Bibliography paper
Question 1: Discuss the relative merits of top-down and bottom-up approaches to the diffusion of renewable energy technologies. ~Word count: 1300
Introduction
The question of whether an initiative is considered top-down or bottom-up is a question of perspective, so a local council initiative can be viewed as a bottom up if you view it from a central government perspective, whereas you could view it as top down if you were one of the residents.
Diffusion follows the innovation phase, and is all about uptake of new products by consumers, how new products enter the market and spread across. Therefore, diffusion is a measure of how successfully a new product has spread through society.
In his book ‘Diffusion of Innovations’ (* ref) Everett Rogers espouses that there are four main elements that influence the spread of a new idea: the innovation itself, communication channels, time, and a social system. In order to self-sustain, the innovation must be widely adopted. The diffusion of innovations according to Rogers. With successive groups of consumers adopting the new technology (shown in blue), its market share (yellow) will eventually reach the saturation level.
Diffusion doesn’t happen by itself, as it requires element of the marketing mix:
• product
• price
• place
• promotion.
• process
• physical evidence
• properties
• pleasure
• people. and Rogers’ criteria for diffusion:
• relative advantage (offering a competitive advantage)
• complexity (being easy to use)
• compatibility (matching existing products)
• Observability (seeing the product in use)
• Trialability (trying the product out)
Diffusion is also significantly affected by such factors as the efforts companies and organisations put into achieving those marketing mix elements and criteria for diffusion: government initiatives aimed at influencing the take up of new technologies (top-down, technology push); and the characteristics of the consumers in that market
Introduction
The question of whether an initiative is considered top-down or bottom-up is a question of perspective, so a local council initiative can be viewed as a bottom up if you view it from a central government perspective, whereas you could view it as top down if you were one of the residents.
Diffusion follows the innovation phase, and is all about uptake of new products by consumers, how new products enter the market and spread across. Therefore, diffusion is a measure of how successfully a new product has spread through society.
In his book ‘Diffusion of Innovations’ (* ref) Everett Rogers espouses that there are four main elements that influence the spread of a new idea: the innovation itself, communication channels, time, and a social system. In order to self-sustain, the innovation must be widely adopted. The diffusion of innovations according to Rogers. With successive groups of consumers adopting the new technology (shown in blue), its market share (yellow) will eventually reach the saturation level.
Diffusion doesn’t happen by itself, as it requires element of the marketing mix:
• product
• price
• place
• promotion.
• process
• physical evidence
• properties
• pleasure
• people. and Rogers’ criteria for diffusion:
• relative advantage (offering a competitive advantage)
• complexity (being easy to use)
• compatibility (matching existing products)
• Observability (seeing the product in use)
• Trialability (trying the product out)
Diffusion is also significantly affected by such factors as the efforts companies and organisations put into achieving those marketing mix elements and criteria for diffusion: government initiatives aimed at influencing the take up of new technologies (top-down, technology push); and the characteristics of the consumers in that market