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Innovations and Competitive Advantages


ContentS:





Introduction



1 Theoretical foundations of innovation activity of economic entities



1.1 The concept and essence of the category "innovative activity"



2. Factors influencing the innovation activity of enterprises



2.1 Characteristics of the innovation process in the construction industry



2.2 Classification of the factors influencing the innovation activity of enterprises



2.3 Innovation activity as a competitive advantage of the company



2.4 Constraints on innovation activity



3. Innovative ways to enhance the activity and its importance in the development of business entities



3.1 Methods of improving the innovation activity of enterprises of building complex



3.2 Correlation of "innovative activity" with other innovative performance



Conclusion



List of References



Introduction





In today's economy, the role of innovation has increased significantly. Without the use of innovation is almost impossible to create competitive products having a high degree of research intensity and originality. In a market economy, innovation is an effective means of competition - leading to the creation of new needs, to reduce production costs, to encourage investment, to enhance the image of the (manufacturer rated) new products to the discovery and conquest of new markets, including foreign.



Construction company in accordance with its mission in the dynamically changing environment develops strategies for obtaining sustained success, competitive advantage, self-reproduction with progressive improvements and innovative development in the long term. Means of achieving such a situation serves as an intensive development of all components, elements of the organization as well as their innovative development.



Strong economic growth is the most important factor in a country's competitiveness in the market system. In the process of improvement of the market economy model priority should be given to the development of production on a new technical basis, enhancing innovation in translating the results of research and development to production, new production processes and restructuring on the scientific and technological basis of all production industries and the service sector .



Worldwide, innovation today - it's not a whim but a necessity of survival, preservation of competitiveness and prosperity.



The experience of developed countries shows that the winner in the battle for the consumer is the one who builds its activities mainly on the basis of an innovative approach and the main objective of the strategic plan aims to develop new products and services.



Innovation activity of the enterprise may be one of the main conditions for the formation of its competitive strategic perspective, retention and expansion of market niches.



The aim of the course work: to analyze the factors influencing the innovation activity of enterprises.



In accordance with the goal to solve the following tasks:



· Examine the theoretical foundations of the category "innovative activity";



· To identify the factors influencing the innovation activity of enterprises;



· To determine the value of innovation in the economic activity of economic entities and ways to enhance innovation.



Coursework consists of three chapters. The first chapter sets out the theoretical position of the category "innovative activity", given to the concept of innovation activity of enterprises, a method of measurement of innovation. The second chapter presents a classification of factors influencing the innovation activity of enterprises, given the characteristics of the innovation process in the construction industry, highlighted constraints to innovation by construction companies. The third chapter shows the importance of innovation activity in enterprises are set out ways to increase innovation.



building complex of innovative activity



1 Theoretical foundations of innovation activity of economic entities





1.1 The concept and essence of the category "innovative activity"





Innovation, as well as any other theory has its conceptual apparatus, including both its own system of concepts and the basic concepts of innovation for the basic branches of knowledge: the theory of scientific and technological progress, the organization of production functions (R & D, ideas, suggestions, products, processes) , Strategic Management (mission and values, goals and the environment, the potential, the base and the preferred strategy), project management (mono-, multi - and mega-projects, programs, matrix structure), financial management (investment, cash flow, risk, discounting) , marketing (competitive environment, competitive advantage, competitive forces), etc. The system of categories of innovation primarily involves the following categories: innovation / innovation and pioneering, innovation and innovators, innovation process, innovation, innovation risks and, of course, innovative activity (IA ) [16].



Innovation activity - independent category. Its importance lies in the fact that the Agency is estimated by the nature of innovation. Innovative activity, like any other activity (marketing, formulation and implementation of strategies, etc.), primarily characterized by the content, the composition of specific acts committed by certain technology procedure. On this basis one activity is different from the other. For example, the actions of the execution of functions of marketing and production will be different [16].



Further, any activity of any subject is only part of a more general process. For example, the actions of the innovator, creating an innovation - it's just part of the overall innovation process (SP), which reflects the life cycle of innovation (ZHTSI). The generality of the process is the fact that apart from the innovator needs of other actors of the innovation process, to act at different stages of ZHTSI. Thus, the place of the related activities in the innovation process is uniquely determined. It is necessary to know how to organize this activity and all PIs. Therefore, to describe the ID must use such a symptom, as in the structure of IP. All activities, including innovation, should be targeted to any result, ie characterized by a certain efficiency and effectiveness, as required resource and lead to a certain result.



The activity of the company - it is such a characteristic that should show the relationship between the content of the planned activities and their results. This relationship is explained by the behavior of the company in the implementation of planned activities. In fact, on the one hand, developed an action plan to improve the competitive position. On the other hand, when carrying out these actions can be either positive or negative. At the same plans, strategies, objectives, potential leaders of various companies reach different results, due to their unequal activity. It is the differences in innovation activity explains many innovative results with the same initial assumptions [16].



At the same time a sign of "innovative activity" has the following features of the innovative activity of the firm. First, the ID must be strategic and to be controlled in real time (as the sharply increased volatility of the environment). Strategic approach provides high quality ID.



Second, the ID must be in the current time to be rational as on the sequence of actions, and on the timeliness, which will provide the desired dynamics of the situation on the ID defined the pace of the necessary actions and changes. Otherwise, the user ID is simply unnecessary and will give negative effects (effectively exhausted the reserves of time and resources). Figure 1.1 shows the assignment of the category "innovative activity".



[Pict]





In strategic terms, IA has the following particular indicators:



· The quality of the innovation strategy of the organization;



· The level of mobilization and use of innovative potential;



· Size of attracted investments - investments;



· The quality of the methods used in carrying out innovative changes;



· Validity realized the level of innovation activity.



