bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The commerciaIization of stagnant technologies
Authors: Ehretsmann J. , Hinkly A. , Minty A. , Pearson A. W. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThis paper focusses on technologies which have failed to reach the marketplace for reasons which are connected more with the organization in which they were developed than with the technology itself. They are referred to as stagnant technologies.Such technologies can clearly be exploited via joint ventures; however there can be problems of finding a suitable partner and managing the partnership when one has been found. To overcome such problems a role for a third party is suggested which has been called the catalyst firm. Such a firm can be involved in identifying stagnant technologies, locating a suitable partner, and assisting in the management of the partnership through to commercialization.This approach is central to the activities of Aprotec, a Manchester‐based company specializing in the development and commercialization of new technologies, which plays the role of the catalyst firm. Experience to date is described in the paper, and a case study is used to show how the approach has been successfully applied in practice.
A simulation model of R&D budgeting
Authors: Brockhoff Klaus 
Published: May 2007

AbstractA simple simulation model is developed that allows the testing of alternative heuristic rules for R&D budgeting. Sales‐dependent budgeting, all‐you‐can‐afford budgeting, and budgeting tied to a target rate of product innovativeness are studied. It can be shown that the choice, of the budgeting rules as well as their parameters interact with market diffusion of new products as well as with R&D returns to scale. Thus, budgeting to achieve certain growth or profit objectives has to keep these interactions in mind.
Problems of R&D manpower in India
Authors: Bharol Chowdhry Ram 
Published: May 2007

AbstractManpower Planning is important in R&D organizations. If one examines the budget of a research institute in any part of the world, one would find that 60–70% of the expenditure is incurred on staff salaries and benefits. Of course, manpower planning is beset with problems. This paper deals with: (i) lack of literature; (ii) scientific manpower statistics; (iii) recruitment; (iv) unemployment of S&T personnel; (v) brain drain; (vi) internal brain drain; and (vii) suggestions.
Technology development in the multinational firm: a framework for planning and strategy
Authors: Contractor Farok J. , Narayanan V. K. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe authors' purpose is to improve the coupling between technology development and corporate strategic planning in multinational firms by providing a much needed technology planning framework.The framework, which is developed in some detail, divides the planning process into three stages: technology scanning, strategy development (product level) and implementation (country level). In the first stage an answer is sought to the question, “What technologies (as distinct from businesses) are we, or should we be in?”. in the second, the aim is to develop a strategy for each of the products from the chosen technologies; in the third stage, details of implementation on a country‐by‐country basis are worked out. Although presented as a sequence of three stages, the framework is to be applied iteratively.The authors argue that technology for all its vital importance to a global company, cannot be treated as a profit centre. This is part of the difficulty in implementing the technology management function, especially in multidivisional and global firms. They believe that use of this framework will make it easier to integrate technology development into the strategic planning process. In addition it will serve to integrate managers from different parts of the company into a formalized technology planning exercise.
The influence of primary task on R&D laboratory evaluation: a comparative bibliometric analysis
Authors: Miller Roger 
Published: May 2007

AbstractAfter reviewing the various approaches to R&D evaluation, the author concludes that a taxonomic approach combining organizational and bibliometric indicators offers a valid option to assess the quality of research. Fifty‐three laboratories around the world in 17 technical fields were investigated using organizational, publication and bibliometric variables.A taxonomy of six clusters of laboratories with distinct primary tasks, organizational attributes and outputs emerged. Scientific publications are by‐products of research outputs. Within each cluster of laboratories, a wide range of bibliometric indicators make it possible to identify high and low performers in terms of research quality.Bibliometric indicators, it is concluded, gain by being associated with comparative organizational assessments to evaluate laboratories with similar primary tasks and scientific fields.
Managing international high technology cooperative projects
Authors: Farr C. Michael , Fischer William A. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe recent attention given to Strategic Alliances and Technological Partnering, in a variety of commercial and governmental contexts, has grown much faster than our detailed understanding of how such arrangements work. For some time, however, military agencies in the NATO countries have been involved in a number of high‐technology cooperative projects, resulting in the co‐development of new weapon systems. This paper examines fourteen such case studies (six that were relatively successful and eight that were less successful) and attempts to draw lessons from the experiences of these projects.Among the lessons which are strongly represented in this set of projects are: the importance of insulating the projects from the vagaries of international politics, the need to provide strong project leadership and a forum for partners to work out their differences, and the bestowal of significant authority in the hands of the project manager.
Strategy in pharmaceutical R&D: a portfolio risk matrix
Authors: Taggart J. H. , Blaxter T. J. 
Published: May 2007

