Increasing interest is being shown in performance measurement, in both the academic literature and by practitioners. When implementing innovative products, organisations are facing issues of how to measure and manage the performance of the products concerned and how to do so in a worthwhile way. Reviewing existing literature suggests that there has been limited research on the value of performance measurement and management processes and indeed little conceptual distinction has been made between performance measurement and performance management. A conceptual framework is developed, structured around concepts from the existing literature showing two ways of distinguishing performance measurement and performance management. Performance management processes are shown as broader than performance measurement processes and the influences of the processes on performance are also displayed, another way of differentiating between the two concepts. The framework provides a structure for a pattern matching analysis using empirical data. Empirical data collection involved four case studies, each focusing on a medical device being implemented in the UK public healthcare sector. Forty-six semi-structured interviews explored performance measurement and performance management processes in the implementation of the innovative products, as well as exploring the influences of those processes on performance of the innovative products. The findings from the thesis highlight key performance measurement and performance management processes that occur in the implementation of innovative products, finding that the two can best be distinguished by their influence, or lack of influence, on performance. Performance reporting is also highlighted as a key concept. The findings indicate that performance measurement and reporting processes alone cannot be expected to have an influence on performance, however if performance management processes occur too then they can.

This study explored the management of university-industry collaborations (UICs). Although increasingly important for delivering innovation in many sectors, policy research has expressed concern about the detailed performance of these inter-organisational arrangements. Moreover, although well researched as a knowledge-based economic phenomenon there is much less equivalent managerial research, especially from the perspective of university scientists. Therefore, owing to the paucity of such research, this thesis investigated the adoption of particular project management (PM) practices by university scientists and their subsequent impact on innovative project performance. Four research questions were defined and they were developed, refined and tested within a two-stage process.

The dissertation deals with innovations and competitiveness of companies. It also depicts innovative environment in a real company.

This thesis explores the challenges and opportunities of cultural entrepreneurship, exploring current conceptualisations of cultural entrepreneurs and to find new perspectives and recommendations for cultural entrepreneurs of the future. Cultural entrepreneurship is a contested, yet essential aspect of the growth of artists and arts organisations globally. Though there are similarities, this research demonstrates that cultural entrepreneurs from different backgrounds, industries and of varied sizes need different things and have different barriers so cannot be understood in the same way. Digital technologies and local networks do offer new possibilities for innovation however these are limited in scope and require further investigation and investment. Despite psychological, political and financial barriers to entrepreneurship in the creative industries, finding a balance between artistic, social, economic and institutional innovation for the various actors throughout the arts offers key insights to how artists and arts organisations can be more entrepreneurial. Through a grounded theory approach, this research connects previously disparate fields of cultural policy, social entrepreneurship and business model innovation to derive new perspectives of how cultural entrepreneurs can survive and thrive in the dynamically shifting world. Themes that emerged through the data analysis connect in new ways to Cohendet et al.’s (2012) ‘Anatomy of a Creative City’, outlining the underground, middleground and upperground actors; Albinsson’s (2017) theories of the quadruple bottom line in the creative industries; and a value ecosystem’s approach with a focus on value creation (Allee, 2002; Curtis, 2017). From this combination of literature and data collected, a novel approach to understanding cultural entrepreneurs emerges, creating a model to understand more holistically how value is created and captured for the artist or arts organisation. This model has a range of practical approaches intended to provide tangible pathways into combining the concepts of the quadruple bottom line, value ecosystems and different conceptualisations of cultural entrepreneurs, offering a novel contribution to all of these fields in addition to, and most significantly the topic of cultural entrepreneurship.

Despite the claim that blockchain will revolutionise business and redefine logistics, existing research so far is limited concerning frameworks that categorise blockchain application potentials and their implications. In particular, academic literature in transport and logistics to date has not sufficiently distinguished between blockchain adoption ('what to adopt') and the identification of the right business opportunity ('where to start'). In response, this paper (1) uses Rogers¿ (2003) 'attributes of innovation framework' to identify potential blockchain applications and (2) presents a framework explicating four transformation phases to subsequently categorise the identified areas of application according to their effects on organisational structures and processes. Using academic and practitioner literature, we classify possible applications for adoption and provide a framework to identify blockchain opportunities in the logistics industry, thereby helping managers to systematically assess where to start building organisational capabilities in order to successfully adopt and deploy blockchain-based technology.

The thesis focuses on the topic of innovation management in the large companies and presents specific analysis of Georg Fischer Piping Systems

This thesis is focused on IT Project Portfolio Management and the creation of tools for teaching it. The objectives are first to summarize the evolution of IT Project Portfolio Management, then to extend the current process of project selection with other elements and points of view, and also to create a software tool for teaching IT Project Portfolio Management. The thesis deals with the emergence and subsequent development of IT Project Portfolio Management and its benefits, problems, and concepts, which are necessary for deeper understanding of the issue. Furthermore, the thesis describes the cycle of IT Project Portfolio Management and highlights the important moments and trends. In addition, it focuses on the processes used in the context of portfolio management and its impact on the company and its employees. It also lists some options how to limit its and how to improve the quality of project plans. The focus of the thesis is also on the process of criteria selection and ways of obtaining appropriate weights of criteria and on other methods of selecting projects. The last chapter contains a manual how to work with the attached MS Excel file. The file provides a tool for the assessment of projects.

