Cleantech and Water Treatment as a Case of Disruptive Innovation

Shifts in the disruptive innovations and the growing impact of consumer cleantech are best understood by looking at megatrends in water management. Trends are global long-term forces of development that impact society, economy, environment, culture, and personal lives. Trends are continuously changing the dynamic landscape in which companies operate. This chapter examined commercial opportunities for the internet of things in the market of cleantech with respect to water treatment. The chapter theoretically looked at the four clusters of water management as relates to the application of internet of things: metering, piping, reclamation, and agricultural clusters. An analysis of market strategies and competitive strategies is conducted leading to a brief development of innovation frontiers in water management.

The Impacts of Peer-to-Peer Lodging Platform on the Traditional Lodging Industry

The chapter presents a comparative analysis of trends in the peer-to-peer lodging and their impacts on the lodging industry of the metropolitan regions of the Greater Los Angeles, California, USA, and Southern Europe (Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; and Vienna, Austria). The main research question is whether the emerging peer-to-peer lodging platforms, part of the exploding sharing economy, are competitive or complementary to the traditional lodging industry. Data was obtained from secondary research and collected in 24 field interviews. The study found variations in the complementarity/competitiveness equilibrium, depending on the market segment in hospitality industry and regulatory environment. The chapter draws recommendations for hotel competitiveness.

3D Printing Technology Diffusion

3D printing technology has been considered one of the most potentially groundbreaking technologies for the future, as the customer expectations, market requirements, and the competition grows in a global scale. In order to understand the potential effect of 3D printing technology and if it is a disruptive innovation that will change the traditional manufacturing paradigm, it is essential to examine the diffusion of knowledge in this area. In this study, 3D printing technology has been reviewed and patent analysis regarding 3D printing technology has been conducted in order to understand the diffusion of 3D printing technology. The results of the patent analysis indicate that the diffusion of 3D printing technology which is represented by the patents of four key methods not expected to fit with Bass diffusion model. According to the findings, it can be concluded that 3D printing technologies are in a situation where a state of maturity has not been reached, yet the growth still continues.

Peer-to-Peer Lending as an Alternative Investment Asset Class in the EU

The aftermath of the 2007-2009 financial crisis and European debt crisis proved to be a transformative event to financial markets, primarily in the areas of fixed-income asset yields and asset price appreciation due to wide-spread credit contraction at the retail level. After worldwide markets collapsed for equities and many corporate debt securities, frightened investors liquidated holdings at absurdly low prices. However, the worldwide recovery, while uneven, remains underway. Yet despite the recoveries in the broader indices, individual investors at the retail level have not widely shared in market gains after exiting from their investments during the crises. As a result of uncomfortably high asset prices and the lack of income potential to investment-grade fixed income investments, new alternatives are sought which may present better yield-earning potential amidst the current credit market environment made available by certain Fintech companies.

Business Strategies and Disruptive Technologies

This chapter presents key issues taken from the review of existing literature on disruptive technologies and their importance for successful business strategies. The review is done within the framework of the disruptive innovation theory. The chapter covers an historical overview of the topic from the precursors to the most recent developments as well as an analysis of its predictive side. It also finds out whether the theory allows for the development of business models. Last section is devoted to the identification of strategies that are applicable in technological disruptive innovations and discusses relevant issues to develop such strategies. Disruptive innovations are widely recognized as key engines for competitive advantage, so it is important for companies to recognize the opportunities that emerge from developing disruptive technological innovations.

Inclusive Disruption

This chapter discusses the important socioeconomic role of financial technologies in the emerging market which is Russia today. While the issues of financial inclusion are of recognized importance for the developing markets, until recently they were seen largely as areas of affirmative regulatory action, not of competitive play by private market actors. However, the advent of fintech companies changes the paradigm. Many fintech companies in Russia view the gaps in financial inclusion as attractive market niches and formulate relevant consumer offers. This chapter reviews their strategic approaches based on the study of five business cases, and introduces an analytical matrix mapping the approaches to existing inclusivity gaps. The model strengthens the existing policy aimed at developing financial inclusion as it allows a targeted cost-benefit analysis of market players' actions. As Russia demonstrates many of the financial inclusivity challenges seen in other countries, the findings of this chapter have certain applicability in the context of both emerging and advanced economies.

Fintech Impact on EU Retail Savings and Investment

Years after the 2007-2009 financial crisis and European debt crisis, the European Union's (EU) banking system sustained persistent strain due to those two shocks, austerity and economic contraction, political events, poor banking operations, enhanced regulation, and litigation. The European Central Bank's response was significant: short-term interest rates collapsed and markets were flooded with money via quantitative easing programs. Consequently, investors fled risky assets for the safety of government debt. Yet as banks recovered, savers sacrificed asymmetrically: yields on bank deposits and bonds were decimated. As macroeconomic challenges subsided, Fintech increasingly threatened legacy financial institutions' business models to the benefit of the EU savings public. This study assesses the impact by Fintech companies on legacy banks in the EU with respect to savings, lending, and wealth management. This study also assesses and makes recommendations on a strategy by Fintech to benefit savers, and the measures legacy institutions must take to survive amidst this new competitive landscape.

Identification and Categorization of Disruptive Innovations According to the Strategic Scope of the Firm

The concept of innovation has for a long time been considered as the drive behind the ever-changing positions and functioning of the global community. Since the beginning of twenty-first century, creative individuals and entrepreneurs have without influence declined to accept the existing products and services as being the ultimate solution to challenges the society faces. This scholarly analysis builds on the theory of disruptive innovation to categorize and analyze the impact of disruptive innovations on key sectors of an economy in terms of their impact on the strategies and commercialization from a sectorial perspective. This analysis offers insightful information in terms of disruptive innovations which can be categorized into market-driven, product-driven, and competency-driven disruptive innovations.