High Technology Environment Research Articles

Healthcare professionals' experiences of situations during a procedure with a child with autism spectrum disorder in the high-technology environment.

High technological environments can be challenging for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), because they can be sensitive to new environments, new faces and changes in daily routines. Those children are frequent visitors in those settings, and due to their heightened healthcare needs and their comorbidities, it could constitute a challenge for healthcare professionals to encounter those children. Exploring the healthcare professionals' experiences can contribute to facilitate the procedure for a child with ASD. A qualitative descriptive retrospective design with a critical incident technique has been used to capture the situations. Twenty healthcare professionals were interviewed about situations affecting the procedure in the high-technology environments, defined as anaesthesia and radiology departments. The findings revealed both favourable situations and unfavourable situations affecting the procedure in the high-technology environment. The situations described by the healthcare professionals often involved their interactions with the child and the parents. The interactions were influenced by the parents' attitudes to the procedure and also the healthcare professionals and the parents' different expectations on the procedure. Other experiences described by the healthcare professionals were the unpredictability in different situations. Those situations were related to the child's unpredictable behaviour in those environments and also to the unpredictable effect of premedication provided to the child. Moreover, the result revealed the organizational prerequisites for facilitating a procedure, such as not feeling any time pressure when leading a child through a procedure. Interactions between healthcare professionals, children with ASD and parents in the high-technology environment are complex. Unpredictability characterizes situations when leading a child with ASD through a procedure. This place demands on the healthcare professional, the environment and the organization.

Addressing Patient-Centered Care Through Mindful Listening and Mentalizing in Psychiatry.

This 21st-Century Psychiatrist column reflects the authors' perceptions of the importance of addressing patient-centered care through mindful listening and mentalizing in psychiatry. The authors maintain that adopting a mentalizing stance is a promising approach for clinicians with diverse backgrounds to humanize clinical practice, especially in today's dynamic high-speed, high-paced, and high-technology environment. Mindful listening and mentalizing are particularly consequential for the field of psychiatry since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted an abrupt transition from in-person to virtual platforms for education and clinical care.

The role of Design Science Research Methodology in developing pharmacy eHealth services.

The increasing focus on efficiency of care has prompted health systems to look for innovative solutions that yield maximum value for care. Integration of care and eHealth are seen as the most promising solutions in the high technological environment of the coming decades. Pharmacy services have been developed to a point where the face of community pharmacy has changed dramatically. Thus, service design and implementation has become an area of increased attention by Pharmacy practice researchers, and the arrival of eHealth concepts to Pharmacy is driving the need to find alternative ways to design new services. Moreover, known barriers and challenges remain when securing integration of pharmacy services with the health systems. In this paper, Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM), a user-centered alternative methodology to the design, development and implementation of health services, especially eHealth services, is presented. This alternative, originally from the Information Sciences field, has been adopted as a service design methodology in diverse settings, including health care. Here, case studies are used to explain how a DSRM process should be conducted in a health care setting, illustrating what methods to choose in each step of the process. Finally, the advantages of DSRM compared to other user-centered methodologies for service design are presented, hopefully prompting the discussion on the use of DSRM for the study of the implementation and sustainability of pharmacy services.

Nurse anesthetists’ reflections and strategies when supervising master's students

ObjectiveThe objective was to describe registered nurse anesthetists’ reflections and strategies in relation to supervision of specialist nursing students in anesthetic care. BackgroundIn anesthesiology care, registered nurse anesthetists work with advanced care in a high-technology environment. The complexity of working with production requirements, time pressure and patient safety creates great challenges. Registered nurse anesthetists have a unique position and are responsible for the patient’s life during surgery. At the same time, they must supervise students without risking patient safety. Little research to date has focused on the clinical supervisory role in this context. DesignA qualitative design was used. MethodsThe data were collected in 2018 from qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of twelve student registered nurse anesthetists from a large hospital in Sweden. The data were analyzed using content analysis. ResultsThe results demonstrated that the dual role of registered nurse anesthetist and supervisor was experienced as satisfying, important and promoting development, although it also involved several challenges. Creating opportunities for supervision and learning in perioperative care improved supervisors’ prerequisites for supporting students and helping them develop. Being a supervisor was also rewarding, and given the interplay with students, supervision was viewed as a process of mutual growth. ConclusionBy focusing on students and their learning, we can help produce well-qualified registered nurse anesthetists who have positive experiences of the workplace and who want to stay in their profession.

