In the appendices (only available in the web version please look at www. vinnova. se) there is a presentation of the methodological approach that has governed the work processes.
and also used IT-tools such as Linkedin (www. linkedin. com) and Projectplace (www. projectplace. com) in order to facilitate collaboration.
IPF has invited also experts from European innovation support agencies to participate in peer review panels and as hosts for peer reviews.
and Linkedin) in order to extend meeting formats and facilitate communication and networking beyond physical meetings. Some of the more important conclusions and lessons learned using this approach have been the following:
The lesson learned is that IT tools need active promotion and support at participants'sites,
task forces and facilitate social networks etc. Without this champion organisation, any effort will not be sustainable. 4 Summary of the findings from IPF IMPROVING INNOVATION SUPPORT TO SMES 13 4. 2 Tool Set in order to support the methodology
organisations may exchange data on performance or improve their internal processes. It may however be easier to implement the model for a programme or a subset of an agency's operations.
which stimulates public organisations to post their challenges on to a website that facilitates crowd sourcing of solutions.
This site gathers and brings forward challenges that different government agencies have in one place. Through this site it has been possible to reach a broader audience as compared to their normal speaking partners.
This has resulted in new ideas and actors coming in touch with the government. To stimulate demand on innovation is broader than public procurement
like the Swedish regulatory changes that allowed employers to provide their employees with cheap PCS which in turn drove demand of broadband and Internet services.
and ii) a computer or web interface, linking sites, searches and application forms together. Mentoring type service delivery
Broadband coverage is limited, precluding the use of data-heavy websites. Limited numbers of sectors or limited number of companies are to be helped.
Computer or web interfaces on the other hand are relatively cheap to run but still need staff to update links
and cooperate with other funding agencies. The codification of human knowledge into such an intelligent search system automates human skills and expertise,
Computer or web interfaces are suited in the following circumstances when: Clients are computer and internet savvy.
Access to broadband services are widespread. Clients that are sophisticated more require funding and limited advice rather than handholding, in depth reviews and advice on improving performance.
An interesting example is the Enterprise One scheme run by SPRING Singapore that gathers support on a web
Host and manage a public online forum for discussions, like Linkedin group Innovation Policy Forum.
and implement the‘Coding across the curriculum'programme to enhance computer programming skills across the curriculum;
and further funding for National Highway Upgrades, Black Spots and Roads to Recovery programmes. Provided a concessional loan of up to $2 billion to the New south wales Government to accelerate the delivery of stage two of the Westconnex motorway project in Sydney.
Alibaba, a Chinese online sales company, is now larger than Amazon and ebay combined, and still growing (Osawa et al, 2014).
The growth of emerging Asia Data Source: Au-Yeung et al, 2013.0510 15 20 25 30 05 10 15 20 25 301985 1995 2005 2015 2025 Per cent of world output
Data Source: Au-Yeung et al, 2013. TPO00007 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda Industry Competitiveness 4 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda and cheaper, disrupting some established patterns of trade
For example, improved telecommunications has created a new market for remote medical and telehealth services, such as the delivery of clinical services through videoconferencing and remote monitoring of health conditions.
Advances in technology have made also it possible to coordinate complex production processes across borders (Elms & Low, 2013.
Average years of formal schooling Data Source: IIASA and VID, 2008. TPO00007 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda Industry Competitiveness THE CASE FOR REFORM 5 The changing global economic landscape presents Australian businesses with some great opportunities.
The emergence of global technology-based giants like Google and the different models of business they bring,
Deflated by Consumer price index Data Sources: ABS, 2014b; 2014e. TPO00007 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda Industry Competitiveness THE CASE FOR REFORM 7 also has an abundance of agricultural land spanning tropical,
Deflated by Consumer price index Data Sources: ABS, 2014d; ABS, 2014e. -10-5 0510 15 20 25 30 35-10-505 10 15 20 25 30 35-3-2-1 0
Terms of trade booms and inflation Data Sources: ABS, 2014c; RBA, 2014b; RBA, 2014c. TPO00007 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda Industry Competitiveness 8 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda of the business services, construction,
Some future growth sectors Deloitte (a) Pwc (b) IBIS World (c) Outlook Economics (d) Mckinsey (e) Gas Food & beverage processing Pharmaceuticals, biotech & medical
d) Outlook Economics (2014, unpublished), AUS-M. Distribution services includes wholesale and retail trade, transport,
(or the accompanying changes and disruptions to existing business models brought by the internet). Nor could many have confidently foretold the extent of China's spectacular recent growth and its soaring demand for minerals and energy.
The systems also eliminate the need for multiple data entry and many of the errors present in manual systems.
Reflecting the highly skilled, innovative nature of the Australian economy, professional, scientific and technical industries accounted for more than 7 per cent of value add in 2011-12 (Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency, 2013.
) Canada is promoting competition in the telecommunications sector, including by capping wholesale domestic roaming rates to prevent wireless providers from charging other companies more than they charge their own customers (Government of Canada, 2014).
In some cases this debt financed critical infrastructure, like upgrades to the Pacific Highway in NSW.
Data Source: ABS, 2014j. TPO00007 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda Industry Competitiveness 18 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda The Government is taking a comprehensive approach to economic reform The Government's Economic Action
construction-related items such as formwork and scaffolding, windows and concrete wall panels; and a range of other building-related products.
Examples of unnecessary divergence from international standards can be submitted at the cuttingredtape. gov. au website.
The OECD has suggested that the Australian economy would benefit from a shift toward less mobile
and business to purchase insurance products or move locations. whether coverage by a single national scheme may be more competitive than their existing coverage under multiple schemes.
Data source: KPMG, 2014.0510 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 05 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Hong kong SAR
sells, implements and supports financial services software globally. The firm's applications and consulting services help to administer financial products for the investment, superannuation, pensions, life insurance and private wealth industries.
and its software is used to manage more than A$2. 5 trillion in assets. Further proposals Proposal 8:
and its capacity to focus on core functions rather than red tape, can be improved. We rank well on teaching, research and citations,
science and computing in schools The Chief Scientist has identified a critical need for learning resources that will engage students in mathematics,
Building on these maths education programmes, the Government will provide a further $3. 5 million to encourage the introduction of computer coding across different year levels in Australian schools.‘
which consistently emphasises a looming acute shortage of computer programming skills. It is anticipated that a consortia of organisations with appropriate professional capacity
Students will undertake regular high school curriculum subjects alongside technical subjects such as computer programming, graphics, logic and problem solving.
including through considering options to improve data collection and information sharing between key VET stakeholders,
and intimidation, including those relating to the Myer Emporium site in August 2012, the Little Creatures brewery site in Geelong in late 2012,
Subscribers to broadband internet grew thirteen-fold from 2003-04 to 2011-12 and mobile phone users almost doubled (BITRE, 2013b;
and regulatory regimes that ensure the benefits of low cost distribution via the internet are passed on to businesses and consumers.
Northern territory road upgrades; $229 million in a National Highway Upgrade Programme; additional funding of $200 million for the Black Spot Programme;
and an additional $350 million for the Roads to Recovery Programme. The package further includes $2. 9 billion towards the ten-year,
The Government will examine further investments and upgrades to the national rail network where appropriate.
$75 million for the next stage of upgrades to the Port Botany Rail line in Sydney; $38 million to the Melbourne Metropolitan Intermodal System;
The Government is providing $100 million for the Mobile Black Spot Programme to improve mobile coverage in regional Australia
and stimulate competition by rolling out new mobile base stations. The Government is committed also to starting the detailed planning necessary to build new dams to ensure water security for communities and industries.
