Different Levels Of Capability Research Articles

Usability Evaluation of Web-based Training Tools under WHO Family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC)

Introduction: Various training methods such as web-based training tools have been developed to achieve the potential benefits of classification systems developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Given that users of these tools have different levels of capability, usability problems could reduce the speed and accuracy of learning among users interacting with these tools. This study aims to identify usability problems of web-based training tools under the WHO family of international classifications (WHO-FIC).Methods: In this descriptive and cross-sectional study, ten trained evaluators independently examined WHO-FIC training tools using the heuristic evaluation method. The identified problems were classified into 10 Nielsen’s usability heuristics. Then, their average severity was calculated.Results: In total, 40 usability problems were identified after merging and eliminating the duplicates. The highest number of problems was related to ICD-10 training tool (n=20). The highest number of problems was related to heuristics of aesthetic and minimalist design (25.0%), and user control and freedom (17.5%). Heuristics of flexibility and efficiency of use and helping users recognize, diagnose and recover from errors had the highest average severity of problems.Conclusion: Violating heuristics of aesthetic and minimalist design, user control and freedom and recognition rather than recall were among the most common problems of WHO-FIC training tools. Evaluators reported that half of the user interface problems of WHO-FIC training tools were of major and catastrophe type. Solving the usability problems of these tools could lead to ease of work, increased speed of learning and acceptance of these systems among users.

The missing link in disruption management research: coping

The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that the impact of supply chain disruptions on different organizations may vary widely. Even if different levels of capabilities (agility, adaptability, etc.) may have contributed to the differential in outcomes, organizations need to learn how to harness their capabilities effectively in the face of disruptions. Although there is vast literature on supply chain disruption management, risk management, and resilience, we are not aware of any theory that comprehensively explains the decision-making process for managing disruptions. We argue that coping theory can explain how organizations may channelize resources based on two stages of appraisal to handle long- and short-term disruptions. Borrowing from psychology, we adapt coping theory to disruption management for any organization in any industry. In this paper, we demonstrate how supply chain coping strategies may explain outcomes of several organizations from different industries during the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that organizations may sustain and even thrive if they adopt the right coping strategies in their context. We present our thesis using the following three themes: (1) We first identify potential demand trajectories organizations may follow during and after the pandemic, (2) We explain how coping strategies adopted by organizations may impact these trajectories, and (3) We present a framework to help the decision makers understand potential positive impact the coping strategies may bring to their organizations in future crises.

Modeling terrestrial net ecosystem exchange using machine learning techniques based on flux tower measurements

Identifying the complex relationships of Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) of CO2, as an underlying factor of land surface, and atmosphere interactions is extremely important to the dynamic of carbon fluxes. Assessment of the model-based estimation of land-atmosphere carbon flux across various plant functional types (PFTs) can support the accurate identification of the carbon cycle and the adaptation and mitigation of climate change programs. Five different machine learning methods named Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Tree (DT), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM) and Random Forest (RF) were used to predict daily NEE magnitude. In this study, 24 sites classified into four PFTs of Deciduous Broadleaf Forest (DBF), Evergreen Needle-leaf Forest (ENF), Mixed Forest (MF) and Grassland (GRA) were examined through ground-based flux tower data. The numbers of sites were six, four, six and eight for DBF, ENF, MF and GRA respectively, while measurement periods varied from two to thirteen years. The model calibration and validation were carried out using 70%and 30% of the data-set, respectively. The models’ performances were assessed using statistical indices including the coefficient of determination (R2), the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), bias error (Bias) and root mean square error (RMSE) through Python software. Based on statistical indices, the models showed different levels of capability when analyzing data from the DBF, ENF, MF and GRA sites. Among the models, RF showed the best performance, MLR showed the poorest performance, while SVM, GBM and DT models all had moderate responses. The effect of both air and soil temperatures, as the state variables, were examined to assess model performance. Whether soil temperature is included in the model plays a more important role in the performance of the models in grassland than in forest. Soil temperature inclusion, as an input variable, improved the models’ performance about 14% in grassland, while it improved performance 2.4%, 2.4% and 3.5% in ENF, MF and DBF, respectively. Finally, to assess the models' performances, the NEE behavior in terms of over- or under- estimation was investigated across each PFT and over various phenological periods. The results indicate that high uncertainty occurs between the 140th and 220th days of the Julian calendar for forested areas and between the 120th and 210thdays for grassland.

