¡§Market orientation will improve performance¡¨, this issue has been discussed over 30 years. Most of scholars think market orientation is the core of modern marketing management and strategy. However, there are numerous empirical studies that have examined the association between market orientation and organizational performance. Many studies have found a positive association between market orientation and organizational performance, but some studies have found no significant relationship. Therefore, some scholars interpret the mixed findings by incorporating the mediating variables. Some studies incorporate the innovation as a mediating variable between market orientation and organizational performance. Additionally, a series of recent studies have found that a firm¡¦s organizational learning is likely to indirectly affect organizational performance by facilitating the type of generative learning that leads to innovations in products, procedures, and systems. Therefore, this research presents a conceptual framework for incorporating organizational learning and innovations as the mediating variable between market orientation and organizational performance. The sample of this study has 145 companies of Information Technology Industry in Scientific Industry Park. Many quantitative methods, including t-test, ANOVA, regression analysis, and LISREL analysis, and used to test the hypothesis of this research. The major findings of this study are summarized as following: (1) Overall, the global model fit is acceptable. This empirical result supports the relationships among the market orientation, organizational learning, organizational innovations, and organizational performance. (2) Market orientation has a positive impact on organizational learning, administrative and technical innovation. Furthermore, the direct effect of market orientation on technical innovation is greater than the direct effect of market orientation on administrative innovation, but the total effect of market orientation on technical innovation is smaller than the total effect of market orientation on administrative innovation. (3) Organizational learning has a positive direct impact on administrative and technical innovation, but the direct effect of organizational learning on performance is not statistically significant. However, organizational learning has a positive indirect impact on performance by organizational innovations. Moreover, the direct effect of organizational learning on administrative innovation is greater than the direct effect of organizational learning on technical innovation. The indirect effect of organizational learning on performance by administrative innovation is greater than the indirect effect by technical innovation. (4) The direct effect of administrative innovation on performance is greater than the direct effect of technical innovation on performance. However, the effect of the two innovations types (administrative and technical) interact impact with each other is not statistically significant.

Recent trends in the global business market point to the increasing importance of technology and technical innovations to gain and maintain competitive business strategic advantage. However, the marketing of technical innovations throughout the supply chain is still governed by traditional strategies and practices. Such strategies and practices are ineffective in a highly technologically advanced marketplace. As a result the marketers of technologically innovative products and concepts are left with many questions and very few practical answers. This research offers a practical, integrated approach to marketing technical innovations. The approach offered is presented within an organisational, people and technology strategic context. A field study is utilised to illustrate the utility of the proposed approach.

The attitude of the building sector towards innovation and its intellectual and organizational preparedness for dealing with the issues of innovation is the aim of this study. The core question can be formulated as follows: Why does a building company accept certain innovations but not others? The fundamental ideas of the study are rooted in the central European tradition of the historico-qualitiative school of thought. Another basic idea for the thesis is Dewcy’s and Bcntley's theory of transactional cognition introduced in Sweden by Hanssen under the term ""field concept" according to which the content and object of knowledge are seen as an entirety. The reason for approaching the problem qualitatively. that is through not highly structured interviews based on the author's long personal experience in the sector, is its compound and many face ted nature a long with the fact that verbal discussion is firmly grounded in building sector tradition. Innovations has to pass trough three different filters. These filters are at the point where the innovation enters the company, during the bid preparation process and upon the absorption of the innovation into the