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1 – 10 of over 45000Claire Hamasu and Elizabeth Kelly
The purpose of this paper is to describe how the logic model can provide infrastructure for library programming from planning, tracking accomplishments, identifying where…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe how the logic model can provide infrastructure for library programming from planning, tracking accomplishments, identifying where adjustments are required, to reporting outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, MidContinental Region has used the logic model since 2003 for planning and organizing its work. Its geographically dispersed librarians carry out six project initiatives. The logic model is used during planning to establish consensus on expectations and responsibilities. An online reporting tool, developed in 2004, tracks staff activities to the logic model. Quarterly reports for each project uses reporting tool data to determine whether the project is going along as planned or whether an intervention is required. At the end of the year, a final report assesses the achievement outcomes and indicators.
Findings
Writing a logic model is a study in semantics. It is important to be as specific as possible. Accurately defining terms saves puzzlement down the line on whether an activity was carried out as planned or an indicator was met. Measurable targets for each indicator encourage staff to continuously evaluate their activities and adjust their work to achieve the desired results. Writing realistic indicators is a process that improves with practice. Early in the program enthusiasm and the optimism of the librarian staff led to the indicators that were unrealistic within a one year timeframe.
Practical implications
The logic model accommodates the unforeseeable and helps evaluate whether an activity is worth doing. It is impossible to identify all future opportunities. The logic model runs from the visionary (goals) to the ordinary (activities). When the unexpected arises it can be evaluated on how closely it addresses goals and outcomes and can be tied to that goal or outcome when reporting. The integration of the logic model into the program is made more efficient with an online report system. Having a system that links staff work to the logic model facilitates analysis, decision making, and reporting.
Originality/value
The logic model is generally touted as a planning tool. This paper expands the use of the logic model as a tool for planning, tracking, and reporting.
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Julia A. Fehrer, Herbert Woratschek and Roderick J. Brodie
The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new business model logic, highlighting value processes in and properties of platform business models to inform business model thinking…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new business model logic, highlighting value processes in and properties of platform business models to inform business model thinking from a systemic and dynamic perspective. It challenges the idea of firms managing, influencing and controlling entire activity systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The study traces the evolution of different approaches to business models and assesses theories that explain value cocreation and systemic value capture to develop a new business model logic.
Findings
Business model thinking has evolved away from Porter’s value chain to a new logic based on open networks and platforms. This study develops a framework for understanding platform business models from a systemic perspective. Derived from service-dominant logic, this new business model logic responds to phenomena in contemporary business environments characterized by increasing connectivity and sociality among actors.
Research limitations/implications
The framework, developed from an extensive body of business model literature, has yet to be subjected to empirical investigation. Future research may involve the exploration of business model design processes and business model innovation from a systemic perspective.
Practical implications
Managers who aim to design their business models based on the logic of platform businesses require an understanding of their organization’s collaboration potential, technological interfaces and potential to leverage network relationships. This research guides start-ups and incumbents to evaluate their platform potential.
Originality/value
This study systematically emancipates the business model logic from a firm-centered, inside-out perspective, focuses on network relationships beyond the customer–firm dyad, explains value processes beyond organizational borders and rethinks value capture from a systemic perspective.
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Jukka Ojasalo and Katri Ojasalo
The purpose of this study is to develop a service logic oriented framework for business model development. “Service logic” covers the basic principles of the three contemporary…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a service logic oriented framework for business model development. “Service logic” covers the basic principles of the three contemporary customer value focused business logics: service-dominant logic, service logic and customer-dominant logic.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on an empirical qualitative research and deployed the focus group method. The data are generated in a series of interactive co-creative focus group workshops involving both practitioners and academics.
Findings
As the outcome, a new tool was developed, called Service Logic Business Model Canvas. The new canvas is a modified version of the original Business Model Canvas (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010).
Research limitations/implications
This study adopts service logic in business model thinking and increases knowledge on how to keep the customer needs in the centre of business model development.
Practical implications
The developed canvas makes the theory of service-dominant logic tangible and easily applicable in practice. It enables service innovation truly based on customer value by ensuring that the customer is in the centre of all the elements of a business model. It can function both as a rapid prototype of a new business model and as a communication tool that quickly illustrates the company’s current business model. It can also help in creating a customer-centred business culture. It is designed to be applied to each customer profile separately, thus enabling a deeper understanding of the customer logic of each relevant profile.
Originality/value
Earlier business model frameworks tend to be provider-centric and goods-dominant, and require further development and adaptation to service logic. This study adopts service logic in business model thinking. It embeds the true and deep customer understanding and customer value in each element of the business model, and contributes to both business model and service-dominant logic literature.
