Major Technological Changes Research Articles

A discrete choice framework for modeling and forecasting the adoption and diffusion of new transportation services

Major technological and infrastructural changes over the next decades, such as the introduction of autonomous vehicles, implementation of mileage-based fees, carsharing and ridesharing are expected to have a profound impact on lifestyles and travel behavior. Current travel demand models are unable to predict long-range trends in travel behavior as they do not entail a mechanism that projects membership and market share of new modes of transport (Uber, Lyft, etc.). We propose integrating discrete choice and technology adoption models to address the aforementioned issue. In order to do so, we build on the formulation of discrete mixture models and specifically Latent Class Choice Models (LCCMs), which were integrated with a network effect model. The network effect model quantifies the impact of the spatial/network effect of the new technology on the utility of adoption. We adopted a confirmatory approach to estimating our dynamic LCCM based on findings from the technology diffusion literature that focus on defining two distinct types of adopters: innovator/early adopters and imitators. LCCMs allow for heterogeneity in the utility of adoption for the various market segments i.e. innovators/early adopters, imitators and non-adopters. We make use of revealed preference (RP) time series data from a one-way carsharing system in a major city in the United States to estimate model parameters. The data entails a complete set of member enrollment for the carsharing service for a time period of 2.5years after being launched. Consistent with the technology diffusion literature, our model identifies three latent classes whose utility of adoption have a well-defined set of preferences that are significant and behaviorally consistent. The technology adoption model predicts the probability that a certain individual will adopt the service at a certain time period, and is explained by social influences, network effect, socio-demographics and level-of-service attributes. Finally, the model was calibrated and then used to forecast adoption of the carsharing system for potential investment strategy scenarios. A couple of takeaways from the adoption forecasts were: (1) placing a new station/pod for the carsharing system outside a major technology firm induces the highest expected increase in the monthly number of adopters; and (2) no significant difference in the expected number of monthly adopters for the downtown region will exist between having a station or on-street parking.

Divergence in the evolution of Paleolithic symbolic and technological systems: The shining bull and engraved tablets of Rocher de l'Impératrice.

The development of the Azilian in Western Europe 14,000 years ago is considered a “revolution” in Upper Paleolithic Archaeology. One of the main elements of this rapid social restructuring is the abandonment of naturalistic figurative art on portable pieces or on cave walls in the Magdalenian in favor of abstract expression on small pebbles. Recent work shows that the transformation of human societies between the Magdalenian and the Azilian was more gradual. The discovery of a new Early Azilian site with decorated stones in France supports this hypothesis. While major changes in stone tool technology between the Magdalenian and Azilian clearly mark important adaptive changes, the discovery of 45 engraved schist tablets from archaeological layers at Le Rocher de l’Impératrice attests to iconographic continuity together with special valorization of aurochs as shown by a “shining” bull depiction. This evidence suggests that some cultural features such as iconography may lag far behind technological changes. We also argue that eventual change in symbolic expression, which includes the later disappearance of figurative art, provides new insight into the probable restructuring of the societies.

Applying Benefits Management to the Implementation of a Copy Point

We live in a macroeconomic period which is impacted by major technological changes. Organizations continue to invest heavily in new Information Systems and Information Technology (IS/IT) as a vehicle to increase productivity and add value to their business. Investment in IS/IT is not only acquiring technology, but above all investing in change. Difficulties in justifying investments in IS/IT are often the cause for uncertainty regarding expected benefits and are often identified as being one of the most critical management issues. In the literature, it is common to find reports about IS/IT investments that failed to achieve the expected results and benefits. Benefits Management approach (BM) tries to overcome this gap through a management process cycle that enhances the potential benefits from the planned use of IS/IT. In the authors' case study, BM was applied to an IS/IT initiative that radically changed the way an internal printing process is carried out, with the added advantage of producing greater environmental and economic sustainability. This study also shows that the application of BM can contribute to increasing the degree of benefits realization and value from investments in IS/IT initiatives.

