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The study seeks to investigate the factors that influence MOOC usage by students in tertiary institutes in Ghana.

As this study sought both to test existing UTAUT variables and potentially identify additional variables impacting MOOC usage, a mixed method approach was used. The quantitative study was used to test the significance of UTAUT variables on MOOC usage while the qualitative study was conducted to validate the quantitative results and potentially determine additional factors impacting MOOC usage.

The results of the quantitative data analysis showed that computer self-efficacy, performance expectancy and system quality had a significant influence on MOOC usage intention. Facilitating conditions, instructional quality and MOOC usage intention were found to have a significant influence on actual MOOC usage. The results of the qualitative data analysis showed that information-seeking behaviour and functional Internet access were dominant non-UTAUT factors that influence actual MOOC usage, while teacher motivation was a dominant non-UTAUT factor that influenced MOOC usage intention.

The study employed a non-probability sampling technique which imposes limitations on the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, the study was conducted in two out of the ten geographical and administration regions of Ghana; this also imposes limitations on the generalizability of the findings.

It is important that lecturers and university management find ways of motivating students to participate in MOOCs. Lecturers can influence students to use MOOCs if they regularly and persistently spur the students on to use MOOCs. Lecturers can also adopt other innovative strategies such as posting MOOC information on student noticeboards, the formation of MOOC clubs and the commissioning of MOOC champions on campuses.

The significance of functional Internet access in MOOC usage implies that good Internet connectivity is critical for online learning in developing countries. Regulators of Internet service providers must enforce strict adherence to quality of service standards regarding the provision of Internet service. The Internet service pricing regime must favour the use of the Internet for learning purposes.

The study adopted a mixed method approach to explore MOOC usage in a West African university context. The non-significance of two key UTAUT variables (effort expectancy and social influence) points to a key difference between the application of adoption and usage models to information systems compared to e-learning systems. Additionally, three other variables, namely information-seeking behaviour, functional Internet access and teacher motivation, were found to impact MOOC usage. The study presents a model of MOOC usage (MMU).

Since more than 450 million people worldwide suffer from mental disorders, interventions that promote mental health have been called for. Mindfulness-based coping (MBC) is an intervention based on coping skills from cognitive behavioral therapy integrating mindfulness practices. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the MBC program for psychiatric outpatients. The study employed a mixed research method with a qualitative approach using semi-structured patient interviews and clinical assessments from patients' therapists and a quantitative approach using instruments measuring mindful coping, mental ill health, and life satisfaction. The study sample included 38 psychiatric outpatients from a district psychiatric outpatient service in Norway. Results suggested that although use of the different skills varied, participants had a positive experience with the program and positive changes in psychological functioning were observed. Findings provide knowledge regarding the design of interventions integrating mindfulness to promote more adequate psychological coping.

This paper investigated the impact of firms' service recovery efforts on consumers' desire to reciprocate and forgiveness in the hospitality industry of Pakistan. Additionally, this study examined the mediating role of perceived justice between service recovery efforts and their outcomes.

Using snowball sampling technique, an online survey was administered and 259 responses were collected from casual-dining restaurant customers. A partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) were used to examine the hypotheses.

The results indicate that perceived justice significantly mediates the effect of service recovery efforts on the consumers' desire to reciprocate and forgiveness. Moreover, high (vs. low) service recovery efforts lead to high consumer forgiveness.

The study provides insights for managers into how optimal recovery efforts predict consumers' positive responses and minimize the effect of service failure in South Asian consumers.

This research is among the early endeavors to examine consumers' desire to reciprocate in service recovery context. Also, this is the first study to validate the impact of service recovery efforts on consumers' desire to reciprocate and consumer forgiveness in a South Asian country.

Companies are increasingly leveraging digital technologies toward innovation strategies that deliver novel features to customers sequentially through successive new product generations (i.e., successive innovation). Extant literature examining successive innovation is both limited and fragmented across marketing and management literatures. Our goal is to synthesize literature on concepts related to successive innovation (such as versioning and upgrades) to identify the core dimensions of successive innovation and provide a cohesive framework to guide future research in this domain.

Given the equivocality in understanding the conceptual domain of successive innovation, we review and synthesize literature across three disciplinary domains: marketing, management, and information and decision sciences. Based on the emerging patterns from the literature review, we develop a conceptual framework of successive innovation with the aim of moving the discussion toward greater theoretical clarity.

Based on the literature review and synthesis, we identify three core-dimensions that define successive innovation and compare these across digital and physical product realms: coexistence, embeddedness, and adoption controllability.

Our proposed conceptual dimensions of successive innovation, and discussion of differences across physical and digital product domains, offer important directions for future research and a common vocabulary.

As physical and digital successive innovations can differ in coexistence, embeddedness, and adoption controllability, firms need to consider relevant barriers to adoption of successive product generations and select appropriate strategies to promote and communicate successive innovation. Our proposed successive innovation conceptual dimensions help managers comprehend the complexity of arranging such innovation in business and consumer segments.