The Critical Role of Morale in Ukraine’s Fight against the Russian Invasion

The role of morale, also known as esprit de corps, in a high technology environment of the 21st century warfare, is poorly understood. The purpose of the study is to seek evidence for the proposition that the Ukraine’s population and military forces morale has neutralized the asymmetric difference in the military force of the two countries. The academic and practical implications have the potential to refocus military practice. An exploratory qualitative research method using theoretical sampling was used in this study. The study finds significant evidence for high morale as a balancing factor in the asymmetric differences of Russia and Ukraine, which explains Ukraine’s success against greatly superior enemy.

Structural and contextual approaches to ambidexterity: A meta-analysis of organizational and environmental contingencies

This meta-analysis examines the conditions under which structural and contextual approaches help balance exploration and exploitation. Drawing on heterogeneous samples of prior ambidexterity studies, we apply moderated meta-analytic regression methods to 33,492 organizations sampled in 114 primary studies from 1991 to 2017 to test a contingency model. Our findings suggest that structural separation helps firms of all sizes to balance exploration and exploitation, and that structural separation is more conducive for balancing exploration and exploitation in high technology environments. Also, avoiding a structural separation approach benefits service firms. As research on ambidexterity enters the maturity stage we discuss the implications for future theory development, methodology, and for managers interested in developing ambidextrous organizations.

Reality on the Screen: The Subject of the Dystopian Future/Present. Thoughts on episode “Fifteen Million Merits” of Black Mirror

Currently one of the most controversial and intriguing science fiction series on television, Black Mirror (Channel 4, Zeppotron, 2011–present) gained worldwide popularity through dealing with the issues of technologically-driven society of the near future. The levels of similarity and dissimilarity with contemporary Western society are carefully balanced in order to make a significant cognitive and psychological impact on viewers. This paper focuses on analyses of the second episode from the first season, titled “Fifteen Million Merits”. In it, people spend most of their days in an automated, high technology environment, surrounded by video screens. Their attention is focused mainly on performing one rather mundane task (cycling on stationary bicycles), and their sparse interpersonal relationships are also carried out through a particular kind of social network. The screens are also the source of fulfillment of individuals’ consumerist and diversionist leanings. Having in mind the theorization of the subject in cyber-space and screen as an interface, as well as questions that emerge from the field of contemporary media ecology, the primary objective of this article is to investigate the complex relations between human subjects and their virtual realities, the entertainment industry, and communication technologies. Article received: March 30, 2018; Article accepted: May 10, 2018; Published online: October 15, 2018; Original scholarly paper How to cite this article: Radovanović, Bojana. "Reality on the Screen: The Subject of the Dystopian Future/Present. Thoughts on episode “Fifteen Million Merits” of Black Mirror." AM Journal of Art and Media Studies 17 (2018): 103−112. doi: 10.25038/am.v0i17.275

A new framework to assess industry convergence in high technology environments

The process of convergence, from science and technology convergence to that of markets as well as entire industries can be witnessed in a range of different high technology environments such as IT and NanoBiotech. Although this phenomenon has been subject of analysis in an increasing number of studies, the notion of industry convergence – the final step of a full convergence process - still lacks a common definition. The missing conceptual definition of what industry convergence really is and how it can be assessed impedes both analyses and monitoring - let alone its anticipation. To address the missing conceptual definition of the final step in convergence, this paper seeks to develop a framework based on novel indicators that enable identifying and monitoring trends of industry convergence in high technology environments. Building on indicators in the domain of collaboration, a framework, which distinguishes different stages and types of industry convergence is developed. Subsequently, the newly developed framework is empirically illustrated in the area of stationary energy storage based on publicly available data. To this end, the full text database Nexis is used to conduct a search in news reports on collaborations in the domain of stationary energy storage. The study contributes to the growing body of convergence literature by providing a novel framework allowing the identification of not only industry convergence as the final step of the convergence process but also the classification of its type. Practical implications include an orientation for companies in converging environments on when and how to close the resulting technology and market competence gaps.

