The takeoff of environmental technologies: a historical analysis of timing and affecting factors

En les darreres dècades, l'impacte incontrolat de les activitats industrials sobre el medi ambient ha comportat l'aparició de preocupacions greus en relació amb el medi ambient. Encara que les empreses tenen moltes opcions per reduir l'impacte ambiental de les seves activitats mitjançant el disseny de productes i les tecnologies, la seva iniciativa sovint es veu sufocada pel fet que la introducció de productes ecològics al mercat tendeix a ser complicada, lenta i molt exigent. L'objectiu d'aquesta recerca és explicar els problemes de difusió de les ecotecnologies (green technologies) des de l'òptica del domini tecnològic. Segons aquesta literatura, "el canvi tecnològic pot caracteritzar-se realment com un procés evolutiu i sociocultural de variació, selecció i retenció" (Anderson i Tushman, 1990) mitjançant el qual sorgeix, finalment, una tecnologia dominant. Aquest procés de selecció pren forma a partir de les dinàmiques socials, polítiques i organitzatives que actuen tant a escala industrial com empresarial. Les ecotecnologies esdevenen innovacions disruptives per als sectors en què s'implementen; la seva acceptació definitiva està subordinada a la interacció constant de les capacitats de l'empresa, la bona voluntat dels directius, les normes de la institució i les dinàmiques competitives. Aquest estudi explora aquest estat d'ebullició en la difusió de les tecnologies netes (environmental technologies) amb l'anàlisi del temps d'eclosió necessari perquè un producte nou incorpori aquest tipus de tecnologies i la identificació d'un model sistemàtic en la interacció entre les forces evolutives. La part empírica consisteix en una anàlisi quantitativa de dades d'arxiu d'indústries caracteritzades per un gran impacte ambiental (automòbil, electrodomèstics, il·luminació). Amb l'objectiu d'estudiar l'eclosió de les tecnologies netes, s'han recollit i processat dades sobre les vendes i s'han ajustat amb la funció logística general. Els resultats demostren que existeix un model de difusió en forma de S, encara que el temps d'eclosió no es pot generalitzar. Per tal d'examinar el model temporal de la interacció entre les forces evolutives, s'han utilitzat tècniques d'anàlisi de supervivència i regressió per mínims quadrats generalitzats (GLS). A part d'això, els resultats suggereixen que el disseny de productes que incorporen tecnologies netes ha d'equilibrar sempre l'acompliment de l'atribut principal i del disruptiu. A més, és important per a l'eclosió de les ecotecnologies que hi hagi una regulació que hi doni suport, tot i que la seva efectivitat depèn del tipus d'eines reguladores. Finalment, el compromís dels alts directius també és un factor impulsor destacat a l'hora d'adoptar tecnologies netes, tot i que fins ara s'ha subestimat.En las últimas décadas, el impacto incontrolado de las actividades industriales sobre el medioambiente ha comportado la aparición de fuertes preocupaciones en relación con el medio ambiente. Aunque las empresas tienen muchas opciones para reducir el impacte ambiental de sus actividades a través del diseño de productos y tecnologías, las suyas iniciativas se ven frecuentemente sofocadas por el hecho que la introducción de productos ecológicos al mercado suele ser complicada, lenta y muy exigente. El objetivo de esta investigación es explicar los problemas de difusión de las eco-tecnologías (green technologies) desde la perspectiva del dominio tecnológico. Según esta literatura, "el cambio tecnológico se puede caracterizar realmente como un proceso evolutivo y sociocultural de variación, selección y retención (Anderson y Tushman, 1990), a través del cual finalmente surge una tecnología dominante. Este proceso de selección prende forma a partir de las dinámicas sociales, políticas y organizativas que operan tanto a nivel industrial que empresarial. Siendo las eco-tecnologías innovaciones disruptivas para los sectores en que se implementan, la suya aceptación definitiva está subordinada a la interacción constante entre las capacidades de la empresa, la voluntad de los directivos, las normas institucionales y las dinámicas competitivas. Este estudio explora este estado de ebullición en la difusión de las tecnologías ecológicas (environmental technologies) por medio de un análisis de las etapas necesarias para el arranque de un nuevo producto que incorpora este tipo de tecnologías, y por medio de la identificación de un modelo sistemático en la interacción entre las fuerzas evolutivas. La parte empírica consiste en una análisis cuantitativa de los datos de archivo de industrias caracterizadas por un gran impacte medioambiental (automóvil, electrodomésticos, iluminación). Con el objetivo de estudiar el arranque de las tecnologías ecológicas, se han recogido y procesado datos sobre las ventas y se han ajustado con la función logística generalizada. Los resultados demuestran la existencia de un modelo de difusión en forma de S, aunque que el tiempo de arranque no se puede generalizar. Para examinar el modelo temporal de la interacción entre las fuerzas evolutivas, se han utilizado técnicas de análisis de sobrevivencia y regresión por mínimos cuadrados generalizados. Los resultados sugieren que el diseño de productos que incorporan tecnologías ecológicas debería siempre equilibrar el rendimiento del atributo tradicional y del atributo disruptivo. Además, es importante para el arranque de las eco-tecnologías que haya una regulación que dé suporte, aunque su efectividad depende del tipo de herramientas reguladores. Finalmente, el compromiso de los altos directivos también es un factor impulsor destacado a la hora de adoptar tecnologías ecológicas, aunque hasta hora su importancia se ha subestimado.In the last decades the uncontrolled impact of industrial activities on the natural environment has created critical ecological concerns. Although companies have many options to reduce the environmental impact of their activities through product design and technologies, their initiative is often stifled from the evidence that market entrances of green products tend to be difficult, slow and highly requiring. The aim of this research is to explain the diffusion problems of green technologies through the lens of technological dominance. According to this literature "technological change can be fruitfully characterized as a socio-cultural evolutionary process of variation, selection and retention" (Anderson and Tushman, 1990) through which a dominant technology finally emerges. This process of selection is shaped by social, political, and organizational dynamics acting both at industry and firm level. Being green technologies disruptive innovations in each industry in which they are implemented, their full acceptance is subordinated to the repeated interaction of firm capabilities, managerial willingness, institutional rules and competitive dynamics. The present study investigates this era of ferment in the diffusion of environmental technologies through the analysis of the time to takeoff needed by a new product incorporating environmental technologies, and through the identification of systematic patterns in the interaction among evolutionary forces. The empirical part consists of a quantitative analysis of archival data in industries characterized by a high environmental impact (automobile, appliances, lighting). In order to investigate the take-off of environmental technologies data on sales have been collected, plotted, and fitted with the generalized logistic function. The results provide evidence of a S-shaped pattern of diffusion, although no generalization is possible on the time to takeoff. In order to examine the temporal pattern of interaction among evolutionary forces, survival analysis techniques and GLS regression have been used. Among the rest, the results suggest that the design of products incorporating environmental technologies should always balance the performance of the disruptive attribute and the mainstream attribute. Additionally, supporting regulation is important for accelerating the takeoff of environmental technologies, although its effectiveness depends on the type of regulatory tools. Finally top management commitment emerges as an underestimated central driver of the adoption of environmental technologies

