Introduction : the role of quality, production and technological innovation in improving competitive performance

Quality, production and technological innovation management rank among the most important matters of concern to modern manufacturing organisations. They can provide companies with the decisive means of gaining a competitive advantage, especially within industries where there is an increasing similarity in product design and manufacturing processes. The papers in this special issue of International Journal of Technology Management have all been selected as examples of how aspects of quality, production and technological innovation can help to improve competitive performance. Most are based on presentations made at the UK Operations Management Association's Sixth International Conference held at Aston University at which the theme was 'Getting Ahead Through Technology and People'. At the conference itself over 80 papers were presented by authors from 15 countries around the world. Among the many topics addressed within the conference theme, technological innovation, quality and production management emerged as attracting the greatest concern and interest of delegates, particularly those from industry. For any new initiative to be implemented successfully, it should be led from the top of the organization. Achieving the desired level of commitment from top management can, however, be a difficulty. In the first paper of this issue, Mackness investigates this question by explaining how systems thinking can help. In the systems approach, properties such as 'emergence', 'hierarchy', 'commnication' and 'control' are used to assist top managers in preparing for change. Mackness's paper is then complemented by Iijima and Hasegawa's contribution in which they investigate the development of Quality Information Management (QIM) in Japan. They present the idea of a Design Review and demonstrate how it can be used to trace and reduce quality-related losses. The next paper on the subject of quality is by Whittle and colleagues. It relates to total quality and the process of culture change within organisations. Using the findings of investigations carried out in a number of case study companies, they describe four generic models which have been identified as characterising methods of implementing total quality within existing organisation cultures. Boaden and Dale's paper also relates to the management of quality, but looks specifically at the construction industry where it has been found there is still some confusion over the role of Quality Assurance (QA) and Total Quality Management (TQM). They describe the results of a questionnaire survey of forty companies in the industry and compare them to similar work carried out in other industries. Szakonyi's contribution then completes this group of papers which all relate specifically to the question of quality. His concern is with the two ways in which R&D or engineering managers can work on improving quality. The first is by improving it in the laboratory, while the second is by working with other functions to improve quality in the company. The next group of papers in this issue all address aspects of production management. Umeda's paper proposes a new manufacturing-oriented simulation package for production management which provides important information for both design and operation of manufacturing systems. A simulation for production strategy in a Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) environment is also discussed. This paper is then followed by a contribution by Tanaka and colleagues in which they consider loading schedules for manufacturing orders in a Material Requirements Planning (MRP) environment. They compare mathematical programming with a knowledge-based approach, and comment on their relative effectiveness for different practical situations. Engstrom and Medbo's paper then looks at a particular aspect of production system design, namely the question of devising group working arrangements for assembly with new product structures. Using the case of a Swedish vehicle assembly plant where long cycle assembly work has been adopted, they advocate the use of a generally applicable product structure which can be adapted to suit individual local conditions. In the last paper of this particular group, Tay considers how automation has affected the production efficiency in Singapore. Using data from ten major industries he identifies several factors which are positively correlated with efficiency, with capital intensity being of greatest interest to policy makers. The two following papers examine the case of electronic data interchange (EDI) as a means of improving the efficiency and quality of trading relationships. Banerjee and Banerjee consider a particular approach to material provisioning for production systems using orderless inventory replenishment. Using the example of a single supplier and multiple buyers they develop an analytical model which is applicable for the exchange of information between trading partners using EDI. They conclude that EDI-based inventory control can be attractive from economic as well as other standpoints and that the approach is consistent with and can be instrumental in moving towards just-in-time (JIT) inventory management. Slacker's complementary viewpoint on EDI is from the perspective of the quality relation-ship between the customer and supplier. Based on the experience of Lucas, a supplier within the automotive industry, he concludes that both banks and trading companies must take responsibility for the development of payment mechanisms which satisfy the requirements of quality trading. The three final papers of this issue relate to technological innovation and are all country based. Berman and Khalil report on a survey of US technological effectiveness in the global economy. The importance of education is supported in their conclusions, although it remains unclear to what extent the US government can play a wider role in promoting technological innovation and new industries. The role of technology in national development is taken up by Martinsons and Valdemars who examine the case of the former Soviet Union. The failure to successfully infuse technology into Soviet enterprises is seen as a factor in that country's demise, and it is anticipated that the newly liberalised economies will be able to encourage greater technological creativity. This point is then taken up in Perminov's concluding paper which looks in detail at Russia. Here a similar analysis is made of the concluding paper which looks in detail at Russia. Here a similar analysis is made of the Soviet Union's technological decline, but a development strategy is also presented within the context of the change from a centralised to a free market economy. The papers included in this special issue of the International Journal of Technology Management each represent a unique and particular contribution to their own specific area of concern. Together, however, they also argue or demonstrate the general improvements in competitive performance that can be achieved through the application of modern principles and practice to the management of quality, production and technological innovation.

