Drawing upon data collected as part of the development of a Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS) for the West Midlands region of England, the current study presents an attempt to better understand the factors which may hinder or facilitate product innovation within small manufacturing firms. The focus is upon traditional and/or mature sectors rather than the high-technology small firms (HTSFs), or new technology-based firms (NTBFs), which feature disproportionately in academic and policy discussions. The study adopts a model of firm-level innovation which views innovation outputs as a function of, internal and external, resource inputs and enabling activities set within an institutional framework (broadly defined to encompass instituted behaviours). To this end, the study is influenced by Systems of Innovation (SI) approaches and is, in part, a critique of such approaches. More specifically, employing a sample of 228 small manufacturing firms (i.e. less than 250 full-time-equivalent employees), the thesis considers the relationship between 'innovativeness' and: firm strategy and structure; skills; finance; external linkages; and, performance. Empirical observations are set within a broader conceptual framework of learning, discovery and interaction. Moreover, given the context in which the data was collected, policy considerations loom large. In particular, the thesis considers the extent to which 'spatial' systems of innovation represent appropriate models for economic development, generally, and for the revitalisation of areas characterised by industrial decline and restructuring specifically.

This study explores the Regional Innovation System (RIS) approach which is an efficient policy tool for the achievement of regional development in the global competition environment and aims to evaluate the social and institutional gains of Mersin RIS following the implementation of Mersin Regional Innovation Strategy (RIStr). An analysis of Mersin RIStr, which is the first and the only RIStr of Turkey, has been taken as a case study. Mersin RIStr, as being a project supported in the context of European Union 6. Framework program, aims to improve the regional innovation infrastructure and capacity of Mersin. RIS is not only technological but is also a social process and accordingly requires intense regional interaction networks. In this context, the impact of RIStr on the improvement of RIS in Mersin has been evaluated through the determinants of new institutional structures, improvements in lobor market conditions, newly occured cooperation networks and newly produced project-products-services-skills. Indepth interview method has been used for the survey. Interviews were carried out with the stakeholders of strategy project. Throughout the survey, gains of the region in general terms and gains of the specified leading sectors / i.e. tourism, logistic and agro-food, have been evaluated from the perspective of stakeholders. Social and institutional achievements of Mersin RIS have been evaluated in detail with the aim of presenting the effectiveness and weaknesses of strategy as being a new model case for the other regions in Turkey.

ŠNAJDAROVÁ, Dagmar. Comparison of the region Střední Morava and the Swedish region Västra Götaland in area of information society development and regional innovation strategies. Prague, 2013-08-09. 89 p., 4 p. attachment. Diploma thesis (Mgr.). Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Arts, Institute of Information Studies and Librarianship. Abstract The main purpose of the master thesis is to highlight a development state of information society and innovation in Střední Morava region, to compare the Czech region to the Swedish Västra Götaland region, and to find factors influencing the regions development. A developed information society and a well functioning innovation environment are indicators of population wealth-fare in a region. Strategic documents, statistical data and projects are taken into account. The documents, the data and the projects are closely connected with development of information society and innovation environment in the chosen regions. Activities like regional innovation strategies and strategies for development of information society enforced on regional level allow better usage of local potential and specific region conditions. The efficiency of the strategic behaviour is based on collaboration of all regional parties, in effective human and financial resource allocation, and in...