Purpose: The main purpose is to investigate how the two companies in a cross-national context pursue innovation particularly in the process of achieving eco-innovations practices in manufacturing operation Method: An in-depth interviewing approach was used conducting a face-to-face interview and an online video conference. Research question: " What are the key differences in the process of achieving eco-innovations in the production systems between two household refrigerator manufacturing companies in a cross-national context? " Sub-questions: 1. Why do the companies pursue eco-innovations? 2. How do the companies manage eco-innovations? 3. Who in the companies is involved in achieving eco-innovations? 4. What measurements are used to determine the success of eco-innovations? Findings: The results suggest that the organizations in each country respond to different demand and orientation. They also deploy differences in approach and involving actors towards achieving eco-innovation journey Limitations While the findings are induced from a case study of two companies in a particular industry in Thailand and Sweden, the generalizability of the findings is somehow limited

Design is a resource that could be better utilized by companies in order to create growth and sustainable innovation in the future. Numerous scholars have therefore stressed the importance of forward-looking executives and designers in today’s organizations that realize the importance of design as a differentiator. This research intends to illustrate how innovation of meanings is a future competitive advantage and to show how companies can benefit from design as an innovation tool. New product meanings can be pushed upon the market through proposals, something that is being compared to the traditional user-centred methods where user needs are being scrutinized. The theoretical framework identifies four factors that can be set in relation to any company in order to investigate its stance towards innovation of new meanings. The research is limited to focus on two case companies and complemented by information from Jönköping School of Engineering, being their mutual external source of novel design ideas. The case studies show how the four factors all rely on a vision that supports design and affects the firms’ ability to capitalize on novel ideas found among external sources. This study concludes that a co-occurring search of novel design interpretations and market pull innovations is of highest importance. It further discusses how to interact with external sources in a way that does not block their potential to explore new product meanings.

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Titel: Innovationsprogrammets betydelse för dess studenter - Värdefulla kriterier för en innovationsutbildning utifrån ett näringslivsperspektivFörfattare: Kristina Gern och Jesper ModighHandledare: Peter Selegård, Mälardalens HögskolaÄmne: InnovationsteknikNyckelord: Innovation, utbildning, entreprenörskap, kreativitet Problem:Innovationsprogrammet har ett problem med att många studenter är osäkra på om deras program är en bra grund för att söka jobb inom det aktuella segmentet i framtiden. Detta grundar sig i samtal med innovationsstudenter och författarnas egna erfarenheter. Syfte:Syftet med denna uppsats är att klargöra innovationsprogrammets värde för dess studenter när de ska ut på arbetsmarknaden. Lärare och programansvariga skall även få ett lättare sätt att förklara innovationsprogrammet och dess mål och de framtidsutsikter som finns för innovationsstudenterna. Genom detta hoppas författarna att innovationsstudenternas oro för framtiden minskar. Metod:De metoder som används i denna uppsats är dels en kvalitativ intervju men även kvantitativa enkätundersökningar bland studenter och från arbetsmarknaden. Slutsats:Innovationsprogrammets studenters osäkerhet ligger i att det inte finns en tydlig bild av vad de kan tänkas jobba med i framtiden. Detta är på grund av att innovationsprogrammet erbjuder så pass många olika inriktningar att nästan varje examen från programmet är unik. Detta gör i sin tur att de jobb som studenterna tillslut får skiljer sig stort från varandra. I slutändan är det studenterna själva genom hur de inriktar sig genom programmets gång och vad de söker sig till efter examen som bestämmer vad de kan bli och det är inget som personal på IMTO kan förutspå.Genom en företagsundersökning utlästes att arbetsmarknaden eftertraktar tekniker och innovatörer med inriktning mot produkt innovation. För att täcka dessa kriterier så ska studenter välja inriktningen industridesign eller IT entreprenör inom innovationsprogrammet. Arbetsmarknaden anser att kunskap inom olika CAD- och CAM-program är viktiga. Dessa program får studenter lära sig som går industridesign. Däremot är det fortfarande oklart vilka jobb studenter som valt andra inriktningar kan få. IMTO kan använda sig av de slutsatser och den analys som finns för att på ett bättre sätt beskriva den framtida marknaden för dess studenter.   Slutsatsen i praktiken: Innovationsprogrammet är ett unikt program som ger studenter möjlighet till att få två examen vilket ger en konkurrensfördel och goda anställningsmöjligheter vid avslutade studier. För arbetsmarknaden är innovationsprogrammet värdefullt eftersom det ger den en ström av välutbildade entreprenörer som genom företagsekonomi, psykologi, industridesign och IT varvat med innovation har en unik kunskap av både de traditionella disciplinerna men också nytänkandet från innovation.IMTO kan använda sig av de slutsatser och den analys som finns för att på ett bättre sätt beskriva den framtida marknaden för dess studenter. / Title: The Innovation program's importance for its students - Valuable criteria for an innovation education from a business sector perspective.Author: Kristina Gern and Jesper ModighTutor: Peter Selegård, Mälardalen UniversitySubject: Innovation ManagementKeywords: Innovation, Education, entrepreneurship, creativityProblem:The Innovations program  has a problem with that many students are unsure whether their programs are a good basis to apply for jobs in the current segment in the future. This is based on conversations with students of the Innovation program and the authors own experiences. Purpose:The purpose of this paper is to clarify the value of the innovation program for its students when they enter the labor market. Teachers and program managers must also have an easier way to explain the innovation program and its objectives and the prospects that exist for innovation students. By this the authors hope that innovative student anxiety about the future decreases.Methodology:The methods used in this paper is a qualitative interview as well as quantitative surveys among students and the labor market.Findings/Conclusion:The Innovation programs students' uncertainty lies in that there isn’t a clear picture of what they might work with in the future. This is because the innovation program offers so many different directions that almost every graduate of the program is unique. This in turn means that the jobs that students eventually may find differ greatly from each other. In the end, it’s the students themselves through their focus through the program and what they seek out after graduation that determines what they can become and that’s something no staff at IMTO can predict.In a company survey it was read that the labor market desires engineers and innovators with a focus on product innovation. To meet these criteria students should choose the direction industrial design or IT entrepreneur in the innovation program. Labor market believes that knowledge of different CAD and CAM programs are important. These programs are educated at industrial design. However, it remains unclear what jobs students get who have chosen other specializations. IMTO can use the conclusions and the analysis is to better describe the future market for its students.Practical implications:  The Innovation program is a unique program that gives students the opportunity to receive two degrees, which gives a competitive advantage and good employment opportunities at graduation. For the labor market, the Innovation program is valuable because it gives a stream of well-educated entrepreneurs that through business economics, psychology, industrial design and information technology combined with innovation has a unique knowledge of both the traditional disciplines but also the rethinking of innovation.IMTO can use the conclusions and the analysis is to better describe the future market for its students.

