Technology Evaluation Process Research Articles

Value assessment of antimicrobials using the STEDI framework – How steady is the outcome?

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the major threats to global population health, and the antimicrobial market requires substantial reimbursement reform and/or significant financial incentives to function properly.To address these challenges, England piloted a new health technology evaluation process in conjunction with a new payment model in 2019. The value assessment was performed using a dedicated broader value framework for antibiotics for the first time. This so-called STEDI framework is an acronym based on the five value elements it covers (Spectrum, Transmission, Enablement, Diversity, and Insurance value).Learnings from the pilot show that there are important considerations when implementing this value framework: The STEDI value profile of an antibiotic strongly depends on the local context and is impacted by trade-offs between individual value elements. Decision makers should therefore act carefully when applying STEDI to avoid distorting the overall evaluation result.Considering the STEDI value profile of an antibiotic is an important part of its value assessment as it allows for distinguishing between higher- and lower-value products. However, given the complexities surrounding its value assessment, further research must be undertaken to improve the overall STEDI evaluation process.

A Regression-Based “Patent Data Analysis” Approach: A Case Study for “Weapon Technology” Evaluation Process

Technology evaluation is one of the most essential tasks for today's companies to make correct decisions that will increase their competitiveness. To date, numeroushave been made to address technology evaluation in the literature. Nevertheless, none of them have built a technology map or classified technologies based on their effects on the competitive power of a company in practice. To overcome the limitations of previous studies, a regression-based patent data analysis is proposed here for technology evaluation in this article. To this end, the proposed approach builds a technology map and classifies the technologies into four classes with respect to the technology effect ratio, namely 1) very high effect class, 2) high effect class, 3) medium effect class, and 4) low effect class. The technology evaluation of weapon technology in the defense industry has been conducted to show how the proposed approach works in real life. A good technology management strategy can be selected among available alternatives by decision makers and managers using the proposed approach. The results show that the proposed technology evaluation process can be used effectively in practice.

Evaluation of Technology Platforms for Use in Transdisciplinary Research

Transdisciplinary research (TR) is a growing field in a myriad of subject domains ranging from sustainability to education. The idea is to solve complex problems through the collaborative participation of academic actors, community stakeholders, governments, and other leaders to jointly define the problem and find solutions. To accomplish such complex projects, one of the main tools is an efficient technology platform. The need for an efficient technology platform, in turn, leads to a need for an evaluation tool to determine which is the most suitable for a given transdisciplinary research situation, however, a literature review confirms that research on such evaluation tools is scarce. The goal of this paper is to improve the evaluation of technology platforms for individual TR projects, based on the characteristics of that specific TR. The research question is “Can TR characteristics be used to construct an evaluation tool for technology platforms?” The specific aims used to answer the question were: the following: (1) to define the characteristics (core activities and skills) of TR and (2) to construct a tool for evaluating technology platforms for use in TR. Methodology: For the first specific aim, a literature meta-analysis was used; the second specific aim was addressed following a newly developed methodology, including elements of the technology acceptance model and elements of a standard technology evaluation process. Results: A chart for defining the core activities and skills in TR was developed, and a tool was constructed for evaluating technology platforms that could be used in TR.

ICT-supported for participatory engagement within E-learning community

This paper presents ICT-supported for participatory engagement learning within the e-learning community. Effectively tools in e-Learning facilitate interactive learning and the achievement of desired learning outcomes for learners. However, the intensity of its usage is not very remarkable; there is a need to understand ICT- supported for learners from the perspectives of participatory engagement. Therefore, integrating suitable technology into e-learning is expected to strengthen learner's engagement within the e-learning community. The objective of the study is to identify technology that could effectively support learners' engagement. This study analyzes the available technology in the market to integrate into e-learning using the technology evaluation process. Interview sessions with experts were held to validated and suggested other technology uses in e-learning. This research is carrying out with three experts (academic staff) of the e-technologies within the University. This study uses semi-structured interviews to captured expert suggestions, knowledge, and expertise about technologies. Understanding learner's requirements toward technology are essential to ensure learners can reap the benefits of technology usage. This study uses a thematical analysis to identify and organize key themes from qualitative data. The result reveals mobile technology, wireless technology, live streaming technology, authoring tool, summative assessment, cloud computing, gamification and Instagram is suitable technologies that support participatory engagement activities.

