Collaborative Ecosystem Research Articles

The Rise of the Social Business in Emerging Economies: A New Paradigm of Development

Social business has emerged as a sustainable and innovative means to solve emerging social problems. Although it is gaining momentum, there is a paucity of studies on the drivers of social business models and its key success factors. Drawing on a systematic literature review and an in-depth analysis of 31 social businesses in Bangladesh, the study presents eight key drivers and four success factors for a sustainable social business model. The findings show eight key drivers for social business models including customer centricity, quality, social needs, latent demands, incidental gains, innovation through partnerships, inspirations from initiatives and collaborative eco-systems. The findings also report four critical success factors including social goals, collaboration, simplicity and start from home. Overall, this study discusses the scope of developing and sustaining social business models for empowerment, quality of life and economic growth in emerging economies.

The Future of Smart Parking Systems with Parking 4.0

Parking is important for mobility, access, and the economic development of cities. Evolving technology, new business opportunities, and a growing awareness are expanding the role of smart parking in sustainable city-scale mobility. The benefits from smart parking can get amplified manyfold as part of a cohesive, collaborative ecosystem. In this article, we present our vision of Parking 4.0 as a digital reimagination of the end-to-end value parking chain as part of a collaborative eco-system. We discuss the key market drivers and barriers in smart parking; assess the current readiness levels; and outline a path to Parking 4.0 while identifying opportunities and open research challenges.

PRO-ACE: Global Collaborative Ecosystem in a Post-PRO-ACT Era (P4.6-006)

PRO-ACE: Global Collaborative Ecosystem in a Post-PRO-ACT Era (P4.6-006)

Management of Innovation Ecosystems Based on Six Sigma Business Scorecard

Abstract In the present context, companies to be competitive must develop high-performance innovation capabilities that enable them to respond quickly to market needs. However, the lack of tools and methodologies to assess the performance of innovation projects in an integrated way remains an obstacle. The paper begins by discussing the principles of Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard for performance evaluation. Next, the advantages of the Six Sigma Business Scorecard are discussed as a tool to support the evaluation of performance in innovation projects. Finally, the advantages of their application in the context of a collaborative ecosystem are discussed. It is illustrated that the BSC ensures that top management pays attention at any time to the specific elements of the Six Sigma implementation that are not working as planned, providing a link between strategy and quality initiatives assuring customers satisfaction in innovation projects.

Updates in Pediatric Pancreatology: Proceedings of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Frontiers in Pediatric Pancreatology Symposium.

The Pancreas Committee of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition aims to promote awareness of pediatric pancreatic diseases, support clinical and basic science research in the field, educate pediatric gastroenterologists, and advocate on behalf of pediatric patients with pancreatic disorders. At the 2017 Annual North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition meeting, the Pancreas Committee held a full day symposium on pediatric pancreatic diseases, entitled, "Frontiers in Pediatric Pancreatology." The symposium served as a timely and novel academic meeting that brought together individuals with a vested interest in the care of children with pancreatic disorders. The objective of this day-long course was to update practicing gastroenterologists on the latest advances in research, management algorithms, endoscopic therapies, radiographic resources, surgical approaches, and novel drug therapies targeted to pediatric pancreatitis. Presentations were divided into 4 modules: diagnosis, risk factors, and natural history of pancreatitis; pancreatic imaging and exocrine function; management of pancreatitis; and new frontiers in pediatric pancreatitis research. The course fostered a unique ecosystem for interdisciplinary collaboration, in addition to promoting discussion and stimulating new research hypotheses regarding pediatric pancreatic disorders. Oral presentations by experts in various fields of pancreatology led to thought-provoking discussion; in addition, a meet-the-professor luncheon stimulated critical evaluation of current research in pediatric pancreatic diseases, highlighting knowledge gaps and future research endeavors. The current report summarizes the major learning points from this novel symposium focusing on the growing demographic of pediatric pancreatic diseases.

A Study on the Characteristics and Social Values of Vegan Fashion in H&M and Zara

This study analyzed the characteristics of vegan fashion produced by H&M and ZARA with respect to materials, design, development, production, and marketing to create social value. The results of this study are significant because they can be used as a reference to develop a vegan fashion market. Regarding the research method, this study assessed the concept and status of veganism through a literature review and examined vegan fashion case studies by analyzing official websites and media content. The study’s scope covers the period from 2005, when H&M was the first SPA brand to create a vegan product line, until 2019. The characteristics of Global SPA’s vegan fashion were as follows. Regarding materials, alternative materials were developed and an expanded use of organic materials was implemented. Regarding design, development was achieved through design collaboration and upcycling. In terms of production, an animal welfare policy was adopted and a sustainable supply chain was established. Marketing employed a campaign aimed at encouraging increased consumer participation. The findings regarding the social value of H&M and Zara’s vegan fashion were as follows. First, a cyclical economy was realized through circular recycling in the entire process of resource selection, production, and waste disposal. Second, because product consumption indicated the importance of ethical consumption and sustainable consumer participation, corporate financial activities were created based on shared values to accomplish the social outcome. Third, collaborations with luxury brands or vegan fashion designers built a collaborative ecosystem in which vegan fashions were released and consumer participation campaigns were implemented.