Gondolatok az innováció és a stratégia összefüggéseiről (Remarks for correlations between innovation and strategy)

Mára az innováció a versenyelőny megszerzésének és megőrzésének legfőbb forrása, ezért az innovációs tevékenységet övező menedzselési feladatok egyre komplexebbek és sokrétűbbek lettek. Az innováció nem csupán a véletlen eredménye, ezért ha a vállalat érdemi erőfeszítéseket tesz az innovációvezérelt szervezet kialakítása érdekében, akkor vélhetőleg sikeresebben veszi a versenypiaci akadályokat, ami hosszú távon eredményesebb vállalkozást eredményezhet. A cikk elsődleges célja, hogy rávilágítson az innováció és a stratégia kapcsolatára. A tanulmány rendszerező jelleggel tekinti át a nemzetközi és hazai szakirodalmat, annak érdekében, hogy bemutassa az innováció stratégiai jelentőségét. A cikk eredményeként innovációs alapstratégiákat fogalmaz meg, amelyek segítenek megérteni az innováció vállalati értékteremtésben betöltött szerepét. A tanulmány továbbá rámutat azokra a fókuszterületekre, amelyek kiemelt relevanciával rendelkeznek az innováció menedzselése szempontjából. _____ Nowadays innovation is one of the most important sources of competitiveness, thus more and more attention turns on its execution. Innovation is not only the result of random development, it can be managed in order to make the entire innovation process more predictable and profitable. The aim of this article is to highlight the interconnections between innovation and strategy. The study systematizes the international and the domestic literature to get an overall picture about the current issues of innovation management. As a conclusion, the author tries to reveal the role of innovation in corporate value creation. Besides, he proposes further innovation strategies that can support a higher execution level in strategic innovation management.

A systems approach to describing the process of individual adoption of IT innovations

Research on the adoption of innovations by individuals has been criticized for focusing on various factors that lead to the adoption or rejection of an innovation while ignoring important aspects of the dynamic process that takes place. Theoretical process-based models hypothesize that individuals go through consecutive stages of information gathering and decision making but do not clearly explain the mechanisms that cause an individual to leave one stage and enter the next one. Research on the dynamics of the adoption process have lacked a structurally formal and quantitative description of the process. ^ This dissertation addresses the adoption process of technological innovations from a Systems Theory perspective and assumes that individuals roam through different, not necessarily consecutive, states, determined by the levels of quantifiable state variables. It is proposed that different levels of these state variables determine the state in which potential adopters are. Various events that alter the levels of these variables can cause individuals to migrate into different states. ^ It was believed that Systems Theory could provide the required infrastructure to model the innovation adoption process, particularly applied to information technologies, in a formal, structured fashion. This dissertation assumed that an individual progressing through an adoption process could be considered a system, where the occurrence of different events affect the system's overall behavior and ultimately the adoption outcome. The research effort aimed at identifying the various states of such system and the significant events that could lead the system from one state to another. By mapping these attributes onto an “innovation adoption state space” the adoption process could be fully modeled and used to assess the status, history, and possible outcomes of a specific adoption process. ^ A group of Executive MBA students were observed as they adopted Internet-based technological innovations. The data collected were used to identify clusters in the values of the state variables and consequently define significant system states. Additionally, events were identified across the student sample that systematically moved the system from one state to another. The compilation of identified states and change-related events enabled the definition of an innovation adoption state-space model. ^

Technology strategies in the process of student retention and efficiency of academic management

This article discusses the application of Information and Communication Technologies and strategies for best practices in order to capture and maintain faculty students' attention. It is based on a case study of ten years, using a complete information system. This system, in addition to be considered an ERP, to support the activities of academic management, also has a strong component of SRM that provides support to academic and administrative activities. It describes the extent to which the presented system facilitates the interaction and communication between members of the academic community, using the Internet, with services available on the Web complementing them with email, SMS and CTI. Through a perception, backed by empirical analysis and results of investigations, it demonstrates how this type of practice may raise the level of satisfaction of the community. In particular, it is possible to combat failure at school, avoid that students leave their course before its completion and also that they recommend them to potential students. In addition, such a strategy also allows strong economies in the management of the institution, increasing its value. As future work, we present the new phase of the project towards implementation of Business Intelligence to optimize the management process, making it proactive. The technological vision that guides new developments to a construction based on Web services and procedural languages is also presented.

