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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 7 December 2023

Elena Vazquez

Algorithmic and computational thinking are necessary skills for designers in an increasingly digital world. Parametric design, a method to construct designs based on algorithmic…

Abstract

Purpose

Algorithmic and computational thinking are necessary skills for designers in an increasingly digital world. Parametric design, a method to construct designs based on algorithmic logic and rules, has become widely used in architecture practice and incorporated in the curricula of architecture schools. However, there are few studies proposing strategies for teaching parametric design into architecture students, tackling software literacy while promoting the development of algorithmic thinking.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive study and a prescriptive study are conducted. The descriptive study reviews the literature on parametric design education. The prescriptive study is centered on proposing the incomplete recipe as instructional material and a new approach to teaching parametric design.

Findings

The literature on parametric design education has mostly focused on curricular discussions, descriptions of case studies or studio-long approaches; day-to-day instructional methods, however, are rarely discussed. A pedagogical strategy to teach parametric design is introduced: the incomplete recipe. The instructional method proposed provides students with incomplete recipes for parametric scripts that are increasingly pared down as the students become expert users.

Originality/value

The article contributes to the existing literature by proposing the incomplete recipe as a strategy for teaching parametric design. The recipe as a pedagogical tool provides a means for both software skill acquisition and the development of algorithmic thinking.

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2024

Maximilian Valta, Yannick Hildebrandt and Christian Maier

Technostress reduces employees' work performance and increases their turnover intentions, such that technostress harms organizations' success. This paper investigates how the…

Abstract

Purpose

Technostress reduces employees' work performance and increases their turnover intentions, such that technostress harms organizations' success. This paper investigates how the digital mindset of employees, reflecting their cognitive filter while using digital technologies, influences reactions to techno-stressors.

Design/methodology/approach

In this quantitative study, the authors conducted a survey among 151 employees who regularly use digital technologies and encounter various techno-stressors in their daily work. To build this research model and evaluate the influence of employees’ digital mindset on technostress, the authors followed arguments from the transactional model of stress. The authors evaluated our research model using the covariance-based structural equation model.

Findings

The study findings reveal that employees’ digital mindset influences technostress. Employees with high levels of digital mindset react with less adverse effects on perceived techno-stressors. Further, the authors find that employees with high levels of digital mindset perform well and are satisfied with their job. The authors contribute to technostress research by revealing that digital mindset buffers the adverse effects of techno-stressors. The authors also contribute to research on digital mindset by showing that it influences psychological and behavioral reactions to techno-stressors.

Originality/value

This study develops and empirically tests an integrated model of technostress to explain how digital mindset mitigates technostress. The study findings outline relevant research avenues for studies investigating employees’ characteristics and technostress.

Details

Internet Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 May 2024

Juri Matinheikki, Katie Kenny, Katri Kauppi, Erik van Raaij and Alistair Brandon-Jones

Despite the unparalleled importance of value within healthcare, value-based models remain underutilised in the procurement of medical devices. Research is needed to understand…

Abstract

Purpose

Despite the unparalleled importance of value within healthcare, value-based models remain underutilised in the procurement of medical devices. Research is needed to understand what factors incentivise standard, low-priced device purchasing as opposed to value-adding devices with potentially higher overall health outcomes. Framed in agency theory, we examine the conditions under which different actors involved in purchasing decisions select premium-priced, value-adding medical devices over low-priced, standard medical devices.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects scenario-based vignette experiments on three UK-based online samples of managers (n = 599), medical professionals (n = 279) and purchasing managers (n = 449) with subjects randomly assigned to three treatments: (1) cost-saving incentives, (2) risk-sharing contracts and (3) stronger (versus weaker) clinical evidence.

Findings

Our analysis demonstrates the harmful effects of intra-organisational cost-saving incentives on value-based purchasing (VBP) adoption; the positive impact of inter-organisational risk-sharing contracts, especially when medical professionals are involved in decision-making; and the challenge of leveraging clinical evidence to support value claims.

Research limitations/implications

Our results demonstrate the need to align incentives in a context with multiple intra- and inter-organisational agency relationships at play, as well as the difficulty of reducing information asymmetry when information is not easily interpretable to all decision-makers. Overall, the intra-organisational agency factors strongly influenced the choices for the inter-organisational agency relationship.

Originality/value

We contribute to VBP in healthcare by examining the role of intra- and inter-organisational agency relationships and incentives concerning VBP (non-) adoption. We also examine how the impact of such mechanisms differs between medical and purchasing (management) professionals.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 44 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 July 2024

Dara Mojtahedi, Rosie Allen, Ellie Jess, Maria Ioannou and John Synnott

Employability skills training programmes are an effective means for reducing unemployment rates. Such programmes also have the potential to improve the general well-being (e.g…

Abstract

Purpose

Employability skills training programmes are an effective means for reducing unemployment rates. Such programmes also have the potential to improve the general well-being (e.g. self-efficacy) of disadvantaged individuals, however, reliable longitudinal evaluations of the psychological benefits of such programmes are limited. The present study evaluated the impact of an employability programme offered to disadvantaged adults in North-West England on self-efficacy. Additionally, the study aimed to identify risk factors for programme disengagement to identify at-risk groups that require further support.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary longitudinal data pertaining to the background characteristics, programme engagement and self-efficacy scores (repeatedly measured on a monthly basis) of 308 programme users were analysed.

Findings

Results demonstrated that employability programme engagement significantly increased self-efficacy scores. Additionally, the findings suggested that individuals with mental health and learning difficulties were more likely to disengage from the programme. The findings demonstrate that employability programmes can have a positive impact on the well-being of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, however, prolonged engagement is needed for which some individuals require further support with.

Originality/value

The present study analysed longitudinal data from a diverse sample of disadvantaged individuals to reliably evaluate psychological outcomes from employability training programmes.

Details

Mental Health and Social Inclusion, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-8308

Keywords

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