Technological Uptake Research Articles

Exploring the Key Determinants of Success for Food Truck Entrepreneurs Insights from Structural Equation Modelling Study

Growth of food trucks, which provide ready-to-eat meals in public areas and boost urban economies, has had a substantial influence on the traditional restaurant sector. This study examines the major variables that affect food truck owners' operational performance and sustainability in order to determine what makes them successful. The research used a structural equation modelling (SEM) methodology to ascertain crucial success elements, such as the regulatory environment, marketing tactics, and technological uptake. Food truck owners provided information so that researchers could evaluate how these variables interacted to determine the success of the venture. The results show that technology innovations greatly improve customer involvement and operational efficiency, especially in social media and mobile payment applications. The report also emphasizes the value of adaptable marketing approaches and the assistance that food truck enterprises receive from supportive regulatory environments. This research advances knowledge of the dynamics of the mobile food business by offering actual data on the success determinants of food truck owners. The information that was acquired is beneficial to stakeholders, legislators, and business owners who want to promote a robust and sustainable food truck industry. The study also emphasizes how effective SEM may be when analysing intricate relationships between various factors that affect an entrepreneur's ability to succeed.

Virtual Clinical Trials: Reducing Barriers to Participation

Through technology, virtual clinical trials are redefining the field of clinical research by removing long-standing obstacles to participant enrolment and retention. By enabling remote participation through digital telemedicine, mobile applications, and electronic data collecting, these trials have the potential to increase the scope and diversity of clinical research. This study compares virtual clinical trials with traditional trials to analyse the advantages and difficulties of the former. Essential characteristics and possible benefits of virtual trials like lessened travel expenses and burdens as well as their drawbacks and methods for raising participant involvement are covered. Virtual trials aim to improve the accessibility and efficiency of clinical research by tackling these variables; nevertheless, they also encounter obstacles with participant involvement and technological uptake. Keywords: Virtual Clinical Trials, Electronic Data Collection, Telemedicine, Participant Engagement.

Public sector digitalization, corruption, and sustainability in the developing world: A scoping review

AbstractE‐government presents one of the utmost opportunities and challenges for development and offers solutions to tackle corruption. Corruption generates even erratic impacts in developing and transition economies. Developing and transition economies can dramatically benefit from related technological innovation uptake that would spur public sector transparency and sustainability. The intersections of these areas have not received full academic consideration and appear to be under‐explored. In addition to a review of the existing literature on these topics, this study applies extensive reliance on existing metrics and indexes, including those developed by the World Bank and Transparency International. By accentuating relevant and recent findings, the results of this study can be used for a better conceptualization of national or regional growth and development strategies based on the nexus between corruption and e‐government advances among developing and transition countries.

Mobile Money and SME Growth: A Zambian Perspective

Purpose: An in-depth analysis of how mobile money services influence the growth and development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Zambia. This research explores the expanding realm of mobile money in Zambia, a region experiencing swift technological uptake alongside the growing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) industry.
 Methodology: Using a blend of qualitative and quantitative research methods, data was gathered from 150 SMEs across various industries in Lusaka. The study examines key factors such as transactional efficiency, access to financial services, cost reduction, and enhanced financial management facilitated by mobile money platforms. It also explores the challenges faced by SMEs in adopting these digital financial tools.
 Findings: The findings reveal a significant correlation between the use of mobile money services and SME growth, characterized by increased operational efficiency, broader market access, and improved financial management.
 Unique contributor to theory, policy and practice: This study not only underscores the important role of mobile money in transforming the economic structure for SMEs in Zambia but also provides valuable insights for policymakers and financial service providers aiming to boost the SME sector through technological innovation. The research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on digital finance and its impact on emerging economies, highlighting the unique dynamics and opportunities within the Zambian context.