A fuzzy reasoning approach to assess innovation risk in ecosystems

Abstract Currently, companies to be competitive must achieve high rates of innovation and respond quickly to market needs. According to a number of managers and researches innovation is crucial for companies to stay “alive." Taking into account several reports, the development of co-innovation networks based on a collaborative environment is the best strategy to support innovation projects. However, the absence of mechanisms to detect and even anticipate potential risks of innovation based on a collaborative approach is an obstacle to the proliferation of this way of working. To address this issue, this paper discusses an approach based on fuzzy reasoning for analyzing the level of risk in co-innovation projects. It is discussed how this approach can be applied to co-innovation projects within the context of a collaborative ecosystem. At last, it is discussed the benefits, and challenges found on experimental results from a Portuguese co-innovation network.

Multi-scalar energy transitions in rural households: Distributed photovoltaics as a circuit breaker to the energy poverty cycle in India

A transformation in energy structures and governance models are required to meet the needs of communities living in rural and remote areas and particularly for those subject to energy and economic poverty. New models must be reflexive to global climate concerns, align with social, economic and environmental agendas of national, state, and local governments, and be compatible with embedded energy infrastructure. Decentralised solar solutions are a resilient technology which can support energy transformation to spatially, economically and socially disadvantaged communities yet the deployment of this technology is hamstrung by path dependencies including policy frameworks, business models and infrastructure. In this study, the multi-level perspective has been used to examine energy transformation within rural and remote communities in India through interviews with regime and niche level actors. We identify various barriers impeding successful deployment of decentralised solar PV including a disconnect between policy makers and implementers, poor coordination within and between actors, and limited institutional focus and competence. To support a successful transition to off-grid solar based regimes for rural and remote communities, participants suggested strong political determination, setting enabling policy frameworks, and implementing a collaborative ecosystem with businesses, system suppliers, financial intermediaries, distribution companies, civil society and end users.

The future of the Internet of Things: toward heterarchical ecosystems and service business models

PurposeThis study aims to understand their emergence and types of business models in the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems.Design/methodology/approachThe paper builds upon a systematic literature review of IoT ecosystems and business models to construct a conceptual framework on IoT business models, and uses qualitative research methods to analyze seven industry cases.FindingsThe study identifies four types of IoT business models: value chain efficiency, industry collaboration, horizontal market and platform. Moreover, it discusses three evolutionary paths of new business model emergence: opening up the ecosystem for industry collaboration, replicating the solution in multiple services and return to closed ecosystem as technology matures.Research limitations/implicationsIdentifying business models in rapidly evolving fields such as the IoT based on a small number of case studies may result in biased findings compared to large-scale surveys and globally distributed samples. However, it provides more thorough interpretations.Practical implicationsThe study provides a framework for analyzing the types and emergence of IoT business models, and forwards the concept of “value design” as an ecosystem business model.Originality/valueThis paper identifies four archetypical IoT business models based on a novel framework that is independent of any specific industry, and argues that IoT business models follow an evolutionary path from closed to open, and reversely to closed ecosystems, and the value created in the networks of organizations and things will be shareable value rather than exchange value.

The role of frugal innovation and collaborative ecosystems

This article examines the product innovation management strategy of a developed economy multinational corporation case in India. Drawing on institutional theory, the analysis indicates that product innovation for emerging markets is essentially built on the frugal innovation capabilities of a firm. The findings show that through frugal engineering, bricolage, and modularity, it is possible to implement frugal innovation that creates value with less resource and at low costs. Further, the analysis shows how developing a collaborative ecosystem along with a deep embeddedness in the local economy facilitates frugal innovation. The article has important implications for theory and management practice.

Society 5.0: For Human Security and Well-Being

The Japanese Cabinet’s “Society 5.0” initiative seeks to create a sustainable society for human security and well-being through a cyber-physical system. Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) is well aligned to proactively deliver on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all through the creation of Society 5.0. Typical collaborative ecosystem activities for Society 5.0 in Japan are outlined in this column.

