The purpose of this thesis is to explore how and by what paths a developing economy like Korea builds a competitive and innovative capital goods sector. The enquiry focuses on the role of user firms in shaping the dynamics of machine tools innovation. It develops the hypotheses that the users, on the one hand, create a basis for the specialised suppliers to embark on a dynamic path to innovation through investment activities and on the other, they become involved directly in the development and commercialisation of machine tools; and that such user activities have a positive impact on the building up of competitive advantage not only for users themselves but for specialised suppliers. In order to confinn the hypotheses, this thesis carries out empirical investigations into Japan and Korea. It analyses quantitative data at the industry level with some firm-specific information for the Japanese case, while it analyses the results of a field survey for the Korean case. The results show that the users in both countries, represented by car makers, appear to have involved themselves in the technological and entrepreneurial entry into machine tools along with making active investments. In consequence, they made a considerable contribution to machine tools innovation, increasing the competitive advantage for the machine tool sector as well as user sectors in both countries. This thesis also attempts to apply the hypotheses to an international-level analysis. It develops the notion that the international differences in the investment of local user sectors explain the international asymmetries of machine tools innovation, bringing the consequence of the differences in the competitiveness of the machine tool sector as well as its user sectors. Cross-country analyses are conducted in order to test the notion. The results reveal that the intercountry variations in the investment performance in national user sectors are closely associated with the international gaps in machine tools innovation, which in tum significantly explain the variations of the export performance between countries in both the machine tool sector and its user sectors. These theoretical and empirical analyses produce many useful policy implications for developing the capital goods sector of Korea as well as other developing countries. They also contribute to the understanding of the dynamic process of industrial innovation and so to the development of innovation theory. In addition, the study yields an insight into why Japan has succeeded in a large area of user sectors and the machine tool sector over a short period of time.

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Faced by ever increasing expenditure on Information Technology (IT), organisations are turning to what can be perceived as measures of world-class performance such as benchmarking to identify weaknesses in their practices. The objectives of this research were two-fold: Firstly, to explore in what way an organisation identifies its Information Technology costs, and secondly, to determine what IT cost benchmarking takes place within an organisation and to determine its value and relevance to the organisation. The research was conducted as a qualitative two phase snapshot case study across five regions within GoodsCo. Data collection comprised of unstructured face-to-face interviews and five semi-structured telephonic interviews. Content analysis was then used to identify the key patterns or themes which emerged. The research established that Information Technology costs within GoodsCo consists of primarily direct costs components, and that most indirect cost components and contextual elements are not accounted for. Finally it was established that limited and infrequent benchmarking occurs within these regions, and that GoodsCo derives limited value and relevance from their current benchmarking practices. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The study aims to research the possible benefits that SME’s can attain as well as any barriers that they face in an emerging market economy when adopting e-commerce. E-commerce has been growing globally at an astounding rate and even more so in the emerging markets, albeit from a low base. The expectation is that with the looming FIFA World Cup during 2010 in South Africa, more reliance will be put on the adoption of e-commerce’s functionality by Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s), both in the Business-to-business (B2B) and Business-to- Customers (B2C) sectors. The research instrument utilised in this quantitative research takes the format of a survey which will explore some of the factors affecting the SME’s. The study aims to prove that certain barriers, or perceived barriers, actually does exist specifically in an emerging market like South Africa, and that when they are overcome, there definitely are benefits for the SME’s that have taken the decision to adopt e-commerce. It also interrogates the effect that the owners view on technology has on the decision to adopt e-commerce and once the internet has been acquired, how successful the SME leverage of the internet functionalities. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