Tactically, IA is defined by two particular indicators:



· Compliance with the competitive nature of the reaction of the company's strategic situation;



· Speed ​​(tempo) of the strategic actions and innovative changes. [16]



Doctor of Economic Sciences Melnikov ON by innovation activity understands the creative activities (creative energy) producers of goods or services, expressed in achieving dictated by demand increments of novelty (ΔN) technical, technological, economic, organizational, managerial, social, psychological and other factors offered to the market processes, products or services produced by specialists in a competitive time (Δt) [8].



"The new quality is born in the interaction of science, technology and production. One manifestation of this - a sharp reduction in the duration of the scientific discoveries: the average period of development of innovations made from 1885 to 1919. - 37 years, from 1920 to 1944 - '24, 1945 to 1964. - 14 years, and for the most promising discoveries (electronics, nuclear power, lasers) - 3-4 years. " This, in our opinion, due to the objectivity of scientific, technical and social changes the dynamics of competition and the continuous growth of innovative activities in all areas of activity. Today, it is, in particular, is characterized by a reduction in the life cycles of all types of innovation (product, technology, management, etc.).



Serve as a source of evolutionary innovation research and development activities (development and introduction of inventions), which should be improved. However, the organizational system of many Russian enterprises are often not capable of rapid innovation. Or, as figuratively said Leif Edvinsson: "Market clock is ticking faster than heavy organizational clocks."



This implies that companies need to learn how to respond quickly to changing needs, but this strategy will give him only a temporary advantage, as it will very soon be used by competitors. Innovative customized enterprise management should anticipate the wishes of consumers, see the outlines of the future market. This is the way they have to create products and services that have some time will have no competitors. [8]



Innovative activity is influenced by many factors, chief among which is innovative and creative potential of employees of enterprises. This is supported by recent research that suggests that "the success of innovations by 85-90% depending on the level of training, with a particular role managerial staff." So, not just skilled training and professional experience of employees today are important factors in improving the innovation activities of enterprises and, consequently, its competitiveness and the level of manifestation of creative energy (creative activity), each of the professionals.



Innovation activity is the essence of the internal condition of the company, which it can control, specifically using the power of creative minded staff. Competitiveness of the company in front of a reflection of the environment, which it operate in an explicit form can not, however, able to influence it by raising their innovative activity [8].



Trifilova AA by innovation activity understands the intensity of economic stakeholders on the development and the involvement of new technologies or products-tuning into the economy [14].



By examining various aspects of the concept of "innovation activity" can be defined as the innovative activity of the company - a comprehensive description of its innovation, including the severity of their actions and for the timeliness, ability to mobilize the necessary capacity, including its hidden side, validity and progressiveness used methods, the rationality of technology innovation process in composition and sequence [16].





1.2 Assessment of Innovation Activity





In the formation of an innovative methodology for assessing the activity as a methodological basis, you can use the principles of analyzing the financial condition and features of the system of business enterprises. [14] Similarly, one can also carry out the calculation of the coefficients and compare them with the established values. Depending on the current condition of the company and its achievements in innovation, as well as their correlation with the benchmark strategy chosen a leader or a follower. Basic, comparative values, which may be indicators of the previous period (or from past innovation projects), industry average values ​​or the values ​​of the competition. Possible options thresholds of innovative activity to select innovative development strategies, given by the author, should be considered a guide and a reference to the approximate.



Accordingly, all of the calculated economic indicators of innovation activity, determining the degree of economic security of enterprise resources in innovation, may include the following factors [15].



· Keys - ratio of its intellectual property. It determines whether the enterprise of intellectual property and the rights to it in the form of patents, licenses for the use of inventions, certificates of industrial designs, utility models, software, trademarks, service marks, and other, similar with the above, the rights and assets necessary for effective innovation.



In this analysis, the ratio of these resources to other non-current assets AVN enterprises may indicate the extent of its equipment and armament of intellectual capital, compared with other major means of production. The value of Keys is as follows:





Keys = C / APD





where: C - intellectual property (p.110, "Intangible Assets" I Sec. balance sheet), rub.



Thus



Keys ≥ 0,10 ... 0,15 - strategy leader;



Keys ≤ 0,10 ... 0,05 - follower strategy.



· CRC - the coefficient of the personnel engaged in research and development. This ratio characterizes the professional staff of the company. It shows the percentage of personnel directly engaged in the development of new products and technologies, manufacturing, and engineering design, other kinds of technological preparation for the release of new products or new services, relative to the average composition of the permanent and temporary workers who have been reported in the enterprise. Is given by:





CRC = Mo / Zp





where: M - number of employees in R & D, pers.;



Czech Republic - the average number of employees, pers.



Thus



CRC ≥ 0,20 ... 0,25 - strategy leader;



CRC ≤ 0,20 ... 0,15 - follower strategy.



· Knie - the coefficient of the property intended for research and development. It shows the share of the property of the experimental and research purposes, the purchase of machinery and equipment related to the technological innovations in the total cost of production and technological machinery and equipment, as follows:





THD = Oop / ARF





where: Oop - equipment experimental instrumentation purpose rub.;



ARF - equipment for production purposes, rub.



Thus



Knie ≥ 0,25 ... 0,30 - strategy leader;



THD ≤ 0,25 ... 0,20 - follower strategy.