The management of any research‐intensive company must weigh carefully the expenditure on any particular development product with the sales revenues that are likely to be obtained when the new product is introduced to the market. In particular, the technical risk (whether the development product results in a marketable product) and the market risk (whether the new product can be introduced to a suitable market niche where it will generate the required revenues) have to be scrutinised.This paper sets out to develop an original model by Drews into a methodology for assessing the risk associated with a company's research portfolio. To test a model they had developed, the authors carried out in‐depth interviews with three British pharmaceutical multinational companies, and compared the overall technical/market risk profiles of their respective development portfolios. Some interesting differences between the three were detected in terms of the overall risk profiles, in market risk, and in technical risk. The authors conclude that the matrix described here may be a useful tool in discriminating between the risk levels of the research portfolios of several companies; it may also be useful for plotting the movement of a particular firm's research risk over time.While this paper concentrates on comparing the portfolios of three pharmaceutical firms at a particular point in time, R&D managers in other industries and other situations may find some evaluative utility in the model.
The new product development process: part 2. Improving the process of new product development
Authors: Barclay Ian 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThis paper describes work on evaluating and improving the New Product Development Process (NPDP). The relevant results of a survey of current practice in NPDP within 149 companies are presented. The development and experimental application, within a commercial company, of a methodology for evaluating and improving the NPDP is also described.
Modeling contribution‐spans of scientists in a field: the case of cochlear implants
Authors: Rappa Michael A. , Garud Raghu 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThis study uses the scientific literature as a source of data to model the contribution‐spans of scientists in the field of cochlear implants. The authors provide estimates of the probability that a scientist will contribute to the field for a given length of time and the conditional probability of a scientist ceasing to contribute to the field after having endured a given number of years. The authors also examine the significance of several variables in explaining the length of scientists' contribution spans.
Competing internationally through multiple innovative efforts
Authors: Lefebvre E. , Lefebvre L. A. , Harvey J. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractIncreasingly, small firms will be required to compete on international markets in order to grow and survive. This paper reports on a study of 86 small manufacturing firms operating in the metal sector. All firms had adopted one or more advanced manufacturing technology and were considered by the Canadian Association of Manufacturers as process innovative. The basic premise of this research was that in order to compete internationally, a small firm had to develop certain innovative capabilities. These capabilities were not only associated to traditional innovative efforts in R&D and process innovation, but also in supportive organizational capabilities in the form of strategic orientation, technological policy, and technological scanning. Results show that, for these small firms, process innovativeness remains an important competitive factor for international competition and that it is often linked to an aggressive strategic orientation coupled to a short term emphasis on efficiency.
The effects of national culture on the theory and practice of managing R&D professionals abroad
Authors: Hoppe Michael H. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractG. Hofstede's research on ‘Culture's Consequences’ (1980) greatly shaped the discussion of cross‐cultural differences in management theory and practice during the 1980′s. And yet, his 4‐D Model's applicability to the management of R&D laboratories and their professionals worldwide remained in doubt due to the fact that his four dimensions of Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism, and Masculinity were derived from responses of mid‐level IBM employees with lower levels of formal education than those of typical R&D professionals. This paper reports on results of the first comprehensive follow‐up study that (1) show Hofstede's four dimensions to be equally valid for highly educated respondents from 17 Western European countries, Turkey, and the USA, (2) describe significant similarities between the respondents’ work goals and those of R&D professionals, and (3) suggest implications of cross‐cultural differences along the dimensions for the theory and practice of managing R&D professionals abroad.
Perceptions of United Kingdom exporters in transferring technology into the People's Republic of China
Authors: Ball D. F. , Rong Zhang , Pearson A.W. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe objective of this study was to identify for UK firms active in transferring technology into the PRC, their perceptions of the market and their clients. The research was progressed by questionnaire and interview. The companies approached were selected on the basis of contracts listed in Chinese government publications and the financial press.The main findings relate to the lack of awareness in the UK of the role of the Chinese research institutes, the poor quality of Chinese management, the inadequacy of infrastructure and training needed to support the new technology and the absence of problems arising from cultural differences or leakage of proprietary information. The Chinese are eager to obtain new technology although there is some difficulty in identifying suppliers.
Monitoring R&D project costs against pre‐specified targets
Authors: Lewis Colin 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe monitoring and interpretation of costs incurred during a project against pre‐specified targets is the most common task which R&D managers at all levels have to undertake. Graphical interpretation of such cost and target figures can provide useful feedback as to financial performance.Spreadsheets provide an ideal environment for the manipulation of figures and production of graphs and, although not widely used, the programming facilities incorporated in such packages also allow for menu driven systems to be developed which can be operated without a knowledge of the spreadsheet's command structure thus greatly widening their area of application.This article describes some of the elements of such a system and details its ability to automatically produce four specified graphs taken from accountancy, statistical process control and forecasting which have been shown to offer a valuable insight into cost control generally and, it is proposed, within R&D projects in particular.
Foresight studies undertaken by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands
Authors: Reijs Jeske 
Published: May 2007