Enterprise longevity in Colombian companies From a perspective of innovation and corporate social responsibility as a strategy

Hoy en día la Innovación y la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial son una herramienta clave para la perdurabilidad de una empresa a través del tiempo. Este es el caso de las organizaciones colombianas donde las decisiones de gerencia son enfocadas en el desarrollo de plataformas que soportan practicas sociales y éticas ya que estas incentivan a los trabajadores ofreciéndoles a sus clientes un mejor servicio y son necesarias para generar una estrategia de reputación, ganar fidelidad y credibilidad por parte de los consumidores. Crepes & Waffles es uno de los restaurantes colombianos más exitosos y que ha logrado mantenerse en el tiempo aún así en tiempos turbulentos. Su éxito se debe al uso de RSE en su estrategia, ellos crean innovación de valor en cada uno de sus platos al hacerlos diferentes, en el servicio al cliente y en los servicios y el buen trato que se le ofrece a los trabajadores. Por otro lado, Procolombia es una organización que promueve las exportaciones no tradicionales, la inversión extranjera y la marca país. Ellos al igual que Crepes & Waffles también se enfocan en la RSE y crea innovación de valor en sus procesos de orientar a las empresas a través de conferencias, seminarios, entrenamientos entre otras.

A new graphic format to facilitate the understanding of technological innovation models: the seesaw of competitiveness

Many models exist in the literature to explain the success of technological innovation. However, no studies have been made regarding graphic formats representing the technological innovation models and their impact, or on the understanding of these models by non-specialists in technology management. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to propose a new graphic configuration to represent the technological innovation management. Based on the literature, the innovation model is presented in the traditional format. Next, the same model is designed in the graphic format - named `the see-saw of competitiveness` - showing the interfaces among the identified factors. The two graphic formats were compared by a group of graduate students in terms of the ease in understanding the conceptual model of innovation. The statistical analysis shows that the seesaw of competitiveness is preferred.

Analyses of Individual and Organizational Competences Associated with Knowledge Management Practice

The research analyzed critical aspects of the knowledge management process based on the analyses of knowledge, abilities and attitudes required to individual knowledge workers and to organizations responsible for the management process. In the present work a characterization of the knowledge management process was developed and information and knowledge wokers defined. Competence concept was discussed and specialists gave opinions about critical competences to knowledge management process. The opinions were organized and analyzed by the Delphi method. The results aggregate to the management context by discussing an extremely important resource to organizations - knowledge - and because they support its management process. The research identified wide critical aspects that are compatible with current organizational challenges, directing the process management to important themes as: the worker able to create, the organization able to convert individual knowledge into organizational knowledge, knowledge sharing while still tacit, the maximization organizational knowledge use, information and knowledge generation and preservation, among others important topics to be observed by knowledge workers and by administrators responsible for the knowledge management process.

An analysis of why telehealth systems in Australia have not always succeeded

Telehealth programmes are rather similar to humans in the way that they are planned, develop, grow and ultimately die or disappear. To achieve good life expectancy for a telehealth programme there appear to be three major needs: nurturing, which includes the provision of money, ideas, education, training and innovation; experience, which involves an integrated management process, the achievement of long and wide patterns of usage, the development of updated policies and procedures and the involvement of multiple disciplines; success, which involves evidence of outcomes, evaluation and research, and, most important, the sharing of information through scientific and popular press publications, and conferences and collaborations with internal and external groups. The future of telehealth in Australia is at a watershed. There are now a substantial number of programmes, and there has been a large amount of financial and human investment in telehealth around the nation. There is, however, no forum for national leadership, no national association and little support at federal government level.

ANTECEDENTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF HOUSEHOLD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN BRAZILIAN LOWER-MIDDLE-CLASS

Through two complementary and exploratory studies – one qualitative and one quantitative – this research aims to understand the ways in which lower-middle-class families in Brazil manage their household finances. The study proposes an integrated framework that brings together various previously disconnected theoretical fragments. Based on a survey with a sample of 165 lower-middle-class female consumers of a retail company in São Paulo, we explored and tested, via a quantitative study, how antecedents such as personal characteristics affect the financial management process, as well as its consequences, either negatively as defaults or positively as savings. The model calibration and analysis were derived from a series of regression analyses. The results revealed the mediator role that financial management plays in the relationship between personal characteristics and defaults and savings. Compared to previous studies with consumers of more affluent countries, we identified peculiar findings among Brazilian lower-middle-class consumers: inadequate attention to control, weak or no focus on short- or long-range planning, widespread absence of budget surplus, and influence of critical events on episodes of default.

Information technology service management: an experimental approach towards IT service prediction

Dissertation presented to obtain a Masters degree in Computer Science

Impactos da inovação nas organizações do setor da saúde: evidência empírica do CIS

Objetivos: O objetivo deste estudo é descrever o quadro de inovação no setor da saúde em Portugal, identificar os fatores críticos de sucesso da inovação, investigando os impactos da inovação nas organizações do setor da saúde. Metodologia: Na concretização da presente dissertação, recorremos a uma abordagem quantitativa, combinando a análise documental com a estatística, ao nível da análise do tratamento dos dados recolhidos através do Inquérito Comunitário à Inovação, efetuando assim um estudo de caso exploratório, descritivo e transversal. Principais resultados: As organizações analisadas operam sobretudo em mercados locais e regionais, de onde provém, maioritariamente, o seu volume de negócios, 80% do qual é composto por produtos pré-existentes. A maioria introduziu inovações de produto, processo, organizacionais ou de marketing, revelando potencial inovador. A maioria dos produtos novos ou significativamente melhorados foram desenvolvidos internamente, privilegiando fornecedores, consultores, instituições privadas de I&D e instituições do ensino superior como parceiros de cooperação, localizados sobretudo em Portugal e outros países europeus. As razões que motivam estas organizações a inovar são a melhoria da qualidade dos produtos e da capacidade de resposta a clientes e fornecedores, a diversificação da gama de produtos e o reforço da capacidade de desenvolvimento de novos produtos. Conclusões: O setor revela dinamismo na introdução de produtos novos para o mercado e para a empresa, apostando sobretudo num processo de inovação fechada. A cooperação externa é muito orientada à I&D e há um reduzido envolvimento dos agentes de mercado nas atividades de I&D através de parcerias. Contudo, estes são considerados importantes como fonte de informação e as organizações procuram responder às suas necessidades. Diferentes tipos de organizações adotam diferentes estratégias de inovação, conforme o seu mercado e a sua situação atual, o que traduz a materialização de políticas de inovação contextual, em linha com os desenvolvimentos teóricos da atualidade.

Enterprise Risk Management e o seu impacto no desempenho das empresas: Estudo de caso de seis instituições financeiras nacionais

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentado ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Auditoria, sob orientação do Mestre Fernando Teixeira Pinto

Inovação de técnicas administrativas para o melhoramento de desempenho das atividades organizacionais

Dissertação apresentada ao Instituto Politécnico do Porto - Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto, para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Assessoria e Administração de Organizações, sob orientação de Anabela Mesquita, PhD

Innovation assessment in a local branch of a rail transport manufacture industry - A case study

Based on a poster submitted to CONCORD 2011 - Conference on Corporate R&D: The dynamics of Europe's industrial structure and the growth of innovative firms, Sevilla, IPTS, 6 Out. 2011, Seville, http://www.eventisimo.com/concord2011/recibido.html

Managing innovation complexity: About the co-existence of innovation types

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the changing innovation management literature by providing an overview of different innovation types and organizational complexity factors. Aiming at a better understanding of effective innovation management, innovation and complexity are related to the formulation of an innovation strategy and interaction between different innovation types is further explored. The chosen approach in this study is to review the existing literature on different innovation types and organizational complexity factors in order to design a survey which allows for statistical measurement of their interactions and relationships to innovation strategy formulation. The findings demonstrate interaction between individual innovation types. Additionally, organizational complexity factors and different innovation types are significantly related to innovation strategy formulation. In particular, more closed innovation and incremental innovation positively influence the likelihood of innovation strategy formulation. Organizational complexity factors have an overall negative influence on innovation strategy formulation. In order to define best practices for innovation management and to guide managerial decision making, organizations need to be aware of the co-existence of different innovation types and formulate an innovation strategy to more closely align their innovation objectives.