539 resultados para continuous product innovation
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This research uses confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling to examine how organizational size - made up of four dimensions - control, resources, trust and complexity - impacts on utilization of industry-led supply chain innovation capacity in a traditional agribusiness industry, the Australian beef industry. It confirms small business rather than larger business accords greater importance to exploiting supply chain dynamic capabilities, particularly in relation to utilizing industry –led supply chain innovation capacity. For small business in Australian beef supply chains, being agile and able to adapt and align their business practices with supply chain partners is integral to ensuring these businesses remain relevant and competitive in this market. In theoretical terms this is supported by authors in the dynamic capabilities literature as they argue these types of capabilities enable organizations to innovate faster (or better), often leading to the creation of newer sources of competitive advantage.
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The literature reports that workload factors affect nurses' ability to fully engage in continuing professional development. Hence the work environment in acute care calls for innovative approaches to achieve continuous development of nursing practice and work satisfaction. This study employs a one group pre-test post-test design to test the effectiveness of nursing grand rounds on nursing worklife satisfaction and work environment in an acute surgical ward. The effect of nursing grand rounds was measured using the Nursing Worklife Satisfaction Scale and the Practice Environment Scale. There was no change between pre- and post-test on these measures but trends were evident in some component scores. Statistical results were inconclusive but observational data indicated that nursing grand rounds was found to be feasible, well attended with tested processes for implementation in an acute care environment.
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In 1987 Landcorp was corporatised as a state-owned enterprise under New Zealand's public sector reforms and began operating as a collection of farms located throughout the country. Twenty years later, Landcorp had established a record of careful land management, productivity growth and solid financial returns, transforming from a fledgling company into one of the country's largest farmers. Landcorp was a major agribusiness with assets of more than $1.4 billion, built on a culture of continuous improvement and an innovative approach to business. The challenge going forward was to continue growth without increasing land ownership : cultivating ideas to grow in less conventional ways. This case study examines the operations, development and innovative approach to business undertaken by Landcorp Farming Limited, concentrating on the challenges faced by the company to maintain profits and growth, and its strategic direction for the future.
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The question posed in this chapter is: To what extent does current education theory and practice prepare graduates for the creative economy? We first define what we mean by the term creative economy, explain why we think it is a significant point of focus, derive its key features, describe the human capital requirements of these features, and then discuss whether current education theory and practice are producing these human capital requirements. The term creative economy can be critiqued as a shibboleth, but as a high level metaphor, it nevertheless has value in directing us away from certain sorts of economic activity and toward other kinds. Much economic activity is in no way creative. If I have a monopoly on some valued resource, I do not need to be creative. Other forms of economic activity are intensely creative. If I have no valued resources, I must create something that is valued. At its simplest and yet most profound, the idea of a creative economy suggests a capacity to compete based on engaging in a gainful activity that is different from everyone else’s, rather than pursuing the same endeavor more competitively than everyone else. The ability to differentiate on novelty is key to the concept of creative economy and key to our analysis of education for this economy. Therefore, we follow Potts and Cunningham (2008, p. 18) and Potts, Cunningham, Hartley, and Ormerod (2008) in their discussion of the economic significance of the creative industries and see the creative economy not as a sector but as a set of economic processes that act on the economy as a whole to invigorate innovation based growth. We see the creative economy as suffused with all industry rather than as a sector in its own right. These economic processes are essentially concerned with the production of new ideas that ultimately become new products, service, industry sectors, or, in some cases, process or product innovations in older sectors. Therefore, our starting point is that modern economies depend on innovation, and we see the core of innovation as new knowledge of some kind. We commence with some observations about innovation.
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In many product categories of durable goods such as TV, PC, and DVD player, the largest component of sales is generated by consumers replacing existing units. Aggregate sales models proposed by diffusion of innovation researchers for the replacement component of sales have incorporated several different replacement distributions such as Rayleigh, Weibull, Truncated Normal and Gamma. Although these alternative replacement distributions have been tested using both time series sales data and individual-level actuarial “life-tables” of replacement ages, there is no census on which distributions are more appropriate to model replacement behaviour. In the current study we are motivated to develop a new “modified gamma” distribution by two reasons. First we recognise that replacements have two fundamentally different drivers – those forced by failure and early, discretionary replacements. The replacement distribution for each of these drivers is expected to be quite different. Second, we observed a poor fit of other distributions to out empirical data. We conducted a survey of 8,077 households to empirically examine models of replacement sales for six electronic consumer durables – TVs, VCRs, DVD players, digital cameras, personal and notebook computers. This data allows us to construct individual-level “life-tables” for replacement ages. We demonstrate the new modified gamma model fits the empirical data better than existing models for all six products using both a primary and a hold-out sample.
