Innovating Products and Services with the Internet

Innovation occurs when individuals have a need for specific products and information. The internet has fostered a greater transference of information and we now see product innovation growing at a faster pace than at any point in history. This innovation isn’t always company fostered and can generate organically from consumers. A study by Takeyasu & Sotaro (2014) helps support the notion that innovation and consumption are related. In their study they reviewed 1,000 music users to determine how consumption and innovation are interrelated.

Innovation comes through companies or through consumers. The concepts of user generated content and user innovation have made their way into the field. Users actively engage in the creation process and further the development of products, concepts, and ideas. The Internet has raised the communication levels to new heights and allows users to build on existing products.

In the past, research was primarily focused on the innovation of individuals and organizations. Greater focus is now on how outside entities and inter-organizational relations produce innovation (Chesbrough, 2003). Organizations that work with other organizations and interested parties in the co-builder process may also experience higher levels of innovative development.

There are generally two ways to use the internet to gather information for product and service improvement. Innovators first need the tools which simplifies and assists users in developing products and services (Franke & von Hippel, 2003). Secondly, they need the feedback from other users to build knowledge (Mallapragada, et. al, 2012).

Organizations that seek to co-collaborate with either other organizations or with users need to have the proper platforms that create ease of use. This ease of use will encourage greater communication between members. Then they will need the users to actively engage in the process of sharing knowledge and building off of each others ideas.

The researchers found in their music and innovation study that those users who consumed music heavily also were more likely to innovate. In addition, as users interacted heavily with this music they either focused more on innovation or consumption. The implications of study help organization decision-makers find ways to allow consumers to become part of the planning and developing process.

The study lends support to two concepts. Companies may collaborate using electronic means to build better products for revenue generation (i.e. projects) or lowering transact costs (i.e. supplier networks). Companies should consider collaborating with other companies that have like needs or with consumers who use the products. These users are not passive but will often be actively engaged in the co-creation process. 

Chesbrough, H. (2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Franke, N., & von Hippel, E. (2003). Satisfying heterogeneous user needs via innovation toolkits: The case of Apache security software. Research Policy, 32(7), 1199–1215.

Mallapragada, G., Grewal, R., & Lilien G. (2012). User-generated open source products: Founder’s social capital and time to product release. Management Science, 31(3), 474–492.

Takeyasu, I & Sotaro, K. (2014). The relationship between innovation and consumption of Internet Users. Annals of Business Administrative Science, 13 (1).

Healthy Mediterranean Food and Traditional Entertainment at Haritna’s Restaurant

Haritna Restaurant offers authentic Mediterranean food at a price that is affordable for individuals and families. From their homemade bread to their charbroiled chicken you will find their food tantalizing and full of flavor. Listen to the live music, watch the belly dancers, have a hookah on the covered deck, and eat till your hearts full in this traditional Palestinian environment.

Haritna’s is a cross between a lounge and a restaurant. One can order tea and play chess with others or eat a full course meal. Perhaps you will be more interested in having a drink and hookah on the patio. The restaurant is affordable to most people and offers a relaxed environment without the need of the formalities of a suit and tie. 

According to Mayo clinic traditional Mediterranean diet is healthy, reduces risks of heart disease, incidents of cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s (1). An analysis of 1.5 million people who ate the Mediterranean diet reaped better health and lower risks of disease. The use of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and olive oil was low in carbohydrates and bad fats.

Traditional Palestinian food incorporates lentils, rice, meat and fish. The type of food offered ranges from where it originated. Kibbee and various charbroiled meats are most common dishes.  You may want to try the Middle Eastern salad called Tabbouleh. The offerings fit within the family of Mediterranean. 

7303 El Cajon Blvd.
La Mesa, CA 91942

http://www.haritnarestaurant.com/

Call for Papers: 6th Asia Pacific Business Research Conference

Dates: May 19^th & 20th 2014

Venue: Mercure Ambassador Gangnam Hotel, Seoul, South Korea

Submission Deadline: April 21, 2014

Registration Deadline: 9 May, 2014

The above international conference, hosted by the World Business Institute of Australia and American Research and Publication of USA. will be held at Seoul, South Korea. This international gathering provides an opportunity for interdisciplinary scholars worldwide to present their recent research and share or exchange ideas and research outputs in the broad field of Accounting, Banking, Economics, Finance, Management and Marketing. Please click the details about the field of research in the link bar on the event website. All papers will be anonymously reviewed to ensure quality and timeliness of the research. Outstanding and quality papers will be published in the peer reviewed international journals free of publication fee. In addition, proceedings will be published as a book in each track and this book will be sent to the registered authors within three months after the conference (if author pays for this option). Also, conference proceeding book will be sent to Thomson Reuters/ISI in order to be reviewed for coverage in its Conference Proceedings Citation Index.