Banking on Blockchain: An Evaluation of Innovation Decision Making

Blockchain technology has received significant attention following the introduction of Bitcoin in 2008. In particular, the financial services industry has sought to capitalize on the underlying technology, known as distributed ledger technology, to generate new products, services, and innovative business models. In this article, through an in-depth investigation of the technology innovation evaluation process, we utilize a grounded theory approach to study 12 financial service organizations. This article is unique in that it explores the technology evaluation process concurrently as decision makers reacted to the potential uses, as opposed to a retrospective view after a technology innovation had been adopted. Evidence suggests that, organizations applied a specific process to determine the value of blockchain that consisted of understand, organize, and test, which collectively helped create the proof-of-value model. Surprisingly, we find that financial service organizations tend to view blockchain innovation as a lower priority due to the lack of a clear path to value. Additionally, financial service organizations consistently leverage industry consortiums to link to external knowledge and help with the decision-making process. Our findings have direct implications to both innovation researchers as well as practitioners seeking to evaluate blockchain technology.

New Tech Accelerator Teams With Big Operators to Solve the Pilot Problem

Proving out and then scaling up a new technology are among the most challenging feats in the oil and gas business—about as dicey as drilling a wildcat well of old. What could make this uphill climb much steeper? Finding that no one wants to even test your innovation. The scenario is so common to the upstream sector that it has led to the creation of a new kind of venture capital fund based in Houston. Formally launched this year, Eunike Ventures is combining the roles of investor and technology accelerator with a third and unique prong: guaranteed pilot projects. Equinor, Anadarko, and Hess are the first oil companies to underwrite this experiment as corporate sponsors. “[Startups] can get all the funding they want and still not get any pilots,” explained Amy Henry, adding that, “the issue is making that connection point with the operators.” As chief executive officer and cofounder of Eunike, Henry sees the problem not just as an impediment to the growth of early-stage innovators but also the industry’s much-discussed quest to modernize itself through the adoption of new technologies. The industry veteran has touched all the angles of technology uptake during her career, which was punctuated by roles inside Shell’s venture and unconventional units, along with a stint in Malaysia as the chief financial officer of Petronas’ unconventional business. Upon starting Eunike, she realized that the solution to a more efficient technology evaluation and adoption process was rather simple: “You need to have operators have some skin the game.” This is different than the current formula that many of the biggest oil and gas producers have subscribed to, which dates back to the late 1990s when many of them formed venture units. The snag these groups have historically dealt with is that their investments in a new technology do not always persuade frontline field managers to share the risk by deploying it, even at a small scale. If it can be boiled down to one thing, then the bottleneck is really just about budgeting. “We understood the problem,” said Eunike’s other cofounder and chief operating officer, Thomas Henry, as he reflected on innovation projects he worked on over nearly 3 decades with Shell. “We couldn’t get our own assets to buy into some of the technologies that we developed—nobody was willing to fork up the money for field trials.” Under this new scheme, the issue is circumvented by funding a startup only after at least one of the operators in the “alliance” commit to a paid pilot. This is the trigger for Eunike to make an investment in the startup. Amy Henry said this underlines the fiduciary responsibility Eunike has to both the startup and the operators. It also reveals another aspect of the business, which is to help the operators accept the failure of a pilot despite how much they may want it to work out. “We’re not eliminating, but we are reducing internal bias,” she said. “We’ve all worked in oil and gas companies and had special projects, and it is always hard to say that something is not going well.”

Persuasive agent based simulation for evaluation of the dynamic threshold line and trigger classification from the Fogg Behavior Model

In this paper, we present an agent based simulation from a mathematical formulation for Motivation and Ability axis formation, threshold line and triggers positioning of the Fogg Behavior Model (FBM). This model is primarily used for the evaluation of persuasive technology based process. A dynamic behavior for the threshold line is proposed in order to identify trigger location based on the dataset Kolmogorov mean. Results shown, with the multiagent environment implemented, that the action line proposed on the FBM must not be fixed, but dynamically allocated in order to act as a feature for identification of trigger events zones. The data acquired by agent based simulation, helped the validation process for all mathematical equations and triggers defined before only on a conceptual level. Given the lack of mathematical information for the FBM, this paper tends to contribute with a theoretical support on the persuasive technology evaluation process in order to provide reasoning for further trigger implementation with more efficiency.

How Will Proposed Changes To The Nice Highly Specialised Technology Evaluation Process Impact Patient Access To Innovative Drugs for Rare Diseases?

