The effective integration of technological innovation is vital to the success of small businesses and can catapult growth and profitability. Some business managers and supervisors, however, may not have a firm understanding of strategies for integrating technological innovations in businesses; this lack of knowledge may result in employee frustration and costly roadblocks to achieving business objectives. This case study was conducted to identify the strategies used by business managers and supervisors to integrate technological innovations in small businesses. Christensen's theory of disruptive innovation and Rogers' theory of diffusion of innovation served as the conceptual framework. Ten business managers and supervisors from Castries, St. Lucia, participated in semistructured interviews. Participants who were selected using purposive sampling worked in a small business in St. Lucia for atleast 5 years, were part of senior management, and used strategies for integrating technological innovations in a small business. Two of the themes that emerged from data analysis were integration challenges relating to technological innovation complexity, and technology cost regarding hardware, upgrades and software procurement. Findings from this study may contribute to positive social change by providing business managers and supervisors insight about strategies and innovative solutions they can use to develop better business practices, increase tax revenues, and employment opportunities, improve profitability, and boost the economy.

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The technological changes and digitalization are on the rise within the real estate market as new innovations are being developed and is within the real estate market known as proptech. However, the real estate sector is known to be slow in adapting to new innovative changes and therefore, been slow in developing the real estate market which has led to lagging behind in creating new solutions. The purpose of this research is to examine the current proptech sector in regards of existing business models and business model innovations. The proptech sector is in parts divided into real estate fintech and smart buildings, where this study will explore how these innovative business models can be established within the Swedish property sector and what is needed in order for this to be achieved. The research is of the qualitative method and is conducted through semi-structured interviews with four participants in each of the proptech sectors. This research also evaluates the theory of disruptive innovation and how the business models relates to the theory. The findings of the research are the business models of the companies identified and interviewed. The concepts and the business models presented, are following structures from previous research on business model, where each defined aspect of their business model is presented. The findings represent the answer and a small portion of what business models that exist within the Swedish proptech-sector today. The findings are thematically analyzed, enabling answering and drawing conclusion on the research question. The conclusion is that the key factors of the establishment of a business model is based on having a product that provides a solution to an existing problem and creating a demand. There also has to be a receptive market for the possibility of establishment. Future research suggests that a research on the process of business model innovation within incumbents of the property sector is a highly relevant research field, lacking previous research. / En ständig utveckling i teknologin och en ökade möjligheter för digitalisering, har lett till en ökning av digitala verktyg och lösningar inom fastighetsbranschen, känt som proptech. Fastighetsbranschen däremot, är känd för att vara en traditionell bransch där en långsam anpassning till innovativa och digitala lösningar såsom proptech har gjort att fastighetsbranschen idag hamnat efter i digitaliseringsprocessen. Syftet med denna rapport är att undersöka nuvarande proptech-sektorn och deras affärsmodeller och affärsmodellsinnovation. Rapporten har utefter tidigare studier delat upp proptech i två segment; real estate fintech och smarta byggnader, där denna studie kommer att undersöka etableringsprocessen för innovativa affärsmodeller inom proptech, samt vad som krävs för att lyckas med att etablera sig. Undersökningen är en kvalitativ studie där semi-strukturerade intervjuer ligger till grund för resultaten. Undersökningen bygger även på teorin kring disruptive innovation och hur affärsmodellerna som undersöks förhåller sig till denna. Resultaten i rapporten består dels av de identifierade affärsmodellerna som representerar en del av den befintliga proptech-sektorn i Sverige idag. Företagens affärsmodeller är presenterade utefter tidigare forskning på affärsmodeller och affärsmodellsinnovation, där en klar fördelning av samtliga aspekter av en affärsmodell presenteras. För att möjliggöra ett svar på etableringsprocessen har en tematisk analys genomförts på resultaten. Detta har även möjliggjort en slutsats. Slutsatsen är att nyckelfaktorerna i en etableringsprocess består av en värdeskapande produkt, som skapar ett behov och tillfredsställer en lösning till nuvarande problem inom dess specifika marknad. Ytterligare en nyckelfaktor är en marknad som är mottaglig för att möjliggöra en etableringsprocess. Slutligen föreslås framtida studier inom affärsmodellsinnovations-processen hos etablerade företag inom fastighetsbranschen, det saknas studier inom detta område och det anses vara relevant.