Infrastructure for the future The Government has confirmed Badgerys Creek will be the site of Western Sydney's much-needed future airport.
Founder and Director, Penny Street, says‘being the first audio tour company in India didn't mean we enjoyed instant success'.The company researched the country's most visited sites
Delivered through an improved business. gov. au website and hotline, the new Single Business Service will enable businesses of all sizes to efficiently find the information
Firms collaborating with research institutions Data source: OECD, 2013.020 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 Finland (1) Slovenia (2) Austria (3) Hungary (4
Crowd-sourced equity funding The internet has facilitated the development of new fund raising markets which can turn clever ideas into new businesses.
and advanced activities such as software development and business consulting. Successful entrepreneurs often start small and then grow their businesses.
The Government will use the cuttingredtape. gov. au website to invite submissions to identify examples of divergence from international standards.
) Airport traffic data 1985 to 2013. Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. Canberra: Commonwealth of australia.
) Gov. Malloy Announces Collaboration with IBM to Launch State's First P-Tech Model School in Norwalk.
Analysis of China's food demand to 2050, conference paper, 44th ABARES Outlook conference. Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences.
OECD Tax Database. Retrieved July 2014, from OECD: http://www. oecd. org/tax/tax-policy/tax-database. htm#C corporatecaptial OECD, ILO, IMF and World bank Group.
March 2014. Achieving stronger growth by promoting a more gender-balanced economy. OECD, ILO, IMF and World bank Group.
http://online. wsj. com/news articles/SB1000 1424052702303887804579501411932558776 Outlook Economics. 2014 unpublished. Aus-M. Canberra: Outloook Economics.
The Conference Board Total Economy Database. Retrieved May 2014, from The Conference Board Total Economy Database:
http://www. conference-board. org/data/economydatabase/Times Higher education. 2014, October. Times Higher education World University rankings 2014-15.
Retrieved October 2014, from http://www. timeshighereducation. co. uk/worlduniversity-rankings/2014-15/world-ranking Toohey, T. 2013, March 9).
National Accounts Main Aggregates Database. Retrieved May 2014, from National Accounts Main Aggregates Database: https://unstats. un. org/unsd/snaama/Introduction. asp United nations.
2014, March 25. United nations Conference on Trade and Development Statistics. Retrieved May 2014, from United nations Conference on Trade and Development:
Report of the Expert Panel. Canberra: Commonwealth of australia. World bank. 2014a). ) World bank Data. Retrieved August 2014, from Gross capital formation(%of GDP:
http://data. worldbank. org/indicator/NE. GDI. TOTL. ZS World bank. 2014b). ) World Development Indicators. Retrieved May 2014,
from World Development Indicators-Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products(%)%http://data. worldbank. org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators World Economic Forum.
2010). ) The Global Competitiveness Report: 2010-11. Geneva: World Economic Forum. World Economic Forum. 2011).
and Cabinet website (see http://www. dpmc. gov. au/guidelines/)./TPO00007 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda Industry Competitiveness 108 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda TPO00007 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda Industry Competitiveness 112
and increased use of public data Strengthen the municipal sector as a service provider Increase competency on how public procurements can contribute to innovation
innovative solutions, among other things, electronic signatures Strengthen the public R&d contract scheme, with a particular focus on the promotion of innovation in the social care sector Aim at strengthening clinical testing units for trial of new medicines Innovation in the publ ic sector 21 The road
publikasjonsbestilling@dss. dep. no Fax:++47 22 24 27 86 The publication is also available online at www. nhd. no Publication number:
The guide is available as a web-based system, a CD and a handbook. We wish you success in working
191 9. 3. Competencies of internet presentation and research...198 10. Human resources management policies to support innovation...
and interaction between firms and other actors is replaced by the current social network theory of innovation,
A list of UK University websites can be accessed via the Higher education Funding Council for England http://www. hefce. ac. uk/.In South East England for example the Cranfield School of management offers individual
There are also search engines that help to find courses, for example the Course Locator (there is a charge) http://www. thecourselocator. co. uk/.Innovation Support Agencies and Programmes Department for Trade and Industry:
This website http://www. innovation. gov. uk/supports business in managing and thinking about innovation.
It provides links to other sites and practical support resources. Department for Trade and Industry:
This website http://www. ktponline. org. uk/provides details for the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme,
This website http://www. seeda. co. uk/supports high growth businesses in the South East England region, especially through their network of Enterprise Hubs and Enterprise Gateways.
This website www. ost. gov. uk/science links. htm provides good links related to innovation. Innovation Policies The british Library holds an innovation policy bimonthly newsletter http://www. innovationpolicy. co. uk/which states:
/The HM Treasury website sets out the UK ten-year investment framework for science and innovation alongside the 2004 Spending Review.
Innovations in the working place page 9 of 271 Also the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) monitors and benchmarks Member country technology and innovation policies and assesses their impact
Actually in some sectors such as the computer sector, technological devaluation of the products occurs within a few months.
Collecting general company data Shaping company technology profile Performing SWOT analysis Identifying technological areas for further analysis Technology Audit Tool consists of two
Three bond issues since 1997 funded the installation or modernisation of their Wide area network, structured cabling, data network, video network and computers.
The district was seeking a health check of their technology systems for hardware, software and network infrastructure as well as IT policies, procedures and organisational structure.
, Brian, Managing Technological Innovation, Pitman Publishing, 1992 Internet sites Analytical information about technology audit http://www. access-ecom. info/article. cfm?
id=63&xid=MN Brief information about what technology audit is Madrimasd. org Technology audit methodology and a case example http://www. oxin. co. uk/downloads/taudit
Exploratory, followed by data collection. Detailed, followed by a focused analysis. Gathering information on Strengths
Experience, knowledge, data? Financial reserves, likely returns? Marketing-reach, distribution, awareness? Innovative aspects? Location and geographical?
Effects on core activities, distraction? Reliability of data, plan predictability? Moral, commitment, leadership? Accreditations, etc?
Processes and systems, etc? Management cover, succession? Opportunities Market developments? Competitors'vulnerabilities? Industry or lifestyle trends?
Integration Customer Requirements into Product Design, Productivity Press, Portland Oregon, 1988 Internet sites General address of the University of arizona with a useful file about SWOT analysis http
which explains the structured way to plan SWOT analysis http://www. amputee-coalition. org/communicator/vol2no4pg1. html Panasia networking website contains an interesting site for SWOT analysis http
specifications testing, behavioural testing, data-driven testing, functional testing, and input/output-driven testing. In general, every combination of input and output would require an inordinate number of test cases.
The principle of the generation of equivalence classes is to group all input data of a program into a finite number of equivalence classes so it can be assumed that with any representative of a class it is possible to detect the same errors as with any other representative of this class.
Analysis of the input data requirements, the output data requirements, and the conditions according to the specifications Definition of the equivalence classes by setting up the ranges for input and output data Definition of the test cases by means of selecting values for each class"Innosupport:
Suppose the specifications for a database product state that the product must be able to handle any number of records from 1 through to 16,383.
Testing the database product then requires that one test class from each equivalence class be selected. A successful test case is one that detects a previously undetected fault.
Thus, when testing the database product, the following cases should be selected: Test case 1: 0 records Member of equivalence class 1 and adjacent to boundary value Test case 2 1 record Boundary value Test case 3 2 records
form of black-box testing is to base the test data on the functionality of the module.
