Innovation Intermediation and Emerging Medical Devices - The Lead-User Method in Practice

This case study explores the application of the Lead-user method in the development of medical applications based on Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technology by three independent research teams. This exercise produced surprising results, with the emergence of diverse WSN technology product concepts applied to Geriatric Falls Detection & Analysis, Sport Cardiac Screening and Critical Care Vital signs within accident and emergency environments. This case highlights the segmented nature of medical areas and the difficulty in applying a generic WSN technology to meet the functional requirements of the broader individual medical domains. It questions the appropriateness of applying ‘total’ highly functional technologies broadly across highly specialised niche medical areas.

Download Full-text

Life Cycle Assessment and Judgement

NanoEthics ◽

10.1007/s11569-020-00376-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 271-283

Author(s):

Christopher Nathan ◽

Stuart Coles

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Academic Community ◽

Consumer Products ◽

Free Inquiry ◽

Technology Project ◽

Lively Debate ◽

Technology Product

AbstractIt has become a standard for researchers carrying out biotechnology projects to do a life cycle assessment (LCA). This is a process for assessing the environmental impact of a technology, product or policy. Doing so is no simple matter, and in the last decades, a rich set of methodologies has developed around LCA. However, the proper methods and meanings of the process remain contested. Preceding the development of the international standard that now governs LCA, there was a lively debate in the academic community about the inclusion of ‘values’ within the process. We revisit this debate and reconsider the way forward for LCA. We set out ways in which those outside of science can provide input into LCAs by informing the value assumptions at stake. At the same time, we will emphasize that the role of those within the scientific community need not (and sometimes, will inevitably not) involve value-free inquiry. We carry out this exploration through a case study of a particular technology project that sought ways to produce industrial and consumer products from algal oils.

Download Full-text

Case Study - “Can You See Me?”

Computer Engineering ◽

10.4018/978-1-61350-456-7.ch401 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 804-815

Author(s):

Anne DiPardo ◽

Mike DiPardo

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Fine Tuning ◽

Working Relationships ◽

Functional Requirements ◽

Virtual Collaboration ◽

Geographically Dispersed ◽

History Of ◽

Written Word

This chapter presents a case study detailing how geographically dispersed software developers employ writing in the process of creating and troubleshooting products for use in the healthcare industry. It focuses particularly on their efforts to arrive at language that unambiguously reflects functional requirements and optimal design principles. After a brief history of the company and the evolution of its national and international virtual collaboration practices, the authors turn to the role of text across particular task cycles, exploring the uses of writing in generating, designing, and refining plans and products. Focusing on a series of three composing sequences, the authors highlight the incremental process by which the team moves toward a shared sense of understanding and linguistic precision. They argue that in contrast to common conceptions of texts as simple containers for preformed ideas, these episodes provide a more nuanced picture, as writing comes to play a central role in constituting and fine-tuning meaning and in maintaining strong working relationships throughout the processes of developing and refining products. They close with implications for preparing diverse virtual teams for participation in tasks that demand exacting uses of the written word.

Download Full-text

Knowledge co-creation in Open Innovation Digital Platforms: processes, tools and services

Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing ◽

10.1108/jbim-09-2018-0276 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (7) ◽

pp. 1434-1447 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Tindara Abbate ◽

Anna Paola Codini ◽

Barbara Aquilani

Keyword(s):

Open Innovation ◽

Single Case ◽

Future Research ◽

Case Study Method ◽

Content Type ◽

Digital Platforms ◽

Innovation Intermediaries ◽

Innovation Platform

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how Open Innovation Digital Platforms (OIDPs) can facilitate and support knowledge co-creation in Open Innovation (OI) processes. Specifically, it intends to investigate the contribution of OIDPs-oriented to successfully implement all the phases of interactive coupled OI processes. Design/methodology/approach The paper carries out an exploratory qualitative analysis, adopting the single case study method. The case here investigated is Open Innovation Platform Regione Lombardia (OIPRL). Findings The case study sheds light on how OIPRL supports knowledge co-creation through its processes, tools and services as a co-creator intermediary. In its launch stage, the platform simply aimed at giving firms a tool to “find partners” and financial resources to achieve innovative projects. Now, however, the platform has developed into an engagement platform for knowledge co-creation. Research limitations/implications One limitation lies in the particular perspective used to perform the case study: the perspective of the digital platform itself. Future research should focus on the individuals engaged in the platform to better investigate the processes, tools and services used to implement the OI approach. Practical implications The paper suggests ways in which OIDPs could be used by firms for effective exploration, acquisition, integration and development of valuable knowledge. Originality/value The study conceptualizes the role of OIDPs in shaping knowledge co-creation, assuming that the platforms act as Open Innovation Intermediaries (OIIs). Specifically, OIDPs can be observed to function as “co-creator intermediaries” that define, develop and implement dedicated processes, specific tools and appropriate services for supporting knowledge co-creation activities.

