Journal Staff

Purpose - This article aims to investigate how R&amp;D employees use their social networks to acquire user information and how this information is used in the development of new products. Design/methodology/approach - A single case study was conducted within a business unit at a multinational medical technology company. Data were collected through a mixed method. Findings - The results show that many R&amp;D employees lack social networks through which they can acquire information about the users' needs. However, some R&amp;D employees establish cost-efficient relationships to people with a direct experience of using the company's products. These relationships are established over time and are often used in a rather informal way to acquire user information. Moreover, the results show how R&amp;D employees are purposefully complementing these relationships with more occasional interactions with people who hold direct and indirect use experiences. Research limitations/implications - As with most single-case studies, it will be important to replicate this investigation in other contexts to clarify the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications - The article shows how important it is that management provides R&amp;D employees with opportunities to establish, nurture and utilize relationships conducive to information about the users' needs. The article provides some advice on how this can be accomplished. Originality/value - This is one of the first articles that clearly explain how R&amp;D employees use their social networks to acquire user information for the development of new products.QC 20150112. Updated from accepted to published.</p

Fuel on the Invention Funnel: Technology Licensing-in, Antecedents and Invention

In this paper, we examine the impact of technology licensing-in on firm invention performance. Studying a sample of 266 licensees and matched non-licensees using a two-part model specification, we find that licensees are more likely to introduce inventions than their non-licensee counterparts. This holds both if we consider invention in general, and invention in the licensed technological class only. We also show that familiarity with the licensed technology and technological specialization drives licensees to pursue a narrow invention strategy primarily focusing on the technological class specified in the license agreement.Licensing-in, Invention, Dynamic Capabilities, Learning Opportunities, Technological familiarity, Technological specialization

Generating innovations for the internet of things : agility and speed

The Internet of Things (IoT) bears great potential for innovation in modern companies. Agility and speed both matter when innovating in such a context. The first Inno4IoT workshop focuses on how to properly achieve and balance the two aspects while innovating IoT-based solutions, which represents unique opportunities and challenges to researchers and practitioners alike. An overview of the three working papers presented and published in the workshop is provided in this introductory paper

Spectroscopy of D-type asteroids

We have performed a spectroscopic survey of 19 D-type asteroids. Comparison with previous photometry shows excellent agreement. Although the majority have similar colors to cometary nuclei, no cometary emission bands were present in any of the spectra. Absorption bands sporadically appearing were apparently due to stellar objects, and no features inherent to the asteroids were observed

Fuel on the Invention Funnel: Technology Licensing-in, Antecedents and Invention

Technology management has so far largely overlooked that licensing-in may represent learning opportunities for the recipient firm. Attention has primarily been directed towards a more tactic explanation for the decision of firms to in-license external technologies. However, increasing empirical evidence witnesses an inducing effect of licensing-in on the inventive behavior of the single firm which, in turn, feeds its development and growth. The aim of this paper is to explore whether licensing-in in fact acts as a catalyst for inventive activities pursued by licensee firms. We employ a two-part model to investigate the inventiveness of 133 licensees compared to an equally sized matched sample of non-licensees. The study reveals that licensees exhibit elevated invention performances compared to non-licensee counterparts. This holds both when considering invention in general and invention in licensed technological class.. In addition, the paper reveals that familiarity with the licensed technology and technological specialization instigates the licensee to pursue a narrow invention strategy as defined by the technological classes of the licensed patent.Technology management has so far largely overlooked that licensing-in may represent learning opportunities for the recipient firm. Attention has primarily been directed towards a more tactic explanation for the decision of firms to in-license external technologies. However, increasing empirical evidence witnesses an inducing effect of licensing-in on the inventive behavior of the single firm which, in turn, feeds its development and growth. The aim of this paper is to explore whether licensing-in in fact acts as a catalyst for inventive activities pursued by licensee firms. We employ a two-part model to investigate the inventiveness of 133 licensees compared to an equally sized matched sample of non-licensees. The study reveals that licensees exhibit elevated invention performances compared to non-licensee counterparts. This holds both when considering invention in general and invention in licensed technological class.. In addition, the paper reveals that familiarity with the licensed technology and technological specialization instigates the licensee to pursue a narrow invention strategy as defined by the technological classes of the licensed patent.Non-Refereed Working Papers / of national relevance onl

Optimized winter wheat production in Kiev region of Ukraine : a case study on cultivation properties and management focusing on sowing date and nitrogen fertilization