Mitosis Inhibitors Induce Massive Accumulation of Phytoene in the Microalga Dunaliella salina.

Phytoene is a colourless natural carotenoid that absorbs UV light and provides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities as well as protection against photodamage. It is therefore valued for its skin health and aesthetic benefits by the cosmetic industry, as well as by the health food sector. The halotolerant green microalga Dunaliella salina is one of the richest sources of natural carotenoids. We have previously investigated the over-production of phytoene in D. salina after cultivation with the well-characterised mitosis inhibitor, chlorpropham. In this study, 15 herbicides with different modes of action were tested for their potential to promote phytoene accumulation. All herbicides showed different levels of capabilities to support phytoene over-production in D. salina. Most significantly, the two mitosis inhibitors tested in this study, propyzamide and chlorpropham, showed similar capacities to support the over-production of phytoene by D. salina cultures as phytoene desaturase inhibitors. The cellular content of phytoene increased by over 10-fold within 48 h of treatment with the mitosis inhibitors compared to untreated cultures. Results indicate a general effect of mitosis inhibitors on phytoene accumulation in D. salina. Furthermore, red light was found to significantly enhance the phytoene yield when used in combination with effective inhibitor treatments. Red light can be applied to maximize the production of phytoene from D. salina.

The Interplay Between Emotional Intelligence, Trust, and Gender in Human–Robot Interaction

As robots begin to enter roles in which they work closely with human teammates or peers, it is critical to understand how people trust them based on how they interpret the robot’s behavior. In this paper we investigated the interplay between trust in a robot and people’s perceptions of the robot’s emotional intelligence. We used a vignette-based method to explore the following questions: (1) Do subjects perceive differences in robot EI, and is their trust in the robot influenced by differences in the robot’s reliability and capability? (2) Does a robot’s EI influence how much it is trusted and conversely does a robot’s capability and reliability influence how emotionally intelligent it is perceived to be? (3) Do people trust male and female robots differently when the robots exhibit different levels of EI or different levels of capability and reliability, and do gender stereotypical expectations related to EI transfer to trust?; (4) Does focusing on the robot’s EI increase one’s trust in the robot? (5) Is the interplay between trust, EI and gender the same for different levels of evoked social presence and human-likeness (i.e., when the interaction is presented in different modalities, text or spoken dialogue when the robot’s voice is actually heard)? We found that trust in the robot was influenced by the level of the robot’s EI (p < .001) and that gender stereotypical expectations related to EI were transferred to trust (p $$=$$ .006), but gender effects on trust disappeared when only capability and reliability (robot’s trustworthiness) were manipulated but not the robot’s EI (p = .103). Surprisingly, we found that people trusted the robot more when the interaction was presented in text format (p $$=$$ .024), going against our hypothesis that spoken dialogue would evoke more social presence and thus bolster EI perception and instill more trust. We suggest that this effect might be due to people’s expectations of a more expressive and human-like voice. Finally, we also found that people’s trust ratings in the robot were higher when they were made to notice and think about the robot’s EI, by answering EI questionnaires prior to trust questionnaires (p = .022). We discuss the implications of our findings for robot design and HRI research.

Organizing for Innovation in the Digital Economy: The Case of the AEC Industry

Successful implementation of digital technologies is crucial for innovation and competitive advantage.Today, digital technologies are revolutionizing collaboration and value co-creation across traditional industry boundaries and thus generating the need for adaptive and innovative business models, new and flexible organisational forms as well as new digital processes and capabilities. The ability of firms to combine resources across traditional industry boundaries, enabled through digital capabilities, has increased the innovation potential. In the AEC industry, the use of building information modeling (BIM) as the most spread design method has inevitably changed collaboration and innovation in the planning and construction processes. In that context, successful implementation of digital technologies, such as BIM, requires changes in traditional organisational processes, operation and coordination of activities and applied strategies. In our empirical study, conducted in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, we surveyed 176 companies in the AEC industry and collected data on organisational capabilities, strategies and performance. We,use the architecture of organisational capabilities model (Sreckovic, 2018) to explore the impact of innovation on organisational performance. Our empirical results confirm that organisations in the AEC industry need dynamic capabilities for innovation and entrepreneurship, supported by adequate coordination and operational processes that would enable sustainable value co-creation and competitive advantage. Furthermore, successful technological innovations require product and process modeling supported by coordinative and collaborative processes for design and planning. The results indicate as well that traditional organisational forms are giving way to actor-oriented organizational forms due to the nature of digital technologies. This study integrates Porter’s value chain concept and the organizational capabilities model and delivers a contribution to the organizational capability theory. In addition our empirical results from the AEC industry contribute to the innovation and entrepreneurship literature by showing that the process of innovation requires different levels of capabilities for the achievement of competitive advantage, therefore indicating the necessity for an adequate development and coordination of innovation processes in AEC.

