Search results

This study aims to propose a framework for the development of implementation guidelines (IGs) that can help consultants mitigate not-invented-here (NIH) syndrome during a consultant intervention as a specific type of knowledge transfer.

The authors adopted a design science research approach for proposing an NIH-mitigating IG development framework. Inspired by findings and rich primary data from two consultant interventions, the authors, through theory building, ground five core principles in the general theory of NIH attitude functions. Finally, the authors revisit two consultant interventions to identify and describe mechanisms that led to the enactment of the principles.

The proposed framework provides five principles for developing NIH-mitigating IGs. The present research proposes that successful knowledge transfer and the mitigation of NIH syndrome as a prerequisite for this success are conditioned by adequately developed IGs.

The originality and value of the present research lie in the proposed NIH-mitigating IG development framework containing a set of principles for IG development as a proactive rather than reactive approach to NIH mitigation. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research to address the problematics of mitigating NIH syndrome in consultant knowledge transfer by focusing on developing appropriate IGs. By developing and implementing IGs based on the proposed framework, a more successful transfer of knowledge from consultants to clients should take place, thus, increasing the value that clients receive from consultancy.

Business process management (BPM), as a pillar of information systems (IS) research, has become more complex with the advent of new technologies, emphasizing the need for moral and ethical perspectives. To foster moral behavior and responsible action, including ethical values in IT systems and processes can be a solid option. By incorporating a socio-technical perspective, we are able to analyze the various aspects of BPM and organizational processes and the incorporated values. We find an overall acknowledgment of the importance of values and ethics in BPM.

This publication explores ethical values within BPM through a systematic literature review (SLR). The study aims to identify the ethical dimensions inherent in BPM and their practical implications in process management and task execution. The methodological approach adopted is a SLR (Boell and Cecez-Kecmanovic, 2015), adapting the PRISMA guidelines (Page et al., 2021) to identify 82 articles from 21 top IS journals suggested by Lowry et al. (2013).

A descriptive framework is developed to explain the use and application of ethical values within business processes. This framework enables practitioners and researchers to categorize and understand the various ethical considerations involved in BPM. It provides a structured approach highlighting the interrelation between process perspectives and ethical values, demonstrating how different BPM approaches may have varying ethical implications. We compare past and future research in business processes, identifying areas for further investigation and theoretical development. A historical analysis of values and literature also helps contextualize contemporary discussions on ethics in BPM, shedding light on the evolution of ethical considerations within this domain.

Our study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of BPM, highlighting the importance of considering ethical values and socio-technical perspectives in designing and implementing business processes. These findings contribute to understanding the values associated with different types of processes and their employment and highlight potential areas for future research. Our study provides ethics-oriented research in IS with novel insights by examining BPM from an ethical value perspective. We contribute to the BPM literature by examining which values are applied in which process types from which perspective. In addition, our research suggestions provide food for thought for both research streams.

Analyses of cultural landscapes need to combine natural and social-cultural components to promote discussions on landscape planning and heritage management. This qualitative research explores the integrated case study of ten municipalities in the “Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato”, Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape. The research aims to raise awareness of its aesthetic-perceptive features, the importance of effective identification of visual impacts and to promote mitigation strategies/actions for updating the current Management Plan.

Two rounds of interviews and focus groups with mayors were performed in 2015 and 2020 to identify trends and drivers of change affecting the territories. Potential mitigation strategies and actions were voted on and selected in response to five critical themes that emerged from the survey, mainly related to real estate and its supplies.

The results suggest tools and policies in the fields of landscape architecture and landscape design that could benefit planning and management at different levels. They support the design of sustainable scenarios, improving mayors' understanding of the significance of cultural landscapes and promoting them as heritage managers. Furthermore, they intend to preserve the authenticity of the landscape by supporting its attributes for long-term conservation.

The research makes an original contribution on the visual implications of anthropogenic landscape transformations in ten municipalities constituting this serial property, six years after its UNESCO nomination (2014).

People with intellectual disabilities are at a significantly higher risk than the general population for experiencing a wide range of adverse and potentially traumatic events. This paper aims to explore the incidence of experiences of lifetime trauma across this population in one Forensic Intellectual Disability Service. Risk management recommendations and psychological risk formulations were also examined for their consideration of traumatic experiences.

Risk assessment reports (n = 39) were reviewed for evidence of traumatic experiences and the consideration of trauma in patient risk formulations and risk management treatment recommendations.

Trauma was rated as present or partially present in 84.6% (n = 33) of risk assessment reports reviewed. None of the patients had received a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis. Recommendations regarding trauma were identified in 39.4% (n = 13) of the risk assessment reports where trauma was rated either “present” or “partially present”.

Findings suggest a need for diagnostic tools to be used to measure trauma symptoms and potential cases of PTSD to best support needs of patients. Trauma-focused interventions should also be considered. Further investigation is needed to clarify the disparity between the consideration of trauma in formulations and treatment recommendations.

This study highlights the different traumatic experiences that forensic patients across three settings have been exposed to during their lifetimes.