Challenges in IT security preparedness exercises: A case study

The electric power industry is currently implementing major technological changes in order to achieve the goal of smart grids. However, these changes are expected to increase the susceptibility of the industry to IT security incidents. IT security preparedness exercises are not commonly performed in the electric power industry, even though this industry is considered part of society's critical infrastructure. Resolving an IT security incident requires inter-departmental collaborations between various categories of personnel, and to successfully achieve this, training is required. The process of preparing a response to incidents enhances the nature of collaboration, coordination, and communication within an organization. Our objective is to understand the challenges faced when performing IT security preparedness exercises, as challenges experienced during these exercises affect the response process during a real incident. By improving the exercises, the response capabilities would be strengthened accordingly. We have designed a multiple-case study with six teams in three organizations. We collected data by performing semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and from process artifacts. We identified six main challenges involving team composition and external expert involvement, goal definition, documentation, and time management. In summary, there are many ways of conducting preparedness exercises. Therefore, organizations need to both optimize current exercise practices and experiment with new ones in order to ensure continuous learning and improvement; hence, they can be adequately prepared to respond to IT security incidents.

The legend about sailing ship effects – Is it true or false? The example of cleaner propulsion technologies diffusion in the automotive industry

The global automotive industry is faced with major technological change in the field of propulsion systems. Due to low carbon emission regulations and a rising societal demand for sustainability, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are forced to innovate either in the conventional technology or in the technological alternatives such as electric drives or fuel cells. However, OEMs are only marginally switching to electromobility so far, but rather incrementally innovating traditional technologies. This behaviour can be described as sailing ship effect which contains the reaction of an old technology to a new technology by fostering innovation in the old technology. Firstly, the present study contributes to the discussion in literature on the sailing ship effect by combining its underlying ideas and consequences with the rationales of path dependence to demonstrate that such a behaviour may be individually economical rational. Based on these considerations, we respond to the call for further empirical investigation of the sailing ship effect. We show patent-based evidence that there has been a temporary sailing ship effect in the automotive industry concerning traditional and emerging propulsion systems and discuss implications for corporate technology strategy and policy.

Why firm size matters: investigating the drivers of innovation and economic performance in New Zealand using the Business Operations Survey

ABSTRACTThe performance of the New Zealand (NZ) economy is something of an enigma. Although ranked one (of 144 countries) for four important ‘growth fundamentals’ NZ is ‘middle of the pack’ when it comes to economic growth, productivity and process innovation. Using four iterations (2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011) of the Business Operations Survey, this research seeks to shed some new light on this conundrum by using a multivariate probit regression (mvprobit) approach applied to pooled samples in excess of 22,000 unit record observations of NZ firms. The results suggest that factors including firm size, high perceived quality, investment/research and development (R&D) capability, major technology change, application of formal IP protection and new export markets are systematically and positively related to innovation; while many external issues, such as those related to geography, market structure, business environment, have little influence. At the firm level, innovations in NZ are highly dependent on the firms’ internal ability to develop new technologies and market demand. The (very small) size of firms does matter in NZ, which lacks a major ‘home market’ or a major trade block on its doorstep, such that ultimately, government may need to be involved to maintain a viable scale for domestic R&D.

Impact of change readiness on commitment to technological change, focal, and discretionary behaviors

Purpose– Commitment to change (C2C), focal and discretionary behaviors are under-researched areas in the context of developing countries such as Pakistan. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of change readiness on employee’s C2C, focal and discretionary behaviors when controlling for gender, qualification, experience, and marital status. In addition, the goal of this study is to determine whether the three-component model of Herscovitch and Meyer (2002) may also be applied in the private manufacturing companies of Karachi (Pakistan).Design/methodology/approach– A sample of 205 fulltime employees having administrative and managerial responsibilities in the manufacturing operations is drawn from the manufacturing companies of Karachi undergoing major technological change. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are used to evaluate the reliability and validity of the measurement model. Besides, hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling in AMOS version 22.Findings– The standardized estimates of SEM revealed a very good model fit between the structural model and the sample drawn using different modification indices. The results show that appropriateness has significant positive impact on affective C2C and negative impact on continuance C2C when controlling for gender, qualification, and experience. Moreover, affective C2C has significant positive impact on compliance behavior. However, the continuance C2C has significant negative impact and normative C2C has significant positive impact on cooperation when controlling for marital status. The findings may be generalized on other private manufacturing organizations of Karachi.Originality/value– This study is one of the first to empirically establish a relationship among change readiness, C2C and active/passive change-related behaviors in the private manufacturing companies of Pakistan. One of the important theoretical contributions of the study is that the three-component model which has been empirically tested in various socio-economic settings in the Western context and in a Pakistani public sector organization may also be employed in the private manufacturing organizations of Pakistan. In particular, with respect to research instrument of “readiness for change” scale, it is also argued that the scale of the fourth dimension (i.e. personally beneficial) needs major revision by adding five to seven Likert-scale items having good content validity and high internal consistency of the measuring scale in the Pakistani context.

