Innovation in Small Professional Practices in the Built Environment
Published on 20. August 2009
240 pages
978-1-4443-1610-0 (ISBN)
Description
From the book's Foreword by Trevor Mole, Managing Director,Property Tectonics; President of the European Association ofBuilding Surveyors and Construction Experts:
'Shu-Ling and Martin have built on their research workand that of others to produce an understandable and readableinsight into innovation in small professional service firms. Theyhave successfully unravelled the complex behavioural andorganisational forces taking place and created a framework to helppractitioners understand the issues and to fashion the rightenvironment in which to foster innovation and deliver economicvalue.'
Small professional practices in the built environment arecrucial to the success and long-term viability of the design,construction and property industries. This research-based bookaddresses the urgent need to better understand the nature andprocess of innovation in these important firms.
The authors offer an analysis of both why and howinnovation is a key competitive factor for small professionalpractices in the built environment. As these practices are locatedin different business environments and behave in different ways toother types of industry firms, the context-specific methodology todesign, implement and assess innovation in small professionalpractices presented in this book will appeal to researchers andpractitioners in surveying and design.
Innovation in Small Professional Practices in the BuiltEnvironment makes a significant contribution to anunderdeveloped area of innovation by offering new theoretical andpractical insights and models grounded in results from a 22-monthcase study of a small professional practice.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Shu-Ling Lu | Martin Sexton
Innovation in Small Professional Practices in the Built Environment
Software
12/2009
Wiley-Blackwell
€115.85
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Shu-Ling Lu | Martin Sexton
Innovation in Small Professional Practices in the Built Environment
Book
05/2009
Wiley
€142.50
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Persons
Dr Shu-Ling Lu, Lecturer, School of the BuiltEnvironment, University of Salford, United Kingdom.
Professor Martin Sexton, Professor of ConstructionManagement and Innovation, School of Construction Management andEngineering, University of Reading, United Kingdom.
Content
About the Authors.
Foreword by Trevor Mole.
Chapter 1 Introduction.
1.1 Background.
1.2 Research Problem.
1.3 Summary and Link.
Chapter 2 Key Issues from the Literature.
2.1 Introduction.
2.2 Conceptualisation of Small Professional Practices.
2.3 Definitional Debate on Innovation.
2.4 Market- and Resource-Based View of Innovation.
2.5 Knowledge-Based View of Innovation.
2.6 Key Managerial Challenges for Innovation.
2.7 Key Research Questions.
2.8 Summary and Link.
Chapter 3 Knowledge-Based Innovation Model.
3.1 Introduction.
3.2 Description of Knowledge-Based Innovation Model.
3.3 Continuous Improvement Gap Analysis Framework.
3.4 Research Hypotheses.
3.5 Summary and Link.
Chapter 4 Case Study Methodology.
4.1 Introduction.
4.2 Overall Research Process.
4.3 Case Study Design.
4.4 Research Techniques: Qualitative Data CollectionTechniques.
4.5 Research Techniques: Qualitative Data AnalysisTechniques.
4.6 Validation - Triangulation Strategy.
4.7 Summary and Link.
Chapter 5 Case Study - Exploratory Phase.
5.1 Introduction.
5.2 Background of the Case Study Company.
5.3 Case Study Firm Perception of Knowledge, Innovation, HC, SCand RC.
5.4 Description of Identified Company Innovations.
5.5 Mode 1: Explorative Innovation Analysis.
5.6 Mode 2: Exploitative Innovation Analysis.
5.7 Summary and Link.
Chapter 6 Case Study - Action Research Phase.
6.1 Introduction.
6.2 Diagnosis.
6.3 Action Planning.
6.4 Action Taking.
6.5 Action Evaluation.
6.6 Specifying Learning.
6.7 Summary and Link.
Chapter 7 Discussion.
7.1 Introduction.
7.2 Types of Knowledge-Based Innovation.
7.3 Hypothesis 1: Knowledge-Based Resources.
7.4 Hypothesis 2: Capabilities.
7.5 Meta-Hypothesis: Knowledge Capital.
7.6 Summary and Link.
Chapter 8 Conclusions.
8.1 Introduction.
8.2 Contribution to Innovation Theory.
8.3 Comment on Research Problem.
8.4 Comment on Research Questions.
8.5 Key Limitations and Future Research.
8.6 Theoretical and Practical Implications.
8.7 Policy Implications.
References.
Appendices.
Appendix A: List of Company Documentation.
Appendix B: Cooperation Proposal.
Appendix C: Interview Cooperation Proposal.
Appendix D: Interview Protocol.
Appendix E: Company General Finding Report.
Index.