Institute, Columbus, Ohio, August 1958 Zwicky, F.,Discovery, Invention, Research, First American Edition, The Mac millan Co, 1969, pp107 Internet sites In this address
you can find a Black box program to use a genetic algorithm that helps optimise your problems http://fdtd. rice. edu/GA/Elementary Method"Black box Test case Design"(BBTD) http://www. informatik. uni
Finally, the symbolic flowchart is verified for accuracy and dated. 2. The facilitator displays a set of standard process analysis questions.
Resources Bibliography Walter J. Michalski, Ed. D.,"Tool Navigator",Productivity Press-Portland, Oregon Internet sites This is the part of the general address Principia Cybernetica Web
formulate ideas without changing very much the initial data of the problem. prefer to do things differently;
Measures, design and development After analysing the data together with the leadership, Bright side has developed an individual development process
Software tools to hold a brainstorming session. Conceptdraw MINDMAP, Conceptual Map software. Brainstorming forms The forms of brainstorming are:
classical brainstorming and advanced brainstorming Classical Brainstorming is the brainstorming until now discussed. Advanced brainstorming is a better brainstorming session
Brainstorming software tools: brainstorming toolbox, software to generate conceptual maps; Creative thinking techniques: random word technique, random picture technique, False Rules technique, scamper method, analogies, role play, Alexander technique more info.
Conclusions Brainstorming is not the only method to generate ideas. However, brainstorming is the first and simplest of these methods.
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-4. 2. Brainstorming page 53 of 271 4. 2. 5. Resources Internet sites http://www. mindtools. com/brainstm. html http:/
. uk/tutorials/creativethinkingcontents. html http://www. conceptdraw. com/en/products/mindmap/ap-creative-thinking. php http://www. brainstorming. co. uk/tutorials
4. 3. 5. Resources Downloads: form for applying method 635 (PDF, 7kb) 10 steps for applying method 635 (PDF, 11kb) Literature:
Vogel-Verlag Würzburg, 1992 If you use a search machine like google and search under methode 635,
Most websites present more or less the same information about the method, sometimes with slight modifications like:
There is a whole scientific discipline dealing with this topic-BIONICS. There are lots of problems we are trying to solve which animals
which has to be solved Knowledge about available sources of knowledge-databases, experts-and abilities to use them"Innosupport:
This technique is used nowadays for cleaning big stables A lot of examples of how analogical thinking is applied can be studied on the internet
especially from the field of BIONICS, the transfer of systems from nature to human needs and solutions, e g. http://www. bionicdolphin. com/tom/source/tarcodesigns. html (a water scooter using dolphins as a model
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-4. 4. Analogical Reasoning page 64 of 271 (Useful article about how to use databases for analogical reasoning:
Special databases have been set up to support searching for useful analogies. download PDF"Innosupport: Supporting Innovation in SMES"-4. 5. Attribute Listing page 65 of 271 4. 5. Attribute Listing Introduction Imagine that the General manager of a big company has invited you to a business meeting at the Hilton Hotel.
You are waiting at the entrance looking for a big Mercedes. Suddenly, a cyclist riding a mountain bike with a rucksack on his shoulder appears.
The core idea is to forget everything we have learnt and retained when thinking about a possible solution. o We will have to break up an existing product,
Why not apply an installation within the loudspeaker system of the computer of the person for whom you would leave the message and
when switching on the computer? By the way, why does need she/he a switch to switch the computer on (mechanically?
Couldn't it be an optical, acoustical, chemical or biological starter? Oh yes, a biological starter!
My fingerprint to start the computer! So many passwords always changing which is often the problem no problem anymore with login or stolen passwords with my unique and never changing fingerprint,
The website offers a well-structured overview on different creative techniques, illustrated with examples. Easy to read
and useful to get further information about the subject from another perspective. http://kaufwas. com/bk/wissen/kreativ/42. htm (German) Interesting website,"Robert Alan Black
The site also contains articles and creative thinking exercises. http://www. cre8ng. com/CC/cc1998/9804. shtml (English)" Innosupport:
New systems such as intranets, documents management systems, collaboration systems and databases constitute a vital factor,
etc. 4. 6. 5. Case study Golden West Foods Improved site management methods help meet growing demand Brief Golden West Foods operates the UK warehousing and delivery
I t and MMT researched site management methods and transport services to identify best practice, which all staff should use.
Email: Email is the simplest and one of the most effective technologies for sharing knowledge at a distance.
Threaded discussions on in-house email systems or on the Internet are a great way for a community of practice to raise questions
and exchange solutions. Intranet: An Intranet can act as a universally accessible corporate filing system for the knowledge of the organisation.
However it needs to be seen as a filing and sharing tool, not as a set of glossy pages designed to impress.
Structure the Intranet around the key activities of the organisation, and make sure that publishing material is easy and quick.
Communication tools: There are many electronic communication tools, which can help build networks within your organisation. For example the chat room software"msn messenger"(free from Microsoft) can be very powerful in allowing people in remote sites to have online conversations.
Collaboration tools: Videoconferencing systems are a very powerful way of bringing remote sites together, but are expensive.
Microsoft Net meeting-another free software application-is a simpler alternative. Video: One of the best ways to transfer knowledge is through the use of stories.
This is even more powerful if the people with the knowledge are allowed to tell the stories in their own words.
A picture tells a thousand words, and a moving picture tells them movingly, so consider the use of video to capture
For more information, visit http://www. ktransform. com/.Internet Sites http://www. knowledgeboard. com/Knowledgeboard,
For example, computer-services company EDS has instituted a fellows program to recognize innovative individuals who can serve as mentors for aspiring innovators in the company.
1. Customer survey 2. Internet-based research 3. Approach web developers for quotes The customer survey consisted of a small questionnaire
The questionnaire asked customers to answer a few questions regarding their use of the Internet and whether they would find it useful
The Internet-based research basically looked at web pages of bookshops of comparable size and nature,
Also, a number of web developers were approached and quotes were obtained. These quotes included a number of options
These points included the cost, results from the customer survey (e g. the number of customers with Internet access, the number of customers interested in a Magic Books website, etc..
and increase in turnover brought by the website in the long term. Based on this information, Magic Books decided that getting a webpage was an investment,
However, it was decided to have a webpage with information and a possibility to email Magic Books,
and use an Advantage/Disadvantage Table in order to compare the two current flat panel television technologies.
Criteria Plasma LCD Advantage Disadvantage Advantage Disadvantage Contrast v v Viewing Angle v v Thickness v v Screen Refresh Rates v
5 v 5 Screen Refresh Rates 0. 1 v 10 v 10 Burn-in 0. 1 v 10 v 10 Longevity 0
though, the Plasma screen actually obtained a better score. When using weighting, the total sum of the weights applied has to amount to 1. This ensures that the distribution of the weights is applied correctly and consistently.
in order to describe the physical and electrical condition of a radio. http://www. mit. edu/jcb/xmas-light-rating. html-this page shows how to assess Christmas light displays using a point rating system. http://www. sethkahan
which runs an annual benchmarking process comparing refineries and gas sites. This process looks at different areas, such as health and safety, environmental performance, personnel,
This should include the performance measures, a programme of visits, the method of data collection, etc.
Collect the necessary data, according to the agreement. The collection of data could be achieved through observation, conversations with people involved, gathering of documents, etc.
