Competitive Advantage for the Forest-based Sector in the Future Bioeconomy – research question priority

Authors

  • Eric Hansen Oregon State University
  • Hans Fredrik Hoen Hans Fredrik Hoen Professor Forest Economics and Management Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management Norwegian University of Life Sciences POBox 5003 N-1432 Ås Norway hans.hoen@nmbu.no
  • Erlend Nybakk Kristiania University College

Keywords:

bioeconomy, competitive advantage, Delphi, research questions

Abstract

A multi-stage Deplhi-study was undertaken to explore key research questions and priorities regarding competitive advantage in the bioeconomy for the forest-based sector from the perspective or Nordic forest economics researchers. The study started with a brainstorming event undertaken in plenum among the 62 participants at the Biennial meeting of the Scandinavian Society of Forest Economics (SSFE) at Oscarsborg, Norway 26th-27th of May, 2016. This was followed up by a two-round Delphi-study, with the first round in August-September 2016 and the second round in November 2016. The initial brainstorming during the SSFE 2016 meeting resulted in five named categories of key future research questions; Innovation & Innovation Systems, Collaboration, Culture, Consumers/Customers, Environmental Scanning and with a sixth category termed Miscellaneous. In a first Delphi-round respondents were asked to add new questions, edit or delete existing questions, and propose category changes. In the second Delphi-round respondents were asked to give priority to categories, sub-categories and individual research questions. Overall, research questions relating to policies for innovation and consumer attitudes/preferences received the highest priority. Collaboration, a highly visible topic in the bioeconomy discourse, received surprisingly low priority, especially given its sparse coverage in the existing literature.

Author Biographies

Hans Fredrik Hoen, Hans Fredrik Hoen Professor Forest Economics and Management Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management Norwegian University of Life Sciences POBox 5003 N-1432 Ås Norway hans.hoen@nmbu.no

Professor Forest Economics and Management

Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management

Norwegian University of Life Sciences

POBox 5003

N-1432 Ås

Norway

 

 

Erlend Nybakk, Kristiania University College

Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Kristiania University College

PB 1190 Sentrum, 0107, Oslo

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Published

2018-02-12

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Empirical Manuscripts