Group Of Early Adopters Research Articles

General surgeon's antibiotic stewardship: Climbing the Rogers Diffusion of Innovation Curve-Prospective Cohort Study

IntroductionThe primary aim of this study was to establish concordance of general surgeon's prescribing practice with local IV-oral antibiotic guidelines. The secondary aim was to evaluate the effect of introducing educational antibiotic measures. The Rogers Diffusion of Innovation Model was used to explore the adoption of antibiotic stewardship practices. MethodsIn this prospective, cohort study, data was collected on 100 pre and 100 post awareness intervention programme patients. The educational intervention comprised raising awareness of a) the guidelines b) pre-intervention results c) introducing an IV-oral antibiotic prompt sheet. The concordance with local guidelines was compared between pre- and post-intervention groups using Fisher's Exact Test or Pearson's Chi Test (SPSS Statistics V22). ResultsThe concordance of general surgical doctors with local IV-oral antibiotic guidelines was poor and did not improve significantly following the awareness intervention programme. There was no uptake of the antibiotic prompt sheet. There was a trend towards increase in the number of patients switched from IV to oral antibiotics at 48–72 h and significant increase (p < 0.05) in number of patients with clearly documented intention to review IV antibiotics. ConclusionAntibiotic governance measures failed to inspire even an initial group of innovators to use the antibiotic prompt sheets. It appears educational measures are effective in improving prescribing behavior and intent amongst a group of early adopters, but this fails to reach a critical mass. In order to improve antibiotic governance and embark upon the Rogers Diffusion of Innovation Curve, more must be done to engage general surgical doctors in timely, judicious antibiotic prescribing.

Reexcision Surgery for Breast Cancer: An Analysis of the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) MasterySM Database Following the SSO-ASTRO "No Ink on Tumor" Guidelines.

In February 2014 , the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Society for Radiation Oncology released guidelines standardizing a negative margin after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) as "no ink on tumor" in patients with early-stage invasive cancer. We sought to determine whether reexcision rates after initial BCS decreased after guideline publication, using the ASBrS MasterySM of Breast Surgery Program. Between January 2013 and June 2015, data from the ASBrS MasterySM database was analyzed to determine reexcision rates pre and post guideline publication. Reasons for reexcision were evaluated as were the associations with patient and provider characteristics. Chi square test, Fisher's exact test, Student's t test, ANOVA, and multivariable logistic regression were used as appropriate. All analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS, with p value <0.05 as significant. Among 252 providers, the overall reexcision rate after initial BCS decreased by 3.7% from 20.2 to 16.5% (p<0.001). Notable was a 13.8% decrease (p<0.001) in reexcisions being done for close margins. Of the analyzed physician and patient characteristics the majority of subgroups showed decreases between the two time periods; however, only "Percent Breast Surgery in Practice" was significant. On adjusted analysis, there were no specific patient factors associated with a reduction in reexcision rates. Following the SSO-ASTRO "no ink on tumor" guideline publication, a reduction in overall reexcision rates and reexcision rates for close margins after initial BCS was observed in the ASBrS MasterySM database. More widespread implementation outside this group of early adopters is anticipated with ongoing dissemination.

Identifying and characterizing potential electric vehicle adopters in Canada: A two-stage modelling approach

This article presents a two-stage structural equation modelling and segmentation process to identify likely electric vehicle adopters in Canada. Using a sample of 3505 households who have expressed an interest in the future purchase of an economy car, the paper operationalizes an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour in a structural equation model to quantify the impacts of personal beliefs on individual adoption intention towards electric vehicles. Model results show that attitude, perceived behavioural control, and norms (moral and subjective) have significant direct impacts on behavioural intention, while a household's concern for the environment has an indirect impact. Age, level of employment, and employment status are identified, among other variables, to significantly influence the adoption intention. Collectively, findings indicate that beliefs vary across socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. To best characterize the most likely group of early adopters, we then conduct a Two-Step cluster analysis on households with a high demonstrated intention to adopt EVs. This results in three distinct socio-economic and demographic segments: Typical Early Adopters, Emerging Early Adopters, and Interested Retirees. Each have their own unique socioeconomic and demographic profile. Insights derived from this work can help tailor marketing strategies that are important for accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in the future.

