How strategy evolves in entrepreneurial nascent technology firms

Fundamentally, entrepreneurship is about acting under uncertainty. For entrepreneurial firms willing to bear the risks of developing novel innovations from new technology knowledge, that uncertainty is amplified. To succeed at launching innovations that could bring industry and technology change, these firms need significant resources, time, and technology development, but they are weak, under-resourced, and dependent on funders and partners to survive. Entrepreneurial firms are theorized and advised to be flexible, unencumbered by the organizational inertia that limits their established counterparts and therefore able to adapt. Yet, we understand little about how these firms manage the uncertainties they face. In this dissertation, I explore how and why entrepreneurial firms developing novel technology evolve their strategies and technology products. The research study for this dissertation is a multi-year longitudinal field study of strategy and technology product evolution at seven early stage energy and cleantech hardware firms. In the first paper, I examine when and how entrepreneurial firms decide to make strategic change and when that change constitutes a ‘pivot’. In the second paper, I examine how entrepreneurial technology firms in a dynamic and uncertain context learn from the process of choosing not to change their strategies. Lastly, in the third paper, I examine how these entrepreneurial firms manage the challenges of partnering with established firms to develop their novel technologies. This dissertation contributes to the entrepreneurship, strategy, and technology innovation literatures with a grounded theoretical understanding how early stage technology firms manage uncertainty through strategic change, learning, and interorganizational relationships

Measuring quantum optical Hamiltonians

We show how recent state-reconstruction techniques can be used to determine the Hamiltonian of an optical device that evolves the quantum state of radiation. A simple experimental setup is proposed for measuring the Liouvillian of phase-insensitive devices. The feasibility of the method with current technology is demonstrated on the basis of Monte Carlo simulated experiments.Comment: Accepted for publication on Phys. Rev. Lett. 8 eps figures, 4 two-column pages in REVTE

Inkjet4Tex: Creative implications of 3D inkjet printing technologies for textiles

This project expands future applied-design capabilities for textiles as a function of inkjet deposition technology. The project investigates 3D inkjet rapid-production tools’ potential, focusing on creative gaps in the developing technology in its application to the textile design process. As such, the research investigates future design possibilities for inkjet printing technology in the creation of 3D textile structures and surfaces. The research “demonstrates how tacit knowledge can be employed, observed and created in a methodical way, with new artefacts playing a role in provoking insights based on tacit understanding”… [with a ] focus on developing and employing tacit insights that would not be revealed in situations where nothing has been changed.” (Rust, 2007) As inkjet textile technology evolves past a rapid prototyping tool into a series of responsive manufacturing techniques for textile products, designers, textile technology developers and soft goods industries will be able to use the results of this research to maximize their creative development. By developing and employing modified 2D/3D textile design processes with the technology future creators will be assisted to conceptualise and manufacture locally, creatively and with more accessible technologies. Keywords: 3D textiles, surface design, technology-driven design process, inkjet printing, fused deposition modelling, novel textile design</p

Applied Koopman Operator Theory for Power Systems Technology

Koopman operator is a composition operator defined for a dynamical system described by nonlinear differential or difference equation. Although the original system is nonlinear and evolves on a finite-dimensional state space, the Koopman operator itself is linear but infinite-dimensional (evolves on a function space). This linear operator captures the full information of the dynamics described by the original nonlinear system. In particular, spectral properties of the Koopman operator play a crucial role in analyzing the original system. In the first part of this paper, we review the so-called Koopman operator theory for nonlinear dynamical systems, with emphasis on modal decomposition and computation that are direct to wide applications. Then, in the second part, we present a series of applications of the Koopman operator theory to power systems technology. The applications are established as data-centric methods, namely, how to use massive quantities of data obtained numerically and experimentally, through spectral analysis of the Koopman operator: coherency identification of swings in coupled synchronous generators, precursor diagnostic of instabilities in the coupled swing dynamics, and stability assessment of power systems without any use of mathematical models. Future problems of this research direction are identified in the last concluding part of this paper.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figure

Information Technology and the Dynamics of Joint Innovation

We develop a model of an innovative industry to examine how information technology, by both enhancing matching efficiency and knowledge sharing, can have an ambiguous effect on the total amount of innovation. We consider a population of firms holding different knowledge expertise, and forming partnerships to conduct joint R&D. We assume that bringing together different expertise has positive value for innovating but also that joint innovation implies a partial convergence of the partners'' expertise. We study how the distribution of firms changes and thus how the innovative potential of the economy evolves. We show that as heterogeneity is used as an input by the innovative process, the industry must eventually collapse to a unique expertise, but how fast this takes place depends on the quality of IT. As a result of falling dispersion, a tension arises between static and dynamic efficiency. JEL Classification Numbers: C78,O33,O38.mathematical economics and econometrics ;

Processing mathematics through digital technologies: A reorganisation of student thinking?

This article reports on aspects of an ongoing study examining the use of digital media in mathematics education. In particular, it is concerned with how understanding evolves when mathematical tasks are engaged through digital pedagogical media in primary school settings. While there has been a growing body of research into software and other digital media that enhances geometric, algebraic, and statistical thinking in secondary schools, research of these aspects in primary school mathematics is still limited, and emerging intermittently. The affordances of digital technology that allow dynamic, visual interaction with mathematical tasks, the rapid manipulation of large amounts of data, and instant feedback to input, have already been identified as ways mathematical ideas can be engaged in alternative ways. How might these, and other opportunities digital media afford, transform the learning experience and the ways mathematical ideas are understood? Using an interpretive methodology, the researcher examined how mathematical thinking can be seen as a function of the pedagogical media through which the mathematics is encountered. The article gives an account of how working in a spreadsheet environment framed learners' patterns of social interaction, and how this interaction, in conjunction with other influences, mediated the understanding of mathematical ideas, through framing the students' learning pathways and facilitating risk taking

World wide web and scientific publishing

The relationship of scientific publishing and the world wide web steadily evolves as the internet technology advances in its sophistication and ability to reach an increasing number of people. Many well established medical publication currently publish their journal electronically as well as in print format. Forced by high volume of manuscript submissions as well as financial restraints, some journals publish a number of their articles on the internet alone, while others-such as this journal-are starting an entirely new publication in an electronic version only. The presentation of articles in the field of pediatric cardiology electronically has numerous advantages, particularly the ability to include movie clips, sound and animations in the published articles. This format of publication continues to have limitation. It is still not as widely available as a print journal could be and it is awkward to curl up in bed with a lap top, no matter how small or light it ispeer-reviewe

Need-Solution Pairing and the Role of Emerging Technology in a Public Sector Innovation Process

New emerging digital technologies are evolving at an unprecedented pace. These advancements create increasing expectations for public sector organizations. However, we do not yet know much about the processes of these organizations when approaching emerging technologies. Such early innovation processes are critical to be able to reap the benefits of emerging technology. In this paper we have conducted a case study of a Nordic government agency to explore how a potentially paradigm-changing idea, involving blockchain, evolves through an innovation process. We investigate how an agency approach paradigm-changing ideas in relation to emerging technology using the concept of need-solution pairing. Our contribution shows 1) how search focus shifts over time - focus can be more about the solution, the need or the (need-solution) pairing and, 2) how conceptualization of technology plays an important role in the proceeding innovation process. The findings increase our understanding of innovation processes in the public sector