Taking services seriously: how policy can stimulate the 'hidden innovation' in the UK’s services economy

Policy could have an important role in stimulating innovation in services. However, policymakers have lacked robust evidence showing how these sectors innovate. Drawing on a survey of more than 16,000 firms, this research reveals the high levels of ‘hidden innovation’ in some services sectors, especially in how they develop new business models and exploit technology. But the research also reveals that innovation is confined to a minority of service firms, and that many lack the skilled personnel or intelligence on markets and technology that would enable them to become more innovative. Because of their dominance in the economy, improved performance by the UK’s services sectors is necessary if we are to significantly close the productivity gap between the UK and other leading nations. However, if we are to take innovation in services seriously, we must recognise that they innovate differently from advanced manufacturing. We need policies to support increased training and development, and the effective dissemination and exploitation of technology

The changing face of innovation policy: implications for the Northern Ireland economy

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Gender patterns in academic entrepreneurship

Our study analyses the reasons for the gender gap in academic entrepreneurship among UK-based academics from across a wide range of academic disciplines. We focus on spinout activity as a measure of academic entrepreneurship, and explore the relevance of the different explanations for the gender gap. Our analysis is based on a unique survey of UK academics conducted over 2008/2009. The survey provides micro-data on over 22,000 academics in the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, across all higher education institutions in the UK. Our results show that female academics differ from the male academics in the sample in important ways. Female academics are more likely to be involved in applied research, to hold more junior positions, to work in the health sciences, social sciences, humanities and education, to have less prior experience of running a business, and to feel more ambivalent about research commercialisation. All of these characteristics are correlated with lower rates of spinout activity. Using a non-parametric decomposition analysis, we show that certain combinations of characteristics of male academics have few or no matches to female academics, and these characteristics explain a large proportion of the gender gap.This is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by Springer

Implementation of a land use and spatial interaction model based on random utility choices and social accounting matrices

Random utility modelling has been established as one of the main paradigms for the implementation of land use and transport interaction (LUTI) models. Despite widespread application of such models, the respective literature provides relatively little detail on the theoretical consistency of the overall formal framework of the random utility based LUTI models. To address this gap, we present a detailed formal description of a generic land use and spatial interaction model that adheres to the random utility paradigm through the explicit distinction between utility and cost across all processes that imply behaviour of agents. The model is rooted in an extended input-output table, with the workforce and households accounts being disaggregated by socio-economic type. Similarly, the land account is broken down by domestic and non-domestic land use types. The model is developed around two processes. Firstly, the generation of demand for inputs required by established production; the estimation of the level of demand between sectors, households and land use types is supported by social accounting techniques. When appropriate the implicit production functions are assumed depended on costs of inputs, which gives rise to price-elastic demands. Secondly, the spatial assignment of demanded inputs (industrial activity, workforce, land) to locations of production; here sequences of decisions are used to distribute demand (both spatially and, when necessary, a-spatially) and to propagate costs and utilities of production and consumption that emerge from imbalances between supply and demand. The implementation of this generic model is discussed in relation to the case of the Greater South East region of the UK, including London, the South East and the East of England. We present the calibration process, data requirements, necessary assumptions and resulting implications. We discuss outputs under various land use strategies and economic scenarios, such as regulated versus competing land uses, constrained versus unconstrained densities, and high versus low economic and population growth rates. By adjusting the design constraints of the spatial planning and infrastructure supply strategies we aim to improve their sustainability.