Bioprinting is one of the most promising technologies for future healthcare as it may benefit the repairing of wounds and injuries, disease modeling and development, transplantation of organs and reduce animal testing. This thesis aim to investigate this industry further, as there is no excessive literature on how to handle the innovation in regards to entrepreneurial and biotechnological knowledge. Hence, a research gap can be spotted and the purpose of the conducted research questions should contribute to this gap. In order to fully understand the bioprinting industry, an outline of the technology is made as part of the research. In addition to this, secondary data for patents, market valuation and annual growth rates are collected to support arguments from previous literature. Also, interviews are conducted to gather specific knowledge. As a result, bioprinting may be presented as a disruptive innovation in an uncertain market, which places certain demands on companies to act more in line with the complexity of the technology. Such companies must think more strategically and design more complex and long-term strategies. The patent data shows that there has been a decline in the technological development as patent applications have decreased significantly. Even though the technology (regarding the patents) has started to slowly decline, there is still hope for some technological improvements to come. It can be concluded that developments in bioink, scaffolds, expansion of cells and diffusion is expected, and that the use of bioprinting is increasing and will most likely continue to do so.

Potenziell disruptive Technologien sind schwer zu vermarkten, weil sie mit Werten verbunden sind, die für etablierte Unternehmen neu sind. Ohne geeignete Geschäftsmodellinnovation gelingt es den etablierten Unternehmen nicht, neue, potenziell disruptive Technologien auf den Markt zu bringen. Die aufkeimende Literatur über disruptive Innovationen bietet nur begrenzte Empfehlungen zu spezifischen Geschäftsmodellelementen, die dazu dienen können, potenziell disruptive Technologien zu integrieren. Um diese Forschungslücke zu schließen, wird in dieser Arbeit untersucht, wie große Pharmaunternehmen Biotechnologien in die Gestaltung ihrer Geschäftsmodellinnovation einbezogen haben, um erfolgreiche Elemente der Geschäftsmodellgestaltung zu ermitteln. Es wird ein qualitativer Forschungsansatz gewählt, der aus drei Studien besteht. Zunächst werden nach einer systematischen Literaturrecherche zur Geschäftsmodellforschung in der pharmazeutischen Industrie 45 Arbeiten ausgewählt und qualitativ ausgewertet. Zweitens werden qualitative halbstrukturierte Interviews mit 16 Experten in großen Pharmaunternehmen geführt. Die Transkripte werden mit der Methode der Qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse ausgewertet. Schließlich wird eine Clusteranalyse durchgeführt, um den von allen digitalen Angeboten großer Pharmaunternehmen vorgeschlagenen und gelieferten Wert zu ermitteln. In dieser Arbeit werden erstmals zwei Geschäftsmodelle großer Pharmaunternehmen aus der Zeit vor und nach der Einführung der Biotechnologien beschrieben. In dieser Arbeit wird argumentiert, dass für die Anpassung an potenziell disruptive Technologien folgende Geschäftsmodellelemente empfohlen werden: Kollaborationsportfolios und digitale Servitisierung. Erstens sollten etablierte Unternehmen ein Portfolio von Kooperationsformaten entwickeln, indem sie die Breite der Partner (einschließlich der Wettbewerber) diversifizieren und alle Aktivitäten in ihrer Wertschöpfungskette abdecken. Zweitens sollten die etablierten Unternehmen den Wert, den sie anbieten, und die Art und Weise, wie sie diesen Wert für etablierte und neue Kundensegmente bereitstellen, innovativ gestalten, indem sie ihre Produkte mit ergänzenden Dienstleistungen bündeln, insbesondere mit solchen, die digital ermöglicht werden. Digitale Dienstleistungen dienen dazu, die Bedürfnisse der Kunden mit denen des Herstellers zu verknüpfen. Neben der Weiterentwicklung der Theorie über disruptive Innovationen können die empfohlenen Elemente des Geschäftsmodells von führenden mittelständischen Pharmaunternehmen (z. B. Fresenius oder Servier) und Unternehmen aus anderen Branchen direkt genutzt werden, um andere potenziell disruptive Technologien zu vermarkten. Diese Forschung unterstützt politische Entscheidungsträger bei der Entwicklung von Strategien zur Förderung der Kommerzialisierung potenziell disruptiver Innovationen in ihrem spezifischen Kontext. / Potentially disruptive technologies are challenging to commercialize because they are associated with values new to established firms. Without fitting business model innovation, incumbent firms fail to bring new potentially disruptive technologies to the market. The burgeoning literature on disruptive innovation provides only limited recommendations on specific business model elements that can serve to accommodate potentially disruptive technologies. To close this research gap, this thesis explores how big pharmaceutical firms accommodated biotechnologies in the design of their business model innovation to discover successful business model design elements. A qualitative research approach consisting in three studies is adopted. First, following a systematic literature review on business model research in the pharmaceutical industry, 45 papers are selected and qualitatively analyzed. Second, qualitative semi-structured interviews are conducted with 16 experts in big pharmaceutical firms. The transcripts are analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method. Finally, a cluster analysis is conducted to identify value proposed and delivered by all digital offers of big pharmaceutical firms. This thesis is the first to describe two business model designs of big pharmaceutical firms from before and since the accommodation of biotechnologies. This research argues that business model designs recommended for the accommodation of potentially disruptive technologies are collaboration portfolios and digital servitization. First, established firms should devise a portfolio of collaboration formats by diversifying breadth of partners (including competitors), and by covering all activities in their value chain. Second, incumbent firms should innovate in the value they offer and how they deliver it to mainstream and new customer segments though bundling their products with complementary services, especially those that are digitally enabled. Digital services serve for back-coupling customers’ needs with the producer. Besides advancing theory on disruptive innovation, the recommended business model design elements can be directly used by top midsize pharmaceutical firms (e.g., Fresenius or Servier) and firms from other industries to commercialize other potentially disruptive technologies. This research supports policy makers in devising strategies for the promotion of the commercialization of potentially disruptive innovations in their specific contexts.

