The Importance of Creative Industry Agglomerations in Explaining the Wealth of European Regions

This paper examines the existence of regional agglomerations of manufacturing, service and creative industries, the relationship between these industries and the wealth of regions and their industrial structure. Through an analysis of 250 European regions, three important conclusions can be inferred from the results obtained in this paper. The first is that creative industries play an important role in the wealth of a region. The second is that the most creative regions are characterized by having more high-tech manufacturing industries than the rest of the regions although the number of low-tech manufacturing firms is similar. Lastly, the industrial structure of each region has a greater influence on regional wealth than the existence of industrial agglomerations. The importance of this paper resides in the fact that up until now no analysis has demonstrated that creative industries are the most important industries in regional wealth.

An analysis of the competitiveness of the furniture industry in the Valencian Community

In the international economic context, some changes affecting directly the behaviour of industries are taking place. These world level changes are due, in part, to the so called globalization process, that has modified the production activity, growing up the rivalry between firms. If we want to respond with success to the new situation a clear consecuence must generate, and that is the need to maintain a higher level of competitiveness in an industrial area. It is proven that there are competitive industries with a high employment level, a high productivity rate, and an important amount of exports. These industries are the basis of the regional economy, even tha national and, therefore, it is necesary to know the industry structure, and the reasons why a competitive advantage can be stablished. In our opinion, this is the way to get a wide vision of the dynamics of the system. In other words, we need to know which aspects, endogenous or exogenous, can give a competitive advantage to the industry. Spain in general, and in the Valencian Comunity, in particular, has an export-trade orientated structure: The tile industry, the shoe industry or the furniture one, are good examples of competitive industries, which are considered strategic parts of the valencian economic dynamics, even though they are also considered “traditional industries”. We have choosen the furniture industry to analize its competitiveness. The hypothesis that we want to contrast is that “in the Valencian Comunity, or more precisely, in the area of Valencia, an hightly competitive industrial cluster has been formed (defined as critical masses of unususal competitive success in particular fields by Porter, 1998). The relationships between its memebers, the competition and cooperation established among them, and the innovation generated inside it, implicate a dynamic behavior of the firms of the cluster and the competitiveness of the whole industry. In this study, we demonstrate the validity of the “cluster model” to explain competitiveness of the Valencian furniture industry, and how the factors that are implied are local.

