View Of Ecosystem Research Articles

Effectual selling in service ecosystems

This research draws on effectuation theory and service dominant logic to develop the concept of effectual selling. Effectual selling is focused on resource integration, stakeholder interaction, and value co-creation under environmental uncertainty. The effectual selling perspective developed here is consistent with the emerging service ecosystem view. As such, it is holistic and dynamic. Broadly, this investigation represents the longstanding and continuous effort to understand and articulate the important and evolving role of the salesperson. Several testable propositions are developed to facilitate further study of effectual selling behavior. Guided by the motivation, opportunity, ability (MOA) framework, the propositions suggest different salesperson characteristics, sales manager leader behaviors, and firm-level characteristics that will drive effectual selling behavior.

The Business Anticipatory Ecosystem outside the “First World”: Competitive Intelligence in South Africa

The purpose of this article is to extend the Competitive Intelligence (CI) business ecosystem concept and measurements, as developed by our previous work, to South Africa. The article is based on a pioneer study on the CI business ecosystem conducted outside North America and demonstrates how the concept and measurements are applicable in other countries.The business ecosystem view considers the state of CI both in terms of intelligence practice (by firms) and the support system that enables firm practice. For this study, measures from past studies and additional revised measures were used to examine firms’ CI practice as well as CI supporting systems within government, academia, and professional associations. Through multiple lines of research, the study noted that CI remains a practiced discipline in South Africa with evidence of the field having evolved within the country. While CI practices have grown in terms of some elements (for example, academic contribution), activities in other aspects of the ecosystem have declined such as association involvement, conferences, workshops, and training. Future research should be conducted to better understand the changes in these elements and their impact upon CI practice.

Vuln4Real: A Methodology for Counting Actually Vulnerable Dependencies

Vulnerable dependencies are a known problem in today’s free open-source software ecosystems because FOSS libraries are highly interconnected, and developers do not always update their dependencies. Our paper proposes Vuln4Real, the methodology for counting actually vulnerable dependencies, that addresses the over-inflation problem of academic and industrial approaches for reporting vulnerable dependencies in FOSS software, and therefore, caters to the needs of industrial practice for correct allocation of development and audit resources. To understand the industrial impact of a more precise methodology, we considered the 500 most popular FOSS Java libraries used by SAP in its own software. Our analysis included 25767 distinct library instances in Maven. We found that the proposed methodology has visible impacts on both ecosystem view and the individual library developer view of the situation of software dependencies: Vuln4Real significantly reduces the number of false alerts for deployed code (dependencies wrongly flagged as vulnerable), provides meaningful insights on the exposure to third-parties (and hence vulnerabilities) of a library, and automatically predicts when dependency maintenance starts lagging, so it may not receive updates for arising issues.

Seeing the whole elephant – How lobstermen's local ecological knowledge can inform fisheries management

Lobstermen in Southern New England come from a longstanding intergenerational fishing tradition. Their local ecological knowledge (LEK) on the American lobster, Homarus americanus can be an important source of information for management. This paper examines lobstermen's LEK as it relates to stock assessment and the overlap to science based ecological knowledge (SEK). Although in recent years, using vent-less trap assessments and conducting young of the year surveys, has set the stage for more cooperative research, in our opinion, lobstermen's LEK remains underutilized in fisheries management. There has been a steady decline in the lobster stocks over the years, raising concerns regarding fisheries management. For this reason, we turn to lobstermen's knowledge as an important source that could inform fisheries management. Using a semi-structured approach, the stakeholders' LEK and open discussions were recorded during three meetings where lobstermen participated with managers and scientists. LEK was transcribed and categorized and matched to the corresponding SEK described in the literature. Results generally found that the lobstermen's LEK corresponded with the best available SEK. LEK is compatible with an ecosystem view of the fishery that integrates the complexities of interacting systems. The lobstermen explained that they viewed their fishing grounds as "managed landscapes", areas used productively, maintained and protected by them. These results are a starting point to broaden the base of the knowledge used in fisheries management enabling us to see the whole picture. Topics of LEK and SEK convergence are promising common ground, while topics where lobstermen and managers' views differ, can serve as points of entry to enable research and cooperative management. Both can be the basis for cooperative hypothesis testing.