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The unique characteristics of the construction industry - such as the fragmentation of its processes, varied scope of works and diversity of its participants - are contributory factors to poor project performance. Several issues are unresolved due to the lack of a comprehensive technique to measure project outcomes including: inefficient decision making, insufficient communication, uncertain site conditions, a continuously changing environment, inharmonious working relationships, mismatched objectives within the project team and a blame culture. One approach to overcoming these problems appears to be to measure performance by gauging contractor satisfaction (Co-S) levels, but this has not been widely investigated as yet. Additionally, the key Co-S dimensions at the project level are still not fully identified. ----- ----- This paper concerns a study of satisfaction dimensions, primarily by a postal questionnaire survey of construction contractors registered by the Malaysian Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB). Eight satisfaction dimensions are identified that are significantly and substantially relate to these contractors - comprising: project cost performance, schedule performance, product performance, design satisfaction, site safety, project profitability, business performance and relationships between participants. -Each of these dimensions is accorded different priority levels of satisfaction by different contractors. ----- ----- The output of this study will be useful in raising the awareness and understanding of project teams regarding contractors’ needs, mutual objectives and open communication to help to deliver a successful project.
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Generally speaking, psychologists have suggested three traditional views of how people cope with uncertainty. They are the certainty maximiser, the intuitive statistician-economist and the knowledge seeker (Smithson, 2008). In times of uncertainty, such as the recent global financial crisis, these coping methods often result in innovation in industry. Richards (2003) identifies innovation as different from creativity in that innovation aims to transform and implement rather than simply explore and invent. An examination of the work of iconic fashion designers, through case study and situational analysis, reveals that coping with uncertainty manifests itself in ways that have resulted in innovations in design, marketing methods, production and consumption. In relation to contemporary fashion, where many garments look the same in style, colour, cut and fit (Finn, 2008), the concept of innovation is an important one. This paper explores the role of uncertainty as a driver of innovation in fashion design. A key aspect of seeking knowledge, as a mechanism to cope with this uncertainty, is a return to basics. This is a problem for contemporary fashion designers who are no longer necessarily makers and therefore do not engage with the basic materials and methods of garment construction. In many cases design in fashion has become digital, communicated to an unseen, unknown production team via scanned image and specification alone. The disconnection between the design and the making of garments, as a result of decades of off-shore manufacturing, has limited the opportunity for this return to basics. The authors argue that the role of the fashion designer has become about the final product and as a result there is a lack of innovation in the process of making: in the form, fit and function of fashion garments. They propose that ‘knowledge seeking’ as a result of uncertainty in the fashion industry, in particular through re-examination of the methods of making, could hold the key to a new era of innovation in fashion design.
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Luxury is a quality that is difficult to define as the historical concept of luxury appears to be both dynamic and culturally specific. The everyday definition explains a ‘luxury’ in relation to a necessity: a luxury (product or service) is defined as something that consumers want rather than need. However, the growth of global markets has seen a boom in what are now referred to as ‘luxury brands’. This branding of products as luxury has resulted in a change in the way consumers understand luxury goods and services. In their attempts to characterize a luxury brand, Fionda & Moore in their article “The anatomy of a Luxury Brand” summarize a range of critical conditions that are in addition to product branding “... including product and design attributes of quality, craftsmanship and innovative, creative and unique products” (Fionda & Moore, 2009). For the purposes of discussing fashion design however, quality and craftsmanship are inseparable while creativity and innovation exist under different conditions. The terms ‘creative’ and ‘innovative’ are often used inter-changeably and are connected with most descriptions of the design process, defining ‘design’ and ‘fashion’ in many cases. Christian Marxt and Fredrik Hacklin identify this condition in their paper “Design, product development, innovation: all the same in the end?”(Marxt & Hacklin, 2005) and suggest that design communities should be aware that the distinction between these terms, whilst once quite definitive, is becoming narrow to a point where they will mean the same thing. In relation to theory building in the discipline this could pose significant problems. Brett Richards (2003) identifies innovation as different from creativity in that innovation aims to transform and implement rather than simply explore and invent. Considering this distinction, in particular relation to luxury branding, may affect the way in which design can contribute to a change in the way luxury fashion goods might be perceived in a polarised fashion market, namely suggesting that ‘luxury’ is what consumers need rather than the ‘pile it high, sell it cheap’ fashion that the current market dynamic would indicate they want. This paper attempts to explore the role of innovation as a key contributing factor in luxury concepts, in particular the relationship between innovation and creativity, the conditions which enable innovation, the role of craftsmanship in innovation and design innovation in relation to luxury fashion products. An argument is presented that technological innovation can be demonstrated as a common factor in the development of luxury fashion product and that the connection between designer and maker will play an important role in the development of luxury fashion goods for a sustainable fashion industry.
