Search results

Despite the availability of prior studies on the Internet of Things (IoT) development, they have largely focused on challenges associated with evolving IoT. Hence, identifying requirements for IoT development, as a multifaceted phenomenon, whereby the challenges would be tackled remains a less-explored valuable line of inquiry. The purpose of this paper is to present a holistic view of crucial building blocks of IoT development, in order to fill this gap.

This paper conducts empirical research using a grounded theory (GT), centering on semi-structured interviews with 25 experts involved in the Iranian IoT development effort. Data were analyzed by using MAXQDA software.

This study presents a conceptual framework of requirements for IoT development, consisting of 14 concepts and 5 categories. The findings reveal that strategic, interactive, institutional, market-oriented and information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure requirements play a salient role in facilitating IoT development.

The findings of this study shed some light on the momentous aspects of IoT development. Practitioners including governmental policymakers, industry and private sectors could benefit from the policy recommendations offered in this study in terms of strategic viewpoint, legal issues, business perspective and technological readiness.

From the methodological aspect, the present research is among the first studies on utilizing GT for exploration of requirements for IoT development. From the theoretical perspective, a remarkable achievement of this study is to profoundly discover some less-explored concepts of IoT development such as commercialization, feasibility study, futurology and institutional aspects. Furthermore, findings of this study highlight the contribution of innovation systems theory for the IoT development area in terms of alignment of the emerged requirements for IoT development with the functions of this theory.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the theoretical discussion of effectuation since the seminal paper in 2001 and to propose an agenda for future studies.

Systematic literature review and content analysis of 71 papers.

Most papers performed a replication of the concepts empirically, and few studies proposed to understand theoretical aspects of effectuation, among them, some authors presented theoretical advances to improve the approach and others participated in an ongoing debate that shows there is no consensus on whether the approach is theory or if considered, appears to be under construction at a rudimentary level or being questioned.

The method requires authors to make choices, so the database used and the criteria defined for searching papers that were analyzed are the main limitations of this research.

The authors suggest that researchers, teachers and practitioners use effectuation analytically and reflectively.

The authors present and analyze the current theoretical debate on effectuation. Results suggest the need for new discussions about the concepts, as well as new theoretical efforts of the researchers to analyze the potentialities and limitations of this approach.

Among empirical and applied research, with replications of the concepts of effectuation, this research contributes to a theoretical discussion based on a systematic literature review, seeking to bring new reflections about this approach. Additionally, the authors present an agenda of theoretical gaps for the development of future research.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss some key aspects through a theoretical interdisciplinary approach that may contribute to shape an organizational discrimination frame.

The paper depicts a theoretical interdisciplinary approach. Within this perspective, it undertook a literature review to identify some theoretical aspects – neglected or not appropriately addressed – that may somewhat nourish an organizational discrimination frame.

Overall, this paper examined more carefully five aspects (constructs), namely, moral imperative, organizational injustice, corporate social responsibility, non-spiritual business orientation and unethical leadership, that may contribute to shape a discrimination frame if not approached properly and suggested a set of research propositions. In addition, it offers some insights into a problem that deserves more theoretical development and pertinent managerial interventions.

The implications for business are enormous given that being labeled as an organization that encourages discriminatory company policies will certainly attract negative corporate image. Moreover, it stands to reason that firms which are portrayed as such a “devil” will have serious difficulties to survive in this new millennium. Thus, it can be predicted that organizations that are not committed to at least reducing discrimination inside their structures and human resources policies will attract growing negative feelings, perceptions and opinions.

This paper provides further theoretical underpinning for better understanding of the institutional discrimination that affects both society and organizations.

Taken together, the moral imperative, organizational injustice, corporate social responsibility, non-spiritual business orientation and unethical leadership variables delineate a theoretical framework as to how discrimination in the workplaces takes shape.

This paper aims to investigate the effect of centrifugal disk finishing (CDF) technique on the surface and subsurface characteristics of the fused deposited modeling (FDM) parts in both theoretical and experimental aspects. From theoretical aspect, a novel theoretical model is developed as a function of layer deposition orientation, layer thickness, finishing working time, density ratio and hardness ratio to estimate the surface roughness profile of FDM part at different finishing conditions and finishing time intervals. Meanwhile, from the experimental aspect, an experimental campaign was performed under different mechanical and mechanical-chemical finishing conditions to verify the theoretical model and also assess the surface and subsurface characteristics of the polished parts.