Transcriptional activation of the miR-17-92 cluster is involved in the growth-promoting effects of MYB in human Ph-positive leukemia cells.

MicroRNAs, non-coding regulators of gene expression, are likely to function as important downstream effectors of many transcription factors including MYB. Optimal levels of MYB are required for transformation/maintenance of BCR-ABL-expressing cells. We investigated whether MYB silencing modulates microRNA expression in Philadelphia-positive (Ph+) leukemia cells and if MYB-regulated microRNAs are important for the MYB addiction of these cells. Thirty-five microRNAs were modulated by MYB silencing in lymphoid and erythromyeloid chronic myeloid leukemia-blast crisis BV173 and K562 cells; 15 of these were concordantly modulated in both lines. We focused on the miR-17-92 cluster because of its oncogenic role in tumors and found that: i) it is a direct MYB target; ii) it partially rescued the impaired proliferation and enhanced apoptosis of MYB-silenced BV173 cells. Moreover, we identified FRZB, a Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitor, as a novel target of the miR-17-92 cluster. High expression of MYB in blast cells from 2 Ph+leukemia patients correlated positively with the miR-17-92 cluster and inversely with FRZB. This expression pattern was also observed in a microarray dataset of 122 Ph+acute lymphoblastic leukemias. In vivo experiments in NOD scid gamma mice injected with BV173 cells confirmed that FRZB functions as a Wnt/β-catenin inhibitor even as they failed to demonstrate that this pathway is important for BV173-dependent leukemogenesis. These studies illustrate the global effects of MYB expression on the microRNAs profile of Ph+cells and supports the concept that the MYB addiction of these cells is, in part, caused by modulation of microRNA-regulated pathways affecting cell proliferation and survival. Copyright© 2019 Ferrata Storti Foundation

