Configuration Path Research Articles

Research on the Influence Mechanism and Configuration Path of Network Relationship Characteristics on SMEs’ Innovation—The Mediating Effect of Supply Chain Dynamic Capability and the Moderating Effect of Geographical Proximity

Innovation is the continuous source of power for the survival and development of SMEs, but the complexity of innovation and the limitation of resources make SMEs trapped in the dilemma of “innovation difficulty”. A moderated mediating model was constructed based on social network theory and resource view, and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to empirically study the influence mechanism between network relationship characteristics and SMEs’ innovation and the configuration path to achieve SMEs’ high innovation performance. The results show that the characteristics of network relationships positively affect the innovation performance of SMEs. Supply chain dynamic capability plays an intermediary role between network relationships and SMEs’ innovation relationships. Different geographical proximity levels of the supply chain lead to different coordination interaction and knowledge sharing efficiency between upstream and downstream, which not only positively moderates the relationship between supply chain dynamic capability and SMEs’ innovation performance, but also moderates its mediating effect. Furthermore, the fs QCA analysis results show three configurations for SMEs’ high innovation performance based on the characteristics of network relations: geographic proximity regulating type, network relationship dominant type, and dynamic coordination and integration type.

Investigating the causal complexity of corruption in project-based organizations: a scenario analysis of bidding activity in the Chinese construction sector

PurposeAlthough the global construction industry has made great contributions to economic development, industry corruption is a challenge for governments all over the world. This paper aims to investigate the causal complexity of organizational corruption by exploring the configuration effect of multiple induced conditions of corruption in the construction sector.Design/methodology/approachThis study is focused on bribery, a specific form of corrupt behavior through a scenario-based survey role-playing game in which participants encounter bribery. A total of 400 Chinese construction sector participants were randomly recruited to complete this survey.FindingsCompared with studies that have identified a number of factors associated with corruption in the construction sector, this study found asymmetry and complexity in the causality of organizational corruption. That is, when a variable causing corruption changes from one condition to its opposite – for example, from fierce to mild competition – the degree of corruption is not necessarily reduced as one may expect.Practical implicationsAnti-corruption measures should not rely solely on the net effects of discrete conditions and the interactions between multiple factors should not be ignored. In other words, anti-corruption strategies should not be implemented in isolation of their context, and pairing control measures with configurations is critical in controlling corruption. Finally, multiple configuration paths should be reconsidered when considering the degree of corruption reduction.Originality/valueThis study proposes a comprehensive analysis framework for addressing organizational corruption in the construction sector by investigating configuration effects of multiple induced conditions and offers a useful method for addressing corruption.

Configurational Paths to Generating Knowledge Benefit through Customer Participation

Involving customers in the new product development process has been found to create knowledge benefit for the firm. However, the different roads leading to a firm’s knowledge benefit through configurations of which new product development stage customers are engaged in, a firm’s internal co-creation-related capabilities, and the external environment have yet to be specified. To explore the alternative configurational paths to generating knowledge benefit through customer participation, a state-of-the-art fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis is applied to a sample of 181 new product development projects. The results reveal six different configurations to generate knowledge benefit in the new product development process and yield useful suggestions for obtaining knowledge benefit through customer participation.

Dual-axis confocal configuration for depth sensitive fluorescence spectroscopy.

The dual-axis confocal (DAC) configuration provides a high axial resolution, long working distance (WD), and large dynamic range. These properties can reveal depth-resolved fluorescence spectra. We present a depth sensitive fluorescence spectroscopy based on the DAC configuration. The system enables high axial resolution of 3.23 µm and a long WD of 3.73 mm compared to that of 4.68 µm and 2.1 mm for comparable single-axis confocal configurations, respectively. Besides, a DAC configuration also offers a superior dynamic range and rejection of out-of-focus scattered light based on the principle of Huygens-Fresnel integrals. Additionally, to locate the target layer, the collection path of the DAC configuration will be used as the other illumination path, forming a dual-axis illumination configuration. These beam paths are used to locate the target layer using a white light imaging system with a commercial low numerical aperture objective. A multi-layer fluorescence phantom of Barrett's esophagus containing fluorescein isothiocyanate and Alexa Fluor 514 was used to verify the principle of depth-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The results show that the DAC configuration can collect fluorescence spectra from microscopic regions with high axial resolution.