Industry 4.0: Transforming Economy Through Value Added

The article presents the changes that innovations of industrial revolutions have provoked in manufacturing technologies and economic structural and functional relationships. It is concluded that every major industrial revolution (for example, the First and Third Revolutions) was followed by a subsequent technical revolution (respectively, the Second and Fourth Revolutions), which expands the innovation business potential and determines a new pathway for the economic theory development. The deployment of the technological achievements of the Information Revolution provokes the emergence of the digital revolution ?Industry 4.0. Due to added value, the digitalization brings out the economic relations into a quality new dimension and transforms economic theory, business models and competitive environment. The high-technological digital environment of the Industry 4.0 achieves simultaneous horizontal and vertical integration and automation of the value chain and value added chain. In the conditions of respecting the requirements of eco-design and clean production, Industry 4.0 involves consumer into the production process and overcomes the scarcity of resources and goods. In this digital high-technological environment, marginal utility theory loses her actuality. The transformations of economic structure and relationships in Industry 4.0 focus on innovations and increase in value added.

Innovativeness and Information Processes in the High-Tech Environment

PURPOSE/THESIS: The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship among modernization, innovativeness, and information processes in high-technology environments, and provide recommendations on boosting innovativeness, taking the informational dimension of innovation into account. Currently, knowledge and innovations have become the driving force of the world development. It is claimed that innovativeness, as opposed to inventiveness, can be subject to planning and management and as such is usually developed mostly in high-tech organizations and enterprises. APROACH/METHODS: The method enabling high-tech organizations to create favorable conditions in order to boost innovativeness and develop innovations includes, inter alia: (i) encouraging such organizations and companies to build points of bifurcations within their own structures and business processes where free creative thoughts and experiments could happen; (ii) integrating main information systems that support innovativeness (e.g. systems dealing with company products and know-how, human resources, knowledge management, customer relationships management, and crowdsourcing). The corporate portal seems to be the most appropriate place for such integration, (iii) tapping into the model of open innovation and (iv) offering mobile access to corporate resources. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of the research is the outline of a methodology for boosting innovativeness in high-tech environments that may help company managers and decision makers to organize innovation projects. ORIGNALITY/VALUE: The value of the research consists in the recognition of the fact that innovation within the high-tech environment needs to be organized, managed and provided with a reliable information support. The latter can be achieved with the integration of various information processes related to the implementation of innovation projects within a corporate portal.

Fit or fitting in: deciding against normal when reproducing the future

‘Normal’ is a contentious term. Descriptively, ‘normal’ represents ‘what is’ as a statistical average. However, the term also represents normative or prescriptive content about what is ‘right’ or ‘what should be’. Correspondingly, abnormality is a deviation from the norm. It is both a factual exception to the average and a value judgement about what is a ‘wrong’ state of being. Pursuing ‘normal’ or deciding against it can be a defining moment in the high technology environment of assisted reproduction. Here, we explore notions of normalcy articulated through legal and policy regimes around screening and testing of gamete and embryo donors. We draw on the work of disability scholars and the diversity of responses to the idea of normal that were registered by four women interviewed in our studies. Three of the interviewees had used or were intending to use donated gametes and the fourth had intended to donate her embryos. We demonstrate how the choice of a particular donor may reveal ingrained or structural prejudice that reconstructs difference as disability. Equally, however, it may reveal a multitude of ways in which difference or deviation from a normative standard is incorporated as a normal part of family formation.

Innovation in Nursing and Midwifery Education and Research

Currently, all professions are using information communication technology (ICT) innovations that are transforming the 21st century learning environment. Nursing and midwifery need to use ICT to provide evidence based care and acquire new skills to function efficiently in high impact technology environments. Business and community partnership will enhance an uptake and assist in mapping out programs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss innovative initiatives: blended learning, massive open online courses, simulation and embracing technology in a community oriented, primary care outreach program design. In addition, innovations in nursing research are discussed through the lens of chronic disease, the major cause of disability and death throughout the world. Innovations in nursing research are centered in three areas – study design, nursing theory and the use of technology. Keywords: nursing education, technology, simulation, nursing research, chronic disease

