No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Purpose: Increasing competition in global markets requires many countries to seek new growth sectors. In addition, the nature of competition is changing. This paper applies the business ecosystem concept and studies San Diego as a spatial health and life sciences ecosystem. The aim is to identify issues that should be considered in design of innovation policies and regional industry development.Design/methodology/approach: The research approach is built on a literature review of business ecosystems and spatial innovation. The empirical study is based on semistructured interviews, observations, and information gathering and verification during field research. Findings:The results include a description of the ecosystem structure and dynamics. This paper demonstrates the bottom-up nature of San Diego's health and life sciences ecosystem without a dominant lead actor, and presents prerequisites for fostering spatial ecosystems. Research limitations/implications:A single case may not be able to offer a generalized picture of this topic. However, the study raises several considerations for researchers and decision-makers involved in innovation policy design. Future work should extend the study and involve other spatial and substance contexts to compare findings and to pursue a more generic picture of innovation ecosystems and networks.Originality/value: This paper demonstrates that applying the concept of business ecosystems to the spatial context provides new insights in terms of dynamic mechanisms and factors contributing to economic growth in a particular location. Understanding how to facilitate the creation of successful spatial ecosystems is in the focal point of innovation policies.

No abstract

This paper approaches the value of meteorological information from the perspectives of value engineering, pricing or valuation techniques and information economics. The value of information can be looked at from at least two angles: the value of information to the decision maker and the value of information realized through the impact occurring as a result actions and decisions based on information. The value of information is not a singular, uniform concept. It consists of multiple attributes weighed in different ways by different actors who evaluate information according to their own particular preferences. When designing information value chains the value build-up and relative importance of different attributes in different sections of the chain cannot be neglected. There are multiple methods and techniques for measuring the value, but these must be applied with care, being aware of the relevant attributes and in which part of the information value chain the measurement takes place. With the valuation tools described in this paper, the valuation problem can be clarified and appropriate methods selected. Information is always there -service and value not so oftenWhen information services are designed, the business potential must come from the utility, or value, that the information is meant to generate for its users. The business community seeks opportunities to provide such utility to its customers and to get money in return for it. Public information services, such as national TV forecasts delivered free of charge and financed by the government's tax revenues, should be provided with the awareness of the service's ability to generate benefits for the citizens and country's businesses.The information delivered to users who benefit from it, is a synonymous concept to information service. Hence, also meteorological information should be viewed as a service, delivered to users and either covering the costs with public funding or with revenues from the marketplace.Information is always there. It becomes a service commodity when it is delivered to those who need and appreciate it, in the right format at the right time, and as correct and usable as possible. The service aspect turns information into a commodity that has a value. Value in turn consists of multiple attributes that have different relevance over the value chain and actors in the chain.Information economics or economics of information is about how information affects the economy and decisions with economic impacts (see fundamental material from * Correspondence to: Pekka Leviäkangas, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Transport and Logistics Systems, Kaitoväylä 1, Oulu, FI-02044 VTT, Finland. E-mail: pekka.leviakangas@vtt.fi e.g. Williamson, 1982;Lawrence, 1999). This particular field of microeconomics has become highly relevant in today's information society. The impact of information on the function of society and businesses, and the economic decisions they have to take have been recognized to have a wide scope. Even macroeconomics i...

No abstract

No abstract