Online research reports 2,4 billion of daily conversations online, that involve a brand (Thelwall & Kousha, 2015), and those comments take place whatever the brand are agree or disagree. The online post between consumers is known as the Word of Mouth electronic (eWOM). EWOM was defined by Henning-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K., Walsh, G. and Gremler, D. on 2004 as “any positive sentence or comments realized by a potential, current or previous consumer, over a product or company, which is attainable to navigators by internet”. This research will expose the key factors of eWOM posted on portals for booking online like TripAdvisor, on the consumer making-decision process. Examining the eWOM qualitatively with lexical analysis software we discover these key factors. Finally, an experiment will be performance for discover how the factors effects on the consumer making-decision process, when the booking online could take place. The first stage is a qualitative lexical analysis with software Alceste. For the second, an experiment will be performance, for understand how the key factors of eWOM can affect the voyagers on the process of make a booking online for a hotel for they dream vacations. Qualitative research for eWOM has not been taken for researches so often, there is a gap on these investigation, especially for lexical analysis. The hospitality market could take advantages of this type of research, because eWOM can be measured for predict the rise of booking online for the future, on the hospitality management.

My presention will be a follow up on the presentation of dr. Guido Enthoven on how to develop a Science of Ideas. Ideas are seen as related to knowledge which is taken as an organized framework (Kroeber) following the social construction of observations, facts, theories, paradigms and ideologies (Giddens). In my presentation the focus will be on the relation between knowledge and ideology. Examples will be presented from different fields. It is reasoned that the postmodern approach does not seem capable to adress the challenges of current times. The author will therefore propose a future oriented postnihilistic approach. On the theoretical level the conclusion is that for a Science of Ideas a comprehensive approach which includes both knowledge and ideology is promising but not unproblematic.

Creativity is crucial in solving the wicked problems we face today. We make theory on creativity easily applicable for practicioners (i.e. designers, innovators, buisness leaders, and falicilators and trainers of creativity). This will lead to more efficient and effective use of creativity and assist us in our complex problem solving. In this paper we focus on expertise and the role of expertise in facilitating innovation and problem solving workshops (i.e. all workshop that require creativity). Expertise is recognized as an important mediator of creativity and reseached thoroughly (Weisberg, 2006; Sawyer, 2012). It should be clear for facilitators that expertise is an aspect to focus on in innovation and problem solving workshops. Not only is expertise not the focus in these workshops, there are still facilitators believe that expertise kills creativity! Also, in a great amount of tools or work forms we use to facilitate creativity, I found none that makes explicite use of the expertise of the participants in a workshop (Brown et al., 2010; Dirkse-Hulscher et al., 2007). The purpose of this paper is to argue for more explicite use of expertise in innovation and problem solving workshops. The methodology has four steps. The first two steps are, one, a literature study on the role of expertise in creativity, and, two a thouroughly analysis of two tool books that together hold over two hundred techniques to enhance creativity for each situation. For the third step we invent a new technique to enhance creativity that explicitely uses expertise, and fourtly we put this technique to the test. The fourth step is testing the new technique. This paper focusses on step one. Bridging the gap between theory and practice is super important and valuable. This focus on expertise is a first step in that direction. Our grant mission is to make us use all mediators of creativity in a most effective way. With an emphasis on use. We will unleash all usused creative potential! The practical implication of this project is huge. The entire purpose of the project is to have practical implication, as we target practitioners, facilitators in this specific case. We need practitioners to live up to their full creative potential and stimulate creativity in others by using the mediators of creativity, in order to solve the complex problems we face today.