The gathered information needs to be processed and analysed. The analysis of the information should stress the comparison between the two organisations.
and provided relevant data over a period of time, at the end of which there was a meeting between the three companies.
At this meeting the collected data was analysed which was used later to produce a report, specifying the different approaches and methods applied in each company.
as well as a database of Good Practices the Office of Government Commerce provides information and a checklist on benchmarking http://www. benchnet. com/-Benchnet is a benchmarking and best practices network,
and organisations to successfully develop new products or upgrade existing ones through a series of logical steps, starting from the process of idea generation and ending at the launch of the product into a market.
Product Engineering where product plans are transformed into blueprints or CAD-drawings then into prototypes and ultimately into real parts and components.
EMP packages hardware and software into one product which monitors all energy inputs and costs, providing instant access to information on energy usage, power quality, billing
Managers can have access to volumes of data but still lack quality information about one of their most critical operating costs their energy consumption levels.
"After initial discussions the product development environment at ENERGEX was reviewed. This involved structured interviews with both the users and customers of the current product development process.
This team represented all functional groups in the product development environment. ENERGEX has seen that process development by an empowered crossfunctional team is crucial to long-term project success. Such teams must have the authority to make real decisions as well as the personal backing of the senior management team.
and the core process development team should not just represent one functional group otherwise process buy in will be affected adversely.
rapid prototyping (RP) refers to a class of technologies that can automatically construct physical models from Computer-aided design (CAD) data.
These"three dimensional printers"allow designers to quickly create tangible prototypes of their designs, rather than just two-dimensional pictures.
design & engineering, R & D, consumer products, electronics, aerospace, automotive, robotics, appliances, telecommunications, orthopaedics, healthcare, dental, foundry, oil & gas, petrochemical, toys
the techniques are referred often collectively to as solid free-form fabrication, computer automated manufacturing, or layered manufacturing.
A software package"slices"the CAD model into a number of thin (0. 1 mm) layers,
1. Create a CAD model of the design 2. Convert the CAD model to STL format 3. Slice the STL file into thin cross-sectional layers 4. Construct the model one
layer atop another 5. Clean and finish the model CAD Model Creation: First, the object to be built is modeled using a Computer-aided design (CAD) software package.
Solid modelers, such as Pro/ENGINEER, tend to represent 3-D objects more accurately than wire-frame modelers such as Autocad,
The designer can use a preexisting CAD file or may wish to create one expressly for prototyping purposes.
The various CAD packages use a number of different algorithms to represent solid objects. To establish consistency, the STL (stereolithography,
therefore, is to convert the CAD file into STL format. This format represents a three-dimensional surface as an"Innosupport:
so the designer must balance accuracy with manageablility to produce a useful STL file. Since the. stl format is universal,
The preprocessing software slices the STL model into a number of layers from 0. 01 mm to 0. 7 mm thick,
Each PR machine manufacturer supplies their own proprietary preprocessing software. Layer by Layer Construction: The fourth step is the actual construction of the part.
Baxi sent its CAD files to the AMSYS Sunderland sintering facility by e-mail. Once these had been received, it took only a few days to produce the prototypes (as opposed to three weeks using a traditional model maker.
Instead designs will be downloaded from CAD and sent direct to the bureau, saving time and money in the process."
and consider how data is to be captured. Different testing methods will have different objectives, approaches and types of modelling.
Monitor the potential threat levels posed by competitive products to understand competitive strengths and weaknesses.
Monitor product quality from different factories, through different channels of distribution, and from year to year.
For example, computer software can be tested furniture can be tested, store environments can be tested, dog food can be tested,
Data collection will tend to be qualitative based on observation, interview and discussion with the target audience.
Data will typically be qualitative and based on observation, discussion and structured interview. The study should aim to understand why users respond in the way that they do to the concept.
Data from a validation test is likely to be quantitative, based on measurement of performance. Normally, this is carried out against some benchmark of expected performance.
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-6. 2. Rapid prototyping & Product Testing Strategies page 125 of 271 scored in terms of speed, accuracy or rate of use,
Data should also be recorded formally, with any failures to comply with expected performance logged and appropriate corrective action determined.
Comparison testing could include the capturing of both performance and preference data for each solution.
every year we receive a report from the SAMAR company that monitors the automotive market in Poland.
The units are measured carefully and CAD drawings produced. The aim is to achieve as close a shape to the original as possible.
and CAD drawings made. Prototypes of the new design are made and these are tested thoroughly, both for their physical dimensions but also their acoustic properties.
and batch tested for dimensional accuracy and its acoustic parameters. If high volumes of a particular model are ordered,
Inc (http://www. decisionanalyst. com/)Links This site has been developed as a resource for the Good Design Practice program, a joint initiative between the Institute for Manufacturing and the Engineering Design Centre at the University of Cambridge,
It should be stated that most production strategies are supported by sophisticated software programmes such as MRP, MRPII, ERP, etc.
The current system for inventory and scheduling tyre-building machines used a basic Excel spreadsheet that was in use for some time
The spreadsheet was handfed data from manual tyre counts. The new system will automate data collection to allow better management of machines, shifts,
and teams while allowing efficient reporting tools with real-time views of all production phases. Solution The tyre company with the help of external consultants built a solution to monitor
and build schedules are assigned from a system interface or an Oracle RDB database. The system also allows inventory levels to be adjusted after manual inventory level counts.
How The Customer Benefited The customer now has a system that utilizes real-time data for accurate planning
data collection is automated now and less costly, and the system is designed for future scalability. Case study 2:
Solution The engine manufacturer with the help of external consultants designed a solution with a multi-tiered software architecture that abstracts the functionality according to the business requirements.
Information about the processing of rods including various data collection is used by the opera"Innosupport:
1) Data collection (identify the components, materials, and fastening mechanism in the assembly to be rated).
Old woolen garments are dumped usually in landfill sites where they decompose to produce methane, a gas that contributes to the climate change.
and trademark databases to learn about recent technological breakthroughs, identify future partners, and find out about the innovative activities of competitors.
These include computer software; any drawing, map, chart or plan; photographs and films; architectural works;
and microprocessors (patents held by Intel, for example). All patent owners are obliged, in return for patent protection,
Does your company have a website, a brochure, a corporate video, or does it advertise in newspapers or on TV?
or software products owned by others in any of its publications, brochures, databases or websites? Does your company own the rights to any computer software?
If you answered yes to any of the above, then you may wish to find out more about copyright issues.
Discoveries, scientific theories and mathematical methods, Artistic creations, Schemes, rules and methods for performing mental acts, playing games or doing business and programs for computers, Presentations of information,
For example literary works include software, and artistic works include any drawing, map, chart or plan. The only absolute requirement is that the work is new,
and creators/owners of databases. 7. 1. 7. How to obtain a DESIGN? What can be registered as design?
In addition, the web sites of the Community Trade mark Office (OHIM) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation are useful sources of information (link to websites)" Innosupport:
by post, courier or fax, and can also be filed at the National Trademark Office. OHIM is responsible for examining the applications.
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-7. 3. Non-Disclosure Agreements page 162 of 271 7. 3. Non-Disclosure Agreements Introduction Many businesses often need to reveal some of their confidential information
The following paragraph explains how non-disclosure agreements allow confidential information to be revealed without fear. What is a Non-Disclosure agreement?
