Ludmila Striukova

The impact of 3D printing technologies on business model innovation

There is a growing consensus that 3D printing technologies will be the next major technological revolution. While a lot of work has already been carried out as to what these technologies will bring in terms of product and process innovation, little has been done on their impact on business model innovation. Yet, history has shown that technological evolution without adequate business model innovation is a pitfall for many businesses. The contribution of this article is threefold. First, it combines the existing literature on business model innovation in an integrated ‘inside-outside’ framework of business model innovation. Secondly, the changes brought about by 3D printing technologies to the business model components are investigated. Finally, this article shows that in addition to enabling business model innovation, 3D printing technologies have the potential to change the way business model innovation is done, by enabling adaptive business models and by bringing the ‘rapid prototyping’ paradigm to business model innovation itself.

The role of social capital in virtual teams and organisations: corporate value creation

The paper systematises the previous research on trust in virtual teams, by examining how trust and other elements of social capital can be created in virtual teams and where the value created by social capital resides. The study is guided by three main questions: What value can social capital create for virtual teams and organisations? How are social capital elements interlinked? What are the difficulties of developing social capital, and especially trust for virtual teams and how can these difficulties affect the process of corporate value creation?

Patents and corporate value creation: theoretical approach

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to provide a taxonomy of values created by corporate patents. Design/methodology/approach - Following an extensive literature review, value created by corporate patents is analysed according to four categories: embedded in individuals; embedded in systems and structures; market; and non-market. This paper demonstrates that the value created by a company can reside in any of these four dimensions. Findings - One of the main findings is that value created by corporate patents can be both market and non-market and can be embedded both in individuals and in systems and structures. Organisations can apply this framework to assess their needs and abilities with regard to value creation from patents. Research limitations/implications - This research sets the background for an empirical study which can be conducted to confirm the theory. Practical implications - The paper is a useful resource for patent managers and policy-makers, as it provides them with a tool to analyse value embedded in patents and guidelines how to develop this value further. Originality/value - The analysis presented here differs from the traditional evaluation of patents through patent statistics and it offers a theoretical framework which can be used by companies for the analysis of their patent portfolio. This paper provides insight into the possibilities and problems that underpin value creation from patents and shows what type of value can be created and how this value can be extracted.

University-industry knowledge exchange: An exploratory study of Open Innovation in UK universities

The aim of this study is to explore the particular environment in which universities engage in Open Innovation and to investigate the specific responses that universities develop to meet the constraints intrinsic to their environment. This is the first study to investigate open innovation strategies of UK universities. The methodology used is an exploratory study based on semi-structured interviews of Pro-Vice-Chancellors (or equivalent level) of a variety of British Universities. Besides providing an overview of what Open Innovation means to different universities, as well as investigating the different Open Innovation strategies set up by universities, one of the key findings of this study relates to the ‘new’ role of universities, which are becoming a central actor within the Open Innovation ecosystem. As a result, universities should position themselves as Open Innovation hub, as they are a trusted intermediary through which collaborations can happen.

Corporate Value Creation Through Patent Governance Structures

The main aim of this article is therefore, to investigate what and why different types of value have been created through different patent governance structures. The study examines patent strategies of 31 companies that use five main patent governance structures (co-ownership, in-licensing, out-licensing, cross-licensing, patent pools) on regular basis. The value created through applying these governance structures is then analysed according to four categories: embedded in individuals, embedded in systems and structures, market and non-market. The analysis demonstrates that the value created by any of five governance structures can be situated in any of these four categories. It also empirically confirms that there is a relationship between the governance structures companies choose and the type of value they seek.

Pricing music using personal data: mutually advantageous first-degree price discrimination

In addition to customized products and services, personal data also enables personalized pricing. However, consumers are often unwilling to accept being price discriminated for fear that they would end up paying more for the same product or service. This article demonstrates that by rewarding consumers for disclosing personal information it is possible to achieve a situation where first-degree price discrimination is mutually advantageous and both buyers and sellers gain by adopting such a pricing model. The conditions required for this to happen are investigated and the impact on social welfare is discussed. Finally, the article considers the robustness of this model when consumers adopt an opportunistic behavior which consists in manipulating personal data in order to masquerade as a consumer with a lower willingness to pay.

Open Innovation, Co-Creation and Mass Customisation: What Role for 3D Printing Platforms?

Both open innovation and 3D printing technologies have attracted a lot of attention recently. Our main aim is to investigate the role of online 3D printing platforms in open innovation with customers. There are four main contributions in this paper. Firstly, it offers a better understanding of the relationship between open innovation, co-creation and mass customisation and indicates in which case they overlap. Secondly, it provides an ‘inside–outside’ typology of co-creation that enables to classify co-creation activities according to their aim and type of collaboration. The third main contribution is a typology of online 3D printing platforms, based on their core services. Finally, by combining the two typologies, we are able to demonstrate the role played by each platform based on type of co-creation activity considered.

The Curse of the First-Mover: When Incremental Innovation Leads to Radical Change

The literature establishes a strong link between radical innovation, first-mover advantage and market dominance. However, there are numerous examples where, despite being the first-mover and radically innovating, companies have failed to achieve a significant market share. In fact, incremental innovation sometimes can influence the industry in a more significant way than radical innovation. The aim of this article is to investigate the relation between radical innovation, incremental innovation and market dominance. It explains why radical innovation and first-mover advantage might fail to provide competitive advantage and weaken companies. In order to do so, the article examines the key determinants of why first-movers may face a disadvantage in comparison to followers. These theoretical results are supported by the case study of four products released by Apple, two of which correspond to radical innovations and to others to incremental innovation.

Web 2.0 is Cheap: Supply Exceeds Demand

The aim of this paper is to evaluate, from an economic perspective, the efficiency of Web 2.0. It demonstrates that, because of the non‐monetary nature of Web 2.0, several sources of inefficiencies (search costs, externalities, crowding out and adverse selection) exist. Nonetheless, the economic nature of digital products and the expected low value of most online content make it impossible to adopt a simple market scheme for Web 2.0. In contrast, this paper introduces a concept of demand‐driven Web 2.0 (as opposed to the current Web 2.0, which is supply‐driven) that is expected to provide stronger incentives, through financial reward, for high quality content within a Web 2.0 environment.

Value of University Patents as a Determinant of Technology Transfer

Patents play an integral role in technology transfer, therefore, it is important for universities to know what their value is. The study classifies the university patent value according to the different types and provides guidance as to what values may be created and which values are particularly important for the university, society and economy. The article builds upon previous studies of university patenting by looking at patent value in a more systematic way and by providing a deep insight to the possibilities and problems underpinning how value from patents can be created and extracted. It also shows that the impact of university patenting is not only on universities, but also on society and economy.