The purpose this paper is analyzing and comparing all the papers in the proceedings of International forum on knowledge asset dynamics (IFKAD) 11 (Dresden) and 12 (St. Petersburg). The study is classifying them according to methodology, analysis, discussion and conclusion regarding their contribution placing them into the four paradigmatic boxes. The papers presented in Dresden is compared to the papers presented in St. Petersburg. A total of 156 papers in Dresden and 164 papers in St. Petersburg. The approach is to use a philosophy of science framework and compare this to the content of the research papers. We will use the findings in four representations of knowledge, two typologies of concepts, four paradigmatic classifications and in the concluding framework for knowledge management research. Both conferences a heavy emphasis upon knowledge-itis and instrumental-itis and much less emphasis upon problem-itis. The papers are mostly centered around existing knowledge and accepted methodology and less related to new problems. The results indicate a conference based upon as-is knowledge and less upon new and often unsolvable problems. The IFKAD studies both in 2016 and 2017 have rather low complexity presented in an empirical and materialistic paradigmatic framework through definitive concepts representing a form of atomistic research. What would IFKAD have been with a higher degree of complexity in action and subjective paradigmatic framework through sensitizing concepts representing a form of holistic research? Probably a more creative, engaged and relevant conference. Probable also a more scientific conference since advances in knowledge demand not living up to the conference expectations data cannot meet. Data do not prove anything in themselves. It is only the logic argumentation and speculations of the researchers that can prove anything at all. Objectivity is in demand, but subjectivity is needed. To move ahead for better quality in the research it is necessary to break free from the empirical paradigm and the materialistic paradigm and move into the clarified subjectivity and action paradigm. Paradigmatic ecumenism will tend to a fiercer, but an idea-generating debate. This pluralistic approach will give more engaged practical research representing more sustainable societies and businesses.

This paper builds on more than a decade of study and practice of managerial reflection within management education. Reflection involves not only the stimulation of ideas, but also making those ideas tangible. This paper the interplay between intangibility and tangibility in the evolution of ideas, especially in a context where increasing unorder and ambiguity impact the nature of managerial knowledge. It then reviews how managers can in practical terms achieve successful reflection as an integral part of their everyday work. This paper draws longitudinally on successive experiments and research into this topic over more than 15 years. The core of this paper is a10 step model as specifically arising from our work on managerial reflection. This is the first publication of the 10 step model. The approaches included here have potential impact on learning design in business schools and in professional development, and can augment coaching and mentoring methods.

It is my aim in this paper to elucidate the nature of ideas. I will argue that an idea, far from being a useful asset or tool, comes down to a disposition to overcome, whether in thinking or in acting, an impasse. Generating ideas cannot fail to affect the generator’s structure of subjectivity itself, enabling them to look ‘beyond’ a given impasse. I propose an approach that is philosophical in nature, with an emphasis on phenomenology. In my presentation I will briefly discuss some phenomenological features of ideas. Ideas, I will argue, are (1) beyond a subject/object split: a fundamental ‘passivity’ in the subject will necessarily be part and parcel of their ‘generation’. Next (2), ideas will be occasioned by synchronistic developments that typify the idea-generator’s wider environment. Finally (3), ideas are bound to possess an irreducibly opacity, that can never be made fully transparent. This methodology puts in evidence that the prevailing empirical-scientific worldviews tend to over-emphasise objects. However, not only can we imagine ways of being that do not comply with an object-structure (emotions, values, beliefs), but also do those things that we approach as objects lose essential features in the very act of our objectification. This is very relevant when it comes to ideas. Approached as objects, ideas seem to be susceptible to manipulation and instrumentalization. It is my hypothesis that the nature of ideas undoes the prevailing subject/object structure that characterises our technological age. The outcomes of the application will be a non-exhaustive list of eight preconditions for idea generation.

