kapitalo plėtros modelis, kurį galima įgyvendinti Lietuvoje. / Object of the research is public venture capital as a tool of venture capital market incentive, innovative business start-up financing, and state policy, which helps addressing imperfect/inefficient market situations where private venture capital does not access all market players. Purpose of the research is to reveal the importance of public venture capital to the national venture capital sector, its impact on the economy and, based on the experience of European countries, to create a hypothetical model of public venture capital development in Lithuania. In order to meet this purpose theoretical aspects of public venture capital in foreign authors’ scientific works were overviewed; public venture capital tools, that have been implemented in foreign countries, were analyzed; the level of study of public venture capital topic in Lithuanian authors’ scientific works was evaluated; the state of Lithuanian innovation development and financing and venture capital systems was analyzed, and a hypothetical model of public venture capital development, which could be implemented in Lithuania, was created.