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1 – 10 of 209Goh Choo Ta, Sharina Abdul Halim, Mohamad Mahathir Amir Sultan, Wan Daraputri Razali, Mazlin Mokhtar and Ibrahim Komoo
University research institutes were established in Malaysian Universities to facilitate research activities that do not fit into discipline-oriented departments, including the…
Abstract
Purpose
University research institutes were established in Malaysian Universities to facilitate research activities that do not fit into discipline-oriented departments, including the multi- and inter-disciplinary research that goes beyond the single-disciplinary boundary. This paper aims to report on a case study of one university research institute established in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), known as the institute for environment and development (LESTARI). LESTARI conducts multi-disciplinary research that emphasises research and capacity building on issues related to sustainable development. The aims of this paper are to examine the research evolution undergone at LESTARI, and to ascertain its contribution towards sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Design/methodology/approach
LESTARI was established two years after the Rio Conference held in 1992, with the aims of promoting sustainable development through research and capacity building. This paper uses a qualitative approach to evaluate the research evolution of LESTARI, and a quantitative analysis to ascertain LESTARI’s contribution to SDGs.
Findings
After almost 30 years of establishment, LESTARI has moved from multi-disciplinary research to inter-disciplinary research. Although the transition was based on respective research areas (e.g. chemicals management and geopark), the research maturity of LESTARI is shown in its transformation from conventional to translational research. LESTARI has proven its capability to conduct multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research, and the research outputs are also contributing to the SDGs.
Practical implications
The LESTARI case study has shown that as long as a research institute has a firm and clear research direction, regardless of how it is evaluated and monitored (e.g. evaluated by SDGs), the research institute remains relevant in the context of its establishment.
Social implications
The findings from this paper serve to set LESTARI as an example for other university research institutes, whether in Malaysia or in other countries.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this contribution is the first that discusses the transition from multi-disciplinary research to inter-disciplinary research, as well as the contribution to SDGs, among university research institutes in Malaysia.
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Annika Steiber and Don Alvarez
The purpose and theoretical contributions of this paper are to improve current knowledge on culture's role in firms' digital transformation, as well as to identify and add a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose and theoretical contributions of this paper are to improve current knowledge on culture's role in firms' digital transformation, as well as to identify and add a cultural “digital maturity” lens to well-known, already actionable frameworks for the digital transformation of firms.
Design/methodology/approach
To increase current knowledge on culture's role in firms' digital transformation, as well as to identify and add a cultural “digital maturity” lens to well-known and actionable frameworks for the digital transformation of firms, a multi-step approach was chosen, including both literature reviews as well as a qualitative study of one company case.
Findings
Early generations of digital transformation frameworks, mainly from the field of information systems (IS), did not take into consideration firms' culture. More recent research in the fields of management and organization, however, emphasizes the role of culture and key cultural attributes favorable for a digital transformation. By integrating key findings on digital transformation from these research fields, a multi-disciplinary framework could be presented, allowing any organization to plan, organize and monitor a digital transformation from three essential lenses: technical (processes and actions for transforming), social (transformation of norms and behavior) and macro (transformation of the perception of the outside world).
Research limitations/implications
Only one case study was included in this study. The developed multi-disciplinary framework needs to be tested in more cases.
Practical implications
Practitioners can use the new integrated framework above for evaluating the conditions for, and the progression of a digital transformation, by using the developed framework and by applying the three lenses.
Social implications
Originality/value
The paper contributes a new multi-disciplinary integrated framework for the digital transformation of enterprises and a further understanding of the impact of culture in the transformation of the firm.
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Ian Slesinger, Niki Panteli and Lizzie Coles-Kemp
As part of the growing necessity for inter-organisational and multi-disciplinary interaction to facilitate complex innovation in digital security, there needs to be greater…
Abstract
Purpose
As part of the growing necessity for inter-organisational and multi-disciplinary interaction to facilitate complex innovation in digital security, there needs to be greater engagement with regulation in the innovation process. This is particularly true in the case of security technologies that are embedded within wider systems and that are largely invisible to most of the users of that system. This paper aims to describe stakeholders’ perspectives on regulation in the digital security innovation process and evaluates the implications of these perspectives on anticipatory regulation in digital security.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured expert interviews and ethnographic participant observation, the study draws on the authors’ involvement in a formally organised programme of academia–industry–government collaboration called Digital Security by Design (DSbD).
