Technology Push Research Articles

Effect of internet penetration on ICT export, economy, and employment in Bangladesh: Evidence from vector error correction and local projection

The advent of Industry 4.0 is imminent, with the internet emerging as a pivotal catalyst for this impending revolution as general-purpose technology (GPT). This study examines the transformative impact of internet penetration on economic development and employment dynamics in Bangladesh. Leveraging time series data from 1996 to 2022, and employing Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) and Linear Projections (LP) methodologies, the research reveals significant insights into the relationship between internet penetration, ICT exports, GDP growth, and employment trends. Findings indicate that a 10% increase in internet penetration led to a notable 4.7% rise in ICT exports and a marginal 0.8% increase in GDP, albeit with a concerning 1.1% decline in formal sector employment. While highlighting the positive influence of internet connectivity on trade and economic activities, the study underscores the challenges of job displacement and the need for inclusive and equitable growth strategies in the face of technological big push.

Exploring Outcome-driven Innovation for the Responsible Design of Electric Two-wheelers

Amidst a technology push for electric mobility, the societal implementation of new e-mobility innovations is multi-layered and warrants a user-centered view. This study explores how the application of the outcome-driven innovation method (ODI) can be extended to e-mobility and inform a more responsible design of electric two-wheeler product and service development. By means of discovering electric two-wheelers’ possible weak spots and potentials using outcome-driven innovation with citizens, their unmet requirements can be better addressed. The results suggest several innovation potentials which could better facilitate users in getting certain jobs done, such as developing a more lightweight vehicle design. Additionally, the diverse needs of users can be transformed into real customer benefits through the subsequent integration of additional vehicle functionalities, such as complementing human machine interfaces or wearables. By employing outcome-driven innovation as a deliberative and inclusive means of creating value and by being receptive to citizen feedback, ODI has the potential to make a meaningful stride in enhancing the ‘responsible’ nature of innovation.

Technology Push in AI-Enabled Services: How to Master Technology Integration in Case of Bürokratt

Technology Push in AI-Enabled Services: How to Master Technology Integration in Case of Bürokratt

Evolution of biofabrication and 3D-bioprinting technologies – from market pull to technology push

Evolution of biofabrication and 3D-bioprinting technologies – from market pull to technology push

PERANCANGAN INOVASI PRODUK MODEL 11LTC DENGAN METODE QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT DAN DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING ASSEMBLY DI PT. FJT BATAM

The activity of designing and developing products, whether in the form of goods or services, cannot be separated from the marketing concept which aims to fulfill customer needs. Customer satisfaction can be met by identifying consumer behavior towards a product. Consumer behavior towards a product can be detected by appealing to market needs (Market Full), suppressing market penetration with new technology (technology Push), and modifying potential products to be offered to the market (Platform Product) The aim of this research is to find out what consumer needs are for a product by using the Quality Function Deployment Method and Design For Manufacturing Assembly, to increase consumer satisfaction and reduce part costs and process costs in the company. Based on the results of this product development, the company makes products according to consumer desires and can save costs on product material parts and costs on product processes

Scrutinising commodity hype in imaginaries of the Swedish green steel transition

The technological push for hydrogen-based steel production has become a flagship project of the Swedish state for advancing its global environmental leadership and becoming the world's first fossil free welfare state. The new production process has the potential to drastically cut emissions in a heavy polluting industry. The plans also entail a drastic upscale in steel production, energy and iron ore consumption and risk increasing existing pressures on Indigenous Sami land, local communities, and biodiversity. This article sets out to investigate the frontier-making function of green steel imaginaries to contribute to debates on sacrificed spaces of extraction for green commodity demand. The article speaks to a call for a critical turn in sustainability transitions literature by introducing the concept of hype to scrutinise the material consequences of growth-based green transition imaginaries. This article builds on a narrative analysis of government, industry, and company actors’ visions of a green steel future. The analysis illustrates how sociotechnical imaginaries are constructed to enable particular industrial futures over other green transition pathways. We show that the sociotechnical imaginary of green steel, fuelled through hype, serves to advance the new commodity and growth of the industry while effectively cancelling out democratic nuance and non-extractive alternatives. The findings illustrate the importance of pluralising green imaginaries to ensure inclusive transition pathways and to nuance and discursively dismantle the hype of green transitions that fail to break with the growth paradigm.