The academic discourse on ideas seems highly fragmented, imprecise and incomplete. Certainly, there’s quite some literature about creativity and ideageneration in psychology and there are numerous publications on innovation in management sciences and business administration. The more remarkable it is there has been relatively few discourse about ideas as such. There’s no shared definition of the phenomenon ‘idea’. Interdisciplinary research on the working mechanisms and patterns of ideas in the various realms (science, economics, society) is almost absent. There is no over-arching theory on ideas. There have been some attempts in the history to develop a ‘science of ideas’; three of them will be shortly described. In post revolutionary France Antoine Destutt de Tracy tried to develop a science of ideas which he named ‘ideology’ (1796). In the 1950’s the Russian expert Genrich Altshuller developed his TRIZ-system, based upon the analysis of 100.000 patents. And in the 1980’s the American future researcher Patrick Gunkel worked on a grand project on ideas which he coined ‘Ideonomy’. Though brave and in part stimulating and provoking, these attempts have gained until now small attention and little success in the mainstream scientific discourse. This article will conclude with a tentative research agenda to develop a science of ideas: 1) Definition and meaning, 2) Origin and genesis, 3) Taxonomy and classification, 4) Problemconfigurations, 5) Patterns and working mechanisms, 6) Acceptance and legitimacy, 7) Realisation and valorisation. It certainly is an ambitious project to compare and investigate the nature, origin, growth and realisation of ideas in various domains and to draw cross-sectional conclusions about it. To develop a science of ideas would require considerable time and substantial funding; it might be a coproduction of universities, governments, companies and international organisations.

This article contributes to the understanding about the means how development projects’ value creation dynamics can be unveiled already at earlier stages. This paper proposes an approach to broaden the focus of mock-up, as it covers most product features while still built using cheap materials, to enable user experimentation in a real environment at the early stages of the development process. The functionality approaching a real solution enables customers experience the key functionality and, therefore, also the perceived customer value of the new product idea. The study is based on an interventionist case study in a company manufacturing safety accessories for hydraulic hose assemblies. One research team member has been involved in (1) development of two new products that assist the use of these accessories in customers’ assembly process and (2) and analysing the potential process and cost implications, enabling deep access in the product development process. The originality of the paper lays in broadening the focus of mock-ups to enable user experimentation in a real environment at the early stages of the development process. Thus, the business case at the early stage of the development process can be argued with ‘user-experienced’ cost information and, therefore, also ‘perceived’ customer value. The use of mock-ups to gain customer feedback is well-aligned with the fail-fast mentality emphasized in the contemporary start-up scene. However, the use of mock-ups could be connected more explicitly to the assessment of customer perceived value at the early stages of the product development process. Especially in more mature industries the use of mock-ups for testing perceived customer value might offer significant potential.

The aim of this paper is to discuss the troublesome situation of bringing out-of-the-box ideas into good currency within organizations. This is one of the central problems of innovation put forward by Andrew van de Ven in 1986. We describe the journey an idea travels through an organization until good currency is reached, that is, the idea has been realized and has been transformed into a new or adapted organizational practice; it has become part of the organizational knowledge and the new box is realized. We have applied a grounded approach based on the works of Glaser & Straus (1967), Glaser (1998 & 2002) and Locke (2001). This approach aims to build theory from observations grounded in real life. A large research base of 30 empirical projects that spans some 25 years of investigations serves as source for our theorizing. In addition, theorizing was complemented by the experiences from the trenches in two innovation projects. The abundant data sets and long stretch of the research, allowed for continuous data-theory iterations, reflective approaches and numerous trials to write theory. As the call for papers indicated, there is not one single theoretical framework that adequately explains the organizational life of an idea until it has been encapsulated by knowledge in action. Which is exactly the gap this paper aims to bridge. Based on March’s notion of the technology of foolishness and technology of reason we will describe what happens to the maturing idea while it proliferates into the organization. These two technologies are both indispensable for organization’s survival but live a life in the shades of duality. By temporal connection of these two into a continuum we are able to describe the organizational life of an idea. In addition, it is suggested that technology of foolishness, design theory and pragmatism are all describing the same phenomenon. Such, helps enriching the poorly described technology of foolishness, hence, it provides some method to support the madness. The framework presented here aims to serve as a pragmatic tool for practitioners with which they will be able to assess the situation they and their ideas find themselves in. For this purpose, the paper provides a different perspective on how to treat out-of-the-box ideas and suggests to hire a designer to support the creation of the new box around the out-of-the-box idea.

