Services, Economy and Innovation series – serie

There is a growing trend toward innovation in public services, and the integration of public and private entities in their delivery. This book aims to improve the ability to innovate successfully in large-scale public/private endeavors.The authors develop an underpinning theory of innovation, and extend it to address key issues in public/private collaboration. As an example, they explore the subject of independent living for seniors and persons with disabilities across four countries - the US, UK, Norway and Japan. The resulting model provides a vehicle for all major stakeholders to better understand the dynamics of innovation, which will in turn offer the opportunity to improve performance and successful adoption.This book will provide useful insight for students of innovation, public service planning and delivery, and health and social services. In addition, the original opinion research on residents of the four countries will prove interesting for students of sociology and medical anthropology.

Research Methods in Service Innovation provides an essential methodological toolbox for researchers, students and practitioners interested in better understanding innovation and improving innovation processes in service organisations. Each chapter presents a specific method, introduces its theoretical foundations, explains its practical application, and provides examples and suggestions for its implementation. The methods described include original and innovative methodological approaches, such as technology-oriented scenario analysis, experiments and laddering, as well as critical incident techniques, social network analysis, blogs, visual techniques, narratives and future workshops. Together, the chapters encourage readers to understand service innovation research as a process that requires creative methodological thinking. The book adapts various methods and processes from different areas of research, and evaluates their strengths, limitations and possible applications in specific areas of service innovation. Researchers and academics will find this collection to be an essential state-of-the-art resource for research in the fields of service innovation and innovation in general. The book will also appeal to practitioners and consultants dealing with both public and private service organisations.Contributors include: C. Forder, L. Fuglsang, N.N. Grünbaum, A.V. Hansen, F. Lapenta, J.K. Møller, A.R. Olesen, A. Scupola, F. Sørensen, J. Sundbo

Consumers are increasingly looking to invest in experiences rather than simply a product. With innovation research moving away from the traditional focus on manufacturing towards services, this book develops a much-needed integrated approach for improving analysis of both experience and service innovation.This impressive book makes a substantial and compelling contribution to research on the interdependencies between innovation, services and experiences. Split into clear and thematically separate categories, the contributors explore systemic innovation, practice-based innovation, technology and innovation, and experiences as a catalyst for innovation. Examples are taken from the tourism industry, entrepreneurial ventures, online gaming and digital services, to provide readers with a thorough overview of the extensive impact of these innovations. Using organizational, systemic, conceptual and empirical examinations of the experience and service economies, the authors identify how top class innovation research can be extended and integrated further with other research areas.Presenting a state-of-the-art analysis of the topic, this timely book will benefit teachers of innovation, the experience economy, and information systems. Researchers of business economics, and marketing will also find this an essential foundation volume for future research on topics of innovation in a globalizing world. Contributors include: J.O. Bærenholdt, C.A. Billing, J.R. Bryson, P. Corvo, P. den Hertog, F. Djellal, L. Fuglsang, F. Gallouj, N.N. Grünbaum, M. Janssen, J.F. Jensen, M.-F. Lee, R. Matacena, I. Miles, J.K. Møller, G. Nardelli, L. Rubalcaba, K. Sawatwarakul, A. Scupola, F. Sørensen, J.K. Sørensen, M. Stenger, M. Toivonen, L. Uljala

This timely book proposes a new perspective on building innovation in companies providing business services. Implementing an innovation orientation paradigm based on six pillars - strategy, organisational culture, human resources, structure and process, marketing, and technology - it sets out a framework for achieving innovation through knowledge management. Offering practical suggestions for knowledge management, the book proposes a measurement tool of innovation orientation, highlighting the key challenges faced by companies providing business services and how a new, innovation-oriented paradigm can meet these challenges. Chapters provide a comprehensive analysis of service companies, illustrating a methodology by which these companies can gain a competitive advantage. Proposing theoretical insights for managing business services, this unique and state-of-the-art book will be of interest to international researchers of innovation and knowledge management, as it indicates potential paths for future research in these areas. Business managers and other practitioners will also benefit from this book’s practical guidance in the role of innovation orientation in managing a knowledge-based service company.

This valuable new book contributes greatly to a better understanding of the service economy. By exploring the key dimensions, available empirical evidence and associated policy implications, the author comprehensively investigates the new challenges facing the global economy, including employment, productivity, innovation and competitiveness. The case of the European services is highlighted, particularly in comparison to the US.On the basis of these challenges, the book examines the existing and potential services-related policies at the EU level, incorporating discussions on regulation, competition policy, internal markets and regional policies. The book argues that the orientation of many of these policies is still in its incipient stages and there is much to be done in terms of scope, definition, coordination and shaping to satisfy the needs and varied nature of heterogeneous services. To have a strong and integrated services market in the EU remains as a major policy objective requiring new impetus and political ambition in order to succeed.This is a unique work combining new evidence on the service economy and a full range of policy implications at the EU level. As such it will be of interest to researchers and policymakers, professionals in service firms, students in international business and those interested in services as a dimension of any economic and business activity.