Innovative models of enterprise activities in global value chains

Methods. The research is based on the use of such general scientific methods as: logical and historical – to study the historical conditions of the development of the world economy, which influenced the change of scientific ideas about the nature of the innovation process; general and specific – to establish the specifics of theoretical innovation models; analysis and synthesis – to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of open innovations. Results. The evolution of scientists’ views on the nature of innovation processes is traced in the article. Five dominant theoretical models of innovation are characterized, namely: «technological push», «market involvement», «combination of technological capabilities and market needs», «integrated innovation process», «chain» and «open innovation». The relationship between changes in the economic system of society and the development of scientific ideas about the nature of innovation processes has been established. Specific features of the open innovation model are singled out and directions of its application in the organization of innovative activities of enterprises joining global value chains are demonstrated. The advantages and disadvantages of the model of open innovation in global value chains are demonstrated. Novelty. The scientific novelty of the research results lies in the determination of the possibilities of using various types of open innovations existing at the current stage in global value creation chains, for which their ranking was carried out based on the combination of the value of the level of innovation inclusion in the global value creation chain and the purpose of the enterprise’s activity. Practical value. The results of the study reveal the variability of theoretical ideas about the innovation process depending on the transformations of economic systems, and therefore allow enterprises to choose more effective competitive strategies for their development.

Optimal Subsidy Policy for Innovation: Technology Push and Demand Pull

Government plays a critical role in developing and adopting new products with social benefits. We study how the government should mix two different subsidies—a technology-push subsidy, which awards manufacturers for cost-reducing R&D efforts, and a demand-pull subsidy, which directly rewards customers—when multiple firms compete in the presence of spillover. We develop a model with the government and two firms: The government first announces a subsidy policy, then the two firms decide R&D investments to reduce production costs and sell the products. We analyze how the optimal subsidy policy and resultant market outcomes change in the social benefit of the product and the spillover level. We find that the government should use a different subsidy policy depending on the social benefit of the product. When the social benefit is low, no subsidy should be given, letting the two firms make discretionary R&D efforts without any inducement. When the social benefit is modest, the government should only give a push subsidy and let the firms lead production adoptions with cost-reducing R&D. When the social benefit is large, the government should provide both subsidies, but the dependence on the pull subsidy increases. We also study how the spillover level influences the optimal subsidy. As knowledge spillover increases, we find that the government should increase the push subsidy to offset the losses incurred by the cost leader. We contribute to the literature by offering policy insights on how the government should design subsidies to maximize the adoption of products with social benefits.

Making Sense of AI Benefits: A Mixed-method Study in Canadian Public Administration

AbstractPublic administrators receive conflicting signals on the transformative benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the counternarratives of AI’s ethical impacts on society and democracy. Against this backdrop, this paper explores the factors that affect the sensemaking of AI benefits in Canadian public administration. A mixed-method research design using PLS-SEM (n = 272) and interviews (n = 38) tests and explains the effect of institutional and consultant pressures on the perceived benefits of AI use. The quantitative study shows only service coercive pressures have a significant effect on perceived benefits of AI use and consultant pressures are significant in generating all institutional pressures. The qualitative study explains the results and highlights the underlying mechanisms. The key conclusion is that in the earlier stages of AI adoption, demand pull is the main driver rather than technology push. A processual sensemaking model is developed extending the theory on institutions and sensemaking. And several managerial implications are discussed.

Productive interactions without impact? An empirical investigation of researchers’ struggle to improve the elderly’s oral health

Background:Achieving impact of research is often seen as requiring productive interaction between researchers and stakeholders. Still, interactions are sometimes not ‘productive’ and lead to no visible impacts. Aims and objectives:This article studies repeated attempts by researchers to involve different stakeholders to facilitate pathways to societal impact. We look in particular at possible explanations for the lack of impacts. Methods:This is a longitudinal case study of an interdisciplinary group of researchers where we acted as participant observers over a period of close to six years. The studied researchers have in various ways targeted the societal challenge of oral healthcare for the elderly. Findings:We see the societal challenge as a ‘problem area’ where researchers are one of many stakeholder groups, and where the different stakeholders vary in salience, legitimacy and power. A lack of funding for the research led to continuous efforts to involve new stakeholders, envision new forms of impact, and establish a sense of urgency of the societal challenge. Discussion and conclusion:The case highlights different gaps in the problem area that are organisational, social, and institutional. We also find that there are gaps in how the fundamental societal issue is described and prioritised, and in how responsibilities for finding solutions are distributed. This seems to lead researchers away from extensive interaction and towards more traditional forms of impact through randomised controlled trials and technology push initiatives.

Smart Cities and (Smart) Cycling: Exploring the Synergies in Copenhagen and Amsterdam

ABSTRACT In cities worldwide, cycling is increasingly upgraded with smart technology and is included in smart cities' visions and projects. This process has not been problematized in public discourse, as smart innovation is seen as a potential booster of the known benefits of cycling. Drawing on critical literatures on smart cities, smart mobility, and degrowth and using the case studies of Copenhagen and Amsterdam, the article opens up a more critical conversation on the subject, discussing the role of "techno-solutionism,” technology push, and pro-innovation bias in the process of “smartification” of cycling.

