Current Push Research Articles

Efficiency creep and shadow innovation: enacting ambidextrous IT Governance in the public sector

ABSTRACT The current push towards increased innovation within the public sector calls for new approaches to IT Governance. However, recent findings highlight the aim to avoid trade-offs between innovation and efficiency through organisational ambidexterity. This paper reports a case study of ambidextrous IT Governance in two large government agencies. According to the findings, ambidextrous IT Governance is enacted through two separate but interrelated mechanisms that emerge simultaneously. In terms of exploitation, the “efficiency creep” mechanism creates a bias for efficiency – rather than innovation-oriented investments. In terms of exploration, the “shadow innovation” mechanism involves unsanctioned innovation activities. These two mechanisms interplay, in the enactment of ambidextrous IT Governance. The contribution of this study lies in theorising about how ambidextrous IT Governance is enacted in public sector organisations, and how efficiency creep and shadow innovation influence each other. This contribution aids future research and practice on public sector innovation and IT Governance.

A Review of Cases of Marijuana and Violence

Marijuana is the most consumed illicit drug in the world, with over 192 million users. Due to the current legalization push of marijuana in the United States, there has been a lack of oversight regarding its public health policies, as marijuana advocates downplay the drug’s negative effects. This paper’s approach is from a public health perspective, focusing specifically on the cases of violence amongst some marijuana users. Here, we present 14 cases of violence with chronic marijuana users that highlight reoccurring consequences of: marijuana induced paranoia (exaggerated, unfounded distrust) and marijuana induced psychosis (radical personality change, loss of contact with reality). When individuals suffering from pre-existing medical conditions use marijuana in an attempt to alleviate their symptoms, ultimately this worsens their conditions over time. Although marijuana effects depend on the individual’s endocannabinoid receptors (which control behavioral functions, like aggression) and the potency level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the drug, scientifically documented links between certain marijuana users and violence do exist. Wider public awareness of the risks and side effects of marijuana, as well as a more prudent health policy, and government agency monitoring of the drug’s composition, creation, and distribution, are needed and recommended.

Changing the game to compete: Innovations in the fashion retail industry from the disruptive business model

Unprecedented competition and emergent technologies have posed a challenge to many traditional retailers in recent years. Yet within this competitive environment, emerging innovative business models have thrived and successfully disrupted the industry. We analyze the nature of disruptive business-model innovations and the ways they disrupt the fashion retail industry. To that end, we examine three disruptors in the industry: born-digital brands, AI-enabled demand forecasting and product design, and collaborative consumption. After introducing the concept of disruptive business-model innovation, we discuss the three disruptors’ effects on the fashion industry. We find that all of these models keenly answer fundamental needs unmet by current business models, such as offering quality products at a competitive price, curated services, and sustainable consumption. At the same time, all three disruptors suggest effective operation models for handling demand uncertainty, inventory management, and timely responses to the market, all of which are inherent issues for current push supply chains and forecast-based, inventory-driven systems. Based on this analysis, we discuss important implications for both academics and industry practitioners.

Facilitating Trade and Strengthening Market Access in the Southern African Customs Union: A Focus on South Africa’s Customs Reform

In the modern business environment, emphasis is placed on timely production, requiring timely delivery and fast and predictable release of goods at the borders. Experiencing delays in the supply chain of goods increases transaction costs, which can, in consequence, raise the price of export and import products. South Africa is a developing state that needs to be competitive on every front to secure economic growth considering the current push towards the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This article aims to tackle the issue of non-tariff barriers to trade, particularly restrictive customs and administrative procedures at border crossings in the Southern region, by exploring trade facilitation measures which can be crucial for integration and development. Trade facilitation regulates behind-the-border measures and encompasses reform of a country’s customs policies and infrastructure as customs operations can be characterised by a complex array of requirements for traders, including documentation requirements. This article accordingly examines how South Africa is evolving its customs environment to facilitate trade further and to enhance market access of goods into the country and the Southern region. South Africa has adopted a Custom Modernisation Programme (CMP) under the guidance of the South African Revenue Services (SARS). The adoption of this programme can potentially reduce the delays in trade transactions at border points.

What factors impact financial behavior other than financial literacy?