A boundary objects view of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in tourism

This paper uses boundary objects theory to advance a novel conceptualization of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EEs) in tourism and address gaps in our understanding of the environments within which physical and virtual elements of EEs interact, change and expand over time. An extensive literature review of select information science and organizational strategy literature is used to identify key characteristics of tourism EEs and situate the concept within a ‘tourism as system’ perspective. The resultant models demonstrate that tourism EEs represent an expanding meso-level experience space made up of actors engaged in multiple types of activities, complemented by an ever-expanding set of interactions, and driven by a variety of entrepreneurial behaviors and technological innovations. Theoretical implications suggest that future research should employ dynamic measurement approaches to understanding and measuring EE performance vis-a-vis the disruptive impact of digital technology. Practical implications for governments, communities, and global tourism organizations include the need for governance systems to expand opportunities for current EE players while encouraging the entry of new players through the creation of new tourism ventures.

A Platform Ecosystem View of Servitization in Manufacturing

This study investigates how the social and technical subsystems of a platform ecosystem change and interact with each other in the development and delivery of advanced services. An integrated research approach results in the development of an analytical framework accounting for the four perspectives of - technical core, key actors, structural boundaries and task aspects of a servitization-based platform ecosystem. The study draws from collective experiences of 14 senior executives from seven manufacturing companies using a multiple case study approach. The findings recognise modularity and standardisation as the essential components of the technical core, followed by how servitizing manufacturers redefine service-oriented roles to enable resource integration and value co-creation. Analysis of our findings also reveals that manufacturers concurrently operate across multiple structural boundaries, depending on which they adopt varying mechanisms to govern and orchestrate their actor network. Several theoretical and practical implications are identified.

Developing holistic models of the structure and function of the soil/plant/atmosphere continuum

A model that can assess the structure and functionality of the soil/plant/atmosphere (SPA) continuum along spatial and temporal gradients using specific and measurable variables remains a key objective and challenge in ecological research of terrestrial ecosystems. We analyze the model proposed in this issue by Silva and Lambers (2020) that tries to meet this challenge and further propose complementary points of view to base the model on easy straightforward measurable variables incorporating new recent holistic views of terrestrial ecosystems. Silva and Lambers (2020) explain how symbiotic and competitive strategies involving plants and soil microorganisms through the ecological succession influence scale-free patterns of carbon, nutrient, and water use from individual organisms to landscapes. The algorithms in their model use measurable variables such as specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area index (LAI), stomatal conductance (g), photosynthetic rate (A), gross primary production (GPP), or net primary production (NPP). Other variables, such as the rates of resource depletion or uptake and the level of resources needed to ensure survival, however, are very difficult to determine in the field, impeding the use of these algorithms in some cases. SPA models should thus consider being complemented and reinforced by new emerging holistic approaches and avoid the use of variables that are difficult to measure as much as possible. Integrative approaches such as the biogeochemical niche theory and global C balance, including measurable variables such as bio-elemental composition of soils, microbes and plants should thus be considered.

Entrepreneurial ecosystems: Future research trends

AbstractEntrepreneurial ecosystems are gaining ascendancy as one of the most popular topics discussed in the international business literature. This is due to the way they incorporate cultural, economic, social, and political considerations in an evolutionary view of how entities interact in society. Due to an increased emphasis on digitalization and the knowledge economy, it helps to take an ecosystem view when discussing and analyzing entrepreneurship. The aim of this article is to discuss future research trajectories in research, practice, and policy on entrepreneurial ecosystems. Thereby contributing an anthropocosmic view to how entrepreneurship exists and its role in contributing to a more open and inclusive global economy. Specific research and managerial tracks are stated that highlight the importance of investing in an entrepreneurial ecosystem mindset where everything is connected.