AbstractWith technology gaining greater recognition as a key factor in the economic performance of a country, foresight studies to identify emerging technologies get more attention. In a lot of countries foresight studies are carried out in order to target national resources to better improve economic competitiveness. This article describes foresight studies done in the Netherlands. Started as an experiment by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1989 they are now an integral part of the methods for determining technology policy in the Netherlands.The ministry defined three objectives for the foresight studies: (a) they must generate information for strategic technology policy; (b) they have to provide SME's with advance information about the possibilities for application of new technologies; (c) they have to stimulate the creation of networks between actors in industry, research and the educational system who are involved in a defined technology area. From six studies done so far (adhesives, chipcards, mecha‐tronics, matrix composites, signal processing and separation technology) the author shows how these objectives were met, which bottlenecks and which opportunities were identified and which activities were set up to exploit the situation in a certain technology area. She concludes that it is essential for the success of the foresight studies to bring together different stakeholders, to create consensus between them on future directions and to commit them to the results.
Assessment of mutually beneficial technology: East‐West perspective
Authors: Tesar George 
Published: May 2007

Many firms in the transitionary economies of Central and Eastern Europe are searching for Western partners to assist them with technological development. They are particularly interested in joint ventures, strategic alliances, and management contracts. They feel that rapid infusion of new technology is the fastest way to economic recovery.The problem is that they do not understand how their level of technology compares to the technology level in Western economies. A significant technology gap exists. This problem is further complicated because managers from transitionary economies do not have appropriate technology assessment processes to assess internal as well as external technologies. This paper reviews this problem and offers some insights on it.
Managing industrial pharmaceutical R&D. A comparative study of management control and innovative effectiveness in European and Anglo‐American companies
Authors: Omta S. W. F. , Boute L. M. , van Engelen J. M. L. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractDrug regulation and pricing have put strong pressure on the cost‐benefit ratio of the innovative pharmaceutical industry. Therefore a study has been conducted in fourteen large and medium sized companies to determine some important organisational and managerial factors influencing success in pharmaceutical innovation. The study consists of structured interviews with Research Directors and questionnaires, submitted to the heads of the different research departments. The following conclusions are tentatively drawn. Firstly, the data suggest that a threshold investment of approximately $150–200 million is needed to maintain the innovative potential. Above approximately $750 million, ‘economies of scale’ seem to appear in pharmaceutical innovation. Secondly, an incremental strategy aimed at reducing the duration of the development process seems to be more successful than a radical strategy which lays more emphasis on discovery. Thirdly, pure play pharmaceuticals seem to be more successful than the pharmaceutical divisions of conglomerates. Management control, especially the way in which reorganisations are performed, is assessed more positively in pure play pharmaceuticals. Fourthly, the greater emphasis on human resources management in Anglo‐American companies, in comparison to continental European companies, seems to be an important explanatory factor for their greater success on the pharmaceutical market.
Success factors for collaborative product development: a study of suppliers of information and communication technology
Authors: Bruce Margaret , Leverick Fiona , Littler Dale , Wilson Dominic 
Published: May 2007

