This thesis aims to explore how trust, communication and innovation is potentially interconnected in the context of e-entrepreneurial startups. Trust seems to be an important component to success, but the virtual environment makes the traditional formation of trust difficult. An inductive strategy using qualitative interviews was employed to explore this relatively under researched subject. The findings indicate the most important aspects of trust in this context. Further, the findings imply that some of the constructs for trust present in virtual and temporary teams are also present in this context. Furthermore, there seems to be connections between communication and trust in a startup, both ways. The same seems true for the aspects of the firm's innovation capabilities and trust. Finally, theoretical implications of this research are presented and several interesting topics for future research are suggested. / Denna uppsats ämnar utforska den potentiella relationen mellan tillit, kommunikation och innovation i kontexten av e-entreprenöriella start-ups. Tillit verkar vara en viktig del för att nå framgång, men den virtuella kontexten gör en traditionell tillitsutveckling svår. En induktiv strategi med kvalitativa intervjuer användes för att utforska detta, som är ett relativt underforskat ämne. Resultaten antyder på de viktigaste elementen av tillit i denna kontext. Vidare pekar även studien på att vissa av de konstruktioner för tillit som återfinns i virtuella och tillfälliga teams även återfinns i denna kontext. Det tycks även finnas en tvåvägs koppling mellan kommunikation och tillit samt för beståndsdelarna av innovation capabilities och tillit. Slutligen presenteras implikationer för det teoretiska fältet och flera intressanta ämnen för framtida forskning föreslås.

The manufacturing industry has been on a decline. Companies have been closed, and employees have lost their jobs. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to understand how 5 small manufacturing companies in Massachusetts remained competitive. Systems theory was used to focus on process and innovation management implemented by organizational leaders. A purposeful sampling was conducted to identify 15 organizational leaders from 5 small manufacturing companies in Massachusetts. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with the 15 participants. Interviews were recorded and transcribed with NoNotes software. Data were compiled and submitted to participants to member check information. Once participants confirmed the data, data were compiled with NVivo 12 software. Through the compilation process, 10 themes emerged. Seven of the themes were directly related to the positive steps of process management: employee involvement, customers, communication, products, innovation, knowledge, and analysis. Three emergent themes regarding negative strategies were managing from a distance, lack of communication, and no buy-in from stakeholders. Positive social change could emerge from the results of this study if organizational leaders use this information to increase their success and help grow the Massachusetts manufacturing GDP. The increase of business may lead to more jobs and revenue to help support local communities in Massachusetts.

This study explore the linkages or partnerships that companies across the EU and a defend set of emerging market economies have in either a formal or informal manner. The research aims to understand the correlation of these linkages and a firm’s ability in innovate. Empirically this research is set out to determine if there are differences in a firm’s ability to innovate based on the structure of the linkage, i.e. formal or informal. The study extends to understand the impact that the economic downturn had had on these linkages and what impact, if any has filtered through to the firm’s ability to innovate.The central argument is that firms with linkages benefit but being more nimble innovators and therefore both formal and informal linkages are very good for business and an organizations ability to innovate.Chi squared and t-tests were run on the responses of the firms belonging to the export or domestic categories. The results overwhelmingly suggest that in respect of innovativeness, the domestic suppliers do not differ from those that opt to export into the developed world. However the firms belonging to the domestic group differ considerably with regards to who they collaborate with for their innovations when compared to the export group. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Studiens syfte avser att öka kunskapen kring tjänsteinnovation hos svenska FinTechbolag och storbanker samt att ta reda på hur de olika typerna av bolag arbetar med att styra denna typ av innovation. Vidare är syftet att identifiera samt förklara likheter och skillnader som existerar kring arbete och styrning av tjänsteinnovation hos FinTech-bolag och storbanker i Sverige. Detta görs för att ge en ökad förståelse till varför det finns olika syn i hur effektiva grupperingarna är gällande innovationsarbete. Således ska uppsatsen bidra med en tydligare förklaring kring varför FinTech-bolag anses mer innovativa än storbanker i Sverige. / The purpose of the study is to increase knowledge about service innovation at FinTech companies and major banks in Sweden and to find out how the different types of companies work and govern this type of innovation. Furthermore, the purpose is to identify and explain similarities and differences that exists in work and governance of service innovation at FinTech companies and major banks in Sweden. This is carried out to create a better understanding to why there is a different view of the groups efficiency in regards of innovational work. Thus, the thesis will contribute with further explanations to why FinTech companies are regarded as more innovative than major banks in Sweden.