project. Important factors influencing the passage through these filters arc papyrophobia, the old boy network (OBN) and the structure of the production system. Papyrophobia is expressed in a general reluctance to deal with theoretical issues and documentation. OBN denotes an informal communication network. Production is run by and within project organizations. i.e. repetitive ad hoc aggregates independent of the parent organization. These factors in combination with time and financial pressure obstruct the possibility of creating a research tradition. Characteristic features of the socio-cultural tradition of the sector are that it is male dominated, that the educational system classifies those working in the field according to trade and profession, and that the strong position of production aspects have brought to the forefront the energetic practitioner. His values are strictly professional. Information is to a great extent transmitted orally. There is strength in the ability of Swedish construction firms to plan and improvise within an established frame. However, a certain streak of marginalism with the potential of inhibiting innovation does exist in their pattern of action. Also typical of the tradition is the ideal of the free entrepreneur and the organization of large companies as confederations of a number of small and medium size firms. Finally, a fundamental cultural feature of the construction industry is openness. News spreads rapidly to a competitor. Innovations are disseminated in several ways, but one dominant pattern persists that cannot be seen in other industries. While the projects are important for testing and diffusion of innovations, the companies arc more intrumental in propagating information of innovations. The building materials industry's R&amp;D work follows a pattern similar to that of production companies in other sectors. The building sector's readiness to follow and work with innovation issues can generally be rated as low. The confinement of interest to production aspects combined with the marked open· ness provides ample room for the materials manufacturers and companies outside the sector to introduce new products and materials. In the long run, it is the gradual change in this assortment that will transform building techniques and technology. Change is generated by other sectors. / <p>Felaktigt ISBN <em>91-7870-087</em> är angivet i avhandling. ISBN är korrigerat till <em>91-7870-087-6</em>.</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T17:51:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vania_Salete_Klein_Oliveira.pdf: 9240519 bytes, checksum: 5562efc496928a2b1633e3156985132a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Whereas the socioenvironmental consequences vary according to occupational characteristics of the geographic space and historical time, this dissertation aims to analyze the socioenvironmental implications occurred in Western Paraná between the 1940s and 1980. The study was conducted based on a bibliographic review and analysis of data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) that contributed for the preparation of charts and tables that are considered important to the analysis and discussion of the results. Grounded in literature was found that: a) the process of productive occupation of the West Region of Paraná with participation of Government, colonizers companies and migrants from several Brazilian states, especially South and Southeast contributed, directly and indirectly, to trigger socioenvironmental implications in different historical periods in the region; b) the period from 1940 to 1960 was marked by the activity of the colonizing companies that marketed the lands of the Mesoregion contributing to the problems of land conflicts and deforestation; c) the period from 1960 to 1980, marked by innovation in production techniques contributed to the practice of monoculture production, the expulsion of farmers and rural workers of the field, the intensification of deforestation and soil degradation, and further, the rivers pollution. The review of the literature and of the data from the IBGE enabled to consider that: a) even with the acting of colonizing companies in the process of the West Mesoregion occupation of the State of Paraná occurred the conflicts for land possession and the migration of people from the states not southerners, not reflecting the organization desired by the companies; b) there was intense changes in the natural characteristics of the West of Paraná, especially from 1960 with the acceleration of the production mechanization, the deployment of monoculture and the use of pesticides and chemical fertilization / Considerando que, as consequências socioambientais variam de acordo com as características ocupacionais do espaço geográfico e do tempo histórico, esta dissertação tem o objetivo de analisar as implicações socioambientais ocorridas na Região Oeste do Paraná entre as décadas de 1940 e 1980. O estudo foi realizado por meio de revisão