With rapid development of technology in industries and aggressive globalization competitiveness, business operation success from the past does not guarantee present and future success, and the competitive advantages of enterprises may vanish after time or environment differences. Promoting new products and process innovation have becoming the main strategies for enterprises, and they also become the key points of the existence of enterprises. Therefore, enterprises should intake technological innovation when formulating strategies, and concentrate on their core resources and capabilities. Through the integrations, the enterprises will be able to react and get the sustainable competitive advantages when changes from outside and inside the organizations occurred. This research is using the Resource-Based View as foundation, and the high technology manufacturers and enterprises in Taiwan as our research objects. Exploring the characteristics of enterprise inner resources, capabilities and the impacts on creating sustainable competitive advantages through the interactions and effects when enterprises engage planning their technological innovation strategies. The obtained data is adapted by Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis. The research result is hopefully to be able to provide with the high technology manufacturers and enterprises in promoting the competitive advantages in business operation and decision application. The result of this research is that, the technological innovation strategy is indeed affected by core resources and capabilities. The different core resource contents and characteristics have remarkable effects on enterprises technological innovation strategies. This research result is corresponding with resource-strategy paradigm by the Resource-Based School. Technological innovation strategy has outstanding impact on the sustainable competitive advantages. Different types of technological innovation strategies have effects on innovation performances, which shows the importance of applying technological innovation strategy to enhance the competitive advantages. However, the core resource contents and characteristics do not show the direct impact on the sustainable competitive advantages. The core resources and capabilities of enterprises will have contribution to the sustainable competitive advantages by strategy formulation and implementation.

No description available.

The research aimed to identify the most appropriate team approaches for co-ordinating innovative products or process developments and for enhancing their success. Case studies were conducted in 25 UK companies, focusing on environmental technology projects. Research findings emphasised the diversity of organisational team approaches which were more complex when several departments, teams or companies were involved. Team approaches were broadly classified - 'single-disciplinary', 'multi-disciplinary' or 'multi-functional' - according to members' expertise and innovation function which could be more or less integrated. The results showed that: 1. Multi-tasking to meet all innovation functions reflected small firm limitations and small firms would benefit from more formal structures. Differences between medium- and large-sized firms were minimal since teams held more specialist expertise, However, the influence of firm size on innovation success was obscured and potentially negated by inter-company alliances. 2. Few differences in the management of minor and major company innovations applied since competitive pressures led to organisational innovation in each case, including integrated team approaches, inter-company alliances and company formations. 3. Multi-functional teams were important for achieving success in open markets because of their control over appropriate expertise, even though they did not guarantee commercial success or other benefits. Surprisingly, multi-functional teams were typically rated as unsatisfactory and ineffective by members which may have implications for staff morale and retention. 4. Inter-company teams represented opportunities for team learning and organisational development because company-based assumptions about organisational behaviour, expectations about inter-company operations and fears about inter-disciplinary teamworking were challenged. 5. Integrated teams were not sufficient for achieving team effectiveness and success outcomes, although most companies regarded their team as necessary for success. Complex team and innovation development processes emphasised the importance of the co-ordinator's role in managing unclear team and organisational boundaries associated with innovative developments. 6. Although the research supports the importance of teams for innovation success, team effectiveness had a more complex influence on success in open markets than on client-funded projects because of the nature of the teams and the influence of market and technological uncertainties.

The publications submitted for this PhD by Published Work represent the product of a decade long programme of research on the nature of the defence innovation system and the organisations, institutions and relationships that underpin defence technological innovation. This has been informed by the systems of innovation approach as well as broader academic perspectives on the nature of innovation and as such the publications are located in the field of innovation studies and in particular the sub-community of scholars that concern themselves with defence technological innovation. In the thesis, I contend that – taken together – the publications make three contributions to knowledge. First, the publications contribute to our understanding of what I term the “defence innovation system”. This illuminates an important corner ignored by most scholars of innovation systems and one that has received too little attention given the role that defence R&D and procurement has played as a stimulus to many significant technological innovations as well as its many implications for international security and society. The defence innovation system has often resisted analysis not least because of the limitations of publicly available information. My publications show recognition of the importance of this topic and shed light on the dynamics of defence technological innovation. Second, the publications contribute to our understanding of the organisations and relationships that underpin the defence innovation system and their response to changes in their operating environment since the end of the Cold War. My focus on organisation-level case studies of defence firms and government defence research establishments is in contrast to most of the academic work in this field that has been preoccupied with national or industry level structure and trends. A recurring theme in my publications, explicitly and implicitly, has been the co-evolutionary character of change in the defence innovation system and the changing relationship between government and defence industrial firms. Third, I examine changes in the boundaries of the system by introducing a transnational dimension to the analysis of defence technological innovation and in doing so my publications have drawn attention to the need to examine transnational linkages between nationally-located systems.

