Extent Of Innovation Research Articles

Shifting from Theoretical Best Evidence to Practical Best Evidence: an Approach to Overcome Structural Conservatism of Evidence-Based Medicine and Health Policy.

There is disparity in the healthcare sector between the extent of innovation in medical products (e. g., drugs) and healthcare structures. The reason is not a lack of ideas, concepts, or (quasi-) experimental studies on structural innovations. Instead, we argue that the slow implementation of structural innovations has created this disparity partly because evidence-based medicine (EBM) instruments are well suited to evaluate product innovations but less suited to evaluate structural innovations. This article argues that the unintentional interplay between EBM, which has changed significantly over time to become primarily theoretical, on the one hand, and caution and inertia in health policy, on the other, has resulted in structural conservatism. Structural conservatism is present when healthcare structures persistently and essentially resist innovation. We interpret this phenomenon as an unintended consequence of deliberate EBM action. Therefore, we propose a new assessment framework to respond to structural innovations in healthcare, centered on the differentiation between the theoretical best (possible) evidence, the practical best (possible) evidence, and the best available evidence.

Primary care dentistry: Past, present and future

This article examines the past, present and future of primary care dentistry. It provides a historical background of primary care dentistry and describes stages of its evolution. It further reviews the purpose and mission of contemporary primary care dentistry and outlines a vision for the development of primary care dentistry in the future. The type and extent of innovations and technological advances that have impacted – and improved – primary care dentistry revolutionising clinical activities, ranging from early computerised tomography to modern digital systems and workflows are summarised. A discussion of current scientific evidence base pertinent to primary care dentistry highlighting the need for ‘effectiveness’ rather than ‘efficacy’ studies is included in order to provide research data pertinent to the primary care dentistry setting where most dental patients receive most of their care most of the time.

Working from Home: Creativity and Innovation in the High-Tech Industry in Israel

Creativity is a crucial aspect of tech management, as it allows hi-tech workers to identify and solve problems, generate new ideas, and create innovative solutions that meet the needs and desires of consumers. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the way that people work, with many companies shifting to remote work as a means of maintaining business continuity. This shift has led to a debate about the impact of remote work on creativity, with some arguing that working from home increases creativity since it allows for more flexibility and autonomy. In contrast, others say it decreases it since it can lead to isolation and a lack of collaboration. While some evidence suggests that working from home may positively impact creativity, there is also evidence to suggest that it may have a negative impact. The main objective of this study is to investigate differences, if any, in the perceived creativity among hi-tech workers working from home or the office. The study provides a more nuanced understanding of hi-tech workers' attitudes toward creativity, innovation, and related risk-related issues.
 We used a validated questionary about the extent of innovation and creativity of people in general. Then we investigated these characteristics with the extent of working from home or the office. We statistically compared the means of variables of interest for categories of interest of respondents.
 We found no significant difference between high-tech workers working from home or the office. Yet, we discovered that hi-tech workers working from home reveal more resilience toward creative ways to solve problems even though these ways are associated with more risk. They are willing to take more risks to accomplish assignments innovatively and creatively. We also found that managers and development hi-tech workers tend to work from home.

The formation of a firm's core competence and its development: an analysis with a special reference to North East England firms

PurposeThis paper provides remarkable insight into the structural components of a firm's core competence and its development via research and development (R&D) activities for innovation and exporting activities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors have used a positivist design and a deductive methodology. The authors have examined the extant literature developing a theoretical framework to empirically investigate the relationships between a firm's core competence, organisational learning (OL), tacitness, dynamic capability and R&D activities. To carry out this investigation, the authors have collected stratified sample data from 330 firms operating in North East England, a peripheral region of England.FindingsThe authors have found that there are indeed significant statistical relationships between these structural components, R&D activities and a firm's core competence, and this nexus is pertinent to innovation and exporting. Furthermore, it is found that North East England is significantly constrained by the lack of finance, technological capability, experts and brain drain. Based on these findings, the authors propose a cooperative R&D framework to narrow down these constraints to assist firms in developing core competencies for innovation and exporting in peripheral regions.Social implicationsThere is an urgent need to investigate the incidence of knowledge-driven activities, R&D, the extent of innovation and exporting activities of firms operating in North East England, a peripheral region of the United Kingdom (UK).Originality/valueThis study provides an original and systematic investigation of the firm's core competence and its formation via key structural components for innovation and exporting within an empirical framework.