Health technology assessments of ultra-orphan drugs (ultra-ODs) for very rare conditions are faced with several unique challenges. In recognition of this, in 2016–17 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) proposed new initiatives to its Highly Specialised Technology (HST) programme, including introduction of a cost-per-QALY threshold. The objective of this study was to evaluate HST evaluations in the context of the proposed changes and the potential impact they may have on patient access to ultra-ODs in England and Wales. All publicly available HST evaluations published between its inception in April 2013 and June 2017 were reviewed, alongside guidance relating to the proposed changes. Six HST evaluations had been conducted by NICE and seven were in development. Five received positive reimbursement decisions with a cost per treatment/year of £125,000–£394,680. One (sebelipase alfa) was not recommended based on the prohibitively expensive cost (£491,992 per treatment/year), in the context of uncertainties around the long-term benefits. All positive recommendations have conditions attached, including a patient access scheme (eculizumab, ataluren, migalastat), managed access scheme (ataluren, elosulfase alfa), and use within expert centres (eculizumab). The proposed changes to the HST programme include implementing a cost-effectiveness threshold for ultra-ODs of £100,000–£300,000 per QALY, using a QALY weighting based on the number of additional QALYs a medicine offers. Under the proposed changes those ultra-ODs with a positive recommendation would be unlikely to significantly raise the £100,000 threshold, and therefore may not receive a positive recommendation without a patient access scheme or managed access scheme to improve cost-effectiveness. The introduction of a cost-effectiveness threshold increases clarity about decisions regarding which ultra-ODs are routinely funded, but could make patient access more difficult as they may be less likely to be recommended by NICE.

The Technology Evaluation and Selection Process for ATSC 3.0 Next Generation Audio

The transition from NTSC analog television to the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) 1.0 digital television (DTV) standard, with its AC-3 audio technology, brought a significant increase in capabilities and enjoyment to television, bringing wide-range cinema-like 5.1 surround sound to the audience. Roughly two decades later, ATSC 3.0 audio is poised to leverage these benefits and add groundbreaking enhancements that include greater efficiency, personalization and immersive surround sound for the listening audience.

Integrated assessment of emerging science and technologies as creating learning processes among assessment communities.

Emerging science and technologies are often characterised by complexity, uncertainty and controversy. Regulation and governance of such scientific and technological developments needs to build on knowledge and evidence that reflect this complicated situation. This insight is sometimes formulated as a call for integrated assessment of emerging science and technologies, and such a call is analysed in this article. The article addresses two overall questions. The first is: to what extent are emerging science and technologies currently assessed in an integrated way. The second is: if there appears to be a need for further integration, what should such integration consist in? In the article we briefly outline the pedigree of the term ‘integrated assessment’ and present a number of interpretations of the concept that are useful for informing current analyses and discussions of integration in assessment. Based on four case studies of assessment of emerging science and technologies, studies of assessment traditions, literature analysis and dialogues with assessment professionals, currently under-developed integration dimensions are identified. It is suggested how these dimensions can be addressed in a practical approach to assessment where representatives of different assessment communities and stakeholders are involved. We call this approach the Trans Domain Technology Evaluation Process (TranSTEP).

Thinking patterns and gut feeling in technology identification and evaluation

Foresight activities around technology selection have become increasingly important in an ‘open innovation’ environment in which both the range of potential technologies and the rate at which they are changing have been rapidly expanding. A variety of methods have been developed to support and improve the technological scanning process but the success of corporate foresight activities depends initially and heavily on the quality of information processing at the ‘front end of innovation’. Since this information activity involves individual members of the organization it is important to examine the general cognitive and intuitive abilities of these individuals. In order to enrich existing knowledge in this context, this paper explores the technology identification and evaluation process from a psychological standpoint, looking in particular at the concept of cognitive prototypes and intuition of technological gatekeepers. The findings of this study show that technological gatekeepers possess specific cognitive prototype models and thinking patterns, which exert an influence on identification and evaluation of technologies and that the number of features a thinking pattern contains is correlated with the number of years spent in a position in the organization as technological gatekeeper. Our exploration of the role of intuition also highlighted a discrepancy between the individual and the organization. While it is perceived on an individual level as a valuable tool, it is seen by technological gatekeepers as inappropriate on an organizational level. As a result, gut feeling is not always acknowledged or communicated within the organization in the technology identification and evaluation.

Evaluation of energy storage technologies for integration with renewable electricity: Quantifying expert opinions

Solving climate change and the associated need for increasing renewable energy supply make energy storage a critical technological component of the future energy landscape. Research to build more reliable and cost-effective energy storage technologies is now on the rise. As a result, many new technologies and applications are evolving and competing. This paper presents a method to evaluate and select energy storage technologies for investor-owned or public utilities. For this purpose, energy storage applications which could benefit wind power in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States are identified through internal interviews and surveys with experts at the federal wholesale power marketing agency in Portland, Oregon. The study employs a technology evaluation process integrating fuzzy Delphi method, analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy consistent matrix. The result shows that compressed air storage is the most promising technology for sustainable growth of renewable energy in the region.

