J. Čeičytė “Implementing responsible innovation at the firm level” doctoral dissertation defence

Author, Institution: Jolita Čeičytė, Kaunas University of Technology

Science area, field of science: Social Sciences, Management, S 003

Scientific Supervisor: prof. dr. Monika Petraitė (Kaunas University of Technology, Social Sciences, Management, S 003).

Scientific consultant: Dr. Cornelius Herstatt (Hamburg University of Technology, Germany, Social Sciences, Management, S 003).

Dissertation Defence Board of Management Science Field:
Prof. Dr. Asta Pundzienė (Kaunas University of Technology, Social Sciences, Management, S 003) – chairperson,
Prof. dr. Tarmo Kalvet (Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, Social Sciences, Management, S 003),
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Žaneta Piligrimienė (Kaunas University of Technology, Social Sciences, Management, S 003),
Prof. Dr. Arminas Ragauskas (Kaunas University of Technology, Technological Sciences, Measurement Engineering, T 010),
Prof. Dr. Christian M. Ringle (Hamburg University of Technology, Germany, Social Sciences, Management, S 003).

The doctoral dissertation is available at the library of Kaunas University of Technology (Donelaičio 20, Kaunas).

Annotation:

The doctoral dissertation analyzes the implementation of Responsible Innovation (RI) at the firm level. Based on the results of scientific literature analysis, the main characteristics and conceptual elements of RI in the business context were identified. The conceptual framework for the implementation of RI at the firm level based on the behavioral norms approach and the networked nature of the firm’s internal and external environments is developed. Following the approach of pragmatism, mixed-method research strategy integrating qualitative and quantitative research methods was adopted. Qualitative research results confirmed that the implementation of RI is facilitated by the networked nature of the firm, i.e. integration of a firm’s external stakeholders contributes to a potentially more responsible innovative idea generation and its implementation in the firm. In accordance with the RI literature, quantitative results confirmed the importance of the integration of Grand Challenges into innovation activities. Empirical results also confirmed that institutional and ethical decision-making significantly contributes to RI implementation, however, techno-economic decision-making plays a major role in fostering RI activities in firms, therefore, techno-economic decision-making should be more explicitly integrated into the theoretical field of responsible innovation and further empirical research in the business sector.