The effectiveness of Cluster Organization Functions from a Member Company Perspective: The Case of Food Valley Organization

This paper aims to analyze the effectiveness of the different cluster organization functions (services, activities and information sources) of Food Valley Organization in the Dutch agifood innovation system, as evaluated by its member companies. It is concluded that, in accordance with cluster organization theory, the networking formation function is the most important one, next demand articulation and innovation process management. However, our findings indicate that also visionary leadership, regional development and internationalization, stimulating entrepreneurial experimentation and providing downstream (market) information should be included in future analyses of cluster organization functions in innovation systems

To claim or not to claim

Verslag van een themabijeenkomst welke als doel had om de sector concrete handvatten aan te reiken voor het aanvragen én realiseren van een gezondheidsclaim

The role of prior experience, intellectual property protection and communication on trust and performance in innovation alliances

An important concept in innovation literature is open innovation, where firms may use knowledge of other companies to develop new products or processes. However, there is a tension between the desire to be open, to profit from the knowledge of others, and the desire to be closed to prevent others from making use of the firms own profitable knowledge. Formal and non-formal intellectual property (IP) protection mechanisms may protect the company in an innovation alliance, but are often costly and may hinder flexibility and creativity. In the present paper the role of formal and non-formal IP protection arrangements and communication on the building and maintenance of trust and ultimately on performance has been investigated. A survey questionnaire was combined with semi-structured interviews of CEOs and R&D managers of seven companies and two commercial research organizations in the seed sector, one agrifood company, one commercial research organization in the agrifood and one commercial research organization in the high-tech sector. Thirty-three innovation alliances were investigated in total. It was found that for companies active in an innovation alliance it is important to understand how prior experiences, IP protection and communication influence the level of trust in an alliance, and that the level of trust is positively related to innovation performance. Recommendations are given for open innovation managers how to make optimal use of the innovation potential of the alliance partner(s), by fostering communication within the alliance and by using formal IP protection arrangements as a platform to create trust within the alliance

Managing the strategic network relations between corporate R&D and business

The present paper addresses the important issue of the management of the strategic network relations between corporate R&D and business. In a large technology-based multinational company (+/- 30,000 employees) an instrument that provides regular feedback to both corporate R&D and business about strategic alignment, based on factors derived from the social capital theory and the competence perspective, has been tested in a longitudinal survey from 1997 through 2002 (696 respondents). It is concluded that a combination of both theoretical perspectives adds to a more in-depth understanding of the mechanisms at work in the complex R&D-to-business relations in large divisionalized companies. The improved network communication based on structured feedback related to the level of R&D competencies as well as the level of R&D flexibility and information lead to better strategic alignment. It was further concluded that a governance structure that effectively balances the short-term orientation (via business unit funding) and the long-term orientation (via technology board funding) is effective to provide strategic alignment between R&D and business. Key words: R&D and innovation strategy, social capital theory, competence perspective, strategic alignmen

Lekkere bakkerijproducten, verantwoord vet

Tijdens het symposium 'Lekkere bakkerijproducten, verantwoord vet' dat de stichting Food Valley, de Vereniging voor de Bakkerij- en Zoetwarenindustrie (VBZ) en de Nederlandse Vereniging voor de Bakkerij (NVB) in maart 2010 organiseerden, bleek dat er veel aanknopingspunten zijn voor verbetering van de vetzuursamenstelling. In deze uitgave vertelt een aantal specialisten welke mogelijkheden er zoal zijn