A novel multi‐criteria decision‐making combining Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory technique for technology evaluation

PurposeThis study aims to propose a hybrid technology evaluation process integrating the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique and the analytic network process (ANP) with novel MCDM method for the organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology evaluation. The DEMATEL is used to detect and build the complex network relationship map (NRM) among dimensions/criteria. The ANP is employed to conduct the dependence and feedback among criteria and to decide the relative weights of the criteria by super‐matrix. The combination of DEMATEL technique and ANP with novel MCDM method is used to perform for constructing a technology evaluation structure.Design/methodology/approachThis study proposes a hybrid approach integrating the DEMATEL and the ANP to construct a technology evaluation and decision‐making model for OLED. Taiwan is a research base in this study. This is for the purpose of offering an example as to how a technology firm or even a country can evaluate or position certain emerging technology in the process of resource investment decision‐making.FindingsThis study suggests a hybrid technology evaluation approach integrating the DEMATEL technique and the ANP approach. When policy makers and R&D planners design R&D programs in emerging technology fields, the authors' proposed model can help to assess whether it is worth investing in the expected technology or not, for all concerned. Besides, using Taiwan's OLED as an example, this study has generated a conclusion comprising several strategic suggestions and managerial implications.Originality/valueThe whole approach developed by this study can serve as a reference to construct an evaluation framework to evaluate other technology fields in order to propose some guidance for R&D planning or strategy making in the industry applied the aimed technology. The weights distributed to the prospects and the problems can also serve as a reference of whether the R&D investment in the new technology is worthwhile for all concerned. Future research can adopt the approach proposed in this study to evaluate the worth of R&D investment in other targeted technologies.

Innovative rehabilitation technology demonstration and evaluation program

As water and wastewater water utility owners seek innovative rehabilitation technologies to extend the service life of their assets there is a need to provide accurate performance and cost information on innovative technologies as they come to market. To meet this need, the US Environmental Protection Agency created a field demonstration program to evaluate innovative and emerging technologies to increase the effectiveness of the operation, maintenance, and renewal of aging drinking water distribution and wastewater conveyance systems. This program has resulted in the development of a technology demonstration and evaluation process that evaluates each aspect of pre-installation, installation and post-installation activities in order to provide information that is beneficial to water and wastewater water utility owners, technology manufacturers, and consultants and service providers. To date, two technologies indentified as innovative water rehabilitation techniques have been demonstrated. It is recommended that additional innovative and novel technologies be demonstrated under a similar program in the future to determine their applicability, while providing accurate performance and cost information to water and wastewater utility owners.

Technology evaluation process and its influential strategic factors: cases in Taiwan's semiconductor sector

Firms capable of catching the strategic values of technologies have competitive advantages over their rivals. Technology evaluation, as an organisational process, is the essential capability to comprehend the values of technologies in their very early emerging stages. This study defines a technology evaluation process in terms of activities, method, and participants in the process, and uses this definition to explore different types of technology evaluation processes. With case study research method and data from the semiconductor industrial sector in Taiwan, three types of technology evaluation processes are verified, namely, the emergent autocratic strategist, deliberate consensual economist, and deliberate consensual analyst strategies. Technological trajectory and firm size are found to influence a firm's technology evaluation process and its types of innovation. The established explanations of the relationships among technological trajectory, competitive posture, innovation type, and technology evaluation process may guide high-tech businesses to develop a better technology evaluation capability.

Technology evaluation in Taiwan's technology industries: Strategies, trajectories, and innovations

Technology evaluation, as an organizational process, is the essential ability to comprehend the values of technologies very soon after they emerge. Meanwhile, the technology evaluation process is inevitably influenced by the firm's industrial context, such as its technological trajectory. This study defines technology evaluation strategy in terms of the processes, methods, and participants involved, and uses this definition as a taxonomy to explore different types of technology evaluation strategies. A survey on the technological industries is conducted to explore types of technology evaluation strategies and their relationships with the advantages of different types of innovation under the effects of different technological trajectories. The survey identifies four types of technology evaluation strategies, namely, those of the flexible executive strategist, the emergent executive intuitionist, the deliberate quantitative strategist, and the deliberate consensual strategist, are identified. This study has found that certain types of technology evaluation strategies have better innovation performances than the others. The patterns of technological trajectories are also found to influence a firm's technology evaluation strategy and the advantages of certain types of innovations. The established explanations of the relationships among the technological trajectory, innovation type, and technology evaluation strategies may guide technology businesses to develop a better technology evaluation capability. The theoretical framework developed in this research enriches the strategic management literature with a new taxonomy for technology evaluation strategies.

