Examining the effects of government intervention on the firm’s environmental and technological innovation capabilities and export performance

Considering our living environments directly affect the quality of our daily lives, many believe that the environment should only be safeguarded by the mighty hands of the government instead of leaving the environmental stewardship in the hands of profit-making private enterprises. As such, the government often intervenes with the way private enterprises conduct business through many different forms of environmental regulations and business incentives. However, the efficiency and effectiveness of such government intervention are still unknown and unclear at best. Many sceptics still think that economic growth and environmental protection are in conflict with each other and subsequently the firm’s environmental performance and export performance cannot be achieved simultaneously even with active government intervention over the firm’s environmental management. To clarify this misconception, this paper aims to examine whether government intervention leads to the affected firm’s both environmental and export performance (export sales performance). In addition, it investigates whether government intervention enhances the firm’s environmental and technological innovation capabilities and thus makes the firm more competitive in the global marketplace. In so doing, this paper verifies the ecological modernisation theory and institutional theory using the empirical analysis of the survey data obtained from the Korean manufacturing industry.     

Measurement of driver calibration and the impact of feedback on drivers’ estimates of performance

Recent studies focused on driver calibration show that drivers are often miscalibrated, either over confident or under confident, and the magnitude of this miscalibration changes under different conditions. Previous work has demonstrated behavioral and performance benefits of feedback, yet these studies have not explicitly examined the issue of calibration. The objective of this study was to examine driver calibration, i.e., the degree to which drivers are accurately aware of their performance, and determine whether feedback alters driver calibration. Twenty-four drivers completed a series of driving tasks (pace clocks, traffic light, speed maintenance, and traffic cones) on a test track. Drivers drove three different blocks around the test track: (1) baseline block, where no participants received feedback; (2) feedback block, where half of the participants received performance feedback while the other half received no feedback; (3) a no feedback block, where no participants received feedback. Results indicated that across two different calibration measures, drivers were sufficiently calibrated to the pace clocks, traffic light, and traffic cone tasks. Drivers were not accurately aware of their performance regarding speed maintenance, though receiving feedback on this task improved calibration. Proper and accurate measurements of driver calibration are needed before designing performance feedback to improve calibration as these feedback systems may not always yield the intended results.     

The influence of socialisation and absorptive capacity on buyer’s innovation performance

In contrast to prior literature, we hypothesise that socialisation with suppliers plays a key role in the success of buyer’s innovation programmes. Using the theoretical lens of social capital theory and knowledge-based view of a firm; we propose a framework of antecedents and consequences of socialisation. We use data from a large sample of firms in Australia to test our framework. We also corroborate our results with a small sample of qualitative case studies that were carried out in conjunction with the large-scale empirical study. Taken together, the results supported the claim of the importance of socialisation as well as absorptive capacity in influencing innovation performance of buyers. The results suggest that managers ought to consider socialisation as a mechanism to enhance collaborative competence which in turn helps innovation performance via tapping the potential of absorptive capacity of knowledge.     

Identification of functional parameters for the classification of older female fallers and prediction of ‘first-time’ fallers

Falls remain a challenge for ageing societies. Strong evidence indicates that a previous fall is the strongest single screening indicator for a subsequent fall and the need for assessing fall risk without accounting for fall history is therefore imperative. Testing in three functional domains (using a total 92 measures) were completed in 84 older women (60–85 years of age), including muscular control, standing balance, and mean and variability of gait. Participants were retrospectively classified as fallers (n = 38) or non-fallers (n = 42) and additionally in a prospective manner to identify first-time fallers (FTFs) (n = 6) within a 12-month follow-up period. Principal component analysis revealed that seven components derived from the 92 functional measures are sufficient to depict the spectrum of functional performance. Inclusion of only three components, related to mean and temporal variability of walking, allowed classification of fallers and non-fallers with a sensitivity and specificity of 74% and 76%, respectively. Furthermore, the results indicate that FTFs show a tendency towards the performance of fallers, even before their first fall occurs. This study suggests that temporal variability and mean spatial parameters of gait are the only functional components among the 92 measures tested that differentiate fallers from non-fallers, and could therefore show efficacy in clinical screening programmes for assessing risk of first-time falling.     