The evolving international entrepreneurship orientations and international entrepreneurship capital in the rapidly changing and digitizing international environments

The relationship between entrepreneurial orientations and internationalization has been examined extensively, but the recent developments in the rapidly changing environment point to the need for further examination of international entrepreneurs’ orientations in their own embedding contexts and beyond. There is ample evidence suggesting a positive relationship between the firm’s combined overall international entrepreneurial orientation, its extent of innovativeness, export (or international marketing), collaborative, and socio-cultural orientations and the scope and speed of its internationalization. The aim of this article is to examine the challenges and developments among the integral components of international entrepreneurial orientations and their associated activities, strategies, and resources to integrate their interactive impacts for better understanding of the broader concepts of international entrepreneurship orientations and international entrepreneurship capital in the increasing complexities of entrepreneurial internationalization processes.

Complementarities in the sourcing, use and exploitation of managerial and technological innovations

This paper explores patterns of both managerial and technological innovations, how they interact, and their relationship with firm performance. Parallels between managerial innovations and investments in intangibles are highlighted. Using a data set relating to 1497 UK enterprises in 2009 with a special emphasis upon non-manufacturing, it is shown that firms both source and use technological and managerial innovations and different types thereof simultaneously, suggesting widespread complementarities across innovations. Factor analysis is used to generate combined indicators of firms’ overall efforts in both sourcing and using different innovations and enables their allocation to clusters. The most active sourcing and using clusters are the smallest, whilst the least active sourcing and using clusters are the largest. Firm characteristics differ across both sourcing and using clusters in expected ways. Further, (i) there is a positive relationship between corporate performance and the intensity of both sourcing and using innovations, and (ii) firms undertaking technological (managerial) innovation experience greater improvement in sales growth if they also undertake managerial (technological) innovation. The findings indicate that reliance upon either technological or managerial indicators of innovation alone could be misleading in terms of both the extent of innovation and the impacts of different types of innovation upon firm performance. policy implications are drawn.

Using a Mixed-methodology to assess innovativeness and adoption of new practices in engineering management in construction industry

In the present business landscape, innovative competence is considered as a salient component for the business success, notably in the developing engineering and construction companies. To assess the extent of innovativeness and adoption of new practices in engineering management in the construction industry. The research adopted a mixed research design in which the data was collected by two tools: questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The data was collected from 357 individuals who were employed in the construction companies operating in Jordan. Correlation analysis and regression analysis was used to analyze the data collected. Results revealed males made up 67.3% of the study sample and 33.3% were females. Responses showed that internal and external innovative work environment as well as strategic management practices significantly impact the innovative competence of the firm. It also revealed an insignificant impact of the stakeholders on engineering management in the construction sector. Organizations should develop an innovative strategy and identify that enhancing innovation demands both external and internal innovative environment.

“On the proper keeping of linen and clothes”: organization of laundry in urban noble-intellectual families of Russia in the second half of the 19th — early 20th century

The article is aimed at characterization of the ways of laundry organization in the urban noble-intellectual families of post-reform Russia, identification of the extent of innovations in this area, and of the degree of transition of this activity from the field of domestic labour to social production. The sources of the research include paperwork of laundry facili-ties, statistical data, numerous housekeeping manuals and instructions for laundry organization, memoirs, diaries and house books of urban nobles, especially noble women, and, finally, fiction and publicistic writings of this period. The study follows a methodological approach that combines research methods characteristic for the history of everyday life (first of all, historical reconstruction method), the theory of sociocultural dynamics, and the theory of “topochron”. The author concludes that, despite the significant increase of personal participation of educated housewives in household chores, which took place at the end of the 19th — beginning of the 20th century, this change did not extend to laundry, which was completely delegated to a special person — laundress. The employee herself could act as a single-family domestic servant, a worker who served in a laundry establishment or an independent day laborer who offered her ser-vices to all concerned. Moreover, the first group — laundresses — domestic servants — was extremely rare in the post-reform period. Washing could be carried out both “at the owners’ home”, and “on the side”. “Home washing”, which provided a theoretical opportunity for the employer to control the employee’s activities, was regarded as more preferable, both in terms of service quality and price. Active development of the laundry networks in the late 19th — early 20th century, some of which used machine washing, had little impact on lives of educated citizens. The laundries were oriented, first of all, to work with institutions, and among the “citizens” their services were mainly used by small noble-intellectual families who did not have an opportunity to invite a day labourer. Throughout the post-reform period, handwashing continued to be the most popular way to care for clothing, and the nature of the laundress’s labor re-mained virtually unchanged, still staying “backbreaking” and extremely poorly mechanized.