· Cat - the coefficient of the development of new technology. It characterizes the ability of the company to the development of new equipment and the latest production and processing lines and is calculated from the ratio of the newly introduced over the past three years in the operation of major industrial and technological assets compared with other assets, including buildings, structures, transport, according to the formula:





Cat = OFN / OFsr





where: DPS - the cost of the newly introduced fixed assets rub.;



OFsr - the average annual value of fixed assets of the enterprise, rub.



Thus



Ivory ≥ 0,35 ... 0,40 - strategy leader;



Ivory ≤ 0,35 ... 0,30 - follower strategy.



· Cop - the coefficient of the development of new products. It evaluates the ability of the company to implement innovative or technological changes of products subjected to the following formula:





Cop = vRNP / VRob





where: vRNP - sales of new or improved products (works, services) and products (works, services) manufactured using new or improved technologies, rub.;



VRob - the total sales of all products (works, services), rub.



Thus



Cop ≥ 0,45 ... 0,50 - strategy leader;



Cop ≤ 0,45 ... 0,40 - follower strategy.



· Cyrus - the coefficient of innovation-based growth. It determines the stability of technological growth and industrial development and demonstrated the experience of enterprise management innovation projects. Shows the percentage of funds allocated to the enterprise on its own and joint research to develop new technologies, education and training of personnel associated with innovation, economic agreements on market research, the total of all investments (including kapitaloobrazuyuschih and portfolio) by the formula:





Cyrus = IMS / OBI





where: IMS - the cost of research and teaching of investment projects, rub.;



OBI - the total value of other investment expenses, RUR.



Thus



Cyrus ≥ 0,55 ... 0,60 - strategy leader;



Cyrus ≤ 0,55 ... 0,50 - follower strategy. [14]



Thus, the use of this method during the development of strategic plans allows businesses to assess their current innovative activity and to take into account these figures when making decisions about the direction of further innovation. At the stage of development of innovative strategies for the assessment largely avoids wastage of financial and economic resources and show ways to enhance the innovation sphere.



2. Factors influencing the innovation activity of enterprises





2.1 Characteristics of the innovation process in the construction industry





It should be noted that the construction industry around the world is conservative and inert. American researchers still complain that the construction industry in the ranking of innovating industries is one of the last places [5].



And yet, despite the comprehensive conservatism of the construction industry, appearing regularly innovations that are not radically changing technological structure, provide a reduction in the cost of construction and operation of housing, reduce construction time, improve the quality and comfort. Recent major changes are associated with such innovations as the transition to a monolithic box-frame construction, the use of permanent formwork technology, improving the quality of the concrete due to various additives to improve its structural properties, the introduction of various new materials (porous brick, composite materials, plastics, etc. .). Lower material production, and manufacturing operations are carried beyond the construction site. One of the recent trends is the transition from the archaic methods of construction of houses directly on the construction site (on-site manufacturing) to the box-modular (ofsaytnomu) housebuilding. A lot of attention is paid to the complex issues of energy conservation in residential buildings, the development of co-generation energy supply schemes (co-generation of electricity and thermal energy), the introduction of effective methods of waste disposal and wastewater treatment (centrifuge and membrane technology, new technology digestion of crude residue) [5].



For an initial assessment of the nature of the innovation process in the construction industry can use comparative statistical data on demand for inventions in various fields of engineering. According to the annual report on the activities of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks in 2006, marked a significant increase in demand inventions in chemistry and petrochemistry, metallurgy, construction and building materials, light and food industry, and medicine. As might be expected, the best dynamic performance was in the chemical and petrochemical industries, but builders have found their dependence on innovation. Moreover, the industry is only beginning to be filled inventions, while the penetration of the bulk of innovation in the light and food industry has already taken place, according to the same data (see table 2.1).





Table 2.1 - The number of contracts registered with the patent holders (according to the State Statistics Committee). [1]



Field of technology



Number of contracts





2002



2003



2004



2005



2006



Light industry, food industry



266



362



459



105



160



Construction, building materials



81



125



104



108



160





You can try to find out exactly which 160 Russian inventions were introduced in 2006 in the construction industry and building materials. But it is doubtful whether these innovations make the weather today, referring to the use of prescription and origin of construction technologies, as a monolithic frame construction, mobile mortar and ventilated facades, dry mixes and double glazing, high-speed elevators and a central vacuum system, etc. In itself, the borrowing of foreign innovation is a normal phenomenon in any modern country, especially since the construction of the world economy is not a cause for acute technological competition (see table 2.2).





Table 2.2 - the average global spending on research and development as a percentage of sales in these areas (according to the WR Grace (USA)) [1].



Sectors of the economy



Expenditure on research and development



the whole industry



3,5-3,4



Semiconductors



15.5



chemistry



4.7



Computers and office equipment



4.6



automobile production



3.8



construction



0.2-0.4





However, this circumstance is not an excuse to lose sight of the difference between the conditions of growth of the innovation in Russia and abroad - especially in Japan, the U.S. and Europe. Because in proportion to the hardness of the above exchange regions of the world, there is more exacting the following cases.



What is innovation?



Why innovation is just that decision?



That this innovation allows you to change or replace?



When and where will the innovation appeared, was used, and will still be used?



Obviously, getting a more adequate answers to the above questions is impossible without the patent examiners, whose activity in Russia is consistent with the articles of the Patent Law of the Russian Federation. In any case, the result of research of each application is unique claims, enclosing a comprehensive answers to these questions. But from time to time requires comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of innovation, useful for timely regulatory actions. Moreover, if such a comparison is lagging forced to more or less convincing justifications, the innovative leaders use it to measure the effectiveness of their innovation activities. To this end, for example, the session of the European Council of Civil Engineering (The European Council of Civil Engineers) determine the size of investment in construction innovation regarding the gross domestic product [1].



