Amir Zakery and Mohammad Sadegh Saremi
International businesses play a significant role in the growth, innovation and survival of technology-based firms (TBFs). Creating new opportunities in international markets…
Abstract
Purpose
International businesses play a significant role in the growth, innovation and survival of technology-based firms (TBFs). Creating new opportunities in international markets, using communication networks and confronting constraints on available resources have distinguished the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and intensified the importance of knowledge acquisition and continuous learning. This study aimed to (1) configure (the types and sources of) and (2) measure the internationalization knowledge of TBFs, by focusing on a knowledge-intensive part of the health industry in an emerging country: Iranian advanced medical equipment companies.
Design/methodology/approach
For this purpose, a qualitative approach was adopted to interview the leaders of eight TBFs exporting medical equipment. Obtained data were investigated using content analysis.
Findings
According to the content analysis results for configuration, technological knowledge and market knowledge were mainly obtained through direct experience and vicarious learning; however, internationalization knowledge is not so established as the third major knowledge area to integrate technological with market knowledge in line with corporate strategies of an internationalizing firm. For measurement of knowledge assets of internationalizing firms as a prerequisite for continuous improvement, several intellectual capital indices were extracted, including human, structural and relational capital.
Originality/value
This research complements existing literature in internationalization knowledge configuration via deploying an "Intellectual capital" perspective. It could enhance efforts for improving the learning of internationalizing SMEs, especially in the developing countries.
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Amir Zakery, Abbas Afrazeh and John Dumay
The purpose of this paper is to shed light on improving value creation from intellectual capital (IC) through reducing causal ambiguity and finding effective IC interventions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to shed light on improving value creation from intellectual capital (IC) through reducing causal ambiguity and finding effective IC interventions.
Design/methodology/approach
First, several guiding rules demonstrating the contribution of system dynamics (SD) to the field of IC management are introduced. Second, evidence for modelling resource dynamics is provided across a knowledge-based industry, insurance. Third, a management problem of an insurance company is modelled and then simulated using SD tools to monitor and improve the alignment of key resources with the firm’s market growth strategy.
Findings
The modelling and further simulation practice demonstrated the advantages of applying SD for analysing resource management problems to identify the critical IC components, intervention points and decision rules that may stimulate value-creating loops. Specifically for the case of an insurance company’s failure in market growth, it led to recognising the critical role of agency sales productivity as a key component of company’s relational capital and the intellectual liabilities that can lead to value destruction.
Originality/value
Reducing causal ambiguity in IC value creation through modelling and simulating firm resource dynamics is the main contribution of this paper. It enables finding the best intervention points for developing IC-based initiatives to stimulate value-creation mechanisms, as well identifying possible points of value destruction.
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Ali Sarkeshikian, Mohhamadali Shafia, Amir Zakery and Alireza Aliahmadi
In the organizational technology acceptance (TA) decision-making process, stakeholders have many divergence opinions. Sometimes, an opposing stakeholder of a decision can stop the…
Abstract
Purpose
In the organizational technology acceptance (TA) decision-making process, stakeholders have many divergence opinions. Sometimes, an opposing stakeholder of a decision can stop the whole process of decision-making. In such a case, consensus may take a long time followed by a high risk. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, to find the best model with the least prediction error for the simulation of the consensus process in TA decisions. Second, to investigate the time required for the consensus process to yield the TA decision in different scenarios and to propose solutions to reduce the required time in a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses real-world data containing 1,186 actual observations. Stakeholders are decision-maker agents, and the observations are derived from survey data and used for simulation. Data were obtained from 126 experts in the Iranian rail freight industry. Opinion dynamics theory was used for agent-based simulation of stakeholders’ behavior. The agents interacted over time and their effects on other agents’ opinions were investigated.
Findings
The results illustrate an appropriate opinion changing model, a data-gathering method and a simulation scenario for TA consensus. The suitable model was selected after examining the advantages and disadvantages of and comparing the prediction results for different models with the real database of opinions. To reduce the consensus process time, the results suggest gathering the team members and networking with some leaders as advocators. A large number of advocators with high acceptability and continuous exchanging messages with other agents can improve the acceptance rate and have the most significant impact on other stakeholders’ opinions.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, previous studies simulate individual TA processes. However, there is a difference between the individual TA and the organizational TA. The organizational TA requires the simultaneous decision-making of different stakeholders. In this research, the organizational TA was investigated.