bibliográfica e de análise de dados do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) que contribuíram a elaboração de gráficos e quadros considerados importantes para a análise e discussão dos resultados. Fundamentado na literatura foi constatado que: a) o processo de ocupação produtiva da Região Oeste paranaense com participação do Governo, de empresas colonizadoras e de migrantes de vários estados brasileiros, principalmente do Sul e Sudeste do país contribuiu, direta e indiretamente, para desencadear implicações socioambientais em diferentes períodos históricos na região; b) o período de 1940 a 1960 foi marcado pela atuação das empresas colonizadoras que comercializaram as terras da Região contribuindo com os problemas de conflitos de terra e de desmatamento; c) o período de 1960 a 1980, marcado pela inovação de técnicas produtivas, contribuiu com a prática da produção monocultora, a expulsão de agricultores e trabalhadores rurais do campo, a intensificação do desmatamento e da degradação do solo e, ainda, a poluição dos rios. A análise da literatura e dos dados do IBGE permitiu considerar que: a) mesmo com a atuação das empresas colonizadoras no processo de ocupação da Região Oeste do Estado do Paraná ocorreram os conflitos pela posse de terras e a migração de pessoas naturais de estados não sulistas, não refletindo a organização pretendida pelas empresas; b) houve intensas alterações nas características naturais do Oeste paranaense, principalmente a partir de 1960 com a aceleração da mecanização produtiva, a implantação da monocultura e o uso de agrotóxicos e adubação química

QC 20110812

Neste trabalho discutem-se as políticas de implementação de software livre no Brasil dos governos do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, do Paraná e da União Federativa, de 2002 a 2008. O objetivo foi compreender os procedimentos de legitimação pública destas políticas. E para esta análise focou-se a atuação dos gestores das políticas, cujos objetivos mais destacados eram o de alcançar a autonomia tecnológica e o de instituir práticas colaborativas para o desenvolvimento. Como referencial teórico, discutiu-se a inovação técnica situada como parte da teoria habermasiana sobre a racionalização moral-prática das relações sociais institucionalizadas de uma sociedade histórica. Coletou-se, para tanto, material jornalístico e documentos disponíveis na internet, que contivessem os discursos dos gestores em busca da legitimação pública das políticas analisadas. Com o material empírico se pôde observar uma ação administrativa, no que diz respeito ao discurso dos gestores, para a legitimação das políticas. Entre as instâncias observadas, que validaram tal hipótese, está a predominância da atuação do Poder Executivo na condução das políticas, a identificação das qualidades técnicas do software livre com a solução de problemas sociais e a assimilação imediata de uma ética particular no âmbito da vida pública. Conclui-se que as políticas de implementação do software livre no Brasil, sem passarem pelo crivo de uma justificação pública e racional, não engendraram um ambiente autônomo de inovação para este setor da economia informacional. Elas tiveram por base a conquista de privilégios políticos por um grupo particular da sociedade civil, em um país de marco institucional historicamente refratário à autonomia dos sujeitos. / In this article we discussed the free software implementation policies in Brazil in the federal government, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná, from 2002 to 2008. The aim of this study is to comprehend the procedure behind the public legitimation of these policies. In order to develop this analysis, we have focused on the action of the managers of these policies, whose most highlighted objectives were those of trying to achieve technological autonomy and of establishing collaborative practices towards economic growth. As a theoretical framework, the technical innovation debate was placed as part of Habermas' theory about the moral-practical rationalization of a society. Journalistic material available on the Internet which contained those managers' discourse to pursue the public legitimation of the analysed policies was therefore gathered. Thus it was possible to observe an administrative action towards the legitimations of the policies. Among the observed instances that have validated such hypothesis are the predominant action of the Executive Branch in dealing with the policies and the identification of the technical qualities of the free software with the solution of social problems. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the policies of implementation of the free software in Brazil did not create an autonomous environment of innovation for this sector of the national informational economy. Those policies were based on the achievements of political privileges by a particular group of the civil society, in a country of institutional framework historically contrary to citizen’s public autonomy.

