From outsourcing to Open Innovation: a case study in the oil industry

This paper describes the experience of Eni, from the awareness of its weakness against external actors (mainly service companies) to the definition of a structured approach to partnership, i.e., Open Innovation (OI), to overcome such weakness. Implementing OI is complex, and the Majors’ position is not easy to change. In particular, the strong appeal to outsourcing geophysics, drilling, onshore and offshore operations and well activities by Eni Exploration and Production (E&P) division led to a technological trajectory that proved to be diffi cult to correct in the short term. Indeed, E&P innovation is in the hands of services companies, thereby compromising Eni’s ability to innovate

The market for technological intangibles: a conceptual framework for the commercial transactions

2003-0

Factors influencing technological asset value

7-9 July 200

Open Innovation in the Automotive Industry: Why and How? Evidence from a Multiple Case-Study

The paper explores the concept of Open Innovation (OI) and evaluates whether, why and how it is adopted in the automotive field. The study attempts to enrich the existing empirical evidence because few studies about the topic were conducted. With this aim, we studied the experience of three well-known companies operating at different levels in the value chain of the automotive industry: a final car-producer on one hand; two suppliers (i.e., a designer and a supplier of components) on the other. The underlying idea is that firm-specific strategic goals as well as external factors (i.e., environmental/industry features) can affect (i.e., explaining whether and why) the adoption of OI approaches and that openness can lead to some advantages despite some obstacles could prevent the achievement of the expected benefits

Reshaping Technological Collaborations in the Energy Industry: the Shift from Simple Outsourcing to Open Innovation. Eni’s experience

This paper describes Eni experience, from the awareness of its weakness against external actors (mainly Service Companies) to the definition of a structured approach to partnership, i.e. Open Innovation (OI), in order to overcome such weakness. Implementing OI is complex and the Major’s position is not easy to change. In particular, the strong appeal to outsourcing geophysics, drilling, onshore and offshore operations and well activities by Eni Exploration and Production (E&P) division led to a technological trajectory difficult to be corrected in the short term. Indeed, E&P innovation is in Services Companies’ hands, so compromising Eni’s ability to innovate. Thus, although E&P technologies were re-included among the research activities and managed in an open logic, the weakness in the E&P division could have some negative effect on Eni’s absorptive capacity. Despite the limitations of case study methodology, the paper sheds light on an industry where OI is still unexplore