Subconscious Biases in Coral Reef Fish Studies

AbstractIn complex, diverse ecosystems, one is faced with an exceptionally challenging decision: which species to examine first and why? This raises the question: Is there evidence of subconscious biases in study species selection? Likewise, is there evidence of this bias in selecting methods, locations, and times? We addressed these questions by surveying the literature on the most diverse group of vertebrates (fishes) in an iconic high-diversity ecosystem (coral reefs). The evidence suggests that we select study species that are predominantly yellow. Reef fish studies also selectively examine fishes that are behaviorally bold and in warm, calm, attractive locations. Our findings call for a reevaluation of study species selection and methodological approaches, recognizing the potential for subconscious biases to drive selection for species that are attractive rather than important and for methods that give only a partial view of ecosystems. Given the challenges faced by high-diversity ecosystems, we may need to question our decision-making processes.

Smartphone experience, satisfaction, and referral: an ecosystem perspective

ABSTRACT Following an ecosystem perspective and drawing on the stimulus-organism-response model, this research examines how experiential stimuli, including consumers’ experiences with their smartphones, phone service providers, and smartphone applications affect satisfaction with smartphones, which then leads to referral behaviors. An online survey questionnaire was completed by 444 respondents, and structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model. Findings recognize the stimulating role of experience with products and services (i.e., smartphone applications and service providers) that comprise the smartphone ecosystem, highlight the mediating role of satisfaction in the relationship between experiences and word-of-mouth (WOM) referrals, and shed light on the reciprocal power of WOM referrals in the context of smartphone satisfaction. As opposed to the majority of research focusing on smartphone adoption factors, the present research provides insights on post-adoption experiences of consumers with their smartphones. Moreover, the ecosystem view of the study moves beyond the mere phone features and considers the role of other technological products and services that interact with smartphone devices and shape consumers’ experiences with smartphones.

Marketing ecosystem: An outside-in view for sustainable advantage

In the modern business environment, consumers are increasingly influenced by megatrends involving marketplace, technology, socioeconomics, geopolitics, and natural environment. Simultaneously, the data and insights that can inform consumer attitudes and behaviors often reside outside of firms' direct control. Consciously incorporating these interdependent factors into firms' decision-making is essential for adaptability and sustainable profitability.Building on the “outside-in” perspective, we propose that firm strategies should be informed through the lens of the marketing ecosystem that considers the interrelated and dynamic megatrends. By leveraging advances in data and technology, firms can sense-make the marketplace by extracting insights from massive amounts of diverse consumer data with modern-day analytics. By mapping out the megatrends with marketing analytics, firms can 1) more accurately predict consumers' changing preferences and formulate appropriate strategies to engage with them; and 2) become more market-adaptable and competitive in the present and the future.To deliver sustainably compelling value to customers, firms should adopt an ecosystem mindset and cooperate with various stakeholders. A broad-thinking, agile, and humble firm culture can enable the development of more robust outside-in capabilities. We elaborate on the megatrends in the interconnected world of the marketing ecosystem, and propose emerging research directions in each area.

Multi-level governance for sustainable innovation in smart communities: an ecosystems approach

This paper analyses the TrentoSmartCity project to redefine Trento (an Italian municipality) as a smart community according to an ecosystems view that explores the different resources, value propositions and co-creation practices arising from actors’ engagement. Smart technology is considered a key lever for community well-being that should be associated with human and management skills to foster the emergence of sustainable growth. A literature review on the key areas of smart communities was performed to identify a gap in extant research related to the scarcity of studies examining the strategic role of governance in communities. Then, the main ecosystems elements were introduced to show the suitability of this theory for the introduction of an integrated view based on multi-level governance and service ecosystems. Findings from the case study on the TrentoSmartCity allowed the development of a theoretical framework that identified the main drivers for sustainable growth in smart communities by showing the need to introduce a meta-level to address the harmonizing role of governance. Thus, the study detected, firstly, the main ecosystem’s elements involved in Trento communities and, secondly, how multi-level governance could strategically manage these elements for the harmonization of multi-stakeholder’s objectives to attain social growth. The identification of the strategic drivers for sustainable development in smart communities as well as the main decision-making and policy-making steps could help scholars and practitioners shed light on the key role of entrepreneurship and governance in the development of sustainable innovation.