Problem En ensamföretagare måste ofta sitta på en mängd olika kunskaper, då det är vederbörande som i slutändan tar alla slutgiltiga beslut. Enligt Tomas Lindberg själv förekommer det en sviktande försäljning av produkten Wind-X Medium. Kan det då finnas kunskapsluckor hos Tomas Lindberg själv som har ett indirekt samband till dåliga försäljningssiffror? Vilken betydelse kan det ha för företagande och tillväxt om det finns skillnader mellan att vara en företagare eller entreprenör och uppfinnare eller innovatör?   Syfte Syftet med studien är att undersöka problematiken en ensamföretagare kan ha med att skapa större intresse och acceptans kring sina produkter.   Vision Med en vision att kunna komma med ett eller flera förslag på hur han kan gå vidare med sitt företag.   Metod Författarna har i denna studie använt sig av en kvalitativ metod, genom att intervjua ägaren till företaget. Författarna har genom att göra olika analyser fått fram information till studiens empiri. Genom att analysera och diskutera studiens teoretiska referensram har författarna kommit fram till olika förslag till hur ägaren skulle kunna göra för att gå vidare med sitt företag.   Slutsats Författarna har identifierat vissa kunskapsbrister hos ägaren Tomas Lindberg som kan påverka företaget på olika sätt. I studien har det framkommit att ägaren till företaget X-Innovations AB saknar kunskap om marknadsföring, vilket har gjort att försäljningen av företagets produkt inte går så bra som ägaren hade hoppats. / Problem In a single-person business the business man himself often must have a great deal of knowledge, because he/she is the one who must take all the final decisions. According to Tomas Lindberg there has been a failing sale of the product Wind-X Medium. Could it be that there is an indirect link between Tomas Lindbergs lack of knowledge and failing sales figures of Wind-X Medium? What can the consequence be for business enterprise and growth if there is a difference between being a businessman, entrepreneur or an innovator?   Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the problems a single-person business can have to create more interest and acceptance around his/her products.   Vision With a vision to be able to come up with one or more proposals on how Tomas Lindberg can move on with his business.   Method The authors in this study used a qualitative approach, by interviewing the owner of the company. The authors have by doing different tests, presented information to the study’s empirical work. The authors analyzed and discussed the study’s theoretical framework, and then come up with a various proposals on how the owner could do to move forward with his business.   Conclusions The authors have identified some knowledge gaps with Tomas Lindberg that may affect in different ways. The study has revealed that the owner of the company X-Innovations AB has some knowledge of marketing, which has allowed that the sale of its product are not going as well as the owner hoped.