To date, the existing literature is very limited in its provision of links between knowledge management or intellectual capital with innovation. Existing studies have derived their innovation processes from large companies’ perspectives and have not considered the needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Different types of innovation will require different resources and, therefore, will need to be managed differently. Little research has been aimed at identifying innovation processes from a knowledge-based perspective. Although a fascinating array of innovation research has been carried out in the context of R and D issues and economic factors, the knowledge/innovation gaps and the gaps of innovation perspectives between larger/smaller firms should be filled in to map a more comprehensive picture of the proposition. This research is aimed at bridging these gaps through the leveraging sources of innovation, both the internal and external supporting processes of innovation and the construction of the innovation supply chain. The study suggests that, due to the integrated innovation models and propositions, future researchers will be able to undertake an empirical study for more high-tech SMEs in a selected high-tech industry to obtain a generalised result for specific high-tech industries. Also, the integrated innovation models and propositions can be used to undertake case studies or empirical studies for the other SMEs. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

"The physical environment in which teaching and learning occurs is being replaced with an electronic classroom, but the process of teaching is very much the same. In the second phase, however, we will begin to use technology in new ways, to advance beyond what was possible in the classroom. "Downes. (2004). This overview supports an application for a PhD by publication at the University of Glamorgan. It identifies the tensions, barriers and facilities within the field which is broadly called eLeaming, but which I prefer to term Technology Supported Leaming. Successful uses of appropriate innovative technologies by staff and students in education is not a mystical or ethereal goal. Real innovation is often driven by the passionate few, frequently developed in their own time and enthused by a real desire to make a difference to the learning of their students. This motivation is not unique, unusual or perhaps unexpected. However the real problem is in 'mainstreaming' this innovatory practice or activity, (O'Donoghue, 2006, p. vii). As contemporary society becomes increasingly diverse and complex, so does the process of preparing young people for life as independent thinkers, productive citizens, and future leaders. The changing nature of students, the collegiate experience, learning, teaching, and outcomes assessment all have substantive implications for altering educational practice. The information age has encouraged the ubiquity of a seemingly endless supply of information that is there just waiting to be internalised by students who have the ability and the inclination to interrogate the vast range of information systems available. There is a need to consider the relationship between pedagogy and technology in driving the changes to the education process and what outcomes will determine the efficacy of these new learning environments. Pedagogic determinism needs to be focused within the 'real' world of increasing financial pressures on students and educational establishments. The development of Higher Education Institutions into 'customer' focused establishments competing for students who are, in some cases, reluctant or unable to attend formal educational institutions but who want to acquire qualifications and skills creates problems for both the establishments and staff. There are associated issues which my overview addresses, such as how technology might service this cohort of people who are looking to less formal mechanisms of education, technology versus pedagogy, issues of social learning whilst being remote and yet online, issues and necessary change required if the concept of 'virtual' educational institutions are to be realised. Higher education is best seen as a process, focused on learning, in which content is combined in some way with some forms of technology, whether they be "chalk and talk," television broadcast, or an IT-based delivery platform. My conclusion is that the development of technology-based learning support structures, that is, technology based enhancements to formal teaching and learning strategies embedded in the pedagogy, will assist the education and training sector. In some ways, many of the changes currently going, economic, technological, political, are compelling us to examine issues about how we support student learning, an issue which many of us might prefer to ignore, (Bernardes and O'Donoghue, 2003). I have endeavoured to consider this within a variety of different learning contexts - nursing to engineering, (Drozd and O'Donoghue, 2007; O'Donoghue and Laoui, 2008).