Findings
The study highlights a relational dimension to establishing regulatory responsibilities that is enabled through interdisciplinary dialogue. The study contributes to understanding the multifaceted roles of regulation in digital security innovation across organisations and areas of expertise. It does so by identifying four themes in how regulation is perceived in the DSbD programme: ethical imperative, adding value, adoption lever and passive compliance.
Practical implications
Incorporating regulatory responsibilities through dialogue early in the innovation process, rather than only once a security technology’s deleterious effects are noticeable, which could make digital innovation and transformation safer and better regulated. It can also make regulation successfully adopted, rather than an exercise in damage control or an adversarial process between regulators and organisations.
Originality/value
This paper presents original empirical research on how regulation is considered by stakeholders in a novel multi-disciplinary digital security innovation process. It then uses these findings as a basis to evaluate the implications for establishing regulatory responsibilities for a class of security technologies that are embedded within wider systems and that are largely invisible to most of the users of those wider systems.
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Amina Tawfik, Samia Shouman, Reda Tabashy, Mervat Omran and Mohamed Gad El-Mola
This scientific article aims to evaluate the efficacy of the drug Doxorubicin for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egypt. The study analyzes data from patients referred…
Abstract
Purpose
This scientific article aims to evaluate the efficacy of the drug Doxorubicin for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egypt. The study analyzes data from patients referred to a multi-disciplinary consultation at the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University. The study includes 40 intermediate-stage HCC patients who underwent treatment with either Doxorubicin-Lipiodol or Doxorubicin-loaded drug-eluting beads-trans-arterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE).
Design/methodology/approach
Patients referred to a multi-disciplinary consultation at the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University with a possible diagnosis of HCC in the intermediate stage were eligible for the study.
Findings
The study finds that the plasma peak concentration of Doxorubicin is significantly higher in patients treated with Lipiodol compared to those treated with DEB-TACE. The median plasma peak concentration of patients treated with Lipiodol was significantly higher 424 (202.5–731) than the peak level of patients treated with beads 84.95 (26.6–156.5) with p-value = 0.036. However, there is no significant difference in other pharmacokinetic parameters between the two treatment groups. The research article also investigates the genetic polymorphisms in HCC patients treated with Doxorubicin-Lipiodol and Doxorubicin-loaded DEB-TACE. It identifies a significant association between the ABCB1 gene (C3435T) and the concentration of Doxorubicin in plasma. Patients with the CCand computed tomography (CT) genotypes of ABCB1 have higher concentrations of Doxorubicin compared to those with the TT genotype. Furthermore, the study examines the progression-free survival rates and tumour response in the two treatment groups. It demonstrates that DEB-TACE patients have a higher progression-free survival rate compared to cTACE patients. DEB-TACE also leads to better tumour regression.
Originality/value
The current study helps to increase the understanding of the genetic factors that may contribute to HCC susceptibility in the Egyptian population. However, it is essential to consider that genetic polymorphism is just one aspect of HCC risk, and other factors such as environment, lifestyle and viral infections also play crucial roles. Further research is needed to elucidate the complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors in HCC development among Egyptians.
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Nahed T. Zeini, Ahmed E. Okasha and Amal S. Soliman
Using bibliometrics, this study aims to explore the intellectual structure of social segregation research, key contributors, thematic areas and hotspot topics.
Abstract
Purpose
Using bibliometrics, this study aims to explore the intellectual structure of social segregation research, key contributors, thematic areas and hotspot topics.
Design/methodology/approach
A bibliometric analysis was performed for more than 15,000 research papers listed in one of the famous, rich and widely used scientific databases: Web of Science (WoS). This review approach was used to identify social research hotspots on segregation, intellectual structure, borders and development trends. VOSviewer and Gephi software were employed for mapping and analysis.
Findings
The study indicates a marked increase in segregation research, particularly from a spatial/urban perspective. The study reveals the interrelationship between segregation and many other social concepts, such as social equality, cohesion, integration and inclusion. In conclusion, addressing the ramifications resulting from the multiple forms of segregation will help in implementing social policies and evaluating their impact on achieving inclusive social development in general and the 2030 agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in specific.
Research limitations/implications
This study remains limited to the precision and thoroughness of the bibliographic data gained from WoS.
Originality/value
This study is valuable for readers to gain rich insights into the state of research on social segregation. It also provides ideas for future research that prospective authors and interested research and academic institutions can investigate.