In his speech during the 2016 Speculative Design Symposium, held at the University of California, San Diego, Benjamin Bratton1 rightly argued that the job of 21st century design is to undo (much of) the design of the 20th.A number of recent controversial designs and practices in the business and public sphere have suddenly made ethical design (design ethics2) a hot topic in the design community.This master thesis is a highly critical and fairly philosophical examination of the design profession in the context of the current socio-technical landscape. It analyses the convergence between the fields of design, ethics and disruptive technology. Autonomous transportation is taken as an example to illustrate what circumstances (should) drive designers’ social engagement. Hopefully, it also accommodates for a productive reflection on the place of ethics in a broader social context. By utilising speculative and critical design approaches, the thesis aims to stimulate, provoke and ideally maintain a public discourse on the direction of development of technology and modern societies, and inspire designers to be more critical to the vocational portrayal of their profession. / <p><strong>The degree project is carried out at the Department of Science and Technology (ITN) at Faculty of Science and Engineering, Linköping University</strong></p>

Dagens samhälle behöver genomgå en hållbarhetstransformation för att kunna möta de globala klimatutmaningarna. Disruptiva företag väntas leda denna rörelse då de har en möjlighet att leverera innovation och presentera produkter och lösningar som världen aldrig tidigare sett. Etablerade aktörer har ofta har svårt att ställa om och lyckas leverera hållbara produkter, bland annat då de har en förmåga att förbise lönsamheten i tillväxtmarknader eller att företagsstruktur och kultur är svårförändrad. Då innovativa företag av disruptiv karaktär väntas leda morgondagens gröna produktutveckling är det därmed intressant att undersöka ifall ambitiösa hållbarhetsstrategier kan vara en källa till disruptiv innovation. Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka om hållbarhetsambitioner kan utgöra drivkraft för disruptiv innovation inom produktutvecklingsprocessen, samt att undersöka de möjligheter och utmaningar som tillkommer. Detta är en kvalitativ litteraturstudie där en teoretisk referensram byggts upp kring disruptiv innovation och hållbarhet. Intervjuer har genomförts hos ett företag som lyckats leverera en högpresterande och hållbar produkt som fått ett disruptivt genomslag. Resultatet från intervjuerna har analyserats sedan och jämförts mot teorin för att kunna besvara syftet. Resultaten påvisar att just hållbarhetsambitionerna hos företaget inte nödvändigtvis är den bakomliggande faktorn till den disruptiva produkten. Det disruptiva genomslaget beror troligtvis mer på företagets övergripande vision och koncept gällande att erbjuda en premiumprodukt innehållande; kvalitet, mätbar prestanda, framkant av innovation samt att produkten ska uppfylla ett större syfte. För att leverera på denna vision har företaget behövt utveckla nästintill samtliga komponenter själva, vilket ger en total komponentroll och därav stora möjligheter att påverka gällande innovation, hållbarhet och prestanda. / Today's society needs to undergo a sustainability transformation in order to meet the global climate challenges and goals. Disruptive companies are expected to lead this movement as they have an opportunity to deliver innovation and present products and solutions that the world has never seen before. Established players often have difficulty adjusting and succeeding in delivering sustainable products, among other things because they have an ability to overlook profitability in emerging markets or because the company structure and culture are difficult to change. As innovative companies of a disruptive nature are expected to lead tomorrow's green product development, it is thus interesting to investigate whether ambitious sustainability strategies can be a source of disruptive innovation. The purpose of this report is to investigate whether sustainability ambitions can act as a driving force for disruptive innovation in the product development process, as well as to investigate opportunities and challenges that arise. This is a qualitative literature study where a theoretical frame of reference is built around disruptive innovation and sustainability. Interviews have been conducted with a company that has succeeded in delivering a high-performance and sustainable product, which had a disruptive impact. The