With the exception of two sparsely populated Nordic countries, only Japan and the United States show a consistently high level of investment in research and development of building technology. The leading position of Japan explains the increased interest of its own compared to the Japanese and U.S. investment processes. Since the late 80s of the last century construction companies from Japan ahead of their counterparts in the United States in areas such as the construction of tunnels in soft ground, the design and construction of intelligent buildings, the device deep foundations, construction robotics, etc.



In view of the manifestations of innovation activity can most accurately predict the further development of the industry. At the same time, it is necessary to properly evaluate the nature of investment in the construction itself. So, in the same proportion of construction investment in Japan from 1976 to 2006 uniformly decreased from 20 to 15% of the total industrial investment. Which is directly related to the high efficiency of the financial costs of technological development. Hence it is seen in its true light the phenomenon of "building boom", ie involvement in the industry big money. In Bulgaria, for example, where construction investment reached a level of 30%, it is only on the multiplication of high-profit buildings in the Black Sea and ski resorts.



According to the State Statistics Committee, from 2002 to 2006, the share of construction investments (excluding small businesses) increased from 5.6 to 6.8% of the total industrial investment, but even in Moscow is far from at least dozens of accounts (and them in a year, there are more than a thousand) complaints about the quality of new buildings. This, by the way, reminds us that the building innovation pays off only in the context of the overall program objectives.



In general, it should be clear that innovation costs are compensated primarily by saving human and material resources. We should talk about the combination of technological progress with the reduction of building, operating and other costs. In practice, this requirement is satisfied differentiated, that is, depending on the specific terms and details of construction projects. Exert a decisive contribution to this new material, which is, for example, foam. The use of this material does not require high investment costs, since the organization of production of precast aerated concrete products for construction enterprises. From this point of view, attractive objects made by construction technology arch buildings. Deservedly popular light and durable sandwich panel to a metal used for construction of buildings and industrial facilities. Attention is drawn to the method of construction of frame houses, which are several times lighter than brick-and do not involve massive foundation. One can also note a number of new materials for the coating of concrete bases, such as liquid ceramic coating "Isollat" which after drying forms an elastic polymer surface. This material, being filled with hollow ceramic microspheres, possess valuable energy-saving properties - a low thermal conductivity, a high ability to reflect incident beams of light and scatter to 95% of the infrared radiation.



However, along with methods of multiplication, whose applicability due to many circumstances it is desirable always acknowledge fruitful of universal innovations. Today, one of the most promising areas of the economy in general and the construction industry in particular is to provide materials at the nanoscale. Thus, the inclusion of 2-3% of the nanoparticles in the mass of concrete to provide significant enhancement of the strength characteristics and increased density of improving all the properties of the building material. Nanotechnology can create ultra-light materials, including steel and concrete. This technique involves surface activation nanolevel crushed to particles using a rotary-pulsating devices or using hydrodynamic emitters. Carbon fiber thickness of less than 0.1 microns can tenfold increase the insulation qualities of almost any material. As much enhanced by the use of nanotechnology color fastness and other exterior coatings [1].





2.2 Classification of the factors influencing the innovation activity of enterprises





The most important characteristic of the new economy is the intensification of innovation processes and their transformation into a factor of economic growth. Studies concerning the OECD suggest that investment in innovation sector leads to an increase in GDP in the ratio of 1 to 3, the investment in information and communication technologies in the ratio of 1 to 2. In developed countries, 90% of GDP growth is determined by innovation and technological progress. [2]



The innovation process acts as a resultant of many economic factors, objective and subjective, external and internal.



Objective factors include those environmental factors that are due to long-term trends and are not associated with strong-willed decisions of the individual subject. These include economic laws, actively influencing the innovation:



· Law of receipt and appropriation of profit, which may also be called the law of motion of a market economy, as profit is the driving force of production;



· The cost of the law governing the development of the economy and determines the need for a mutually beneficial exchange of all types of transactions;



· Laws of supply and demand determine the economic mechanism of communication between production and consumption;



· The law of competition that characterizes the economic mechanism by which a particular type of market are implemented and interact objective economic laws;



· Cyclical pattern of economic development, which determines the business relationship, including the innovative activity and the corresponding phase "cycle" [10].



Subjective nature are those factors which can act as a direct result of conscious decisions, among which should be highlighted:



innovation policy of the state as the most important component of state economic policy;



monetary policies of the organizations that act as investors. The implementation of innovative projects often involve the use of borrowed funds, which requires taking into account the high risk of such investments;



strategies of competing firms. The value of this factor is determined by the ability of other economic entities to influence the market structure, the intensity of competition, adjust to obtain the necessary material resources;



consumer behavior, which largely depends on the demand for emerging from the development of innovative relations innovation. This factor for the enterprise to innovate, involves extra effort to shape the future of consumer demand for a new product, service, technology, etc. [11].



In this case, the objective and subjective factors are coordinated with each other, interpenetrate and form a system of incentives for the formation of an innovation strategy.



Factors of innovation activity can be divided as to the global defined macroeconomic and society in general, and local, determined by micro-enterprises [4].



By the global factors include the political situation in the country and at the international level, the competition in the international market, the relationship with the government tax policy.



Under the conditions of an environment conducive to the implementation of innovations, the center of gravity in innovative ways shifting towards innovation capacity of companies innovators - internal factors that influence the innovation strategy. When the external environment is favorable for the economic system of innovation, they are entirely dependent on internal factors of innovation.



The innovative potential of the company is represented as a set of material, financial, labor, infrastructure, intelligent information and communication resources. [3] There are two groups of factors determining innovation activity: domestic, aimed at establishing and managing innovation in the enterprise and external, that expand the boundaries of innovation.