In Huston’s (2010) framework regarding financial literacy, she provides the following conceptual model (Fig 1). This model, which is widely accepted within the research on financial literacy since 2010, reveals that while financial literacy is certainly part of the story influencing financial behavior, it is not the whole story. We see that Huston includes “other factors” as informing financial behavior as well. Additionally, there’s conflicting evidence within the literature reviewed that calls into question financial literacy as the strongest predictor of financial behavior. Given that pursuing an exhaustive list of “other factors” might prove indeterminable, financial advisors will be surveyed as a proxy for financial behavior subject matter experts to identify some of the more commonly accepted factors outside of financial literacy that have an evident correlation to financial behavior according to their perception based on client interactions. Having this short list of factors from experts could lead to follow-on research determining the strength of correlation among the identified factors, to include financial literacy. If future research were to identify a factor(s) that had a stronger correlation to financial behavior than financial literacy, it may impact the current push for policy to embolden financial education efforts to improve financial literacy alone as a means to improve financial behavior. Additionally, we may be able to remove the stigma that low financial literacy equates to an inability to win with personal finances.

Causes of Indonesia’s forest fires

Abstract The economic costs of Indonesia’s 2015 forest fires are estimated to exceed US $16 billion, with more than 100,000 premature deaths. On several days the fires emitted more carbon dioxide than the entire United States economy. Here, we combine detailed geospatial data on fire and local climatic conditions with rich administrative data to assess the underlying causes of Indonesia’s forest fires at district and village scales. We find that El Nino events explain most of the year-on-year variation in fire. The creation of new districts increases fire and exacerbates the El Nino impacts on fire. We also find that regional economic growth has gone hand-in-hand with the use of fire in rural districts. We proceed with a 30,000-village case study of the 2015 fire season on Sumatra and Kalimantan and ask which villages, for a given level of spatial fire risk, are more likely to have fire. Villages more likely to burn tend to be more remote, to be considerably less developed, and to have a history of using fire for agriculture. Although central and district level policies and regional economic development have generally contributed to voracious environmental degradation, the close link between poverty and fire at the village level suggests that the current policy push for village development might offer opportunities to reverse this trend.

Understanding the Enrollment Decisions of Associate Degree Nursing Students: A Qualitative Study

Given the current push toward the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) preparation for registered nurses, a significant proportion of students choose the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) prelicensure nursing education. This descriptive qualitative study seeks to provide insight into enrollment decisions of ADN nursing students, including their initial decision to pursue nursing, their understanding of the benefits of earning a BSN, and their plans toward future BSN completion. Ultimately, nontraditional student status exerted a compelling influence regarding the decision to choose ADN prelicensure preparation.

Type, tweet, tap, and pass: How smart city technology is creating a transactional citizen

In the current push for smart city programs around the world, there is a significant focus on enabling transactions between citizen and government. Though traditionally there have always been transactional elements between government and citizen, for example payment of taxes in exchange for services, or voting in exchange for representation, the rise of modern smartphone and smart city technologies have further enabled micro-transactions between citizen, government, and information broker. We conceptualize how the modern smart city, as both envisaged and enacted, incorporates the citizen not necessarily as a whole actor, but as a series of micro-transactions encoded on the real-time landscape of the city. This transactional citizen becomes counted by smart city sensors and integrated into smart city decision-making through the use of certain preferred platforms. To approach this shift from traditional forms of citizen/city interaction towards micro-transactions, we conceptualize four broad modes of transaction; type (intentional contribution), tweet (intermediated by third party), tap (convened or requested transaction), and pass (ambient transaction based on movement). These four modes are used to frame critical questions of how citizens interact with government in the emerging age of the smart city, and how these interactions impact the relationship between citizen and government, introducing new avenues for private sector influence.

Challenges to achieving appropriate and equitable access to Caesarean section: ethnographic insights from rural Pakistan.

