Innovation is broadly defined, according OECD Oslo Manual, as "(...) the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (good or service), or process, a new marketing method, or a new organisational method in business practices, workplace organisation or external relations". This concept introduces four different types of innovation, namely product innovation, processes innovation, marketing innovation and organisational innovation. Fostering the innovation processes inside organisations or within entire networks in which companies and countries are integrated, innovation is a critical chain to achieve financial and strategic positioning.
The value chains of innovation are responsible for ensuring the quality of products and processes, time to markets, and catalysts of reliable invested capital returns. In a pure logic of sustained value creation, innovation activities and decisions should emerge as key insights to business performance and sustainable returns at micro and macroeconomic levels. However, multiple factors (cultural, geographical, social, politics, etc.) exist that affect regional or clustered economies development, in particular the Mediterranean economies.
Despite their integration in globalised markets, Mediterranean economies are driven by particular factors which dynamically affect their development and sustainability. Most of those factors, in particular cultural and geographical issues, can act has strategic enablers in an innovative and creative economic clustering process. Sectors such as tourism, Mediterranean food and sea exploration among other industries and services can be seen, worldwide, as innovative clusters if duly supported by adequate policies, on structured models of innovation, and on knowledge-based approaches. Thus, this special issue will focus on innovation and development specificities of Mediterranean economies and their internal and external impact on value creation.
Authors, academic and practitioners are invited to submit their manuscripts, based on qualitative or quantitative approaches, in the fulfilment of the following aims of this issue:
- To leverage the understanding of drivers that affect the Mediterranean economies and their impact on regional development and sustainability.
- To provide empirical evidence about innovation in regional economies and its impact in globalised markets.
- To provide academic and scientific communities with new insights into innovation, regional- or country-level development, value creation, intellectual capital and knowledge management best practices, based on Mediterranean evidences and contributions.
- To motivate researchers to enhance theoretical frameworks and models of innovation focused on and directed to Mediterranean economies.
Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Innovation insights from Mediterranean economies
- Cultural issues affecting the development of Mediterranean economies
- Innovation and innovative clustering
- Comparison between Mediterranean economies and other economies
- Regional innovation and policy making
- Opportunities and threats for Mediterranean economies
- Tourism as a regional development driver
- Intellectual capital and knowledge management evidences and insights
- Value creation and innovation policies in the context of sovereign debts crisis
- Networking towards innovative practices
- International trade
Important Dates
Manuscript submission: 30 November, 2014
Notification to authors: 31 January, 2015
Final paper submission: 31 March, 2015
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