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This report examines the conditions surrounding the emergence and growth of innovative new firms in the building and construction product system. The focus on innovative new firms was prompted by diverse literatures which highlight the pivotal roles of innovation and new business activity in driving economic growth. 9 The literature concludes that the founders of new firms are likely to be innovative and that new firms are likely to promote industry innovation and efficiency. New businesses have also been found to have positive employment impacts and to grow faster than established firms.
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This Preliminary Report has been prepared by researchers at The Australian Expert Group in Industry Studies (AEGIS) for the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science and Resources. It is intended to provide a preliminary 'product system map' of the building and construction industries which defines the system, identifies the major segments, describes key industry players and institutions and provides the basis for exploring relationships, innovation and information flows within the industries. This Preliminary Report is the first of a series of five which will explore the building and construction product system in some depth. This first report does not present original research, although it does include some new interview data and analysis of a variety of written sources. This report is rather a reformulation of existing statistical and analytical material from a product system-based perspective. It is intended to provide the basis for subsequent studies by putting what is already known into an alternative framework and allowing us to see it through a new lens.
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During 1999 the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (ISR) published 4 research reports it had commissioned from the Australian Expert Group in Industry Studies (AEGIS), a research centre of the University of Western Sydney, Macarthur. ISR will shortly publish the fifth and final report in this series. The five reports were commissioned by the Department, as part of the Building and Construction Action Agenda process, to investigate the dynamics and performance of the sector, particularly in relation its innovative capacity. Professor Jane Marceau, PVCR at the University of Western Sydney and Director of AEGIS, led the research team. Dr Karen Manley was the researcher and joint author on three of the five reports. This paper outlines the approach and key findings of each of the five reports. The reports examined 5 key elements of the ‘building and construction product system’. The term ‘product system’ reflects the very broad range of industries and players we consider to contribute to the performance of the building and construction industries. The term ‘product system’ also highlights our focus on the systemic qualities of the building and construction industries. We were most interested in the inter-relationships between key segments and players and how these impacted on the innovation potential of the product system. The ‘building and construction product system’ is hereafter referred to as ‘the industry’ for ease of presentation. All the reports are based, at least in part, on an interviewing or survey research phase which involved gathering data from public and private sector players nationally. The first report ‘maps’ the industry to identify and describe its key elements and the inter-relationships between them. The second report focuses specifically on the linkages between public-sector research organisations and firms in the industry. The third report examines the conditions surrounding the emergence of new businesses in the industry. The fourth report examines how manufacturing businesses are responding to customer demands for ‘total solutions’ to their building and construction needs, by providing various services to clients. The fifth report investigates the capacity of the industry to encourage and undertake energy efficient building design and construction.
