A Model for Technology and Business Scanning: a Framework Based Upon Patent Analysis

摘要

Business & Technology Intelligence is becoming increasingly relevant in times of economic downturns, as a managerial process that stimulates and supports decision-making and the creation of new businesses (Lichtenthaler, 2004; Mortara et al., 2008; Veugelers et al., 2010). Literature about technology intelligence has demonstrated how scanning the technological environment (technology scanning) is fundamental in stimulating companies to think "out of the box" and in finding radically new technological solutions and/or radically new ways to exploit existing businesses. Several tools and models are available and many data sources too; but technology scanning (in the following, TS) is quite a complex process. The most challenging issue is defining a model for aggregating data and information with a systematic, structured, reliable, repeatable, effective and efficient approach. This paper presents a synthetic overview of the most recent literature on technology intelligence with a long-term orientation, i.e. focused on scanning rather than monitoring and on external sources rather than internal; with great attention not only to the theoretical contributions, but also to the actual solutions tested by Companies. A methodological framework is proposed showing how Patent Intelligence can contribute to TS and in particular for technology assessment and competitor monitor/benchmarking purposes. The literature review allows to draw a first tentative framework for TS by using patents. The proposed framework is then applied and tested in practice, with a case study approach, involving a multinational Company operating in the machinery industry, with high R&D intensity and allocating every year approximately 10% of sales revenues to high quality research and innovation activities. Application outputs allow discussing the applicability and the generalization of the model and give some suggestions for future research on the topic.