12 research outputs found
Towards scaling up grassroots innovations in India: A preliminary framework
No full textGrassroots innovations (GI) include need-based products or services that are created by individuals or groups within local communities. These products and services have potential to contribute to the quality of an individual’s life, and on a larger scale contribute to the development of a community by creating new business activities. The grassroots innovations are often created in a resource constrained environment; with limited access to formal knowledge, infrastructure and materials, and limited buying power. Although GIs have potential to be a commercial success, scaling up and commercialization of grassroots innovations is often inhibited because of a lack of formal education among innovators, absence of entrepreneurial culture and supporting infrastructure in the given context. This paper elaborates the significance of GIs for people in developing countries. Grassroots innovations can be a subject of business development and be significant to empower local communities. In order to live up to its potential, it is important to understand the mechanisms on how to scale up a grassroots innovation and overcome inhibiting factors. Until now, only a limited number of grassroots innovations have been scaled up or have been commercially launched in the developing countries. In India for instance, some governmental organizations are supporting grassroots innovations which have potential to be successful in the market. To get insights in the up scaling process, we propose to learn by examining existing scaling up cases. Based on these insights, solutions can perhaps be suggested to optimize the scaling up process. A preliminary framework is proposed to identify design drivers articulated by grassroots innovators and up-scalers towards successful scaling up. Thereby the framework suggests design drivers retrieved from literature could be crucial for scaling up grassroots innovations successfully. It is essential to understand how these design drivers are reached. Conclusions are drawn to facilitate the construction of the framework.Design EngineeringIndustrial Design Engineerin
Visualising product-service system business models
No full textCopyright © 2014. Copyright in each paper in this conference’s proceedings is the property of
the author(s). Permission is granted to reproduce copies of these works for purposes relevant
to the above conference, provided that the author(s), source and copyright notice are included
on each copy. For other uses, including extended quotation, please contact the author(s).The paper addresses the issue of how to visualise innovative business models at various stages of the design and development process. The focus is on a particular type of business model, defined Product-Service Systems (PSSs), characterised by an integrated product-service offering, but can be generalised to other business model innovations. The paper presents a visualisation system based on a formalised business model ontology and a set of visualisation tools, and discusses how it can be used to enhance internal and external communication and improve dialogue and co-design activities inside the company and with external stakeholders
Network connections and innovation capacity in traditional agrifood chains
No full textIn the New Economy, the network is considered as more important than the firm itself. In this paper the focus is on chain networks which include vertical networks among chain members, horizontal networks with peers, and networking with third parties. Networks have an important role in the diffusion and adoption of innovations, thus they are the locus of innovation. While previous research focused on the firm, we contribute to the understanding of innovations in chain networks, i.e. we investigate the innovation capacity in vertical networks and how networking with peers and third parties is influencing the innovation capacity of the vertical network. We propose that there is a positive relationship between the network connections the direct chain partners have with peers and third parties and the innovation capacity of the vertical network. Data were collected from 90 direct agrifood chains in the traditional food sector. Cluster analysis suggested three clusters of chains corresponding to three distinct levels of innovation capacity: low, medium and high. Via descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression the influence of networking with peers and third parties on the innovation capacity of the vertical network was investigated. Our results confirm our proposition. However, we found that the chain partners are either horizontally or vertically networking for innovation. Nevertheless, more networking within the chain and with peers and third parties is linked to higher levels of innovation capacity. Consequently, our study adds to the research in the field of the New Economy by deepening the understanding of how innovation capacity is developed in vertical networks. We can confirm that the network is very important for the development and implementation of innovations and that the innovation capacity of one firm is linked to the innovation capacity of its chain partners. For future research we propose to investigate the link between networking for innovation and types of innovation which can be achieved. Further, future research should explore further inter-organizational links in the chain network and explore wider networks than the direct chain.SMEs, chain networks, traditional food products, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Labor and Human Capital,
Service knowledge capture and re-use to support product design
No full textA significant change is taking place in manufacturing company strategies around the globe.
With new monitoring and service methods, new opportunities of product use and service
provision emerge. The manufacturing companies once focused on mere product manufacture,
now have started to provide ‘systemic solutions’, i.e. products combined with service
packages, which are often referred to as Product-Service Systems (PSS). Currently, there is not
a well-established feedback mechanism between service and design. The aim of this research
is to develop a methodology to capture, represent, and re-use service knowledge to support
product design.
For the accomplishment of this aim an extensive literature review of the related themes to the
research area took place. It was found that the feedback from service to design is fundamental
for the enhancement of product performance; however, the existing literature in this area is
not adequate. The industrial investigation led to the realisation that there is not an established
mechanism in place to show how service knowledge (SK) can be used by designers. An in-
depth investigation took place with the collaboration of, in total, four UK manufacturing
companies. The author studied both the conceptual and detailed design, focusing on the
design requirements (DR) and the design/service features (DF/SF) respectively.