Configurational paths of organizational and technological innovation to firm performance using fuzzy-set QCA analysis

Configurational paths of organizational and technological innovation to firm performance using fuzzy-set QCA analysis

Influencing factors of knowledge enhancement of corporate universities in China

PurposeCorporate universities are regarded as the knowledge management institution of enterprises, but how to improve knowledge enhancement function has not been investigated. Constructed upon the knowledge-based view, the purpose of this study is to investigate the influencing factors of knowledge enhancement of corporate universities.Design/methodology/approachThis paper takes 34 Chinese corporate universities as samples. The influencing factors and interrelationships are checked through exploratory case study and multi-case analysis. A “stimulate-action” model of influencing factors is built up based on the multi-case analysis. The fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis is used to examine configurational paths for knowledge enhancement.FindingsThe research finding shows that only a single element of knowledge management does not constitute a necessary condition for knowledge enhancement of corporate university and explored the concurrent synergy effect and linkage matching mode of multiple conditions of knowledge management. Most of the knowledge-enhanced corporate universities are of strengthening the knowledge process, which shows that sorting out the knowledge process is the core of the corporate university.Originality/valueUnlike the existing research, the external teachers and combing of external knowledge processes are the key factors; this paper proposed that the internal teachers and sorting out the knowledge process within the enterprise play a central role in the knowledge enhancement of corporate universities. The path of high-knowledge enhancement and without high-knowledge enhancement is asymmetry. This paper refined and extended the application of the knowledge management framework in explaining multiple conjunctural causations and improves the relevant theories of organizational knowledge management in the Chinese context.

E-waste-word of mouth (EW-WOM) generation: a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fs/QCA)

PurposeThis study aims to examine the asymmetrical relationships among information-sharing desire, moral attitudes, lack of concern, relative advantage, market maven tendency and complexity as the antecedents of E-waste-word of mouth (EW-WOM) generation.Design/methodology/approachTo obtain a holistic view and the interrelationships between conditions, the configural analysis was conducted to assess the asymmetrical relationships using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fs/QCA). In addition, construct validity, reliability and symmetrical relationships between antecedent conditions (i.e. exogenous constructs) and outcome conditions (i.e. endogenous constructs) are examined using variance-based structural equation modeling (VB-SEM) technique.FindingsResults imply that market maven tendency accounts for 86.8% of the sum of the memberships in EW-WOM generation. In total, 11 configurations show sufficiency in constructing EW-WOM generation. The configuration of relativeadvanta*moralattitudes*marketmaventend shows the highest consistency value (0.939684) in producing EW-WOM generation (outcome condition). The ∼relativeadvanta *moralattitudes*complexity*∼lackfconcern with raw coverage of 0.626757 and consistency value of 0.864088 show the most sufficient configuration path in producing the outcome.Originality/valueProduct review and recommendation are easily shared in various communication formats and consumers are prone to disseminate information and their experiences with other market segments. However, the role and phenomena of such viral communication in preventing environmental issues caused by electronic and electrical devices (i.e. E-waste) are not well understood. This study is among a few attempts at understanding consumer's decision-making process to engage in E-waste activities such as the reduction of garbage, recycling, compositing and the reuse of electronic or electrical devices.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-11-2019-0343