In smart cities striving for innovation, development, and prosperity, hydrogen offers a promising path for decarbonization. However, its effective integration into the evolving energy landscape requires understanding regional intricacies and identifying areas for improvement. This chapter examines hydrogen transport from production to utilization, evaluating technologies’ pros, cons, and process equations and using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) tool to assess these technologies based on multiple criteria. It also explores barriers and opportunities in hydrogen transport within the 21st-century energy transition, providing insights for overcoming challenges. Evaluation criteria for hydrogen transport technologies were ranked by relative importance, with energy efficiency topping the list, followed by energy density, infrastructure requirements, cost, range, and flexibility. Safety, technological maturity, scalability, and compatibility with existing infrastructure received lower weights. Hydrogen transport technologies were categorized into three performance levels: low, medium, and high. Hydrogen tube trailers ranked lowest, while chemical hydrides, hydrail, liquid organic hydrogen carriers, hydrogen pipelines, and hydrogen blending exhibited moderate performance. Compressed hydrogen gas, liquid hydrogen, ammonia carriers, and hydrogen fueling stations demonstrated the highest performance. The proposed framework is crucial for next-gen smart cities, cutting emissions, boosting growth, and speeding up development with a strong hydrogen infrastructure. This makes the region a sustainable tech leader, improving air quality and well-being. Aligned with Gulf Region goals, it is key for smart cities. Policymakers, industries, and researchers can use these insights to overcome barriers and seize hydrogen transport tech opportunities.

A faculty development program (FDP) introduced postsecondary instructors to a module focused on the food–energy–water (FEW) nexus, a socio-hydrologic issue (SHI) and a sustainability challenge. This study aims to examine factors influencing faculty interest in adopting the instructional resources and faculty experience with the FDP, including the gains made during the FDP on their knowledge about SHIs and their self-efficacy to teach about SHIs, and highlighted characteristics of the FDP.

Data from n = 54 participants via pre- and post-surveys and n = 15 interviews were analyzed using mixed methods.

Findings indicate that over three quarters of participants would use the curricular resources to make connections between complex SHIs, enhance place-based learning, data analysis and interpretation and engage in evidence-based decision-making. In addition, participants’ experience with the workshop was positive; their knowledge about SHIs remained relatively constant and their self-efficacy to teach about SHIs improved by the end of the workshop. The results provide evidence of the importance of institutional support to improve instruction about the FEW nexus.

The module, purposefully designed, aids undergraduates in engaging with Hydroviz, a data visualization tool, to understand both human and natural dimensions of the FEW nexus. It facilitates incorporating this understanding into systematic decision-making around an authentic SHI.

This paper synthesises international research on effective mentor training, education and development (MTED).

An adaptive theory methodology (Layder, 1998), combining deductive and inductive methods, was deployed in a qualitative meta-synthesis of thematic findings generated in three studies: a systematic review of literature published between January 2010 and July 2020, together with a secondary analysis of studies including evidence on MTED; a subsequent systematic review of literature published between August 2020 and May 2023 and a general inductive analysis (Thomas, 2006) of interviews of leaders of large-scale MTED programmes that had good evidence of impact.

Our meta-synthesis found that effective MTED is evidence-based, refined through ongoing research, tailored both to individual needs and context and includes sustained support. Effective pedagogical approaches in MTED are underpinned by adult learning principles and establish a learning climate that fosters open and trusting relationships. Effective MTED is shaped by the espoused mentoring model or approach, with particular emphasis on understanding, building and sustaining mentoring relationships and incorporating observing, practising, critically reflecting on and receiving feedback on mentoring.

The study will be helpful to practitioners designing, reviewing and evaluating MTED programmes, researchers seeking to enhance the sparse MTED evidence base and programme commissioners.

The original and significant contribution of this study is the identification of key principles relating to the overall design of – as well as specific content, pedagogical approaches and supporting resources within – MTED programmes that have evidenced positive effects on mentors, mentees, mentoring and/or organisations.

The purpose of the article is to examine the effect of life cycle stages on capital expenditures, using Borsa Istanbul-listed companies.

The panel data estimation procedure was used as the primary method to test the hypothesis. The authors used four additional analyses to check the robustness of the results. The model was tested for endogeneity using the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation. Quantile regression was utilized for the non-parametric test of the model. In the third robustness test, the sample was divided into two using financial constraints with the Size-Age (SA) Index proposed by Hadlock and Pierce (2010). The last analysis removed the global financial crisis (GFC) years from the sample.

Borsa Istanbul-listed companies tend to invest less as they move forward in their life cycle stages. The results show that market capitalization, operating cash flow levels and leverage positively affect capital expenditure investments. The empirical evidence also revealed that cash holding levels have a negative effect on capital expenditure decisions. Robustness tests support the results.

The findings are potentially useful for investors and managers. Having the information that decreasing capital expenditures signals that the company is in the last stages of its life would be a sign for managers to improve their investment strategies to avoid getting out of business and survive. They need to find options and solutions to propel their companies back on a path of growth. Additionally, the same information could be vital for investors' investment decisions.

This paper contributes to the literature by providing evidence about the effect of life cycle stages on capital expenditures from an emerging market. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first paper to investigate empirically how moving forward in the life cycle stages affects capital expenditures in an emerging market.

The purpose of this study is to provide details of the development and applications of surgical robots.

Following a short introduction, this first provides a historical background to surgical robot developments. The following sections discuss applications, specialised systems and their uses, remote telesurgery and a short consideration of future prospects. Finally, brief conclusions are drawn.

Catalysed by the needs of NASA and the US Department of Defence, robotic surgery was first conducted in the 1980s with modified industrial robots and the first dedicated surgical robots emerged commercially in the 1990s. These allow surgeons to conduct minimally invasive procedures which lead to significant patient benefits. Advances in communications have enabled long-range telesurgery based on commercial networks. In 2024, a telesurgical technique was conducted on simulated tissue on the International Space Station. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality and virtual reality will enhance the capabilities of future systems as well as contributing to improved surgeon training. In the longer term, AI-assisted surgery may be conducted with limited human intervention and full automation of certain procedures may ultimately arise.

This provides a detailed account of surgical robot developments and applications from their inception in the 1980s to the present day.