The external are factors that contribute to the interaction of enterprises with economic and social environments:



· The use of external sources to support all phases of the innovation process, from discovery and development to commercialization;



· Communication with customers, business partners, investors, competitors, research organizations and universities;



· Lobbying in state institutional structures.



Internal factors - is the essential features of the enterprise that distinguish it from its competitors and determine its viability innovation:



· Motivated leadership;



· Integration of technology and managerial and organizational innovations;



· High efficiency;



· Effective relationships with staff, his involvement in the innovation process;



· Continuous organizational learning;



· An effective marketing system to communicate with end users;



· Quality management, infrastructure, organizational development [13].



Internal factors, in turn, can also be divided into two groups. The first group includes factors that shape the system of internal economic relations and ways to interact with environmental factors. The second group consists of the factors that characterize the "internal resources" of the organization.



The first group of factors - is:



ownership of the means of production, which determines the nature of the economic interests of businesses, in general, in-house economic relations, including relations management;



organizational structure to warrant the mobility of the economic system in the process of decision-making and the extent to which these decisions impact the environment;



"The size of organizations," defining it belongs to the category of "small", "medium", "large" company;



industry affiliation, which characterizes the specialization of the company, the main purpose of its activities, market share and competitiveness in the market.



Firm size affects the ability to concentrate not only financial, but also human resources for innovation. All else being equal, the larger the size of a company, the more it has more options for diverting productive resources in the innovation sphere.



The second group of factors includes:



the financial position of the company, which gives an idea of ​​its financial strength, its degree of dependence on external sources of finance for innovation, and its ability to pay, as a result, the ability to obtain a loan for the implementation of innovative projects;



scientific and technical potential, characterizing the possibility of organizing research and development;



production potential, which characterizes the production base of the company, the ability to produce a particular product, production capacity;



human potential, which determines the level of professional skills within the organization, necessary for innovation.



As a means of forming a system of internal economic relations and ways of interacting with environmental factors, serves enterprise restructuring.



Restructuring processes can wear passive character, manifested in the closure of unprofitable divisions, staff reduction, reduced spending on social infrastructure, debt restructuring, etc., as well as an active character, which consists in the introduction of new production and management technologies, investment in training, the promotion of new territorial markets of traditional products, new product development and its promotion and others in the scientific literature to the number of lines of restructuring include food (horizontal and vertical), technical-technological, organizational and managerial innovations. [6]



Product innovations are the most common type of activity of Russian enterprises in their restructuring. The essential difference between innovation and product innovation at all especially for the source of innovation activity: whether carried out by means of simulation, the borrowing of existing technologies or products of other companies, either through its own research and development. In one case it is a simulation, the second - directly on innovation.



Competitive factor provides a selection of innovations in the commodities market. However, the competition - is a particular economic environment and the market in which interacting and other economic factors.



Between competition and innovation relationship exists a very close relationship. In a sense, innovative relationships are the product of competition, and the results of such relations are an instrument in the competition.



Competition from other companies serves as an essential factor in innovation activity across the enterprise. So, Y. Simachev notes inverted dependence of Innovation Activity of the level of competition in the market. [12] In the beginning, with the number of competitors in the market of innovative activity increases and then stabilizes or even decreases. Moderate competition helps to speed up the process of innovation. But with increased competition monetary resources are being depleted, an innovative process or slows or stops altogether.



Factors that stimulate innovation by companies associated with the emergence of new needs and preferences of consumers, reduced product life cycles, increased knowledge-intensity of production.



For horizontal product innovation include such forms of innovation activity as expanding the range of goods previously produced by the company, creating a new look and packaging of goods.



By vertical product innovation should include such forms of innovation activities, such as: the creation of a brand new product, replacing a previous obsolete products, improving the quality of products, the introduction of a new system of after-sales service.



In horizontal competition, increased innovation activity is a way of training for new market niches or attachment to existing niches. When the vertical ties innovation is a response to increasing requirements from buyers to suppliers of raw materials and semi-finished products, or the desire of suppliers to provide the appropriate level of moving goods to market.



Under the process innovations should be used to understand the improvement or the introduction of a completely new technology, equipment upgrades.



Administrative innovations aim to transform the management structure of the company, improving the system of corporate finance, and personnel management.



If competition is an incentive for innovation activities, the transfer of technology is a means of penetration of new ideas into the company in a situation where the innovation process occurs by copying and imitation. Transfer of innovative technologies most often realized through horizontal linkages between enterprises. It is a single copy of a new product, a new process and new management solutions for companies operating in the same market, ie from competing companies.



It should be noted that innovative firms in Russia is very different from the West, as Western company operates in a highly competitive market saturated with high-quality products. Russia also lags behind the quality standards of the international market. Much of the new products is the new only in the Russian market is not competitive, and bring it up to international standards requires such costs and effort that many businesses can not afford.



One factor that could strengthen the innovative activity is the international competition in the domestic market. In terms of openness of the domestic market economy of a country is an open system, which significantly changes the nature of competition in all market segments. To innovate, focusing simultaneously on the "passive" home market and "active" foreign market, it is difficult. For the development of innovative relations need to know the needs, incentives and requirements of the single market. Openness of the internal market creates the conditions for a chain reaction of innovation diffusion, their animation elasticity of demand parameters for money. This innovative entrepreneurs costs are considered as inevitable investments to ensure the "survival" in a competitive environment.