Pushing New Technology into the Market: California’s Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate

California’s long-running Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) program represents a unique policy approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. It mandates that manufacturers sell passenger cars and trucks that have zero tailpipe emissions, which in today’s market are electrified vehicles, including battery electric and fuel cell vehicles. The policy, when it was initiated in 1990, was technology forcing because such zero emission vehicles had not yet been produced. We discuss the motivation for such a technology policy and briefly summarize the 30-year history of this evolving program. We examine evidence on the extent of innovation in electrification technologies under the program and trends in battery and vehicle costs and sales. We review the flexibility granted under the ZEV credit-trading program and estimate the value of ZEV credits traded among manufacturers. Finally, given the continuing uncertainty about costs, technology improvements, and consumer acceptance, we argue that there is a need for additional transparency and flexibility if the policy is to continue. One approach we suggest is that regulators build a safety valve mechanism into the credit trading market.

Assessment criteria for seed accelerators in entrepreneurial project selections

This paper contributes to the literature on accelerators by filling the gap concerning the criteria used to select venture projects. Seed accelerators develop strict and rated assessment criteria for project selection that grants them objectivity and guarantees program success. This study uses a sample of 309 cases to analyse the criteria applied by an accelerator when selecting projects. Among these cases, 15 entered the accelerator stage. Our work first examines variables linked to the business project, such as the extent of innovation, extent of investability, speed of acceleration and extent of team consistency. It then assesses entrepreneurial skills such as negotiation, teamwork, creativity, communication and leadership. Our findings show that extent of team consistency and speed of acceleration are the most widely-used variables to assess a business project, while the most valued entrepreneurial skills are leadership followed by creativity. Furthermore, the project is more likely to enter the acceleration stage in the presence of higher team consistency and creativity.

Digital dentistry: The new state of the art — Is it disruptive or destructive?

ObjectiveSummarizing the new state of the art of digital dentistry, opens exploration of the type and extent of innovations and technological advances that have impacted – and improved – dentistry. The objective is to describe advances and innovations, the breadth of their impact, disruptions and advantages they produce, and opportunities created for material scientists. MethodsOn-line data bases, web searches, and discussions with industry experts, clinicians, and dental researchers informed the content. Emphasis for inclusion was on most recent publications along with innovations presented at trade shows, in press releases, and discovered through discussions leading to web searches for new products. ResultsDigital dentistry has caused disruption on many fronts, bringing new techniques, systems, and interactions that have improved dentistry. Innovation has spurred opportunities for material scientists’ future research. SignificanceWith disruptions intrinsic in digital dentistry’s new state of the art, patient experience has improved. More restoration options are available delivering longer lifetimes, and better esthetics. Fresh approaches are bringing greater efficiency and accuracy, capitalizing on the interest, capabilities, and skills of those involved. New ways for effective and efficient inter-professional and clinician-patient interactions have evolved. Data can be more efficiently mined for forensic and epidemiological uses. Students have fresh ways of learning. New, often unexpected, partnerships have formed bringing further disruption — and novel advantages. Yes, digital dentistry has been disruptive, but the abundance of positive outcomes argues strongly that it has not been destructive.