The concept of ‘Industry 4.0’ signalises the rise of innovative manufacturing technologies, including industrial robots. Wider applicability of robotic automation and higher efficiency of production processes shift the profitability analysis of strategic relocation decisions. Despite the technological feasibility, diffusion of technology lowers the profitability threshold for robots. Consequently, competitive labour cost advantages, formerly motivating manufacturing firms to offshore production become less relevant. In fact, robots additionally gain importance in the case of shifted global economic realities, such as stricter environmental regulation on global trade and the convergence of the global wage gap. However, the heterogeneous levels of automation among manufacturing firms have not been taken into account when studying the macroeconomic phenomenon of reshoring. This study adds novelty by offering an agent-based perspective which has allowed insights on how the behaviour of firms, guided by simple economic rules on the micro-level, is dynamically influenced by their complex environment in regard to relocation, decision-making hypotheses. Testing various variables sensitive to initial conditions, increased environmental regulations targeting global trade and upward shifting wage levels in formerly offshore production locations have shown to be driving and inhibiting mechanisms of this socio-technical system. Therefore, the dynamic demonstrates a shift from predominantly cited economic reasoning for relocation strategies towards sustainability aspects, pressingly changing these realities on an environmental and social dimension. The popular debate is driven by increased environmental awareness and the proclaimed fear of robots killing jobs. In view of reshoring shaping the political agenda, interest in the phenomenon has recently been fuelled by the rise of populism and protectionism claiming to “bring jobs back home”.

Neste trabalho discutem-se as políticas de implementação de software livre no Brasil dos governos do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, do Paraná e da União Federativa, de 2002 a 2008. O objetivo foi compreender os procedimentos de legitimação pública destas políticas. E para esta análise focou-se a atuação dos gestores das políticas, cujos objetivos mais destacados eram o de alcançar a autonomia tecnológica e o de instituir práticas colaborativas para o desenvolvimento. Como referencial teórico, discutiu-se a inovação técnica situada como parte da teoria habermasiana sobre a racionalização moral-prática das relações sociais institucionalizadas de uma sociedade histórica. Coletou-se, para tanto, material jornalístico e documentos disponíveis na internet, que contivessem os discursos dos gestores em busca da legitimação pública das políticas analisadas. Com o material empírico se pôde observar uma ação administrativa, no que diz respeito ao discurso dos gestores, para a legitimação das políticas. Entre as instâncias observadas, que validaram tal hipótese, está a predominância da atuação do Poder Executivo na condução das políticas, a identificação das qualidades técnicas do software livre com a solução de problemas sociais e a assimilação imediata de uma ética particular no âmbito da vida pública. Conclui-se que as políticas de implementação do software livre no Brasil, sem passarem pelo crivo de uma justificação pública e racional, não engendraram um ambiente autônomo de inovação para este setor da economia informacional. Elas tiveram por base a conquista de privilégios políticos por um grupo particular da sociedade civil, em um país de marco institucional historicamente refratário à autonomia dos sujeitos. / In this article we discussed the free software implementation policies in Brazil in the federal government, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná, from 2002 to 2008. The aim of this study is to comprehend the procedure behind the public legitimation of these policies. In order to develop this analysis, we have focused on the action of the managers of these policies, whose most highlighted objectives were those of trying to achieve technological autonomy and of establishing collaborative practices towards economic growth. As a theoretical framework, the technical innovation debate was placed as part of Habermas' theory about the moral-practical rationalization of a society. Journalistic material available on the Internet which contained those managers' discourse to pursue the public legitimation of the analysed policies was therefore gathered. Thus it was possible to observe an administrative action towards the legitimations of the policies. Among the observed instances that have validated such hypothesis are the predominant action of the Executive Branch in dealing with the policies and the identification of the technical qualities of the free software with the solution of social problems. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the policies of implementation of the free software in Brazil did not create an autonomous environment of innovation for this sector of the national informational economy. Those policies were based on the achievements of political privileges by a particular group of the civil society, in a country of institutional framework historically contrary to citizen’s public autonomy.