FCNR: Fast and Consistent Network Reconfiguration with low latency for SDN

Software-defined network (SDN) is one of the important technologies to achieve the customization of network services. The key to realize a highly adaptive SDN, which can respond to the changing demands or recover after network failure in a short period of time, is to update the configuration effectively. However, the inconsistent configuration update may lead to transient and incorrect network behaviors and long reconfiguration time between current configuration and target configuration may degrade undesired network performance. Most of the existing works to reduce the network reconfiguration time focus on the consistent update between current configuration and target configuration, and ignore the impact of different target configurations on network reconfiguration time. Therefore, reducing the network reconfiguration time needs to consider not only the consistent update between current configuration and target configuration, but also the impact of different target configurations. In this paper, we first analyze the impact of different target configuration of the control plane on the update operation in the forwarding rules of the data plane. Then, we formulate the shortest configuration path (SCP) problem to get the path with the shortest configuration time and propose the shortest deployment time path selection (SPS) algorithm to obtain the target configuration in the light of different rules deployment time. Subsequently, we propose the consistent scheduling update (CSU) algorithm to solve the consistency conversion from the current configuration to the target configuration. Finally, experimental results demonstrate that our algorithms can reduce the network reconfiguration time up to 39% compared with previous SDN consistent update methods while keeping the similar consistency.

Configuration Paths to Efficient National Innovation Ecosystems

Efficient National Innovation Ecosystems (NIEs) create appropriate conditions for the generation of new knowledge, collaboration, and innovation, which are key determinants of countries’ economic growth and competitiveness in the era of a globalized, knowledge-based economy. Prior studies have therefore focused on measuring both the efficiency of NIEs and key attributes occurring within them. This has led to the assessment of countries in terms of their ability to effectively convert inputs into outputs and has provided a benchmark for less successful economies and their NIEs by using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and its modifications. However, while these methods have measured the efficiency of individual economic entities, they do not show how to achieve this efficiency. Therefore, we propose a novel, hybrid two-step model combining DEA and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. This enables us to examine the relationships between all possible combinations of inputs and outputs within the NIEs of OECD countries and to identify configuration paths showing how to achieve effective outputs in terms of cooperation, knowledge creation, and innovation. We also show that countries could benefit from multiplication and crowding-in effects emerging from combinations of different R&D expenditures rather than from one financial source.

Understanding the key factors and configurational paths of the open government data performance: Based on fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

The governments worldwide have attached great importance to open government data (OGD), and many OGD projects have emerged in recent years. However, the performance of OGD greatly differs in various districts and governments. Therefore, the influencing factors of OGD performance should be explored. However, the existing research has not yet established a systematic analytical framework for OGD performance, and the explanation degree of performance differences in OGD implementation is limited. Thus, this study takes technical management capacity, financial resource, organization arrangement, rules and regulations, organization culture, public demand, and inter-government competition as antecedent conditions under the perspective of technology–organization–environment framework and resource-based theory. From the cases of 16 provincial OGD practice in China, we employ fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to explore the influencing mechanism of the interaction and coordination of multiple conditions on OGD performance. Results indicate that OGD performance depends on the integration of the total effect of various factors. Moreover, four configurational paths could be utilized to achieve high OGD performance, namely, organization–balanced path, organization–environment path, balanced path, and organization–technology path. Furthermore, a substitution relationship exists among different conditional variables, which points out the direction and focus of the implementation of OGD for governments with different endowment characteristics. This study enriches the existing studies of OGD implementation and provides references for OGD practice.

Qualitative comparative analysis: Configurational paths to innovation performance

Although innovation research has received considerable attention in recent decades, the main focus has been on net effects analysis derived from symmetric thinking. Few studies have taken a holistic approach by investigating causal combinations of antecedent conditions. In addressing the question of how to promote firms’ innovation performance, we propose six antecedents from the internal, interfirm, and external contexts. These antecedents are knowledge stock, absorptive capacity, knowledge depth, knowledge breadth, government support, and the business environment. We apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify alternative configurations leading to high innovation performance from the perspective of knowledge management and innovation ecosystems. Data from 253 listed Chinese manufacturing firms form the basis of the analysis. The findings reveal seven configurational paths that explain high innovation performance and three paths to the absence of high innovation performance. This study provides new insight for innovation research. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for managers and policymakers.

