Monthly Archives: April 2011

From Africa Renewal, April 2011, page 18,  By Masimba Tafirenyika A luxury commuter bus pulls up by the kerb to pick up passengers. A young woman quickly jumps in, retrieves a smart card from her wallet and swipes it against a machine next to the driver. A buzzer approves the swipe and the woman takes a seat by the window. Nothing unusual, something even routine in...

Mercy Adhiambo [NAIROBI] A farming technology that usesintercropping to repel insect pests from food crops has been given a new lease of life by a programme to expand its uptake. The ‘push–pull’ strategy intercrops cereals with a repellent plant bordered by an attractive trap plant. For example, maize can be intercropped with desmodium, which repels (‘pushes’)...

Even companies that do not invest in design thinking do invest in designing their brand. In a new book, Brand Driven Innovation, Erik Roscam Abbing looks at how brand should be redesigned and how that helps the innovation process. Go to Source ...

Abstract Purpose – The aim of this paper is to inform researchers and practitioners about the fuzzy front-end (FFE) of the innovation process in process firms. Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study of four process firms was conducted, with a total of 64 semi-structured interviews. Findings – The paper gives new insights into the FFE in non-assembled...

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore new product development (NPD) best practice from a practitioner’s perspective. A large body of research has been completed on best practices in NPD. However, there is a limited knowledge of the extent to which practitioners are aware of what constitutes a NPD best practice and are aware of the relative...

From the publisher: Several countries in Africa are developing science and technology parks (STPs). This study from Turkey could hold important lessons. Abstract Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between seven antecedent factors (R&D strategy, top management support (TMS), customer focus (CF), organizational learning capability...

Scientists call for more research, conservation of trees to harvest potential for next generation of malaria drugs NAIROBI (21 April 2011)— Research released in anticipation of World Malaria Day finds that plants in East Africa with promising antimalarial qualities—ones that have treated malaria symptoms in the region’s communities for hundreds of years—are...