The rapid convergence of collaborative technologies, democratisation of digital communication and consumerisation of Smart Grid infrastructure (i.e.: smart metering and distribution substation automation) have faltered the efficacy of centralised command-and-control and its insular sub-culture. For complex firms in today's creative economy, this infers that management innovation (MI)—“an induced managerial capacity to search for novel ways to create value”, is rapidly becoming liabilities unless it is innovatively managed for overcoming the inertia of discontinuity opportunities. The raison d'être of this thesis is to investigate the generative managerial processes through which MI can be fostered for experimentation and innovatively managed for acceleration. It comprises four qualitative case studies that involved in-depth interviews, surveys, public records and archival documentaries of four Canadian energy and utilities organisations. The conclusions are fascinating both expected and unanticipated. I found that many, if not most, of the contemporaneous routines of pyramidal target-setting and benchmark-driven cultures are ubiquitously evident. Business planning and risk management still function, albeit the objects of those tenets are different. These quasi-objects include, but are not limited to, organic structures, web-enabled paradigm, pragmatic mindset of middle-down-up crowdsourcing and fragmented evaluation of efforts to evoke the innovative management of management innovation (IMMI). Further adjacent to the quest for driving renewed growth, a new governing dynamic is hinging upon the IMMI that forges a pattern for resiliency and sustainability. Managers capitalise on the epistemic IMMI to regain competitive advantage while enduring endogenous fiefdoms and exogenous disruptions. They catalyse information semantically, harness collective capability effectively, stage prolifically faster MI experimentations and accelerate the cycle of MI more pervasively. I henceforth propose a unified managerial process, dubbed the "Cloverleaf 4S Model" (Strategise—Synchronise—Steward—Sustain). Implicit in this approach, managers believe that their finely-tailored practices epitomise an evolutionary process of deliberate selection in the pursuit for distinctive MI capabilities and expanding authority dynamics in the managership. This allows for self-adaptive mechanisms shifting from silos to swarming as well as the indigenous aspects of IMMI practices—exaptation, cognitive flexibility, speed to adaptation and executional excellence. The implication of this study presents heuristical insights to managers in galvanising perennial innovation and unlocking their IMMI to build an agile, intelligent enterprise.

The study at hand investigates innovation systems at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) focusing on innovation culture, organization and company goals at the early stages of innovation process. Past research studies suggest the early stages of innovation process are critical for the overall innovation ability, however, there is a lack of literature on the specifics of innovation systems at SMEs. Case studies of 3 companies provide an overview of characteristics of innovation systems at a typical SME as well as a solid basis for drawing business implications relevant for establishing or improving its innovation system. Furthermore, the findings reveal that people management at the early stages of innovation process is missing, and that a foreign subsidiary of an international SME is relevant for an effective corporate innovation process. Implications for further research on the topic are also discussed.

Este estudo teve por finalidade analisar a utilização de um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem (AVA) como apoio ao processo de ensino e aprendizagem para a disciplina presencial de Gestão da Inovação, oferecida aos alunos do curso de Administração de Empresas da Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo. Tal proposta foi baseada no ambiente educacional Teleduc, integrado a alguns recursos multimídias, com o apoio de um mapa conceitual. Foram utilizadas tanto a pesquisa qualitativa, com abordagem exploratória, quanto a quantitativa, com abordagem descritiva. O método utilizado na pesquisa exploratória foi baseado em um estudo de caso, utilizando-se da técnica de entrevistas em profundidade, que possibilitou um melhor conhecimento do problema estudado. Como método da pesquisa descritiva foi utilizado o levantamento realizado por meio de um questionário estruturado de avaliação de satisfação, aplicado a uma turma de alunos de graduação do curso de Administração de Empresas, universo deste estudo. Inicialmente, foi concebido um modelo conceitual do sistema de apoio, sendo desenvolvida sua arquitetura. Nessa etapa, foi construído um mapa conceitual de um dos tópicos da disciplina em foco. Tanto a arquitetura do sistema, quanto o mapa conceitual, foram avaliados por professores e especialistas. Posteriormente, foram definidos as ferramentas e os recursos tecnológicos necessários para o desenvolvimento e aplicação do ambiente proposto e a forma pela qual o sistema pré-concebido deveria se relacionar com a disciplina existente. Por fim, um protótipo de ambiente virtual de aprendizagem foi desenvolvido e efetivamente utilizado junto a população deste estudo. / This study analyze the use of a electronic learning system as support to presencial discipline of Management of the Innovation, offered to course of Business Admnistration?s students of Economy, Administration and Accounting Ribeirão Preto College which makes part of University of São Paulo. The proposal was based on the electronic learning system Teleduc, integrated to some resources multimedia, with the support of a conceptual map. This study used in such a way the qualitative research, how much the quantitative one. The method used in the qualitative research was based on a case study, using the interviews technique, that made possible a better knowledge about studied problem. As method of the descriptive research the survey was used, applied to a students? group that belongs to graduation of the course of Business Admnistration, universe of this study. Initially, a conceptual model support?s system was conceived, being developed its architecture. In this stage, a conceptual map one of topics was constructed of disciplines in focus. The architecture of the system, and the conceptual map, had been evaluated by professors and specialists. Later on, the tools and all necessary technological resources for the development and application of the considered environment had been defined and the way which the conceived system would have to related with discipline existing. Finally, a virtual environment archetype of learning was developed and effectively used together the population from this study.