Tindara Abbate

Knowledge Sharing and Innovation: The Contribution of Innovation Intermediaries

Innovation intermediaries are a heterogeneous phenomenon with a relevant role in innovation processes as they are considered facilitators of the match of supply and demand in uncertain contexts. Their tasks are focused on: promoting new solutions that derive by combinations of knowledge; supporting technology development activities and trying to reduce the gap between the business and research communities. In recent years, several studies have analyzed the most important functions of intermediaries, their role in innovation process, but only few studies have focused on the rationale of innovation intermediation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how innovation intermediaries can contribute to knowledge sharing. The intermediation processes will be compared to explain how innovation intermediaries can contribute to the creation of knowledge and the development of innovation. The paper will consist of three steps. First, a literature review will be carried out to define the intermediaries’ main functions; subsequently, the method for analysing this phenomenon will be described; the third step will discuss findings.

Click and drive: Consumer attitude to product development: Towards future transformations of the driving experience

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to supply indications that may be useful in the process of development of new products that fully exploit the value potential of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in the automotive industry. To this aim, the authors investigate how applications of the IoT to smart vehicles are perceived by consumers and describe different ways to increase their satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – After a literature review focused on IoT and consumer behaviour in the automotive industry, the authors apply the Kano model to find the drivers for achieving customer satisfaction with new product developments in smartcars. Findings – Automotive companies need to consider what is attractive to drivers and what consumers consider to be “driver-friendly”. Using an empirical analysis, the authors highlight the motivations for developing a smartcar to fits the expectation of Italian drivers. Research limitations/implications – While the global framework given by this paper can be us...

The Cittaslow Movement: Opportunities and Challenges for the Governance of Tourism Destinations

Abstract This Research Note analyses the contribution of Cittaslow (slow city) to the governance of tourism destinations by promoting the “slowness” perspective and the concept of sustainable development at the local level. This movement strongly encourages policy-makers to orient its various efforts essentially to define and implement policies, activities and initiatives for sustaining economic development, social well-being and environmental sustainability. In this way, it stimulates the improvement of quality of life for inhabitants and tourists of the involved destinations. Based on a qualitative analysis focused on “Cittaslow Association”, this study concentrates on opportunities and challenges for certified destinations as well as the linkages between practices defined by the Cittaslow Association and sustainable development. From a theoretical point of view, the Research Note contributes to destination development literature, offering significant highlights on the governance of tourism destinations. From a managerial point of view, it supports policy-makers underlining the main opportunities and challenges for a tourism destination in being certified as Cittaslow.

Overcoming cultural barriers in open innovation processes through intermediaries: a theoretical framework

Certain cultural barriers, such as insufficient openness, aversion to risk-taking, organizational inertia and specific syndromes could inhibit successful Open Innovation processes. However, how Open Innovation Intermediaries help in overcoming obstacles to successfully achieve Open Innovation processes, has not yet been analysed in depth. This paper aims to fill this gap, relying on extant contributions of Open Innovation processes, Open Innovation Intermediary features and types. Based on the distinction between outside-in, inside-out and coupled Open Innovation processes, the theoretical framework developed here identifies specific cultural barriers affecting each process and suggests which intermediary types could be more suited to sustain firms undergoing these processes. The framework supports firms opening up their internal R&D activities to choose the intermediary type most suitable for adaption to an appropriate culture, as well as overcoming any possible cultural barriers.

Small- and medium-scale Italian winemaking companies facing the open innovation challenge

This article examines the impact of open innovation (OI) practices on the innovation activity of low-tech small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Different external knowledge sources are considered, and the ability of SMEs to acquire and integrate external knowledge into their organizational boundaries for innovation purposes is assessed. The research draws on a sample of 191 Italian winemakers. The results show that SMEs with higher propensity to access and use external knowledge sources show a greater ability to innovate and that their absorptive capacity impacts the use of external sources. Several implications for theory and practice are drawn, underlining a number of suggestions for future research.

Exploiting Internet-of-Things: Platforms and Business Models

Internet-of-Things (IoT) is expected to play a key role in the near future due to the possibility it shows to spur processes of economic growth by fostering differentiated business applications. To exploit several possibilities, firms need to define and adopt appropriate business models. By analyzing the case of FIWARE, we discuss which business models can be adopted by different actors involved in the development and usage of a cloud-based platform enabling IoT solutions. We show that such platform represents a general purpose technology, which allows innovative forms of division of labor among technology suppliers and technology users, with positive revenues for involved actors.

