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11 – 20 of 184Wenhui Fu, Qiang Wang and Xiande Zhao
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the platform literature and synthesize the various topics of research into a common framework to reveal the relations between…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the platform literature and synthesize the various topics of research into a common framework to reveal the relations between platform-based service innovation, system design and other platform-related factors.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative descriptive analysis led to an overview of the distribution of research focuses of the 187 sample articles identified by a well-established search strategy. A qualitative in-depth review was then used to clarify the detailed research topics and generate an overall conceptual model to link them, with a focus on platform-based service innovation and system design.
Findings
In total, 11 research topics of three research perspectives were identified and linked by a framework that accounts for the relationships between platform-based service innovation and system design and their influences on platform evolution. A small panel of industry experts validated the accuracy and utility of the proposed framework.
Originality/value
This paper provides an integrated framework for separately developed research perspectives and the topics investigated in the platform literature. Through the proposed framework, this paper helps to improve the knowledge on platform study and management, and lays a foundation for exploring the research opportunities in platform-based service innovation and system design.
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Eva Zikou, Nikos Varsakelis and Aikaterini K. Sarri
The decision to engage in entrepreneurial activities is grounded in personal characteristics (motivation) and external environmental factors. One of the main external factors…
Abstract
Purpose
The decision to engage in entrepreneurial activities is grounded in personal characteristics (motivation) and external environmental factors. One of the main external factors might be the structure of the regional economic activity. Does a high share of the public sector affect positively regional entrepreneurship or vice versa? Does the diversity in regional economic activity is conducive for entrepreneurial development or the regional comparative advantage as expressed by spatial economies of scale offering more entrepreneurial opportunities? Even though economic analysis has extensively examined the impact of the public sector size on the overall national economic activity (the crowding out effect), this impact has not been into scrutiny at regional level on microeconomic issues, such as the decision to engage in entrepreneurial activities. The authors further investigate the relation between diversity and entrepreneurship at regional level. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses data for 264 NUTS II EU regions. The time span of the data set is 1999-2008. The paper applies panel data analysis to explain the cross-time cross-section variation of the dependent variable: the self-employment share in total employment at regional level. In order to measure the existence of crowding out from public sector to regional entrepreneurship, the authors use the share of regional public sector gross value added over total regional gross value added. The diversity of the regional economic activity is measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman Concentration Index across sectors.
Findings
The findings of the paper show that there is a negative correlation between public sector share and regional entrepreneurship. Hence, as at national level, the increase in the role of the public sector in the regional economic system crowds out regional entrepreneurship. The second finding indicates that the impact of the diversity of the regional economic activity on regional entrepreneurship is inconclusive.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper is due to the fact that the role of the public sector on regional economic phenomena, such as entrepreneurship, is examined for the first time. Also, the investigation of the relationship between diversity (vs localization economies) and entrepreneurship is performed using data for the full sample of regions of the European Union. The findings of the paper have significant policy implications since they provide useful inputs for the design of the regional development policy. The reduction of the public sector at regional level may contribute in entrepreneurial development and finally in regional economic growth and prosperity. Besides, the regional industrial policy should focus on the exploitation of the spatially constraint economies of scope in the framework of the Triple Helix model.
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Preparing for a potential bioterroism is a difficult task for health care leaders because of the fundamental unpredictability of bioterroist acts. Complexity science thinking is…
Abstract
Preparing for a potential bioterroism is a difficult task for health care leaders because of the fundamental unpredictability of bioterroist acts. Complexity science thinking is presented as an approach that can help in this task. Basic concepts from complexity science, especially the role of relationships, are presented. Specific recommendations for action including sensemaking, learning, and improvisation are made. A case study is used to illustrate the power of complexity science thinking in assisting health care leaders addressing potential bioterroism. Questions for further research are presented.
The growing turbulence of the external environment has progressively led to the necessity by organizations of exploiting new opportunities provided by data-driven approaches for…
Abstract
The growing turbulence of the external environment has progressively led to the necessity by organizations of exploiting new opportunities provided by data-driven approaches for supporting the even more complex decision-making processes. The new digital environment has led to the development and adoption of innovative approaches; also in the urban context which has always been characterized by different, interconnected, and dynamic dimensions. Urban governance models have been enhanced by smart technologies, which act as enablers of advanced services and foster connections between citizens, public and private organizations, and decision-makers. In this context, the objective of this chapter is to examine the role of data-driven approaches in the urban context during the chaotic and high variable circumstances related to the diffusion of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Thanks to the adoption of the co-evolutionary perspective, a cycle in urban governance decision-making approach based on digital technologies is depicted and its contribution for managing the ongoing Covid-19 is traced. The results of the analysis highlight how the data-driven approach supports urban decision-making process and shed light on the co-evolutionary perspective as heuristic device to map the interactions settled in the networks between local governments, data-driven technologies, and citizens. In this sense, this chapter offers interesting insights, potentially capable of generating useful implications for both researchers and professionals in the public sector.