Analysing innovation in museums through qualitative comparative analysis

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Knowledge Management Research & Practice, on 22/04/2019, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14778238.2019.1601505[EN] The aim of this paper is to analyse innovation in the processes undertaken by museums in the conservation and restoration of artworks. Information from 90 conservation and restoration departments from museums in 43 countries was analysed using qualitative comparative analysis. Two theoretical concepts - knowledge bases (analytical, synthetic, symbolic) and modes of innovations (Science, Technology and Innovation; Doing, Using, and Interacting) - were used to define necessary and sufficient conditions which explain innovation in artwork restoration. Two important results were obtained from the analysis. The first indicated that innovation was explained by the combination of symbolic and analytical knowledge bases (unrelated variety), and high innovation performance was also explained by the related variety in the analytical knowledge base. The second result revealed that innovation is higher when museums cooperate simultaneously with partners using the two modes of innovation.This work was supported by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia [Research Project n. 2677-UPV, and SP20120346].De-Miguel-Molina, B.; Boix Domenech, R.; De-Miguel-Molina, M. (2019). Analysing innovation in museums through qualitative comparative analysis. Knowledge Management Research & Practice. 17(2):213-226. https://doi.org/10.1080/14778238.2019.1601505213226172Apanasovich, N. (2014). Modes of Innovation: A Grounded Meta-Analysis. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 7(3), 720-737. doi:10.1007/s13132-014-0237-0Apanasovich, N., Alcalde Heras, H., & Parrilli, M. D. (2016). 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Research Policy, 43(3), 495-504. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2013.08.003Hervas-Oliver, J.-L., Sempere-Ripoll, F., Boronat-Moll, C., & Rojas, R. (2014). Technological innovation without R&D: unfolding the extra gains of management innovations on technological performance. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 27(1), 19-38. doi:10.1080/09537325.2014.944147Hervas-Oliver, J.-L., Sempere-Ripoll, F., Boronat-Moll, C., & Rojas-Alvarado, R. (2017). On the joint effect of technological and management innovations on performance: increasing or diminishing returns? Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 30(5), 569-581. doi:10.1080/09537325.2017.1343462Ingstrup, M. B., Jensen, S., & Christensen, P. R. (2017). Cluster evolution and the change of knowledge bases: the development of a design cluster. European Planning Studies, 25(2), 202-220. doi:10.1080/09654313.2016.1276885Isaksen, A., & Nilsson, M. (2013). Combined Innovation Policy: Linking Scientific and Practical Knowledge in Innovation Systems. European Planning Studies, 21(12), 1919-1936. doi:10.1080/09654313.2012.722966Isaksen, A., & Trippl, M. (2017). Innovation in space: the mosaic of regional innovation patterns. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 33(1), 122-140. doi:10.1093/oxrep/grw035Jensen, M. B., Johnson, B., Lorenz, E., & Lundvall, B. Å. (2007). Forms of knowledge and modes of innovation. Research Policy, 36(5), 680-693. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2007.01.006Klein, R. R. (2011). Where music and knowledge meet: a comparison of temporary events in Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio. Area, 43(3), 320-326. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4762.2011.00997.xKvětoň, V., & Kadlec, V. (2018). Evolution of knowledge bases in European regions: searching for spatial regularities and links with innovation performance. European Planning Studies, 26(7), 1366-1388. doi:10.1080/09654313.2018.1464128Laestadius, S. (2002). Biotechnology and the Potential for a Radical Shift of Technology in Forest Industry. Economics of Science, Technology and Innovation, 333-362. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-0915-8_11Longo, M., Mariani, M. M., & Mura, M. (2009). The effect of intellectual capital attributes on organizational performance. The case of the Bologna Opera House. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 7(4), 365-376. doi:10.1057/kmrp.2009.28Manniche, J. (2012). Combinatorial Knowledge Dynamics: On the Usefulness of the Differentiated Knowledge Bases Model. European Planning Studies, 20(11), 1823-1841. doi:10.1080/09654313.2012.723423Manniche, J., Moodysson, J., & Testa, S. (2016). Combinatorial Knowledge Bases: An Integrative and Dynamic Approach to Innovation Studies. Economic Geography, 93(5), 480-499. doi:10.1080/00130095.2016.1205948Martin, R. (2012). Measuring Knowledge Bases in Swedish Regions. European Planning Studies, 20(9), 1569-1582. doi:10.1080/09654313.2012.708022Martin, R., & Moodysson, J. (2011). Comparing knowledge bases: on the geography and organization of knowledge sourcing in the regional innovation system of Scania, Sweden. European Urban and Regional Studies, 20(2), 170-187. doi:10.1177/0969776411427326McIver, D., Fitzsimmons, S., & Lengnick-Hall, C. (2018). Integrating knowledge in organizations: examining performance and integration difficulties. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 17(1), 14-23. doi:10.1080/14778238.2018.1538667Mohammadi, A., Broström, A., & Franzoni, C. (2017). Workforce Composition and Innovation: How Diversity in Employees’ Ethnic and Educational Backgrounds Facilitates Firm-Level Innovativeness. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 34(4), 406-426. doi:10.1111/jpim.12388Mol, M. J., & Birkinshaw, J. (2014). The Role of External Involvement in the Creation of Management Innovations. Organization Studies, 35(9), 1287-1312. doi:10.1177/0170840614539313Moodysson, J., Coenen, L., & Asheim, B. (2008). Explaining Spatial Patterns of Innovation: Analytical and Synthetic Modes of Knowledge Creation in the Medicon Valley Life-Science Cluster. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 40(5), 1040-1056. doi:10.1068/a39110Müller, K., Rammer, C., & Trüby, J. (2009). The role of creative industries in industrial innovation. Innovation, 11(2), 148-168. doi:10.5172/impp.11.2.148Nunes, S., & Lopes, R. (2015). Firm Performance, Innovation Modes and Territorial Embeddedness. European Planning Studies, 23(9), 1796-1826. doi:10.1080/09654313.2015.1021666(2015). Frascati Manual 2015. The Measurement of Scientific, Technological and Innovation Activities. doi:10.1787/9789264239012-enParrilli, M. D., & Alcalde Heras, H. (2016). STI and DUI innovation modes: Scientific-technological and context-specific nuances. Research Policy, 45(4), 747-756. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2016.01.001Pina, K., & Tether, B. S. (2016). Towards understanding variety in knowledge intensive business services by distinguishing their knowledge bases. Research Policy, 45(2), 401-413. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2015.10.005Plum, O., & Hassink, R. (2014). Knowledge bases, innovativeness and competitiveness in creative industries: the case of Hamburg’s video game developers. Regional Studies, Regional Science, 1(1), 248-268. doi:10.1080/21681376.2014.967803Protogerou, A., Kontolaimou, A., & Caloghirou, Y. (2016). Innovation in the European creative industries: a firm-level empirical approach. Industry and Innovation, 24(6), 587-612. doi:10.1080/13662716.2016.1263551Ragin, C. C. (2008). Redesigning Social Inquiry. doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226702797.001.0001Teixeira, S. J., Veiga, P. M., & Fernandes, C. A. (2019). The knowledge transfer and cooperation between universities and enterprises. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 17(4), 449-460. doi:10.1080/14778238.2018.1561166Thomä, J. (2017). DUI mode learning and barriers to innovation—A case from Germany. Research Policy, 46(7), 1327-1339. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2017.06.004Tödtling, F., & Grillitsch, M. (2015). Does Combinatorial Knowledge Lead to a Better Innovation Performance of Firms? European Planning Studies, 23(9), 1741-1758. doi:10.1080/09654313.2015.1056773Van Tuijl, E., & Carvalho, L. (2014). Knowledge Sourcing, Knowledge Bases, and the Spatial Organisation of Car Design. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 46(8), 1966-1982. doi:10.1068/a4628

