Nanotechnology risk perceptions and communication: emerging technologies, emerging challenges

Nanotechnology involves the fabrication, manipulation, and control of materials at the atomic level and may also bring novel uncertainties and risks. Potential parallels with other controversial technologies mean there is a need to develop a comprehensive understanding of processes of public perception of nanotechnology uncertainties, risks, and benefits, alongside related communication issues. Study of perceptions, at so early a stage in the development trajectory of a technology, is probably unique in the risk perception and communication field. As such it also brings new methodological and conceptual challenges. These include: dealing with the inherent diversity of the nanotechnology field itself; the unfamiliar and intangible nature of the concept, with few analogies to anchor mental models or risk perceptions; and the ethical and value questions underlying many nanotechnology debates. Utilizing the lens of social amplification of risk, and drawing upon the various contributions to this special issue of Risk Analysis on Nanotechnology Risk Perceptions and Communication, nanotechnology may at present be an attenuated hazard. The generic idea of "upstream public engagement" for emerging technologies such as nanotechnology is also discussed, alongside its importance for future work with emerging technologies in the risk communication field.     

新兴技术管理研究综述

20世纪90年代后期以来,新兴技术管理正在成为国际学术研究的新兴领域,我国也正在蓬勃展开这方面的研究.文章对该领域的研究进行了扫描.从理论渊源入手,通过对新兴技术的概念及其不确定性和创造性毁灭特征、新兴技术管理的概念和特征的讨论,认为新兴技术管理是与技术管理、技术创新管理同源异质的新兴学科领域;分别从新兴技术演化及评估、新兴市场识别及拓展、新兴技术战略研究、新兴技术管理的组织创新、新兴技术的融投资管理、新兴技术的知识管理等方面,介绍了目前新兴技术管理研究的领域、内容、观点和成果;从新兴技术聚群创新、新兴技术边缘竞争、新兴技术管理研究方法等方面,展望了新兴技术管理的研究领域.     

A motivation and ability perspective on engagement in emerging digital technologies: The case of Internet of Things solutions

In this study, we advance two mechanisms that lead firms to engage in emerging digital technologies, namely, the dominant coalition's motivation and its ability to deploy the resources needed to pursue such motivation. Building on the performance and strategic development, and on board capital literature streams, we construe prior economic performance as a proxy of the firm's motivation, and human and social board capital as proxies of the firm's ability, analyzing their effect on adding emerging digital technologies, such as Internet of Things solutions, to the firm's resource base. Longitudinal analyses on a panel of Fortune 500 manufacturing firms between 2002 and 2012 reveal that these mechanisms highlight two important aspects of firm influence that can shape its digital technology behavior, explaining the heterogeneity and variability in firms engaging in emerging digital technologies.     

Modelling the factors that influence the acceptance of digital technologies in e-government services in the UAE: a PLS-SEM Approach

Abstract

The digital technologies such as Internet play a crucial role in the management of operations of organisations in both public and private sectors. Such technologies support the implementation of effective digital business strategies. By reviewing the extant literature, this paper aims to identify factors that influence the intention to use digital technologies in order to develop a theoretical model which is then tested empirically using the PLS-SEM approach. While many studies have focused solely on the importance of social influence, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, awareness, perceived trust in technology, perceived trust in government, perceived cost and perceived risk, this article brings them together to explain their linkage, and quantifies the relationship. This study is the first empirical attempt to explore the factors influence e-government services adoption in the UAE. Most specifically, this article emphasises the role of social influence, perceived ease to use and perceived trust in technology as the important determinants of the intention to digital technology adoption. The paper expands the traditional discussion by incorporating six variables in a model that acts as facilitator or barrier in the intention to use digital technologies. This article helps practitioners to understand of which factors should be given emphasis in enhancing the intention to use digital technologies. The model developed in this paper is not only a response to the need to understand what causes the variation in the intention to use digital technologies from the operation management perspective, it is also a response to practitioner needs to use an appropriate construct to ensure the effective operation and use of the digital technologies in e-government services. The paper will help to identify the key issues surrounding the digital technologies adoption that may lead the successful operations of e-government.     