BALANCING INTUITION AND RATIONALITY FOR IMPROVING INNOVATION DECISION-MAKING: THE ROLE OF DESIGN CONSULTANCIES

ABSTRACT To contain risks and increase the profitability of innovation efforts, firms frequently engage in joint innovation activities with external sources of knowledge, like design consultancies. Innovation literature has given limited consideration to the strategic role that design consultancies can play in the innovation efforts of their clients. A plausible explanation reside in the difficulty to assess and quantify the quality of their output, given the intangibility of the output itself and the difficulty of connecting a knowledge-intensive output to clients' performance indicators. By analyse the data from 7 dyadic case studies, we examine design consultancies' impact on their clients' strategic decision-making as a way of capturing their strategic role in clients' innovation efforts. We conclude that design consultancies can influence clients' strategic decisions by enhancing the two main strategic decision-making mechanisms identified by the literature -rationality and intuition. Design consultancies' impact on strategic decision-making is then transferred to some indicators of innovation performance. Early involvement in problem definition and long term relationships with clients seem t.o strengthen design professionals' influence

Suppression of Invasion and Metastasis of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Lines by Pharmacological or Genetic Inhibition of Slug Activity

AbstractMost triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) exhibit gene expression patterns associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a feature that correlates with a propensity for metastatic spread. Overexpression of the EMT regulator Slug is detected in basal and mesenchymal-type TNBCs and is associated with reduced E-cadherin expression and aggressive disease. The effects of Slug depend, in part, on the interaction of its N-terminal SNAG repressor domain with the chromatin-modifying protein lysine demethylase 1 (LSD1); thus, we investigated whether tranylcypromine [also known as trans-2-phenylcyclopropylamine hydrochloride (PCPA) or Parnate], an inhibitor of LSD1 that blocks its interaction with Slug, suppresses the migration, invasion, and metastatic spread of TNBC cell lines. We show here that PCPA treatment induces the expression of E-cadherin and other epithelial markers and markedly suppresses migration and invasion of TNBC cell lines MDA-MB-231 and BT-549. These effects were phenocopied by Slug or LSD1 silencing. In two models of orthotopic breast cancer, PCPA treatment reduced local tumor growth and the number of lung metastases. In mice injected directly in the blood circulation with MDA-MB-231 cells, PCPA treatment or Slug silencing markedly inhibited bone metastases but had no effect on lung infiltration. Thus, blocking Slug activity may suppress the metastatic spread of TNBC and, perhaps, specifically inhibit homing/colonization to the bone

Trend spotting: nøkkelen til innovasjonssuksess

Det er problematisk når ledere ser på innovasjon som viktig for å kunne vokse, men bedriftene ikke lykkes med å overbevise kundene om å adoptere innovasjonene. Kundene ønsker nye produkter og tjenester, men finner at det bedriften tilbyr, ikke er overbevisende nok til å adoptere det nye. I denne erkjennelsen ligger at bedriftene ikke klarer å balansere kundenes opplevelser og vurderinger av gevinster og tap ved det nye. I dette bildet blir investeringer i innovasjonsprosjekter en høyrisikosport som de fleste ledere vil ønske å unngå. Å utvikle noe med høy verdi for kundene flere år før det kan lanseres, og å foreta investeringer i maskiner, utstyr og trening av ansatte lenge før inntektene kommer, er svært risikofylt. Ledere vil ha et ønske om å kunne redusere usikkerheten knyttet til utvikling og lansering av nye produkter og tjenester. I denne artikkelen har vi beskrevet trend spotting eller future thinking som en tilnærming for å redusere risikoen ved lansering av nye løsninger. Ut fra resultatene av en omfattende studie har vi identifisert syv trender som vil påvirke måten mennesker lever sine liv på. For å kunne gi disse trendene ytterligere innhold har vi foreslått og beskrevet tre segmenter som alle vil oppleve trendene annerledes: Ung, fri og uavhengig, Kaos i mitt liv, og Fått livet tilbake. Tanken er at ledere som innoverer i tråd med de langsiktige trendene, vil treffe kundene bedre på områder som er viktige for dem – noe som er forutsetningen for adopsjon og kommersiell suksess. Vi valgte ut trenden «Avkastning på tid» for å illustrere i detalj anvendeligheten av vår tilnærming. Vi identifiserte tre rasjonelle aktiviteter blant kundene for å øke avkastningen på tid: kjøpe tid, spare tid og anvende tid. Forbrukere som opplever at de har lav avkastning på tid, vil ha en følelse av lavere velvære eller lykke i livet – noe som vil initiere jakten på en løsning. Derav adopsjon. Innovasjoner som hjelper kundene i denne tidsklemmen, tilfører kundene verdi og vil bli foretrukket i konkurransen om kundene. Vi har gjennom vår studie ønsket å bidra til å redusere den økonomiske risikoen som er knyttet til innovasjoner. Ledere som følger våre anbefalinger, vil oppleve at innovasjonens russiske rulett spinner mer til deres fordel enn de som velger å se bort fra dypereliggende kundetrender. Innovasjon betyr forandring: ikke bare for kundene, men også bedriftene. Ledere må evne å bryte med det gamle for å gi plass til det nye. Avdøde leder av Apple, Steven Jobs, hadde en notorisk evne til å gi slipp på noe godt til fordel for noe enda bedre. Altfor mange ledere forelsker seg i dagens løsninger og unnlater å gjøre ting annerledes. Til dette uttalte Jobs: «Om ikke du kannibaliserer dine egne produkter eller forretningsområder, så vil konkurrentene gjøre det for deg.» Moralen er: «Innover eller dø, men for å lykkes må du vite hva som er viktig for kundene.» Trend spotting kan være et slikt tiltak. Denne artikkelen er basert på resultater fra forskningsprosjektet Verdidrevet tjenesteinnovasjon støttet av Norges forskningsråd. Forfatterne står i alfabetisk rekkefølge og har alle likeverdige bidrag til artikkelen

