Fawzi Halila

The development and market success of eco-innovations : A comparative study of eco-innovations and “other” innovations in Sweden

The study, which compares the success factors for eco-innovations with those factors for other innovations, is intended to improve our understanding of how ecoinnovations achieve market success. A ...

Outsourcing of NPD activities: a best practice approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve our understanding of outsourcing NPD, and specifically of factors affecting the outsourcing decisions, by exploring the practices of the most innov ...

Construction Innovation: Addressing the Project-Product Gap in the Swedish Construction Sector

The construction sector is often accused of being inefficient, conservative and non-innovative, although some commentators have suggested that the construction sector is not backward, it is merely different to other industries. One of these differences is the uniqueness of construction projects, which are determined by the characteristics of the site, interaction of project participants (also partly site specific) and the relationship between contractors and building product producers (which changes from one project to another). These factors are known to colour construction innovation. Previous research into the Swedish construction sector has identified a significant gap between the building product producers who are ‘product focused’ and the contractors who are ‘project focused’, with concerns expressed about effectiveness of communication between two. The findings of previous research imply, both implicitly and explicitly, that this gap may be hindering innovation within the construction sector. This ...

Success factors for eco-innovations and other innovations

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors which can contribute to the explanation of why eco-innovations have a poorer market development than other innovations. We based our study on 285 innovations that moved on to the finals in three Swedish innovation contests: the Environmental Technology Competition (ETC), the Venture Cup (VC) and the Innovation Cup (IC). We analysed four groups of factors related respectively to (1) the innovator, (2) the innovation, (3) the development process and (4) certain aspects of the surroundings with importance to development. One conclusion is that there are many factors in which eco-innovations differ from other innovations. The eco-group is older, mainly male, with lower technical or other education; they are more innovative and their network has a stronger connection to family. Eco-innovations are less geared towards industrial customers and currently have no major competition, according to the innovators. The development process for these innovations is different from that of other innovations; the time that has been invested in the process is much shorter and the access to risk capital and contacts with business angels are rare. The eco-innovators view the general surroundings more positively than others.

Product Development in SMEs: a literature review

Product Development (PD) in Small and Medium-sized Firms (SMEs) is a long-neglected research area, and little cumulative work has been conducted previously. The purpose of this paper is to provide a first overview of the area of PD in SMEs. In doing so, we draw upon a sample of 149 peer-reviewed research papers selected from an initial sample of 5694 papers. The review provides tentative answers to issues such as the analytical and methodological approaches of the papers, which topics or areas of research have been focused on by previous scholars, and what kinds of topics that are well covered.

Business modelling in farm-based biogas production: towards network-level business models and stakeholder business cases for sustainability

Farm-based biogas production is a promising renewable energy technology with the potential for creating sustainable economic, environmental, and social value. However, Swedish farmers engaged in this activity struggle to turn a profit because of high-investment costs and severe price competition with fossil fuels. One way to address this situation is to re-organize the activity by innovating the business model (BM) towards sustainability. In this study, a team of researchers took an action research approach that proposed solutions for the financial difficulties at a farm cooperative that intended to develop its farm-based biogas production. Two participatory workshops (including researchers, producers, students, and consultants) were conducted using the sustainable business-modelling tool called the Flourishing Business Canvas (FBC). Based on the 215 ideas developed in the workshops, five sustainable BM prototypes were created. These five prototypes form the basis of an approach for initiating the development of a network-level BM for sustainability that highlights its superiority over a single-firm BM. The network-level BM’s main advantage in the farm-based biogas context is its strong focus on stakeholder collaboration that supports the development of a stakeholder business case for sustainability. Overall, this study highlights the usefulness of the network concept in the practice of sustainable BM development. Collaborative business modelling for developing network-level BMs that address environmental and social problems for and with stakeholders can be an effective way to increase long-term financial profit and promote the growth of a firm, a network, or an industry.

The diffusion of green innovation technology in the construction industry: European passive house knowledge transfer to China

The booming Chinese construction market has created both economic growth and environmental problems. Some 65,000 buildings in Europe have been constructed in accordance with the voluntary construction standard called Passive House that aims for energy efficiency. In China, however, by 2015, only 20 such projects were planned and only two Passive House projects were completed. In this paper, we identify and describe the barriers to the diffusion and adoption of Passive House construction in China. We review the relevant literature (Chinese and Western) and conduct two case studies of Passive House construction in China. Two broad groups of barriers - the bounded rationality of construction developers/managers and the high transaction costs of green innovation - are found to be most responsible for the slow diffusion and adoption of the Passive House concept in China. Unless these barriers are overcome, prospects for the advance of green technology in the Chinese construction market are unfavourable.

Business Model Innovation – The Case of a Learning Network Approach to O&M Solutions in the Swedish Wind Energy Industry

Gamesa, a Spanish company, is an original equipment manufacturer of wind energy turbines. Established in 1976, the company now faces greater global competition and an increased need to put greater focus on operations and maintenance solutions. Thus, Gamesa has to engage in business model innovation process. The case depicts how Gamesa joins a research project that uses a learning network approach in the initiation phase of business model innovation that leads to insights applicable to Gamesas important Swedish customer – the utility company, Varberg Energi. The focus of the case is the early phase of business model innovation rather than the outcome (i.e. the new business model). Specifically, the case describes a workshop within the learning network where participants have the opportunity to better understand ...