From Cars to Bicycles: an Ecosystem View of Montreal Traffic as a Wicked Problem

In this paper, we share our reflections based on a process consultation project in collaboration with the Montreal Bicycle Advisory Committee. We put forward the idea that changing people’s habits of transportation in Montreal is a complex, wicked problem which cannot be solved by a single actor in a single domain using well-known solutions. We suggest using Transformative Scenario Planning as a framework for how to engage the ecosystem in a participatory, systemic and emergent process to help the system transform its problematic situation. We also discuss the implications of being a stakeholder and change agents in such a transformative culture change process, including our own experience of change through the project. Finally, we end our reflections with a question for further exploration that have emerged from this work. In doing so, we wish to share the continuous inquiry that this work may inspire.

Retheorizing Ecosystem Services as Cultural Landscapes: Co-constitution, Power Relations, and Knowledges

Originally proposed by ecological economists, the concept of ecosystem services has gained traction in demonstrating the importance of ecosystems for providing goods and services to society. While much work has sought to develop and operationalise the concept as the basis of scientific research and ecosystem conservation, most thinking and practice around ecosystem services is based on a view of ecosystems as biophysical systems that interact with, yet are separate from, people. In this article, we build on critiques that this conceptual separation of nature and society is problematic, both in theory and practice, because it overlooks the multiple ways in which ecosystems are shaped by, and shape, human processes over time and space, both materially and symbolically. We propose advances in two directions. First, we retheorize ecosystem services as co-produced by biophysical and social processes, both materially and symbolically and over space and time, by ontologically redefining ecosystems as cultural landscapes. By doing so, we recognise the power relations that underpin the co-constitution of ecosystems and their users, including the continued dominance of formal science in producing knowledge about them. Second, we explore the epistemological implications of this retheorization: acknowledging that ecosystems are also social implies that human influences and meanings are not external to, but part of, ecosystem services. This expands the types of knowledge that are needed to better understand socio-ecological interactions, and inform the design and effectiveness of policy interventions.

Paradigm warriors: Advancing a radical ecosystems view of collective leadership from an Indigenous Māori perspective

Collective leadership is cast as a new and emerging paradigm. However, for many Indigenous communities, collective leadership has been a way of life through the millennia. Where mainstream models of collective leadership focus on what people do, think, and feel in the here and now, we argue such an approach ignores contributions of other generations. The Māori ecosystems view set out in this article positions a revolutionary departure from previous work on collective leadership because of the extraordinary set of relationships it encompasses, including those across generations and across living and non-living entities. Meeting this special issue’s call for innovative research methodologies, our work is informed by the ancient practice of wānanga, which challenges secular, reductionist, quantitative research. Wānanga traverses time and space and involves a quality of consciousness that brings forth an integrated collective intelligence. Inquiring into three watershed leadership moments, we show that collective Māori leadership is an ecosystem held together by activating a knowledge code, cultivating ties of affection, and working the tensions. Unlike the ‘new broom sweeps clean’ approach where incoming leaders tend to discard the work of predecessors, true collective leadership is an integrated ecosystem sustained from one generation of leadership to the next.

The Rhynie chert.

In 1912, William Mackie, a medical practitioner surveying the regional geology west of Aberdeen, Scotland, happened on some unusual rocks (Figure 1) near the village of Rhynie. Dark gray to nearly black and shot through with cylindrical structures a few millimeters in diameter, these rocks differed markedly from the shales and volcanic rocks of local hills. Mackie had discovered the Rhynie chert - paleobotany's most iconic deposit - with its exceptionally preserved fossils that provide a uniquely clear view of early terrestrial ecosystems in statu nascendi. Early research by Robert Kidston and William Lang showed that the cylindrical structures in Rhynie rocks were the axes of early plants, preserved in remarkable cellular detail. A century of subsequent research confirmed that Rhynie provides not only an unparalleled record of early tracheophyte (vascular plant) evolution, but also offers additional paleontological treasures, including animals (mostly arthropods) and microorganisms ranging from fungi, algae, and oomycetes to testate amoebozoans, and even cyanobacteria. A captivating snapshot of life on land more than 400 million years ago, the Rhynie chert provides our earliest and best view of how terrestrial ecosystems came to be.

