R.D. Schueller and A.P. Plepys
Tape ball grid array (TBGA) packages offer many of theadvantages of plastic BGAs, namely excellent durability, improved board space utilisation and ease ofsurface mount assembly…
Abstract
Tape ball grid array (TBGA) packages offer many of the advantages of plastic BGAs, namely excellent durability, improved board space utilisation and ease of surface mount assembly along with the associated yield improvements. TBGA packages go a step further, however, and offer the added benefits of improved signal integrity, better heat dissipation, and extendability to higher pin counts. This paper outlines the design and material selection process to produce a low‐cost TBGA which allows the wire bonding of a die. This type of package offers an attractive solution for applications requiring mid to high I/O capability and good electrical and thermal properties. Preliminary results have demonstrated the feasibility of wire bonding to this package at temperatures up to 200°C.
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Kristina W. Kintziger and Jennifer A. Horney
Little attention has been given to the mental and physical health impacts of COVID-19 on the academic public health workforce. Academic public health is an important support…
Abstract
Little attention has been given to the mental and physical health impacts of COVID-19 on the academic public health workforce. Academic public health is an important support mechanism for public health practice, providing expertise and workforce training, conducting research, disseminating evidence-based scientific information to both public health and lay audiences, and serving as a supplementary workforce when additional resources are needed. These roles become more important during a public health emergency, particularly during a prolonged public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the COVID-19 response, the roles of academic public health have expanded to include developing and implementing contact tracing, surveillance, testing, and vaccination programs for universities and their surrounding communities, all while continuing to prepare students and support the public health practice workforce in their ongoing efforts. As in other responder groups, this has resulted in significant mental health effects and burnout among public health academicians. The authors suggest important steps that can be taken to improve the resilience of the academic public health workforce and to support their contributions during prolonged public health emergencies.
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Zichao Yang, Jianqiang Luo, Taiwen Feng and Rongrong Pan
This study aims to examine how degree of servitization and breadth of servitization affect the firm performance, and the moderating roles of corporate social responsibility (CSR…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how degree of servitization and breadth of servitization affect the firm performance, and the moderating roles of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses are tested using panel data regression models from 2010 to 2020 based on 10,539 firm-year observations from 2,362 Chinese listed manufacturers.
Findings
Considering the classification of servitization, the results show that both degree and breadth of servitization have positive impacts on firm performance. In addition, CSR strengthens these impacts, while green innovation only strengthens the impact of degree of servitization on firm performance.
Practical implications
This study suggests that manufacturers should obtain greater profits by actively implementing the servitization strategy, and effectively take their social responsibility by achieving value co-creation with stakeholders. Also, they should carry out green innovation, develop green products and provide eco-friendly services.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the servitization literature by deepening the understanding of the value creation effect of services based on the service-oriented logic. Also, this study contributes to the sustainability literature stream by revealing the moderating roles of CSR and green innovation based on the stakeholder theory.
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Ali Pourranjbar, Sajjad Shokouhyar, Mohammad Hossein Shahidzadeh, Ethan Nikookar, Sina Shokoohyar and Zahra Pirmoradian
Given the growing emphasis on environmental consciousness and sustainability as core principles within most companies, product-service systems are recognized as strategic…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the growing emphasis on environmental consciousness and sustainability as core principles within most companies, product-service systems are recognized as strategic approaches to achieving sustainability objectives. Consequently, understanding consumer acceptance of these systems is of paramount importance. This study seeks to explore users' perspectives on the barriers that impede the adoption of product-service systems, intending to prioritize these obstacles.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilizes a social media-based approach, specifically analyzing tweets related to Zipcar, an American car rental company that exemplifies a usage-oriented product-service system. The analysis identifies the factors influencing the acceptance of this system. The study utilizes topic modeling and sentiment analysis techniques to analyze the tweets. The opportunity value of each topic is determined, aiding in the identification of topics that require improvement. Furthermore, the interrelation between topics is explored, followed by correlation analysis to assess their significance.
Findings
Eight topics strongly related to the keywords are identified. Among them, “responsiveness”, “responsibility”, and “trust” hold the highest opportunity values. The findings emphasize the importance of service providers proactively addressing the obstacles that impede consumers' willingness to adopt product-service systems. Prioritization should be given to topics with higher opportunity values.
Originality/value
This research uncovers the primary obstacles to adopting the product-service system by directly considering consumer opinions and providing a prioritized list of these obstacles.
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Shan-Huei Wang, Chung-Jen Chen, Andy Ruey-Shan Guo and Ya-Hui Lin
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among choice of industry diversification, capabilities and business group performance, as well as to point out the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among choice of industry diversification, capabilities and business group performance, as well as to point out the potential concern about endogenous role of industry diversification.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from the top 100 business groups in Taiwan from TEJ database. This study uses Heckman’s two-step estimation procedure and contingency model to achieve unbiased results and examine our hypotheses.
Findings
The results of this study find that if business groups’ marketing or operational capabilities are strong they should adopt a high level of diversification strategy and if business groups’ R&D capability is strong they should adopt a low level one. The results of this study also show that the endogenous problem of industry diversification exists, and needs to be considered. Moreover, our finding confirms the importance of capability–strategy fit, which, in turn, can achieve better performance.
Practical implications
On average, high industry diversification groups perform better than low industry diversification groups after controlling for endogeneity issues. Business groups can achieve better performance if their strategy choices match the capabilities they encounter. Managers should pay attention to strategy-capability fit issues. Specifically, they should review their organizational capabilities as well as check their strategies within firms.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first that attempts to explore the endogenous role of diversification strategy choices, and empirical examine strategy-capability fit on business group performance.