Within the context of idea generation and the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process, the authors dive deeper into the transition step between Diverging and Converging, named Reverging. In most literature, the activities in the Reverging step are not seen as a separate step, but rather as part of a Converging step. However, Reverging differs significantly in goals and mindset from Converging. In Reverging the number of options will not be narrowed (as in Converging). Instead, the aim of Reverging is to revisit and rearrange all the options in order to build a shared understanding about the content with the Resource Group. Through this activity of Resource Group dynamics, new insights in the problem and solution space are revealed and refined. Finally, Reverging will enable a reset to smoothen the transition from the Diverging state of mind to the Converging state of mind. The Reverging mindset will be fostered by applying the golden rules of Reverging: Active participation, Responsive listening and Move circular. This paper builds on Tassoul and Buijs (2007) who already argued for an extra step, which they called ‘Clustering’. However, Clustering is only one way to approach the Reverging stage. Therefore, a systematic search was done for different techniques that can be applied in the Reverging step. The techniques were categorized along the number of dimensions used in the rearrangement of options: 0, 1, 2 or 3. Respectively, these technique types were named the Clustering Approach, the Scaling Approach, the Matrix Approach and the Cube Approach. Most practioners (Creative Facilitators) we have consulted conduct already some form of Reverging, however in literature there is a gap concerning this step. Therefore, this study expands the knowledge of this essential creative activity in the Creative Problem Solving process and offers a starting point for further research regarding this Reverging step. The goals and golden rules discussed in this paper will support Creative Facilitators in becoming more familiar with the purpose and value of conducting a Reverging step during the Creative Problem Solving process. In addition, the paper provides 5 sets of techniques to approach Reverging.

A challenge in knowledge intensive firms is to inspire the employees to acquire and use knowledge to achieve strategic intentions without performing top down management. At an empirical level, it has been argued that semantics can be a liberating intellectual force promoting creativity and innovation. The purpose of this paper is to generate knowledge about alternative approaches for bringing strategic intentions into continuous and dynamic value creating actions. The study is an explorative single-case study. It has an ethnographical flavour in that we were ‘part of the organization’ in formal and informal settings in several periods. We started with interviews with the top management and the study of secondary material, interpretations of the empirical material were constantly ‘confronted’ with abstract concepts and frameworks that in turn influenced our interpretations of the company, contexts, events and processes. The generation of knowledge followed a trajectory we could call ‘hermeneutic spiralling’ from context to text. At the theoretical level it has been argued that verbs describe the dynamics of processes and will reflect how to perceive and manage them. However, our study indicates that the important words for bringing strategic intentions into value creating actions are adjectives. In business publications, we are familiar with the use of adjectives in superlative form like: best/largest/safest used in formal long-term goals. In contrast adjectives in comparative form express continuous improvements which makes them suitable to emphasize dynamic progress. This case study represents an original piece of empirical work on a topic that is under-researched. In turning intentions into value creating actions the use of adjectives in comparative form has a number of practical qualities. They function as a liberating intellectual force that contribute to a decentralizing principle where competent employees get autonomy in their work, and they establish direction for development processes. The construction of a systematic scheme that ties together strategic intentions with focused development processes in a uniform language may have great practical importance on how to guide, direct and inspire knowledge work in organizations.

The aim of this work to look the factors determined capital structure of the Southeast Asian non financial corporate sectos, and this studiy also have perpose to test the capital structure mediate characteristics’ of the firm to firms value.. In other words, we discuss whether the leverage of firms in Southeast Asia follows more closely the predictions of the trade-off model and/or the pecking order model. This research is a verification research that aims to explain the causal relationship between the variables through hypothesis testing. The samples are taken by specifying multiple criteria. The criteria required in this research are: First, these companies are included in the non-financial industries. Second, the companies have been listed on the Capital Market in the selected countries in Southeast Asian Capital Market between 2000-2015. Third, in the period 2000 through 2015 the companies used debt to finance the operation of the firms. The study used panel data of companies listed in capital market on selected countries in Southeast Asia. Previews researcher only do study capital structure decision on one country. This study attempted to examine capital structure decision of non-financial companies on selected countries in Southeast Asia. This study to analyse the determinant of capital structure and this study also try to prove that capital structure mediate characteristic’s of the firms on the companies value. This study observed that the trade-off theory and the pecking order theory are not mutually exclusive. The firms choose the optimal level debt in Southeast Asia but still consider a hierarchy of financing sources. This study sae that there are variation of capital structure decision of the firms in Southeast Asia countires. The capital structure of the firms changes from time to time due to changes of internal factors and macroeconomic factors. This study also shows the capital structure dicision give impact on the value of the firms and capital structure decision mediating the firm’s characteristics and macroeconomics factors to the value of the firms. This research give information as a basis to make capital structure dcision making that will give maximise the value of the firms based on experience of the companies in the Southeast Asia.

