Technological capability building through networking strategies within high-tech industries

technological, networking, strategies, high-tech industries

Knowledge management challenges in corporate venturing and technological capability building through radical innovations

radical innovation, technological capability, corporate venturing, knowledge management

Structural Antecedents of Corporate Network Evolution

Abstract: While most network studies adopt a static view, we argue that corporate social networks are subject to endogenous dynamics of cognitive path dependence and self-reinforcing power relations. Over time, these dynamics drive corporate networks to become increasingly focused (i.e., more homogeneous, stable, and tightly knit). More focused networks induce organisations to perpetuate existing routines, at the expense of developing new capabilities. We examine the role of organisational structure in maintaining balanced, rather than focused, networks, so that business organisations can realise progressive and timely adjustments to their evolving environments. We develop a theoretical argument, illustrated with the divergent network adjustment patterns of two large, mature companies, suggesting that business organisations with the following structural antecedents are likely to maintain balanced networks: the concurrence of centralisation and decentralisation; a high degree of differentiation and an intermediate level of integration; and an intermediate degree of formalisation

Ruimte voor werk. bouwrijpe bedrijventerreinen, economische ontwikkeling en ruimtelijke planning in Vlaanderen

Is there a shortage of new industrial sites in Flanders? This paper develops a method to evaluate the availability of industrial sites. The evaluation is based on the idea that a "strategic supply" should always be available in each sub-region in order to guarantee further economic development. The results indicate that the available area for industrial sites is clearly insufficient in large parts of Flanders. We also formulate several policy recommendations. The Flemish Govermnent has to take simultaneously structural and ad hoc measures. The structural measures should prevent that policy induced shortage of supply can pop up in the future. The ad hoc measures should speed up the supply in the next years.

Economische aspecten en relaties van omliggende gebieden met het stedelijk netwerk van de Vlaamse Ruit

In het huidig ontwerp Ruimtelijk Structuurplan Vlaanderen (RSV) wordt het gebied tussen Brussel, Gent, Antwerpen en Leuven aangeduid als een stedelijk netwerk op internationaal niveau. Teneinde uitvoering te kunnen geven aan het RSV werd dit stedelijk netwerk nader onderzocht. In een eerste deel van het onderzoek werd gezocht naar een morfologische en functionele basis voor de Vlaamse Ruit. In dit artikel wordt meer in het bijzonder ingegaan op het economisch luik van dit onderzoek. Daarna wordt ook aangegeven dat het ontwikkelen en versterken van een stedelijk netwerk op internationaal niveau ook voor de rest van Vlaanderen een meerwaar-de kan opleveren.regional and urban economics ;

Proposal for a standard problem for micromagnetic simulations including spin-transfer torque

The spin-transfer torque between itinerant electrons and the magnetization in a ferromagnet is of fundamental interest for the applied physics community. To investigate the spin-transfer torque, powerful simulation tools are mandatory. We propose a micromagnetic standard problem includingthe spin-transfer torque that can be used for the validation and falsication of micromagnetic simulation tools. The work is based on the micromagnetic model extended by the spin-transfer torque in continuously varying magnetizations as proposed by Zhang and Li. The standard problem geometry is a permalloy cuboid of 100 nm edge length and 10 nm thickness, which contains a Landau pattern with a vortex in the center of the structure. A spin-polarized dc current density of 1012 A/m2 flows laterally through the cuboid and moves the vortex core to a new steady-state position. We show that the new vortex-core position is a sensitive measure for the correctness of micromagnetic simulatorsthat include the spin-transfer torque. The suitability of the proposed problem as a standard problem is tested by numerical results from four different finite-difference and finite-element-based simulation tools

Respecting the deal: how to manage co-opetitive actors in open innovation

Platforms like E-bay allow product seekers and providers to meet and exchange goods. On the same way in open innovation, as defined by Chesbrough, an enterprise can collect ideas from outside the company. But on E-bay, the seeker can return the product if it does not correspond to the expectations, since E-bay is the third-party actor in charge of assuring that the agreement between seekers and providers will be respected. So who does provide the same service for what concerns open innovation, where specifications might not fully defined? In this paper we shall describe the business model of an organizational structure to support the elicitation and respect of agreements between actors, who have conflicting interests but that gain from cooperating together. The concepts of the model will be illustrated to derive a set of propositions and a simple example will illustrate one of its possible instantiations. The description of our first evaluation phase shall find place at the end

An antidamping spin–orbit torque originating from the Berry curvature

Magnetization switching at the interface between ferromagnetic and paramagnetic metals, controlled by current-induced torques, could be exploited in magnetic memory technologies. Compelling questions arise regarding the role played in the switching by the spin Hall effect in the paramagnet and by the spin–orbit torque originating from the broken inversion symmetry at the interface. Of particular importance are the antidamping components of these current-induced torques acting against the equilibrium-restoring Gilbert damping of the magnetization dynamics. Here, we report the observation of an antidamping spin–orbit torque that stems from the Berry curvature, in analogy to the origin of the intrinsic spin Hall effect. We chose the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As as a material system because its crystal inversion asymmetry allows us to measure bare ferromagnetic films, rather than ferromagnetic paramagnetic heterostructures,eliminating by design any spin Hall effect contribution. We provide an intuitive picture of the Berry curvature origin of this antidamping spin–orbit torque as well as its microscopic modelling. We expect the Berry curvature spin–orbit torque to be of comparable strength to the spin-Hall effect-driven antidamping torque in ferromagnets interfaced with paramagnets with strong intrinsic spin Hall effect

Embracing open innovation to acquire external ideas and technologies and to transfer internal ideas and technologies outside

The objective of this dissertation is to increase understanding of how organizations can embrace open innovation in order to acquire external ideas and technologies from outside the organization, and to transfer internal ideas and technologies to outside the organization. The objective encompasses six sub-objectives, each addressed in one or more substudies. Altogether, the dissertation consists of nine substudies and a compendium summarizing the substudies. An extensive literature review was conducted on open innovation and crowdsourcing literature (substudies 1–4). In the subsequent empirical substudies, both qualitative research methods (substudies 5–7) and quantitative research methods (substudies 8–9) were applied. The four literature review substudies provided insights on the body of knowledge on open innovation and crowdsourcing. These substudies unveiled most of the influential articles, authors, and journals of open innovation and crowdsourcing disciplines. Moreover, they identified research gaps in the current literature. The empirical substudies offer several insightful findings. Substudy 5 shows how non-core ideas and technologies of a large firm can become valuable, especially for small firms. Intermediary platforms can find solutions to many pressing problems of large organizations by engaging renowned scientists from all over world (substudy 6). Intermediary platforms can also bring breakthrough innovations with novel mechanisms (substudy 7). Large firms are not only able to garner ideas by engaging their customers through crowdsourcing but they can also build long-lasting relations with their customers (substudies 8 and 9). Embracing open innovation brings challenges for firms too. Firms need to change their organizational structures in order to be able to fully benefit from open innovation. When crowdsourcing is successful, it produces a very large number of new ideas. This has the consequence that firms need to allocate a significant amount of resources in order to identify the most promising ideas. In an idea contest, customarily, only one or a few best ideas are rewarded (substudy 7). Sometimes, no reward is provided for the selected idea (substudies 8 and 9). Most of the ideas that are received are not implemented in practice