Expert Perspective on the Barriers and Enablers of Joint Effort and Technological Collaboration Among Malaysian Industrialized Building System (IBS) Housing Project Supply Chains

Housing shortages has been a recurring dilemma for Malaysia and the domination of traditional methods have made it hard to deliver targets. With today’s construction industry being more complex, specialized, and demanding, Industrialized Building System (IBS) has been promoted to help the sector deliver citizen’s house demands. However, this initiative has been hampered by fragmentation issues causing IBS to be inefficient. Joint Effort and Technological Collaboration, which stems from Supply Chain Management (SCM) philosophy has been suggested as the way forward for the industry by capitalizing on the various tools available to improve coordination, integration, and information flow. However, many proven successes have not translated to higher adoption rate in Malaysia. Implementations are rather scarce. This paper therefore sheds light into the barriers and enablers of Joint Effort and Technological Collaboration uptake among Malaysian IBS housing project supply chains from the perspective of industry experts. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken on five (5) practitioners with a minimum of twenty (20) years’ experience for a deep scrutiny on the matter and responses were analysed using content analysis. Finding indicated that the main barriers stemmed from commitment issues, indicating their hesitance towards committing to positive changes in practice, which hampers virtually any initiative. On the other hand, most significant enabler to Joint Effort and Technological Collaboration rooted on the willingness of industry players to transform themselves and adapt to new technologies and working culture. The outcome of this study not only contributes to the body of knowledge regarding collaborative initiatives in construction, but it is also expected to benefit the industry on identifying the stopping blocks and ways forward for better diffusion of these initiatives for future success.

Automating Teacher Work? A History of the Politics of Automation and Artificial Intelligence in Education

The debate on automation in education is also a debate on teachers’ work. Throughout history, promises of labor-saving and efficient automation technologies have been repeatedly promoted, while research at the same time has rather argued that automations will always depend on extensive human labor. In this study, we historicize how automation in education has been related to teachers’ work and with what implications. Based on Sweden’s long history of educational technology, we have drawn on digital and archival materials published from 1957 to the present. By contrasting the policy elements on automation and artificial intelligence (AI) across the past several decades, we show how debates and technologies are dynamically established and naturalized over time, which also risk silencing the critical debates on what the politics of automation and AI means for teachers’ work and for public education. We conclude not only that the automation debate aligns with familiar ‘techno-solutionist’ educational technology histories, including forms of resistance on the technological uptake in education and society, but also that the scale and impact of automation are shifting with the technologies for automation and global platform infrastructures integrated into education. Consequently, one of the main questions is how the critical debate on automating teacher work and education is made possible even under such circumstances.

Re‐examining technology's destruction of blue‐collar work

AbstractDespite research suggesting certain death of blue‐collar work due to technological advancements, blue‐collar jobs continue to be in demand. Through a study of the blue‐collar dominant Transport and Logistics sector in Australia, we apply a Critical Realist framework to consider the tendencies contributing to, and limiting, technological uptake and worker displacement. Our analysis of interviews with sector managers demonstrate how technological uptake decisions to enact labour saving technologies are often constrained by other causal mechanisms and associated (counter) tendencies. Causal mechanisms related to geographical artifacts, industry structure and established business models, along with class structure, mitigate against ‘big bang’ technological transformation and the demise of blue‐collar work. We conclude that tracking the future of work is important, but it cannot be done solely on the basis of technological capacities to displace labour or without consideration of the complex interplay of causal mechanisms and tendencies shaping employer decisions about technology.

Exploring microAKIS: farmer-centric evidence on the role of advice in agricultural innovation in Europe

ABSTRACT Purpose To provide novel empirical evidence on the role of advice in technological and non-technological innovation uptake decision-making processes from the perspective of European farmers, we develop the microAKIS (farmer microscale knowledge and innovation systems) framework. Design/methodology/approach The MicroAKIS framework is expanded to gather empirical evidence built on quantitative data from a sample of 675 European farmers. Findings Different types of innovation lead to different microAKIS, and farmers’ involvement with innovation introduces new dynamics in advice supply. MicroAKIS supporting innovations tend to be small in size and diversity, suggesting the anticipated pluralism of advice resulting from advisory services privatisation across Europe did not work as expected, i.e. not translating into pluralistic microAKIS. Practical implications Pluralism in advice for innovation is needed and could be enhanced by integrating different sources of advice: professional and non-professional, formal and informal, agricultural and cross-sectorial. Theoretical implications We advance the scope of the AKIS concept by accounting for the temporal dynamics of innovation uptake decision-making and adopting multi-level analysis that combines micro (farm) and meso (region) scales. Originality/value Empirical evidence at the European level, gathered from the common farmer’s perspective on the dynamics of farm-level microAKIS and the role played by farm advisory, accounting for diversity of innovations and regional contexts.