Our contribution to the emerging literature on successive innovation is threefold. First, by conducting a comprehensive literature review, we integrate insights from different fields of inquiry (i.e., marketing, management, and information and decision sciences). Second, based on the synthesis of the literature, we offer a conceptual framework of successive innovation, which aims to move the discussion toward greater theoretical clarity. Third, based on our review and conceptual framework, we discuss a set of future research directions to guide academic research efforts.

Presents an embedded MAS (Multi‐Agent System) based control method for multi link series manipulators.

The manipulator's completing operation work is based on several agents' cooperation. The entire embedded MAS of a manipulator is implemented in one ARM7 microprocessor. The multi agents and the communications between the agents are constructed depending on the real‐time multitasking capability and the system services of real time operation system, μC/OS‐(tm). An improved distributed inverse kinematics algorithm, which is the foundation the agents' behavior strategies, and the system architecture designing are described in detail.

This method is very suitable for tele‐operation redundant manipulators' embedded control systems designing, with high reliability.

Using this paradigm, the embedded system firmware development for a redundant manipulator would be very easy and the code would be reusable. A few amendments should be made for miscellaneous manipulators.

It is suitable for controlling a high reliability expected tele‐operation manipulator system.

The embedded MAS based manipulator control paradigm has several attractive advantages, led from MAS theory. Basing this method, we do not require computing the traditional inverse (or pseudoinverse) Jacobian matrix to control a redundant manipulator, especially for mobile redundant robot based on a compact embedded control system, expecting high reliability and potential complexity for coping with dynamical environments. The development procedure would be very easy and the code would be reusable. A few amendments should be made for different manipulators.

The purpose of this article is to determine the uses of mixed method research designs published in major marketing journals.

This study involved a content analysis of 2,166 articles published between 2003 and 2009 in nine prominent marketing journals.

A total of 34 mixed method studies implemented data‐collection procedures sequentially (79 percent), eight implemented them concurrently (19 percent) and one combined both sequential and concurrent procedures (2 percent). On the whole, priority was skewed more toward quantitative strands, with 27 articles prioritizing quantitative data (63 percent), three articles prioritizing qualitative data (7 percent), and 13 articles prioritizing both equally (30 percent).

It is clear that marketing scholars recognize the benefit of mixing qualitative and quantitative research; however, as a discipline we are not demonstrating knowledge of the mixed method literature or procedures, as only one article recognized or mentioned knowledge of mixed method procedures or cited mixed method research.

This study provides guidance for researchers in identifying design types appropriate for various rationales or research objectives and models of different design types that have been published in marketing journals. In addition, implications for designing mixed methods studies in marketing include highlighting the need for scholars to specifically address issues such as the timing and priority given to each data type (i.e. sequential or concurrent), and the integration (or mixing) of the both data types.

Until now, the role of mixed methods designs in marketing has not been the subject of formal examination. The delineation of the major forms in mixed method designs provides a framework for looking at such design types, which helps to provide more credibility to the field of marketing by providing examples of research designs that are substantially different than single strand studies.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

This study seeks to employ the capability‐based view to investigate the direct effect of an organization's development of technological and design capabilities on technology commercialization. It aims to use two indicators to test the claim of ambidexterity, i.e. that synchronizing the development of technological capabilities and design capabilities can enhance the performance of technology commercialization.

The research subjects consisted of R&D teams in Taiwan developing new high‐tech information and communications products; a total of 109 valid questionnaires were recovered. A hierarchical multiple regression model was used to perform hypothesis testing.

The findings of this study indicate that both technological and design capabilities have a positive effect on technology commercialization results, and the contribution of design capabilities is greater than that of technological capabilities. The interaction of technological capabilities and design capabilities has a positive influence on the results of technology commercialization. A relative imbalance between technological and design capabilities has a negative effect on technology commercialization.

This study specifies that there are tensions between technological and design capabilities. However, an ambidextrous strategy involving the concurrent development of technological and design capabilities is suggested. Also the ambidexterity hypothesis is verified. This study consequently suggests that enterprises should simultaneously develop their technological and design capabilities, and seek to balance the allocation of management attention and resources between these two types of capabilities, if they wish to obtain optimal technology commercialization results.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the position of education for sustainable development in the UK Higher Education (HE) sector with respect to the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and Higher Education Academy (HEA) Guidance for education for sustainable development (ESD).

By means of a mixed-method approach underpinned by a concurrent triangulation design strategy, this research presents evidence from an online questionnaire survey and in-depth semi-structured interviews.

Insights are presented from case studies of a group of UK Higher Education Institute (HEIs) which have made significant progress in embedding ESD in the curricula.

Central to this study is an exploration of the ESD integration process of this group including a description of the approaches to integration, the challenges faced and overcome and the critical success factors. It examines the role of a guidance instrument in simplifying and accelerating the ESD curricular integration process. The results of the study show that there is a multitude of integration approaches applied varying in their emphasis.

The main challenge HEIs face is engaging staff that may question the relevance of the ESD concept, and that lack an understanding regarding its implications for their discipline. Critical success factors identified are institution-wide people support, high-level institutional support and funding. The QAA and HEA guidance has successfully supported HEIs in developing their ESD commitments.

The results of this research can support HEIs in developing their own approach to ESD, as they learn from similar UK HE providers, particularly with respect to overcoming barriers and enhancing critical success factors to ESD curricular integration.