Innovation and Commercialization Strategies for Three-Dimensional- Bioprinting Technology: a Lean Business Model Perspective

We examine and analyze the elements important for developing a commercialization strategy for an emerging technology of great relevance to biopharma: three-dimensional bio-printing (3DBP). We begin with a technology overview, identification of multiple, potential end-user market segments, then examine the key forces driving the competitive landscape of the emerging industry. The ability to print engineered 3D tissues advances innovations for human health and 3DBP is a transformative and disruptive technological breakthrough with high commercial potential for both short-term and long-term market applications. The near-term research markets include drug discovery research and development and the long-term markets focused on printing of organs and organoids for regenerative medicine. We include a mini-case study on the emergence of one potential innovation, the FRE SH printing technology being developed at Carnegie Mellon University. The case study includes extensive market research made possible by published data, and our customer surveys. The commercialization pathway to innovation is framed in terms of combining two popular innovation frameworks: The Disruptive Innovation and the Blue Ocean strategic frameworks for market entry, growth, and expansion spanning from early adopters to mainstream market segments. We also advocate open innovation as an approach to building the “lean” business model and collaborative ecosystems through strategic alliances with noncompeting firms having overlapping interests in 3DBP. This collaboration in parallel enables faster and more capital efficient validation of the process: product development, market development, validation of product/market fit, and market /customer development across the product life cycle spanning short, medium, and long-term visions for the technology. A platform strategy is framed to maximize the power of the technology and development of a sustained competitive advantage through complementary products, services, and partners in the emerging ecosystem.

Information technologies that facilitate care coordination: provider and patient perspectives.

Health information technology is a core infrastructure for the chronic care model, integrated care, and other organized care delivery models. From the provider perspective, health information exchange (HIE) helps aggregate and share information about a patient or population from several sources. HIE technologies include direct messages, transfer of care, and event notification services. From the patient perspective, personal health records, secure messaging, text messages, and other mHealth applications may coordinate patients and providers. Patient-reported outcomes and social media technologies enable patients to share health information with many stakeholders, including providers, caregivers, and other patients. An information architecture that integrates personal health record and mHealth applications, with HIEs that combine the electronic health records of multiple healthcare systems will create a rich, dynamic ecosystem for patient collaboration.

SIX SIGMA BUSINESS SCORECARD APPROACH TO SUPPORT MAINTENANCE PROJECTS IN A COLLABORATIVE CONTEXT

According to the traditional perspective the maintenance function is counted as a secondary activity consuming human and financial resources, which is why many companies, use as maintenance strategy for several years, the subcontracting of maintenance services to specialized companies. However, the need to perform maintenance operations on increasingly complex systems requires access to several distinct types of skills that small and medium-sized firms specialized in maintenance services generally do not have. This paper aims to illustrate the role of the Six Sigma Scorecard approach as a management tool for improving quality in service provided in a collaborative context. The article begins by discussing the principles of the Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard backgrounds. It is then discussed how the two methodologies can be combined as a management tool of maintenance activities. Finally, it is discussed how this approach can be applied in the assessment of maintenance activities in the context of a collaborative ecosystem.

Geocoding, Publishing, and Using Historical Places and Old Maps in Linked Data Applications

This paper presents a Linked Open Data brokering service prototype Hipla.fi for using and maintaining historical place gazetteers and maps based on distributed SPARQL endpoints. The service introduces several novelties: First, the service facilitates collaborative maintenance of geo-ontologies and maps in real time as a side effect of annotating contents in legacy cataloging systems. The idea is to support a collaborative ecosystem of curators that creates and maintains data about historical places and maps in a sustainable way. Second, in order to foster understanding of historical places, the places can be provided on both modern and historical maps, and with additional contextual Linked Data attached. Third, since data about historical places is typically maintained by different authorities and in different countries, the service can be used and extended in a federated fashion, by including new distributed SPARQL endpoints (or other web services with a suitable API) into the system.

Evaluating the Collaborative Ecosystem for an Innovation-Driven Economy: A Systems Analysis and Case Study of Science Parks

National policies for science parks and innovation have been identified as one of the major driving forces for the innovation-driven economy, especially for publicly funded science parks. To investigate this collaborative ecosystem (government-academia-industry) for growth and sustainable development, this paper proposes a nation-wide economic impact analysis of science parks and innovation policy based on historical data drawn from one of the globally recognized high-technology industrial clusters in Taiwan. Systems thinking with causal loop analysis are adopted to improve our understanding of the collaborative ecosystem with science park policies. First, from a holistic viewpoint, the role of government in a science parks and innovation ecosystem is reviewed. A systems analysis of an innovation-driven economy with a science park policy is presented as a strategy map for policy implementers. Second, the added economic value and employment of the benchmarked science parks is evaluated from a long range perspective. Third, the concepts of government-academia-industry collaboration and policies to innovation ecosystem are introduced while addressing the measures and performance of innovation and applied R&D in the science parks. We conclude with a discussion of lessons learned and the policy implications of science park development and an innovation ecosystem.