Using Digital Media to Improve Dementia Care in India: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundIndia is undergoing a demographic transition characterized by population aging and is witnessing a high dementia rate. Although nearly 7 million people live with dementia in India, dementia awareness is poor, and current resources addressing dementia care are basic and often incomplete, duplicated, or conflicting. To address this gap, this study aims to use digital media, which has had a massive technological uptake in India, to improve dementia care in India.ObjectiveThe objective of this paper is to describe an intervention study design that examines the feasibility and acceptability of Moving Pictures India, a digital media resource to improve dementia care in India.MethodsThis study employs a mixed methods design and is divided into 4 phases: (1) video interviews with Indian caregivers and health professionals; (2) coproduction of resources; (3) pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT); and (4) dissemination and analytics. The pilot RCT will follow an experimental parallel group design with 2 arms aiming to assess the impact, feasibility, and acceptability of the developed resources. The primary outcome measures for the pilot RCT will be feasibility and acceptability, while the secondary outcome measures will be caregiver burden, mood, and quality of life.ResultsThis study received funding from the Alzheimer’s Association in the United States in July 2021. In 2023, we will enroll 60 dementia caregivers (40 caregivers in the intervention arm and 20 in the control) for the pilot RCT. The study has been approved by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences Ethics Committee (26th IEC (BEH.SC.DIV.)/2020-21 dated November 11, 2020); the Health Ministry's Screening Committee, India (proposal ID 2020-10137); the Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (approval number HRE2020-0735); and the NARI Research Governance Office (site-specific approval dated March 17, 2021).ConclusionsThis protocol is designed to deliver unique, coproduced, and evidence-based media resources to support caregivers of persons with dementia in India and other countries aiming to utilize digital media for dementia care. If the intervention is found feasible and acceptable, postpiloting analytics and qualitative feedback will be used to develop an implementation trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the potential low-risk high-benefit intervention in practice.Trial RegistrationClinical Trials Registry-India CTRI/2021/01/030403; http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pmaindet2.php?trialid=50794International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/38456

Collaborative Online Learning: A Literature Review

Collaborative learning applied in an online class engages students to become active participants in the social learning process. With the ubiquity of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), technological uptake in today’s highly globalized society is a predictor for intellectual and economic growth where students and teachers play significant roles in ensuring learning continuity even in the face of disruptions. This paper discusses theoretical justifications and empirical studies related to online learning. It provides robust knowledge in online learning.

Novel Nanoparticles Based on N,O-Carboxymethyl Chitosan-Dopamine Amide Conjugate for Nose-to-Brain Delivery.

A widely investigated approach to bypass the blood brain barrier is represented by the intranasal delivery of therapeutic agents exploiting the olfactory or trigeminal connections nose-brain. As for Parkinson’s disease (PD), characterized by dopaminergic midbrain neurons degeneration, currently there is no disease modifying therapy. Although several bio-nanomaterials have been evaluated for encapsulation of neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) or dopaminergic drugs in order to restore the DA content in parkinsonian patients, the premature leakage of the therapeutic agent limits this approach. To tackle this drawback, we undertook a study where the active was linked to the polymeric backbone by a covalent bond. Thus, novel nanoparticles (NPs) based on N,O-Carboxymethylchitosan-DA amide conjugate (N,O-CMCS-DA) were prepared by the nanoprecipitation method and characterized from a technological view point, cytotoxicity and uptake by Olfactory Ensheating Cells (OECs). Thermogravimetric analysis showed high chemical stability of N,O-CMCS-DA NPs and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy evidenced the presence of amide linkages on the NPs surface. MTT test indicated their cytocompatibility with OECs, while cytofluorimetry and fluorescent microscopy revealed the internalization of labelled N,O-CMCS-DA NPs by OECs, that was increased by the presence of mucin. Altogether, these findings seem promising for further development of N,O-CMCS-DA NPs for nose-to-brain delivery application in PD.

Unpacking the Processes that Catalyzed the Adoption of Best Management Practices for Lowland Irrigated Rice in the Mekong Delta

Vietnam is supportive of the transition to sustainable rice production in the Mekong Delta. The national program promoted best management practices for rice production through “1 Must Do and 5 Reductions” (1M5R). This review traces the technological development and uptake of 1M5R in national policies and by end-users. We highlight the outcomes from various policy-supported initiatives and unpack plausible pathways that generated the widespread adoption of 1M5R in eight provinces in the Mekong River Delta: at least 104,448 smallholder rice farmers were reached, and 1M5R practices adopted on 113,870 hectares. The scaling of 1M5R was enabled through a convergence of different socio-technical systems with varied foci, including sustainability certification, contract farming, consolidation of production, and improved use of inputs, aside from the development of sustainable technologies. In addition, 1M5R was promoted with incentives generated by a World Bank project and other initiatives in line with a national policy of increasing the quality of rice production for national and international markets. The interconnections of varied socio-technical systems, enacted by different intermediaries, catalyzed the spread of 1M5R. The widespread adoption by smallholder farmers increased their profits and raised awareness across diverse stakeholder groups of the higher marketability of rice produced with sustainable practices.