MNCs and micro-entrepreneurship in emerging economies: The case of Avon in the Amazon

This article examines the activities of multinational corporations (MNCs) in the direct sales industry through an ethnographic case study of micro-entrepreneurship in the Brazilian Amazon. In large emerging economies, intra-country heterogeneity poses challenges for MNCs. Because national trends often obscure regional variations, the case study highlights the realities of the rural Amazon, and the specific challenges and potential for MNCs. Findings from the case study support three propositions. The development of direct sales networks in remote areas facilitates: (1) additional entrepreneurship, and encourages a progression from necessity to opportunity entrepreneurship; (2) social change in gender norms, including higher level of female empowerment and decision-making within families and communities; and (3) a reconciliation of local and global values on beauty and fashion for customers, leading to stronger brand relationships. By leveraging micro-entrepreneurship, MNCs can compete with local firms, even in rural areas lacking basic infrastructure, to the benefit of communities and individuals.     

Establishment of risk acceptance criteria using Life Quality Index: Application to the Indian context

The formulation of risk acceptance criteria may be coupled gainfully with a prediction of the of investment required to comply with it, an exercise which can benefit from the application of socioeconomic indicators. The Life Quality Index (LQI) is one such indicator which amalgamates human mortality and wealth creation and places an implicit economic value on reduction of life risk. While there have been a number of studies to demonstrate the application of LQI pertaining to various technological systems, the present work extends it to estimate the sectoral level investment needed to reduce public risks to within the As Low As Reasonably Predictable region for the chemical industry, with specific illustration of the methodology for India. The potential reduction in public individual risk is computed as a function of percentage increase in safety investment expressed as a fraction of the industry's contribution to the nation's GDP. In addition, using a new, more accurate expression, estimates of a related parameter, the implied cost of averting a fatality (ICAF), are obtained for a number of developed economies and India. The ICAF estimates show reasonable agreement with the value of statistical life (VSL), a parameter which is integral to cost-benefit analysis of safety and environmental regulations.     

Country-of-origin determinants of foreign direct investment in an emerging market: the case of Mexico

Foreign direct investment (FDI) research has generally focused on inward FDI to large, developed nations. Very limited research has examined the country-of-origin factors that are related to FDI into the developing nations (emerging markets) that are becoming increasingly important in the global economy. In this paper, we provide the first empirical test of a multidimensional, country-of-origin model of factors related to FDI in an emerging market — Mexico. Economic, socio-political, and geographic factors are hypothesized to be important country-of-origin determinants of FDI into Mexico. The results indicate that some factors, such as the level of bilateral trade, home-country GDP, political risk, geographic distance, and exchange rates, are related to FDI into Mexico. At the same time, relationships between FDI and country-of-origin factors, such as market size (GDP) and cultural distance, that have previously held in research on FDI to large, developed nations do not hold in the same way in the emerging market context. Separate consideration of efficiency-seeking (maquila) FDI indicates that bilateral trade, wage rate, GDP, and the exchange rate contribute significantly to the explanation of inward FDI in Mexico.     

A taxonomic view of illegal transfer of technologies: A case study

Illegal transfer of technology (ITT) is one of the major policy formulation, industrial management, and law enforcement issues of this decade. It includes industrial espionage, the piracy of; software, logos, and hardware designs and it overlaps with issues of terrorism and those involving weapons of mass destruction. It is of concern at corporate, national, and world-body levels. Technology herein is defined broadly to include intellectual property. ITT involves various kinds of players, takes on various modalities and is done for various motivations. The ITT literature is very disjoint and disparate. It transcends several academic disciplines, professions and professional communities. To remedy such fractionation this paper offers a taxonomy defining the field in its entirety while delineating all of its facets in a manner that is parsimonious yet discriminating. A number of actionable uses for the taxonomy are identified as are its potential users.     

How emerging digital technologies affect operations management through co-creation. Empirical evidence from the maritime industry

Abstract

Globalization, variation in customer expectations, and the developments connected to Information & Communication Technology are usually considered as the main drivers of changes in Operations Management (OM) strategies by firms in both manufacturing and service industries. Emerging digital technologies, such as Internet of Things or Cloud Computing, represents a novel paradigm that is rapidly affecting on several aspects of everyday-life of private and business users. This paper contributes to extant literature about the relationship between emerging digital technologies and OM, by stressing the value co-creation issue. Specifically, we investigate how emerging digital technologies affect OM through value co-creation in the maritime industry. Our study reports the case of FairWind project, an open technology marine service and graphic user interface enabling sailors to personalize their experience on board through 3rd party boat applications. The case of Fair Wind points out how emerging digital technologies contribute to OM within both organizations and, more in general, maritime industry, as well as the critical role of user’s co-creation in defining and managing on-board operations.     