Growth and Development of the Fruit Value Chain in Tanzania and South Africa

The fruit value chain has high growth potential in export markets with opportunities for increased participation of small farmers. Growth in global demand for fresh fruit and related processed fruit products presents opportunities for developing countries to participate in high value markets. However, realising such potential requires building supply chain and technological capabilities to access export markets. This includes in and bringing together access to quality fruit varietals, production technologies, standards with logistics and marketing. This paper assesses opportunities for value chain upgrading and increased trade in the fruit value chain between South Africa and Tanzania. Tanzania produces substantial quantities of fruit but has limited capabilities to export with significant post-harvest losses. South Africa, on the other hand, is globally recognised as a leading exporter of fruit and processed fruit products with capabilities in production, standards and logistics. Key findings show that there are limited opportunities for trade in fresh or processed fruit products between the two countries due to poor infrastructure in the region to support trade in fresh fruit. However, the best opportunities for value chain upgrading are in skills and technical advice between South Africa and Tanzania given the different levels of capabilities along the value chain.

SOCIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR COMMUNITY-BASED ENTERPRISE IN SURABAYA CITY

This study aims to examine the social impact of a community-based enterprise model in Surabaya City. The analysis focuses on grass-root communities and highlights some technical challenges in order to develop a meta-theory with the intention of examining the underlying assumptions of the social return on investment. The social impact analysis is based on a social return on investment (SROI) approach, which involves community participation through focus group discussions. To avoid complexity, this study focuses on one year’s activities, which attributed monetary values to the social impact. It is argued in this study that the green and clean activities provide a return of 1.23 on the investment. This result demonstrates how the community-based social enterprise is feasible in achieving appropriate support. First, this study focuses on the community perspective during the observed time. The communities may experience different levels of capability and resources that contribute to the achievement of the programme. Secondly, there is a lack of literature that could provide financial analysis and there is no common accepted method for measuring the value of the social benefits. Beyond the SROI computation, this study highlights some technical challenges and misconceptions involved in measuring the social return on investment (SROI). Although there is considerable information available about the conceptual framework of SROI, there is great variability in how SROI is applied across interventions. This makes robust and consistent comparisons across social ventures difficult, while rendering the validity of SROI measures vulnerable to being contested.

The Relationship between Ischemic Stroke Patients with and without Retroflex Tongue: A Retrospective Study.

Background. Patients suffering from stroke exhibit different levels of capability in retroflex tongues, in our clinical observation. This study aims to derive the association of tongue retroflexibility with the degree of severity for stroke patients. Methods. All ischemic stroke patients were collected from August 2010 to July 2013 in the Stroke Center, Changhua Christian Hospital, Taiwan. All participants underwent medical history collection and clinical examination, including tongue images captured by ATDS. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the differences of ischemic stroke patients with and without retroflex tongue. Result. Among the total of 308 cases collected, 123 patients cannot retroflex their tongues, that is, the non-RT group. The length of stay in the non-RT group, 32.0 ± 21.5, was longer than those of the RT counterparts, 25.9 ± 14.4 (p value: 0.007). The NIHSS on admission, 14.1 ± 7.8 versus 8.9 ± 5.2, was higher and the Barthel Index upon admission, 18.6 ± 20.7 and 35.0 ± 24.2, was lower for the non-RT patients than that of the RT counterparts. Also, the non-RT patients account for 60.2% and 75.6% for Barthel Index ≤ 17 and NIHSS ≥ 9, respectively. Conclusion. The stroke patients in non-RT group showed significantly poor prognosis and were more serious in the degree of severity and level of autonomy than RT group, indicating that the ability to maneuver tongue retroflex can serve as a simple, reliable, and noninvasive means for the prognosis of ischemic stroke patients.

