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Publications

NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.

2012

Abstract

Growing attention is being paid to innovation and creativity and learning as success factors for sustainable competitive advantage and financial performance. This paper examines the relationships between innovation strategy, innovative working climate, learning orientation and financial performance in the context of the Norwegian wood industry. A questionnaire-based survey was sent to CEOs of firms in the wood industry in Norway (241 usable replies, response rate of 49 percent). Innovation strategy embodies four dimensions: the degrees to which innovation in the form of products, processes, and business systems are embedded in the management values and priorities as well as the degree of expenditure in R&D. An innovative working climate is exemplified by team cohesion, supervisory encouragement, resources, autonomy, challenge, and openness to innovation. Both learning orientation and firm innovativeness were conceptualised and analysed as latent second-order constructs using structural equation modelling. The result implied that innovation strategy and an innovative working climate enhanced financial performance in Norwegian wood industry. Furthermore, the findings showed that learning orientation had a positive affect on financial performance positively via firm innovativeness (full mediating effect). Findings suggest that managers in wood industry will not likely benefit financially from a learning orientation without also achieving high levels of firm innovativeness. Moreover, findings suggest that managers should focus on creating an innovative working climate and prioritising an innovation strategy.

To document

Abstract

In this study, we address this research question: What effect do an innovation strategy and an innovative working climate have on financial performance in the Norwegian wood industry? Innovation strategy embodies four dimensions: those concerning the degree to which innovation in the form of products, processes, and business systems are embedded in the management values and priorities, and those concerning the degree of expenditure in R&D. An innovative working climate is embodied by team cohesion, supervisory encouragement, resources, autonomy, challenge, and openness to innovation. Previous studies indicate a lack of studies in traditional manufacturing and a lack of studies including both an innovation strategy and a supporting working climate. 241 CEOs answered our survey . The connectional model was tested with structural equation modelling, and all hypotheses received support. This implies that an innovation strategy and an innovative working climate enhance financial performance in traditional manufacturing firms. The results are discussed and implications are made

To document

Abstract

• Parasitism and saprotrophic wood decay are two fungal strategies fundamental for succession and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. An opportunity to assess the trade-off between these strategies is provided by the forest pathogen and wood decayer Heterobasidion annosum sensu lato. • We report the annotated genome sequence and transcript profiling, as well as the quantitative trait loci mapping, of one member of the species complex: H. irregulare. Quantitative trait loci critical for pathogenicity, and rich in transposable elements, orphan and secreted genes, were identified. • A wide range of cellulose-degrading enzymes are expressed during wood decay. By contrast, pathogenic interaction between H. irregulare and pine engages fewer carbohydrate-active enzymes, but involves an increase in pectinolytic enzymes, transcription modules for oxidative stress and secondary metabolite production. • Our results show a trade-off in terms of constrained carbohydrate decomposition and membrane transport capacity during interaction with living hosts. Our findings establish that saprotrophic wood decay and necrotrophic parasitism involve two distinct, yet overlapping, processes.