Competitiveness of Turkish hidden champions

Understanding the competitive power of small and medium sized firms in emerging economies is a challenging task. This paper aims to analyze internationally successful small and medium sized firms that are so called hidden champions of emerging economies in the same way as they appear in advanced countries such as Germany and Austria. The analysis will shed some light to what makes these hidden champions so competitive in international markets. Knowing that developing country firms struggle to overcome the country-of-origin effects arising from the consumer perceptions on the country products/services, observing the successful practices might help to understand their strategies in overcoming these effects. The assessment of company practices in terms of competition is carried out by using a comprehensive model where the assessment of firm competitiveness is carried out through the outcome/performance of competition (i.e. output), assets/factors (i.e. input) and processes that turn the assets/factors into actual performance. The paper conducts a case study by concentrating in one emerging economy: Turkey. The in-depth analysis of 10 companies by using the firm competitiveness assessment model helps to identify some innovative ways of overcoming the country-of-origin effects. The paper ends with some managerial and policy implications

Developing an integrated technology roadmapping process to meet regional technology planning needs: the e-bike pilot study

Smart grid is a promising class of new technologies offering many potential benefits for electric utility systems, including possibilities for smart appliances which can communicate with power systems and help to better match supply and demand. Additional services include the ability to better integrate growing supplies of renewable energy and perform a variety of value-added services on the grid. However, a number of challenges exist in order to achieving these benefits. Many utility systems have substantial regulatory structures that make business processes and technology innovation substantially different than in other industries. Due to complex histories regarding regulatory and deregulatory efforts, and due to what some economists consider natural monopoly characteristics in the industry, such regulatory structures are unlikely to change in the immediate future. Therefore, innovation within these industries, including the development of smart grid, will require an understanding of such regulatory and policy frameworks, development of appropriate business models, and adaptation of technologies to fit these emerging requirements. Technology Roadmapping may be a useful method of planning this type of future development within the smart grid sector, but such technology roadmaps would require a high level of integrated thinking regarding technology, business, and regulatory and policy considerations. This research provides an initial examination of the process for creating such a type of integrated technology roadmapping and assessment process. This research proposes to build upon previous research in the Pacific Northwest and create a more robust technology planning process that will allow key variables to be tested and different pathways to be explored

Internet of things technology diffusion forecasts

Prognosticators and pundits are forecasting an explosion over the next decade in the number of sensors connected to wired and wireless networks, also referred to as the Internet of Things. The challenge is that these sensor forecasts are being made without taking into account the infrastructure required to manufacture and operate the sensors. Financial forecasts of individual infrastructure components have been made, but they give point forecasts rather than diffusion curves. It is also often not clear what models these forecasters are using, as they are often in proprietary reports. The present study provides sensor and sensor infrastructure technology component diffusion forecasts using a sigmoidal model of product diffusion. A plurality of technology diffusion curves was computed, one for each sensor infrastructure component technology. To identify the potential lack of availability of a component or a set of components, the forecast curves were then examined for temporal commonalities and differences. Thus this study provides a method for forecasting an emerging technology