In this study, two implementable leadership products were analogous to innovations, when framed in the context of Rogers’ diffusion-of-innovation theory. Thus, the products’ respective dissemination patterns were compared and contrasted-- quantitatively through purchase numbers, and qualitatively through opinions and events recollected by early users. The case-study approach was central to the investigation, and the results supported the Rogers model with regard to most constructs. The results pertaining to the S-shaped (sigmoidal) prototypical distribution curve, however, were enigmatic. The inverse conformity of sales figures with the S-shaped distribution curve implied that the dissemination process began during the field-testing stage rather than the purchasing stage. The organizational structure of the user institutions (targeted social system construct) conformed to Rogers’ theory that autonomy and teamwork characterized management climates where innovation tended to flourish. Field-testers and other early users were opinion leaders as construed by Rogers. The fact that twice as many field tests were conducted for the Case Studies as for the Simulation was likely a factor in the disparate 6:1 ratio of units of Cases sold to units of the Simulation sold for three consecutive years. Other factors possibly accounting for the disparate sales came from the attributes-of-innovation template which framed five generic attributes--compatibility, relative advantage, complexity, trialability, and observability. Both products conformed to the attributes as conceptualized by Rogers. The main difference that influenced the disparate sales was the greater complexity of the Simulation than of the Cases, although cost may have been a compatibility/relative advantage contributory factor. Finally, the study’s results indicated that dissemination parameters may have been narrowed by (a) the absence of mass media communication channels as part of the dissemination strategy at the awareness stage, and (b) lack of market research to focus the naming and packaging of the products for optimum compatibility and relative advantage. Researchers and change agencies can use these findings to improve future dissemination strategies and product designs. / Ph. D.

Much research has been done in the field of safety culture and how organizations manage to keep a good safety record. Fewer studies however have focused on how these safety critical organizations balance short term stability and safety versus the fact that they have to survive in the long run and implement new technology and knowledge. This problem has then specifically been studied by interviewing certain persons working for SKB, The Swedish Nuclear Waste Management Company. This is a company that, at the same time, has to have a good safety culture and an appropriate innovation culture. SKB as an organization have traditionally researched and analyzed how to achieve long term safety and how to store nuclear waste, but nowadays the organization also has to provide for the safety and management of the nuclear waste facilities, facilities that have been traditionally managed by other companies. The problem is that these waste facilities are dependent upon rules and a more rule-focused culture than the part of SKB that does the research and development of a future terminal storage for radioactive waste. A unified definition of the terms safety culture and innovation culture has not been found, but some common dimensions of the concepts has however been found. Aspects that are considered good for both safety culture and innovation culture are not exclusive for these cultures but rather aspects that usually characterize a learning culture. Furthermore it seems like it is not inherently good to try to strive for a unified culture within an organization. An effort to create overarching mottoes or guidelines that everyone can relate to seems to be a more plausible solution, rather than specifically trying to create a unified safety or innovation culture in the organization. Different divisions and work teams have different goals and means to reach those goals, and therefore the concept of safety has to have different meaning and connotation in a strictly rule-governed facility compared to a development division within an organization. / Det finns gott om säkerhetskritiska branscher och det har gjorts mycket forskning kring hur dessa organisationer lyckas upprätthålla en god säkerhet. Det har däremot gjorts mindre forskning kring hur organisationer som är beroende av en god säkerhet och säkerhetskultur balanserar detta mot det faktum att de måste överleva i längden och implementera ny kunskap och teknologi. Denna problematik har specifikt studerats genom att intervjua utvalda personer vid Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB. Ett företag som, på samma gång, har en innovativ och en säkerhetsorienterad kultur. SKB som organisation har traditionellt sett analyserat och forskat kring långsiktig säkerhet, men nu inbegriper organisationen även kärntekniska anläggningar. Dessa anläggningar är i hög grad regelstyrda och har en kultur som är mer regelfokuserad och säkerhetsorienterad än den del av SKB som sköter analyser kring långsiktig säkerhet och utvecklar ett framtida slutförvar. Studien har inte funnit någon enhetlig etablerad definition av begreppen säkerhetskultur eller innovationskultur, men flertal beröringspunkter har ändå identifierats mellan områdena. De aspekter som anses vara goda för både säkerhet och innovation är inte exklusiva för dessa kulturer utan ses ofta som dimensioner som brukar karaktärisera en ”lärande kultur”. Vidare är det inte eftersträvbart att, enbart för sakens skull, försöka skapa en enhetlig kultur inom en organisation. Det kan vara fördelaktigt att skapa övergripande ledord eller ett motto som alla kan relatera till, men att specifikt försöka skapa en enhetlig säkerhetskultur eller innovationskultur borde inte vara den bästa lösningen. Olika delar av en organisation har olika mål och olika metoder, så synen på säkerhet vid en mycket regelstyrd anläggning måste därför kanske skilja sig från synen på säkerhet vid en utvecklingsavdelning. / QC 20100413