results from the interviews have been analyzed and compared against existing theory in order to be able to answer the purpose. The results show that the sustainability ambitions of the company are not necessarily the underlying driver for the disruptive product. The disruptive factor probably depends more on the company's overall vision and concept of offering a premium product which include quality, measurable performance, cutting edge of innovation and that the product must fulfill a larger purpose. To deliver on this vision, the company has had to develop almost all of the components itself, entailing a total component control and therefore great opportunities to influence on innovation, sustainability and performance.

Asynchronous online credit recovery programs have been implemented in public schools across the United States for a variety of reasons. In this case, African American female students who are deficient in course credits towards high school graduation have taken advantage of this relatively new e-programming mechanism as a means to capture course credits that were lost during the course of a student's high school career. Female enrollees in the asynchronous credit recovery program are lacking in course credits due to course failure for reasons such as truancy, excessive absences, maternity, incarceration, employment, health associated and domestic related demands outside of school. Beyond the aforementioned, the school climate in terms of organization, discipline, safety, and supportive relationships plays a significant role towards student success or failure. Because African American females are positioned at the bottom of the ethno-gender stratum, concentration on African American females is vital to ensuring academic success in addition to their well being. The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate and ultimately understand the perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of a group of African American female graduates while enrolled in an asynchronous credit recovery program. The study was guided by the following research questions: How does enrollment in an asynchronous credit recovery program affect non-traditional African American female's perceptions of education? How does enrollment in an asynchronous credit recovery program affect the lives of non-traditional African American female student participants? What are the factors that contribute to the success of the non-traditional African American female student participants? Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, intense site immersion and observation, and thorough review of school district and student records. At the culmination of the data collection process, data analysis was conducted using the constant comparison method. Results from the data analysis revealed a reinvigorated perception of education as well as a reversal of lowered expectations, behaviors, standards, and attitudes while enrolled in the asynchronous credit recovery program. Enrollment in the asynchronous credit recovery program assuredly fostered academic success and strengthened the independent nature and identity formation of the African American female participants. Several of the implications for practice are: strengthening adult/student relationships; culturally relevant professional development exercises; consideration of a female centered curriculum; address the at-risk student population as early as elementary school; and continuing research on the effectiveness of asynchronous credit recovery programs. / Educational Administration

Intangible assets are gaining market share in forest management and the economy. These solutions can be related to achieving carbon neutrality and creating services that incumbent forest companies do not provide.Incumbent companies may see the market changes and react to those. However, to avoid losing the market-leading position, incumbent companies can use disruptive innovation theory as a framework to evaluate the possible disruption. Moreover, the interviews and document analyses supported the framework usage in service innovation.Industry 4.0 has changed forest management with BigData and artificial intelligence technology and changed service management. Forests can be scanned with machines; for example, carbon sequestration can be calculated based on data and create a service for less-demand customers and niche markets. Intangible innovations have a field to serve these low-end consumers, and there is a potential for these markets to grow exceedingly and attract the main customers.