An Exploratory Study on the Development and Application of Integrated Information Technology Management Model

The purpose of this study is to explore how Turkish companies are implementing information technology (IT) governance to achieve desirable behavior in the use of IT. A literature-based integrated IT management model (IITMM) is developed. Research objectives further include a high-level assessment of organizations' perceived level of IT governance capabilities by applying the proposed IITMM. The IITMM discusses the IT governance literature in three management levels (i.e. normative, strategic and operational) and in three management dimensions (i.e. goals, structures and behaviors). The model was applied to five companies from Turkish automotive supply industry. Based on the IITMM, a questionnaire was developed to provide a structured interview pattern for face-to-face interviews. An interview with a business or IT executive was conducted in each company. Results of the study revealed that except strategic goals and operational goals, different IT governance capability patterns exist for each company. Although the strategic goals and operational goals of IT governance are well understood by all participating companies, there is a room for improvement in structures and behaviors dimensions, especially in normative behaviors and strategic behaviors, as well as in strategic structures and operational structures. In addition, specific IT governance constructs are identified as drivers or inhibitors of effective IT governance implementation. Finally, some IT governance mechanisms, such as IT control framework, independent assurance, IT project management, committees and councils, IT principles and end-user involvement in determining IT strategies, were perceived as not effectively implemented. In summary, the results indicate that the IITMM provides a useful framework for determining the current IT governance capabilities of companies considering model's ability to recognize different levels of capabilities and to identify general and specific improvement opportunities.

Managing the business of everyday life: the roles of space and place in “mumpreneurship”

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop gendered entrepreneurship theory through a focus on the roles of space and place in the daily lives and businesses of mothers who have configured business around the daily routines of family work. Design/methodology/approach – Through a consideration of the accounts of 29 “mumpreneurs” and using a framework forwarded by Jarvis to understand the geographically embedded “infrastructure of everyday life”, this paper seeks to understand mumpreneurial decision making, choice and constraint. Findings – Spatial factors, in their myriad forms, run through and affect mothers’ different levels of capability and constraint, and thus the (gender-role and entrepreneurial) “choices” that individuals and families make. Placing families in the realities of specific, material locales helps to embed our understandings of these decision-making processes in real places. Originality/value – This discussion: advances new understanding about how space and place enable or constrain mumpreneurship (in particular) and entrepreneurship (more generally); and provides a lens through which to examine the structure/agency dualism in relation to gendered entrepreneurship.

Determining ‘the most economically advantageous tender’ based on capability and fee-percentage criteria

Early involvement of the construction team is increasingly utilized in demanding projects to incorporate versatile expertise in their planning. For public owners this is a challenge since they are obliged to use competitive, transparent team selection based on the ‘most economically advantageous’ criterion which ensures that both price and quality viewpoints are taken into account. In the case of early involvement, the price component naturally does not include the total price, but may consist only of the fee-percentages of competing service providers. This study examines such a selection situation in project alliancing in the European context and seeks to find a way to integrate the fee component in a multi-criteria selection system and determine reasonable fees for different levels of capabilities. The study builds on the performance difference between different capabilities, derived from a survey of practitioners, and determines an indifference curve arithmetically for the planning of a selection method. The influence of the owner‘s risk attitude and risk premiums are also considered exploratively based on the pricing methods of the theory of finance.

Capability Framework for Sustainable Manufacturing of Sports Apparel and Footwear

The sporting goods sector is characterized by large volumes of production, high levels of consumption and short product life cycles resulting in high disposal rates and waste. Manufacturing of sports products is distributed globally through tier-based supply chains and complex logistics systems. Companies within such supply chains have different levels of capability in sustainable manufacturing, which impacts on the sustainability of the overall business. Reducing environmental impacts is of particular concern for companies at present, due to heightened requirements for the reduction of energy and water consumption, waste and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This article describes outcomes of a research project conducted in collaboration with a global sporting goods manufacturer that focused on the development of relevant capabilities across their supply chain for sustainable manufacturing of sports apparel and footwear. The article presents the developed sustainable manufacturing framework and capability assessment results obtained for selected companies within the supply chain of this global manufacturer in Asia.