Strategic design : eight essential practices every strategic designer must master

225 p. : ill. ; 17 cm

Uncovering the Intellectual Structure of Research in Business Ethics: A Journey Through the History, the Classics, and the Pillars of Journal of Business Ethics

Business ethics, Corporate social responsibility, Ethical decision making, Bibliometrics, Literature review,

The Intellectual Structure of Product Innovation. Research: A Bibliometric Study of the Journal of Product Innovation Management, 1984-2004

Product innovation research has matured substantially in the last two decades. A great deal of knowledge has been produced on various aspects of the discipline, so it is of interest to assess the state of the art the scientific community has reached in this discipline, and the route it has taken. This perspective is investigated through a bibliometric study of the Journal of Product Innovation Management (JPIM), arguably the most important specialized journal on this topic. The work reviews all journal article contributions in JPIM from 1984-2004 in determined time frames, assesses the citations contained in these articles, identifies how the citations are related to the various topics of production innovation research (topic-related citation variety, topic-related citation consistency, variation in topic-related citation pattern) and offers a retrospective examination of the evolution of the field. The overall analysis of citations shows that most articles in JPIM cite at least one of the Top 50 works identified by this study. This testifies the strong impact of the most influential works on the intellectual structure of product innovation research. The observed citation pattern suggests that the Top 50 articles gained influence in product innovation research either because they represent a relevant contribution on a fundamental topic that already has been authoritatively studied or because they investigate in a relevant manner a new topic. The article suggests that JPIM might benefit in its aim to consolidate its position as one of the top academic business journals if published articles increasingly drew on the most influential works to inform their research design, and explicitly stated the theoretical underpinnings they draw on in their research design. Overall, the analysis of the sub-periods (1984-1988, 1989-1993, 1994-1998, and 1999-2004) provides evidence for the maturation of new product innovation research. Books covering a wide range of topics are replaced by journal articles addressing a specific topic; over time, specific topics emerge and become influential for the discipline’s intellectual structure; articles published in JPIM augment their methodological rigor and increasingly address contingency factors. The article also notes that obtaining relevance for JPIM authors constitutes a necessary condition for being considered by management researchers at large as an influential contribution to product innovation research.

From Crisis to Transformation: The Role of Creative Practices in Organisational Transitions

Organizational transitions can evoke a range of reactions and emotions among employees, departments, stakeholders, and leaders. To effectively manage the transition, it is crucial to comprehend how organizations experience and design change to navigate the various challenges of the transition process. This study investigates how changes in the working environment of the catering staff of a convention centre in the Netherlands led to the formation of a close-knit community that not only embraced the change but also developed innovative approaches for addressing local and social challenges. We draw on interviews with 16 individuals from the organization and use social practice theory to show the interconnected elements of practices that collectively constitute a creative approach to change. The study reveals that leadership and support are crucial competencies for promoting the participation and engagement needed to turn a crisis into an opportunity for both the organization and its stakeholders