The multidisciplinary nature of the pre-perestroika Soviet economy, the highest proportion in the country's exports of products with a high degree of processing, including high-tech products, dictated the demand for highly educated people on a wide range of specialties and maintained a high status of science, education and culture. As a result of economic reforms, the structure of the Russian economy to a certain extent "primitivized" because during the reform and develop the economic crisis, many businesses, and the industry as a whole to the brink of destruction. Became no longer be necessary to entire branches of scientific research, preserve the dignity of education and culture.



In this connection, attention should be paid to one of the most important conditions for the development of the competitiveness of domestic producers - raising the level of general education and professional work force of the country. Our country is the danger of losing this important competitive advantage gained over decades of deliberate educational policy, including in the training of highly skilled workers. These circumstances are complemented by the tendency to under-labor costs, especially higher qualification, followed by degradation and disorientation of the national scientific potential.



An important factor in the development of innovative activity is the quality of the labor force. A high-quality workforce, characterized by higher levels of education, skills, resulting in more efficient use of productive resources. It reflects the educational level of creative ability of workers to accept new ideas, which appeared on the market. The quality of the workforce determines the ability of firms to carry out their own research and development or copy new products from other companies.



The company, which uses the principles of a learning organization, it is an attractive place to work for highly skilled artists, improve relationships with customers and partners. A special role in this belongs to science. Therefore, it must be closely integrated into the production, become a member of the innovation cycle of development, dissemination and use of innovations.





2.3 Innovation activity as a competitive advantage of the company





Competitive advantage - these are the characteristics, product attributes (object), coming into the world and affects the external environment, as well as those inherent characteristics that make for it a certain advantage over its direct competitors. Said superiority is relative, determined by comparison with a competitor, occupying a prime position in the market of a product or a market segment. This is the most dangerous competitor is called priority. The relative superiority of a competitor may be due to a variety of factors external and internal nature.



Competitive advantage is called "external" if it is based on the properties of the firm as a whole, or the properties of its components, which are in some way influenced by the external environment. First of all, such a component is the production of its properties: the distinctive qualities of goods, creating "value to the customer" due to either reduce its costs or increase the efficiency of its operations, or compliance with the fashion and the championship in the proposal. External competitive advantage determined by the competitiveness of environmental factors. The strategy arising from the external competitive advantage - a strategy of differentiation.



Competitive advantage is called the "internal" if it is based on the superiority of the company in respect of:



· Quality control of various processes;



· Reduce the cost of production or consumption;



· High-quality goods;



· High quality of service to consumers of goods.



A reasonable level of innovative activity, as part of quality control is an important competitive advantage of firms, mostly internal, and in some situations, and external, when due to the activity of the company is sharply reduced rate of innovation "TAT" and the product of the company comes to consumer well before a competitor's product, which gives the first "market power" (the ability to raise prices).



At all stages of the life cycle of innovation (strategic marketing, R & D, production, service, consumption) of innovative activity is apparent in the use of effective methods. Of particular importance is the marketing function, implemented throughout the cycle, since its mission is to formulate the concept of creating a competitive advantage. This innovative activity may be to use the modern theory of relative competitive advantages based on the concept of "client-focused."



Pre-existing concept of production and marketing with a focus on production ("produce as much as possible") and marketing ("sell everything that made") has been replaced by the concept of marketing management (CMM), with a focus on the customer / market where "the customer is everything" .



However, in an environment of intense competition targeting only the market was not enough to develop a successful brand strategy. In a situation where the market is increasingly acquiring the features of a buyer's market, market orientation has become a part of the company culture of almost all competitors. The culture is more conservative, more fundamental than the strategy. Strategy can be developed, and the culture is formed. A market-oriented culture, being the norm for everyone, does not give competitive advantage to the firm. It is no longer a factor in competitive advantage.



Therefore there were recommendations on the need to focus on resources, which requires examination of individual core competencies, which can turn into a competitive advantage.



Focusing clientele (FC) - a new direction, to deepen the concept of marketing management. FC allows you to define a set of key competencies that guarantee the satisfaction of certain homogeneous group of actual and potential customers. This approach shows the way how resource management needs to follow in order to achieve competitive advantage.



FC is not synonymous with customer orientation / market. Customer orientation is focus on the behavior of certain conditional virtually undifferentiated consumer (similar to "shooting at squares"), whereas the focus - it is an active choice of a good representation of a particular actual or potential customer, which focus attention and efforts of the company (the analogy with the "shooting Target ").



Such an understanding of the strategy includes the following three aspects:



· FC in contrast to the focus on the customer / market, which takes into account the known needs and requirements, aimed at identifying not only real, but also the potential demand. This eliminates the risk of becoming dependent on the client;



· Comparative analysis of the competences of its own enterprise and competition helps to assess in advance the technological development of the past, which reduces the risk of "surprises" in the market of new technology;



· Identification of queries selected groups of customers and their embodiment in the competitive production initiates innovative customer activity (ie a secondary agency after agency company and innovator).



So, by definition, FC is a strategy under which the company uses its strengths due to the resources available in those market segments where it has a competitive advantage. Resources companies in the market system are different because they are applied in individual combinations. Wealth is created by the combination of benefits that are taken into account a combination of individual consumer requests and customized offers tailored to specific resources, competencies, strengths of the enterprise. FC allows the company to:



· Demonstrate their innovative activity (implement innovations in the market of innovation) is the most efficient way;



· Build their consumer innovation environment, ie prepare consumer-oriented trends of the enterprise.





2.4 Constraints on innovation activity





Significant results in the development of innovative sphere among a wider range of businesses in the near future is problematic due to the existence of a number of constraints to the innovative activity.