Customer Co-Creation and Exploration of Emerging Technologies: The Mediating Role of Managerial Attention and Initiatives

Prior research has emphasized the importance of organizational focus on exploratory behavior in response to the emergence of a revolutionary core technology and the associated uncertainties. The question of why some organizations are more successful than others at realizing and reacting to such a need has not yet been fully addressed. In particular, empirical evidence on the effects of customer orientation on the effectiveness of organizational responses to major technological changes is somewhat mixed. We develop and test a theoretical argument in which we emphasize an indirect link between customer involvement in innovation processes and exploratory behavior in emerging technology fields. In so doing, first we illustrate the part played by two managerial factors — attention to the technology and the introduction of non-routine organizational adaptations — in enabling exploratory activities such as experimentation and search for unfamiliar knowledge in a new technology field. Second, we discuss how customer co-creation contributes to both of these managerial factors and, consequently, indirectly stimulates exploratory behavior in these conditions. We provide empirical support for our related theoretical framework by means of six case studies and a survey among 131 companies that were adopting a similar emerging technology; i.e., Cloud computing.

Reconsidering the MSA to LSA transition at Taforalt Cave (Morocco) in the light of new multi-proxy dating evidence

Amongst the least well-defined periods in North African prehistoric archaeology is the interval between ∼40 and 20 ka BP. This encompasses a phase (or phases) of major technological change which archaeologists describe as the MSA (Middle Stone Age) to LSA (Later Stone Age) transition. The nature of this transition is complicated by the fact that few sites spanning this period have been the object of modern scientific study. Two exceptions are the caves of Taforalt (Morocco) and the Haua Fteah (Libya) which have each been systematically excavated in the last decade and have yielded datable sequences that provide fresh light on the nature of the transition. In this paper we describe the results of new work at Taforalt and suggest that considerable variation exists across the region, in comparison with sites like the Haua Fteah. Initial results are also given on the rich charred plant remains (likely food residues) and wood charcoal evidence from the younger MSA layers dating to ∼27 ka BP.

Design and Development of Smart Landline Using 3D Printing Technique

In today’s workplace be it office or home, telephones are indispensable entity, since telecommunication is a crucial and growing part of any work. However, using a traditional telephone handset often involves strenuous movement and unnatural postures such as cradling the handset between neck and shoulder, and having to stretch to reach for things. Research in office workplace ergonomics clearly indicates that use of a classic telephone handset by office workers is a major source of work-related neck and back pain. Spending prolonged periods of time on the telephone can often lead to musculoskeletal disorder like chronic neck, shoulder and upper back pain disorders. While these may seem as unimportant issues but in the long run they can potentially permanent damage to the tendons, muscles, tissues, nerves and supporting structure. Ergonomically poorly designed phone contributes to musculoskeletal symptoms. The paper at hand focuses on regeneration or modification of hand held equipment (in this case: a landline phone’s receiver) using Reverse Engineering. The regeneration is made taking into consideration the Ergonomic factors such as grip comfort and wrist strain due to prolonged usage. The modifications were done so as to incorporate major technological changes, such as converting the obsolete landline phone into a smart landline phone. After making all changes, the new product was manufactured using 3D printing machine ProJet460 installed at JMI, New Delhi. The prototype was then compared to the original model on dimensional accuracy, grip comfort and wrist strain and its advantages, disadvantages and limitations were noted.

