Jonas Rundquist

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 ...

The use of processes and methods in NPD : A survey of Swedish industry

Research often suggests that formal New Product Development (NPD) processes increase the success rate of NPD projects in a firm. However, recent studies indicate a relatively low usage of formal NPD-processes. Very few studies of NPD practices have been carried out in contexts other than that of the US, thus it is of interest to explore whether or not important differences exist. The present study aims to identify the use of and practices within formal NPD-processes in Swedish manufacturing firms and to compare the results with a study conducted in a US context. The results indicate that differences exist in for example reward systems for NPD teams.

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 ...

The ability to integrate different types of Knowledge and its effect on Innovation Performance

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of a firms ability to integrate knowledge on their innovation performance, in order to help firms prioritise their resources, used for knowledge integration, more effectively. Data were collected from a survey mailed to R&D managers in firms with between 100–1,000 employees in a cross-section of industries. Five hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis with and without interaction terms. The results indicate that a categorisation of knowledge is useful for understanding knowledge integration. The study also shows that the ability to integrate domain-specific knowledge is significantly related to innovation performance. Furthermore, the results indicate that technology turbulence in the industry has a positive moderating effect on the above relation. Managerial implications suggest how managers can focus their efforts in order to effectively integrate knowledge in product development projects.

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 ...

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.

An Exploratory Study of Brand Success: Evidence From the Food Industry

The goal of this research is to identify drivers that influence the brand success, in order to develop a more effective business strategy. An abductive theory approach is adopted and food managers from Italy and Sweden were questioned. The authors modeled the eight correlated first-order factors, using seven independent variables and the dependent variable brand success. The variance-based structural equation modeling approach (partial least square [PLS] algorithm) have been applied. This study provides insight and empirical evidence on brand success. The findings can be employed as more effective brand strategies in a sector that has been under-investigated in academic literature and practice.

Use Of Processes And Methods In Npd — A Survey Of Malaysian Industry

Recently, there has been a considerable interest for New Product Development (NPD) in Malaysian firms. The purpose of this study is to highlight the use of NPD processes and methods in Malaysian industry with focus on the formal NPD-processes, NPD Strategies, Outsourcing of NPD activities, and the Organizing of NPD. A total of 72 useful questionnaires were analyzed in the study. The results from the study are compared with the results from similar studies that have been carried out in US and Sweden in the same context. The results indicate that the use of formal NPD-processes, in Malaysia, is markedly lower than in USA and Sweden.

Entrepreneurial orientation and Human Resource Management: Effects from HRM practices

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between HRM practices and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in large established firms. More specifically, the purpose is to add to the understanding of the influence of HRM practices on EO. Design/methodology/approach – An e-mail survey was distributed to a sample of Swedish and German manufacturing firms in high-tech and medium high-tech manufacturing industries, and firms in knowledge-intensive services sectors, with more than 250 employees. In total, 810 surveys were distributed, with a response rate of 12.7 per cent. Findings – The results show that an emphasis on entrepreneurial aspects leads to an increased EO only in the case of training and development. A conclusion therefore is that it seems difficult to recruit personnel or to use appraisal and rewards as to create EO on a firm level. Practical implications – The study indicates that firms aiming to increase their EO should make sure to emphasize entrepreneurial aspects during st...

Knowledge Transfer Mechanisms and Global R&D Operations in MNCs

With the development of globalization, companies will need worldwide resources for R&D. Multinational corporations (MNCs) will rely on their subunits located in different countries for R&D. As a result, knowledge transfer between headquarters and subunits or among subunits will be crucial for MNCs to operate their R&D activities. This study explores the relationship between knowledge transfer and R&D operations, using a qualitative research approach including four multinational companies. We conducted a cross-case analysis connecting four R&D configurations and two knowledge transfer mechanisms: expatriate management policy and communication frequency. Results show that both transfer mechanisms are very important for MNCs for the management of knowledge transfer in global R&D operations. However, each of these mechanisms will need a different focus depending on R&D strategy and configuration. The paper summarizes recommendations for managers as drawn from these insights.