Innovation in Clusters

Whether in terms of practices, equipment or services, the sports sector is characterized by intense inventiveness and is an excellent subject to study innovation processes.
This book provides a sociological reading of these processes, illustrated by case studies that allow us to grasp the complexity of innovation trajectories. The case studies highlight the astonishing pathways, from the origin of inventions to their effective dissemination and use, and including the bifurcations of projects. The “surprises” thus presented refer to an invariant of innovation processes, namely that trajectories are rarely linear and that the control exercised over them is relative. Innovation in Sport concludes with a set of recommendations for optimizing the management of sport innovation. This book is intended for students of sports science and management, as well as for professionals and entrepreneurs in the sports markets.

An innovative book for an innovative topic. Charles Hampden-Turner Like the subject matter it covers, Clusters of Creativity is innovative and original. It breaks with popular interpretations of Silicon Valley and similar regions, which range from the hyperbolically laudatory to the contemptuously dismissive, and takes a critical, objective look at the lessons that these locations provide about innovation and entrepreneurship. Readable, yet rigorous in its analyses, the book provides a practical and balanced set of perspectives on how the powers of business creativity are fostered and sustained. It focuses not so much on the generations of high technologies but on the motivations and strategies of business leaders who turn revolutionary innovations into commercial realities. Clusters of Creativity demystifies the many enigmas that surround two leading capitals of the modern global economy, providing insights on managing innovation and entrepreneurship that are both eye-opening and broadly applicable to all organizations and industries. Clusters of Creativity will challenge assumptions, dispel myths, enlighten, inspire, and generally provoke thought. In an age where technology and hyperbole frequently go hand-in-hand, the book's well-founded insights are all the more refreshing and important.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the rapidly developing field of cluster science. In an interdisciplinary approach, basic concepts as well as recent developments in research and practical applications are authoritatively discussed by leading authors. Topics covered include 'naked' metal clusters, clusters stabilized by ligands, clusters in solids, and colloids. The reader will find answers to questions like: * How many metal atoms must a particle have to exhibit metallic properties? * How can the large specific surface of clusters and colloids be employed in catalysts? * How can metal clusters be introduced into solid hosts? * Which effects are responsible for the transition from isolated to condensed clusters? The editor has succeeded in bringing the contributions of various authors together into a homogeneous, readable book, which will be useful for the academic and industrial reader alike.

An updated and expanded new edition of this comprehensive guide to innovation in wind turbine design Innovation in Wind Turbine Design, Second Edition comprehensively covers the fundamentals of design, explains the reasons behind design choices, and describes the methodology for evaluating innovative systems and components. This second edition has been substantially expanded and generally updated. New content includes elementary actuator disc theory of the low induction rotor concept, much expanded discussion of offshore issues and of airborne wind energy systems, updated drive train information with basic theory of the epicyclic gears and differential drives, a clarified presentation of the basic theory of energy in the wind and fallacies about ducted rotor design related to theory, lab testing and field testing of the Katru and Wind Lens ducted rotor systems, a short review of LiDAR, latest developments of the multi-rotor concept including the Vestas 4 rotor system and a new chapter on the innovative DeepWind VAWT. The bookis divided into four main sections covering design background, technology evaluation, design themes and innovative technology examples. Key features: Expanded substantially with new content. Comprehensively covers the fundamentals of design, explains the reasons behind design choices, and describes the methodology for evaluating innovative systems and components. Includes innovative examples from working experiences for commercial clients. Updated to cover recent developments in the field. The book is a must-have reference for professional wind engineers, power engineers and turbine designers, as well as consultants, researchers and graduate students.

This book investigates the interactions between different shifts in innovation models. It underlines ecological conditions and production intensification in the agriculture sector. In total six innovation processes were analyzed in different countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Haiti, Madagascar and Senegal. The similarities between these case studies are that they all demonstrate that sustainable and sufficient network between actors of the innovation are particularly useful for the development of agricultural innovation systems. The different papers demonstrate that there is a need for more commitment of public policy in innovation processes.