Computers assisted instruction in refining the quality of teaching and learning

real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers.Above said line by Sydney J. Harris appropriately depict that inventions of computers have brought a major technological change in our life. The teacher is responsible for introducing concepts to in class and scheduling topics for review and practice, which will work on at instructional terminals Daily reports, inform the teacher of each student's performance and progress.Accepted teaching and learning practices have undergone changes of revolutionary proportions in recent years. These changes are evident in situations as diverse as early childhood teaching, university physics teaching and workplace training. They have been underpinned by shifts in psychological and pedagogical theory, the most recent of which fit broadly under the heading of constructivism. Computer is a fast and accurate data manipulating device that accepts and stores data and produces a meaningful result under the stored set of instructions provided in the programme. It is a device which is derived from human intelligence. It is not an extremely fast information processing machine which, neither processes intelligence of its own nor has any thinking, arguing or decision taking power of its own. The development of information and technology enables the application of computers in the language learning process, which is known as Computer Assisted Learning (CAL). But there is still a question whether computers really assist second language learning. Many teachers who have never touched a computer tend to respond with an emphatic no; whereas, the overwhelming number of teachers who give computers a try find that they are indeed useful in second language learning. The responds indeed depend on the teachers' willingness to develop their teaching methods by utilizing the technology.Undoubtedly, computers make excellent teaching tools, especially in teaching languages in any aspect, such as vocabulary, grammar, composition, pronunciation, or other linguistic and pragmatic-communicative skills.The aim of this paper is to inform both educators and learners how computers are helping them and analyze the advantages of the utilization of computer in teaching and learning. When the advantages of using computer in teaching and learning understood well by teachers, learners and all stakeholders, it will be very useful to help learners improve their teaching and learning. Furthermore, there is a belief that through the use of it are going to improve various skills.The paper focuses on the advantages of using for learners and teachers. Furthermore, there is a belief that through the use of it are going to improve some skills, such as pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar, listening comprehension, and others on their own.COMPUTER AS AN EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL AIDEducators use a computer technology to create a rich environment where can show their capacity. It provides for opportunities for in active participation, exploration and research. In this context, one of the ways by which computer technology can be made useful in the classroom is i.e. Computer Assisted Instruction.Lawrence Sturlow & Daniel Davis (1965) developed a complex model of teaching in which computer can present the instruction in place of teacher. This model is known as Computer Assisted Instruction. CAI refers to the use of computer and software programmes to assist the delivery of information and students (Wright & Forcier). Thus refers to the application of computer software with the intention to fulfil the student's needs. CAI, an educational programme, is designed to serve as a teaching tool. It enables to work at their own pace. It has been found to be very effective in the teaching of basic skills.COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION (CAI)CAI deals with flexible, rapidly changing and detailed information. …

Technological Acceleration: A Few Musings: A short break to think over: To be free or not to be free? [Retrospectroscope

Examines the major technological changes that have and will continue to impact our society both economically and from a social perspective.

Energy Mix between Renewable Energy and Nuclear Energy

Energy is the backbone of any development in any State. Renewable Energy (wind, solar and biomass) appears currently as a major strategic energy source for a sustainable development particularly for developing or under developing societies. Use of renewable Energy will challenge major technological changes, by achieving energy production and saving. In particular by replacing fossil fuel, a significant cut of environmental impact and green house gas emission (GHG) could be achieved. In addition Renewable Energy could offer a sustainable development for different societies particularly those in rural area (e.g. desert or isolated islands). The significant technical renewable energy tool developments in developed States could be much easier to be transferred to or copied in developing States .

The zooarchaeology of Bonneville Estates Rockshelter: 13,000 years of Great Basin hunting strategies

Bonneville Estates Rockshelter (eastern Nevada) preserves a record of changing hunting patterns from the Paleoindian to the ethnohistoric periods. Diachronic changes in hunting patterns at Bonneville Estates, as well as a host of other cave and open-air sites from the Great Basin are compared with eight broad climatic phases recognized in the Great Basin. Recent studies of large-scale artiodactyl trapping structures and projectile point frequencies present a more complete picture of long-term shifts in hunting strategies in the Great Basin. Overall, there is much variability in the hunting of large and small game through time at individual sites, suggesting that local environmental and social conditions exerted considerable influence in micro and macro scale hunting patterns across the Great Basin. Creating an “average” Great Basin hunter by combining all the data analyzed here suggests limited artiodactyl hunting during the Paleoindian period followed by an upward trend in large game hunting through time. There is no significant drop in artiodactyl hunting intensity at any time over the last 5000 to 6000years, despite major changes in climate and technology.

Sparc64 XIfx: Fujitsu's Next-Generation Processor for High-Performance Computing

Sparc64 XIfx, the latest high-performance computing processor, includes a 34-core processor and achieves 1.1 teraflops of peak performance. This chip is designed for massive parallel supercomputer systems that realize high performance for a wide range of real applications. As groundwork for exascale supercomputing, it has made major technological changes from the previous Sparc64 processor in the instruction set architecture, microarchitecture, memory modules, and embedded interconnect.