Design is a multifaceted concept widely used to describe functional, aesthetic, and in some cases engineering, or economic dimensions of an object or a process. It is often related to various aspects of everyday work and life, expressing different cultural, social, environmental and aesthetic values and views. Despite the substantial role design plays in our everyday life, research on the impact of this phenomenon on companies’ performance is limited. The aim of the paper is to explore the role of design in a value creation process from the perspective of intellectual capital (IC). The study investigates the potential for improving organisational performance and increasing value as a result of acknowledging the strategic impact of design. Irrespective of the form, the context and the field, applied design is an example of externalisation of knowledge, and often carries intangible value. This exploratory research is theoretical and empirical. The first stage of the study is based on literature review and analysis, which aim to characterise design from the perspective of intellectual capital, and propose a framework of the impact design has on value creation. The second part of the study presents a The second part of the study presents a model of the application of this framework and develops further the understanding of the relationship between the concepts under study. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the crossing points and interdependencies between three broad concepts – knowledge, design and value. Based on theoretical and secondary data analysis a framework model describing the impact and interdependencies among the three of them is presented. The model is to be pilot tested. The outcomes of the present study make a contribution to the fields of knowledge management and intellectual capital and provide straightforward recommendations for future research. Further, it can contribute to the improvement of day-to-day managerial practices in companies. On many occasions, managers of organisations underestimate the importance of design for company performance and value creation process. The relationships and interdependencies between design, knowledge and value studied and analysed from the perspective of IC make it possible to focus attention on some aspects of design and intellectual capital that were formerly often neglected in working practice. The paper highlights the impact and the intangible value of design from a strategic point of view. Finally, the outcomes of the present study focus on the ability of the design to convey more meaning than we can possibly express in words.

This paper explores how ICT-based knowledge governance mechanisms are influencing knowledge absorptive capacity (ACAP), innovation performance and organizational performance in southern Brazilian firms. We followed a positivist approach and we used quantitative methods. Our sample includes 109 firms from Southern Brazil. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) supported by the software SmartPLS 3.2.7. Our paper contributes to the knowledge-based view literature by contributing to understand ‘why’ and ‘how’ ICT-based knowledge governance mechanisms are fostering both firm capabilities and firm outcomes. More specifically, our results improve the understanding about the use and efficiency of knowledge governance mechanisms in different contexts, about the role of antecedents of ACAP and their impact on firm’ performance, and about the specific role of ICT mechanisms for improving ACAP, innovation performance and organisational performance. By doing so, this study opens several avenues for further research. By showing the most important ICT-based knowledge governance mechanisms for enhancing both ACAP and firm’ outcomes, this study helps to improve the efficiency of managerial decisions oriented to allocate resources for deploying those mechanisms in Brazilian organisations.