An NDA can provide an element of protection for your confidential information and trade secrets if the prospective buyer pulls out of the deal.
when both businesses are sharing confidential information with each other, and want to be sure that neither will disclose their trade secret. 7. 3. 3. How to prepare a NDA?
you should list all the parties who will have contact with the confidential information, by category and, where possible, by name.
there must be a recitation of confidential relationship between the disclosing party (the one allowing access to its confidential information)
and the non-disclosing party (the one getting access to the confidential information). Additionally, there must be a recitation of the confidential materials themselves.
when it will be okay to disclose confidential information. The most common examples here concern being free to disclose information that somehow becomes public knowledge without wrongful disclosure,
1. All parties who will be permitted access to the confidential information should be identified by category and if possible by name. 2. The relationship between the disclosing party and the non-disclosing parties involved must be stated orally.
Furthermore, the confidential information itself must be stated orally and the key information to be held confidential must be defined clearly. 3. How the non-disclosing party can use the confidential information is vital to a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
However, it is also important to set a time when the non-disclosing party can disclose the confidential information. 4. Non-Disclosure Agreements are normally valid for a predetermined amount of time.
However some non-disclosure conditions may extend beyond the termination of the agreement. 5. To protect the disclosing party from unauthorised disclosure by the non-disclosing party,
Its activities are focused on the software and the Internet business. It develops, implements and distributes software management systems in the field of accounting, logistics, process tracking, communication, human resources and CRM.
Enterprise S. also offers web solutions including application provider web hosting, web and application development services.
The owner of Enterprises S. learnt about intellectual property issues by attending seminars and conferences for future company managers.
There he became aware of the value of his intangible assets and of the importance of protecting them.
software and web pages produced by the company. Finally the registration of his products'trademarks remains on his list of things to do next.
A Policy on IP Monitoring Consulting patent and trademark databases regularly is important in order to find out about recent technical developments
They rely on a few patents to cover their core technology and do not concentrate on protecting possible modifications or improvements of that core technology.
This is an inherently risky strategy, however, particularly if the core patents are found wholly or partially invalid,
and there are no additional patents to cover improvements or modifications of the original technology. Another risk,
A small company may also seek patent coverage to impress potential investors and to market the uniqueness of its technology.
A typical example is the use of a commercial software product. Exclusive License A license is said to be exclusive
For example if a software vendor fails to deliver sufficient quantities of its products to a distributor,
accomplished through design, development, installation and servicing of software and systems for industrial processes as well as automation and IT integration in organisational processes (ISO9001 certified).
and monitoring of industrial processes, internet/intranet software and technology and systems engineering. The competitive environment of the applied research in ICT sectors is highly dynamic and subject to a rapid technological evolution.
and is carried out using Internet with"human"filtering, consultation of specialised press, participation in conferences and workshops at national and international level, co-operation with Universities and other research centres, visits and market analysis, use of patent
databases (seldom used) and the acquisition of reports from information providers (seldom used. The company's R&d activities are always project-specific
the firm does not exclude the use of this intellectual property tool for future activities in particular in relation to software programmes.
Therefore, when software intensive solutions are involved Eidon relies on copyright protection. Eidon's original software is protected by copyright.
Access rights to software, based normally on an exclusive license model, do not usually include access to the source code,
which may be granted only in exceptional cases and can be made subject to separate agreements. Eidon's standard R&d contract is an interesting mix of different IP tools,
which reflects the complexity of its contract research activities. Frequently the interests of customers and R&d centres do not converge
Eidon has adopted a compromise solution to safeguard the core interests of both sides which is based on the following three elements:
. int/business/en/topics/finance/finance. html-This website provided by the European commission gives information on how to access finance http://www. london-innovation. org. uk/innov funding. htm-The London Innovation website
whether this particular investor is suitable for your needs. http://www. evca. com/-The website of the European Private Equity
. or. kr/webeng/work/ksem/st/wr ksem st mn df. jsp-This site provides an overview of the Stock market 8. 1. 6. Business Angels Business Angels are wealthy private individuals
e g. a software product or Internet service would best be advertised on the Internet on related websites, through email campaigns or dedicated computer literature or publications.
in order to collect all the data required and to make their analysis. 9. 1. 1. How can we optimize the acceptance...
as it is known, allows you to build up a comprehensive picture of your market and your potential customers from publicized data.
Libraries Directories (they provide details about the activities of your potential customers) Regular publications Market research reports Electronic Media (CD-ROMS, The Internet,
Online services) Trade associations Others (data are National and Local governments, Business links, Chambers of Commerce and the European commission) Compiling questionnaires There are a variety of possible purposes to a questionnaire,
The best approach may be to create a database.""Innosupport: Supporting Innovation in SMES"-9. 1. Optimising and controlling the acceptance of an Innovative product/service page 188 of 271 Making contact with companies Researching a market usually involves making contact with companies
Innovation Action-Marketing Tool-kit Links http://www. oxtrust. org. uk/oi This is the Oxford Innovation website
television, the cinema, video, radio, photography, advertising, newspapers and magazines, recorded music, computer games and the internet.
especially when using the internet as a resource. Most of the following refers to digital media. 9. 2. 2. Where media applies?
or plug-ins) Quality of the video camera Services provided by a program outside the browser Quality of the connection The processor speed of the computer Complex and expensive use"Innosupport:
emotional subjects or subtle knowledge that requires rich interaction with the computer or other learners;
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-9. 2. Use of Media to support innovation page 195 of 271 http://www2. trainingvillage. gr/download/Cinfo/Cinfo398/C38k6en
The first of its kind in Italy, it has thirty-five multimedia computers, two telematic workstations and a room for videoconferences. 100 electronic programmes, CD-ROMS, encyclopedias and web sites,
Each teacher monitors the student's ongoing activity in the simulation and offers a particular type of intervention.
Related topics are based web learning, computer-based learning and elearning. 9. 2. 7. Resources Bibliography Allen, M.,Michael Allen's Guide to E-learning, John
Horton, W. K.,Designing Web-Based Training. How to teach anyone anything anywhere anytime. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,2000 Kurtus, R.,Study Some Examples of elearning, CBT or WBT, 2000, http://www. school-for-champions. com/elearning/study
How IBM, GE, Harvard Business school and Columbia University are Succeeding at E-learning. Mcgraw-hill, 2002. Schunk, D. H.,Zimmerman B. J.,Self-regulated learning from teaching to self-reflective practice, Guilford Press, 1998 Thorne, K.,Blended learning how to integrate online
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-9. 3. Competencies of internet presentation and research page 198 of 271 9. 3. Competencies of internet presentation and research Introduction All the
Using the internet can be a powerful tool to do this, but a basic understanding is required to take advantage.
Show why the Internet presentation of SMES is so important; Describe a classification of searchable databases.
Where? In what ways this component offers help for the SMES? It provides the main rules to be followed
Offers some e g. of best/worst websites; Provides rules for an efficient search on the Web. 9. 3. 1. Why to use
and how to take advantage?..199 9. 3. 2. Presentation on the internet...199 9. 3. 3. Web content layout...
201 9. 3. 4. Internet research...203 9. 3. 5. Resources...205"Innosupport: Supporting Innovation in SMES"-9. 3. Competencies of internet presentation and research page 199 of 271 9. 3. 1. Why to use
and how to take advantage? The SMES have the opportunity to gain potentially huge advantage over their competitors.
Over the next few years the Internet is going to completely change the way we do business.
It is probably the most important development in business and communication in the history of the global economy.
However, because the Internet is developing at such an amazing rate those companies who put off entering the world of online commerce may never be able to catch up with their more forward thinking competitors.