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“Omotenashi” has become a buzzword denoting the Japanese ethic for excellence in customer care. However, while there is an emerging body of research on the spirit of the provider…
Abstract
Purpose
“Omotenashi” has become a buzzword denoting the Japanese ethic for excellence in customer care. However, while there is an emerging body of research on the spirit of the provider side, nevertheless, the customer care experiences from the beneficiary perspective – especially the dynamics that manifest when such care fails – remain undercommented. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to identify critical dynamics of how unexpected thorny disharmony might manifest in instances of customer care failure, with a focus on customer service and intercultural lived experiences. In doing so it challenges a prevailing and dominant view of flawless Japanese customer care – Omotenashi.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on a multi-disciplinary approach the current research proposes a conceptual model and uses autoethnography to offer insights at the individual level unit of analysis.
Findings
The findings break ground towards innovative understanding of customer care failure dynamics, by considering intercultural situations.
Research limitations/implications
By express design and paradigm, the research is limited to subjective interpretivism. The paper offers important implications for understanding customer beneficiary experience, especially to nuance and challenge the current hegemonic view of the positive nature of Japanese “Omotenashi” customer care in extant literature.
Practical implications
The findings have important practical implications for customer care managers. The paper aims to prompt a pause for thought, a warning of a drift towards organizational self-satisfaction and back slapping in relation to customer care and makes a call for a return to consider the holistic customer experience in the Japanese and inter-cultural contexts.
Social implications
It can be argued that there appears to be a tendency in some quarters to massage and manipulate broader society by pointing to the positive. However, marketing scholars are aware that raising customer expectations in this way can magnify backlash when disconfirmation occurs. This study lends support to the notion that there may be a need to temper expectations and hype in customer relation contexts. This is predicated on the observation that individual – and, therefore, beneficiary – experience is unique, that uniqueness may be accentuated in intercultural situations.
Originality/value
The paper nuances the general positively portrayed aspects of Omotenashi by curating insights into when care fails. It addresses the paucity of lived experience accounts of the beneficiary experience of Japanese Omotenashi care in intercultural situations.
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Torstein Nesheim and Peter Kalum Schou
There are different organizational contexts for projects. Here, the focus is on a balanced co-existence organization (BCO) where core activities combine project-based and…
Abstract
Purpose
There are different organizational contexts for projects. Here, the focus is on a balanced co-existence organization (BCO) where core activities combine project-based and non-project based work, a context that differs from both project-based organizations (PBOs) and project-supported organizations (PSOs). Through differentiating between the role of resource and project manager, and encompassing a specific combination of projects and ongoing, recurrent work, the authors extend the understanding of frontline managers and HRM in project settings.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a case study of a 1000+ department in a Norwegian firm with 38 interviews with the use of qualitative analysis.
Findings
The empirical study of one case of BCO reveals a HRM system with four different constellations of front line managers, each with their own perceived advantages and challenges. Based on the findings here, we have drawn implications for research on the BCO category, as well as comparative research on the three different contexts for projects. Issues that would benefit from comparative studies of polyadic HRM include constellations of front line manager roles, tensions involving projects, mechanisms for allocation of human resources, as well as the sources and mechanisms of stability and change.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited to one organization.
Practical implications
This study provides a potential for further research on HRM issues in the BCO category.
Originality/value
The analysis develops the BCO category and introduces a category of three organizational contexts for projects. We provide better understanding of the three types and its HRM challenges.
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Sibongile Ngwenya and Omwoyo Bosire Onyancha
This paper aims to explore the diffusion of Intellectual Property (IP) knowledge in universities in Zimbabwe. Specifically, the study examines the tools, policies, programmes and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the diffusion of Intellectual Property (IP) knowledge in universities in Zimbabwe. Specifically, the study examines the tools, policies, programmes and unique strategies used by the universities.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reports the findings of a survey that was conducted on a population of lecturers (1,546), research officers (RO) (11), IP officer (1), faculty librarians (FLs) (27) and final year undergraduate students (9,224) at universities in Zimbabwe. Questionnaires were administered to the lecturers and students while interviews were administered to the IP officer, ROs and FLs. Data analysis comprised the use of Google forms and Microsoft Excel software.
Findings
The findings reveal diffusing IP knowledge in Zimbabwean universities involves mainly the use of policies and regulations, library web pages, workshops, although not specifically on IP, presentations on IP in the university, advice and guidance services and IP lectures/teaching.
Research limitations/implications
This study presents the IP situation in Zimbabwe and its findings may be applied to Africa and other developing countries.
Practical implications
This study endorses IP as a national issue and suggests a benchmark for diffusing knowledge on IP in Zimbabwean universities.