The theoretical model commences with an approximation of surface profile of the FDM part through a sequence of parabola arcs, continues with the calculation of reference line and machined surface profile and leads to a formulation of surface roughness of as-printed and polished surface. In the experimental section, the FDM parts are polished under dry, pure water, 25% and 50% volumetric aqueous acetone solutions finishing conditions through CDF technique.

The comparison between experimental and theoretical results reveals 9% mean absolute error between theoretical and experimental results. Meanwhile, Rq reduction percentage of polished parts under dry, pure water, 25% and 50% aqueous acetone solutions are 66.1%, 54.5%, 56.9% and 67.2%, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy results reveal severe layer damage in dry finishing condition, while the application of 50% aqueous acetone as a polishing solution completely eliminates layer damage. Another promising finding was sticky material phenomenon on the surface of polished part under 25% finishing condition. The Shore hardness test illustrates that the surface hardness improvement of the polished parts under dry, pure water, 25% and 50% aqueous acetone solutions finishing conditions are 8.4%, 2.25%, 4.36% and 10.8%, respectively. The results also revealed that the dimension variation of polished parts under dry, pure water, 25% and 50% aqueous acetone solutions are 0.634%, 0.525%, 0.545% and 0.608%, respectively. The edge profile radius of the as-printed part is 134 µm, while the edge profiles radius of the polished parts under dry, pure water, 25% aqueous acetone solution and 50% aqueous acetone solution are 785.5 µm, 545.5 µm, 623.5 µm and 721.5 µm, respectively, at the polishing time of 720 min.

This paper fulfills an identified need to study the benefits of the mechanical-chemical polishing technique in comparison to mechanical and chemical polishing strategy of the FDM parts for the first time. Beside the experimental campaign, the novel analytical formulation of surface roughness as a function of mechanical properties of abrasive media and FDM part and finishing specifications provides a valuable insight in the case of material-removal processes.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the aspects of the organizational culture (OC) of companies operating in the Brazilian oil, gas and biofuels (O&G) sector based on semistructured interviews with managers of these organizations and its content analysis.

This research was conducted based on semistructured interviews with 12 managers of Brazilian O&G companies and analyzed with a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, namely, MAXQDA™.

The results make it possible to obtain the perception of managers about OC, generally understood as a set of attributes and variables of social order, supported by the historical–culturalist theoretical approach. Information about the explicit and implicit manifestation of culture, as well as the evaluation of the most appropriate research instruments and metrics, were also obtained after the interviews.

This study presents detailed results about OC and its characteristics in the perception of managers of the O&G companies that operate in the Brazilian market.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role knowledge plays in expert commercial valuer practice to unpack the way theoretical and experiential knowledge operates in order to improve practice and education.

Adopting a cognitivist perspective and identifying meta-reasoning, using a grounded theory methodology, through the study of 11 chartered valuation surveyors practicing in Birmingham, United Kingdom, the distinctive theoretical and experiential knowledge they used was elicited through their in-depth reflection on a valuation task followed by analytical interviews exploring meaning and reasons of actions described.

The results confirmed that multi-sourced and rich valuation knowledge was a key attribute of a valuation expert. However, the experiential knowledge was not used to undertake the task but to select the methods and knowledge appropriate for the task and context. This meta-reasoning is a key to the speed, accuracy and justification of their practices. Thus, the experience gained from many years of valuation provides expert valuers with meta-reasoning involving knowledge of what, how and when to deal with problems in different circumstances such as the knowledge of markets and handling of clients.

Making meta-reasoning a key aspect of valuation will identify its characteristics more clearly, thus assisting the development of practitioners and providing a new focus for education to advance professional goals.

Meta-reasoning and meta-cognitive knowledge have not been identified as a key to successful valuation practice. This meta-reasoning allows a subtle balance of theory and experience in valuation practice that is appropriate to the situation.

Practitioner research is now widely used in different programs of teacher preparation. It is expected that teachers conducting research on their own work will become more reflective and develop the skills required to become life-long learners. Even though many programs for teacher preparation include some form of teacher research it is not common to find tools to assess teachers and to allow for peer- and self-assessment. In this chapter, we present a pedagogy that uses heuristic diagrams as a mean to assess teachers’ research. We have used such heuristics with teachers participating in a Research Methods Course in a Master Degree and have found that it allows teachers to engage in a constant interplay between the theoretical and the practical and encourages the development of better research questions. Teachers have systematically found this tool very useful in advancing their research projects in the different scenarios where teachers are trying to improve their practice through research.