How do ESG pillars impact firms’ marketing performance? A configurational analysis in the pharmaceutical sector

PurposeThis study aims to contribute to international doctrine by testing how environmental social governance (ESG) pillars can affect marketing performance in the pharmaceutical industry.Design/methodology/approachThe authors follow a pioneering approach, using a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis and data from the largest European listed companies belonging to the pharmaceutical industry in 2019. Specifically, the authors contribute to international doctrine by testing how ESG pillars can affect marketing performance by presenting two configurational paths that may help to clarify not only the individual role of the pillars but also how their interrelationships predict marketing performance.FindingsThe results identify two different causal configurations that lead to higher marketing performance. These configurations allow us to think more carefully about the role of ESG pillars in the pharmaceutical sector. These results could help managers reflect upon and justify their choice to invest in specific ESG pillars, highlighting the importance of the governance pillar.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to use configurational analysis to investigate combinations of ESG pillars that lead firms to achieve higher levels of marketing performance.

Research and design of a high-security configurable RO-PUF based on FPGA

Abstract Aiming at the lack of reliability and uniqueness of the traditional configurable ring oscillator physical unclonable function (RO-PUF) due to the simple configurable path, a configurable RO-PUF is proposed based on the delay characteristics of the ring oscillator. The design scheme redesigned the RO structure, making the configurable path of the RO-PUF more flexible and increasing the number of incentive response pairs (CRPs); At the same time, the introduction of a lightweight SPONGENT hash algorithm in the RO-PUF structure makes the mapping between incentives and responses more complicated, prevents attackers from building model attacks by acquiring CRPs, and enhances RO-PUF security. And then, the design scheme is implemented on Xilinx’s Spartan series FPGA chip, and the experimental results are compared and analyzed. The results show that the configurable RO-PUF designed with this scheme has an average reliability of 98.87% and uniqueness of 49.13%.

Safety and Certifiability Evaluation of Distributed Electric Propulsion Airplane in EASA CS-23 Category

Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) is one of the unconventional airplane architectures of interest in the quest for decreasing aviation environmental footprint. This configuration integrates strong and innovative couplings between systems and aircraft design disciplines. To address limitations of the traditional approach for certification and of the associated means of compliance when certifying innovative products, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issues in 2017 a novel certification philosophy that relies on high-level objective-based safety requirements. In this context, this paper presents a safety and certifiability evaluation of DEP airplane in EASA CS-23 category, with a methodology for aircraft-level safety assessment during preliminary design, a certification gap analysis with regards to existing means of compliance, and some proposals to clear the certification path for DEP configuration.

Research on the influencing factors of national identity of red tourism resource destination from the perspective of configuration and multiple paths: Based on the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

Research on the influencing factors of national identity of red tourism resource destination from the perspective of configuration and multiple paths: Based on the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

Design of Comprehensive Service System for Fresh Food E-commerce under the Background of “Rural Revitalization”

The traditional system takes a long time to adjust the fresh food storage temperature. Therefore, under the background of “village revitalization”, the comprehensive service system for fresh food e-commerce is designed in this paper. First of all, on the hardware side, by optimizing the physical architecture, the application layer and the data server layer are separated; on the software side, the system database is designed to extract customer order data. Then the ant algorithm is used to select the optimal logistics configuration path, and the temperature control algorithm is used to adjust the temperature environment so that the fresh food reaches the optimal storage temperature in the transportation path. Finally, the hardware and software design are combined to realize the comprehensive service system design. The experimental results show that compared with the traditional system, the designed system in this paper shortens the control time of fresh storage temperature and strengthens the service control of cold chain logistics.

Direct and configurational paths of knowledge-oriented leadership, entrepreneurial orientation, and knowledge management processes to project success

