J. Open Innov. Technol. Mark. Complex., Volume 1, Issue 1 (September 2015) – 14 articles

The era of knowledge-based urban development has led to an unprecedented increase in mobility of people and the subsequent growth in new typologies of agglomerated enclaves of knowledge such as knowledge and innovation spaces. Within this context, a new role has been assigned to contemporary public spaces to attract and retain the mobile knowledge workforce by creating a sense of place. This paper investigates place making in the globalized knowledge economy, which develops a sense of permanence spatio-temporally to knowledge workers displaying a set of particular characteristics and simultaneously is process-dependent getting developed by the internal and external flows and contributing substantially in the development of the broader context it stands in relation with. The paper reviews the literature and highlights observations from Kelvin Grove Urban Village, located in Australia’s new world city Brisbane, to understand the application of urban design as a vehicle to create and sustain place making in knowledge and innovation spaces. This research seeks to analyze the modified permeable typology of public spaces that makes knowledge and innovation spaces more viable and adaptive as per the changing needs of the contemporary globalized knowledge society. Full article

In the new form of Globalization of R&D, Multinational (MNEs) firms have established their R&D units in emerging Asian countries, particularly in India and China. In the 1980s MNEs located their R&D units in their country of origin and were very reluctant to go offshore beyond triad (USA, Western Europe and Japan). However, in the last decade there is a growing trend of MNEs going emerging markets such as India and China. Beside this, sourcing knowledge from globally dispersed knowledge hubs is also one of the major motives of this emerging trend. These foreign R&D centers have developed linkages with the other actors of the host economy to build their assets. This study has investigated the linkage patterns of foreign firms in India from an in-house developed database. The ICT sector is considered as a test case to investigate the linkages of foreign firms with the Indian entities. The study observed that most of the foreign firms are collaborating with the other foreign firms located in India. Next to the foreign firms, Indian firms are preferable compared to university or government research institutes. It shows that industry-academia linkages are quite weak in India. Foreign firms’ embededness with the local innovation system is only by linking with the local firms. Although, India has very strong government research laboratories, these are not playing important role in collaborating with the foreign firms. From the policy perspective, industry - academia linkages needs to be strengthened. MNEs enter markets such as India not only for potential markets and ‘cheap’ skilled human resources but also for knowledge and technology base emerging in the knowledge hubs of these countries. Also, most of the collaboration happens in peripheral (joint development) rather than core domain (joint R&D). Many of the firms are going for ‘Open Innovation’ mode to build up their assets in India. Full article

Background: The traditional economic models are increasingly perceived as weak in explaining the bubbles and crashes in financial markets and the associated crisis. Thus, especially after the global financial crisis in 2008, agent-based model (ABM) is getting an attention as an alternative approach for a better understanding of complex dynamics of financial market.
Methods: This paper develops an ABM to replicate financial instability, such as bubbles and crashes in asset markets, by introducing a simple idea of ‘heterogeneous expectation’ and ‘herding behavior’ by which agents in different groups have different expectations about a ‘tipping point’ where they expect the price to stop rising anymore but to begins to fall.
Results: It is shown that, when the agents have different expectations on the tipping point, the collapse of the price does not emerge automatically, and price fluctuations are often small and even some (seemingly) flat intervals appear. We also verify the impact of the herding behavior by dividing agents into several groups of varying sizes but with the same expectations. By changing the size of groups, we establish that the more agents share the same expectations about the tipping point, the higher volatility of the asset price emerges.
Conclusions: We confirm that bubble and burst of prices are more like to emerge when heterogeneous expectations about prices are combined with herding behavior among agents, so that agents in the same group share the similar expectations about the price changes. Full article

This paper develops an agent-based model(ABM) to replicate financial instability, such as bubbles and crashes in asset markets, by introducing a simple idea of ‘heterogeneous expectation’ by which agents have different expectations about a ‘tipping point’ where they expect the price to stop rising anymore but to begins to fall. An ABM in this paper also verifies the impact of the herding behavior by dividing agents into several groups of varying sizes but with the same expectations. By changing the size or the number of groups, it establishes that the more agents share the same expectations about the tipping point, the higher volatility of the asset price emerges. Full article