Automated Drilling Technologies Showing Promise

Drilling Automation For the past several years, automated drilling has promised to deliver major improvements in drilling performance. But the technology is facing new obstacles that might affect its progress and commercialization. Global oil prices and an ongoing gas glut have upturned the economics of automated projects, while in North America, human-operated drilling has improved substantially. For Shell, those factors have caused it to scale back or cancel several projects in which automated drilling was to play a key role in the development of thousands of wells. This comes after years of headway the company was making with automated technology. In 2011, Drilling Contractor reported that the first generation of Shell’s automated control system had already shown a 70% improvement in rate of penetration (ROP) in areas where the company was testing the system. However, that figure is no longer relevant as human drillers in the US have narrowed the gap. “What has happened is instead of competing against the average driller in an environment of high activity and scarcity, we are now competing against a pool of extremely talented and accomplished drillers,” said Mark Anderson, manager of drilling mechanics technologies at Shell. “Thus, the bar has been raised for the adoption of drilling automation-type technologies.” Globally, however, there remains significant shortcomings in the capabilities and availability of rig crews, which underpin the need to deliver automation in the near future. Whether the goal is met rests on the shoulders of a small group of early adopters and innovators. If successful, their work will bring about a major departure from how drilling systems are designed and operated today by proving that, with data and algorithms in the driller’s seat, drilling can be made safer, more consistent, and ultimately cheaper by way of reducing nonproductive time (NPT). Some experts foresee a generation of rigs that will operate mostly autonomously. Others predict that in the near future, it is more likely that rigs will be remotely controlled by drillers, geologists, and engineers working, not in the field, but in office buildings and on several wells at once. Some of the systems evolving now aim to turn drillers and rigs into something resembling today’s commercial airliners, whereby many functions of the airplane are automated with pilots able to take control if they need to.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: How individual movement patterns affect battery requirements, the potential to replace conventional fuels, and economic viability

Using GPS data logged for a representative sample of individual vehicles in private use, we assess the viability of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in Sweden for a wide range of techno-economic conditions. We determine requirements for PHEVs with the aid of a simple parameterization used to analyze the GPS data covering number of trips, driving distance per trip, and parking times, logged for 30days or longer, for 432 conventional Swedish cars.Good opportunities for charging and regular distances traveled between rechargings increase the potential for battery-powered driving and, along with a high annual mileage, enhance the viability of the PHEV. Therefore, commuters are likely to be the first drivers for whom the PHEV will be cost-effective. Making charging infrastructure available at work places would enhance the opportunity for this group of early adopters, as we show that charging while at work is comparable at the initial stage to halving the marginal battery costs for the average commuter.

수용자 집단별 혁신제품 확산 및 지속사용의도에 대한 영향

Submitted:July 2, 2014 1 Revision:August 23, 2014 Accepted:August 27, 2014 * 대전대학교 경영대학 무역통상학과 교수 ** 연세대학교 경영대학 교수, 교신저자 *** 연세대학교 경영대학 교수 **** 연세대학교 기술경영협동과정 박사과정 ***** TNS Korea 연구원 The purpose of this study is to examine factors affecting the diffusion and the intention to use, and how these factors differ among adopter categories. A survey was done to analyze the diffusion of smart-phone, the most popular and innovative product nowdays. We collected 197 survey questionnaires from smart-phone user and analyzed the data using SPSS 18.0 and Smart PLS 2.0. PLS (Partial Least Square) analysis was implemented before multiple group-innovator, early adopter, eraly majorityanalysis which is categoriezed by Innovation Diffusion Model of Rogers (1995). The results show that firstly, in innovator group (n=63), the functional and the safety value have significantly positive effect on user satisfaction. In addition, we found that user satisfaction and the brand loyalty are significatly associated with the intention of use. Secondly, in early adopter group (n = 67), the design value has significantly positive effect on user satisfaction and it has significantly positive effect on brand loyalty. Finally, in early majority group (n = 67), the design value has significantly positive effect on the user satisfaction and it has stronger effect on the intention of use and brand loyalty. We conclude this paper with the implication of this study to both academia, business practice, and policy making. Keyword:Diffusion, Intention to Use, Adopter Category, Brand Loyalty, Social Influence 韓國IT서비스學會誌 第13卷 第3號 2014年 9月, pp.25-50 26 Sangyun Han.Sung Joo Bae.Se-Bum Park.Eunjung Ma.Hena Han

Teachers’ Attitudes towards the Use of Educational Technologies and their Individual Innovativeness Categories