The first step was the capture of SK and its representation using Protégé software. Following
this, at the conceptual design stage, SK can be re-used through the DR-SK tool. The two main
purposes of the tool are the knowledge retrieval by designers, and the identification of gaps in
SK. At the detailed design stage, designers can access SK through the DF-SK tool, and the
developed knowledge templates. The SKaD framework was created, as a result of the
amalgamation among the SKaD methodology, the knowledge templates, and the tools
developed to link SK and DR, SF, and DF.
Conclusively, the framework was applied on case studies within the pump manufacturing and
aerospace industries, and its purpose (to aid designers accessing and re-using SK) was
validated by experts within the collaborating organisations. As a result of this research’s
findings, the service personnel can capture SK in a structured manner, which can then be re-
used by product designers at both the conceptual and detailed design stage
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The process of developing innovative capabilities in biotechnology: the case of UK firms
No full textThe advent of born-global bio-tech firms signal the genesis of a new business model that is emerging in the biotechnology sector. Born globals are small firms whose knowledge supply-chain includes global resources from multiple countries. Their innovation ‘ecosystems’ consists of experienced scientists, science parks, academics, well-established bio-pharmaceutical firms and government institutions. The firms plan their business based on global strategic perspectives and this significantly increases their productivity and innovativeness. But surprisingly, little is known about their capability development processes in the specialised networks of the biotechnology sector. As a result, this study explores the connectivity of various elements, within their knowledge supply-chain, and how they influence their capacity to generate new scientific knowledge and technical know-how. The study employs a multi-case approach. It examines five cases of bio-tech firms from the East Midlands region of the United Kingdom which have an entrepreneurial flair synonymous with born-global firms. The findings from within and across cases, secondary data analysis and results from a ‘pilot study’ led to the construction of a new conceptual framework of knowledge and innovative capability development. The model is created from the ideas of Freeman and others and it contributes to an understanding of the concepts of dynamic capabilities and network theories
Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research
No full textNestle Health Sciences
Use of failure-to-rescue to identify international variation in postoperative care in low-, middle- and high-income countries: a 7-day cohort study of elective surgery.
No full textBackground: The incidence and impact of postoperative complications are poorly described. Failure-to-rescue, the rate of death following complications, is an important quality measure for perioperative care but has not been investigated across multiple health care systems. Methods: We analysed data collected during the International Surgical Outcomes Study, an international 7-day cohort study of adults undergoing elective inpatient surgery. Hospitals were ranked by quintiles according to surgical procedural volume (Q1 lowest to Q5 highest). For each quintile we assessed in-hospital complications rates, mortality, and failure-to-rescue. We repeated this analysis ranking hospitals by risk-adjusted complication rates (Q1 lowest to Q5 highest). Results: A total of 44 814 patients from 474 hospitals in 27 low-, middle-, and high-income countries were available for analysis. Of these, 7508 (17%) developed one or more postoperative complication, with 207 deaths in hospital (0.5%), giving an overall failure-to-rescue rate of 2.8%. When hospitals were ranked in quintiles by procedural volume, we identified a three-fold variation in mortality (Q1: 0.6% vs Q5: 0.2%) and a two-fold variation in failure-to-rescue (Q1: 3.6% vs Q5: 1.7%). Ranking hospitals in quintiles by risk-adjusted complication rate further confirmed the presence of important variations in failure-to-rescue, indicating differences between hospitals in the risk of death among patients after they develop complications. Conclusions: Comparison of failure-to-rescue rates across health care systems suggests the presence of preventable postoperative deaths. Using such metrics, developing nations could benefit from a data-driven approach to quality improvement, which has proved effective in high-income countries
Critical care admission following elective surgery was not associated with survival benefit: prospective analysis of data from 27 countries
No full textThis was an investigator initiated study funded by Nestle Health Sciences through an unrestricted research grant, and by a National Institute for Health Research (UK) Professorship held by RP. The study was sponsored by Queen Mary University of London
The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textThe ISOS study was funded through an unrestricted research
grant from Nestle Health Sciences. T.E.F.A. is supported by a
Medical Research Council/British Journal of Anaesthesia clinical
research training fellowship. B.B. is funded by a National
Research Foundation rating grant and an MRC (SA) selfinitiated
research grant. M.G. is a Chief Scientist Office (Scotland)
NHS Research Scheme Clinician. R.P. is a UK National
Institute for Health Research Professor
In-hospital clinical outcomes after upper gastrointestinal surgery: Data from an international observational study
No full textNestle Health Sciences through an unrestricted research grant, and by a National Institute for Health Research (UK) Professorship held by RP. The study was sponsored by Queen Mary University of London