Personal experiences of digital public services access and use: Older migrants’ digital choices

This paper presents a study of the personal experiences of older migrants as they use digital technologies and electronic services. Focusing primarily on digital health and social services, the aim of this research is to gain a better understanding of the digital divide at a micro-level. The concept of digital choice is used to analyse the personal decisions that lead to an engagement with digital technologies and internet services or a disengagement from online tools. A qualitative case study of Russian-speaking migrants in Finland utilised participant observation, interviews, and diaries to gain insights into the adoption of digital public services from the user perspective. This paper contributes to the view of digital engagement as a complex and multifaceted process that involves socio-demographic determinants, as well as individual agency and social context. The key findings of this study show that individual efforts and personal attributes, such as habits, sense of trust, and fears, play critical roles in shaping digital engagement. The context of ongoing digitalisation in the public sphere is discussed as an important push factor influencing the research participants’ adoption and use of digital services.     

An addendum on “Three-level designs: Evaluation and comparison for screening purposes”

In our recent paper “Three-Level Designs: Evaluation and Comparison for Screening Purposes”, by the same authors, we investigated and compared the original definitive screening designs and the designs that were constructed from weighing matrices. For this purpose, we used the generalized resolution and minimum aberration criteria as well as the projection estimation capacity criterion from the literature to perform the comparison. After our paper was accepted, it came to our attention that there were four significant papers, published by a number of authors, having related content and these were not mentioned in our paper. With this short addendum, we would like to kindly acknowledge the important contributions from those authors in those newly discovered papers in recent literature and also to include them in the related reference list.     

The effect of industry leaders’ exploratory innovation on competitor performance

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the effect of an industry leader’s exploratory innovation, defined as the innovation embodying novel knowledge relative to the firm’s extant knowledge, on the performance of its direct competitors. We argue that an industry leader’s exploratory innovation can benefit its competitors, resulting in an average increase in competitors’ sales. The benefit can come from advantageous inter-industry structure, higher perceived status through association, and expanded knowledge pool. The extent of benefit, however, is conditional on the number of competitors in the industry as well as the level of competitors' financial slack and Return on Assets (ROA). Using data on the U.S. computer sector, we find support for our hypotheses. This study suggests that while an industry leader’s exploratory innovation is intended to further its own interests, it also affects the plight of its direct competitors.     

Suspicious minds? – users’ perceptions of autonomous and connected driving

Abstract

In this article, the public perception and acceptance of novel vehicle technologies – autonomous driving (AD) and connected driving (CD) – is investigated. Following a multistep empirical procedure, we explore participants’ cognitions towards AD and CD. Therefore, a questionnaire study was run in which the perceived benefits and barriers of the technologies were evaluated by 443 participants in a wide age range (18–76 years). In addition, we took a closer look at the impact of user diversity (gender, age, need for privacy, control, risk taking tolerance and technical self-efficacy) on the evaluation of both driving technologies. Finally, cluster analyses were used out to identify evaluation profiles in both benefits and barriers, respectively. Overall, CD is seen significantly more positive compared to AD. With increasing risk taking tolerance and technical self-efficacy, the perception of the benefits was higher. In contrast, the perception of barriers in novel vehicle technologies was independent of personality factors and attitudes. Here, privacy and data protection issues were seen as key disadvantages. The findings can be used to develop timely and individually tailored public information and communication strategies for automated and connected vehicle technologies.     

A mediated model on the adoption of social media and SMEs’ performance in developing countries

PurposeSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can adopt and use social media (SM) for communicating information with stakeholders with minimal cost. The ability to access and share information influences the SMEs' performance, but there is little scholarship on the association between the adoption of social media and SMEs' performance. This research aims to investigate the effects of technology-organizational-environmental (TOE) factors on the adoption of SM and SMEs’ performance in developing countries.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed the TOE framework as determinants affecting the adoption of social media and SMEs' performance. The paper used a closed-ended questionnaire to gather data, through an online survey, from randomly selected respondents from SMEs operating in Pakistan. Partial-least-squares-structural-equation-modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for the path analysis of 423 responses from SMEs' owners, executives, and managers. The present study also explores the mediating role of SM between TOE characteristics and SMEs’ performance.FindingsThe findings revealed a direct positive relationship between TOE constructs, the adoption of SM, and SMEs' performance. Full mediation was found between technological factors and SMEs performance, and partial mediation was found between organizational and environmental factors and SMEs’ performance. Complementary mediation among the variables was also examined.Originality/valueThis paper has implications for practitioners and researchers interested in investigating social media adoption in SMEs. It builds an empirical, multi-dimensional hypothesized model, including several determinants that may influence the adoption of social media.     