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Ali Sarkeshikian, Amir Zakery, Mohammad Ali Shafia and Alireza Aliahmadi
Much research has been conducted on technology acceptance (TA), which is mainly about the acceptance by one user. As more than one person should be involved in…
Abstract
Purpose
Much research has been conducted on technology acceptance (TA), which is mainly about the acceptance by one user. As more than one person should be involved in business-to-business TA decision-making, it is suggested that different processes for making a consensus among different stakeholders should be considered. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a model for essential activities and characteristics of advocators for accelerating the stakeholders’ consensus in the technology acceptance (SCTA).
Design/methodology/approach
The conceptual model of this research is presented using a thematic analysis of the interviews with the relevant experts and existing literature. Furthermore, the structural equation model was applied for analyzing empirically how advocators’ characteristics and activities affect consensus. In total, 248 respondents completed the questionnaires. Experts’ opinions, Krippendorff’s alpha index, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and goodness of fit indices were applied to verify the reliability of the results.
Findings
Results show that “being leader” and “being influential” are two main characteristics for the advocators’ team that significantly affect SCTA. Reducing perceived “risk” for each stakeholder, developing a “common understanding” among them and demonstrating “resource readiness” are also the main tasks of advocators leading to SCTA.
Originality/value
The role of advocators in SCTA has been neglected. The main contribution of this study is identifying the required advocators’ activities and characteristics for achieving SCTA.
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Mohammad Javad Asgari, Amir Zakery and Mir Saman Pishvaee
This paper aims to investigate the impact of the factors affecting open innovation (OI) intensity, in terms of three components of cooperative innovation, resource search and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the impact of the factors affecting open innovation (OI) intensity, in terms of three components of cooperative innovation, resource search and external research and development (R&D), as well as the impact of OI intensity on commercialization performance in small and medium-sized enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
The data obtained from the distributed questionnaire among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT) in Iran, was analyzed using inferential and parametric statistics to examine the research hypotheses. In this analysis, structural equation tests were used to confirm or reject the research hypotheses using Smart PLS software.
Findings
The results indicate that all three OI components influence commercialization in technology-based firms of ISTT, while the most important one is cooperative innovation. Among the factors affecting OI components, innovative incentives are the most effective one that increases both external R&D and cooperative innovation. Facilitators and limitations of open innovation are also affecting OI intensity, with lower priorities.
Practical implications
Science park managers and policymakers should lay the ground for enhancing the cooperation intensity among firms. Cooperation intensity is the most effective open innovation component to improve commercialization performance.
Originality/value
Open innovation antecedents and its consequence on commercialization performance have been investigated for the same time in SMEs of a science park.
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Intangible resources are the most distinctive firms’ assets in competitive environments especially in service businesses. Insurance firms seeking more efficient performance than…
Abstract
Purpose
Intangible resources are the most distinctive firms’ assets in competitive environments especially in service businesses. Insurance firms seeking more efficient performance than competitors should improve their intellectual capital (IC) strategies in both aspects of IC creation and utilization. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and improves IC participation in insurance firms’ efficiency.
Design/methodology/approach
A two-phase framework: “explaining IC role in efficiency” and “measuring efficiencies of IC creation and application” is developed in order to find IC strategies increasing firms’ efficiency and though competitiveness. Efficiency is measured using data envelopment analysis and the generalized estimating equations is used as the regression method in order to explain efficiency with IC measures.
Findings
Empirical results in Iran insurance sector (during a seven-year period for 17 Iranian insurers) show some IC components influence firms’ efficiency and could be intervention points for performance improvement. Then the firms are categorized into four zones in terms of IC efficiency and strategies are recognized for each category.
Research limitations/implications
Although the research is initiated by the need to embed intangible resources in performance improvement in insurance sector, the research framework could be strongly applied in other knowledge-based industries.
Originality/value
This paper embeds an innovative link between classic efficiency and IC which aligns resource management with competitiveness strategies.
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Sanaz Tabatabaee, Mojtaba Ashour, Saeed Reza Mohandes, Haleh Sadeghi, Amir Mahdiyar, M. Reza Hosseini and Syuhaida Ismail
Green walls (GWs), comprising living walls and green facades, have been touted as environmentally friendly products in architectural design. GWs can be viable in every aspect of…
Abstract
Purpose
Green walls (GWs), comprising living walls and green facades, have been touted as environmentally friendly products in architectural design. GWs can be viable in every aspect of sustainability; they provide residents of buildings with a wide range of economic, social and environmental benefits. Despite this, the adoption rate of GW is still in its infancy stage, and the existing literature concerning the hindrances inhibiting GW adoption is very limited. To address these gaps, the aim of this paper is to identify and prioritize the hindrances to GW adoption in Hong Kong.