Industry and the environment: a case study of cleaner technologies in selected European countries

The aim of this case study is to discuss the role of technology in addressing environmental problems. The paper tries to scratch beneath the surface of the increasingly frequent ‘quick-fix’ solutions to the present environmental problems, based on such beguiling catchwords as Cleaner Technologies, Best Available Technologies, and Best Available Technologies Not Exceeding Excessive Costs, etc., in an attempt to discover whether there is any substance in them, or whether they are just full of hot air. Recent data from case studies performed by the author in Germany and Finland as well as a postal questionnaire in Denmark are presented. The paper analyses and discusses the roles and responsibilities of designers, industrialists, and government policy-makers. It is argued that existing regulatory regimes, supranational industrial structures, and market mechanisms do not favour the development of cleaner technologies, nor do they promote a reduction in consumption patterns. Evidence from ongoing empirical research in Northwest Europe suggests that industry is far from developing and/or implementing cleaner technologies. The paper closes with a discussion of some of the policy implications involved and some examples of urgently needed further research.     

Contracting for Capacity under Renegotiation: Partner Preferences and the Value of Anticipating Renegotiation

This paper studies contract renegotiation in a stylized supply chain model. Two original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) sign fixed‐quantity contracts with a contract manufacturer (CM) prior to demand realization. Contract renegotiation after demand realization allows the OEMs to use capacity that is more or less than what they contracted for. We assume that the extra profit due to efficient allocation of capacity is allocated to the supply chain parties according to the egalitarian rule and investigate when an OEM's expected post‐renegotiation profit is maximized. We aim to understand how an OEM's expected post‐renegotiation profit is affected by her ability to negotiate a low wholesale price in the initial contract as well as the ability of the other OEM to do the same. Regardless of whether renegotiation is anticipated or not at the time of the initial contract, we find that an OEM, who had weak buyer power vis‐a‐vis the CM and was unable to negotiate a low wholesale price in the initial contract, may benefit more from renegotiation than a stronger OEM. In addition, we show that how the expected post‐renegotiation profit of an OEM changes with demand variance or anticipating renegotiation depends on the strength of the OEM's buyer power. Finally, we numerically test the robustness of our results in a supply chain with three OEMs and also identify when the OEMs prefer to leave the CM out of the renegotiation.     

Reverse logistics drivers: empirical evidence from a case study in an emerging economy

Academic and corporate interest in reverse logistics (RL) has risen considerably in recent years. In this context, the objective of this study was to identify the drivers that enable RL practice in an emerging economy. Firstly, international peer-reviewed publications on RL were used to develop a RL environment framework representing the main RL internal and external influences. Secondly, a case-based research was conducted in a large manufacturing company located in Southern Brazil. The results indicated that the most cited driver in the RL literature, the government and legislation, was not a main influence on the studied company. Environmental legislation is still limited in the country and struggles to provide incentives to increase materials recycling. An economic factor related to materials value recovery was also found to drive the backward flow. Finally, knowledge of the RL driving forces may support industries to better implement and manage reverse flows and to bridge the gap between existing and future solutions for reverse supply chains.     

Bell Canada: A case study of dynamics of new technologies in a changing environment

This paper provides a case example of a firm experiencing significant change. Bell Canada is Canada's largest public telecommunications carrier. In recent years the company has found itself facing more pervasive new challenges than it had over most of its 111 year history. Elements of change driving the firm have their origins in technological advances, changing market expectations and reform in regulatory conditions. The paper provides examples and reference points for the changing management information needs required to cope with the new environmental realities. In particular, attention is paid to the need for management and regulatory flexibility and responsiveness as keys for dealing with change.This case study suggests the need to adopt new approaches to relevant information needs as a company moves away from the well defined domain of its operations. It explores the more critical information needs that have charged in the Bell Canada context. Although the analysis has reflected a single firm in transition, and there are bound to be differences, we hope that it can provide at least general guidance for other firm facing the dynamics of new technologies and global environment.In business, the survival instinct is intensified by the emerging global competitive environment. In every industry there is evidence of increased attention to the fundamentals of viability under rapidly changing conditions. Companies facing the reality or impending threat of increased competition, often from new sources, may feel that their backs are to the wall. If, in addition, these companies face the difficult transition from a regulated monopoly to a more competitive environment the pressure can be powerful indeed.     