Designing industrial landscapes for mitigating air pollution with spatially‐explicit techno‐ecological synergy

AbstractAir pollution has posed health and environmental threats since the Industrial Revolution. Technological solutions present major expenses for industry, yet nature's ecosystems also provide pollution uptake. In the pursuit of techno‐ecological sustainable design, this work presents a framework for spatially‐explicit industrial site design that determines where and when ecological restoration should be considered. The framework considers land use changes and identifies the cheapest balance between technological and ecological uptake for industrial landscapes, including the impacts of long term ecological growth dynamics. This work presents the framework's construction along with a case study conducted for a coal‐fired power station in Ohio. The results provide spatial maps of proposed restoration areas, projected savings values, and spatial‐temporal maps that consider annual budget constraints. The results demonstrate a significant sensitivity to land use restoration costs and highlights ecological advantages, like simultaneous uptake of different chemical species.

Obstacles to Developing Net-Zero Energy (NZE) Homes in Greater Toronto Area

Efforts have been put in place to minimize the effects of construction activities and occupancy, but the problem of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continues to have detrimental effects on the environment. As an effort to reduce GHG emissions, particularly carbon emissions, countable commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential net-zero energy (NZE) buildings were built around the globe during the past few years, and they are still operating. But there exist many challenges and barriers for the construction of NZE buildings. This study identifies the obstacles to developing NZE buildings, with a focus on single-family homes, in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The study sought to identify the technical, organizational, and social challenges of constructing NZE buildings, realize the importance of the public awareness in making NZE homes, and provide recommendations on how to raise public knowledge. A qualitative approach was employed to collect the primary data through survey and interviews. The secondary data obtained from the literature review were also used to realize the benefits, challenges, and current situation of NZE buildings. Research results indicate that the construction of NZE buildings is faced with a myriad of challenges, including technical issues, the lack of governmental and institutional supports, and the lack of standardized measures. The public awareness of NZE homes has been found to be very low, thus limiting the uptake and adoption of the new technologies used in this type of homes. The present study also recommends that the government and the academic institutions should strive to support the NZE building technology through curriculum changes, technological uptake, and financial incentives to buyers and developers. The implementation of these recommendations may enhance the success and popularity of NZE homes in the GTA.

Full Issue Download Vol. 13 No. 1 2021 The Importance of the Measurement Infrastructure in Economic Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic Richard J. C. Brown , Fiona Auty, Eugenio Renedo, Mike King NCSLI Measure | Vol. 13 No. 1 (2021) | doi.org/10.51843/measure.13.1.1 Publisher NCSL International | Published February 2021 | Pages 18-21 Abstract: This paper describes the many, evidenced-based benefits

Facilitating the uptake of established methodologies for risk-based decision-making in product conformity assessment taking into account measurement uncertainty by providing dedicated software is the aim of the European project EMPIR CASoft(2018–2020), involving the National Measurement Institutes from France, Sweden and the UK, and industrial partner Trescal (FR) as primary supporter. The freely available software helps end-users perform the required risk calculations in accordance with current practice and regulations and extends that current practice to include bivariate cases. The software is also aimed at supporting testing and calibration laboratories in the application of the latest version of the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard, which requires that“…the laboratory shall document the decision rule employed, taking into account the level of risk […] associated with the decision rule and apply the decision rule.” Initial experiences following launch of the new software in Spring 2020 are reported.

Activists as strategic science communicators on the adoption of GMOs in Uganda

This commentary uses a case study of Uganda and the country's attempts to adopt genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to demonstrate how activists have become communicators of scientific knowledge in the digital age. The digital age allows activists to share their information and collaborate with those who can push their agenda. I argue that anti-GMO activists have positioned themselves as influencers in a debate where weight-of-scientific evidence seems to have been overshadowed by perceptions, largely driven by socio-democratic considerations that require participation in technological uptake.