Ever since their inception, space activities have been innovative, but not driven by commercial considerations – that is, until the end of the Cold War, when the commercialization of space escalated. As a result, the direction of the innovation changed in order to leverage new business opportunities, which reached a turning point in the 2010s. This book discusses the developmental trends of the world space sector in detail, by analyzing their long-term evolution, and studying why this innovative industry sometimes experiences technological and organizational delays. Innovation Trends in the Space Industry also provides a framework to diagnose more accurately the potential technological threats that are currently faced by existing space tech manufacturers. Moreover, this book, with an economic perspective, provides a close examination of the space sector. It also contributes to enriching innovation management theory by leading us to better understand industry emergence shaped by customers, to reinterpret technological and organizational inertia in high technology activities, and to refine disruptive innovation trends.

From the book’s Foreword by Trevor Mole, Managing Director, Property Tectonics; President of the European Association of Building Surveyors and Construction Experts: ‘Shu-Ling and Martin have built on their research work and that of others to produce an understandable and readable insight into innovation in small professional service firms. They have successfully unravelled the complex behavioural and organisational forces taking place and created a framework to help practitioners understand the issues and to fashion the right environment in which to foster innovation and deliver economic value.’ Small professional practices in the built environment are crucial to the success and long-term viability of the design, construction and property industries. This research-based book addresses the urgent need to better understand the nature and process of innovation in these important firms. The authors offer an analysis of both why and how innovation is a key competitive factor for small professional practices in the built environment. As these practices are located in different business environments and behave in different ways to other types of industry firms, the context-specific methodology to design, implement and assess innovation in small professional practices presented in this book will appeal to researchers and practitioners in surveying and design. Innovation in Small Professional Practices in the Built Environment makes a significant contribution to an underdeveloped area of innovation by offering new theoretical and practical insights and models grounded in results from a 22-month case study of a small professional practice.

Practical techniques to help any organization innovate and succeed In this groundbreaking book, internationally acclaimed authors demonstrate that innovation can be mastered via systematic and replicable methods. Following careful instructions and guidelines, readers discover how to foster the ingenuity that resides within all organizations and how it can be most efficiently and effectively used to create value. At the core of this book is the Function Analysis Systems Technique (FAST). FAST is a powerful mapping technique that graphically models projects, products, and processes in function terms and identifies function dependencies. It is an organized structure ideally suited to exploring complex issues. Readers start with basic concepts and then move on to more advanced concepts using FAST to help their organizations survive and prosper in today's global economy. Topics include: * Problem-solving techniques * Function analysis * Function Analysis Systems Technique (FAST) * Dimensioning the FAST model * Attributes and the FAST model * Enabling innovation * From competency to capability Practical examples and case studies are provided throughout the book to assist the reader in applying the principles of FAST to their own organizations. Stimulating Innovation in Products and Services is based on the authors' many years of experience advising clients in a variety of industries, including oil and gas, aerospace, health care, and man-ufacturing. Its practical focus assists all engineers, scientists, and managers who want to foster innovation within their organizations. Extensive use of case studies makes this an ideal coursebook for MBA students.

A guide to systems engineering that highlights creativity and innovation in order to foster great ideas and carry them out Practical Creativity and Innovation in Systems Engineering exposes engineers to a broad set of creative methods they can adopt in their daily practices. In addition, this book guides engineers to become entrepreneurs within traditional engineering companies, promoting creative and innovative culture around them. The author describes basic systems engineering concepts and includes an abbreviated summary of Standard 15288 systems’ life cycle processes. He then provides an extensive collection of practical creative methods which are linked to the various systems’ life cycle processes. Next, the author discusses obstacles to innovation and, in particular, how engineers can push creative ideas through layers of reactionary bureaucracy within non-innovative organizations. Finally, the author provides a comprehensive description of an exemplary creative and innovative case study recently completed. The book is filled with illustrative examples and offers effective guidelines that can enhance individual engineers’ creative prowess as well as be used to create an organizational culture where creativity and innovation flourishes. This important book: Offers typical systems engineering processes that can be accomplished in creative ways throughout the development and post-development portions of a system's lifetime. Includes a large collection of practical creative methods applicable to engineering and other technological domains Includes innovation advice needed to transform creative ideas into new products, services, businesses and marketing processes Contains references and notes for further reading in every section Written for systems engineering practitioners, graduate school students and faculty members of systems, electrical, aerospace, mechanical and industrial engineering schools, Practical Creativity and Innovation in Systems Engineering offers a useful guide for creating a culture that promotes innovation.