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Oskar Rexfelt and Viktor Hiort af Ornäs
Product‐service systems (PSS) could potentially benefit consumers, but empirical studies of business‐to‐consumer PSS solutions have been scarce. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Product‐service systems (PSS) could potentially benefit consumers, but empirical studies of business‐to‐consumer PSS solutions have been scarce. The purpose of this paper is to identify conditions for consumer acceptance, and propose a methodology for PSS development.
Design/methodology/approach
Factors influencing consumer acceptance of PSS are investigated through focus groups and individual interviews, and elaborated in relation to theory from user acceptance and innovation adoption literature. Procedures for conceptual development of PSS are then proposed, based on methodology adapted from user‐centred design.
Findings
The two factors “impact on everyday life”, and “uncertainties” in anticipating such consequences were repeatedly brought up by participants. PSS affect consumers through practical implications for the activities they engage in. This goes beyond the service encounter, is highly complex and case specific why development processes should include iterative studies with consumers.
Research limitations/implications
The studies use hypothetical PSS offers. Validation and refinement of the proposed methodology would require application in commercial development projects.
Practical implications
The proposed methodology is expected to support requirements elicitation, and facilitate early stages of PSS development.
Originality/value
This paper presents empirical findings regarding consumer acceptance, and provides a detailed analysis of factors that are central to PSS acceptance. It also introduces methodology for description and analysis of the complex consequences a solution may have from a consumer perspective.
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Henri Simula, Tuula Lehtimäki and Jari Salo
Technology product manufacturers and marketers must take into account that customers' awareness and appreciation of the benefits of green technology and products have increased…
Abstract
Purpose
Technology product manufacturers and marketers must take into account that customers' awareness and appreciation of the benefits of green technology and products have increased. The purpose of this paper is to determine how technology firms can benefit from green marketing and what pitfalls there are to avoid.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a review of green marketing literature, the paper introduces four approaches to green marketing by means of a matrix outlining four factors associated with perceived and actual greenness of new products and new technology. Then, for each of the four approaches, an appropriate coping strategy is proposed that includes the issues that firms should consider when they use green marketing.
Findings
Customers' green values should be well understood when marketing plans for technology products are developed and implemented. Green marketing arguments should be communicated to customers in a coherent and truthful way, to avoid customer scepticism or disbelief.
Research limitations/implications
The paper calls for an increased awareness of the way to utilize green marketing in technology firms. Supporting empirical evidence is still needed from future studies.
Originality/value
The contribution of the paper to academics and practitioners is increased understanding of how green marketing can be applied in technology firms.
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Sports fashion is marketed showing happiness, physical performance and self-care. Thus, sports fashion brands should see a good fit with sustainability: future orientation…
Abstract
Purpose
Sports fashion is marketed showing happiness, physical performance and self-care. Thus, sports fashion brands should see a good fit with sustainability: future orientation, self-care, care for others and going out for a physical experience, oftentimes in nature. On the other hand, sports fashion is regularly made of non-sustainable materials and produced under difficult work conditions. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper at hand seeks to investigate sports brands' approach to sustainability by examining their product portfolio and their annual report data, analyzing their status quo and sustainability strategy. A content analysis is conducted employing the brands' annual reports and their online shops as data sources to assess their status quo in terms of sustainability as well as future plans.
Findings
Results show that on the ecological side, brands unanimously focus on carbon reduction, organic cotton, recycled polyester, circularity-ready business model innovation and water and toxic waste management. The social aspect may be divided into the focal brand and the supply chain, including similar measures: equality and diversity, the promotion of ethnic and cultural minorities and increased safety and health for workers.
Originality/value
The paper derives development opportunities and pitfalls for sports fashion brands.
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Robert J Antonio's ‘Climate Change, the Resource Crunch, and the Global Growth Imperative’ is an excellent starting point for examining the dominance of the ideology of ‘economic…
Abstract
Robert J Antonio's ‘Climate Change, the Resource Crunch, and the Global Growth Imperative’ is an excellent starting point for examining the dominance of the ideology of ‘economic growth’ within contemporary societies and social thinking against the background of the growing and profound socio-ecological crises such as climate change, resource scarcity and rampant consumerism. His article integrates contemporary scientific evidence about climate change and the ecological devastation being wrought by contemporary patterns of globalised carbon-fuelled and climate changing capitalism with classical and contemporary sociological theorising and calls for a greater engagement of social theorising with these defining challenges of the 21st century. In particular, Antonio's article begins the process of sociological theory re-engaging and re-interpreting classical sociology (Weber, Durkheim, Mead and Dewey) to develop forms of social theorising, which overcome a simplistic nature–cultural dualism and can equip critical social theory as fit for purpose for analysing the ecological, climate and resource ‘crunches’ facing all societies in the 21st century.
Feride Gonel and Atakan Akinci
The purpose of this paper is to present the effects of ICT-use on environmental problems in Turkey.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the effects of ICT-use on environmental problems in Turkey.
Design/methodology/approach
The study focuses on the effects of ICTs on finding the solutions to environmental problems. Inspired by specific classification, these categories that the authors used are as follows: the consumption of material sources; the transportation of people and goods; office spaces and smart building; using data communication and monitoring; ICT equipment (the last category involves the negative effects of ICT equipment itself; since we focus on “by ICT” issues, the authors will not examine this category in detail).
Findings
First of all, as a developing country, Turkey has an ability to monitor and control data on environment and the country is working to improve on it successfully in cooperation with international-related institutions. At the same time, using ICTs, smart buildings are increasingly becoming popular in Turkey with the help of some regulations. Transportation is another area that uses ICT.
Originality/value
To make a connection between ICT and environmental problems, it is a very new issue in developing countries. It is also new for Turkey. Therefore, as the authors know, this is the first general review on this subject.