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Gul Polat and Befrin Neval Bingol
The main objective of this paper is to show how fuzzy logic and multiple regression analysis (MRA) techniques can be used by construction companies for determining the size of…
Abstract
Purpose
The main objective of this paper is to show how fuzzy logic and multiple regression analysis (MRA) techniques can be used by construction companies for determining the size of contingency that will be included in bid prices for international construction projects in a more systematic way and to compare their modelling performances.
Design/methodology/approach
The steps followed in the execution of this study mainly consists of: conducting a literature review on international construction in order to identify the factors that may affect contingency amounts that will be included in bid prices for international construction projects; developing the general framework of the proposed contingency estimation model; designing a questionnaire based on the information gathered from the literature review, delivering these questionnaires to construction experts, and obtaining the actual data of 36 international construction projects; developing a fuzzy logic model based on expert judgments and three multiple regression analysis models (MRAM) using the collected data; and comparing the performances of these approaches.
Findings
In this study, a fuzzy logic model and three MRAM were developed. Their modelling performances were compared using actual data obtained from 36 international construction projects that had been completed by 20 large-scale Turkish construction companies in 14 different countries. It is found that the developed fuzzy logic model outperforms the MRAM built for the studied projects.
Originality/value
This study shows that fuzzy logic and MRA techniques can be successfully used by construction companies, which predominantly do business in foreign countries, for estimating the size of cost contingency that will be included in bid prices for international construction projects. The modelling performances of fuzzy logic and MRAM are also compared.
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William W. Baber, Arto Ojala and Ricardo Martinez
The purpose of this paper is to study how digital business models evolve when entrepreneurs move to new digital platforms and how this evolution is related to effectuation and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study how digital business models evolve when entrepreneurs move to new digital platforms and how this evolution is related to effectuation and causation logics.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applies a multiple case study approach to investigate how digital business models change in small, Japanese high-tech firms providing their innovations through different digital platforms. To investigate digital business models, this study considers the elements that comprise general business models. The case firms were selected based on size, products and transitions from physical to various digital platforms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the key decision-makers from the case firms.
Findings
The findings show that through digital transformation, the case firms’ digital business models evolved by following effectuation logic as well as causal logic. All the firms employed causal logic when moving to new platforms, among other actions. The case firms used effectual logic with success for product development and adjustments to their network. Especially firms providing video games relied on effectuation for high impact products. Effectual logic did not play a role at all in changes to value delivery and had only little impact on revenue structures.
Originality/value
This research helps understand how digitalization of platforms and subsequent moves to newer digital platforms improve a firm by changing the business model elements through effectuation and causation logics. This research extends the understanding of digital business model transformation to a more granular level, business model elements.
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Xin Zou, Guangchuan Wu and Qian Zhang
Repetitive projects play an important role in the construction industry. A crucial point in scheduling this type of project lies in enabling timely movement of crews from unit to…
Abstract
Purpose
Repetitive projects play an important role in the construction industry. A crucial point in scheduling this type of project lies in enabling timely movement of crews from unit to unit so as to minimize the adverse effect of work interruptions on both time and cost. This paper aims to examine a repetitive scheduling problem with work continuity constraints, involving a tradeoff among project duration, work interruptions and total project cost (TPC). To enhance flexibility and practicability, multi-crew execution is considered and the logic relation between units is allowed to be changed arbitrarily. That is, soft logic is considered.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes a multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming model with the capability of yielding the optimal tradeoff among three conflicting objectives. An efficient version of the e-constraint algorithm is customized to solve the model. This model is validated based on two case studies involving a small-scale and a practical-scale project, and the influence of using soft logic on project duration and total cost is analyzed via computational experiments.
Findings
Using soft logic provides more flexibility in minimizing project duration, work interruptions and TPC, especial for non-typical projects with a high percentage of non-typical activities.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of the proposed model fails to consider the learning-forgetting phenomenon, which provides space for future research.
Practical implications
This study assists practitioners in determining the “most preferred” schedule once additional information is provided.
Originality/value
This paper presents a new soft logic-based mathematical programming model to schedule repetitive projects with the goal of optimizing three conflicting objectives simultaneously.
