This book discusses the main issues, challenges, opportunities, and
trends involving the interactions between academia, industry, government
and society. Specifically, it aims to explore how these interactions
enhance the ways in which companies deliver products and services in
order to achieve sustainable competitiveness in the marketplace.
Sustainable competitiveness has been widely discussed by academics and
practitioners, considering the importance of protecting the environment
while sustaining the economic goals of organizations. The Quintuple
Helix innovation model is a framework for facilitating knowledge,
innovation and sustainable competitive advantage. It embeds the Triple
and the Quadruple Helix models by adding a fifth helix, the "natural
environment." The Triple Helix model focuses on the
university-industry-government triad, while the Quadruple adds civil
society (the media- and culture-driven public) as a fourth helix.
The Quintuple Helix model facilitates research, public policy, and
practical application of sustainable competitiveness principles.
Applying the most recent developments and theoretical insights of this
model, the contributors to this volume address such questions as: how do
government, academia, industry and civil society actors interact for
promoting sustainable competitiveness at the country (regional) level?
How do these actors influence sustainable operations management at the
company (business) level? In so doing, they shed new light on the
dynamics of economic growth, sustainability and competitiveness.