7 questions for energy concept in ecosystems science

• Economics is based on science of 260 years ago, after which science progressed and economics has not. • 7 questions are posed of science to help insights into economic analysis of ecosystems. • A revealing answer is proposed as to why energy from fuel is classed as negative enthalpy in chemistry. • Energy concept is confusing and can be replaced by accounting in electromagnetic force. • “Energy contained in fuel” is better understood as emf released in breaking the oxygen molecule bond. Seven questions that fall in the gap between economics and the science of physics and chemistry are posed in a search for eventual improved insight into the processes providing ecosystem services. Economics and science are like two different cultures that both began in an era of awe at Newtonian physics. Economics has continued with models based on that while science has made giant steps into new levels of discovery. The paths of scientific revolution have been bumpy and ad hoc, pragmatically resolving technical questions in ways that “work”, sometimes oblivious of the need for elegance that would explain the macroscopic view of ecosystems. Economic analysis of ecosystem services needs to reverse engineer some scientific discoveries, especially the concept behind the term “energy”, and rebuild in logical blocks that embrace a wider boundary with a clearer focus of workings in space and time.

Business model innovation and the global ecosystem for sustainable development

Current literature on business model innovation is moving away from liner models, and highlighting critical success factors such as knowledge, creativity and innovation. However, understanding how these issues relate to business model components, and how they are connected to surrounding networks and ecosystems, is still an area that requires more attention. In an effort to explain how business model components work together and impact one another in the networks and the wider ecosystems in which businesses exist, a conceptual framework has been developed: The Ecosystem View of Business Model Innovation. This is a holistic and unifying framework, highlighting the flow of connectivity between the internal and external components of a business. In this paper, an illustrative case study provides the foundation for studying this new framework within the context of the global ecosystem for sustainable development. In addition to case study research, action research was applied to gain an in-depth understanding of the interactions between the dynamic components involved. This conceptual framework and supporting illustrative case clarify the types of organizational capabilities, practices and routines that can strengthen both internal value processes and external networks and ecosystems, allowing for knowledge, creativity and innovation to develop.

LEARNING ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS BEFORE-AFTER TRACKING IN ENVIRONMENTAL TRAIL

Environmental-science education has aimed to educate about environmental aspects with theoretical and practical science-based activities involving both trails and laboratoryactivities. Here we assessed the effectiveness of using environmental trail in an Atlantic Forest fragment to improve ecological and biological concepts learning. The hypotheses tested were that there is biological and ecological concepts acquisition following the visit to the trail and that the activity increases the comprehension about the multiple functions of species and ecosystem processes. Eight groups of undergraduates and teachers from public schools (N = 161 people) participated of a three-step activity by: i) answering a questionnaire (pre-test); ii) discussing ecological subjects and observe scientific experiments while walking by trail; and iii) answering the questionnaire after the visit (post-test). Results showed significant difference between the pre-test and the post-test for all groups (p = 0.000), indicating that the use of trails increased the understanding of ecological and biological concepts. Furthermore, scores in multiple choices questions were always higher in the post-test showing that participants understood the multiple functions of ecosystem’s elements, enhancing their view and comprehension of ecosystem as a whole. The use of ecological restoration experiments seemed to be a new valuable approach to achieve these outcomes.

Antecedents of co-development and its effect on innovation performance

PurposeIn the contemporary business environment, companies must constantly consider methods to enhance their competitive advantage and create value for their customers. The purpose of this paper is to develop a research model based on a business ecosystem view. Within a business ecosystem, the authors identified the key factors of co-development and the manner in which these factors affect a company’s innovation performance.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical hypotheses are confirmed by partial least squares analysis of survey responses collected from information and communication technology (ICT) and hotel industries in Taiwan.FindingsIn both industries, the results suggest that a firm’s co-development within its own ecosystem has positive effects on innovation performance. For companies in the ICT industry, collaborative networks and partner selection have significant impacts on the firms’ co-development, but their information technology (IT) capability does not; in contrast, in the hotel industry, partner selection and IT capability have significant impacts on firm co-development, but their collaborative network does not.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature of business ecosystem and co-development by offering a co-development model. As both conceptual and empirical research on this topic is still underdeveloped, this study provides fresh insights into collaboration management and offers significant theoretical and managerial implications from a business ecosystem perspective.