Risk calculations in the manufacturing technology selection process

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present result obtained from a developed technology selection framework and provide a detailed insight into the risk calculations and their implications in manufacturing technology selection process.Design/methodology/approachThe results illustrated in the paper are the outcome of an action research study that was conducted in an aerospace company.FindingsThe paper highlights the role of risk calculations in manufacturing technology selection process by elaborating the contribution of risk associated with manufacturing technology alternatives in the shape of opportunities and threats in different decision‐making environments.Practical implicationsThe research quantifies the risk associated with different available manufacturing technology alternatives. This quantification of risk crystallises the process of technology selection decision making and supports an industrial manager in achieving objective and comprehensive decisions regarding selection of a manufacturing technology.Originality/valueThe paper explains the process of risk calculation in manufacturing technology selection by dividing the decision‐making environment into manufacturing and supply chain environment. The evaluation of a manufacturing technology considering supply chain opportunities and threats provides a broader perspective to the technology evaluation process. The inclusion of supply chain dimension in technology selection process facilitates an organisation to select a manufacturing technology not only according to its own requirements, but also according to the interest of its constituent supply chain.

Exploring the role of technology evaluation in the competitiveness of US electronics manufacturing companies

This paper presents the technology evaluation process in the US electronics manufacturing industry. Eleven major groups of evaluation attributes were identified: Flexibility and Efficiency, Strategic Attributes, Manufacturing Floor Requirements, Product Development, Tactical Costs, Strategic Costs, Competitiveness, Operational Social Concerns, Strategic Social Concerns, Uniqueness, and Industry Trends. They utilise three major groups of evaluation methodologies: Analytic Tools, Financial Tools, and Modelling Tools. Two major impacts resulting from the technology acquisitions have been identified in this study. The resulting impacts are: Organisational and Operational Competitiveness, Market and New Product Development Competitiveness.

Systematische Gewinnung von Informationen zu ethischen Aspekten in HTA-Berichten zu medizinischen Technologien bzw. Interventionen

The aim of a health technology assessment (HTA) is the complete and comprehensive evaluation of a medical technology or intervention. This includes the consideration of ethical aspects associated with the use of a medical technology or with the technology evaluation process. In this context, ethics, as a moral philosophy, embraces issues of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Presentation of the working steps to retrieve information on ethical aspects; documentation and description of the various information sources available, as well as of the search terms and strategies tailored to the respective information sources. In addition to well-known national and international information sources such as bibliographic databases for HTA, biomedical sciences (e.g., MEDLINE), social sciences, and psychology, ethics databases are also used in the retrieval of information, which is performed analogously to the working steps applied in the retrieval of information for the evaluation of a health technology's clinical benefit. The databases allow search queries that present a combination of thesaurus and free-text terms or those that exclusively consist of free-text terms. The search results are completed by supplementary handsearching of ethics journals, websites of HTA institutions and institutions/organisations with key activities involving ethics and, if necessary, requests to ethics experts. Although the search for information on ethical issues of medical technologies is performed according to the same procedures as those that are followed in clinical benefit assessments, specific search strategies and additional specialist information sources are needed.

Architecture for implementing a sustainable electronic delivery services platform

PurposeThe main objective of this case study paper is to describe the State Library of New South Wales (SLNSW) implementation strategy and technical architecture model for implementing a sustainable technology platform for the delivery of electronic services as part of its atmitchell.com initiative.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on practical experience and knowledge gained by the SLNSW atmitchell.com project team as part of implementing the project strategy i.e. the three main horizons, defining the target technical architecture model and undertaking the technology evaluation to select appropriate technology vendors and products for digitisation, digital asset management, content management and system integration services.FindingsThe paper finds that the implementation strategy for atmitchell.com, i.e. to implement the project in three main horizons or phases, was critical to the success of this initiative. Defining a target architecture model to address the key issues and challenges within the SLNSW enterprise was also useful during the technology evaluation and selection process.Originality/valueThis case study paper focuses mainly on the implementation strategy and technical architecture developed by SLNSW to implement the atmitchell.com initiative. The key issues related to data, process and network are specific to the SLNSW enterprise. Cultural institutions with similar information technology (IT) systems and challenges can use the target technical architecture model described in this paper as a reference model to develop their organisation's target architecture model. The findings and lessons learned from SLNSW technology evaluation and tender process combined with the strategy adopted early on by SLNSW to implement the atmitchell.com initiative in three main horizon or phases will be valuable information for solution architects, IT managers and senior management executives of cultural organisations that are planning to embark in to similar initiatives.