Ukraine is the tenth largest wheat producer in the world but average yields are low, about 3 ton ha-1. A better understanding of growth conditions and factors limiting yield is importantin developing strategies to increase grain yield. This Master’s thesis examined the conditions for winter wheat cultivation (Grain Alliance strategy) in Berezan in the Kiev region of northern Ukraine, and the potential to increase crop yields. The wheat cultivation in seven nearby fields in Berezan was compared with one reference field in Uppsala in Sweden. The effect of sowing date was studied by determining plant development and growth in fields with different sowing dates. The effect of fertilization level was also studied in these fields. In the sowing date trials, the factors plants per square meter in late autumn and spring, shoots per plant in late autumn and spring, and plant weight in late autumn were measured. The yield-forming factors ears m-2, kernels per ear, grain size and grain yield were also measured.In the fertilization trials, only grain yield factors were measured. To determine the growing conditions the soil physical properties and water availability were measured. The development of the winter wheat was also simulated by a phenology model with data from local weather stations. The climate in Kiev is 3-5 ˚C warmer than for Uppsala during the period April-August. It results in more rapid plant development in Kiev compared with Uppsala and 4-5 weeks earlier maturity. Precipitation and evapotranspiration are higher in Kiev than in Uppsala. Soil conditions in the Kiev region are favourable, with good soil aeration and low bulk density combined with relatively high amounts of plant-available water. A normal year the amount of precipitation and soil water storage is adequate to supply the wheat with water and avoid drought on both the clay soil in the field in Uppsala and the silty loam in the fields in Kiev. The relatively high temperature and availability of water motivates a cultivation strategy with relatively high ear densities to achieve high yield, as ear size can be reduced by rapid plant development. If winter wheat is sown during the first 2-3 weeks of September there are good opportunities to use relatively low seed rates, as lower plant number can be compensated by tillering. If sowing is postponed quite high seed rates are justified. The early-sown winter wheat in this study had significantly greater biomass and tillering in autumn than late-sown wheat. Plant number was higher for late sowing dates, depending on higher seed rates. Both early- and late-sown wheat survived winter very well. Plant stand density was high in all the seven fields in Berezan, much higher than in the reference field in Uppsala. There was a large reduction of tillers in spring, but final number of ears was still relatively high. As variety and seed rates varied between trials with different sowing dates, it is not possible to claim significant effects of grain yield depending on sowing date. Kernel size was normal but ear size was relatively low, and was the yield factor with highest correlation to yield level in the different fields. Yield level was generally high, even in treatments with low fertilization, and yield increases for high fertilization rates (above 160 kg N ha-1) were relatively low. This indicates quiteextensive mineralization from the soil. No significant difference in yield level was found between wheat fertilized with equal amounts of nitrogen applied in autumn and spring compared with spring only. From a crop perspective, nitrogen from fertilizer must be available at the beginning of stem jointing, when the need is highest. By dividing the fertilization into 2-3 application occasions from early spring to heading, it is possible to adjust the nitrogen rate to development and growth conditions to match stand requirements. The Grain Alliance cultivation strategy gave considerably higher winter wheat yield than the average for the Kiev region, probably due to more intensive management, with the crop not limited by fertilizer deficiency or plant protection problems. Using varieties that combine hardiness and high yield potential, establishing plant stands of sufficient density and performing field operations, for example sowing and fertilization, at the right time are issues to work with for further improvement of winter wheat yield in Ukraine

Philosophy and updating of the asteroid photometric catalogue

The Asteroid Photometric Catalogue now contains photometric lightcurves for 584 asteroids. We discuss some of the guiding principles behind it. This concerns both observers who offer input to it and users of the product

Optimized establishment of winter wheat : a literature review on sow date, spacing and seed rate