The purpose of this paper is to comprehend the nature of online reviews received on various social networking sites and internet-based platforms regrading organizational corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Given the novelty of this field, a qualitative exploratory research study was carried out. For this research, 28 Indian CSR experts on online CSR reviews were interviewed with a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire for data collection. Thematic and relational content analysis was applied for data analysis. The data was analysed based upon the theoretical anchors of micro foundations approach, organizational egoism (reputational and economic) concept and organizational logic (instrumental and integrative) literature and stakeholder salience.

The study analysis indicated that online CSR reviews that organizations received on various social networking sites and internet-based platforms from different individual and institutional stakeholders were complaints, appreciations, observations and recommendations in nature. Online CSR reviews appreciated more of integrative organizational logic than instrumental organizational logic. CSR reviews present on online platforms valued organizational reputational egoism more than organizational economic egoism. The salience of stakeholders was getting redefines in Web 2.0 based online CSR reviews. Finally, micro foundations approach was becoming a more potent perspective in the CSR narrative.

This research study was anchored in the micro foundations approach of CSR (Hafenbrädl and Waeger, 2017). This study ascertained those individuals did matter in organizational CSR narrative (Maak et al., 2016). Furthermore, how firms were evaluated through online reviews based upon organizational egoism (reputational and economic) (Casali, 2011; Casali and Day, 2015) and organizational logic (instrumental and integrative) (Seele and Lock, 2015; Liu, 2013; Gao and Bansal, 2013; Bansal and Song, 2017) was studied. Finally, in the world of online reviews, the notion of salient stakeholders (Mitchell et al., 2011; Magness, 2008) was getting redefined, and this aspect was also covered in this research study.

Firms have been engaging in CSR initiatives towards provision of social benefits and community engagement. Regarding firm CSR initiatives, CSR managers traditionally used to receive feedback from the stakeholders based upon written and special surveys conducted post or during the late stages of CSR engagement. The advent and ubiquitous presence of digital mobile devices and Web 2.0-enabled internet connections altered the way firms received feedback. This was because increasingly online reviews were received from stakeholders on firm CSR web pages, social networking sites and other online spaces. Many of the online CSR reviews were regarding the compliments and achievements that the CSR initiatives had achieved. However, a significant portion of online CSR reviews were regarding the complaints regarding the CSR initiatives. Online CSR reviews received from an array of stakeholders are inputs for firm managers. Online CSR reviews are thus an asset for an organization. Managers need to develop capabilities towards applying this asset for the expressed purposed. These online CSR reviews could be used as inputs to draw new CSR initiatives, redefine extant CSR initiatives. Furthermore, these online CSR reviews could be used as inputs to alter the organizational resources, capabilities, competencies and process regarding CSR initiatives.

This was one of the first studies that integrated the theoretical aspects of salient stakeholders, organizational logic, organizational egoism through the lens of micro foundations approach in the context of organizational CSR initiatives. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this was indeed a novel contribution, as the same was explored and explicated based upon online CSR reviews on internet-based platforms.

Considering the worldwide importance granted to this topic, the purpose of this paper is to analyze, through a detailed pyramidal analysis, the intention of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) to respond better to the public sector characteristics.

The research methodology combines content analysis with the comparative and interpretive method, and also some statistical methods such as residual analysis, association coefficients, that come to bring added value to the public sector literature.

The main findings of the research concern the appreciation of consolidation approach in the public sphere under a dual aspect. The first one is theoretical, by presenting the evolution of the concept in literature, and the second one is empirical, by analyzing how IPSAS correlates with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), how the Exposure Draft 49 (ED 49) respondents perceive its content and implications, along with the extent to which the publication of IPSAS 35 took into account the exposure draft stage. In the authors’ opinion, the study manages to capture, theoretically and empirically, the evolution and the stage of consolidation in the public sector. The main results of the study lie in the combination in the empirical sphere of the content analysis with the mathematical and statistical methods, in order to assess the correlation IPSAS/IFRS, the responses to ED 49, but also the influences on the final version of IPSAS 35.

The main limitations of the study are: the diversity of the received responses to ED and the number of comment letters submitted by the respondents.

The study addresses to a broad range of users: theoreticians, practitioners or professional bodies/legislators who will have a basis for analyzing what the acceptance and inclusion of IPSAS 35 in the national accounting rules would mean.

The paper offers the possibility to understand the evolution of the concept of public sector consolidation.

The first originality aspect is revealed by the theoretical documentation and the second one lies in the combination of the empirical sphere of the content analysis with the mathematical and statistical methods.