Access to Caesarean section (C-section) remains inadequate for some groups of women while others have worryingly high rates. Understanding differential receipt demands exploration of the socio-cultural, and political economic, characteristics of the health systems that produce them. This extensive institutional ethnography investigated under- and over-receipt of C-section in two rural districts in Pakistan - Jhelum and Layyah. Data were collected between November and July 2013 using semi-structured interviews from a randomly selected sample of 11 physicians, 38 community midwives, 18 Lady Health Visitors and nurses and 15 Traditional Birth Attendants. In addition, 78 mothers, 35 husbands and 23 older women were interviewed. The understandings of birth by C-section held by women and their family members were heavily shaped by gendered constructions of womanhood, patient-provider power differentials and financial constraints. They considered C-section an expensive and risky procedure, which often lacked medical justification, and was instead driven by profit motive. Physicians saw C-section as symbolizing obstetric skill and status and a source of legitimate income. Physician views and practices were also shaped by the wider health care system characterized by private practice, competition between providers and a lack of regulation and supervision. These multi-layered factors have resulted in both unnecessary intervention, and missed opportunities for appropriate C-sections. The data indicate a need for synergistic action at patient, provider and system levels. Recommendations include: improving physician communication with patients and family so that the need for C-section is better understood as a life-saving procedure, challenging negative attitudes and promoting informed decision-making by mothers and their families, holding physicians accountable for their practice and introducing price caps and regulations to limit financial incentives associated with C-sections. The current push for privatization of health care in low-income countries also needs scrutiny given its potential to encourage unnecessary intervention.

Assessing General Education and Special Education Majors’ Self‐Efficacy for Teaching Reading

AbstractIn an era of teacher quality reforms, one overlooked area for assessing readiness for teaching is education majors’ self‐efficacy for teaching reading. This gap is unfortunate, as teaching reading is a common responsibility among general and special education teachers. In the current push for RTI—one in which more general education teachers are increasingly called upon to provide reading support to students with learning disabilities, in addition to the support received from special educators—it is important to determine preservice teachers’ self‐efficacy for teaching reading. Self‐efficacy is an important construct to consider as it is related to eventual teacher attrition. The purpose of the current study was to develop a scale to measure elementary and special education majors’ self‐efficacy for teaching reading. With a sample of 110 education majors, a three‐factor scale was developed and demonstrated strong psychometric properties. Implications for the future of teacher education programs are discussed.

Investigating ‘collective individualism model of learning’: From Chinese context of classroom culture

In the current global push to examine the diverse and complex approach in which classroom culture contributes to the shaping of students’ learning cultural identity. Classroom culture plays a fundamental role in constructing students’ learning competencies, perceptions and behaviors. Thus, this study conceptualizes and contextualizes a collective individualism learning model to explicate a specific learning model in classroom culture at Chinese particular context historically and traditionally. The collective individualism model is identified as the individualized learning style of students in Chinese classroom culture characterized by nine symbolic objects, including a textbook, an exercise book, a pen, a blackboard, a screen, a computer, a table, a chair and platform in a Chinese collective class. In addition, two core components of formal collectivism and substantive individualism derived from constructive learning theory, social learning theory, Mezirow’s transformative learning theory and Kolb’s experiential learning theory. The implications for examining the collective individualism model of Chinese classroom culture are likewise linked to innovative talent cultivation and fulfillment of ‘Four Good Teachers’ goal. Both the discussion and conclusion led to the construction of promising classroom culture at Chinese context practically.

Mandating Work: A Social Psychological Analysis of Rising Neoliberalism in U.S. Public Assistance Programs

AbstractAligning with key neoliberal values of self‐sufficiency, privatization, free market capitalism, and limited state support, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), popularly referred to as “welfare reform,” ushered in new restrictions on the receipt of public assistance (e.g., work requirements and time limits). Despite considerable debate regarding PRWORA's success and limited evidence that work requirements are effective, the neoliberal emphasis on work that informed welfare reform is increasingly being extended to other U.S. safety net programs. This analysis critically interrogates the current neoliberal push to extend and/or expand work requirements to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid. Examining the neoliberal politics and ideology that undergirds U.S. welfare policy and legitimizes restrictive work requirements, we examine the cultural construction of work as redemptive, the covert and overt functions of work requirements, and the damaging consequences of shifting societal obligation from the state to individuals. In doing so, we draw attention to who is harmed by and who benefits from “welfare reform.” We also consider how psychological research can be leveraged to challenge restrictive welfare policies and the further spread of neoliberal work mandates.

Treatment of Closed Femoral Shaft Fractures in Children Aged 6 to 10.