Why are so many companies going online? Because no other method can bring so many benefits and reach so many potential customers at such a low cost.
70%of companies questioned reported enhanced corporate image as a result of the Internet. 57%reported increased efficiency and 50%reported improved quality of service.
From a marketing perspective, the web offers an unparalleled opportunity for SMES. How to take advantage?
It is this immediate feedback of user interaction on the Web site that makes it such a powerful communication method. 9. 3. 2. Presentation on the internet Step 1:
You will not be able to make good decisions about your website or its development if you don't set measurable goals and targets for success from the beginning.
If you haven't already set these kinds of targets in your offline business you'll need to start doing so,
what you want to achieve from your site. Prepare the copy or text for your site.
This should be written using direct marketing copywriting techniques either by your self or a professional.
Select images for your site. These can be existing photos or chosen from an online photo library."
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-9. 3. Competencies of internet presentation and research page 200 of 271 Step 2:
Web Space: Many service providers give you a certain amount of free web space with your connection.
However, this usually has limited a capacity and is not really suitable for a professional site.
You have to find a commercial web space that will enhance the experience of visitors to your site.
Web site Developer: The first and most important step involved in setting up a web site, is choosing the right web developers.
As the main purpose of a business web site in the SME sector is marketing. The overriding factor in deciding on an agency is
whether they can develop your site as an effective promotional tool. Therefore out of all the abilities an agency should possess,
because without applying effective marketing techniques to the site-a good design will be of little use for your business.
Choose a direct marketing orientated web developer. Follow the rules below: Use web marketing strategies to attract visitors to your site such as reciprocal links, direct email,
newsgroup and list serve postings etc. Combine online marketing with conventional promotion such as direct mail, advertising
or request more information Build up a database from enquiries. Offering a free report on the subject of your products or services that can be downloaded is a good way to build up a database of qualified prospects.
Email your database regularly to keep them informed of new developments and offers. Alternatively produce an online newsletter for the same purpose.
How can you assess agencies'ability?""Innosupport: Supporting Innovation in SMES"-9. 3. Competencies of internet presentation and research page 201 of 271 9. 3. 3. Web content layout A good presentation
of a SME on the Web must correctly address the people's ability on focusing on a certain topic/image/text:
People are able to focus their attention on particular stimuli; People are able to attend to more than one stimulus at any one time;
The consequences of these aspects on designing web interfaces are summarised below: General guidelines: More than one piece of information may be displayed on the screen at any one time using static media (text
or graphics) as long as the user is given control over the appearance and disappearance of the information Users are likely to have little difficulty in attending to a particular passage of speech sound
or topic areas should be removed from the display (and from auditory channels) once a user begins to study a presentation about a new subject
Amazon com is an online book retailer that is valued at $120 million. It is one of the most successful examples on the Internet.
Within a few months of starting it became the largest book store in the world. They encourage participation by inviting shoppers to submit book reviews.
The UK version of Amazon com is Book Pages. This company has a loyalty points scheme to encourage customers to come back
and therefore create a community around their site. Dell. com Computer manufacturers Dell sells over two million dollars worth of equipment every day.
Its success is due to using a built to order model. This allows customers to purchase a bespoke computer
which has been built according to their specification. Musicroom. com Internet Music Shop is an online retailer of music CD's. The business
which was launched in May 1996 has been valued at £2. 2 million. They have succeeded in creating a strong online community around their site with 40%of their orders coming from existing customers.
Their site attracts 1000 visitors a day, and from this number 5%place orders. This is way above the industry standard in mail order
which is one to two per cent. This goes to show the power of the Internet as a sales channel
-when things are done right.""Innosupport: Supporting Innovation in SMES"-9. 3. Competencies of internet presentation and research page 202 of 271 Do you know the target audience?
Knowing your target audience is at the core in any type of marketing strategy. This is no different from utilising the web as a marketing tool.
Users Are Scanners If you want a visitor to read your text, be sure to make your point in the very first sentence of the page.
After that you should try to keep them occupied with short paragraphs and interesting new headers all the way down the page.
Navigation Try to create a navigation structure that is common for all the pages in your Web.
add them to the bottom of a paragraph or to the navigation menus of your site.
Download Speed Internet usability studies tell us that most visitors will leave a Web page that takes more than 7 seconds to download.
If your pages take a long time to download, you might consider removing some of your graphic or multimedia content.
Use of core design principles: Below are some examples of web sites considered good and less good,
however the reader is encouraged to sample the websites listed and judge for themselves. GOOD NOT SO GOOD 2entwine (www. 2entwine. com) Super-simple, square, solid, blocky, soft colours, responsible use of Flash, clear text.
Top marks. Apple (www. apple. com) Apple's whole design philosophy centres on rich, appealing content in a simple, effective structure.
Excellent use of white space and Findhotel (www. findhotel. co. uk) Not a very good site, devoid of any structured layout with a disparate collection of elements slung haphazardly into space.
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-9. 3. Competencies of internet presentation and research page 203 of 271 imagery make this a great site to use.
Appliance Studio (www. appliancestudio. com) A simple site with plenty of personality. This comes through neat writing and'contentful'imagery.
Criticalmass (www. criticalmass. com) Very good site from a highly successful interaction design firm. Very clean site with clearly arranged information, leaves you with a feeling of trust.
Needs to bring more information forward to home page and focus the introductory message better . i-define living (www. i-define. co. uk) Dawn Winder is a Personal Branding Consultant (first of a new breed?).
Her site is driven by high-value content, and the regular newsletter is an effective and flexible channel.
and is not a very user-friendly web form), lack of space between navigation elements, small text.
Royal National Institute of the Blind (www. rnib. org. uk) Although this is a well-written site,
and ticket purchasing site. More traditional businesses are also finding success on the Internet. In the US which precedes the UK in business trends-many small businesses are finding that 40%-50%of their business is now coming from the Internet.
However a surprising success story was that of a local butcher who started selling specialty meats through the Internet
and the business took off to such a degree that he closed down his shop
and now trades exclusively over the Internet. 9. 3. 4. Internet research While doing research on the internet the searcher has to deal, besides the large number of founded entries (1), with two other issues:
trustworthy information on the web (2) and deep web (3).(1). The ability to reduce the number of founded entries
and to find the needed information on the Internet is a function of how precise the queries are and how effectively one uses search services.
Poor queries return poor results; good queries return great results. Contrary to the hype surrounding"intelligent agents"and"artificial intelligence, the fact remains that search results are only as good as the query we pose
and how we search. There are very effective ways to"structure"a query and use special operators to target the results you seek.
Absent these techniques, the searcher will spend endless hours looking at useless documents that do not contain the wanted information.
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-9. 3. Competencies of internet presentation and research page 204 of 271 solar system.
either away"by the search engines or too variable to be useful (e g. planet or planets);
*The wildcard tells the search engine to match all characters after it, preserving keyword slots and increasing coverage by 50%or more;
Simple way to ensure the search engines evaluate your query in the way you want, from left to right e g.("
"issue query to full Boolean search engine or metasearcher-full-Boolean engines give you this control;
metasearchers increase Web coverage by 3-to 4-fold("new planet*")AND (discover *OR find) AND("solar system").
Credibility Accuracy Reasonableness Support (3) Searching on the Internet today can be compared to dragging a net across the surface of the ocean.
most of the Web's information is buried far down on dynamically generated sites, and standard search engines never find it.