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Charlene L. Nicholls-Nixon and Dave Valliere
Although business incubators are widely used support mechanisms for innovative entrepreneurship, the literature still lacks theoretically based explanations of how the incubation…
Abstract
Purpose
Although business incubators are widely used support mechanisms for innovative entrepreneurship, the literature still lacks theoretically based explanations of how the incubation process creates value for stakeholders. This study aims to address this gap by developing a conceptual model, and related research propositions, that explains how the entrepreneurial logic in use by an incubator influences the incubation process (selection criteria and service offering) and performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Integrating the effectuation and entrepreneurial opportunities literature, which shares common conceptualizations about how the predictability of the future affects entrepreneurial action, the authors posit two archetypes of entrepreneurial logic that are associated with different incubation processes (causal or effectual) and two archetypes of opportunity attributes (discovery- or creation-based) that affect the incubation process needed to support their development.
Findings
Juxtaposing these archetypes, the proposed cross-level conceptual model specifies four levels of fit (ideal, surplus, deficit and mismatch) between the incubation process and the opportunity attributes of individual ventures, which directly influence venture performance (high, moderate and low). In turn, an incubator's performance is largely shaped by the overall performance of ventures in its portfolio.
Originality/value
This paper responds to the call for theory-building that links the antecedents and outcomes of the incubation process across levels of analysis. In addition to developing a conceptual model and research agenda at the intersection of entrepreneurship and business incubation, the proposed model also has implications for incubator directors deciding how to allocate limited resources, and for public/private sector administrators interested in leveraging investment in business incubators.
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Looks at Arrow’s early background in New York and his subsequent development in the field of econometrics and mathematical economics. Covers his work in depth and his achievements…
Abstract
Looks at Arrow’s early background in New York and his subsequent development in the field of econometrics and mathematical economics. Covers his work in depth and his achievements in the school of thought of economics, adding that the modern school of thought is complementary to the classical school.
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Ashti Yaseen Hussein and Faris Ali Mustafa
Spaciousness is defined as “the feeling of openness or room to wander” that has been affected by various physical factors. The purpose of this paper is to assess the spaciousness…
Abstract
Purpose
Spaciousness is defined as “the feeling of openness or room to wander” that has been affected by various physical factors. The purpose of this paper is to assess the spaciousness of space to determine how spacious the space is. Furthermore, the study intends to propose a fuzzy-based model to assess the degree of spaciousness in terms of physical parameters such as area, proportion, the ratio of window area to floor area and color value.
Design/methodology/approach
Fuzzy logic is the most appropriate mathematical model to assess uncertainty using nonhomogeneous variables. In contrast to conventional methods, fuzzy logic depends on partial truth theory. MATLAB Fuzzy Logic Toolbox was used as a computational model including a fuzzy inference system (FIS) using linguistic variables called membership functions to define parameters. As a result, fuzzy logic was used in this study to assess the spaciousness degree of design studios in universities in the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
Findings
The findings of the presented fuzzy model show the degree to which the input variables affect a space perceived as larger and more spacious. The relationship between parameters has been represented in three-dimensional surface diagrams. The positive relationship of spaciousness with the area, window-to-floor area ratio and color value has been determined. In contrast, the negative relationship between spaciousness and space proportion is described. Moreover, the three-dimensional surface diagram illustrates how the changes in the input values affect the spaciousness degree. Besides, the improvement in the spaciousness degree of the design studio increases the quality learning environment.
Originality/value
This study attempted to assess the degree of spaciousness in design studios. There has been no attempt carried out to combine educational space learning environments and computational methods. This study focused on the assessment of spaciousness using the MATLAB Fuzzy Logic toolbox that has not been integrated so far.
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S.A. Oke and O.E. Charles‐Owaba
The simultaneous scheduling of resource‐constrained maintenance and operations is addressed in this work. The purpose of the paper is to capture the uncertainty in the development…
Abstract
Purpose
The simultaneous scheduling of resource‐constrained maintenance and operations is addressed in this work. The purpose of the paper is to capture the uncertainty in the development of a model that schedules both preventive maintenance and operational activities. Fuzzy logic is employed to transform the human expertise into IF‐THEN rules.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach has the advantage of revealing semantic uncertainty with the associated non‐specifying measures. The methodology applied tracks the error values in terms of results in linguistic variable.
Findings
The results obtained indicate the feasibility of tracking the uncertain measures in the model discussed. Thus, the study may be applicable to both production system and transportation organizations that are engaged in both maintenance and operational activities.
Practical implications
The research has serious implication in terms of the ability to monitor the imprecision that were introduced in the previous models. This obviously provides a more reliable framework for researchers and practitioners interested in maintenance scheduling activities.
Originality/value
The paper is new in that it demonstrates the application of fuzzy logic in a form that was never documented.
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