Emerging Patterns Of Innovation

Discusses Japanese manufacturing, business diversification, research and development, product development, innovation, societal diffusion, and option sharing

The Japanese economy has made a remarkable recovery from the so-called ‘Lost Decade’ of the 1990s. This said, demographic trends suggest that Japan will have to show remarkable powers of innovation if it is to continue to prosper in the global economy. For, around the turn of the last century texts published by prominent strategy analysts such as Michael Porter and colleagues were asking whether Japan could continue to compete at all, and in answering this question they not only gained significant global attention, they also appeared to sound the death knell for strategic innovation in Japan. This collection helps put the record straight. It invites authors and editors of previous (Routledge) titles on the topic of ‘Innovation in Japan’ to reflect on how things have moved on – prominent scholars on Japanese innovation such as Martin Hemmert, Cornelia Storz, and Ruth Taplin, all of whom appear in this collection. It brings together fresh perspectives on Japanese-style innovation, from insiders and from outsiders, from scholars and from practitioners, all of whose combined contributions to this book update our understanding of how patterns of innovation in Japan are evolving and thus provide inspiration and guidance for managers and innovators worldwide.

The concept of "innovation systems" has gained considerable attention from scholars and politicians alike. The concept promises not only to serve as a tool to explain sustained economic development, but also to provide policy-makers with scientifically grounded policy options to advance the growth of economies. The thrust of much recent literature has been to review existing empirical findings in order to deduce "best practice" models which are assumed to benefit all countries in a similar fashion. However, as this book argues, such ‘universal’ models often fail in both analysis and policy prescriptions, as they do not take into account sufficiently the circumstances and development trajectories of particular countries. With a foreword by Richard Whitley, this book discusses the extent to which the diagnoses and reform recommendations of recent work on innovation theory, and the related policy recommendations, actually apply to Japan and China. Making links between behavioural economics and institutional analysis, the book covers their regulatory framework, legal and science system, the labour and capital market, and intra-firm relations. It examines the present design and reasons underlying the Japanese and Chinese innovation systems, and based on those findings, emphasises the necessity for reform to secure the future competitiveness of both countries. The book is introduced by a foreword by Richard Whitley, Professor of Organisational Sociology at Manchester Business School.

Monograph on causes, trends and impact of technological change - presents definitions and theoretical approaches to the description of the origin, diffusion and development of new technology (incl. Historical inventions and innovations), discusses effects on long term economic growth, manufacturing, learning, research and development, etc., and includes science policy, educational policy and industrial policy suggestions and case studies. Graphs and references.

Approximately one-third of the world’s population lives in poverty at the global Base of the economic Pyramid (BoP). Sarah Friderieke Praceus quantitatively investigates patterns and characteristics of a large sample of innovations developed by people living at the BoP in India. Differences and commonalities versus consumer innovations from the developed world are assessed and effects of innovation-relevant resources and contextual factors on the innovative outcomes are examined. The findings indicate that poor consumer innovators and their wealthier counterparts share similar stable demographic predispositions and preferences while the phenomenon adapts to the specific resource-scarce context and different living conditions at the BoP. Finally, user innovation research from developed markets appears not to be entirely transferable to subsistence markets.

In today’s high-tech environment, we have to conceptualize a sophisticated translation skill that converts a vague set of wants into well-defined products. To do so, we must come to the concept of “demand articulation.” Marketing scholars have summarized that this concept is an important competency of market-driving firms. Most firms are more comfortable in a world of pre-articulated demand, wherein customers know exactly what they want, but the firm’s challenge is to unearth that information. In order to better understand this idea, the book is organized into five categories, providing various insights into contextual change in innovation. These categories are: defense-centric; commercialization-centric; core competency-centric, innovation wave-centric, and fourth industrial revolution-centric. For each chapter, a specific industrial product is selected for analysis, and the longitudinal dynamics of demand articulation of emerging technologies are analysed.

Innovation may be the hottest discipline around today, in business circles and beyond. And for good reason. Innovation transforms companies and markets. It is the key to solving vexing social problems. And it makes or breaks professional careers. For all the enthusiasm the topic inspires, however, the practice of innovation remains stubbornly impenetrable. No longer. In this book the author draws on stories from his research and field work with companies like Procter & Gamble to demystify innovation. He presents a simple definition of innovation, breaks down the essential differences between types of innovation, and illuminates innovation's vital role in organizational success and personal growth. This unique hybrid of professional memoir and business guidebook also provides a powerful 28-day program for mastering innovation's key steps: (1) Finding insight, (2) Generating ideas, (3) Building businesses, and (4) Strengthening innovation prowess in workforces and organizations. Using several illustrative case studies and vignettes from a range of companies around the globe, this playbook teaches people how to turn themselves or their companies into true innovation powerhouses.

The concept of "innovation systems" has gained considerable attention from scholars and politicians alike. The concept promises not only to serve as a tool to explain sustained economic development, but also to provide policy-makers with scientifically grounded policy options to advance the growth of economies. The thrust of much recent literature has been to review existing empirical findings in order to deduce "best practice" models which are assumed to benefit all countries in a similar fashion. However, as this book argues, such ‘universal’ models often fail in both analysis and policy prescriptions, as they do not take into account sufficiently the circumstances and development trajectories of particular countries. With a foreword by Richard Whitley, this book discusses the extent to which the diagnoses and reform recommendations of recent work on innovation theory, and the related policy recommendations, actually apply to Japan and China. Making links between behavioural economics and institutional analysis, the book covers their regulatory framework, legal and science system, the labour and capital market, and intra-firm relations. It examines the present design and reasons underlying the Japanese and Chinese innovation systems, and based on those findings, emphasises the necessity for reform to secure the future competitiveness of both countries. The book is introduced by a foreword by Richard Whitley, Professor of Organisational Sociology at Manchester Business School.