This bachelor thesis is intended to gather the knowledge and experimental data on the winter wheat crop production relevant for Swedish conditions, with focus on sowing time, row spacing and seed rate. This essay is a literature study with a minor component based on interviews with farmers producing winter wheat. The work is divided into a background part where basic knowledge of winter wheat physiology, development and environment interactions are described and one part where results of field trials studies are presented. Optimal date of sowing winter wheat depends on annual weather variations. Because it is difficult to forecast the weather the choice of sowing date should be based on weather statistics, production experience and previous results depending on sowing date. The date of sowing must also be adapted to the current field conditions to achieve the best results. In southern Götaland the recommended sowing period is 10th to 25th of September, in northern Götaland the recommendation is 10th to 20th of September and in southern Svealand 10th to 15th of September. If there is no capacity or conditions to sow the planned acreage in the recommended sowing period a slightly earlier sowing is preferred rather than a later sowing. Some years the early sown winter wheat gets declined yield according to winter losses, mainly due to pathogens. In southern Götaland the yield reduction caused by delayed sowing is smaller than in northern Götaland and the reduction is even higher in southern Svealand. In Sweden, 12,5 cm is the most common row spacing in grain production. In experiment with row spacing less than 10 cm, no or very small yield increases was observed comparing to 10 cm row space. Row spaces wider than 10 cm results in a decreased grain yield, especially in high yielding cultivations. The row space studies made in Sweden are old and based on smaller amount field trials, therefore there should be a motivation to carry out new experiments on row spacing. Based on the results found from the examined experiments, 10 cm is likely to be the most economically spacing option. It means a denser row spacing than commonly is used today. Wider row spacing can be interesting if it causes substantially reduced establishment costs, if it is able to compensate for a likely yield level reduction caused by the wider spacing. In organic cultivation wider row spacing is an opportunity for developed mechanical weed control, where a lower weed amount can increase the yield. Seed rate should be adapted to the growing location, sowing conditions and date of sowing. Seed rate can be varied relatively much without major differences in growing profitability if the growing conditions are good. In normal time for sowing about 350 viable kernels/m2 is recommended in southern Götaland, corresponding suitable seed rate in northern Götaland is about 400 and in southern Svealand just over 450 viable kernels/m2 is recommended. When sowing before suggested sowing period a decrease of seed rate with 10-20 % per week. If sowing is delayed after the optimum time, the recommendation is to increase the seed rate with 5-10 % per week instead. In case of limited nutrient availability or growing soils sensitive for drought is usually a reduction in seed rate by 10-15 % economically favorable. There is a need of new trials studying the effect of varying seed rates depending on row spacing under conventional conditions. This is motivated because of the limited numbers of available studies and the need of knowledge if the variety of row spaces will be more common.Denna kandidatuppsats har till syfte att samla den kunskap och försöksdata som finns om höstveteodling med fokus på såtidpunkt, radavstånd och utsädesmängd som är relevanta under svenska förhållanden. Uppsatsen är en litteraturstudie med en mindre del baserad på intervjustudier med lantbrukare om deras höstveteodling. Arbetet är uppdelat i en del där grundläggande kunskap om höstvetets fysiologi, utveckling och samspel med miljön beskrivs, samt en del där resultat från försöksserier redovisas. Optimal såtidpunkt för höstvete beror av årsmånen, men eftersom man inte kan prognostisera vädret för längre perioder bör val av såtidpunkt utgå från vad som statistiskt sett brukar fungera bäst samt hur förutsättningarna i samband med sådd ser ut. I södra Götaland rekommenderas sådd under perioden 10-25 september för bästa resultat. I norra Götaland är motsvarande rekommendation 10-20 september och i södra Svealand 10-15 september. Om all sådd inte hinns med i det rekommenderade intervallet är det generellt bättre med något tidigare sådd jämfört med senare sådd. Vissa år kan den tidigt sådda arealen drabbas hårdare av utvintring främst på grund av patogener. Skördeminskningen till följd av försenad sådd är minst i södra Götaland och skördebortfallet tilltar ju längre upp i landet höstvetet odlas om sådden blir försenad. I Sverige är 12,5 cm det dominerande radavståndet för spannmålssådd. I försök med radavstånd mindre än 10 cm har ingen eller mycket liten påverkan på skördenivån kunnat konstateras, medan en ökning av radavståndet från 10 cm resulterat i minskad kärnavkastning. Tydligast har sambandet mellan radavstånd och avkastning varit på högavkastande odlingsmark. De försök som gjorts i Sverige är gamla och relativt små och det motiverar till att utföra nya försök om radavstånd. Utifrån de resultat som finns från dessa försök skulle 10 cm radavstånd sannolikt vara ekonomiskt fördelaktigt, alltså än tätare raddelning än vad som generellt används idag. Bredare radavstånd kan vara intressant om det medför kraftigt reducerade etableringskostnader som kompenserar en sannolik skördeminskning, alternativt i ekologisk odling om det möjliggör effektiv mekanisk ogräsbekämpning. Utsädesmängden bör anpassas efter odlingsplatsen samt förhållanden vid sådd och såtidpunkten. Utsädesmängden kan varieras relativt mycket utan att odlingsnettot påverkas särskilt mycket om odlingsförutsättningarna är goda. Vid normal såtid rekommenderas ca 350 grobara kärnor/m2 i södra Götaland, lämplig utsädesmängd i norra Götaland är ca 400 och i södra Svealand drygt 450 grobara kärnor/m2. Vid sådd före rekommenderad såtidpunkt bör utsädesmängden sänkas med 10-20 % per vecka och vid sådd senare än rekommenderat bör den istället höjas med 5-10 % per vecka. Vid begränsad växtnäringstillgång eller på torkkänsliga jordar är vanligtvis en sänkning av utsädesmängden med 10-15 % ekonomiskt fördelaktig. Behov finns av nya försök som studerar effekten av varierade utsädesmängder beroende på radavstånd under konventionella förhållanden eftersom det endast har studerats i mycket liten omfattning i Sverige under de senaste decennierna

Frugal approaches to innovation: industrial settings and innovation strategies

Frugal innovation is a strategy for organizations that provides products with cost advantages compared to existing solutions. Frugal innovation can be applied to both products and services across industries. We provide lessons for managers and organizations based on a scientific review of frugal innovation as an innovation strategy. Using published studies four distinct frugal innovation strategies are introduced. Frugal innovation can be operationalized across different industrial contexts. It also interplays with other firm innovation strategies. We also identify concerns and barriers associated with frugal innovation approaches