The Boundary Evolution of Start-up R&D Firms

This paper examines how start-up R&D firms shape organizational boundaries and evolution under the influence of upstream technological uncertainty and internal complementary capabilities. Start-up R&D firms are often located in the upstream industry value chain. Upstream technological uncertainty and internal downstream and fund-raising capabilities may affect their boundaries. This article integrates insights from property rights, complementary capability and real options to explore firm boundary choices, including equity-based property rights sharing (initial public offering (IPO) and equity property-rights shared licensing), and vertical and horizontal boundary expansion (equity property-rights shared vertical or horizontal mergers and acquisitions). We argue that equity property rights sharing may be regarded as a source of fund-raising and partnership incentives to obtain complementary capability for reducing uncertainty. Under high upstream technological uncertainty environment, start-up R&D firms without complementary capabilities may share their minority equity-based property rights to raise capital through an IPO and tend towards minority equity property-rights shared licensing. As technical and internal downstream uncertainty is decreased, R&D firms may shift from vertical integration to complementary horizontal boundary expansion through equity property rights shared mergers (horizontal merger of equals). Furthermore, R&D firms may gradually create their innovation ecosystem to develop into global corporations. The evolution of R&D firm boundary is exemplified by Biogen Idec, Gilead Sciences, and Genentech, the top three biopharmaceutical firms around the world.

Nursing care in a high-technological environment: Experiences of critical care nurses

Management of technical equipment, such as ventilators, infusion pumps, monitors and dialysis, makes health care in an intensive care setting more complex. Technology can be defined as items, machinery and equipment that are connected to knowledge and management to maximise efficiency. Technology is not only the equipment itself, but also the knowledge of how to use it and the ability to convert it into nursing care. The aim of this study is to describe critical care nurses' experience of performing nursing care in a high technology healthcare environment. Qualitative, personal interviews were conducted during 2012 with eight critical care nurses in the northern part of Sweden. Interview transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Three themes with six categories emerged. The technology was described as a security that could facilitate nursing care, but also one that could sometimes present obstacles. The importance of using the clinical gaze was highlighted. Nursing care in a high technological environment must be seen as multi-faceted when it comes to how it affects CCNs' experience. The advanced care conducted in an ICU could not function without high-tech equipment, nor could care operate without skilled interpersonal interaction and maintenance of basal nursing. That technology is seen as a major tool and simultaneously as a barrier to patient-centred care.

English

The main purpose of this study is to find out the causality relationships between the strategic management of technology (SMOT) objects in the selected Iranian high technology companies, based on the balanced scorecard (BSC) and fuzzy logic approaches. Evaluations of critical technological indicators in the selected high technology-based companies illustrated they have used different cognitive procedures in their strategic management of technology studies, which have previously been discussed throughout the SMOT literature. Technology strategy maps try to make convergences between the objects of SMOT using benefits of the technology balanced scorecard (TBSC) in the high technology environment. Technology strategy maps empower high technology companies in both technology and business areas, based on the four perspectives of proposed TBSC. The first step in our evaluations is based on-field studies questionnaires responded to by 150 personnel from different industries. The next step is based on the empirical collected data from 24 high technology companies; causal and effect relationship analysis between each of these objects was calculated and mapped using the fuzzy cognitive map (FCM). Obtained fuzzy cognitive strategy map (FCSM) simply explains the causality relationships between the objects of the SMOT, which were not well understood in the traditional technology strategy maps.   Keywords: Strategy maps, high technology, SMOT, BSC, FCM, FCSM. &nbsp

Lead user intelligence for complex product development: the case of industrial IT-security solutions

Nowadays, the lead user method is a state of the art method used to generate breakthrough innovations for the new product development. Since the lead user method was successfully applied in generating simple products for business–to–business environments, the contribution of lead users in a complex product environment is highly controversial. This research adopts this to generate future complex IT–security solutions for business–to–business environments in the energy sector. The combined approach of lead user intelligence and voice of the customer techniques is expected to lower the risk of an unreliable product development and to fasten the lead user method. The empirical findings show an appropriate lead user method fitting small– and medium–sized enterprises (SMEs) restricted resources and requirements of effective research and development processes in a high–technology environment. It further enables SMEs to specify and parameterise future products according to reliable and user verified data within development processes.

