Matthew P. Mount

Social Media: A Tool for Open Innovation:

Despite the exponential rise of social media use in external stakeholder engagement, academic research and managerial practice have paid little attention to how it can be used for open innovation across the entire innovation funnel, spanning ideation, R&D, and commercialization. As a result, there is little understanding of how companies can organize for and implement social media for open innovation. Utilizing a multiple case study design, this article examines its application across the entire innovation process. It proposes a range of organizational and technological adaptations that managers can implement to ensure they realize the innovative benefits of social media application.

Community Cohesion and Village Pubs in Northern England: An Econometric Study

Mount M. and Cabras I. Community cohesion and village pubs in Northern England: an econometric study, Regional Studies. Pubs in England represent an important locus for regional development and rejuvenation, particularly in rural areas where they act as hubs for social aggregation and economic activity. Generally, village pubs are regarded as complementarities to other local services and amenities that exist within the area, such as sporting events, volunteering and charity initiatives, as well as business activities. This paper provides empirical support for this proposition by estimating the impact of pubs on an index measure of community cohesion. Using data from 715 rural parishes located across Northern England, the paper demonstrates the importance of pubs for maintaining rural areas in these regions.

Adoption of free and open source software within high-velocity firms

Free and open source software (FOSS) solutions are not only considered to be a disruptive force in the proprietary software industry but have helped firms deliver efficient and proficient processes and position themselves in global supply networks. The purpose of this study was to conduct an investigation of FOSS adoption in firms operating in high-velocity environments and identify factors that have an impact on the adoption process. Primary data were gathered from a cluster of firms operating in a high-velocity environment. The results provide an insight about the FOSS adoption process to both practitioners and academics alike. Our results indicate that performance attitude of managers, data regulation and facilitating conditions are important determinants of a firms behavioural intention (BI) to adopt and use FOSS. Interestingly, influences from social and organisational domains have little effect on a firms BI to adopt FOSS solutions. Overall, the article provides a structure to FOSS adoption which is relevant to managers and academics.

Exploring technological process innovation from a lifecycle perspective

Purpose – Technological process innovation (TPI) is a distinctive organizational phenomenon characterized by a firm-internal locus and underlying components such as mutual adaptation of new technology and existing organization, technological change, organizational change, and systemic impact. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the management of these components at different stages of the innovation lifecycle (ILC) in large manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach – The authors adopt an exploratory case-based research design and conduct a multiple case study of five large successful manufacturing companies operating in different industries in Germany. The authors build the study on 55 semi-structured interviews, which yielded 91.5 hours of recorded interview data. The authors apply cross-case synthesis and replication logic to identify patterns of how companies address process innovation components at different ILC stages. Findings – The study uncovers the content of four central TPI c...

Exploring the knowledge complexities of innovation intermediaries: the case of nanotechnology in the UK

Innovation intermediaries are critical enablers of inward and outward technology and knowledge transfer processes, particularly in domains and industries that are characterised by high complexity. Nanotechnology as a radical, generic technology is one such domain, which spans a plethora of different industries. As a result, intermediary organisations are essential for the future development and commercialisation of these technologies. However, little is known with regard to the inner workings of intermediaries and the knowledge management (KM) processes and capabilities deployed to facilitate matchmaking. Using an in-depth case study, the paper explores the key knowledge related challenges the intermediary faces and the KM processes and capacities utilised to facilitate intermediation. It is found that knowledge creation and exploration, knowledge storage, and knowledge transfer capacities are key capabilities that are enabled by the intermediarys proprietary access to an extensive network database. Results of the study have implications for both managers engaged or seeking to engage with intermediaries as well as managers of intermediaries.

Assessing the impact of pubs on community cohesion and wellbeing in the English countryside: a longitudinal study

Purpose This paper aims to explore and examine how public houses or pubs function as facilitators and developers of community cohesion and social interactions in rural areas of England. Design/methodology/approach The authors use data and information about facilities and services available for 284 rural parishes in two different points in time (2000 and 2010) to elaborate an index measurement of community cohesion. The index, created upon a range of discrete variables capturing multiple aspects of community living, is then investigated by using structural equation models to assess the impact of pubs in shaping the levels of community cohesion in the English countryside. Findings Findings gathered from the analysis identify a strong positive relationship between the presence of pubs and higher levels of community cohesion index occurring within the examined parishes, indicating that this relationship is maintained in time regardless of size of the parish, although different impacts are found in the two time points considered. Research limitations/implications As the study is based on a longitudinal examination, it can stimulate research on themes and issues regarding the impact of third places on community cohesion and social capital in rural and remote communities, increasing the amount of information and data available. For instance, due to the nature of information considered, the study could not explore the effects on rural communities’ wellbeing associated with different types of pubs’ ownership and management. Practical implications These results provide a valuable and original contribution to the literature related to the measurement of community cohesion and wellbeing with regard to third places such as small businesses and local retailers, whose significant functions of fostering social aggregation and communal initiatives at a local level are frequently neglected. Social implications Findings from this study provide a valuable opportunity for policymakers and local administrators to evaluate policies and actions in support of their communities. In particular, findings provide an original piece of information about the social value of community pubs particularly in small and peripheral areas of England. Originality/value The paper provides new and original information about the importance of pubs and third places in general in fostering and developing community cohesion and wellbeing at a local level. Given the significant paucity of empirical studies in the field, the paper represents a valuable contribution to knowledge with particular regard to the methodology applied as well as the potential implications of its findings.