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Kirill Krinkin, Yulia Shichkina and Andrey Ignatyev
This study aims to show the inconsistency of the approach to the development of artificial intelligence as an independent tool (just one more tool that humans have developed); to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to show the inconsistency of the approach to the development of artificial intelligence as an independent tool (just one more tool that humans have developed); to describe the logic and concept of intelligence development regardless of its substrate: a human or a machine and to prove that the co-evolutionary hybridization of the machine and human intelligence will make it possible to reach a solution for the problems inaccessible to humanity so far (global climate monitoring and control, pandemics, etc.).
Design/methodology/approach
The global trend for artificial intelligence development (has been) was set during the Dartmouth seminar in 1956. The main goal was to define characteristics and research directions for artificial intelligence comparable to or even outperforming human intelligence. It should be able to acquire and create new knowledge in a highly uncertain dynamic environment (the real-world environment is an example) and apply that knowledge to solving practical problems. Nowadays artificial intelligence overperforms human abilities (playing games, speech recognition, search, art generation, extracting patterns from data etc.), but all these examples show that developers have come to a dead end. Narrow artificial intelligence has no connection to real human intelligence and even cannot be successfully used in many cases due to lack of transparency, explainability, computational ineffectiveness and many other limits. A strong artificial intelligence development model can be discussed unrelated to the substrate development of intelligence and its general properties that are inherent in this development. Only then it is to be clarified which part of cognitive functions can be transferred to an artificial medium. The process of development of intelligence (as mutual development (co-development) of human and artificial intelligence) should correspond to the property of increasing cognitive interoperability. The degree of cognitive interoperability is arranged in the same way as the method of measuring the strength of intelligence. It is stronger if knowledge can be transferred between different domains on a higher level of abstraction (Chollet, 2018).
Findings
The key factors behind the development of hybrid intelligence are interoperability – the ability to create a common ontology in the context of the problem being solved, plan and carry out joint activities; co-evolution – ensuring the growth of aggregate intellectual ability without the loss of subjectness by each of the substrates (human, machine). The rate of co-evolution depends on the rate of knowledge interchange and the manufacturability of this process.
Research limitations/implications
Resistance to the idea of developing co-evolutionary hybrid intelligence can be expected from agents and developers who have bet on and invested in data-driven artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Practical implications
Revision of the approach to intellectualization through the development of hybrid intelligence methods will help bridge the gap between the developers of specific solutions and those who apply them. Co-evolution of machine intelligence and human intelligence will ensure seamless integration of smart new solutions into the global division of labor and social institutions.
Originality/value
The novelty of the research is connected with a new look at the principles of the development of machine and human intelligence in the co-evolution style. Also new is the statement that the development of intelligence should take place within the framework of integration of the following four domains: global challenges and tasks, concepts (general hybrid intelligence), technologies and products (specific applications that satisfy the needs of the market).
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Brendan O'Dwyer and Roel Boomsma
The purpose of this paper is to deepen and advance the understanding of the construction of accountability within the relationship between government funders and development…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to deepen and advance the understanding of the construction of accountability within the relationship between government funders and development non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a case study examining the process through which an influential Dutch development NGO, Oxfam Novib, constructed its own accountability while simultaneously seeking to influence shifts in government funder accountability requirements. It enrols a combination of comprehensive archival data on the Dutch government’s financing scheme for NGOs from 1965 to 2012 and in-depth interviews with Oxfam Novib managers and Dutch government officials. The co-evolution in accountability within Oxfam Novib and the government funding scheme is conceptualised using the notions of imposed, felt and adaptive accountability
Findings
The case unveils the dynamics through which accountability within a major government funding scheme for NGOs was co-constructed by Oxfam Novib and the Dutch government’s development aid department. In particular, it reveals how this process was influenced by an internal evolution in Oxfam Novib’s organisational approach to accountability and an institutional context characterised by consensus-based economic and social policy making. The case also unveils the process through which Oxfam Novib’s influence declined as more demanding, narrowly focused government accountability requirements emerged in a setting that was increasingly critical of NGOs.
Originality/value
The paper presents a rare example of a context where development NGOs have proactively sought and secured influence over the accountability demands of a key donor. It is unique in combining consideration of the internal evolution of accountability within an individual NGO (conceptualised as an evolution from felt to adaptive accountability) with a progression in the form of accountability required by governmental funders. The paper unveils the conditions under which NGO-preferred conceptions of accountability may gain (and lose) influence among key funders.