Abstract Title: The relationship between Open innovation and Swedish forest companies - Why do Swedish forest companies choose to either implement or to not implement Open innovation? Course: 2FE897, Master`s thesis in Entrepreneurship, Department of Business Studies. Key Words: Open innovation, closed innovation, innovation process, collaborative innovation, Swedish forest companies.  Purpose: Aims to identify the reasons why or why not Swedish forest companies implement open innovation, but also to find out if there is an ideal open innovation form among Swedish forest companies. Methodology: Abductive approach and qualitative method. Semi structured interviews areconducted with managers from five Swedish forest companies and one startup. Theoretical perspectives: We collected and created a theoretical framework based on open and closed innovation models. We will also bring up different forms of open innovation. Empirical foundation: The empirical data in this thesis are based on our semi structured interviews. Conclusions: Companies prefer a mix of open and closed innovation. Why companies use Open innovation: cost effective, more efficient, boost brand reputation and remain competitive with external knowledge. Why companies continue to use closed innovation: Easier to measure results, keep control, manage and estimate budgets. Collaborative innovation is concluded to be the ideal open innovation form.

As the internet creates platforms for online communication, people start to share their thoughts and attitudes about products on social media platforms, either by commenting or by giving likes to the posts. Given the opportunities of possible conversations between the companies and consumers on social media, companies have been interacting with customers on social medias as a marketing strategy. One well-known social media platform used by many scholars to conduct sentiment analyses of consumers within food sectors is Twitter. In this paper, I study consumers’ attitudes towards food companies’ tweets analyzing Twitter data from 2019 to 2020. Concepts relating to ‘innovation’ and food claims are captured using keyword-based analyses. The sentiment analysis is lexicon based, using a lexicon that is specifically designed for social media data. Hypotheses are tested using negative binomial regressions, separately on the 2019 and 2020 data sets. This study shows that both innovation and food claim concepts appear in posts on twitter. Whereas innovation tweets are consistently related to larger numbers of likes, the association of food claims with likes varies.

Very little research exists around the implementation of innovative practices in traditional public schools. However, research indicates that innovation and creation of an organizational culture and climate that fosters innovation are both practices associated with improvement in overall organizational performance. This study aims to examine leadership practices, both at the school and district levels, which support the implementation of a radical innovation in traditional public schools. Specifically, this study asks three key questions: How did the plan to implement personalized learning develop, how did district and school leaders gain acceptance for the implementation, and how did Very little research exists around the implementation of innovative practices in traditional public schools. However, research indicates that innovation and creation of an organizational culture and climate that fosters innovation are both practices associated with improvement in overall organizational performance. This study aims to examine leadership practices, both at the school and district levels, which support the implementation of a radical innovation in traditional public schools. Specifically, this study asks three key questions: How did the plan to implement personalized learning develop, how did district and school leaders gain acceptance for the implementation, and how did school leaders manage school climate change during the implementation? In this context, radical innovation is defined as an innovation that significantly changes the ways in which the school organization operates and delivers education to students (Zaltman, Duncan, & Holbek, 1973). / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This research project was begun during the financial crisis of 2009 with the objective of increasing the competiveness of SMEs’ (Small and Medium sized Enterprises) by developing their innovation-management capabilities. The research presented in this licentiate thesis (thesis) is a part of the project in which newly-formed innovation groups at two SMEs in Eskilstuna, Sweden have been studied before they began innovation work. Prior research has indicated a need to observe processes within on-going innovation projects. My overall hypothesis that reaches beyond this thesis, is that an innovation group that improves its innovation-related knowledge, reduces knowledge gaps and increases innovation-related awareness, generates positive additional values such as motivation or enthusiasm above the results such as patents or project costs that are traditional measurements within innovation projects. The first study in the iterative research process focused on the innovation-related knowledge of newly-formed innovation groups. The results led to further immersed studies, in total five case studies, in which 21 respondents participated. A theoretical framework consisting of theories from Knowledge management and System theory was used to analyze the results and the research question of this licentiate thesis emerged as: “What would a model that describes a newly-formed innovation group’s innovation-related knowledge, knowledge gaps, information flow and awareness look like?” Four sub-questions, one per each aspect of the research question, have been used to analyze prior research, theories and the conducted case studies. A model, Innovation Group Model (IGM), was created according to the research question and goal for this thesis. A one-sentence-explanation could be: “The organization, the innovation group and the individuals must have the opportunity to be motivated to learn innovation management in theory and practice to achieve innovation-readiness and awareness to detect and utilize innovation-related information available within the internal and external information flow.” This thesis contributes to the research area of Innovation and design with knowledge concerning newly-formed innovation groups. Three practical applications of the research results are suggested; (1) IGM can be used in organizations to understand the complex situation when an innovation group is created. (2) IGM can be used when planning for physical or virtual environments in which an innovation group consisting of professionals and customers is intended to develop or generate ideas. (3) IGM can be used when developing innovation-related audits intended to provide a deeper understanding of a respondent’s knowledge. On the basis of the results from this licentiate thesis, I suggest further research according to the overall hypothesis. With IGM as a starting point, one could study the progress of innovation groups and where necessary, provide support in specific areas.