This practical paper addresses the lack of studies on international innovation ecosystems by investigating the ‘European Network of Research and Innovation Centres and Hubs’ (ENRICH). It is currently being established in Brazil, China and the United States, as an initiative of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Focus within this paper is on ENRICH in Brazil, which aims to become the main hub and contact point for European and Brazilian Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) actors. Among the many aspects to be determined in this context, this research aims to address the question on ‘how to design a tool that supports STI actors to become involved in ENRICH in Brazil?’ A member-decision-support tool (MEDESU) is designed for STI actors in Europe and Brazil. From the various decision support systems (DSS), we find that a knowledge-driven DSS is the most suitable type of DSS for our MEDESU which is built based on a decision-tree that we created. Its structure consists of different question-paths which result in the proposition of the most suitable ENRICH membership type, respective of the users’ responses. The paper presents the design of a MEDESU to attract and support European and Brazilian STI actors to become part in the ENRICH community and to simply membership selection. ENRICH in Brazil is a unique international innovation ecosystem which is currently being built and requires suitable tools for the creation of its ENRICH Community. The MEDESU developed and presented in this paper is to attract, retain and engage with European and Brazilian STI actors. The next step in the DSS development is its testing and refinement before implementation in the ENRICH in Brazil community website. Apart from the implications for innovation practitioners who might use the tool, the insights from its development can be of relevance for policy makers that are looking to establish international innovation ecosystems, as well as for scholars who are interested in the international dimension of innovation ecosystems and the design of roles and strategic partnerships across continents.

“Third mission”, namely the direct interaction with society and economy, next to the tasks of education and research is by now a requirement for any Higher Educational Institution (HEI) and Public Research Organization (PRO). But how to evaluate success remains an open question. Innovation literature has distanced itself form a linear concept of technology transfer in the last decades, even though it may still be prevalent in the management of public research organisations (PRO), higher education institutions (HEI) and political communities. In the last decades innovation literature strongly supported the addition of the public value criteria beyond a pure economic approach, which often concentrated on patents and licensing. We hereby introduce a spectrum of input, output, outcome, activity and key impact figures (KIF). PTB serves as an example of a PRO. Patents and licenses are the easiest definable KIFs, but quantitatively the least important ones. Emphasis is given to recommendations of proposals of the Scientific Advisory Board to the German government (Wissenschaftsrat) in the field of technology transfer and KIF development. The paper proposes a variety of transfer paths, where PTB serves as a sample institution. While some KIF may be special to this PRO, the concept of looking at a broad variety of activities of interaction with the economy and society as a whole may be viewed as a universal approach.

In recent years, several routes have been entered to face scarcity of energy resources with the aim of supporting the smart, sustainable and inclusive growth of the Countries. In this framework, the management of solid waste (MSW) to produce biofuel has assumed relevant dimensions in both environmental and economic terms. The paper aims to investigate the impact that plants could have to re-launch local economies and to contribute to energy self-reliance of particular realities, such as small islands. Differently from other works, authors apply non-conventional Islamic Finance instruments to demonstrate consistent profitability of the investment, suggesting policies contributing the feasibility and advancement of the research in terms of industrial and territorial political and legislative backing. The applied methodology is organized in different steps: first, a proper analysis of market condition is in-depth; then, the assessment of project financing as ideal contractual public–private partnership (PPPs) typology is shown; moreover, the technical-economic-financial feasibility analysis are tackled; finally, the application of non-conventional Islamic Financial models is analysed and the case study sets in Malta is mentioned. The approach undertaken appears to be totally innovative for the original application of new financial instruments to project financing for the fulfilment of worldwide needs and objectives. The potential of the research seems evident in consideration of the high feasibility in similar contextual realities and consequent profitability of the plants, since the research project represents a full package service in order to follow the integrated investment cycle and to transcend conventional indicators for the achievement of a long‐term economic, social, environmental, political value creation. The attractiveness of the investment is going to be crucial for European and International investors and decision makers in order to contribute to the re-launch of different economies and industrial policies and to contribute to the transparent competitiveness of capital-intensive market. From this point of view, the lobbying strategic plan will eventually draw Government and responsible actors to undertake more environmentally sustainable actions for the improvement of economic and occupational records in compliance with both European and International standards.