The main impact has a serious lack of experience in doing innovation in market conditions. The roots of this problem go back in time and are associated with the orientation of research organizations to perform public, mostly military-industrial orders and the lack of opportunities for self-earlier introduction of new products into the market.



Effect and the problem of the lack of common terminology. Well represented in the literature different definitions of the term "innovation", in English. "Innovation" should be understood as a new or improved product or technology created through the use of innovation and marketability or embedded in the production, management and other activities. No single view of the concept of "innovation", which in fact is a kind of business activity, as directed by the use of innovations for profit. [9]



The country has developed a legal framework for innovation in the legislation of the Russian Federation has not yet been adopted by the Federal Law "On Innovation Activities in the Russian Federation", although his training was started in 1998. The government is clearly not sufficiently monitor the activities of government customers, pays little attention to the practical use of the results of R & D financed from the federal budget does not provide the wide dissemination and use of market mechanisms to support and promote science. The share of budget expenditures of enterprises in the innovation does not exceed 5% [9].



The current tax law contains only a limited number of benefits to enterprises engaged in innovation, which has a negative impact on the scale and pace of scientific and technological progress. As a result, with significant scientific potential of innovation is characterized by low levels of innovation. According to a survey of economic conditions of the Center of the Government of the Russian Federation (CEA), the proportion of enterprises engaged in innovation, was 32%.



Exacerbated the problem of training and retaining qualified personnel in the country's science and industry. Because of the low wages, lack of assistance from the State in the acquisition of scientific equipment youth away from science experts leave for work in foreign research laboratories, is the so-called "brain drain" of scientific personnel and aging [9].



Innovative activity of enterprises is also hampered because of the unfavorable business climate due, on the one hand, a high level of fiscal pressure on the other - non-active role of the state in the protection of property rights, weak support for innovative enterprises sector and the lack of a level playing field for competition. Government programs have little impact on innovation of industrial enterprises. Thus, according to the majority of the executives surveyed, 95%, "participation in the programs of state support" did not have a significant impact on the innovative activity of enterprises [9].



Remain extremely high transaction costs and administrative barriers to innovation.



Along with these factors hindering innovation activity, there are obstacles associated with poor management of the enterprise and the low level of corporate culture. Unfortunately, quite often, managers of companies act only in their own interests or the interests of a small group of shareholders.



According to foreign experts, in 2000 Russia among 35 emerging economies took 2nd place in the world (after China) on the index of "opacity" of companies (Opacity Index). The results of the study (published 24.04.2004 g) Agencies Pricewatehouse Coopers with estimates of the Index of opacity of the economy show that due to the opacity of Economics Russia annually loses about $ 10 billion in foreign direct investment. Foreign investment as a source of innovation financing are spread only on a small number (3%) of the enterprises innovation sphere. [9]



The internal problems of domestic producers significantly slow down their innovative activity. Infrastructure plays a key role in the functioning of the innovation system of the enterprise. With the lack of effective management of innovation processes, lack of structure and co-ordination is not ensured flow of information, knowledge, technology, market flows to interact with different structures [5].



Underdeveloped level of innovation policy of the enterprise and marketing technology leads to the inability to reliably predict, identify consumer preferences and respond accordingly.



Obsolete equipment, loss of technology, high costs, financial problems, the long payback period of innovation - all of these factors inhibit innovation by enterprises. In this case, the lack of own funds (for 56% of companies), a high percentage of commercial loans (for 20% of enterprises) are the dominant factors as the main sources of financing for innovation activities of enterprises perform their own financial resources (89% of companies), and loans of commercial banks ( for 42% of companies). [9]



The main constraints of mass innovation in housing - organizational and managerial barriers. To fix them, the state should place the emphasis in urban planning and housing standards set for the next decade. [5]



Many market participants complain that the innovative impulses are constrained by administrative barriers and regulations. For example, the worldwide use of prestressed concrete allows developers to save structural reinforcement in the construction of high-rise buildings. "However, operating in our country building codes forced to pawn a number of structural reinforcement that is lost entire savings. Becomes unprofitable to introduce a new technology," - developers complain. Construction norms and state standards, according to them, are left out of the current capabilities.



Negative impact on the innovative component of the corruption of inertia of thinking and the local authorities. Often, they are not guided by economic expediency, and some personal motives. For example, the Moscow authorities have consistently maintained house building factories, although their potential on the verge of exhaustion. The capital city has no need prefabricated homes to the previous levels. However, immigrants from the Soviet construction of trusts, holding high positions in the city administration, the thoughts of other categories.



Lowers the dynamics of innovation poor quality construction materials. Often, they are produced on production lines 60 and 70 years. Due to the low quality and technological carelessness specific indicators of material consumption per square meter of floor area in our country is very high. "SNIPS lay a certain safety factor design. Then the designer is reinsured by adding their own safety factor [5].



Stops the innovation and low-skilled contractors. "At our sites, we are faced with the fact that the contractors, seeing the desire of the investor to do something new and different, some wind the absurd price for this innovation," - says the deputy president of the corporation Mirax Group Artur Aleksandrov [5].



"Today, the main enemy of adaptability, oddly enough, the designers," - according to industry experts. Then how designers and architects should be the link between the major developers and construction materials industry, laying projects in advanced materials and innovative technologies. "In recent years, architects, builders have been lost relationship between the consumer, the designer and manufacturer" - sums up the disappointing CEO of "Glavstroy" Artur Margaryan.



It turns out that the innovations periodically pop up in the construction market, simply do not fit into the existing paradigm. "In the old urban environments, all new sinks in the swamp", - states the market participants.