Military Innovation and Military Culture

ABSTRACT: This article examines the significance of culture as a moderator of innovation, and criticizes monolithic accounts of military resistance to innovation. It then describes a dimension of military culture focused on the concept of the ideal combatant, and how that concept relates to innovation. Military culture can be improved by: (1) engineering the competitive context for innovation, and (2) creating career paths in which new kinds of personnel have a means of advancing, while preserving enduring organizational values. ********** For modern militaries, innovation is not a scientific or technical problem; it is an organizational challenge. Some observers of JL innovation speak of revolutionary versus evolutionary, or radical versus innovation. (1) These approaches to innovation predict the success or failure of an organization's adoption of something new based on how difficult the technology is to adopt. Such constructs are flawed, because they treat as an independent variable (the organization's difficulty in adopting whatever it is that is new) the very thing we are trying to predict, the theoretical equivalent of a dog chasing its tail. Furthermore, the magnitude of a technological advance is not a good predictor of whether an organization will struggle with it. Militaries may succeed at rapidly adopting new platforms that involve major technological change, yet fail (or be unforgivably slow) to adopt innovations that are incremental improvements. Terms like radical and revolutionary have little use when applied to predicting the organizational response to an innovation. Bureaucracies thrive on consistent, standard approaches to resolving familiar problems. Militaries are bureaucracies that depend on standardization of tools, training, methods, and organization. Innovation subverts this standardization and consistency, first, in the exploration of a new approach (the introduction of variance into the system), and then (if the innovation is successful enough) in the eventual replacement of the existing approach throughout the organization. The generalization of an innovation requires organizational change, which in turn may require cultural change. Culture is a notoriously vague term, sometimes used as a catch-all to account for behavior in organizations that is not otherwise explained. It is difficult to describe in practical, tangible terms. Organizational researcher Edgar Schein has proposed a compelling description of organizational culture: A pattern of basic assumptions--invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration--that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to these problems. (2) Schein's great insight is to focus attention on aspects of organizational behavior strongly associated with problem-solving and adaptation. To understand an organization's culture, Schein invites us to focus on things associated with has worked in the past, and to examine the symbols, norms, values, behaviors, etc., that constitute these things. In other words, culture is a theory of works. This definition has great significance for understanding innovation. Militaries are societies unto themselves, with their own sociology, history, values and beliefs. Military culture is built on these principles of shared history and values. Operational and strategic concepts of what works in the military context are entwined with principles of social status and individual identity; consider the Air Force's difficulties in reconciling the increasing operational capabilities of unmanned aircraft with its pilot-centric values, or the tortured logic of the Navy's continued reliance on the aircraft carrier as its central offensive asset, or the Army's continued devotion to the heavy fight. …

The Progression of Male 100 m Sprinting with a Lower-Limb Amputation 1976–2012

Sprinting with a lower-limb amputation over 100 m has taken place in the Paralympic Games for over three decades. The aim of this paper is to statistically evaluate the performances and participation levels of such athletes during this period. The level of performance improvement over a 36-year period was proposed to be significantly greater than the able-bodied equivalent. Coupled with this, a major spike in amputee running performance improvement was shown to occur from 1984–1988. This supports previously recorded accounts of a major technological change being made at this time. Finally, whilst the average performance of the medallists has increased consistently over the 36-year history, the overall participation in the event fell significantly after 1988 and did not recover until 2012.

Outlining and discussing various psychological perspectives on career meta-capacities

No abstract available.

A Lupo em Araraquara: revivendo a memória, retecendo a história (1921 a 1980)

Este texto é uma singela homenagem aos trabalhadores e principalmente às trabalhadoras da fábrica de Meias Lupo, atual LUPO S/A. Constitui uma tentativa de resgatar a história da empresa, por meio da memória do grupo social que trabalhou e viveu em um tempo crucial da empresa:o período que se estende de 1921, quando a empresa é fundada por Henrique Lupo, até o final dos anos 1980, quando começam a ocorrer grandes mudanças tecnológicas. Como mulher e ex-trabalhadora da empresa, valho-me também de minhas memórias e mesclo-as com as memórias de outras mulheres guerreiras para recompor uma história que na verdade são histórias. Histórias de trabalho, de lutas pela sobrevivência, de experiências concretamente vividas e que dão sentido à existência. Histórias sonhadas, muitas vezes realizadas, que insistem em voltar à memória para reviver. E estas trabalhadoras, enquanto (re) lembram, mas uma vez trabalham.

Renewable Energy Strategies for Sustainable Development in Fujian

Renewable energy is considered important resources for sustainable development all over the world. Fujian province, locating in south-east of China, was selected as an example to discuss renewable energy strategies for sustainable development. The potential renewable energy sources in Fujian were analyzed. And the strategies involve three major technological changes, including energy savings on the demand side, efficiency improvements in the energy production, and replacement of fossil fuels by various sources of renewable energy. Nuclear energy was also introduced to the energy system. The conclusion was that converting present energy systems into a 100% renewable system was possible; in case of some flexible energy system technologies as well as nuclear power were introduced to the present energy system.