Technology Scouting to Accelerate Innovation in Supply Chain

Digital technologies have gained ground among companies, researchers and policy makers in recent years due to their growing relevance to current and future supply chains. Technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous transport systems, data science, and additive manufacturing are gradually becoming part of people’s and companies’ daily lives and are changing the manufacturing, process industry and logistics sectors. Although recent attempts have been made to understand the implications of these technologies on supply chain management, the relevance of the different technologies in future scenarios is still unknown. Using a technology scouting approach, the most important enabling technologies for supply chains until 2030 are identified and selected and their implications on future supply chains are evaluated using an assessment methodology with different evaluation criteria.

National and international R&D support programmes and technology scouting in European small and medium enterprises

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of national and international R&D support programmes on firms’ technology scouting, defined as firms’ use of external knowledge sources. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a unique data set on R&D support programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in both manufacturing and service sectors across 28 European countries, this study reports treatment effects estimated by the copula-based endogenous switching model, which takes into account unobserved firm heterogeneity. Findings Empirical results indicate that R&D support programmes have heterogeneous effects on technology scouting. In particular, a crowding-out effect arises in the case of informal sources of external knowledge, whereas additional effects are reported for formal, strategic sources. Practical implications For informal sources of external knowledge, a random distribution of R&D measures would have a substantially larger effect rather than using current selection criteria. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the policy effects on technology scouting applying a copula-based endogenous switching model. Most cross-sectional empirical studies use matching estimators, although their main disadvantage is the selection on observables.

External Technology Acquisition and External Technology Exploitation: The Difference of Open Innovation Effects

To sustain in today’s ever-changing and competitive landscape, firms must work within and outside of their organizations’ boundaries. Open innovation (OI) strategies such as external technology acquisition (ETA), and external technology exploitation (ETE), can effectively improve the innovation performance of the organizations. Technologies like social media can help organizations to scout for appropriate technology, and source for ideas and knowledge from external sources to support their innovations. Moreover, digitalization can hasten business operations and enhance the innovation process of the firm. Focusing on open innovation (OI), this study takes an integrated approach towards investigating the impact of OI strategies, technology scouting through social media, and digitalization vision on innovation and firm performance. Data were drawn from 153 organizations in Malaysia, and the partial least squares (PLS) method was used to analyze data. The findings revealed that ETE, technology scouting through social media, and digitalization vision have a significant relationship with innovation performance. This, in turn, shows a positive relationship with firm performance. However, ETA does not have a significant relationship with innovation performance in the Malaysia context. This study extends the current literature on OI through the use of specific technology variables, such as technology scouting through social media and digitalization vision to support organizations’ innovation.

The Role of Horizon Scanning in Innovation and Design Practice

This paper aims to investigate how horizon scanning (HS) is used by practitioners to create foresight for design and innovation and which methods, tools and approaches innovation practitioners use for spotting and acting upon changes in the business environment as well as in the consumer and technological landscape. Thus, this study contributes to the field of horizon scanning and innovation management by presenting the results from 16 in-depths expert interviews with innovation practitioners. Specifically, the aim of this research was to: discuss the role and importance of horizon scanning for innovation and design; identify dominant methods and approaches used within horizon scanning; and compare the methods typically used by different types of innovation practitioners. This study discovered that HS in conjunction with creative and lateral thinking, technology scouting as well as human-centred thinking not only facilitates the early detection of emerging trends and technologies but also facilitates turning insights into actionable ideas, increasing the likelihood of more successful product development, meaningful innovations and sustainable competitiveness.

The effect of cybercrime on open innovation policies in technology firms

Purpose Open innovation is important for technology firms as they can use freely available resources to source creative and innovative ideas. Despite the usefulness of open innovation for technological advancements, few studies have focused on the role of cybercrime in affecting an organizations strategic direction. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of open innovation on cybercrime in technology firms. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted on technology firms to understand the role of open innovation in terms of technology scouting, horizontal collaboration and vertical collaboration on cybercrime activity. Findings The study found that there is a dilemma most technology firm’s face in having an open innovation strategy and how to manage cybercrime. This means that a coopetition strategy is utilized that helps to not only balance the need to have open innovation but also protect intellectual property. Research limitations/implications The study has implications for emerging technology innovations that not only need to have cyber security but also harness the use of Big Data. Practical implications Managers of technology firms need to encourage open innovation as a strategy but manage the cybercrime that comes from sharing too much information in an online context. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to link open innovation strategy to cybercrime activity in technology firms. Thus, it contributes to the literature on open innovation and cyber theft and security.

External Technology Searching Methods - A Literature Review

This paper provides a preliminary assessment of the literature available in the field of External Technology Searching. Many methods exist to enable companies to take advantage of new technologies and apply them to achieve a competitive advantage. This literature review focuses on reducing complexity and providing clarity related to the numerous different terms and methodologies used throughout the literature. The main methods found in the literature include: Technology Foresight, Technology Forecasting, Technology Intelligence, and Technology Scouting. However, many additional terms have also been used to describe similar strategies, leading to inconsistency in the use of the terms, resulting in confusion and missed opportunities to innovate for those trying to navigate the field. Synthesis of the results assists in clarifying the differences and conflicts in the literature between the numerous terms. The results serve to display the state of the art on the field and present a basis for further research.

Technology Scouting and Inventions Patenting With Impact on the Agrifood Future

This chapter is the sketch of a possible pattern of the future world in which any kind of business will be developed in a completely new human, technological, agricultural, and commercial context, heavily and quickly changed from the one we live in now. The first objective of this chapter is to scout for the mega-technology trends that will reshape completely the future business and jobs, focusing on the agrifood industry. The second objective is to tackle the main challenges to patent inventions in terms of costs and timing in Romania, relative to other countries, and raise pragmatic recommendations. The third objective is to describe the institutional innovation called INACO (the Initiative for Competitiveness), a think-tank dedicated to tackle the challenges and opportunities of the future economy and how can a country such as Romania stay competitive in a more and more competitive world.