FINANCIALISATON OF SAVINGS: THE SUBTLE POWER OF NUDGES IN SHAPING PERSONAL FINANCE

The Indian financial services landscape has evolved and transformed in the last decade . The use of technology and policy push has catalysed the evolution. In the evolving landscape of personal finance, the shift from traditional saving methods to financialized saving strategies represents a significant behavioural and economic transition . This paper examines how the application of nudge theory has been instrumental in steering this transformation. As individuals increasingly move from conventional savings like bank deposits to more complex financial vehicles such as stocks, mutual funds, and retirement accounts, understanding the role of behavioural nudges in this shift becomes crucial. The study explores the application of nudge theory as proposed by Thaler and Sunstein(2008), exploring its practical implementation in personal finance. The study explores the awareness level of college students for financial inclusion schemes.. Employing a qualitative approach also compiles the inputs of experts and stakeholders to understand the impact of these nudges on personal saving habits. The papers explores how subtle modifications in choice architecture and policy design, such as automatic enrolment in pension plans, default fund options in investment schemes, and simplification of financial choices, effectively nudge individuals. It conclusively underline the need for Nudging for broadening the investor base with the balance of informed decision making to safeguard financial stability and financial wellbeing.

Spintronic terahertz polarization programmable system for information encoding

Terahertz (THz) wave as an important electromagnetic wave has been increasingly applied in wireless communication and imaging sensing technology. It has been an increasingly practical application. Ultra-high data rates in communication technology push toward a broadband, controllable polarization, and multiple transmission channels signal sources. Here, we propose a programmable polarization spintronics terahertz source (PP-STS), in which contains a controllable polarization spintronic THz emitter and a microcontroller unit. The PP-STS not only can generate THz waves with wide frequency bandwidth, but also has the function of switching the orthogonal linear polarization state of the generated THz waves flexibly. By coding the microcontroller unit, the designed PP-SPS can directly program the orthogonal linear polarization states as a series of information to transmit. To achieve the interconversions between digital codes and the THz polarization information, an optimum matching THz polarization beam splitter (THz-PBS) is also designed via simulations and experiments. The THz-PBS, as a decoder, can accurately split the transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes into two THz detectors. At last, a coding and decoding prototype system of spintronic THz polarization is built by integrating the PP-STS, the THz-PBS and two THz detectors. The send and receive information with high speed and accuracy are verified in this prototype system as well. We believe that our work takes THz applications for multiplexing communications one step further and sheds light on commercializing the PP-STS with exciting manufacturing lines for efficient and economical THz polarization technology.

The material basis of modern technologies. A case study on rare metals

Scientific progress in many technologies exploits new materials. The unique properties of a wide range of Rare Metals (RMs) make them key inputs to achieve the functionality of emerging technologies. The speed of technological progress can therefore be influenced by the availability of necessary RM materials. This paper discusses these relations and provides a first exploratory empirical analysis of the link between critical raw materials and frontier technological innovation. By text mining 5,146,615 USPTO patents during the period 1976–2015, we explore the dependence of new inventions of 13 key RMs, finding that the latter play an increasingly important role as the material basis of modern technologies: in the four decades observed, more than 1/10 patents rely on at least one RM. This dependence increases significantly over time and is particularly high for emerging technologies such as semiconductors, nanotechnology, and green energy. Further, we adopt a panel of 5644 technology subgroup-RM pairs to explore the impact of variations in RM supply. The results show that, controlling for science & technology push and demand-pull factors, innovation in RM-based technologies is positively associated with its supply conditions, contributing to the understanding of the shifts of critical materials' use in frontier technologies.

Market-pull, technology-push, and regulatory stringency determinants: All in need in firms' decisions for large-scale demonstration of direct air capture technologies

Carbon dioxide removal approaches such as direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) technologies have come to the fore as essential mitigation options to limit the increase in global warming to 1.5 °C. Previous studies have touched upon the technical, economic, environmental, and social and political feasibilities of DACCS technologies. These studies have commonly found that these technologies are not yet suitable for widespread deployment. However, large-scale demonstration projects have recently been successful, and facility construction for deployment is ongoing. There is a lack of studies exploring firm-level behaviors in DACCS technologies. What behavioral determinants are responsible for firms undertaking large-scale demonstrations and deployment with innovative but uncertain DACCS technologies? Using an analytical framework that included market pull, technology push, and regulatory stringency determinants, a case study of the firm, Carbon Engineering, was conducted. The results reveal that the most important determinants are regulatory factors that are vital for mobilizing financial resources.