Website: www.worldbizconference.com

Fencing as a Sport of Physical and Mental Conditioning

Fencing is a sport that is one part physical and one part mental. Conditioning both helps to ensure that you are at the top of your game. The process of conditioning is through practice and experience. Conditioning is not found through only fencing practice but also in complementary activities. It has been argued that fencing during practice is 95% physical and 5% mental while in tournament it is the exact opposite (1).

It is first beneficial to understand what physical and mental conditioning means.  Physical conditioning requires the preparation of the body for rigorous aerobic exercise and ensuring the muscles are both tone and have endurance. Mental conditioning includes learning a variety of movements, ensuring quick reaction, and perceptive within the game.

Physical conditioning requires the ability to engage in aerobic, stamina, and physical strength (2).  Fencing requires heavy clothing and lots of speed and can get most athletes winded quickly. The body must be prepared to take on these jumps, movements, and leaps or you will simply lose from being out maneuvered. Engaging in sprinting, swimming, tennis, weight training, and other activities conditions the body as well as ensures coordination of movements (3).

The concept of physical conditioning in fencing is not new. Dating back as far as 1400 instructors like Vittorino da Feltre stated that fencing “required as a correlative to a fine intellectual humanism a standard of physical excellence and personal bearing to match (4)." His argument was that fencers needed to wear the right clothing, handle the elements of nature, and need to be conditioned for the sport.

In addition to the body the brain must also be conditioned. A person must memorize, internalize and use the various movements that act and interact against an opponent. This requires having a thorough understanding of the sport and judging the body mechanics of the opponent to maintain a leading edge. Without the mental conditioning overreaction, slow reaction, and sequence failure is likely to occur.

Fencers should understand how their personality impacts their performance. Fencer personalities can be categorized as active, passive, risk oriented, risk averse, cautious, offensive and defensive (5).  A person’s personality will determine their overall style, what movements they should focus on, and their weaknesses within the sport.

Using Groups to Create Company Innovation

Companies that don’t continue to improve eventually decline. Innovation fosters organizational transformation while encouraging the finding of new revenue streams. Research by Dew and Hearn (2009) help understand how hybrid groups can be as beneficial as nominal groups in promoting organizational innovation. Teams that work well together generate more ideas and find more solutions to organizational problems. 

Innovative development isn’t a wishful tactic. It has practical dollar and cents outcomes. Organizations that do not change, develop, grow, or adjust fall behind on the market. They stagnate while their competitors blast forward. Product development suffers and revenue declines. Innovation is about breathing new life into a company.

The very design of teams will determine their level of success. For example, social loafing occurs when one person doesn’t put enough effort into the team but receives the same benefits. Cognitive and social benefits from interaction can help in reducing the damaging effects of social loafing. Hybrid groups require individual effort during small group work while holding the entire focus group responsible to a bigger group. 

All groups are based on some level of interaction. The benefits of regular communication is that brainstorming in groups leads to more idea generation (Parnes & Meadow, 1959). Members build off of each other’s ideas to create new ideas. It is a process whereby one concept builds onto the next until a solution is forthcoming.

Before a problem can be solved it should be understood. Well defined problems can be converted to goals. Poor ideas are thrown out and the group settles on feasible solutions.  The generation of ideas offers opportunities to find and explore multiple solutions. 

The study included 672 participants and broke them into nominal and hybrid groups that engaged in problem solving. What they found was that hybrid groups work well and can be more effective for fostering innovation under the right circumstances. When group members are focused in small nominal groups, but must interact with larger groups, they are capable of creating greater idea generation and performance accountability. 

Dew, R. & Hearn, G. (2009). A new model of the learning process for innovation teams: networked nominal pairs. International Journal of Innovation Management, 13 (4). 

Parnes, SJ and A Meadow (1959). Effect of “brainstorming” instructions on creative problem

solving by trained and untrained subjects. Journal of Educational Psychology, 50, 171–

176.