Management of pediatric femoral shaft fractures remains controversial, particularly in children between the ages of 6 and 10. In the current push toward cost containment, hospital type, and surgeon subspecialization have emerged as important factors influencing this treatment decision. Thus, in the present study, we use a nationwide pediatric inpatient database to compare the: (a) incidence; (b) demographic characteristics; (c) hospital costs; (d) length of stay; and (e) treatment method of pediatric closed femoral shaft fractures admitted to general versus children's hospitals. The Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) was queried for all patients aged 6 to 10 who sustained a closed femoral shaft fracture in 2009 or 2012, and patient records were stratified into children's hospitals and general hospitals. Primary outcome measures included method of treatment, total hospital costs, and length of stay. Student/Welch t testing and χ analysis were utilized to compare continuous and categorical outcomes, respectively, between hospital types. The total incidence of closed femoral shaft fractures decreased between 2009 and 2012 (1919 to 1581 patients; P=0.020), as did the proportion of patients treated in children's hospitals (58.6% to 32.3%; P<0.001). In addition, patients treated at general hospitals were more likely to receive open reduction with internal fixation (45.3% vs. 41.1%) or external fixation (4.1% vs. 2.3%), and less likely to be managed with closed reduction with internal fixation (32.0% vs. 39.7%) than those treated at children's hospitals (P<0.001 for all). The present study demonstrates a decrease in the incidence of closed femoral shaft fractures in 6- to 10-year old patients from 2009 to 2012, as well as decreased definitive management in children's hospitals and increased selection of operative treatment. In addition, treatment in a nonchildren's hospital was associated with decreased total inpatient costs and decreased treatment with closed reduction with internal fixation in favor of open reduction with internal fixation. Future studies should seek to identify the specific surgical procedures performed and match patients more closely based specific fracture pattern. Prognostic level II.

Using a kanban system for multi-echelon inventory management: the case of pharmaceutical supply chains

This paper explores the implementation of a kanban system within a multi-echelon pharmaceutical supply chain (MEPSC). The article tackles the multi-echelon supply chain problem and the role of collaboration to enhance its performance specifically while using a pull system. The study provides also insights on the different existing Kanban systems that were created to overcome the difficulties and challenges faced by the original kanban system. This paper presents how a kanban system could manage pharmaceuticals inventory and enhance the information sharing through a multi-echelon supply chain. There are two primary findings: a) that the implementation of Kanban system provides a strategic benefit and improves the quality of services and information sharing through a multi-echelon supply chain; b) It also provides a foundation to leverage innovation in pharmaceutical supply chains; it gives the opportunity to the organisation to move away from the current push delivery and logistics systems towards improved logistics strategy models to empower front-line caregivers.

Optimal Rotor Fault Detection in Induction Motor Using Particle-Swarm Optimization Optimized Neural Network

This study examined and presents an effective method for detection of failure of conductor bars in the winding of rotor of induction motor in low load conditions using neural networks of radial-base functions. The proposed method used Hilbert method to obtain the stator current signal push. The frequency and signal amplitude of the push stator were used as the input of the neural network and the network outputs were rotor fault state, and the number of conductive bars with broken fault. Moreover, particle-swarm optimization algorithm was used to determine the optimal network weights and neuron penetration radius in the neural network. The results obtained from the proposed method showed the optimal and efficient performance of the method in detecting conductive bars broken fault in induction motor in low load conditions.

Design and Evaluation of a Motorized Robotic Bed Mover With Omnidirectional Mobility for Patient Transportation

Patient transportation in hospitals faces many challenges, including the limited manpower, work-related injuries, and low efficiency of current bed pushing methods. This paper presents a new motorized robotic bed mover with omnidirectional mobility to address this problem. This device is composed of an omnidirectional mobility unit, a force sensing-based human-machine interface, and control hardware with batteries and electronics. The proposed bed mover can be attached to the bottom of a manual hospital stretcher, transforming it into a powered omnidirectional bed (OmniBed) that can be used only by one person. The function of the OmniBed is compared with that of a conventional powered bed, which only provides forward assistance with a fifth powered wheel. We perform a pilot study with 14 subjects to evaluate the performance of this OmniBed and benefits for hospital application. The experimental results show that the OmniBed can half the manpower while decreasing back muscle activities, revealing the potential health benefits for older staffs. The OmniBed also shows the promising signs of high precision and handling in small spaces with its one-step "parallel-parking" ability. This device is more ergonomic, more effective, and safer than the conventional powered bed.

How measurement science can improve confidence in research results.

The current push for rigor and reproducibility is driven by a desire for confidence in research results. Here, we suggest a framework for a systematic process, based on consensus principles of measurement science, to guide researchers and reviewers in assessing, documenting, and mitigating the sources of uncertainty in a study. All study results have associated ambiguities that are not always clarified by simply establishing reproducibility. By explicitly considering sources of uncertainty, noting aspects of the experimental system that are difficult to characterize quantitatively, and proposing alternative interpretations, the researcher provides information that enhances comparability and reproducibility.

