Deck 8: Building the Case

Question 1

The focus of innovation for sustainability is different to that of innovation for competitiveness, except for:

A)networks of stakeholders, rather than firms.
B)social and political imperatives, not only markets.
C)conservation, rather than change
D)evolution of technological regimes, not management of technology.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Lead users have a number of important defining characteristics.Which of the following is not typical of a lead user?

A)Technologically more advanced than competitors.
B)Recognize future market requirements early.
C)Perceived to be innovative by their peers.
D)Positioned to benefit more from innovations.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Innovation in socio-technical systems has a number of distinctive characteristics which make it impossible to manage.Which of the following is not a characteristic of innovation in such systems?

A)Users' needs are less important than technology trends.
B)Interfaces and interactions are difficult to anticipate.
C)Adoption and diffusion is lengthy and uncertain.
D)Technology and markets co-evolve.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which characteristics are not positively associated with the rapid diffusion and widespread adoption of an innovation?

A)Observability.
B)Complexity.
C)Trialability.
D)Compatibility.

Question 5

Bundling component innovations into new integrated systems or services has many advantages, but also some drawbacks.Which of the following is not an advantage of integrated system or service innovations?

A)Allows better management of interfaces.
B)Can help to optimize overall performance.
C)Likely to appeal to sophisticated customers.
D)Higher added-value of developers.

Question 6

The concept of an innovation network is used widely, but can be difficult to define or operationalize.Which of the following traits would you not expect an innovation network to have?

A)Evolve over time, path-dependent.
B)Include many actors and stakeholders.
C)Involve complex interactions and relations.
D)Optimal organization for innovation.

Question 7

The most effective relationship between developers and users depends on a number of factors, including the diversity of potential applications and users.Which of the following statements is not true?

A)When there are few applications and few users, negotiation is desirable.
B)When there are few applications, but many potential users, careful segmentation is necessary.
C)When there are many applications, but few users, customization is possible.
D)When there are many applications and many users, multiple offerings must be developed.

Question 8

The most common model of the process of the diffusion of innovation is the epidemic or 'Scurve' model.This is useful, but is based on a number of unrealistic assumptions.Which of the these is not an assumption of the basic epidemic model?

A)The population consists of two different groups, adopters and imitators.
B)The population is homogeneous.
C)The population has perfect knowledge of the innovation.
D)Information is spread by contact and observation.

Question 9

Innovation can contribute to sustainability in a number of ways.Which of the following is not an example of a positive contribution?

A)Faster replacement of obsolete products.
B)Development of more efficient processes.
C)Creation of new systems and services.
D)Generation of more technological alternatives.

Question 10

To be effective, scenario planning must satisfy a number of conditions.Which of the following is not essential?

A)Compelling problems.
B)Inclusive participation.
C)Normative goals.
D)Plausible outcomes.

Question 11

The likelihood of the development and adoption of alternative technologies depends on the perceptions of potential users.Which of the following is generally not true?

A)Buyers' perceptions of differences between alternative technologies influence adoption.
B)The perceived cost of switching between alternative technologies influences adoption.
C)The perceived rate of technological change influences the adoption.
D)Buyers' perceptions of the total benefits influence adoption.

Question 12

The design of a Delphi study for forecasting the future should follow all but which of the following guidelines?

A)Identify a broad community of experts.
B)Consist of a number of iterations.
C)Feature interviews and workshops.
D)Include questions of timing and probability.

Question 13

Observability and trialability are normally positively associated with diffusion and adoption, but in what circumstances might these limit diffusion and adoption?

A)Promote imitation.
B)Improve proto-typing.
C)Reveal shortcomings.
D)Provide feedback.

Question 14

Identifying novel niches is more difficult than conventional marketing or new product development because:

A)Novel niches demand more radical innovation.
B)Segmentation provides limited insights.
C)Novel niches require new knowledge.
D)Consumer markets are different to business markets.