Neste trabalho discutem-se as políticas de implementação de software livre no Brasil dos governos do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, do Paraná e da União Federativa, de 2002 a 2008. O objetivo foi compreender os procedimentos de legitimação pública destas políticas. E para esta análise focou-se a atuação dos gestores das políticas, cujos objetivos mais destacados eram o de alcançar a autonomia tecnológica e o de instituir práticas colaborativas para o desenvolvimento. Como referencial teórico, discutiu-se a inovação técnica situada como parte da teoria habermasiana sobre a racionalização moral-prática das relações sociais institucionalizadas de uma sociedade histórica. Coletou-se, para tanto, material jornalístico e documentos disponíveis na internet, que contivessem os discursos dos gestores em busca da legitimação pública das políticas analisadas. Com o material empírico se pôde observar uma ação administrativa, no que diz respeito ao discurso dos gestores, para a legitimação das políticas. Entre as instâncias observadas, que validaram tal hipótese, está a predominância da atuação do Poder Executivo na condução das políticas, a identificação das qualidades técnicas do software livre com a solução de problemas sociais e a assimilação imediata de uma ética particular no âmbito da vida pública. Conclui-se que as políticas de implementação do software livre no Brasil, sem passarem pelo crivo de uma justificação pública e racional, não engendraram um ambiente autônomo de inovação para este setor da economia informacional. Elas tiveram por base a conquista de privilégios políticos por um grupo particular da sociedade civil, em um país de marco institucional historicamente refratário à autonomia dos sujeitos. / In this article we discussed the free software implementation policies in Brazil in the federal government, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná, from 2002 to 2008. The aim of this study is to comprehend the procedure behind the public legitimation of these policies. In order to develop this analysis, we have focused on the action of the managers of these policies, whose most highlighted objectives were those of trying to achieve technological autonomy and of establishing collaborative practices towards economic growth. As a theoretical framework, the technical innovation debate was placed as part of Habermas' theory about the moral-practical rationalization of a society. Journalistic material available on the Internet which contained those managers' discourse to pursue the public legitimation of the analysed policies was therefore gathered. Thus it was possible to observe an administrative action towards the legitimations of the policies. Among the observed instances that have validated such hypothesis are the predominant action of the Executive Branch in dealing with the policies and the identification of the technical qualities of the free software with the solution of social problems. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the policies of implementation of the free software in Brazil did not create an autonomous environment of innovation for this sector of the national informational economy. Those policies were based on the achievements of political privileges by a particular group of the civil society, in a country of institutional framework historically contrary to citizen’s public autonomy.

Innovation and ‘creative destruction’ should thrive in the competitive, high risk and high cost environment of the North Sea. Paradoxically, uptake of new technology is slow. The focus of this research was to understand how new technology is developed and how end users make decisions about innovation. Innovation process in the literature can sometimes come across like a ‘black box’ without much explanation of what happens inside the box. This study seeks to explicate what transpires inside the ‘black box’ to improve our understanding of the innovation process. The linear models of technology-push and market-pull are too simplistic to account for the complexity of relationships and engagements that affect innovation at small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) level. Subsequent models of innovation are suited to how large corporations manage innovation but neglect patterns of social interactions at the micro level where SMEs operate. These innovation models are incomplete because they relegate the importance of context and how it shapes understanding, action and outcome. This study, rooted in a social constructionist paradigm, takes a process-relational stance on entrepreneurship and innovation, recognising the dynamic relationships between social actors and context. Taking Heidegger’s explication of how we relate to the world, this thesis submits that innovation occurs when actors move into the ‘occurrent’ mode. The happenings and doings in the innovation process are treated as the results of perpetual social constructions. This study is based on extended interviews with eleven individuals in relevant roles and with direct experiences of the technical innovation construction in the oil and gas industry. The purposeful sample of research encompasses a variety of roles including technology entrepreneurs, end users of technology and venture capitalists. This study makes a number of contributions. Firstly, the research improves our understanding of how different social constructions are welded together to develop shared understanding. Secondly, a conceptual framework is presented that bridges a number of theoretical concepts, which allows us to see that innovation cannot be properly understood using simplistic models that ignores the social constructions human actors instantiate. Thirdly, the research claims that problem framing is foundational to innovation construction, where social actors collaborate to develop shared understanding, and mentally represent in the present a future that is not totally knowable. Fourthly, an alternative model of innovation construction is presented that is relational and accounts for the social constructions of process participants. Finally, a number of research implications for academics and insights for practitioners engaged in the technical innovation construction are offered.