In constantly developing and changing era, raising the future generations as knowledge society individuals through the integration of new technologies into educational environments is among the basic goals of instruction. Rapid and easy access to information, and sharing and developing it accompany situations where technology is frequently used in order to make the education process a more quality one. In this study that aims at investigating teacher's attitudes towards educational technologies with regards to their innovativeness levels, Individual Innovativeness Scale and Attitudes towards the Use of Educational Technologies Scale were used as data collecting instruments, and the survey method, one of the descriptive research designs, was utilized. Seven primary schools from different districts in Istanbul were selected through convenience sampling and the scales were applied to 68 teachers. When the results are analyzed, it can be seen that there is a significant and positive relationship between the teacher's innovativeness points and their points related to their attitudes towards the use of educational technologies. In terms of the teacher's individual innovativeness characteristics, it was observed that innovator and early adopter groups had higher points in relation to their attitudes towards the use of educational technologies. It was also found out that there was no significant relationship in relation to the teacher's attitudes towards the use of educational technologies in terms of age variable. It is also among the results that teachers under the age of 51 had lower attitude points compared to the others.

An empirical analysis on technophobia/technophilia in consumer market segmentation

Many factors can affect the success of food product innovations. One such factor is the role played by consumer attitudes and psychological factors, especially the way consumers feel towards technology, their attitude towards risk, and the perceived relationship between nutrition and health. With a view to analysing these factors, this paper first identifies consumer groups using a technophobia/technophilia scale and then relates attitude to technology with purchasing behaviour regarding products which have a higher level of manipulation. A set of statements based on the psychometric scale proposed by Cox and Evans was administered to a sample of 355 individuals intercepted as they left supermarkets and hypermarkets. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were applied to identify groups of homogeneous individuals with regard to the behaviour of the interviewees in relation to technology. Results show the presence of seven different groups, including a small group of convinced technophiles (13% of the sample). This group of early adopters can play an important role in promoting the use of innovative products, thereby contributing to a rapid increase in demand. Moreover, an important aspect was the result with respect to confidence attributed to the media in ensuring correct and unbiased information regarding new food technologies. Many of the respondents judged the media negatively in this respect. However, appropriate use of the media could be an important lever to counteract the attitude of caution or scepticism.

Low-carbon futures and sustainable lifestyles: A backcasting scenario approach

This study suggests a backcasting scenario method for understanding the relevance of lifestyle-level changes in low-carbon futures. Even though different scenario approaches to low-carbon futures have emerged in recent years, the main focus has been on macro-level development and the lifestyle-level change has been neglected. Focusing on changing lifestyles and social innovation, the outcome of this study is four scenarios depicting the path towards low-carbon futures. The purpose of the scenario study is to describe links between the significance of emerging lifestyle patterns and infrastructure, policy and technological development. Despite the normative constraint regarding material footprint, the scenarios offer a diverse set of lifestyle patterns. The study answers the following question: what lifestyle-level changes could have potential to drive the transition towards low-carbon futures that are within planetary boundaries. We suggest that lifestyle-level scenarios on low-carbon society could have an impact in empowering relevant early adopter groups to become gatekeepers of low-carbon transition.

Spatial planning of public charging points using multi-dimensional analysis of early adopters of electric vehicles for a city region

The success of a mass roll out of Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) is largely underpinned by establishment of suitable charging infrastructure. This paper presents a geospatial modelling approach, exploring the potentials for deployment of publicly accessible charging opportunities for consumers based on two traits — one, trip characteristics (journey purpose and destinations); two, PEV adoption intensity. Its applicability is demonstrated through a case study, which combines census statistics indicating lifestyle trends, family size, age group and affordability with travel patterns for an administrative region in the North-East England. Three categories of potential PEV users have been identified — ‘New Urban Colonists’, ‘City Adventurers’ and ‘Corporate Chieftains’. Analysis results indicate that Corporate Chieftains, primarily residing in peri-urban locations, with multi-car ownership and availability of onsite overnight charging facilities form the strongest group of early adopters, irrespective of public charging provision. On the other hand, New Urban Colonists and City Adventurers, primarily residing in the inner-city regions, show potentials of forming a relatively bigger cohort of early PEV adopters but their uptake is found to be dependent largely on public charging facilities. Our study suggests that effective PEV diffusion in city-regions globally would require catering mainly to the demands of the latter group, focussing on development of a purpose-built public charging infrastructure, both for provision of on-street overnight charging facilities in residential locations and for fast charging at parking hubs (park and ride, amenities and commercial centres).