Upscaling in the sharing economy: insights from the UK

Aimed at academics, private businesses, investors and public sector bodies, this report develops a typology of upscaling models in the sharing economy across three key sectors: accommodation, transportation, and professional and personal services

Entrepreneurial practices in research-intensive and teaching-led universities

In recent years, there has been increased pressure on universities to deliver on their third mission. In the UK context, universities are encouraged to explicitly assume responsibility for facilitating economic growth, with a particular emphasis being given to the role played by the research-led institu- tions. Using a broad definition of entrepreneurial practices in universities, the aim of this paper was to extend the analysis of entrepreneurial activities to teaching-led universities besides their research-intensive counterparts. Results, based on micro-data on over 22,000 academics in the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities across all higher education institutions in the UK, indicate that the levels and geographical reach of the diverse set of entrepreneurial practices conducted by research-intensive and teaching-led universities differ significantly. The underlying reasons for these differences are explored through the lens of institutional theory and by utilising the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition technique

Women’s Informal Entrepreneurship through the Lens of Institutional Voids and Institutional Logics

YesIn this conceptual paper, we respond to the calls for broader theoretical approaches that can coherently demonstrate a high degree of conceptual sensitivity to multiple combinations of institutional factors influencing women's informal entrepreneurship (WIE) and related agency. We do so by integrating constructs of gender and gender inequality with those of institutional logics and institutional voids. We find that a refined understanding of institutional voids is required to pave the way for a meaningful theoretical integration and empirical application of the related conceptualizations. We offer such a revised definition by placing formal and informal logics (rather than institutions) at the heart of it. In our theorizing, we propose that gender interplaying with formal and informal institutional logics create varying degrees of obscure and unique institutional voids that shape WIE prevalence. The proposed harmonized theoretical lens provides researchers with flexible yet consistent guidance for conducting context-specific empirical work that can coherently advance understanding of underlying logics shaping WIE and related agency

How can value co-creation be integrated into a customer experience evaluation?

YesWith the arrival of the service economy, businesses across different sectors have to rely increasingly on service design, with its focus on the viewpoints of customers and their experiences. Existing frameworks for evaluating customer experience tend to neglect the connection between customer experience and value co-creation, which is critical for enhancing the performance of service design. The aim of this conceptual paper is, therefore, to develop a customer experience evaluation framework that is coherently integrated with the value co-creation construct. It is achieved by intersecting the most relevant insights from prior approaches to evaluating customer experiences with a theoretical interpretation of service value as value in the experience that is always co-created and uniquely determined by the customer's personal lived and imagined experiences. The proposed framework is original in its theorizing of the evaluation process as a transformation from a customer experience evaluation to a synchronized evaluation of value in the experience and value co-creation throughout and beyond the service process. The framework proposes to utilize it in both major service redesign and on-the-spot service improvements, which are extremely relevant to businesses operating in highly competitive environments. The proposed framework is designed to guide future empirical evaluations, accommodate new theoretical extensions, and inform practical applications to design service offerings as unique and preferred experiences for customers

How can value co-creation be integrated into a customer experience evaluation?

With the arrival of the service economy, businesses across different sectors have to rely increasingly on service design, with its focus on the viewpoints of customers and their experiences. Existing frameworks for evaluating customer experience tend to neglect the connection between customer experience and value co-creation, which is critical for enhancing the performance of service design. The aim of this conceptual paper is, therefore, to develop a customer experience evaluation framework that is coherently integrated with the value co-creation construct. It is achieved by intersecting the most relevant insights from prior approaches to evaluating customer experiences with a theoretical interpretation of service value as value in the experience that is always co-created and uniquely determined by the customer's personal lived and imagined experiences. The proposed framework is original in its theorizing of the evaluation process as a transformation from a customer experience evaluation to a synchronized evaluation of value in the experience and value co-creation throughout and beyond the service process. The framework proposes to utilize it in both major service redesign and on-the-spot service improvements, which are extremely relevant to businesses operating in highly competitive environments. The proposed framework is designed to guide future empirical evaluations, accommodate new theoretical extensions, and inform practical applications to design service offerings as unique and preferred experiences for customers

Model-Based Testing of Safety Critical Real-Time Control Logic Software

The paper presents the experience of the authors in model based testing of safety critical real-time control logic software. It describes specifics of the corresponding industrial settings and discusses technical details of usage of UniTESK model based testing technology in these settings. Finally, we discuss possible future directions of safety critical software development processes and a place of model based testing techniques in it.Comment: In Proceedings MBT 2012, arXiv:1202.582