Originality/value
This study acknowledges the multi-disciplinary nature of IP and should lead to all university students graduating with adequate knowledge on IP.
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Yukei Oyama, Mohsen Rostami and Joon Chung
With the advancements in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft technology such as batteries, mechanisms, motors, configurations and so on, designers and…
Abstract
Purpose
With the advancements in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft technology such as batteries, mechanisms, motors, configurations and so on, designers and engineers are encouraged to create unique and unconventional configurations of eVTOL aircraft to provide better capabilities and higher efficiencies to compete in the market. The box fan-in-split-wing tiltrotor eVTOL aircraft is an innovative design that aims to address the aerodynamic inefficiencies such as propeller effects in cruise and engine mounts drag that existed in traditional eVTOL aircraft designs such as vectored thrust, rotorcraft, lift + cruise and multi-copter configurations. This paper aims to propose a multi-disciplinary design process to conceptually design the box fan-in-split-wing Tiltrotor eVTOL aircraft.
Design/methodology/approach
An unconventional methodology was used to design the UAM aircraft, and the following parameters are considered: capable of vertical take-off and landing, highly aerodynamic with a high lift-to-drag ratio, low Cd0 modern and appealing, rechargeable or battery swappable and feature to minimise or negate propeller drag. A heavy emphasis on improving performance and weight based on aerodynamics was enforced during the conceptual design phase. MAPLA and XFOIL were used to identify the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft.
Findings
Upon determining the key parameters and the mission requirements and objectives, a list of possible VTOL configurations was derived from theoretical and existing designs. The fan in the wing/split wing was selected, as it could stow the propellers. A tiltrotor configuration was selected because of its ability to reduce the total number of lift props/motors, reducing powerplant weight and improving aerodynamic efficiency. For the propulsion configuration, a battery–motor configuration with a hexa-rotor layout was chosen because of its ability to complement the planform of the aircraft, providing redundant motors in case of failure and because of its reliability, efficiency and lack of emissions. Coupled with the fan-in-wing / split wing concept, the box wing seamlessly combines all chosen configurations.
Originality/value
The box fan-in-split-wing Tiltrotor eVTOL aircraft aims to address the aerodynamic inefficiencies of earlier designs such as propeller effects in cruise and engine mounts drag. The potential benefits of this aircraft, such as increased range, endurance and payload capacity, make it an exciting prospect in the field of Urban Air Mobility.
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Hilda Du Plooy, Francesco Tommasi, Andrea Furlan, Federica Nenna, Luciano Gamberini, Andrea Ceschi and Riccardo Sartori
Following the imperative for human-centric digital innovation brought by the paradigm of Industry 5.0, the article aims to integrate the dispersed and multi-disciplinary…
Abstract
Purpose
Following the imperative for human-centric digital innovation brought by the paradigm of Industry 5.0, the article aims to integrate the dispersed and multi-disciplinary literature on individual risks for workers to define, explain and predict individual risks related to Industry 4.0 technologies.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper follows the question, “What is the current knowledge and evidence base concerning risks related to Industry 4.0 technologies, and how can this inform digital innovation management in the manufacturing sector through the lens of the Industry 5.0 paradigm?” and uses the method of systematic literature review to identify and discuss potential risks for individuals associated with digital innovation. N = 51 contributions met the inclusion criteria.
Findings
The literature review indicates dominant trends and significant gaps in understanding risks from a human-centric perspective. The paper identifies individual risks, their interplay with different technologies and their antecedents at the social, organizational and individual levels. Despite this, the paper shows how the literature concentrates in studying risks on only a limited number of categories and/or concepts. Moreover, there is a lack of consensus in the theoretical and conceptual frameworks. The paper concludes by illustrating an initial understanding of digital innovation via a human-centered perspective on psychological risks.
Practical implications
Findings yield practical implications. In investing in the adoption, generation or recombination of new digital technologies in organizations, the paper recommends managers ensure to prevent risks at the individual level. Accordingly, the study’s findings can be used as a common starting point for extending the repertoire of managerial practices and interventions and realizing human-centric innovation.
Originality/value
Following the paradigm of Industry 5.0, the paper offers a holistic view of risks that incorporates the central role of the worker as crucial to the success of digital innovation. This human-centric perspective serves to inform the managerial field about important factors in risk management that can result in more effective targeted interventions in risk mitigation approaches. Lastly, it can serve to reinterpret digital innovation management and propose future avenues of research on risk.
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