Understanding Roles and Functions of Academic Libraries as Innovation Intermediaries within the Service-Dominant Logic Perspective: An Australian Case Study

ABSTRACT This study defines the academic library as an innovation intermediary that under the service-dominant logic perspective has a role of co-creator of value instead of a traditional service provider focused on collecting and exchanging knowledge. Innovation intermediaries develop a number of roles and functions to stimulate knowledge creation and transfer by supporting interactions and collaborations among multiple parties. As result, 2×2 Matrix was created to position each librarys service based on its unique combination of necessary innovation roles and functions. A single case study focused on a university library and highlighted the existence of two different types of intermediaries: generalist and specialist.

How Do Academic Spin-off Companies Generate and Disseminate Useful Market Information Within Their Organizational Boundaries?

From a market orientation perspective, this study intends to examine how small high-tech firms generate, disseminate and integrate information on customers’ needs, competitors’ activities and market forces within their organizational boundaries in order to define and to implement effective strategies. We perform an explorative qualitative analysis based on Italian and Spanish academic spin-off firms. We find that the activities of generation, dissemination and integration of market information are crucial to develop technological innovations and to obtain positive performance, even if these activities require the definition and development of a sophisticated marketing information system, as well as the availability of economic resources and specialized competences, often more limited in these small firms.

Co-creare prodotti e processi con i clienti: i servizi degli Open Innovation Intermediaries (OII)

Purpose of the paper : The paper aims at analyzing the Open Innovation Intermediaries (OII) services provided to firms in order to enhance, facilitate and support their co-creation activity with customers in an Open Innovation (OI) context. Methodology : After reviewing existent literature developed in this domain, we analyze the only two OII platforms which provide services to support firms in their co-creation activity with customers, following the case study methodology. Findings : We find that: (i) both the number of OII and the services provided are scarce; (ii) OII adopt this OI mode in different ways, following different models and providing different bundles of services. Research limits : The main limit of the empirical research comes from the unavailability of different information sources which place this part of the paper in an ancillary position in respect to the literature review. Practical implications : The paper, as a first step of the research in this domain, enhances knowledge about services provided by OII in the co-creation activity which firms develop with customers. This phenomenon is not deepened empirically, even if theoretical contributions recognize many benefits for firms deriving from OI platforms. Originality of the paper : The paper is original because it: (i) proposes a first systematization of the existent literature about his theme; (ii) analyzes OII services provided to firms in an OI context; (iii) benchmarks services provided by different OII platforms, disclosing their rationales. Italian Obiettivo del paper : Il lavoro esamina i servizi che gli Open Innovation Intermediaries (OII) offrono alle imprese allo scopo di stimolare, facilitare e supportare l’attivita di co-creazione con i consumatori in un contesto di Open Innovation (OI). Metodologia : Dopo l’analisi della letteratura sviluppata sul tema, si sono selezionate ed utilizzate, per meglio supportare la review della letteratura, le uniche due piattaforme di OII che rendono servizi finalizzati all’attivita di co-creazione con i consumatori, seguendo le indicazioni scientifiche sul metodo dei casi. Risultati : L’analisi ha consentito di rilevare che: (i) le piattaforme cosi come i servizi offerti sono poco numerosi; (ii) esistono approcci differenti adottati dagli OII per agevolare e sostenere questa modalita di OI. Limiti della ricerca : Il maggior limite della ricerca empirica e da rintracciare nella scarsa disponibilita di fonti di informazione, ponendo cosi la stessa in una posizione ancillare rispetto alla review della letteratura. Implicazioni pratiche : Il lavoro contribuisce al miglioramento della conoscenza sul fenomeno degli OII e, soprattutto, sui servizi specificatamente offerti dagli stessi a supporto delle complesse attivita di co-creazione con i consumatori, cui la letteratura associa numerosi benefici senza farne corrispondere un’analisi empirica specifica e di confronto tra le varie piattaforme di OI create negli ultimi anni; in questo ambito, il paper rappresenta un primo contributo. Originalita del lavoro : Il lavoro si configura come una proposta originale in termini di: (i) sistematizzazione della letteratura sul tema; (ii) primo tentativo di analisi dei servizi proposti dagli intermediari in un contesto di innovazione aperta con i consumatori; e (iii) confronto puntuale tra i servizi prestati dalle piattaforme esaminate.

Future Internet: Cloud-Based Open Business Models

Cloud-based technological solutions are expected to play a key role in the near future due to their pervasiveness and the possibility they show to spur processes of economic growth by increasing efficiency and favoring differentiated business applications. However, in order to exploit such possibilities, firms need to define and adopt appropriate business models. By analyzing the case of an EU cloud platform, we discuss which business models can be adopted by different actors involved in the development and usage of cloud-based platforms. We show that such platforms represent general purpose technologies, which allow new forms of division of labor among technology suppliers and technology users, with positive returns for both types of actors.