Design/methodology/approach
After identifying 17 hindrances through an in-depth review of literature, the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) is employed to refine the hindrances based on the local context with the help of 21 qualified experts in the field. Subsequently, Fuzzy Parsimonious Analytic Hierarchy Process (FPAHP) is exploited as a recently developed technique to prioritize the identified hindrances.
Findings
Results reveal that the most significant hindrances to the adoption of GW are maintenance cost, high installation cost, difficulties in maintenance, sophisticated implementation and inducement to fire. Findings call for scholars to address ways to improve GW installation practices and methods in order to eradicate the hindrances and provide lessons for policymakers, assisting them in facilitating the larger-scale adoption of GW.
Originality/value
Considering the dearth of studies on hindrances to the adoption of GWs, this paper provides a comprehensive outlook of the issue, providing knowledge that can be used as a building block for future scholars within the field. It also provides valuable insights for stakeholders within the construction industry about the hindrances to the adoption of GWs which could direct their efforts toward better implementation of it.
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Mohammadreza Salehi, Nader Pourmahmoud, Amir Hassanzadeh, S. Hoseinzadeh and P.S. Heyns
Using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique, this paper aims to investigate the influence of key parameters such as throat diameter; the suction ratio on the flow field…
Abstract
Purpose
Using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique, this paper aims to investigate the influence of key parameters such as throat diameter; the suction ratio on the flow field behaviors such as Mach number; pressure; and temperature.
Design/methodology/approach
To investigate the effect of throat diameter, it is simulated for 4, 6, 8 and 10 mm as throat diameters. The governing equations have been solved by standard code of Fluent Software together with a compressible 2 D symmetric and turbulence model with the standard k–ε model. First, the influence of the throat diameter is investigated by keeping the inlet mass flow constant.
Findings
The results show that a place of shock wave creation is changed by changing the throat diameter. The obtained results illustrate that the maximum amount of Mach number is dependent on the throat diameter. It is obtained from the results that for smaller throats higher Mach numbers can be obtained. Therefore, for mixing purposes smaller throats and for exhausting bigger throats seems to be appropriate.
Originality/value
The obtained numerical results are compared to the existing experimental ones which show good agreement.
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Lina Gharaibeh, Björn Lantz and Kristina Maria Eriksson
This study addresses the critical imperative of quantifying building information modeling (bimalliance) benefits by augmenting existing methodologies, with a focus on…
Abstract
Purpose
This study addresses the critical imperative of quantifying building information modeling (bimalliance) benefits by augmenting existing methodologies, with a focus on monetization. Engaging industry practitioners, the research develops a comprehensive framework through an exhaustive literature review and a survey in the Swedish construction industry, incorporating insights from 128 respondents.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework, validated by industry experts, systematically assesses tangible BIM benefits against associated costs. It introduces a novel method in construction, addressing the lack of a unified approach. The resulting framework facilitates nuanced feasibility determinations by systematically evaluating BIM benefits against costs.
Findings
Despite its acknowledged limitations, the framework effectively captures a comprehensive range of costs and benefits, providing a more accurate and detailed estimation of BIM’s impact on project outcomes.
Practical implications
With practical implications, the framework enhances BIM understanding and application, contributing to effective project management throughout the construction supply chain lifecycle. Moreover, it aims to improve efficacy within the architecture, engineering, construction and operations industry.
Originality/value
The study empowers organizations and decision-makers with a bespoke tool for evaluating BIM feasibility, contributing to decision-making through a clarified numerical representation.
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Mohammadreza Amiresmaili, Farzaneh Zolala, Atefeh Esfandiari, Reza Dehnavieh, Mahmood Nekoueimoghadam, Hedayat Salari and Amir Rakhshan
The purpose of this paper is to measure the relationship between organizational social capital and retention of faculty members in Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2011…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to measure the relationship between organizational social capital and retention of faculty members in Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2011.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a stratified multistage sampling, 120 faculty members were recruited to fill the questionnaire.
Findings
There were a direct and positive bilateral (r=0.65) relationship between social capital and retention of faculty members.
Originality/value
The university officials and policy makers need to pay closer attention to some issues such as providing welfare facilities, salary and wages, benefits, interests and appreciation for faculty members.