The implementation of digital technologies for operations management: a case study for manufacturing apps

Abstract

Manufacturing applications address business to business (B2B) with highly customised applications developed for specific requirements, offering highly specialised solution-oriented and service-based software components, systems, and digital tools that aim at a fast and accurate decision-making support system. The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation of digital technologies for operations management using manufacturing or engineering apps (eApps), for product design and manufacturing processes. In particular, starting from the specific needs of two companies from mature European industries as automotive and food, this work depicts how this kind of solutions can support companies and improve their operations. In particular, related benefits and challenges faced for the full implementation of the developed tools are highlighted. Moreover a business model to exploit the manufacturing apps is also proposed. The business model proposed for the exploitation of the eApps supports the commercialisation of all the revenue streams offered by this rapidly growing sector taking into account the specific needs of the concerned stakeholders through a diversified value proposition.     

Getting the seal of approval: Pathways to subsidiary initiative acceptance

Multinational corporations (MNCs) are proactive, entrepreneurial, and decentralized organizations. They seek to incorporate and leverage knowledge from their foreign subsidiaries. Initiatives in which subsidiaries pursue new business opportunities are one way that subsidiaries contribute to MNCs' knowledge stocks, but prior research suggests that few subsidiary initiatives secure headquarters approval. We argue that the extent to which initiatives are accepted by the headquarters of an MNC depends on a range of relational and contextual conditions that configure in complex ways. Using a neoconfigurational approach, we identify five equifinal configurations associated with the acceptance of subsidiary initiatives. We advance theory of subsidiary management by uncovering how subsidiary activities gain traction within the MNC.     

Profitability improvement using quantitative techniques: the case of a paper mill

This paper discusses the attempts made to improve the profitability of a paper mill. The preliminary analysis on the company's management practices revealed that current sales forecasting, production and sales planning methods and inventory policies are potential areas for profitability improvement. Appropriate Box-Jenkins models were selected for sales forecasting. A linear programming model is developed to obtain an optimal production and sales plan. Inventory policies of class “A” items are revised to cut down ordering and holding costs. An analysis is made to decide on the optimal operating strategy when demand is less than production capacity. The total anticipated annual savings as a result of the study are very significant.     

Physician acceptance of new medical information systems: the field of dreams

Physicians often fail to embrace a complex information system, may not see its relevance to their practices, and are characteristically reluctant to invest the time and energy to be trained in its use. Why is widespread physician buy-in so difficult to achieve? From physicians overwhelmed with change to failing to begin with an adequate physician base of support, this article explores some of the reasons that physicians demonstrate little buy-in to this process and offers suggestions to help create a more successful implementation. Ways to build acceptance include acknowledging the importance of physicians as customers and training them early and often.     

Information technology: the next wave. Clinician acceptance of information technology

Information systems have yet to make a significant inroad at the interface between clinicians and patients. The obstacles to implementing information systems at the clinical level are formidable. As these systems have begun to mature and marketplace pressures have created changing needs for clinicians and the integrated delivery systems they are working in, the need for these systems has increased. Understanding the pressures that managed care brings to bear on clinical processes will facilitate clinicians' acceptance of these technologies.     

Understanding the theory behind the Last Planner System using the Language-Action Perspective: two case studies

Since the Last Planner System® (LPS) was devised in the early 90s, a number of studies have pointed out the need to understand the underlying theory in which it is based on. The Language-Action Perspective (LAP) has been suggested as a suitable approach to understand the management of commitments in the LPS. This paper aims to assess the contribution of LAP to understand construction planning and control systems based on LPS. Two case studies were carried out in different construction companies, both highly experienced on the use of LPS. The results reveal the role of LAP for creating explicit representations of commitment flows that can be used to explain the sources of complexity and failures in planning systems, as well as for describing the profile of planning and control meetings.