Why and how hotel groups in luxury segments give back to their communities

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: de‐Miguel‐Molina, B, de‐Miguel‐Molina, M, Segarra‐Oña, M, Peiró‐Signes, A. Why and how hotel groups in luxury segments give back to their communities. Int J Tourism Res. 2018; 20: 100‐ 114. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2166, which has been published in final form at http://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2166. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.[EN] The paper analyses why and how hotel groups become involved in their communities through philanthropic activities. The analysis focuses on hotel groups with brands in the luxury, upper upscale, and upscale segments. The qualitative information disclosed in reports and websites by 243 hotel brands was studied to answer questions about who is involved, how they participate, and who they target. The study then focused on the 130 hotel groups owning these brands, and a qualitative comparative analysis was used to explain the combination of causal conditions explaining why hotel groups participate in their communities. The causal conditions in the analysis included the participation of different stakeholders, the characteristics of the hotel groups, and the culture of the countries. Results indicate that there is a trade¿off between customer and employee participation in philanthropy, that customer involvement requires the presence of luxury brands, and that the culture of the countries (religion and altruism) stimulates the philanthropic behaviour of hotel groups.De-Miguel-Molina, B.; De-Miguel-Molina, M.; Segarra-Oña, M.; Peiró Signes, A. (2018). Why and how hotel groups in luxury segments give back to their communities. International Journal of Tourism Research. 20(1):100-114. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.216610011420

User involvement before the development of an indoor RPAS for the creative industries

[EN] This paper presents user needs and preferences gathered prior to the development of an indoor remotely piloted air system. A literature review was carried out to analyse previous studies about the involvement of users in the design of indoor unmanned aerial vehicles. Subsequently, the results of these user needs obtained from three focus groups held in European countries (Belgium, Spain and United Kingdom) are presented here. Through a content analysis of the information obtained in the focus groups, 40 codes and 4 variables were defined and used to examine the differences between types of users and their previous experience with drones. The literature review gave support to the results obtained through users¿ involvement in the features to be included in a new unmanned aerial vehicle. Non-parametric tests and qualitative comparative analysis were used to analyse the information gathered in the focus groups. The results revealed few differences between artists working in creative industries and drone operators working for the creative industries. These differences affected features such as detecting and avoiding obstacles, which requires the inclusion of sensors. In addition, previous experience with drones was found to be a sufficient condition to explain greater concerns over safety, ethical and security issues in indoor environments.The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the European Commission (H2020, grant number 732433).De-Miguel-Molina, B.; De-Miguel-Molina, M.; Santamarina-Campos, V.; Segarra-Oña, M. (2021). User involvement before the development of an indoor RPAS for the creative industries. International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles. 13:1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/17568293219921401141