THE IMPACTS OF INFORMALITY ON ENTERPRISE INNOVATION, SURVIVAL AND PERFORMANCE: SOME EVIDENCE FROM PAKISTAN

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between informality, innovation and firm survival. To do so, a study of a cluster of electrical fittings firms in Pakistan is reported. Reporting bivariate and multivariate probit models to analyze two surveys conducted between 2008 and 2017, the finding is that there is a significant relationship between informality and the extent of innovation, firm survival and firm performance. Informality has an adverse negative effect on firm-level innovation, firm survival and firm performance. Given that formal enterprises in this cluster are better performing in terms of innovation, survival and employment growth than informal businesses, the paper concludes by discussing the theoretical, policy and research implications.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Innovation Management in the Hospitality Industry: A Study of Selected Hotels in South-East, Nigeria

This study focused on assessing the effectiveness of innovation management in the hospitality industry. The inability of the change managers of these hotels to meet their expected organizational goals even as they strive to inject something new to meet the ever-rising demand of their clients made this study so essential. To achieve this objective, both primary and secondary data were employed. From a given population of 966, a sample size of 283 was derived using the Taro Yamane’s formula. A survey research design was also employed, and the study proved to be valid and reliable given a content validity and a Cronbach alpha of 0.863. The techniques adopted in analyzing the data were both the descriptive and inferential statistics. Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient was used in testing the hypotheses. The result of the findings reveals that there is a significant association between the extent of innovation at a given period and the performance of the firms; innovation management does significantly correlate to the growth of the firms. Based on these findings, the researcher concluded that innovation management in the hospitality industry is effective. The researcher therefore recommends among others that there should be a concrete organizational arrangement to improve on the practice of innovation as often as possible in order to enhance the performance of the organizations and be effective.

Innovation in Swedish hotels

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess innovation in the hotel sector in Sweden and to investigate how structural and organizational factors influence hotel’s likelihood of producing service/product, process, organizational and marketing innovations.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on responses from 174 hotels with membership in the Swedish hotel association. Responses were collected via a web-based survey.FindingsThis paper provides insights about the nature and extent of innovations in the hotel sector. Although traditionally considered rigid and non-innovative, around half of the responding hotels produced at least one type of innovation. Most common are service/product and marketing innovations. A hotel’s likelihood of innovating depends largely on structural independence (non-chain), having an explicit innovation strategy and investing in non-traditional R&D.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the chosen design (convenience sampling), the results of this paper may lack generalizability. Therefore, future research is encouraged to test the hypotheses further.Practical implicationsManagers in the hospitality industry can influence the production of innovations in the hotel sector. By promoting flexibility, defining and communicating an innovation strategy, and engaging in non-traditional R&D activities, practitioners can better respond to the changing business environment.Originality/valueThis paper presents a systematic, and internationally recognized, method for assessing four types of innovation in the hotel sector. Its originality stems also from its approach to investigating how key structural and organizational factors, when considered in the same analysis, predict service/product, process, organizational and marketing innovations.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR SEED ACCELERATORS IN ENTREPRENEURIAL PROJECT SELECTIONS

This paper contributes to the literature on accelerators by filling the gap concerning the criteria used to select venture projects. Seed accelerators develop strict and rated assessment criteria for project selection that grants them objectivity and guarantees program success. This study uses a sample of 309 cases to analyse the criteria applied by an accelerator when selecting projects. Among these cases, 15 entered the accelerator stage. Our work first examines variables linked to the business project, such as the extent of innovation, extent of investability, speed of acceleration and extent of team consistency. It then assesses entrepreneurial skills such as negotiation, teamwork, creativity, communication and leadership. Our findings show that extent of team consistency and speed of acceleration are the most widely-used variables to assess a business project, while the most valued entrepreneurial skills are leadership followed by creativity. Furthermore, the project is more likely to enter the acceleration stage in the presence of higher team consistency and creativity.