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Continuous passive motion (CPM) is currently a part of patient rehabilitation regimens after a variety of orthopedic surgical procedures. While CPM can enhance the joint healing process, the direct effects of CPM on cartilage metabolism remain unknown. Recent in vivo and in vitro observations suggest that mechanical stimuli can regulate articular cartilage metabolism of proteoglycan 4 (PRG4), a putative lubricating and chondroprotective molecule found in synovial fluid and at the articular cartilage surface. ----- ----- Objectives: (1) Determine the topographical variation in intrinsic cartilage PRG4 secretion. (2) Apply a CPM device to whole joints in bioreactors and assess effects of CPM on PRG4 biosynthesis.----- ----- Methods: A bioreactor was developed to apply CPM to bovine stifle joints in vitro. Effects of 24 h of CPM on PRG4 biosynthesis were determined.----- ----- Results: PRG4 secretion rate varied markedly over the joint surface. Rehabilitative joint motion applied in the form of CPM regulated PRG4 biosynthesis, in a manner dependent on the duty cycle of cartilage sliding against opposing tissues. Specifically, in certain regions of the femoral condyle that were continuously or intermittently sliding against meniscus and tibial cartilage during CPM, chondrocyte PRG4 synthesis was higher with CPM than without.----- ----- Conclusions: Rehabilitative joint motion, applied in the form of CPM, stimulates chondrocyte PRG4 metabolism. The stimulation of PRG4 synthesis is one mechanism by which CPM may benefit cartilage and joint health in post-operative rehabilitation. (C) 2006 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Many luxury heritage brands operate on the misconception that heritage is interchangeable with history rather than representative of the emotional response they originally developed in their customer. This idea of heritage as static history inhibits innovation, prevents dynamic renewal and impedes their ability to redefine, strengthen and position their brand in current and emerging marketplaces. This paper examines a number of heritage luxury brands that have successfully identified the original emotional responses they developed in their customers and, through innovative approaches in design, marketing, branding and distribution evoke these responses in contemporary consumers. Using heritage and innovation hand-in-hand, these brands have continued to grow and develop a vision of heritage that incorporates both historical and contemporary ideas to meet emerging customer needs. While what constitutes a ‘luxury’ item is constantly challenged in this era of accessible luxury products, up-scaling and aspirational spending, this paper sees consumers’ emotional needs as the key element in defining the concept of luxury. These emotional qualities consistently remain relevant due to their ability to enhance a positive sense of identity for the brand user. Luxury is about the ‘experience’ not just the product providing the consumer with a sense of enhanced status or identity through invoked feelings of exclusivity, authenticity, quality, uniqueness and culture. This paper will analyse luxury heritage brands that have successfully combined these emotional values with those of their ‘heritage’ to create an aura of authenticity and nostalgia that appeals to contemporary consumers. Like luxury, the line where clothing becomes fashion is blurred in the contemporary fashion industry; however, consumer emotion again plays an important role. For example, clothing becomes ‘fashion’ for consumers when it affects their self perception rather than fulfilling basic functions of shelter and protection. Successful luxury heritage brands can enhance consumers’ sense of self by involving them in the ‘experience’ and ‘personality’ of the brand so they see it as a reflection of their own exclusiveness, authentic uniqueness, belonging and cultural value. Innovation is a valuable tool for heritage luxury brands to successfully generate these desired emotional responses and meet the evolving needs of contemporary consumers. While traditionally fashion has been a monologue from brand to consumer, new technology has given consumers a voice to engage brands in a conversation to express their evolving needs, ideas and feedback. As a result, in this consumer-empowered era of information sharing, this paper defines innovation as the ability of heritage luxury brands to develop new design and branding strategies in response to this consumer feedback while retaining the emotional core values of their heritage. This paper analyses how luxury heritage brands can effectively position themselves in the contemporary marketplace by separating heritage from history to incorporate innovative strategies that will appeal to consumer needs of today and tomorrow.
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The profession of industrial design is changing and with that so must industrial design education. The newly derived final year industrial design unit at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) was created to initiate such a change. A designers’ role in industry is no longer limited to the invention process surrounding human cantered design but has now evolved into design led innovation. This paper reflects upon the teaching methods employed over a two-year period and improvements made over that time to the unit. The student project outcome is to produce a design solution that integrates an underlying novel technology into a new product and or service, with business strategies and manufacturing details being fully integrated into the design process. It is this integrated approach to industrial design teaching that will foster a more grounded and resourceful future designer.
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This paper describes the concept of innovation strategies for traditional souvenir craft industries. There are many traditional souvenir craft industries in Indonesia, and they have to compete in today‘s global markets. The craftsmanship and uniqueness of traditional crafts must be developed to attract a larger market. This competition is not easy for craftspeople, neither financially nor culturally. The authors propose some innovation strategies to facilitate craftspeople in generating ideas based on their traditional value, to ensure their sustainability in global context. However, even though there are a number of studies about the craft industry and souvenirs, there is little research focused on the souvenir product development process, especially in the traditional craft industry. Considering that souvenirs are products for pleasure which require hedonic value more than utilitarian value, the offered innovation strategy refers to the strategy applied in existing industries that produce hedonic products. Innovation strategy in the fashion industry is selected as a reference, which is discussed by considering the context of the traditional souvenir craft industry. This investigation will support further research about knowledge sharing systems to enable collaborative learning within traditional craftspeople.