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Thomas Gegenhuber, Elke Schuessler, Georg Reischauer and Laura Thäter
Working conditions on many digital work platforms often contribute to the grand challenge of establishing decent work. While research has examined the public regulation of…
Abstract
Working conditions on many digital work platforms often contribute to the grand challenge of establishing decent work. While research has examined the public regulation of platform work and worker resistance, little is known about private regulatory models. In this paper, we document the development of the “Crowdwork Agreement” forged between platforms and a trade union in the relatively young German crowdworking field. We find that existing templates played an important role in the process of negotiating this new institutional infrastructure, despite the radically new work context. While the platforms drew on the corporate social responsibility template of voluntary self-regulation via a code of conduct focusing on procedural aspects of decent platform work (i.e., improving work conditions and processes), the union contributed a traditional social partnership template emphasizing accountability, parity and distributive matters. The trade union’s approach prevailed in terms of accountability and parity mechanisms, while the platforms were able to uphold the mostly procedural character of their template. This compromise is reflected in many formal and informal interactions, themselves characteristic of a social partnership approach. Our study contributes to research on institutional infrastructures in emerging fields and their role in addressing grand challenges.
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Petro Poutanen, Wael Soliman and Pirjo Ståhle
The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the innovation literature, with special focus on studies applying a complexity perspective. As a contribution in its own right…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the innovation literature, with special focus on studies applying a complexity perspective. As a contribution in its own right to the innovation literature, the review clarifies the concept of complexity, explores possible points of relevance and the “added value” gained from complexity theory (CT) to the study of innovation, and identifies some of the applications of the theory.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature search was conducted which yielded 20 relevant articles. These articles were analyzed by focusing on the key concepts of complexity and studying their applications in the context of innovation research.
Findings
Based on the approach adopted, the literature was divided into three categories, namely research focusing on microdynamics, macrodynamics, and leadership and management. The key complexity concepts identified in the innovation literature were “edge of chaos”, “phase shift”, “emergence and self-organization”, “(co)evolution”, and “complexity regulation”. The articles reviewed differed in terms of their perspectives on complexity and, accordingly, their operationalization of the complexity concepts. Key areas of development suggested by the authors include forging a stronger link with existing innovation theory and giving greater weight to empirical evidence.
Research limitations/implications
While a systematic review strategy was adopted to identify all relevant research on “open innovation” and complexity, a selective snowball strategy was deemed the only feasible approach to cover research conducted on “innovation” and complexity.
Practical implications
Practitioners can learn to put CT-based research in context and also learn to recognize the value of CT for innovation management. The authors distilled three important lessons for practice from the research done: embracing complexity, embracing ambidexterity, and embracing failure.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge no review has as yet been undertaken to encapsulate the current state of applications of CT to innovation research.
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I study the relationship between pro-market reforms and the expansion of emerging market multinational companies (EMNCs). Extending institutional economics, I propose a…
Abstract
I study the relationship between pro-market reforms and the expansion of emerging market multinational companies (EMNCs). Extending institutional economics, I propose a co-evolutionary process, whereby pro-market reforms in emerging markets induce the transformation of domestic firms into EMNCs, and the global expansion of EMNCs in turn facilitates the deepening of pro-market reforms in the home country. Specifically, I first explain how pro-market reforms lead to the emergence of EMNCs via international competitiveness, upgrading needs, and escape; I then explain how the global expansion of EMNCs leads to a deepening of pro-market reforms at home via learning, spillovers, and lobbying. I complement these explanations with a discussion of contingencies at the firm (private vs. state, domestic vs. foreign firms), industry (global vs. local industries), and country (developing vs. transition countries) levels.
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Dehua Ju and Beijun Shen
– The purpose of this paper is to develop a network-based approach for doing active knowledge services in the coming networked knowledge era.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a network-based approach for doing active knowledge services in the coming networked knowledge era.
Design/methodology/approach
A novel solution so-called “Internet of Knowledge (IoK)” is proposed in this paper, which can be used to organize scattered resources into a value-added knowledge asset for serving any specific objective through internet connection.
Findings
It enables the public library to be an attractive habitat for both knowledge consumers and contributors to share and co-create knowledge works. It will be an ideal ecosystem for supporting the growth of knowledge-intensive industries.
Research limitations/implications
A pilot system has being developed to promote the development of marine economy.
Practical implications
The IoK-based approach is expected to be applied to more domains in the next China’s five-year plan.
Originality/value
The main contribution is to integrate many great ideas from world gurus into a single solution framework, in other words, an integration innovation.
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