It is an unchangeable fact that all industries in the world have to face the severe global competitions. This include all traditional industries in Taiwan which had created the "Taiwan Economic Miracle" in the past tens years. But most of traditional industries have been going to the end of their products¡¦ life cycle through long period. Facing the challenge of the global competitions and the threat of low cost from Mainland China, South-East Asia countries, and India, innovation is the only one method to help traditional industries get rid of the follower and keep long term competition. To increase the creativity in a enterprise is the way to maintain competitive forces. But it takes times, labors, and capital investments for accumulation and creation of technology. It also conceal a lot of risks. Therefore, the strategy of most companies will invest their resources on the sustaining innovation instead of the disruptive innovation. Because the sustaining innovation will not fail normally. But actually, The disruptive innovation is the real key point to decide whether the company can sustain or not in the future. The distinctive features of global competitions are that enterprises have to offer the product and service with low cost and differentiation compared with competitors. Here are many good traditional chemical companies in Taiwan share their 80% of R&D resources in the sustaining innovation and 20% in the disruptive innovation. Companies can reach their strategic target of lowering cost and differentiation through sustaining innovation. The disruptive innovation let companies to create a brand-new business for the future market. The 80/20 model can be as a reference for all traditional industries. The knowledge-creating companies utilize knowledge to build their wealth is the smartest method. And the R&D people possess the most important character in this sector. But R&D people also need to work closely together with other departments people in company to create synergy effectiveness. Because the different personal ethos of R&D people and characteristics of R&D works, the way how to promote the efficiency among the R&D people and other people is through the mechanism of knowledge management. In the era of Knowledge-Based Economy, step up the innovation of technology, accumulate and utilize the intellectual properties are the ways to increase the enterprises competitive forces.

Over the past decade, new approaches to innovation management have become prime drivers of various industries. Considering product quality, product innovation and service innovation in the automotive industry, this study tries to adopt game theory and real option models to analyze competing and consuming behavior among high- quality firms, low-quality firms and rational consumers. With an argument that firms will undertake innovation activities if they produce high-quality products, this study wishes to demonstrate that high quality products will induce both product and service innovations simultaneously. To achieve the research objective, this study divides innovation into product and service innovations, and then, discusses quality¡¦s impacts on product and service innovations separately. Game theory models concerning quality and product innovation indicate that the fixed cost of innovation, the barrier to a firm¡¦s engaging in innovative activities, is overcome only if a firm produces high-quality products. Moreover, another dynamic game also shows the strong relationship between product quality and service innovation. Applying real options models to evaluate service innovations in the automotive industry, including half-price purchase warranty and extended test drive service, also verify that effective service innovations might increase consumer willing-to-buy and enlarge the sales and profits for the innovative firms. Besides quality, this study also reveals that consumer preference to new product or service is another key successful factor for business innovation management. Successful innovation management depends on continuously improving product and service, concerning the status of expected market, and understanding the needs of potential consumers. Even though a general consensus on product and service innovations among different industries remains lacking, this study strongly supports the argument that firms producing high-quality products will be active in innovations. From the broader perspective of process management, total quality management, which increases product quality, undoubtedly supports innovation management.

Abstract Innovation is a successful key of enterprise in the new generation, and enterprise creates extraordinary value by keeping innovate. Thurow(1996)pointed that mental industry will be the mainstream, and enterprise capability to innovate and use the mental ability is the key to get the competitive advantage. It means enterprise¡¦s assets shifted from the visible resources to the invisible assets, for example, intellectual capital and human capital. This transformation appears the important of human resource and leads the enterprise to pay attention on human resource management. As the reason, the enterprise¡¦s important issue is how to construct the human resource system for enterprise innovation needs and build the innovative culture. This study is using the case study approach. The main propose is analyzing the human resource practice of the prize innovation enterprises, how strengthens the organization innovation capability, and assisting the enterprises achieve the goal. This research also want to find the human resource practice to fit the different innovation flied, and conclude the innovative culture for prize innovation enterprises. To this propose, this research conclude the following result by interview material and literary. 1. Organizational innovation capability with different innovation flied for successful enterprise to innovate. 1.1 Successful product innovation depends on organizational market cognition capability, R&D technology capability, and cross-functional integration capability. 1.2 Successful process innovation depends on organizational R&D technology capability. 1.3 Successful marketing innovation depends on organizational market cognition capability and cross-functional integration capability. 1.4 Successful manage innovation depends on organizational cross-functional integration capability and financial capability. 2. Organizational innovative culture for the successful enterprise to innovate. 2.1 The input of innovative culture depends on the enterprise value emphasized, the leader support, and the resources give. 2.2 The process of innovative culture depends on well communication, clear authorization, and the staff to participate in. 2.3 The output of innovative culture depends on organization learning, try and error, and different thinking. 3. Concluding the human resource practice with different innovative flied for enterprises to innovate. 4. Concluding the human resource practice for enterprises to enhance different organizational innovation capability. 5. Proposing ¡§the innovative strategy map¡¨ as a practice guide in human resource practice. These results provide innovation enterprise not only to enrich organizational innovative culture, but also to enhance the organizational innovation capability for different innovation flied by operating the fit human resource practice. With this fit human resource practice, enterprise can have the biggest innovation achievement in different innovation flied.

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.

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