In the current political-economic scenario, creativity and innovation are even more considered as the key to the survival of organizations (Magadeley, W. & Birdy, K., 2009). Innovation is a high-risk process that hides various uncertainty factors and several barriers. Therefore, the point is that there is the need to innovate successfully, rather than decide if it is worth innovating or not (Prajogo, D.I., & Ahmed, P.K., 2006). This research aims to investigate the recent and not yet well defined approach of creation and use of Innovation Labs to support innovation. Innovation Labs are real or virtual spaces where people stimulate their creative thinking in order to trigger innovation processes. The paper through a review of recent literature on the topic, provides a working definition and a taxonomy of Innovation Labs. This article is based on a literature review on Innovation Labs. It compares the most relevant studies that describe Innovation Labs and adopt different perspectives of analysis. The research is synthesised in a taxonomy framework that helps to clarify the fuzzy concept of Innovation Lab and to formulate a working definition. The interest on Innovation Lab is growing in economic markets (Burger, T., & Hermann, S., 2010). However, to date there is a lack of exhaustive studies on the topic (Meyer, L.P., 2014) and the term Innovation Lab does not have an agreed definition (Memon, A.B., et al., 2018). The paper, through a literature review, provides a clear definition and classification of Innovation Labs and provides insights on how Innovation Labs impact on innovation capacity development. The paper provides a taxonomy of Innovation Labs that contributes to shed more light on a relevant phenomenon that is affecting the current innovation dynamics. Especially, the working definition and characterisation of Innovation Lab offers valuable insights to all stakeholders involved in any way in building, deployment and exploitation of these peculiar innovation catalysers.

The aim of this paper is to identify and analyze the main dimensions of innovation in the bakery industry, with a specific focus on the Italian context. After a short overview about the industry, its characteristics and actors, the main dimensions of innovation in the sector have been identified and declined. Finally, a case-study methodology has been adopted. Specifically, the analysis of an emerging leading Italian company producing high-quality biscuits has let to draw some relevant information and insights about the innovation strategies and the managerial actions recently planned and implemented aimed to activate and support a sustainable and different growth of the business. In particular it emerges how organizations often considered too small to compete in the national and international business competition can be able to find new sources of competitiveness and to elaborate and successfully implement new strategies and actions of differentiation to guarantee performance and value creation dynamics.

The purpose of this research is to use Historical Destination Image (HDI) as a new concept in knowledge management and a practical tool among Heritage/Cultural tourists in order to motivate them to visit historical/cultural sites and contribute knowledge in the tourism industry. In spite the usage of Destination Image (DI) as a motivation tool among tourists in the tourism industry and its impact in tourism development (Hunt, 1975), the role of the intangible aspects such as the ‘sense of place’, ‘sense of era’ and ‘place identity’ for cultural/ historical destinations have not been well implied. This research will try to fulfil the mind gap of the intangible aspects and establish HDI as a new knowledge management tool for long term tourism planning and development. The approach taken in this article is related to the nature of reality (Redhead, 1989) and to find out if HDI can portray the ‘sense of reality’ as a new component among cultural/heritage tourists. A review on the literature of DI leads us towards the deficiency of its definitions regarding the intangible aspects (sense of era, place identity) of historical and cultural sites. Therefore, the first step was to identify and develop the new concept of HDI based on the literature of DI and with regard to the three hierarchically interrelated components of DI (Gartner, 1993, 1996) and the intangible aspects of a site. This guided us towards the formation of the HDI model and its implication for historical and cultural sites. This methodology puts in evidence on the important role of HDI as an effective knowledge management tool for the intangible aspects of a destination among Heritage/Cultural tourists who decide to visit historical sites. This article tried to portray the relationship between HDI and heritage/cultural tourist motivation for site visitation and the need of HDI for planning long term tourism development projects in historical sites. It is believed that HDI gives in-depth tangible and intangible knowledge and information about historical or cultural destinations helping gain the ideas and beliefs and attitude, perception and behaviour of an individual towards a site. The outcomes of the application of HDI is use it as an effective knowledge management tool to portray the ‘nature of reality’ among heritage tourists and fulfill their perception and mind gap towards the historical era of the historical site. The implementation of this framework in real case studies can help tourism planners and managers use this influential tool for their long term development plans in historical sites based on cultural/heritage tourist’s behavior with their needs and desires in these valuable destinations.