Effect of a heating–cooling cycle on elastic strain and Young’s modulus of high performance and ordinary concrete

In this paper, the variations of elastic strain and Young modulus of high performance concrete and ordinary concrete during a heating?Ccooling cycle is presented. For the HPC, two heating rates are applied: 1.5 and 0.1?°C/min corresponding respectively to accidental and service conditions. For ordinary concrete, the results of service conditions are given. The temperatures of 400 and 220?°C are the heating??s final temperature phase of the accidental and service conditions respectively. The present work analyses the differences between the value of the elastic strain and the Young??s modulus at the beginning of the test (at ambient temperature), the end of the heating part and the end of the cooling part of each variation. Indeed, during the heating phase, the corresponding heating rates are applied until successive constant temperature levels are achieved: 150, 200, 300 and 400?°C for the high-performance concrete under accidental conditions and 140, 190 and 220?°C for both high-performance and ordinary concrete under service conditions. Those applied temperatures are maintained for several hours to ensure the stabilisation of internal temperature and physico-chemical thermo dependent processes. Moreover, the influence of the difference in mix concretes between the two types of concretes and the heating rate influence on those variations is also presented.     

Controlled chemical precipitation of titania for membrane applications—effect of heat treatment and fabrication conditions on its performance

Controlled chemical precipitation method was used to obtain nanosized titania (TiO₂) powders. XRD, DTA/TGA/DTG techniques were employed for phase analysis and to know the thermal changes taking place in precipitated precursor during heating. The effect of processing and fabrication conditions viz. calcination temperature, mold pressure and sintering temperature/time on membranes prepared from this titania powder was studied using permeability measurements. The bulk porosity, average pore size and permeability were found to decrease with increase in the molding pressure. However, an increase in the sintering period increases the bubble point and brings the diameter of the larger pores nearer to that of the average pore.     

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on public managers’ attitudes toward digital transformation

The COVID-19 pandemic has induced a process of digital acceleration and has likely changed the attitudes of local public managers toward information and communication technology (ICT). While this attitude change has been reasonably argued, it has not been systematically measured. This study narrows this gap by measuring the attitudes of public managers before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, this study finds that the pandemic has led public managers to be more confident in the capacity of ICT to help cities achieve their economic, social, and environmental goals and respond to challenges. Both explicit and implicit measures confirmed attitude changes. The explicit measures also indicated that the change in public managers’ attitude toward ICT was similar to their change in attitude toward scientific progress and greater than their change in attitude toward other issues that have played a major role during the pandemic, namely, climate change, citizen participation, and privacy.     

The role of navigation instruction at intersections for older drivers and those with early Alzheimer’s disease

AimsOur purpose was to explore the effect of navigation instruction on older drivers’ driving performance at left turn intersections. Left turns at intersections are particularly complex because they require many perceptive and cognitive abilities under considerable time pressure.MethodsFifty-four participants were recruited: 18 drivers with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD), 18 neurologically healthy older drivers and 18 younger individuals. Various cognitive processes were measured, and 9 left turn maneuvers with or without navigation instruction were evaluated during an in-traffic road test. The psychomotor, planning and decision-making components involved in left turn were also analyzed closely.ResultsOnly older drivers (both healthy drivers and those with AD) were negatively affected by navigation instruction during the maneuver. The planning and decision-making components were more likely to be affected by the navigation instruction.ConclusionThis finding highlights the importance of carefully considering the use of navigation instructions when developing navigation systems. Adapting this instruction is necessary to simplify our understanding of the real-world driving environment and to avoid increasing the cognitive load of older drivers.     