Cracks in the gearbox of car hegemony: struggles over the German Verkehrswende between stability and change

ABSTRACT The automobile permeated Western societies in the twentieth century and enjoys hegemonic protection. Nevertheless, profound changes in mobility are looming, posing new challenges for mobility research. This article develops a four-dimensional understanding of hegemony, which encompasses the integral state, material and ideological dimensions and people’s everyday practices, in order to analyse the changes in mobility. The Gramscian approach is characterized by a profound conception of power relations and serves as an instrument for analysing social struggles and related actor constellations. This understanding not only enables a precise determination of the hegemonic safeguarding of the automobile, but also of the emerging fractures in the automotive consensus and the perspectives of counter-hegemonic strategies. Based on this Gramscian perspective, the article analyses the safeguarding and brittleness of car hegemony in Germany. It is concluded that although windows of opportunity have opened for a less car-centric mobility regime, these currently lack a fundamental politicisation of the car and involvement of labour required to innovate beyond narrow ecological modernisation, which would see only moderate modal shift and technological uptake of post-fossil drivetrains while otherwise leaving the hegemony of the car unchallenged.

Farmers' Uptake of Animal Health and Welfare Technological Innovations. Implications for Animal Health Policies.

The paper analyses the uptake of animal health and welfare technologies by livestock farmers focusing on the identification of different behavioral patterns occurring in subpopulations of farmers and the assessment of the effect socio-economic and attitudinal factors have on these patterns. The technologies of interest include new genomic technologies, animal electronic identification (EID) for farm management, cattle surveillance, welfare qualitative behavioral assessment, anaerobic digestion, pedometers or activity monitors to detect oestrus and increase fertility/conception, and webcams/smart phones/tablets for animal husbandry. We use latent class analysis modeling and cross-section survey data to construct typologies of farmers based on technological uptake and heterogeneous characteristics. Our results suggest that, while three fifths of the farmers are “non-adopters,” a third is classified as “current adopters” of animal EID for farm management, and a twelfth as “future adopters” of either or more types of animal health and welfare technologies. Age, agricultural income, perceived difficulty to invest in new technologies, agri-environmental scheme membership, and frequency of access to information on animal EID for farm management and cattle surveillance through British Cattle Movement Service, are significant predictors of typology membership. The findings are policy relevant as they give quantitative evidence on the factors influencing technological uptake and, as such, help identify the most likely adopters and optimize the cost of targeting them. As information access was found to be among the factors influencing multiple technology adoption, policy instruments should include the provision of training as regards the implementation of technologies and their combined impact on farm. Farmers' adoption of interrelated innovations suggests the need to coordinate individual policies aimed at encouraging uptake of different technologies. As shown here, this would concern not only synchronizing animal health and welfare policies, but also their interaction with others such as agri-environmental ones. Moreover, the results show that animal health policies requiring regulatory compliance may lead to voluntary uptake of additional or complementary technologies which relate to not just meeting but exceeding standards of animal welfare and health practices.

Public discomfort at the prospect of autonomous vehicles: Building on previous surveys to measure attitudes in 11 countries

Public discomfort at the prospect of autonomous vehicles: Building on previous surveys to measure attitudes in 11 countries

Exploring the ethical, organisational and technological challenges of crime mapping: a critical approach to urban safety technologies

Technology is pervasive in current police practices, and has been for a long time. From CCTV to crime mapping, databases, biometrics, predictive analytics, open source intelligence, applications and a myriad of other technological solutions take centre stage in urban safety management. But before efficient use of these applications can be made, it is necessary to confront a series of challenges relating to the organizational structures that will be used to manage them, to their technical capacities and expectations, and to weigh up the positive and negative external factors at play at the intersection between technology, society and urban management. The paper contributes to this discussion by looking into the dynamics that drive technological uptake in the field of urban safety, the different theories underpinning the relationship between crime and space, and the history and technological characteristics of Geographic Information Systems to later present specific case studies and practical examples of crime mapping systems. Finally, addressing matters related to organisational constraints, technological possibilities and societal impact from a critical point of view, the paper lays out guidelines to ensure that using technology to manage urban safety does not result in increased victimisation, inequalities or inefficiency. Taking one of the longest established technology used in police practice, crime mapping, and using a multidisciplinary, critical approach to escape technological solutionism and bridge the gap between the academic literature (STS, urban sociology, environmental criminology) and policy needs and recommendations, this paper sends a cautionary tale to those hoping that technology alone can solve complex urban and social problems.