In part, this situation is due to market conditions. Namely unbridled growth in house prices, which was triggered by the economic recovery in the country. Bubble real estate market (for the last ten years, property prices have risen more than 400%) and relaxed without the sluggishness of developers. Until recently, most of them are quite happy with the current situation, and they were not interested in large-scale innovation [5].



3. Innovative ways to enhance the activity and its importance in the development of business entities





3.1 Methods of improving the innovation activity of enterprises of building complex





Above we have identified the main constraints to the implementation of innovations. In order to enhance innovation activities necessary to develop and implement a set of measures to counteract the effects of constraints. In this case, the state is the main task - to harmonize the relationship between the state, business and science for the development of high technology, the creation of mechanisms which, in turn, will ensure competitiveness of the national economy. [9]



The state should provide a favorable investment climate for the use of domestic and foreign investment to qualitative changes in the innovation, to promote programs of enterprise restructuring, technological upgrading of production, have a program to encourage innovation-oriented enterprises, encourage the development of venture capital firms, to develop the legal framework. The only way to achieve accelerated promotion of innovation in production and a significant increase of its competitiveness.



Innovation in Russia to do good business. This was stated in a news agency "Rosbalt" the first deputy chairman of the Presidium of the St. Petersburg Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Gennady Tereshchenko. He gave examples of innovation in relation to the various countries of the world. For example, in Australia, the company that integrates research and development, for several years, or at all exempt from tax, or pay a minimum percentage. The same situation in present-day Estonia. For example, in St. Petersburg, the funding structure of academic science is that federal funds can be used for innovative, often commercial structures by only 25%. Above - are financial irregularities with all the ensuing consequences. [9]



For innovation requires innovation potential of the company, which is characterized as a combination of various resources (intellectual, physical, financial, human resources, infrastructure, etc.). From the state of innovation capacity depends on the choice of a strategy, which can be defined as "a measure of readiness" to fulfill its objectives in the field of innovative development company.



The facility should be a leader - the innovator, willing to allocate resources to the development of new products, and constantly interested in innovation staff. International experience that the commitment to innovation such well-known managers like Bill Gates of with Microsoft, Akio Morita of Sony, Jack Welch of General Electric, has led them to the company's global leadership. [14]



Businesses need to continuously monitor the development of science and technology for the introduction of the latest developments in these areas in the production process and timely non-use of obsolete products and production technology.



Sources of information about the environment can serve as industry conferences, a network of scientific information (eg, STN International), professional meetings and other channels. For example, the All-Russia Exhibition Centre 15-18 February 2005 was conducted V Moscow International Salon of Innovations and Investments. The main purpose of the Salon - assist inventors, designers and manufacturers of high-tech products in the representation of inventions and innovative projects to advance promising technologies and products to the domestic and foreign markets. [9]



To adapt the innovative solutions necessary: ​​market research to identify consumer preferences and changes in market products, opinion polls employees develop individual policies of the enterprise market, segmentation, positioning, determining the development potential of the enterprise and identify the "bottleneck."



Reducing the risk of innovation is possible through the collection of information and the development of preliminary activities related to the consistent implementation of priority actions aimed at reducing the risk to a minimum.



When considering the generally recognized shortcoming of the innovation to the market, we can conclude that the success of the introduction of innovations depends on the control system used at the facility. Today the head of the successful business management is necessary to improve management of innovation management and bringing it to a level comparable with the international. Raising awareness is possible through innovative consulting services, educational system manager training, seminars and exhibitions.



Management must focus on building a system to collect and analyze information to determine or predict the outcome of the introduction of innovations. A well-designed system of internal and external communication will be a kind of compass that detects and indicates the required direction. Creating such a system is a component that affects the competitiveness of the enterprise, because determine to develop, implement and achieve the expected results is only possible with well-established mechanisms of decision-making [9].



Under certain conditions, builders and home buyers will have to adjust to a new wave of innovation. The impetus for this change can be a crisis in real estate sales, as well as the inevitable (in increased construction) rising prices of basic group of building materials, raw materials for their production, energy resources, as well as increased spending on wages and other costs. "Builders have forgotten about the cost. And just today, when the market went down, began to count the money," - says Mr. Markarian of the corporation "Glavstroy" [5].



According to experts, in five to seven years in the construction industry can survive those who offer home buyers the best quality for a reasonable price. At the same time, to achieve this dream without the introduction of global innovation and the transfer of industries to a new track is almost impossible because of her energy - and capital intensity. The future of materials with minimum energy consumption in production and low cost compared to expensive and scarce cement, lime, gypsum. In fact, estimates show that in 2010 the current structure of housing and pace of homes entering arise acute shortage of cement. The need for this article to be about 85-90 million tonnes in the current production level of 50-55 million tonnes and planned 70-75 million What makes it difficult not only to the implementation of the national housing program, but also call into question the major infrastructure projects in the energy and road construction [5].



The locomotives of innovation in the construction sector could be a major construction corporation. They are, for that matter, and medium-sized businesses need an effective navigation system in the housing sector. However, while the market participants do not understand how the emphasis will be placed in urban planning, housing standards which are set for the next decade. Yet without a clear understanding of them is impossible to form an innovative circuit, covering all activities directly or indirectly related to the construction industry. To avoid conflict between the old and the new communications system convenient materials and technologies needed systemic innovation policy designed not only to save a penny, but also remove the existing restrictions for the widespread introduction of innovation [5].



Necessary first of all economic incentives that encourage the implementation of energy efficient technologies (tax breaks, grants, subsidies, and so on.). Prudent government intervention would help to break down not only the organizational, management and regulatory barriers, but also the stereotypes and prejudice against innovations in housing construction, and thus - to increase consumer loyalty to them. [5]


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