Drivers to increase eco-efficiencies in Uruguay, Peru, and Panama

Scarce evidence postulates the drivers of eco-innovation in Latin American Countries. This paper aims to contribute empirically to the literature on drivers of eco-efficiencies in this region. We use the last year available in the new LAIS dataset -Latin American Innovation Survey- and apply multivariate probit models. Results show that drivers in this region can be divided into three groups: common, frequent, and occasional. The first one includes market and regulatory factors which affect the three countries; frequent drivers are some technological push drivers whose influence is substantial although only in some countries; and the last one refers to those drivers that have a sporadic effect on eco-efficiencies, such as training and cooperation. Differences also are found distinguishing by type of innovation -product and process, radical and incremental- and by efficiencies -energy, material, and environmental-.

Perceived Use Cases, Barriers, and Requirements for a Smart Health-Tracking Toilet Seat: Qualitative Focus Group Study.

Smart bathroom technology offers unrivaled opportunities for the automated measurement of a range of biomarkers and other data. Unfortunately, efforts in this area are mostly driven by a technology push rather than market pull approach, which decreases the chances of successful adoption. As yet, little is known about the use cases, barriers, and desires that potential users of smart bathrooms perceive. This study aimed to investigate how participants from the general population experience using a smart sensor-equipped toilet seat installed in their home. The study contributes to answering the following questions: What use cases do citizens see for this innovation? and What are the limitations and barriers to its everyday use that they see, including concerns regarding privacy, the lack of fit with everyday practices, and unmet expectations for user experience? Overall, 31 participants from 30 households participated in a study consisting of 3 (partially overlapping) stages: sensitizing, in which participants filled out questionnaires to trigger their thoughts about smart bathroom use and personal health; provotyping, in which participants received a gentle provocation in the form of a smart toilet seat, which they used for 2 weeks; and discussion, in which participants took part in a web-based focus group session to discuss their experiences. Participants mostly found the everyday use of the toilet, including installation and dismantling when necessary, to be relatively easy and free of complications. Where complications occurred, participants mentioned issues related to the design of the prototype, technology, or mismatches with normal practices in using toilets and hygiene. A broad range of use cases were mentioned, ranging from signaling potentially detrimental health conditions or exacerbations of existing conditions to documenting physical data to measuring biomarkers to inform a diagnosis and behavioral change. Participants differed greatly in whether they let others use, or even know about, the seat. Ownership and control over their own data were essential for most participants. This study showed that participants felt that a smart toilet seat could be acceptable and effective, as long as it fits everyday practices concerning toilet use and hygiene. The range of potential uses for a smart toilet seat is broad, as long as privacy and control over disclosure and data are warranted.

SUSTAINABILITY TRANSPARENCY: SCOPE FOR DIGITAL SERVICES

Transparency for sustainability in digital services represents an emergent challenge for organizations. In addition to the technological push to operationalize digital infrastructure and information systems, knowledge to support service designers in approaching transparency challenges is limited. An understanding of what sustainability transparency means and how to inform the scope for its application in service design is needed. A literature review of the historical evolution and key conceptualizations was used to provide a theoretical framework. Then, an exploratory multiple case study (ex-post-facto) (representing the different contexts of practice) was conducted to help validate and refine the framework. The provided framework can help in understanding the ethical, communication, and value-creation implications of the concept from the digital service-encounter to more systemic scopes.

Development of an Educational Fuel Cell System for Mechanical Engineering Course

Although there is growth in electrochemical system applications such as batteries and fuel cells to power land and air transportation and the current push for hydrogen technology, modeling and control design of thermal and power aspects of such systems is not commonly taught. To incorporate such content, an educational learning hardware system with software interface had been constructed to teach process dynamics and control in selected undergraduate mechanical engineering courses. Given a fuel cell is an energy conversion unit that uses chemical fuel to produce electricity without combustion, a set of student groups developed an educational laboratory system that ensured reliable and consistent power delivery from fuel cell as well as stable hydrogen production using cost-effective and off-the-shelf resources. A 100W Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) system was constructed through integration of hardware components, and user software interface like MATLAB for accessibility and ease of use in a laboratory course setting. The interface accessed remotely or face-to-face allowed for flow rate, pressure, and temperature measurements to be recorded for student analysis related to understanding of thermal and power performance and management of fuel cell and/or electrolyzer at different operating conditions. The system performed well based on initial testing by a pilot group of other students. It will be implemented in an upcoming course offering related to energy conversion and/or thermal fluid laboratory.

Golden oldies: ten crystallography articles that we think must be read.

We have selected a set of ten 'golden oldies', diverse crystallography articles to illustrate important moments in the development of our field of science and which form landmark papers in crystallography. They are a mixture of 'science pull and technology push'. For each of our choices, we firstly created a new title that emphasizes how the paper's importance worked out from today's perspective. Then we describe the core details and impacts of each paper, with some quotations and a selected figure or two. Ten is an arbitrary number of highlights and our choice is personal.