Traditional search engines create their indices by spidering or crawling surface Web pages. To be discovered, the page must be linked static
and to other pages. Traditional search engines can not"see "or retrieve content in the deep Web-those pages do not exist until they are created dynamically as the result of a specific search.
Because traditional search engine crawlers can not probe beneath the surface, the deep Web has heretofore been hidden.
The deep Web is qualitatively different from the surface Web. Deep Web sources store their content in searchable databases that only produce results dynamically in response to a direct request
But a direct query is a"one at a time"laborious way to search. Brightplanet's search technology automates the process of making dozens of direct queries simultaneously using"Innosupport:
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-9. 3. Competencies of internet presentation and research page 205 of 271 multiple-thread technology and thus is the only search technology, so far,
that is capable of identifying, retrieving, qualifying, classifying, and organizing both"deep"and"surface"content. Public information on the deep Web is currently 400 to 550 times larger than the commonly defined World wide web.
The deep Web contains 7, 500 terabytes of information compared to nineteen terabytes of information in the surface Web.
More than half of the deep Web content resides in topic-specific databases. A full ninety-five per cent of the deep Web is publicly accessible information--not subject to fees or subscriptions.
Total quality content of the deep Web is 1, 000 to 2, 000 times greater than that of the surface Web.
Deep Web content is highly relevant to every information need, market, and domain. Deep Web sites tend to be narrower, with deeper content,
than conventional surface sites. To put these findings in perspective one has to consider that the search engines with the largest number of Web pages indexed (such as Google) index no more than sixteen per cent of the surface Web.
Since they are missing the deep web when they use such search engines, Internet searchers are
therefore searching only 0. 03%--or one in 3, 000--of the pages available to them today.
Clearly, simultaneous searching of multiple surface and deep Web sources is necessary when comprehensive information retrieval is needed.
The searchable databases on the web can be classified in twelve categories: 1. Topic Databases-subject-specific aggregations of information,
such as SEC corporate filings, medical databases, patent records etc. 54%from the deep web is formed by these topic databases websites) e g. http://www. 10kwizard. com,
/http://www. uspto. gov/2. Internal site-searchable databases for the internal pages of large sites that are created dynamically,
such as the knowledge base on the Microsoft site (13%)e g. http://www. microsoft. com/3. Publications-searchable databases for current and archived articles (11%)e g. http://www. pubmedcentral. nih. gov
/4. Shopping/Auction (5%)e g. http://www. flowerweb. nl, /http://www. locateaflowershop. com/5. Classifieds (5%)e g. www. canadaeast. com/6. Portals-broader sites that included more than one of these other categories in searchable databases (3
%)e g. www. searchindia. com 7. Library-searchable internal holdings, mostly for university libraries (2%)e g. www. lib. clemson. edu 8. Yellow and White Pages-people and business finders (2%)e g. www. anywho. com 9. Calculators
-while not strictly databases, many do include an internal data component for calculating results. Mortgage calculators, dictionary look ups,
and translators between languages are examples (2%)e g. www. russiantranslation. ru 10. Jobs-job and resume postings (1%)e g. http://www. medicsolve. com/11.
Message or Chat (1%)e g. www. multidbexpress. com 12. General Search-searchable databases most often relevant to Internet search topics and information (1%)e g. http://www. cyndislist. com/Sixties deep sites that already exceed the web surface
by forty times from which two thirds are fee less (representing about 90%of the content available within this group of sixty),
are available also at Bright Planet. 9. 3. 5. Resources Links http://www. w3schools. com/site/site tutorials. asp http://www. w3schools. com/site
/site glossary. asp http://www. killersites. com/http://www. vanderbilt. edu/create/tech/http://www. dreamink. com/beginners/b1. shtml"Innosupport:
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-9. 3. Competencies of internet presentation and research page 206 of 271 ttp://www. brightplanet. com/technology/deepweb. asp http
://www. brightplanet. com/deepcontent/tutorials/search/index. asp www. completeplanet. com http://www. virtualsalt. com/evalu8it. htm www. knobblycrab. co. uk/Webbrochure
. pdf www. undp. org/info21/e-com/e5. html http://www. web100. com/listings/business. html http://www. webdesignfromscratch. com
/best and worst. cfm"Innosupport: Supporting Innovation in SMES"-10.1. Human resources competence requirements for innovations page 207 of 271 10.
Human resources management policies to support innovation 10.1. Human resources competence requirements for innovations 10.1.1. What: what constitutes the requirements for the qualification of the employees?..
209 10.1.2. Why: The role of human resources in the company's ability for innovation...209 10.1.3.
Example Database Market place of experience The Gosch Consulting company (Consulting enterprise with 30 employees) has compiled a database with the title Market place of experience.
It is accessible via intranet and serves as an active knowledge management. Here any problems and their solutions that crop up during the work are entered by the employees.
Graz 2003 Links http://www. evfh-nuernberg. de/data/dbfiles/entwickl. doc Employees are the basis of social organisations.
and interpret data to enable the identification of both staff and organisational performance improvement. Key in an TNA is to gain comprehensive data on training needs,
which amounts to answering the fundamental questions of: who, what, when and why as well as how.
networks and software resulting in a significant improvement of the performance of Tetra pak Processing UK's food processing plant.
The service engineers'main role is attending breakdowns at customer sites, where their priority is to troubleshoot the problem
and better understanding of training needs a backup policy if things get difficult direction for utilizing limited resources"Innosupport:
Implementing an Enterprise resource planning Software system Better stock management Better warehouse management Larger product rotation (First in, First Out) Accounting Warehousing Sales Financial Logistics Commercial"Innosupport:
www. employment-studies. co. uk/pubs/report. php? id=ssda0804 The Investors in People Standard is a straightforward,
and our website can provide you with all the information you need to get involved, keep up to date and put the Standard into practice:
www. investorsinpeople. co. uk/IIP/Web/default. htm Learn & Work is a Leonardo project that specifically addressed the issue of analysing training needs in business. www. citeforma. pt/html/pub/lw/lw. htm Rockwell Automation PLC provides a case study of an TNA
and made available in both hard copy and electronically on the website below www. ssda. org. uk/ssda/default. aspx?
The site also provides some case studies: http://www. cicsc. org. uk/tvcbec. htm training reference. co. uk provides an overview of some of training providers that offer a TNA services relevant to business:
when undertaking atna. www. trainingneedsanalysis. co. uk/tna article1. htm Sirius Concepts Ltd provides diagnostic software for economic
www. sircon. co. uk/sirius-software/your focus. asp Trainingzone is one of the UK's most popular site for corporate training professionals with an online network of 50,000 members.
The site should also be of interest to SMES: www. trainingzone. co. uk Trainers'Library is an international online resource pool for trainers, HR managers and consultants,
Act with competitive urgency and decisive action Use knowledge of employees and data to make decisions in a timely manner Tolerate mistakes of employees in pursuit of continuous improvement Act with swift resolve
groups are kept on their toes. 5. Focus on Your Core Strengths and Outsource Another way of using innovation to stay nimble and competitive is by focusing on competitive differentiators,
and closely monitors the changing needs of its markets. designs products, processes and services around customer needs
and understands and closely monitors the changing needs of its markets successfully manages new ideas
it is a core factor promoting development and growth in every sphere of life, in particular in the sphere of business and entrepreneurship.
and data that would ensure successful operation of the company and its targeted development, and at this point the practical application of the component becomes evident the basic ideas
and a couple of practical examples are shown in the form of user-friendly tools that will help us to find the required information, data or reference material."
nevertheless, the Internet could be used more often as the most comprehensive and operational means of finding information. 12.1.1.1.