Pre-venture managerial experience and new venture innovation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore direct and indirect effects of pre-venture managerial experience (PVME) on new venture innovation. Using opportunity-costs framework, the following questions are explored: does the entrepreneur's PVME directly affect the extent of innovation in the new venture? What is the role of expectation for high returns in the relationship between PVME and innovation? What is the role of expectation for high returns in the relationship between PVME and innovation? Is there a relationship between abilities and expectancies and does it affect innovation? Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II, which is a national database of individuals in various stages of starting a business. Overall sample consisted of 982 nascent entrepreneurs. Statistical methods explored a multiple serial mediation model using OLS regressions supplemented by analyses based on bootstrapping for assessment of indirect effects. Findings – PVME effect on innovation is associated with abilities and financial motives, supporting a partial serial multiple mediation model in which PVME affects innovation indirectly through abilities and where abilities affect innovation directly as well as indirectly through expectations. Results also suggest a suppression effect and a possible negative effect of PVME. Originality/value – Abilities facilitate innovation, which has implications for policy makers who aim to enhance innovations, for investors in assessing potential of innovations, and for entrepreneurs who aim at improving innovation. Shedding light on the mechanism by which prior experience affects innovation, including the role of financial expectations and how abilities possibly negate negative effects associated with experience improve the understanding of and ability to enhance innovation and improve new venture competitive stand.

An Investigation on the Innovations in Steel Re-Rolling MSMEs with Reference to Industries in Kerala State, India

A developing country like India depends on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for its economical development. But the sector is not attractive now for the entrepreneurs, since the return for investment is very small. These organisations have to practice the habit of innovation for their survival. The present study focused on the extent of innovations in steel re-rolling MSMEs in Kerala state, India. Also, the barriers for innovation are identified so that the same can be overcome by the planned efforts. The data collection is through a field survey based on a questionnaire prepared. The study shows that level of innovation is very low in MSME sector and proper steps are to be taken to overcome this issue.

SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM RETURNS TO INNOVATION FROM THE APPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND TRAINING PRACTICES

The intention of this paper is to investigate innovation outcomes associated with complementary sets of training practices. Our analysis is performed using a multiple linear regression model with lagged variables on several different service sectors. We lagged three training and technology factors and noted the extent of innovation within and between these factors while comparing returns to innovation in the short-term (one year) to the long-term (the following six years). We hypothesised that the complexity of technology and process of learning by doing/using would result in short-term innovation returns being far less than those experienced in the long-term. We predicted the opposite would occur for the training factors due to the obsolescence of acquired skills over time. Our results show that short-term innovation returns for training factors are consistently higher than those for technology. This lends support to our hypothesis.

School-based curriculum development in Scotland: curriculum policy and enactment

Recent worldwide trends in curriculum policy have re-emphasised the role of teachers in school-based curriculum development. Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence is typical of these trends, stressing that teachers are agents of change. This paper draws upon empirical data to explore school-based curriculum development in response to Curriculum for Excellence. We focus on two case studies – secondary schools within a single Scottish local education authority. In the paper we argue that the nature and extent of innovation in schools is dependent upon teachers being able to make sense of often complex and confusing curriculum policy, including the articulation of a clear vision about what such policy means for education within each school.

Value through innovation in long‐term service delivery

PurposePublic‐private partnerships (PPPs) and other innovative procurement mechanisms are frequently used to deliver both an asset and a public service over a protracted period. The value streams to the parties involved can be complex, but generally arise from the satisfactory provision of infrastructure that is fit for purpose throughout its life. This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of the facility management (FM) function in delivering long‐term value to both the client and consortium.Design/methodology/approachThis paper describes a case study of a PPP in Australia that delivered social infrastructure in multiple locations to a state government. Drawing upon multiple perspectives from within the consortium, it utilises inductive principles to identify the influences on value generation through innovation by the FM function.FindingsThe ability of an Australian FM contractor to provide value within a PPP context has been shown to reflect some of the attributes described in literature. However, the extent of innovation, especially in the design and construction phases, has been limited by organisational history and capability, and relational and contextual issues.Originality/valueThis research highlights a flaw in the rhetoric relating to PPP delivery, namely the disconnection between the asset delivery and service delivery phases, which stifles the consortium's capacity to innovate and maximise value. It reveals a set of influences that both resonate with the literature and plausibly explain the suboptimal performance of the FM function within an Australian PPP. By using highly iterative analysis leading to within‐case generalisability, it provides a robust basis for wider investigation of the problem.