Innovations are complex phenomena with important impacts on firms, regions, the economy as a whole, society, and the environment. Measuring innovation is a challenging and time-consuming task with many problems ranging from the conceptual framework to data collection and interpretation. The development of the produced variety of single indicators and multidimensional metrics covers one or more innovation characteristics—inputs, stages, sources, mechanics, outputs, and impacts. While the abundance of metrics allowed measurement of many innovation aspects, it also created problems with comparability, coverage, timeliness, and reliability, making it difficult for academics, businesses and policymakers to efficiently use the information, perform correct analysis and make adequate decisions. To address this problem, this article aimed to review the literature, develop instruments for the structuring and assessment of the innovation measurements, systematize the variety of metrics, and evaluate their compliance with the requirements of users’ needs and the quality of statistical information. The literature review identified 23 innovation metrics and helped create a classification scheme with 11 attributes and a criteria checklist with seven criteria groups. The results from the application of the instrument for the identified metrics revealed that they could be divided into three groups: appropriate, needing refinement, and unsuitable, with the best ones being the European Innovation Scoreboard and Global Innovation Index. They too showed some data gaps, connected with cultural environment, sustainability, open innovations, structural changes, and regional development, thus reinforcing the necessity for further advancement of theory and methodology for innovation measurement to augment the high-quality macro-information that is readily available with firm-level qualitative data of the innovation at the place where they emerge.

The aim of the chapter is to present key essential aspects of innovation and their species diversity. Basic definition formulations are considered. The emphasis is on business process innovation. One case study of company from Bulgaria that has implemented business process innovations is described, as well as the results of the innovation changes. With the help of various cognitive, analytical, inductive-deductive, case and simulation methods, students achieve the acquisition of new knowledge by combining theoretical statements, including familiarity with some international standards, and practical skills based on the principle of learning by doing. The topic draws students’ attention to the need for a comprehensive examination of the issues of innovative change and the formation of economic thinking, oriented towards the implementation of business solutions for sustainable prosperity based on innovative development.

This chapter presents basic information about the nature and essence of the enterprise. The first subchapter shows both the well-known and less popular definitions of an enterprise and an industrial enterprise. They have been shown through the prism of various approaches, including definitions from various countries. The second part discusses the features of an industrial enterprise, with particular emphasis on: organizational separateness, economic separateness, legal separateness (legal personality), territorial separateness and technical and production separateness. The next part focuses on the goals and tasks of an industrial enterprise, with particular emphasis on the way they are formulated. Both strategic, tactical and operational goals were discussed. The subject of the considerations in the fourth part were the functions of an industrial enterprise, including a detailed description of the production, technical, organizational and personnel functions. The division of enterprises according to various criteria is presented in the next section. It focuses on such criteria as business profile, the size of the enterprise, form of ownership, production type, type of production process and market legal form. The last part discusses the market on which an industrial enterprise operates. Its features were presented, as well as the type of industrial products, types of customers and differences between industrial and consumer marketing. Particular attention was also paid to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and MRO (Maintenance Repair and Overhaul).

The purpose of the chapter is to present basic theoretical fundaments in the field of structurally significant formations that companies apply in the process of their business operations, market projections and innovative changes. Organizational forms and structures are presented in the evolutionary context of the time parameter, applying a chronological historical landmark. Knowledge of the variety of possibilities for structural dimensions of the functional manifestations of business activity provides an expanded range of possible solutions. Basic definition formulations are considered. The emphasis is on the organization and organizational structural forms, changes in their practical dimensions in accordance with the changes in purely managerial knowledge and the needs of business practice for innovative changes in various functions in the scope of company’s activity. With the help of various creative and purely managerial approaches, through cognitive brainstorming activities, a set of analytical, inductive-deductive, case and simulation methods, students gain new knowledge, practical skills and visionary views on the presented issues—by combining theoretical statements, empirical factology and analytical assignments based on the principle of learning by doing. The topic draws students’ attention to the study, selection and construction of internal units and structures, including innovative ones, as part of the necessary business projections for the construction of sustainable processes to generate new value and positive impacts for the environment and stakeholders.

The topic introduces within the field of operational management from the standpoint of its historical-evolutionary definition context. The essential aspects are clarified, and the levels of operational management are presented. The principles of operational management are formulated in a short, systematized form. The nature and types of production systems are clarified, as well as their main elements. Definitions regarding the production process, organization of the enterprise and its main subsystems, forms of organization of the production process, forms of arrangement of the production units in space are clarified, too. The recommended fields for identifying good practices in the organization of the production process are also defined. It has been presented the main links that need to be made in terms of good practices, derived in theoretical terms and their main contributions to the enterprise to achieve the desired results by applying the good practices.