Download Full-text

Innovation in service industry: the role of consultants

Journal of Innovation Management ◽

10.24840/2183-0606_005.004_0006 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 74-102 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Manuela Dias Rezende Pinto ◽

Irina Saur-Amaral ◽

Carlos Melo Brito

Keyword(s):

Service Industry ◽

Added Value ◽

Manufacturing Companies ◽

Study Approach ◽

Service Companies ◽

Innovation Intermediaries ◽

Use Of Technology ◽

Collaboration Process

Much of the existing literature on innovation intermediaries is focused on manufacturing, and limited scientific knowledge has been developed about the role of intermediaries in services. This paper aims to expand and test an existing framework on the roles and functions of intermediaries in services, focusing specifically on consultancies. Furthermore, it is investigated to what extent services and manufacturing are perceived as different clients, and what represents the added-value of consultancies. Using a case study approach, consultancies´ activities are analysed and compared within services and manufacturing contexts. Findings indicate that while consultancies do not consider manufacturing companies different from service companies, during the collaboration process several differences do exist in terms of their role in these two types of companies, mainly due to different degrees of development of the corresponding innovation strategies and to different perspectives regarding the use of technology.

Download Full-text

The role of technology, product lifetime, and energy efficiency in climate mitigation: A case study of air conditioners in Japan

Energy Policy ◽

10.1016/j.enpol.2017.01.045 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 104 ◽

pp. 340-347 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Daisuke Nishijima

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Climate Mitigation ◽

Air Conditioners ◽

Product Lifetime ◽

Technology Product

Download Full-text

Case Study - "Can You See Me?"

Virtual Collaborative Writing in the Workplace ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-994-6.ch003 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 53-64

Author(s):

Anne DiPardo ◽

Mike DiPardo

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Fine Tuning ◽

Working Relationships ◽

Functional Requirements ◽

Virtual Collaboration ◽

Geographically Dispersed ◽

History Of ◽

Written Word

This chapter presents a case study detailing how geographically dispersed software developers employ writing in the process of creating and troubleshooting products for use in the healthcare industry. It focuses particularly on their efforts to arrive at language that unambiguously reflects functional requirements and optimal design principles. After a brief history of the company and the evolution of its national and international virtual collaboration practices, the authors turn to the role of text across particular task cycles, exploring the uses of writing in generating, designing, and refining plans and products. Focusing on a series of three composing sequences, the authors highlight the incremental process by which the team moves toward a shared sense of understanding and linguistic precision. They argue that in contrast to common conceptions of texts as simple containers for preformed ideas, these episodes provide a more nuanced picture, as writing comes to play a central role in constituting and fine-tuning meaning and in maintaining strong working relationships throughout the processes of developing and refining products. They close with implications for preparing diverse virtual teams for participation in tasks that demand exacting uses of the written word.

Download Full-text

Translating heritage into museums: two architectural strategies inside Lisbon Castle

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development ◽

10.1108/jchmsd-05-2016-0033 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 33-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Helena Barranha ◽

João Vieira Caldas ◽

Rita Nobre Neto da Silva

Keyword(s):

Archaeological Site ◽

Heritage Management ◽

Functional Requirements ◽

Content Type ◽

Key Factor ◽

National Monuments ◽

The Creation ◽

Contemporary Architecture

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of contemporary architecture in heritage protection, reinterpretation and reuse, an issue that has become increasingly relevant due to the recognition of architectural heritage as a key factor for cultural and economic development. Design/methodology/approach In Portugal, as elsewhere in Europe, cultural heritage management has often been associated with the creation of new museum spaces, namely, within national monuments and archaeological sites. Drawing on restoration theories and international charters, this paper analyses and compares two parallel interventions recently built inside São Jorge Castle, in Lisbon: the Museum Centre (Victor Mestre and Sofia Aleixo, 2007-2008) and the Archaeological Site (João Luís Carrilho da Graça, 2008-2010). This approach offers insight on the complexity of addressing and reconfiguring the profusion of past transformations within a single monument. Findings These two complementary museum spaces are representative of different attitudes towards heritage appropriation, substantiating the thesis that musealizing always entails the creation of narratives, which translate history and heritage into architectural and curatorial discourses. Besides meeting the functional requirements of specific museum programmes, such interventions frequently deal with the challenge of opening up new perspectives on the past. Originality/value Considering the central role of communication in contemporary museums, this paper discusses how heritage musealization can contribute to the translation of historical evidence into updated iconographies, narratives and dialogues. Furthermore, the unique characteristics of this twofold case study can provide an insightful contribution for a broader debate on the reinterpretation of iconic monuments and sites.

Download Full-text