AbstractIt is apparent that more and more organizations are embarking on collaborative ventures to develop products. This is particularly evident in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sectors, so much so that part of the ‘received wisdom’ of ICT companies is that collaboration is the preferred route for product development. The benefits of collaboration have been well documented and are linked to the complexity and costliness of product development and the need for inputs from wide and varied areas of expertise as well as shorter lead times for product development. But the risks and costs of collsborative product development have been less well defined. In this paper, it is argued that the alleged rewards of collaboration may not be experienced in practice and that collaboration can lengthen the product development process, add to the cost of product development and prove difficult to control. However, management practice can facilitate the effective outcome of collaborative product development and the critical factors affecting the likelihood of successful management practice are presented here.
The role of HRM in supporting innovation strategies: recommendations on how R&D managers should be treated from an HRM perspective
Authors: Martell Kathryn D. , Carroll Stephen J. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractIn recent years, consultants and academics have encouraged managers to use Human Resource Management (HRM) practices to help implement their competitive strategies. In particular, there has been enthusiasm for tailoring HRM practices to fit innovation strategies since achieving a competitive advantage based on technological superiority is very much associated with the quality of the firm's human resources. Unfortunately, there is little empirical research that examines how HRM can best support innovation strategies, and even less that evaluates the effectiveness of HRM practices in encouraging innovation in various functional settings, such as R&D departments. This research is an attempt to bridge this gap. Data were gathered from 115 divisions (SBUs) in 89 Fortune 500 companies in the US, and analyzed to identify which HRM practices used with R&D managers were most strongly associated with innovation and SBU performance. This article, which also includes descriptive data on how R&D managers are selected, compensated and evaluated, concludes with the authors’ recommendations on how R&D managers should be treated from an HRM perspective.
Occupational roles and expectations of research scientists and research managers in scientific research institutions†
Authors: Turpin Tim , Deville Adrian 
Published: May 2007

AbstractPublicly funded research institutes in most countries have been pressed by economic and political pressures through the 1990s to become more financially independent, to be more accountable and to adopt more businesslike principles and practices. In this context the occupational roles and career options for scientists and research managers in these organisations have undergone considerable change. As the research cultures of these institutions take on a more commercial perspective, new and critical career path choices for both researchers and the organisations themselves have emerged. This article focuses on the changing occupational roles of research scientists and research managers in the Australian CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), one of the world's largest multidisciplinary research organisations. Two critical occupational pathways are discussed: one between science and science management and another between science management and commercial management. Key points where the pathways diverge are identified and linked to broader issues of organisational culture and human resource management. The authors argue that research institutes such as the Australian CSIRO require a ‘multicultural’ management approach that horizontally integrates the industrial, scientific and commercial domains of the organisations’ research cultures.
Incentives for employed inventors: an empirical analysis with special emphasis on the German Law for Employee's Inventions
Authors: Leptien Christopher 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThis paper evaluates the use of incentive systems in R&D to stimulate the motivation potential of R&D personnel. Special emphasis is given to the German Employee's Inventions Act, enacted in 1957 which is applicable to all enterprises under German law and provides guidelines for a mandatory compensation of employed inventors. The law's major content, its advantages and disadvantages are presented and discussed in detail. It is shown that the general consensus in industry is unfavourable to the German Act. A significant time lack between the invention and it's compensation, the lack of transparency of the compensation guidelines, the calculation of an adequate compensation level, and a high administrative effort of calculating the compensation are only some of the drawbacks of this law. The consequences of these problems are the encouragement of secrecy among R&D professionals and the negative impact on their individual motivation potential. We also report on an experiment that measures the individual preferences of R&D personnel for different incentive variables. The method of conjoint measurement is applied to this area, it's technique is described and assessed. It is found that different segments of respondents with different preferences exist. The empirical findings also indicate the need to increase the flexibility of existing incentive systems in German industry.
QFD—linking the customer to the product development process as a part of the TQM concept
Authors: Tottie Magnus , Lager Thomas 
Published: May 2007

AbstractLKAB is one of the world's leading sup‐pliers of advanced iron ore products. Its most important markets are the blast furnace based steelworks of Europe. As a result of customers’ demands for ever‐better products, LKAB has begun to apply Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to its product development pro‐grammes. QFD, originally developed in Japan, is a technique which utilises a series of matrices to translate customers’ requirements into technical specifications that the producer can use. So far the methodology has mainly been used in the manufacturing industry, with very few applications in process industry.When launching its QFD project, LKAB began by making strenuous efforts to acquire credible and relevant customer data. Experience after one year's work has been encouraging; the QFD technique has proved to be an effective instrument for feeding customers’ requirements into the product development process. In addition, it serves as a guide to setting priorities for research projects. The technique promises to become an established tool in the cornpany's Total Quality Management programme.