Development of an Indoor Drone Designed for the Needs of the Creative Industries

[EN] With this contribution, we want to show how the AiRT system could change the future way of working of a part of the creative industry and what new economic opportunities could arise for them. Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), also more commonly known as drones, are now essential tools used by many different companies for their creative outdoor work. However, using this very flexible applicable tool indoor is almost impossible, since safe navigation cannot be guaranteed by the operator due to the lack of a reliable and affordable indoor positioning system which ensures a stable flight, among other issues. Here we present our first results of a European project, which consists of developing an indoor drone for professional footage especially designed for the creative industries. One of the main achievements of this project is the successful implication of the end-users in the overall design process from the very beginning. To ensure safe flight in confined spaces, our drone incorporates a positioning system based on ultra-wide band technology, an RGB-D (depth) camera for 3D environment reconstruction and the possibility to fully pre-program automatic flights. Since we also want to offer this tool for inexperienced pilots, we have always focused on user-friendly handling of the whole system throughout the entire process.The AiRT project has been funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement nº 732433Santamarina Campos, V.; De-Miguel-Molina, M.; Kröner, SU.; De-Miguel-Molina, B. (2018). Development of an Indoor Drone Designed for the Needs of the Creative Industries. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology. 12(5):519-523. https://doi.org/10.1999/1307-6892/10009012S51952312

Regulation, Co-Regulation and Self-Regulation of Civil Unmanned Aircrafts in Europe

[EN] Safety and security concerns play a key role during the design of civil UAs (aircraft controlled by a pilot who is not onboard it) by the producers and the offer of different services by the operators. At present, European countries have fragmented regulations about the manufacture and use of civil drones, therefore the European institutions are trying to approach all these regulations into a common one. In this sense, not only law but also ethics can give guidelines to the industry in order to obtain better reports from their clients. With our results, we would like to give advice to the European industry, as well as give new insights to the academia and policymakersThe European Project AiRT has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 732433. Reference: H2020-ICT-2016-2017.De-Miguel-Molina, M.; Santamarina Campos, V.; Segarra-Oña, M.; De-Miguel-Molina, B. (2018). Regulation, Co-Regulation and Self-Regulation of Civil Unmanned Aircrafts in Europe. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology. 12(5):498-501. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/104547S49850112

Art Thinking as a catalyst for STEAM strategies. Towards a divergent thinking

[EN] Practical training in the university environment, without attention to creativity and innovative thinking, is not very effective. For this reason, we have tried to find a new learning model, which focuses on the disciplines essential for the future, through an interdisciplinary approach. The use of tools such as Art Thinking and the search for new learning spaces, sometimes outside the classroom and in others transforming the classroom space itself into a ¿corner to dream¿, have allowed us to create a conducive climate to the development of creativity and to discover that the combination of technical training with skills associated with the artistic field, are positioned as the ideal way to train the professionals of the future. Thus, within the strategy of reaching professional competences, it is planned to work jointly and collaboratively between the creative, technological and management disciplines that coexist on the campus of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, in the implementation of new training spaces, which favor the acquisition of transversal competences and strengthen the teaching and learning process through visible and responsible learning by means of STEAM strategies.This work has been developed within the project Applying STEAM strategies in the Social Sciences and Arts areas by means of a Service-learning methodology, conducted by Professor María deMiguel-Molina, and with the support of the Universitat Politécnica de València (Science Education Institute, ICE). Moreover, this paper's authors belong to the team Reality baths: towards a visible, responsible and innovative learning, coordinated by Professor Virginia Santamarina-Campos.Santamarina-Campos, V.; De-Miguel-Molina, M.; De-Miguel-Molina, B.; Carabal-Montagud, M. (2020). Art Thinking as a catalyst for STEAM strategies. Towards a divergent thinking. Iated. 766-774. https://doi.org/10.21125/inted.2020.0288S76677

