| 1. |
- Abecassis-Moedas, Celine, et al.
(författare)
-
Key resources and internationalization modes of creative knowledge-intensive business services : The case of design consultancies
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Creativity and Innovation Management. - : Wiley. - 0963-1690 .- 1467-8691. ; 21:3, s. 315-331
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the knowledge economy, knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) are a key driver for innovation and competitiveness. The internationalization of these businesses raises challenges given their specificities such as knowledge intensity, the importance of customer interaction and intimacy in service delivery. This paper focuses on design consultancies as a specific type of creative KIBS for which these characteristics are emphasized. The objective of this research is to analyse the resources leveraged by the firms to compete internationally. It is based on 11 case studies of design consultancies located in five different countries (France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the UK) that were selected for their capacity to perform at the international level for several years. The paper advances three internationalization modes depending on contingent variables and focusing on specific resources that enable international competitiveness: star-based, process-based and glocality-based. In star-based creative KIBS, the individual designer has developed a reputation that attracts customers internationally, operating as a brand. In process-based creative KIBS, the reputation of a collective creative process attracts clients from other countries. In glocality-based creative KIBS, the geographical proximity obtained by opening international offices helps to develop a close understanding of the client through frequent interactions, and also to know the client's market well and to better understand local codes and signs. These modes complement those presented in the existing internationalization literature which takes the peculiarities of creative KIBS into consideration.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Dell’Era, Claudio, et al.
(författare)
-
Figures of Speech as Semantic Operators in the Innovation Process
- 2011
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Innovation Management. - : Emerald. - 1460-1060 .- 1758-7115. ; 4:2, s. 155-171
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Product functionalities aim to satisfy the operative needs of the customer, while product meanings (i.e. the emotion and the symbolic values represented by the product) aim to satisfy the emotional and socio‐cultural needs of the customer. What consumers are increasingly looking for in consumer products are new forms of psychological satisfaction that go beyond normal and simple consumption; today, more than ever, products define their own presence not only through their attributes, but also through the meanings that they assume, through the dialogue that they establish with the user, and also through the symbolic nature that they emanate. Figures of speech can be exploited to emphasise a message or a meaning. The purpose of this paper is to propose an application of rhetorical figures to product design that will make them more communicative.Design/methodology/approachSpecifically, the authors propose the “Rhetorical Innovation Process” as a methodology that foresees the application of figures of speech as semantic operators. First, the authors discuss several product innovations that can be interpreted according to the “Rhetorical Innovation Process”. Then, a brief workshop assignment in the strategic design course at the Faculty of Industrial Design of Politecnico di Milano explored the potentialities of the method in relation to different product typologies: 40 Italian master students were divided into eight groups (five industrial design students each) in order to develop five products per group.FindingsThe results obtained by design students demonstrated as figures of speech can stimulate associations with other contexts and modifications to existing architecture. The exploration of the “rhetorical innovation process” in collaboration with eight design student teams has shown that this method can support and enrich the concept generation phase. Moreover, four configurations proposed by the “rhetorical innovation process” allow one to generate different alternatives supporting the creative process and allowing the identification of strengths and weaknesses associated to each solution.Originality/valueThe method described in the paper elucidates the structure and process adopted by several designers and also illustrates an effective framework for communicating choices to their clients. In particular, the cross‐context associations proposed in the “rhetorical innovation process” provide additional insights and incentives during the concept generation.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Landoni, Paolo, et al.
(författare)
-
Design Contribution to the Competitive Performance of SMEs : The Role of Design Innovation Capabilities
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Creativity and Innovation Management. - : Wiley. - 0963-1690 .- 1467-8691. ; 25:4, s. 484-499
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The strategic role of design-driven innovation is being increasingly recognized. Many studies show that investments in design positively influence the innovative capacity of firms and consequently their competitive performance. However, few researchers have explored how this relationship comes about. The studies that over the years have contributed to the understanding of design have identified two main barriers: the lack of a common language on design, and poor analysis of the dynamics that characterize the relationship between investment in design and competitive performance. In this paper, we investigate six small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in the Lombardy region of Italy that have received funding from a policy aimed to develop design innovation capabilities. We identify and discuss five different design innovation capabilities and we analyse their role in mediating the relationship between investment in design and competitive performance.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