An Architectural Model for Fog Computing

The adoption of the Internet of Things raises many challenges. A variety of its applications require widespread distribution and high mobility support. In addition to low latency and real time services. To meet these challenges, the Fog Computing is arguably a suitable solution to leverage the Internet of Things with such requirements. Indeed, we believe that the nearness of Fog nodes to the edge of the network provides an environment for critical preemptive and proactive applications and services (e.g., predicting natural disasters). Thus, this paper proposes an architectural model for Fog Computing. First, it presents a middleware to abstract the underlying devices and to unify the sensed data. Second, it describes an Operational Layer intended for service presentation, management and transformation. An environment embracing such model will provide means for early data analysis, hence low latency and real time responses. In addition, to providing an ecosystem for direct collaboration between services leading to more sophisticated applications. A flood warning system exemplifies a use case scenario to illustrate the potential adaption and application of the presented model.

Cadernos abertos de laboratório e publicações líquidas: novas tecnologias literárias para uma Ciência Aberta

Apresenta resultados de pesquisa sobre o conceito e práticas de caderno aberto de laboratório, inovação criada no âmbito do movimento contemporâneo por uma Ciência Aberta. O arcabouço teórico adota a noção de cultura epistêmica e a perspectiva das “três tecnologias” de Shapin e Shaffer enquanto, no campo empírico, adentramos o “laboratório aberto” através de pesquisa documental. Identificamos que essa inovação não é uma melhoria incremental, mas uma nova “tecnologia literária” para um novo modo de produzir e comunicar ciência. Ela dialoga com a noção de publicação líquida e é um elemento estratégico de um ecossistema de colaboração aberta que pretende, entre outras coisas, substituir uma “ciência baseada na confiança” por uma ciência fundamentada na transparência e na proveniência dos dados. Articulada com novas tecnologias materiais e sociais, fomenta uma cultura epistêmica que chamamos de matter of proof por valorizar, sobretudo, a habilidade dos cientistas em documentar adequadamente os experimentos que subsidiam suas afirmações.

Haptic experience design: What hapticians do and where they need help

From simple vibrations to roles in complex multisensory systems, haptic technology is often a critical, expected component of user experience – one face of the rapid progression towards blended physical-digital interfaces. Haptic experience design, which is woven together with other multisensory design efforts, interfaces is now becoming part of many designers' jobs. We can expect it to present unique challenges, and yet we know almost nothing of what it looks like “in the wild” due to the field's relative youth, its technical complexity, the multisensory interactions between haptics, sight, and sound, and the difficulty of accessing practitioners in professional and proprietary environments. In this paper, we analyze interviews with six professional haptic designers to document and articulate haptic experience design by observing designers' goals and processes and finding themes at three levels of scope: the multisensory nature of haptic experiences, a map of the collaborative ecosystem, and the cultural context of haptics. Our findings are augmented by feedback obtained in a recent design workshop at an international haptics conference. We find that haptic designers follow a familiar design process, but face specific challenges when working with haptics. We capture and summarize these challenges, make concrete recommendations to conquer them, and present a vision for the future of haptic experience design.

Open notebook science as an emerging epistemic culture within the Open Science movement

The paper addresses the concepts and practices of “open notebook science” (Bradley, 2006) as an innovation within the contemporary Open Science movement. Our research points out that open notebook science is not an incremental improvement, but it is a new “literary technology” (Shapin, Shaffer, 1985) and main element of a complex open collaboration ecosystem that fosters a new epistemic culture (Knorr-Cetina, 1999). This innovation aimed to move from a “science based on trust” to a science based on transparency and data provenance - a shift that recognizes the ability of scientists in performing experiments, but mostly, values their capacity of documenting properly what they say they have done. The theoretical framework was built with the notion of epistemic culture (Knorr-Cetina, 1999) and the “three technologies” perspective used by Shapin and Shaffer (1985) to describe the construction by natural philosophers of “matter of fact” as “variety of knowledge” so powerful that became synonymous of science itself. Empirically, we entered the “open lab” through a netnography that led us to understand that the epistemic culture being engendered by its practitioners is based on a “matter of proof”.