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Publications

NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.

2012

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Abstract

Secondary attraction to aggregation pheromones plays a central role in the host colonization behavior of the European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus. However, it is largely unknown how the beetles pioneering an attack locate suitable host trees, and eventually accept or reject them. To find possible biomarkers for host choice by I. typographus, we analyzed the chemistry of 58 Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees that were subsequently either (1) successfully attacked and killed, (2) unsuccessfully attacked, or (3) left unattacked. The trees were sampled before the main beetle flight in a natural Norway spruce-dominated forest. No pheromones were used to attract beetles to the experimental trees. To test the trees’ defense potential, each tree was treated in a local area with the defense hormone methyl jasmonate (MeJ), and treated and untreated bark were analyzed for 66 different compounds, including terpenes, phenolics and alkaloids. The chemistry of MeJ-treated bark correlated strongly with the success of I. typographus attack, revealing major chemical differences between killed trees and unsuccessfully attacked trees. Surviving trees produced significantly higher amounts of most of the 39 analyzed mono-, sesqui-, and diterpenes and of 4 of 20 phenolics. Alkaloids showed no clear pattern. Differences in untreated bark were less pronounced, where only 1,8-cineole and (−)-limonene were significantly higher in unsuccessfully attacked trees. Our results show that the potential of individual P. abies trees for inducing defense compounds upon I. typographus attack may partly determine tree resistance to this bark beetle by inhibiting its mass attack.

Abstract

Growing attention is being paid to innovation and creativity and learning as success factors for sustainable competitive advantage and financial performance. This paper examines the relationships between innovation strategy, innovative working climate, learning orientation and financial performance in the context of the Norwegian wood industry. A questionnaire-based survey was sent to CEOs of firms in the wood industry in Norway (241 usable replies, response rate of 49 percent). Innovation strategy embodies four dimensions: the degrees to which innovation in the form of products, processes, and business systems are embedded in the management values and priorities as well as the degree of expenditure in R&D. An innovative working climate is exemplified by team cohesion, supervisory encouragement, resources, autonomy, challenge, and openness to innovation. Both learning orientation and firm innovativeness were conceptualised and analysed as latent second-order constructs using structural equation modelling. The result implied that innovation strategy and an innovative working climate enhanced financial performance in Norwegian wood industry. Furthermore, the findings showed that learning orientation had a positive affect on financial performance positively via firm innovativeness (full mediating effect). Findings suggest that managers in wood industry will not likely benefit financially from a learning orientation without also achieving high levels of firm innovativeness. Moreover, findings suggest that managers should focus on creating an innovative working climate and prioritising an innovation strategy.

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Abstract

In this study, we address this research question: What effect do an innovation strategy and an innovative working climate have on financial performance in the Norwegian wood industry? Innovation strategy embodies four dimensions: those concerning the degree to which innovation in the form of products, processes, and business systems are embedded in the management values and priorities, and those concerning the degree of expenditure in R&D. An innovative working climate is embodied by team cohesion, supervisory encouragement, resources, autonomy, challenge, and openness to innovation. Previous studies indicate a lack of studies in traditional manufacturing and a lack of studies including both an innovation strategy and a supporting working climate. 241 CEOs answered our survey . The connectional model was tested with structural equation modelling, and all hypotheses received support. This implies that an innovation strategy and an innovative working climate enhance financial performance in traditional manufacturing firms. The results are discussed and implications are made