Platform business is often regarded as notable examples of successful businesses model in the mobile industry. The purpose of this study is to find the determinants of successful platform business, through the case study of KakaoTalk, a representative fast growing social platform in Korea. This study also discusses how to create a value proposition and how organizations using the platform can cooperate. The case analysis indicates that a preparation, spread, evolution (PSE) curve is a successful platform business evolution. The PSE curve is composed of three phases: a preparation phase that establishes the platform and sets the target group, a spread phase where the firm provides killer content, such as KakaoGame, a low pricing strategy, and reinforcement of the platform rules in the early stages of the platform; and an evolution phase where the platform continues to evolve. This study proposes a platform evolution pattern that involves the PSE curve in order to form successful platform. This study contributes to the innovation for social platform businesses. Full article

RFID applicants called as e-ID, smart tag, and contactless smart card are being applied to numerous areas in our daily life, including tracking manufactured goods, currency, and patients to payments systems. To review these various applications of RFID is important to exploring not only ongoing e-governance issues such as digital identification, delivery process, and governance but also business oriented application areas like supply chain. Through a systematic review methodology from 111 previous studies about RFID technology for public sector, we found six key areas of RFID applications: defense and security, identification, environmental applications, transportation, healthcare and welfare, and agriculture-livestock. We also suggest that the diffusion and applications of RFID can involve unexpected disadvantages including technological deficiency, uncertain benefits, dubious transparency, uncomfortable privacy issue, and unequal distribution of digital power and literacy. Further research on RFID impact includes not only various theoretical issues of but also legal and managerial problems. Rigorous research is required to explore what factors are critical to adopt and implement new RFID applications in terms of technology governance and digital literacy. Massive data driven research is also expected to identify RFID performance in government agencies and various industry sectors. Full article

This paper combines three location-based cases with literature background focusing on knowledge bases and cities. The paper considers the regional context of the city of Helsinki and its surrounding area (HMA). Analyzed cases include three specific locations highlighting urban form, connectivity and knowledge-intensive production. Conceptually innovative cities are experiencing extensive change as they transform and change in order to become competitive providers of first class living for highly skilled global work-force. The integration of spatial characteristics into analyses of knowledge intensiveness of cities brings forth new theoretical openings for urban analysis setting platforms for open innovation and economy. The paper focuses on extensive material resources collected in numerous projects. The data gives more reliable picture of the knowledge-intensive locations compared to single interviews or survey studies. The total data includes work and education statistics, stakeholder interviews and observation field work. Provided reflections are classified according to key issues presented in urban studies and economic geography. Full article

This study highlights the contribution of the role of social media in supporting customer involvement for service innovation.
It is commonplace that many service firms and processes have characteristics that differ from manufacturing. Analyzing the literature, we note that there are many contributions on innovation in the manufacturing industry while few researches are concentrated on the service industry. Hence, we chose to deepen the analysis on marketing innovation, with specific reference to the involvement of the customer, through social media, in service firms.
One of the key aspects of many service activities is the high involvement of the client/customer/user in the production of the final service. Without this coproduction process (i.e. interactivity of service production), the service would have often not been created. This customer involvement, together with the intangibility of many service products, leads service innovation to assume characteristics that are different from those learned by studies on manufacturing innovation. Service innovation is hard to capture in traditional categories like product or process innovation: the coproduction process and the interactions between the service provider and his client originate from so many touch points that it becomes difficult to identify what is the focus of innovation in service firms.
Hence, the focus is on the role of innovation in marketing activities in favoring the customer’s involvement in the service creation process through web tools, stimulating a closer relationship between the firm and its customers.
The study develops into the following steps: we start from the objectives and the definition of the research question through the study of the literature; we try to find some assumptions that can be useful to analyze the selected case studies. Results help us to discuss the analysis and to get to some conclusions. Full article

The purpose of this study is to present the rationale and empirical evidence as to whether the characteristics of chief executive officer (CEO), such as entrepreneurship, social responsibility (perception), and social capital, at public art performance centers have effect on management outcomes, and to find if quality management activities have significant effects on business performance. The analysis was carried out with the structural equation model by using the survey data on 98 CEOs at public art performance centers. After the analysis, it was shown that the entrepreneurship, social responsibility (perception), and social capital have positive (+) effects on quality management activities, and quality management activities have positive (+) effects on business performances (market performance, financial performance). Therefore, as the local cultural center, the public art performance centers should take social responsibility and role, while being financially productive through effective operation. Furthermore, CEO of public art performance centers should have expertise in the fields of art and performances, productions, and advertising. For the management and enhancement, entrepreneurship and broad social network is also necessary. Full article