Internet The rapid development of information and communications technologies (ICT) provides an opportunity to obtain large and varied amounts of information from all over the world in a couple of minutes or even seconds.
The most frequently used and popular resource is the Internet, which nowadays combines several functions it is a library with an unprecedented volume of literature, space for communication,
The internet search tools are quite easy to use and operational: you start your search by entering in the window of the search tool the key word of the topic
including perhaps some 300 or more links to the Internet information. However, it is quite easy to find your way through these offers,
because you see the website, name and an excerpt from the text or comments, enabling the reader to make a judgement about the contents of the found homepage
otherwise the search engine may not be able to perceive the real key word. Example-Links The most widely used and well known search engines:"
"Innosupport: Supporting Innovation in SMES"-12.1. Literature searches page 249 of 271 http://www. google. com http://www. alltheweb. com http://www. msn. com http://www. yahoo
. com 12.1.1.2. Databases The use of databases is a way to obtain extensive and exhaustive data,
as databases include various summaries of data, statistics, publications and other sources. Databases are available in various formats in printed form (e g.,
, in library index cards and archived materials), in CDS (e g.,, the annual statistical records), or in virtual form, i e.,
, on the Internet. It should be noted that the Internet is the most comprehensive and complete storage place of databases
and an undoubted advantage is its range of search facilities, which should be characterised as global
because it is possible to find information on any topic from any part of the world very quickly.
Another advantage is that databases are user-friendly, because databases function exactly in the same way as the Internet search process (see the part a) Internet)
when you open a database, there is a window in which to write the key word of the information you are looking for,
and a click on the search function will enable you to look at the information found according to your key word.
You have to write the Key word>press search button>You will have the result As numerous and very diverse databases are available, e g.,
, databases containing references, publications or other theoretical material, as well as databases aggregated by companies and statistical agencies,
but in order to find the required information it is advisable as the first step to use the Internet search engine,
then to select the most suitable databases and further to look into these databases for the necessary information by applying the principle described above.
Example-Links International data base http://www. census. gov/ipc/www/idbnew. html Computerized data bank containing statistical tables of demographic and socioeconomic data for 227 countries
and areas of the world. Geohive Global Statistics http://www. geohive. com/Geopolitical data statistics on the human population of regions, countries, provinces and cities, some statistics on economic factors and more."
"Innosupport: Supporting Innovation in SMES"-12.1. Literature searches page 250 of 271 12.1.1.3. Libraries and direct contact Libraries could be divided into three categories:
Conventional where all the information is printed available in form and can be found by using index cards or with the help of librarians.
Partially virtual an electronic catalogue of the library can be found on the Internet, which helps to check whether the sought literature,
Virtual an electronic library where all information is fully available via the Internet both the catalogues and the materials.
The search process is similar to that generally used for the purpose of Internet searches (see part a) Internet)
or by viewing the library website where there are detailed instructions about doing an Internet search.
Example-Links Questia Online Library http://www. questia. com/Internet Public library http://www. ipl. org The WWW Virtual Library http://vlib
if compared to Internet searches, which only take a click on the search button; establishment of direct contact will take much more time.
Depending on the type of the required information or specificity of data, it is possible to seek direct contacts in various countries, non-governmental organisations or private institutions, foundations, consultancies and other places. 12.1.2.
what kind of information or data, choose a suitable resource for finding information the Internet, databases,
or phrase of the sought information (in case of a search engine) select from the offered/obtained information
LZA EI, 2003.206 lpp Web links The most widely used and well known search engines: http://www. google. com http://www. alltheweb. com http://www. msn. com http://www. yahoo. com Databases http://www. census
. gov/ipc/www/idbnew. html International data base-Computerized data bank containing statistical tables of demographic and socioeconomic data for 227 countries and areas of the world. http://www. geohive
. com/Geohive Global Statistics-Geopolitical data, statistics on the human population of regions, countries, provinces and cities, some statistics on economic factors and more.
Libraries http://www. questia. com Questia Online Library http://www. ipl. org Internet Public library http://vlib. org/The WWW Virtual Library
mpany Culture that fosters Innovation)" Innosupport: Supporting Innovation in SMES"-12.2. Foreign language competence page 253 of 271 12.2.
The website for The Business of Language's Initiative in North East England (http://www. thebusinessoflanguage. org. uk/)points to an interesting fact:
Internet users are 3 times more likely to buy when addressed in their mother tongue. Other reports present figures which show the importance of foreign languages for business.
and using international sources for financing Marketing and sales (ads website, ecommerce) in the globalised market Gathering foreign language information like publications and patents Participating actively in international conferences and fairs Detecting international trends and challenges Foreign language competence in Innovation"Innosupport:
Supporting Innovation in SMES"-12.2. Foreign language competence page 257 of 271 Highly educated people from abroad are living in your country, often as immigrants,
internet and other programmes to learn the correct pronunciation). Very often, beginners learn better with teachers of their own nationality.
Foreign language competence page 258 of 271 Isn't computer-based training a good alternative to courses?
by sending emails or faxes in the native language and introduce itself and its products.
Sending out the information in native languages significantly increased the response rate from the clients approached."
SPEAKING AND LISTENING Capabilities Needs 1 2 3 1 2 3 Using the telephone Travel arrangements Introducing yourself
Foreign language competence page 261 of 271 Mail Fax, memos Business letters Business news Sales brochures Commercial & financial reports Technical reports Export documentation
Product description Patent documentation Instructions for use WRITING emails, fax, memo Business letters Commercial & financial reports Technical reports Product description Offers and orders
Foreign language competence page 262 of 271 Presentation using transparencies Powerpoint presentation Design of documentation for the customer Rhetorical skills Negotiation skills Technical skills for searching for information/patents
Resources Internet Sites Online translation website: www. babelfish. altavista. com There are various training programmes and possibilities within the Leonardo Da vinci and Sokrates Framework.
which also offers support for writing English letters, emails and faxes. Useful model sentences for Business English and email writing can be found here as well. http://www. jobware. de/ra/rt/tc/index. html Here you can test your skills free of charge. http://www
. englishtown. com online English learning platform http://www. ego4u. de Learning English online: free exercises, explanation, preparation for tests, games and information about English language and culture. http://www. tu-chemnitz. de/phil/Internetgrammar/"Innosupport:
the service is free of charge. http://people. freenet. de/mvhs-english/This website contains many useful links for learning offers.
today's globalisation is built around falling telecommunications costs, which are able to weave the world together ever more. 12.3.2.
The internet and mass media are able to influence on costumers opinions during very short time.
Intercultural Competencies and the Innovation Process page 268 of 271 emails or faxes in the native language and introduce itself and its products.
or specialised terms‘Knowledge discovery'an ability and willingness to engage in a, by way of finding out about and learning from the culture (e g. customs, practices and values) of the customers, clients or business partners you will be working wth
Resources Facts and Internet Sites BBC: www. bbc. co. uk/worldservice/programmes/globalisation/National Centre for Languages (UK:
and promote a shared set of core values in the areas of labour standards, human rights and environmental practices between the UN and the business community http://www. unglobalcompact. org/"Innosupport:
such as data demonstrating the positive contribution made by multinational corporations to economic development. United nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) www. unctad. org is a permanent intergovernmental body of the UN that aims to maximise the trade investment
Overtext Web Module V3.0 Alpha
Copyright Semantic-Knowledge, 1994-2011