PurposeDrawing on the knowledge-based view, the study aims to investigate the impact of knowledge management enablers (entrepreneurial orientation and knowledge-oriented leadership) on knowledge management processes and project success. The study further ascertains the specific combinations of knowledge management enablers and knowledge management processes that can lead to project success.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected from 222 project workers in information technology projects, and the proposed relationships were assessed through partial least squares structural equation modeling while configuration paths were assessed using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis.FindingsThe study found a significant impact of entrepreneurial orientation and knowledge-oriented leadership on knowledge management processes and project success. The analysis also revealed that knowledge management processes did not significantly impact project success. Moreover, the insights from fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis show a clear pattern of equifinality, in that there are multiple combinations of knowledge management enablers and knowledge management processes that can lead to a successful project.Originality/valueThe current study is one of the earlier studies to provide insights to knowledge-based view by demonstrating the inter-relationship of entrepreneurial orientation and knowledge-oriented leadership with knowledge management processes and project success. To the best of authors' knowledge, this is the first study to assess the impact of knowledge-oriented leadership on project success. With limited studies on impact of entrepreneurial orientation and knowledge-oriented leadership on knowledge management processes, the study enriches the literature on linkage of entrepreneurial orientation and knowledge-oriented leadership with knowledge management processes. Methodological contributions include use of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to reveal multiple pathways to project success.

Efficient and Flexible Dynamic Reconfiguration for Multi Context Architectures

Dynamic reconfiguration is possible on both fine-grain and coarse-grain architectures. One of the used methodology used consists in the use of multi-context architectures. Unfortunately, the multiple contexts bring power and area overhead. This paper introduces the Dynamic Unifier and reConfigurable blocK (DUCK) concept, a new structure to perform efficiently dynamic reconfiguration on both custom designed fine-grain and coarse grain architectures. The DUCK allows to separate the configuration path and the configuration registers which facilitates simultaneous configuration and computing steps. The reconfiguration process is presented in detail, and synthesis results are given for different structures. Our solution is finally validated with the implementation of a WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) receiver on a multi-context embedded FPGA and on the dynamically reconfigurable processor DART. This implementation demonstrates the interest and the efficiency of the use of dynamic reconfiguration and the proposed flexible structure.

Flow morphology in bottom-propagating gravity currents over immersed obstacles

The interaction of bottom-propagating gravity currents with immersed obstacles in the path of the lock-exchange configuration was numerically investigated based on large eddy simulations. The three-dimensional Navier–Stokes solver was quantitatively employed to resolve the flow structure of gravity currents and their dynamics during impact. The integral measure of analysis comprises the front condition, the energy budget, the turbulent mixing, and the force response. Some flow parameters involved in momentum and energy fluctuations are the fractional depth of volume release, relative density difference, and obstacle dimensions. A particular focus in this study was on the scale effect of obstacles (W/D, the aspect ratio of a cross-sectional obstacle with side length W to height D) that affect the propagation of gravity currents. Depending on integral measures of the simulation, the flow morphology could be demarcated for the condition W/D = 2 with different flow regimes in accordance with the reattachment of the current as the plunged front overflows and separates from the obstacle. For W/D > 2, as the current impinges on the obstacle, the plunged current front overtops and travels on the obstacle surface and consequently causes the entrainment without intense mixing to form a circulation zone at the downstream of the obstacle. Accordingly, the predicted drag forces acting on the downstream surface are reduced by ∼25% for W/D ≥ 4 comparing to the case of W/D = 0.5, which is beneficial to the structural stability of the barrier in practical aspect. Notably, the integrated analysis of gravity currents provides insights into physical mechanisms by identifying distinct propagation stages during transitions, including the impact stage, transient stage, and quasi-steady stage.

Configurational paths of employee reactions to corporate social responsibility: An organizational justice perspective

AbstractCorporate social responsibility (CSR) is critical for organizations who want to pursue sustainable development and competitive advantage by influencing employee attitudes. Drawing on the deontic justice theory, we argue that internal and external CSR initiatives promote self‐focused and other‐focused justice, respectively, which contribute to employee‐perceived organizational justice and shape positive employee behaviors. This study applied a fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis method to determine the interactive effects of employee perceptions of CSR practices and organizational justice on employee outcomes. An examination of data from 1,231 employees in Taiwan revealed that high CSR perceptions lead to high perceived justice among employees who attach high importance to justice. In addition, while high perceived justice by itself is insufficient to determine positive employee outcomes, the combination of high perception of internal CSR, external CSR, and organizational justice is sufficient to predict positive employee outcomes. The findings provide implications for both research and practice.