| 1. |
- Croce, A, et al.
(author)
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Organizing for Inbound Open Innovation: How External Consultants and a Dedicated R&D Unit Influence Product Innovation Performance
- 2016
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In: Journal of Product Innovation Management. - : Wiley: 24 months. - 1540-5885 .- 0737-6782. ; 33:4, s. 492-510
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Firms increasingly acquire technological knowledge from external sources to improve their innovation performance. This strategic approach is known as inbound open innovation. The existing empirical evidence regarding the impact of inbound open innovation on performance, however, is ambiguous. The equivocal results are due to moderating factors that influence a firm's ability to acquire technological knowledge from external sources and to transform it into innovation outputs. This paper focuses on a relevant yet overlooked category of moderating factors: organization of research and development (R&D). It explores two organizational mechanisms: one informal and external-oriented (involvement of external consultants in R&D activities) and one formalized and internal-oriented (existence of a dedicated R&D unit), in the acquisition of technological knowledge through R&D outsourcing, a particular contractual form for inbound open innovation. Drawing on a capabilities perspective and using a longitudinal dataset of 841 Spanish manufacturing firms observed over the period 1999-2007, this paper provides a fine-grained analysis of the moderating effects of the two organizational mechanisms. The involvement of external consultants in R&D activities strengthens the impact of inbound open innovation on innovation performance by increasing marginal benefits of acquiring external technological knowledge through R&D outsourcing. Moreover, it reduces the level of inbound open innovation to which the highest innovation performance corresponds. Instead, the existence of a dedicated R&D unit makes the firm less sensitive to changes in the level of inbound open innovation, by reducing marginal benefits of acquiring external technological knowledge through R&D outsourcing, and increases the level of inbound open innovation to which the highest innovation performance corresponds. The results regarding the role of informal and formalized R&D organizational mechanisms contribute to research on open innovation and absorptive capacity, and also inform managers as to what organizational mechanism is recommended to acquire external technological knowledge, depending on the objectives that the firm pursues.
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| 2. |
- Di Benedetto, A., et al.
(author)
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Selecting early adopters to foster the diffusion of innovations in industrial markets: Evidence from a multiple case study
- 2017
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In: European Journal of Innovation Management. - : Emerald. - 1460-1060. ; 20:4, s. 620-644
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to bring new empirical evidence to the controversial role of early adopters in the diffusion of innovations in industrial markets. Design/methodology/approach: The authors apply an actor market configuration perspective to the analysis of four longitudinal case studies regarding the commercialization of new products in the textile, plastic and energy industries. Findings: The diffusion of innovation is an interactive and iterative process where the commercializing firm engages in repeated interactions with different categories of companies that are targeted as potential early adopters. This process ends when the commercializing firm identifies a category of early adopters that can stimulate subsequent acceptance in the later market, by playing one of the following two roles, i.e. word-of-mouth trigger and industry benchmark. During this process, through which the role of the early adopters is constructed proactively by the commercializing firm, the product innovation is also subject to changes to provide a better fit with the selected category of early adopters. Research limitations/implications: The paper calls for a re-conceptualization of the diffusion process, from a passive identification of early adopters to an interactive process that entails a trial-and-error approach in the targeting and involvement of different categories of early adopters, which ends when the innovation reaches the desired levels of diffusion. Practical implications: The study provides managers with a number of recommendations for selecting the most proper category of early adopters for their innovations, depending on the role they are more likely to play and the influence they will exert on subsequent acceptance in the later market. Social implications: The study provides managers with a number of recommendations for targeting, through a trial-and-error process, early adopters and working with them to champion the dissemination of new technologies. Originality/value: This paper significantly adds to existing literature on the diffusion of innovation, which has up to now conceived early adopters as static and given entities, which cannot be proactively selected by the commercializing firm, and innovation as an immutable object. © 2017, © Emerald Publishing Limited.
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| 3. |
- Frattini, Federico, et al.
(author)
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Identifying factors influencing the price of technology licenses: A framework grounded in negotiation research
- 2019
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In: International Journal of Innovation Management. - : World Scientific Publishing. - 1363-9196. ; 23:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper focusses on the issue of pricing in technology licensing transactions, by developing a framework grounded in negotiation research which identifies the factors affecting the price of a technology license. The different components of the framework are illustrated by using several examples of technology licensing deals from the bio-pharmaceutical industry. The paper contributes to licensing research by shedding light on the mechanisms underlying the formation of price in the market for technologies. It has also interesting practical implications because it helps licensing managers and chief technology officers gain an overarching view on the pricing of technology license, which will hopefully help them in this delicate stage of the licensing process.
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