A Tale of Three Tensions: Changes in Decision Making After Information Shocks

High technology environments are characterized by information shocks, which require decision makers to confront the agility- routine tradeoff and be discerning about the applicability of new information. Furthermore, heterogeneity among decision makers may influence their reaction to the information shocks. We examine the response to information shocks in the empirical context of coronary stenting by physicians in light of new information about their efficacy released through medical guidelines. Using within-subject estimates before and after an exogenous information shock on a census of patient admissions into hospitals in the State of Florida from 2001 to 2010, preliminary findings show that, as might be expected, doctors incorporate new information in their decision making. However, findings also suggest that physicians update routines slowly, favoring moderate changes in behavior over agile responses to new information. Moreover, these preliminary estimations suggest that physicians whose routines hav...

The breath of life – Womens' experiences of breathing adapted radiation therapy

PurposeTo describe and analyze how women with breast cancer experience breathing adapted radiation therapy (BART) and to explore how women manage daily radiation therapy. MethodIndividual interviews were conducted with 20 women treated with BART for breast cancer concerning their perception of radiation therapy. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results‘The breath of life’ was the overall theme, as the women experienced the breathing as a way in which to influence their treatment and thus their survival. ‘Participating in one's treatment, for good or ill’, was the main category with four subcategories, ‘Knowing one has done something good’, ‘Getting an extra bonus – healthwise’, ‘The experience of being in control’ and ‘Being in a high-technology environment’. The breathing technique became the strategy by which they could manage their treatment and gave them a sense of participation which led to a feeling of being in control. The women also felt that breathing benefited their health both mentally and physically. The high-technology environment was experienced as both hopeful and frightening. ConclusionSurvival or increasing the chances of survival, are of ultimate importance for a woman with breast cancer. BART requires commitment from the women, which was perceived as offering them an opportunity to participate in their own treatment, for their survival. Increasing the women's possibilities to participate in their treatment benefits their health and welfare during an otherwise turbulent time and allow the rehabilitation process to start during treatment.

Bringing to Market Technological Innovation: What Distinguishes Success from Failure

Commercialization is a critical step in technological innovation. Nevertheless, many scholars believe that it is often the least well-managed activity of the whole innovation process. The launch stage seems to be particularly critical in high-technology markets because of the volatility, interconnectedness and the proliferation of new technologies they experience. However, academic and practitioners' literature has not, so far, developed a clear understanding of the factors that distinguish an effective commercialization from an unsuccessful one, especially in high-technology environments. This paper discusses the results of a research project that aimed to understand the ingredients for success in the commercialization of a technological innovation. The first stage of the research consisted of a comparative historical analysis of 18 innovations, which were commercialized in consumer high-tech markets in the last 30 years. The analysis advocates that an effective commercialization comprises three sub-strategies: Early adoption strategy, Adoption network configuration strategy and Mainstream adoption strategy, with each one characterized by a coherent set of commercialization dimensions. The relative importance of each sub-strategy in determining the innovation commercial success depends on the type of innovation that is commercialized, be it radical or incremental and discontinuous or continuous.

BOOK REVIEW: "Handbook of Research on Techno-Entrepreneurship", Edited by Francois Therin

Entrepreneurship is described as one of the critical aspects of managing innovation and technology. It is the entrepreneurs who find the courage and take all kinds of risks to commercialize inventions. Therefore it is critical to understand key success factors at all levels. This book primarily documents what the authors call as the early research on exploring entrepreneurship in high technology environments. So it is a good resource for researchers interested in this field. I would recommend it to those who want to get a quick ramp up on this topic. The book has five parts. The first part introduces how entrepreneurship is different in technology environments. This section really identifies the major actors in the process of technology transfer including universities, government and the industry as well the phases of the process. There is also a section focusing on the relationships of the entrepreneurs exploring the phenomenon. The second part explores variations in the process through multiple case studies. Cases include corporations fostering this behavior to avoid any impacts of disruptive technologies. The third part builds upon what was presented in the second part by additional cases including university business incubators and spin off companies. The last two parts provide industry specific cases. One parts focuses on e-entrepreneurship which really focuses on building new businesses in the digital world of internet. The other part on the other hand focuses on biotechnology. Overall the book is a good resource for those who are starting to learn about the commercialization of technologies. It would be a good text book for such graduate classes. I am thinking about using this book for the “Technology Transfer” class I am teaching. The class is a core class for Ph.D students and I believe the book encourages a good mix of discussion on this topic.