Terms and meanings of participation in product design: From user involvement to co-design

[EN] Design thinking with the users, is a new way to understand and create new products and services. This new conception of design is leading to new larger ideas and more complex methods in order to improve this process. The new participatory methods, generates new design concepts and also, different experiences in the project. Since the development of technologies and social media the power of collaboration has become a way of thinking, which is changing the landscape of design. Participation of users and customers in the development of products and services started to be an important issue in Design Management literature in the last years. This paper presents the evolution of the terms related to participation, their use and interrelations. We consider that they are relevant nowadays, for the interpretation and communication of the user¿s role in the design as developers of relevant innovations in products and processes.Sánchez-De La Guía, L.; Puyuelo, M.; De-Miguel-Molina, B. (2017). Terms and meanings of participation in product design: From user involvement to co-design. The Design Journal (Online). 20(1):4539-4551. doi:10.1080/14606925.2017.1352951S4539455120

Use of infographics by students in business degrees

[EN] This paper presents the introduction of infographics in two courses during the academic year 2020-2021. These courses are from bachelor studies in a faculty of Business Administration and Management. This type of visualization was used by students as a support for summarising and communicating their ideas. To do it, different tasks were designed and some applications were proved by students. The experiences explained include the learning objectives that were settled, the activities designed, and the pros and cons of the applications used. An infographic is a visualization that offers a combination of image, text and chart. This enables grouping STEAM competences in a same task while improving communication skills of students. In the experiences described in this papers, image (arts), data (maths) and text are combined to reinforce the data included. Moreover, technology is incorporated through infographic applications as a digital support for students in online sessions. Another advantage of an infographic is that it allows to transmit important information in a visual and easy way, which facilitates the reader to understand the message even when it is supported by scientific rigor. If its power to illustrate more complete stories is considered, the reason why its use has been extended in the last decade to communicate many different topics, such as data about health, environment and sciences, is clear. When designing an infographic, the three main features to be considered in its structure are the content, the visual and the story. With respect to the content, it is important to consider the target of the infographic, the main where it will be displayed and the order that the story will be explained. The visual aspect will help to communicate the content. For example, using some icons to stablish an order in the story. Making use of different size in letters, might highlight the main sentences in the visual. The story will help to understand the information to be transmitted. In this paper tasks presented for the two courses are: a) the use of infographics by students to summarise main ideas in some sections of the bachelor¿s degree thesis and b) an infographic used by students after organising information from users¿ opinions in an affinity map. The task in the first course aims that students design an infographic for a section in their bachelor¿s degree thesis. The profile of students in the course will result in many potential themes in their thesis and, thus, in various types of infographics. The learning outcome from the task would be that they are able to convert a difficult section in an understandable message, although maintaining the academic rigor. The task in the second course aims that students organise user¿s opinions from a service in an affinity map. After analysing opinions in social networks and conducting interviews with users, they should communicate the main results in an infographic. Results obtained from the two experiences differ depending on whether the task was carried out individually or in team, the session was face-to-face or online, and students worked in a same theme or not.This paper was written as part of two innovation and educational improvement projects (PIME) with the support of the Universitat Politècnica de València (Institute of Educational Sciences, ICE). The first project is entitled "Applying STEAM strategies in the areas of Social Sciences and Arts, through ServiceLearning activities", and is coordinated by Professor María de-Miguel-Molina. The second project is entitled ¿Infographics: Using ICT in the visual and creative representation of teaching content¿, and is coordinated by Professor María-Angeles Carabal-Montagud.De-Miguel-Molina, B.; De-Miguel-Molina, M.; Santamarina-Campos, V.; Carabal-Montagud, M. (2021). Use of infographics by students in business degrees. IATED Academy. 4470-4475. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2021.0936S4470447