Energy-Optimal Data Aggregation and Dissemination for the Internet of Things

Established approaches to data aggregation in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) do not cover the variety of new use cases developing with the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT). In particular, the current push toward fog computing, in which control, computation, and storage are moved to nodes close to the network edge, induces a need to collect data at multiple sinks, rather than the single sink typically considered in WSN aggregation algorithms. Moreover, for machine-to-machine communication scenarios, actuators subscribing to sensor measurements may also be present, in which case data should be not only aggregated and processed in-network but also disseminated to actuator nodes. In this paper, we present mixed-integer programming formulations and algorithms for the problem of energy-optimal routing and multiple-sink aggregation, as well as joint aggregation and dissemination, of sensor measurement data in IoT edge networks. We consider optimization of the network for both minimal total energy usage, and min-max per-node energy usage. We also provide a formulation and algorithm for throughput-optimal scheduling of transmissions under the physical interference model in the pure aggregation case. We have conducted a numerical study to compare the energy required for the two use cases, as well as the time to solve them, in generated network scenarios with varying topologies and between 10 and 40 nodes. Although aggregation only accounts for less than 15% of total energy usage in all cases tested, it provides substantial energy savings. Our results show more than 13 times greater energy usage for 40-node networks using direct, shortest-path flows from sensors to actuators, compared with our aggregation and dissemination solutions.

A survey of the advancing use and development of machine learning in smart manufacturing

Machine learning (ML) (a subset of artificial intelligence that focuses on autonomous computer knowledge gain) is actively being used across many domains, such as entertainment, commerce, and increasingly in industrial settings. The wide applicability and low barriers for development of these algorithms are allowing for innovations, once thought unattainable, to be realized in an ever more digital world. As these innovations continue across industries, the manufacturing industry has also begun to gain benefits. With the current push for Smart Manufacturing and Industrie 4.0, ML for manufacturing is experiencing unprecedented levels of interest; but how much is industry actually using these highly-publicized techniques? This paper sorts through a decade of manufacturing publications to quantify the amount of effort being put towards advancing ML in manufacturing. This work identifies both prominent areas of ML use, and popular algorithms. This also allows us to highlight any gaps, or areas where ML could play a vital role. To maximize the search space utilization of this investigation, ML based Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques were employed to rapidly sort through a vast corpus of engineering documents to identify key areas of research and application, as well as uncover documents most pertinent to this survey. The salient outcome of this research is the presentation of current focus areas and gaps in ML applications to the manufacturing industry, with particular emphasis on cross domain knowledge utilization. A full detailing of methods and findings is presented.

Bacterially driven cadmium sulfide precipitation on porous membranes: Toward platforms for photocatalytic applications.

The emerging field of biofabrication capitalizes on nature's ability to create materials with a wide range of well-defined physical and electronic properties. Particularly, there is a current push to utilize programmed, self-organization of living cells for material fabrication. However, much research is still necessary at the interface of synthetic biology and materials engineering to make biofabrication a viable technique to develop functional devices. Here, the authors exploit the ability of Escherichia coli to contribute to material fabrication by designing and optimizing growth platforms to direct inorganic nanoparticle (NP) synthesis, specifically cadmium sulfide (CdS) NPs, onto porous polycarbonate membranes. Additionally, current, nonbiological, chemical synthesis methods for CdS NPs are typically energy intensive and use high concentrations of hazardous cadmium precursors. Using biosynthesis methods through microorganisms could potentially alleviate these issues by precipitating NPs with less energy and lower concentrations of toxic precursors. The authors adopted extracellular precipitation strategies to form CdS NPs on the membranes as bacterial/membrane composites and characterized them by spectroscopic and imaging methods, including energy dispersive spectroscopy, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. This method allowed us to control the localization of NP precipitation throughout the layered bacterial/membrane composite, by varying the timing of the cadmium precursor addition. Additionally, the authors demonstrated the photodegradation of methyl orange using the CdS functionalized porous membranes, thus confirming the photocatalytic properties of these composites for eventual translation to device development. If combined with the genetically programmed self-organization of cells, this approach promises to directly pattern CdS nanostructures on solid supports.