Background: The circulation of information through the Internet allows us to promptly and conveniently deliver information. However, it is also causing a simultaneous occurrence of digital information gap and cultural lag phenomena. The gap in the ability to freely access and use Web site contents using the Internet is affecting not only the digital information gap, it also affects the competitiveness of individuals. In Korea, pursuant to Article 21 of the “Act on the Prohibition of the Discrimination against the Disabled and the Relief of their Rights” and Article 14 of its enforcement ordinances enforced from 2008, Web-accessibility compliance for each agency has been gradually made mandatory. Even if a Web-accessibility certification mark has been obtained, some Web sites are involved in legal disputes because of their violation of the Anti-Discrimination Act for the Disabled, which has been recently enforced.
Methods: This study examines the actual situation of the compliance by conducting web accessibility assessment. 25 websites among the Korean public institutions in the science and technology field were selected and were assessed manually according to KWCAG 2.0.
Results: According to experts assessments using web accessibility requirement of KWCAG 2.0, 'Perceivable' shows the highest compliance rate (68 %). 'Operable,' 'understandable,' or 'Robust' shows the compliance rates of 64.5 %, 59.2 %, and 28.0 % respectively.
Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, some suggestions are presented to improve web accessibility compliance of the sites that received a web-accessibility certification mark from the National Information Society Agency in Korea. Full article

Background: The purpose of this paper was to explore the impact of brand variables such as brand awareness, brand loyalty, brand attachment, and perceived brand quality on compulsive buying behavior.
Methods: A self-administered questionnaire, containing demographic items and items related to compulsive buying, brand awareness, brand loyalty, brand attachment and perceived quality, was used to collect data.
Results: Participants were 269 US university students at a large mid-western university (138 men, 131 women; mean age = 21.96). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test and MANOVA/ANOVA. Reliability of all scales was acceptable. In the current study, 18 % of the participants were classified as compulsive buyers. Women showed higher compulsive buying tendency than men. Participants with greater compulsive buying tendency scored higher on brand attachment and brand loyalty and lower on brand awareness; there was no difference in scores on perceived brand quality.
Conclusions: Results support that brand variables such as brand awareness, brand loyalty, and brand attachment are related to compulsive buying behavior. New perceptions and implications for both academicians and practitioners are provided. Full article

Background: In the marketing literatures, “articulation of demand” is quoted as an important competency of market-driving firms. In this paper, therefore, I will demonstrate how the concept of “demand articulation” was effective in formulating corporate policies for technology and market development, and also in government policies for accelerating the commercialization process of emerging technologies.
Methods: In order to comprehend empirically what really means “demand articulation”, i.e., how “market-driving” is different from “market-driven,” we conducted a quantitative analysis of market growth paths in three different kinds of product categories.
Results: We came to the arguments of “business model” creation, which will bring the concept of “demand articulation” into a reality under an emerging business environment of open innovation.
Conclusions: In order for the concept of “open innovation” to be effective, the accumulation and advanced utilization of big-data is an absolute necessity. In other words, the combination of business model creation, accompanied by the accumulation of big data and its advanced utilization, can make the arguments of market-driving more plausible, and make the accuracy of demand articulation more enhanced. As far as business model itself is concerned, the experimentation and simulation of alternative business models becomes possible with the sheer existence of big-data. These are necessary conditions for IoT (Internet of Things) to be brought into a reality. Full article

This paper focuses on the climate change challenge faced by Central & Eastern European countries both those inside the European Union and those outside it. They have enormous energy intensity and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mainly from energy production, which is oil, and worse, coal-fired power stations. As a group of blocs, CEE is a significant actor on the global climate change canvas. Their actions can make a difference. But there are numerous regulatory constraints that make this currently difficult. With the onset of a new global regime consequent on the renegotiation of acceptable levels of GHG emissions at Bali in 2007, to be ratified in Copenhagen in 2009, all countries with levels such a those in CEE will have to reduce emissions significantly as will countries throughout the world, especially the ‘big burners’ like USA and China. With some data and textured case illustrations the article points the way to mitigation of emissions by learning from Denmark, the world leader as a ‘green economy’ and Wales, part of the UK which has a long established heavy industry tradition comparable to many CEE countries and where positive change is underway from unlikely sources. Full article