Page 33 - Rižnar, Igor, and Klemen Kavčič (ed.). 2017. Connecting Higher Education Institutions with Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 33
The Co-Creation of Competitive Knowledge
Table 2.1 Thematic Assemblies and Interview Questions
Thematic assemblies Interview questions
Establishment and devel- What is the existing development path of your busi-
opment of the company ness so far (idea, effort, investment, areas of opera-
(mission, vision and values tion, promotions, competitors on the market, demand,
of the organisation) the crisis in the eu and Slovenia)?
Innovation activity What are the (innovative) practices in your business?
Why do you think this is innovative? How is it differ-
ent from other practices in the environment? How did
you come to it? What are the benefits? How do you in-
tend to develop it further?
Future orientations What are important future goals and what are the ways
(strategies) to achieve them (development, promotion,
business results, markets, new niches)?
Business model What are the milestones, key points in the develop-
ment of the company and how do you overcome them
(eventual integration of organisation, values, required
quality, promotion, organisation)?
Socially recognised Honours, awards, certificates, etc.; importance for the
achievements company, name, year . . .
Prior to the interview, the interviewees received generic questions
by e-mail to guide and adequately prepare them for the interview. The
interview included questions about the historical development and key
turning points. In particular, the most innovative practices of the com-
pany’s business model, as recognised by the company itself, were inves-
tigated. Using the canvas for business models method, mapping was
performed of the vision and strategic knowledge of the company. In
order to implement the strategic innovation of the business model, it
is necessary to find the answer to several questions, but it is always re-
quired to start with the question: ‘Why do we exist and what is our goal?’
This is followed by the question: ‘When should we redesign the business
model?’ The noted need for business model innovation is followed by
questions relating to the characteristics of the existing business model.
Questions are classified according to the key elements of the business
model (table 2.1). In this way, the canvas was used for a description of
the business model with a set of key elements: stakeholders, business
partners, key resources, key activities, business processes, products and
customer segments and a central part that represents the value propo-
sition (Janeš 2014b; Osterwalder et al. 2010).
The case study of the Fonda Company was one of the companies
31
Table 2.1 Thematic Assemblies and Interview Questions
Thematic assemblies Interview questions
Establishment and devel- What is the existing development path of your busi-
opment of the company ness so far (idea, effort, investment, areas of opera-
(mission, vision and values tion, promotions, competitors on the market, demand,
of the organisation) the crisis in the eu and Slovenia)?
Innovation activity What are the (innovative) practices in your business?
Why do you think this is innovative? How is it differ-
ent from other practices in the environment? How did
you come to it? What are the benefits? How do you in-
tend to develop it further?
Future orientations What are important future goals and what are the ways
(strategies) to achieve them (development, promotion,
business results, markets, new niches)?
Business model What are the milestones, key points in the develop-
ment of the company and how do you overcome them
(eventual integration of organisation, values, required
quality, promotion, organisation)?
Socially recognised Honours, awards, certificates, etc.; importance for the
achievements company, name, year . . .
Prior to the interview, the interviewees received generic questions
by e-mail to guide and adequately prepare them for the interview. The
interview included questions about the historical development and key
turning points. In particular, the most innovative practices of the com-
pany’s business model, as recognised by the company itself, were inves-
tigated. Using the canvas for business models method, mapping was
performed of the vision and strategic knowledge of the company. In
order to implement the strategic innovation of the business model, it
is necessary to find the answer to several questions, but it is always re-
quired to start with the question: ‘Why do we exist and what is our goal?’
This is followed by the question: ‘When should we redesign the business
model?’ The noted need for business model innovation is followed by
questions relating to the characteristics of the existing business model.
Questions are classified according to the key elements of the business
model (table 2.1). In this way, the canvas was used for a description of
the business model with a set of key elements: stakeholders, business
partners, key resources, key activities, business processes, products and
customer segments and a central part that represents the value propo-
sition (Janeš 2014b; Osterwalder et al. 2010).
The case study of the Fonda Company was one of the companies
31