Mobile phone purchase and usage behaviours of early adopter groups in Korea

Recent mobile phones known as smartphones offer a variety of applications, such as Web browsing, entertainment tools, and personal calendar and contact management applications of the type that traditionally run on desktop computers. Some of the reasons why smartphones became popular rapidly in Korea may be related to the adoption by the type of user known as the early adopter. Because the early adopter group played a more crucial role in the area of mass consumption and because the mass market is changing more rapidly than before, this study examines mobile phone purchase and usage behaviours of early adopter groups in Korea in order to gain vital insights into establishing marketing strategies for early adopter groups. In this study, segmentation by means of a factor analysis and cluster analysis is conducted to classify early adopter groups in accordance with their activities, interests, and opinion. Specifically, factor analysis is employed to identify the common characteristics among lifestyle variables, and cluster analysis is then adopted for those factors to classify early adopter groups according to their lifestyles. In addition, we analyse the mobile phone purchase and usage behaviours of early adopter groups in Korea. The results of this study can contribute to the effort to classify early adopter groups while also having implications pertaining to mobile phone vendors and mobile service providers who target early adopters depending on their different characteristics.

Between a Rock and a Cell Phone

Many observers heralded the use of social media during recent political uprisings in the Middle East, even dubbing Iran’s post-election protests a “Twitter Revolution”. The authors seek to put into perspective the use of social media in Egypt during the mass political demonstrations in 2011. We draw on innovation diffusion theory to argue that these media could have had an impact beyond their low adoption rates due to other factors related to the essential role played by social networks in diffusion and the demographics of Internet and social media adoption in Egypt, Tunisia and (to a lesser extent) Iran. To illustrate the argument the authors draw on technology adoption, information use, discussion networks and demographics. They supplement the social media data analysis with survey data collected in June 2011 from an opportunity sample of Egyptian youth. The authors conclude that in addition to the contextual factors noted above, the individuals within Egypt who used Twitter during the uprising have the characteristics of opinion leaders, that is, a group of early adopters with influence throughout their social circles and beyond. These findings contribute to knowledge regarding the use and impact of social media during violent political demonstrations and their aftermath.

Initial reactions to the Woman's Condom by potential user groups in Shanghai, China

BackgroundThe Woman's Condom, a second-generation female condom, is currently being manufactured in China by the Shanghai Dahua Medical Apparatus Company. The manufacturer plans to launch the product in China.MethodsA survey...

The Effect of the Lifestyles of Social Networking Service Users on Luxury Brand Loyalty

Currently, various luxury brand players are beginning to develop their own effective ways of communicating with and introducing their values to customers. Because of its effectiveness, i.e., providing easier access for keeping up with the constantly changing personal needs of customers as well as better economic feasibility in customer relationship management or maximizing customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, social networking services (SNSs) have become the most prominent communication medium for luxury fashion companies. This study focuses on the marketing application potential of SNSs by analyzing their influence on brand loyalty. The field research targeted subjects in their 20s and 30s who have experience with both luxury brands and SNSs. The 331 responses were analyzed by descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, cluster analysis, one-way ANOVA and multiple regression analysis. The results are as follows: First, an SNS could be summarized as having 4 characteristics: interaction, word of mouth, entertainment, and customization. Excluding the entertainment factor, the degree of influence SNS characteristics could exert on brand loyalty could be listed as interaction, WOM, and customization. Second, dividing SNS users into lifestyle groups, our research also examined whether the user's lifestyle affects the degree of SNS influence on brand loyalty. These user groups were the active leisure-oriented group, the ego-expression group, the fashion leader group, and the early adopter group. The active leisure-oriented group had a high proportion of young, high-income earners. Additionally, this group's members tended to use SNSs to check others' information and participate in communities for socialization. The ego-expression group had a higher proportion of females, and its members enjoy updating their pictures and sending personal messages. In addition, they showed a relative openness to disclose private information. The fashion leader group included a high proportion of females in their middle to late 20s and 30s. They possessed self-oriented and appearance-oriented values and stressed privacy. The early adopter group had a balanced ratio of sex and age. They had no aversion to digital equipment and thus actively used SNSs. Third, there were significant differences by user lifestyle in the relationship between SNS characteristics and brand loyalty. Specifically, the active leisure-oriented cluster perceived all SNS characteristics as highly important. The fashion leaders related reliability highly, which seems to result from their tendency to protect their privacy. In addition, all lifestyle groups, excluding the ego-expression group, showed that SNS characteristics had significant effects on brand loyalty. This study analyzed the characteristics of SNSs that act not only as communication tools among humans but also as new spotlighted promotion channels and determined which SNS characteristics influence luxury brand loyalty; therefore, this work also provided basic information for companies when planning social media marketing strategies. In addition, the present study is significant in analyzing SNS users' lifestyle groups to predict consumer behavior toward luxury brands' SNSs and in providing essential data to establish basic target marketing strategies by consumer segmentation.