Innovation capability building and learning mechanisms in latecomer firms: recent empirical contributions and implications for research

This article reviews research in the past 25 years on learning processes as a source of innovation capability building in firms from developing/emerging economies, which are known as latecomers. We find that if latecomer firms make limited efforts to acquire and create the resources required to innovate, they will (1) deepen their innovative capabilities only slowly, if at all; (2) have difficulties crossing discontinuities between different levels of capability; (3) tend to remain locked into forms of ‘follower’ innovation rather than innovating as leaders. This article contributes to expanding our understanding of learning mechanisms in innovation capability building beyond the context of firms from advanced economies, and recommends areas for new research into latecomer learning and innovation capability building. Résumé Cette étude examine la recherche menée dans les 25 dernières années sur les processus d'apprentissage comme une source d'innovation au sein des sociétés des économies émergentes, ou bien, les entrants tardifs. Nous observons que si ces sociétés investissent peu dans l'innovation, elles vont : (1) limiter leur capacité d'innover, (2) rencontrer des difficultés quant à la gestion des différents niveaux de capacité et (3) vont devenir des acteurs passifs et non des leaders d'innovation dans leur domaine. Ce travail contribue à notre compréhension des mécanismes d'apprentissage entraînant la capacité d'innovation au delà du domaine d'économies avancées afin de recommender que plus de recherche soit menée pour traiter des les entrants tardifs et leurs capacités d'innovation.

Social Policies Related to Parenthood and Capabilities of Slovenian Parents

We apply Sen's capability approach to evaluate the capabilities of Slovenian parents to reconcile paid work and family in the context of the transition to a market economy. We examine how different levels of capabilities together affect the work–life balance (WLB) of employed parents. We combine both quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches. The results of our quantitative and qualitative research show that increased precariousness of employment and intensification of work create gaps between the legal and normative possibilities for successful reconciliation strategies and actual use of such arrangements in Slovenia. The existing social policies and the acceptance of gender equality in the sphere of paid work enhance capabilities for reconciliation of paid work and parenthood, whereas the intensification of working lives, the dominance of paid work over other parts of life, and the acceptance of gender inequalities in parental and household responsibilities limit parents’ capabilities to achieve WLB.

Multinational banks from developing versus developed countries: Competing in the same arena?

The emergence of global competitors from developing countries brought back the issue of how Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) from developing countries compete in international markets. As the small number of studies of MNEs from developing countries concentrates on manufacturing firms, this study examines service multinationals by comparing multinational banks (MNBs) from developing and developed countries. Managers' international strategic motivations were measured directly by collecting data on 112 new foreign ventures of banks worldwide. Findings suggest that both MNB groups are motivated to exploit ownership and internalization advantages. However, location motives, location choices and location entries differ which is attributed to different levels of capability. MNBs from developing countries are more likely to follow clients from home whereas MNBs from developed countries are more likely to enter developing countries in search for foreign market opportunities. These findings suggest that currently there is little overlap in international competition among these two groups of MNBs. Findings do not reflect the situation in manufacturing where some MNEs from developing countries became leading international competitors in their industries and therefore, more research should be directed in this area to understand how international service firms should compete internationally and what factors would improve competitiveness.

USER NEEDS AND FINANCIAL REPORTING ? A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE

This paper takes a user needs perspective to analyse the usefulness of past and current systems of financial reporting by local authorities and the National Health Service (NHS). It suggests that attempts to construct a conceptual framework should be more closely aligned to the findings of studies of actual usage of financial reports in both of the sectors. These point to the need for simplified reporting systems which recognise (a) different levels of capability and resource availability to interrogate financial information and (b) the need to articulate with, but decrease total reliance on, the traditional general purpose financial report.

The optimal mix of internal/external engineering staff and equipment with different levels of capability and performance

A mixed integer linear programming model (MILP) that can determine the optimal, strategic mix of internal and external engineers and equipment needed to acquire a new technology capability is presented. The model can also accommodate multilevel engineers and equipment with different performance levels, management project/technology control policies, and a multiperiod horizon. This model can aid engineering managers in the following ways: by helping the manager to recognize the numerous factors and costs that can be considered in this decision problem, by showing the mathematically optimal strategy and accompanying cost, by generating and comparing various alternative strategies, by assessing the effects of different personnel and equipment performance levels, by determining the additional costs (if any) of management's control policies, and by running sensitivity analyses on technology capacity requirements, resource performance levels, and costs. A comprehensive example problem is provided, an optimal solution is obtained, and the results are assessed. Future research extensions are offered. >