A note on ‘trade-off and compatibility between performance: definitions and empirical evidence’

This paper improves on a novel methodology advanced in order to assess deterministically (i.e., precisely) compromises and compatibilities between manufacturing capabilities in individual firms. We extend the original proposal to include more recent theoretical developments arguing that both trade-offs and compatibilities (e.g., cumulative capabilities) can be observed in a relationship between two or more competitive criteria. This means that as opposed to widely-accepted views, trade-offs and compatibilities can be complementary, and not necessarily mutually exclusive, when explaining relationships between various competitive criteria. As such, our improved methodology and rationale can assess the existence of both trade-offs and compatibilities between multiple capabilities utilising a single framework. Opportunities for novel research that uses our methodology are also offered.     

Jump on the innovator’s train: cognitive principles for creating appreciation in innovative product designs

In everyday life, we find shared preferences for idiosyncratic product features paradigmatically displayed by bestselling gadgets like Apples iPhone’s touch screen, which after gaining acceptance and appreciation are susceptible to being copied by competitors. Psychological research on the phenomenon of shared preferences for innovative design features and the probable benefit of copying them is still lacking. We tested gains of acceptance for imitators through an adaptation paradigm where typicality and liking of potentially innovative features were analysed dynamically. We found significant changes in typicality and liking for imitators being highly similar to the original. These adaptation processes in combination with transfer effects create the specific opportunity for imitators to jump on the innovator’s train by providing similar innovative features and thereby participating in the initial innovator’s success. Importantly, they participate best not by solely copying a specific novel feature, but by additionally generally looking very similar to the innovator.     

“These devices have not been made for older people's needs” – Older adults' perceptions of digital technologies in Finland and Ireland

This article examines how older adults use and perceive digital technologies in Finland and Ireland. These two countries are at different stages regarding two important global trends – demographic ageing and digitalization. Finland, being the fastest ageing society in Europe, is also one of the leaders in implementing digital technologies in social and health care services. In contrast, Ireland is a demographically younger and less digitalized society. Drawing on focus group discussions on the usage of digital technologies, conducted with older adults in both countries, we analyse how digital technologies are adopted and viewed by older generations. The analyses showed that older adults associate digitalization with both advantages and drawbacks. To encapsulate these two contrasting aspects, we developed the term Janus-faced conceptions of technology. This concept encapsulates how the successful adoption of digital technology facilitates everyday activities whereas the inability to utilise technologies results in feelings of alienation and being out-of-touch. The digital divide was found to occur not only between generations but also between different socioeconomic groups of older adults.     

Cloud computing adoption and its impact on SMEs’ performance for cloud supported operations: A dual-stage analytical approach

This paper investigates the key predictors of cloud computing adoption, and further, assesses how cloud computing adoption affects small and medium enterprises' (SMEs') performance. To test the proposed model, we have applied a dual-stage analytical approach by combining structural equation modeling (SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN). SEM results reveal that relative advantage, service quality, perceived risks, top management supports, facilitating conditions, cloud providers influence, server location, computer self-efficacy, and resistance to change have a significant effect on the adoption of cloud computing. Also, this study confirms the positive impact of cloud computing adoption on firm performance. The results of importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) suggest that managerial actions should focus more on improving perceived risk, relative advantage, and top management support. Besides, the results of neural network analysis indicate that the most significant predictor of cloud adoption is server location followed by facilitating conditions, relative advantage, service quality, top management support, computer self-efficacy, perceived risks, cloud provider's influence, and resistance to change. We also discuss the implications of the research that can assist researchers, owners/managers, policymakers, and cloud providers by offering valuable insights regarding cloud computing adoption in SMEs.     

The effects of related and unrelated technological diversification on innovation performance and corporate growth in the Taiwan’s semiconductor industry

This study uses the entropy-based patent measure to discuss the effects of related technological diversification (RTD) and unrelated technological diversification (UTD) on innovation performance and corporate growth. The results indicate that RTD has a monotonically positive influence on both of innovation performance and corporate growth and UTD has an inverse U-shaped influence on both of them. Furthermore, the results show that the extent of the positive effect of RTD on innovation performance and corporate growth is better than that of UTD on both of them. If Taiwan??s semiconductor companies would like to undertake technological diversification, this study suggests that they should adopt RTD, rather than UTD. Besides, this study points out that innovation performance mediates the relationship between corporate growth and both of RTD and UTD. It demonstrates that RTD and UTD can directly affect corporate growth or indirectly influence it via innovation performance.