Name That Murmur — Eponyms for the Astute Auscultician

After the introduction of the stethoscope by Rene Laennec in 1819, the art of auscultation gained traction as a group of early adopters described the heart murmurs they were now able to hear. A race to discover and define ensued. Leading physicians published their new observations, and a robust crop of eponyms was born for use by future generations of physicians and medical trainees. This list of eponymous heart murmurs includes a number of particularly esoteric selections that should satisfy novices and seasoned clinicians alike. Austin Flint Murmur Austin Flint was an American physician practicing in the early and middle . . .

Learning 2.0: a catalyst for library organisational change

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe “what happened” with round two of the implementation of Learning 2.0 with a large and diverse group of library staff at Edith Cowan University (ECU) Library during 2007/2008.Design/methodology/approachA previous paper reported on a study of the suitability of the 23 Things Learning 2.0 program for a small group of early adopters in the ECU Library. This follow‐up paper reports challenges that library management faced when the remaining staff were given the 23 Things Learning 2.0 program. All remaining library staff members were encouraged to undertake the program, but take‐up was not strong and only 25 per cent of staff completed the program. At the conclusion of round two of Learning 2.0, all staff were surveyed to find out reasons for completion or non‐completion, what types of technologies they needed support with, and how they wished to learn about the emerging/Web 2.0 technologies.FindingsFrom the observations and survey responses in this study it was found that while Learning 2.0 was a suitable program, some staff required extra time and a more hands‐on approach to their workplace learning.Originality/valueThe paper is unique in that it follows up on previous research at the same institution, and reveals new findings.

The Effects of Cultural Values in Word-of-Mouth Communication

When new products and brands are introduced into other cultures, the speed and extent of the product's acceptance are important concerns for marketers. The spread of positive word of mouth (WOM) and the lack of negative WOM about the product or brand by early adopter groups are critical to the product's successful diffusion in a population. This is the first study to investigate the effects of consumers’ cultural values on their WOM behavior. Data analysis from two samples indicates that the pattern, type, and target receivers of consumers’ WOM activity depend on their cultural values. The authors use Hofstede's four cultural dimensions to test the effects of cultural values on WOM behavior to social in- and out-groups. They find that all four dimensions have significant effects on WOM engagement to those groups. Although the authors could not determine the causal nature of the relationships because of the sample design used, they argue that marketers should monitor the cultural values of their market to anticipate in- and out-group discussions and the choice of appropriate brand communication strategies in other countries.

The Practice Doctorate: Perspectives of Early Adopters

The emergence of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree is being described as a disruptive innovation that is altering the landscape of nursing and health care and creating a great deal of controversy within and beyond the profession of nursing. This article proposes that the DNP is actually the natural evolution of a larger disruptive innovation begun in the late 1960s with the advent of nurse practitioner programs. As expected with disruptive innovations, many challenges face those who are early adopters and who forge ahead during the early phase of innovation and later during the upmarketing phase. As faculty and administrators of one of the early, second-generation DNP programs, the authors are fully aware of ongoing discussion and issues related to the practice doctorate. This article shares the experiences of this group of early adopters and their insights into controversies surrounding the DNP movement.

Invited commentary

Invited commentary

Wearable computing goes live in industry

Explores field deployments of wearable pervasive computers, looking to, understand their operational characteristics and gain insight into deployment issues. We study one characteristic group of early adopters among mobile knowledge workers who construct, maintain, and repair technically complex, costly systems such as ships, airliners, and telecommunication networks. While this type of application is far from the only way to use wearable computers, significant and successful field deployments of this kind have emerged.