David Huffman, as a graduate student, earned his immortality by solving a problem that had stumped Claude Shannon, the creator of the field of information theory. How he saw the…
Abstract
Purpose
David Huffman, as a graduate student, earned his immortality by solving a problem that had stumped Claude Shannon, the creator of the field of information theory. How he saw the problem differently and the nature of his discovery have implications for how we get stuck, how we get unstuck, and how the internal models limit the ability to see patterns in the world. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper describes how Huffman discovered his elegant algorithm, why it had not been discovered previously, how the algorithm may relate to the attempt to find meaning in decision making, and generalises implications for problem solving and daily lives.
Findings
Huffman was only able to see the problem anew in the cathartic moment of abandoning it. The algorithm he discovered suggests that the concept of “meaning” was an obstacle in his process.
Practical implications
Huffman coding is one of the underpinnings of computer science. While it should be widely understood for that alone, the process of its discovery and its fundamental methodology are deeply instructional.
Originality/value
Alexander Pope said “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree”, a classic statement about conscious purpose and man's controlling nature. Huffman's algorithm suggests the real world works the other way around: “As the leaves are lit, so grows the tree”.
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Marlon Meier, Kim Hua Tan, Ming K. Lim and Leanne Chung
Fast-changing customer demands and rising requirements in product performance constantly challenge sports equipment manufacturers to come up with new and improved products to stay…
Abstract
Purpose
Fast-changing customer demands and rising requirements in product performance constantly challenge sports equipment manufacturers to come up with new and improved products to stay competitive. Additive manufacturing (AM), also referred to as 3D printing, can enhance the development of new products by providing an efficient approach of rapid prototyping. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the current adoption of AM technologies in the innovation process of the sports industry, i.e. level of awareness; how it is implemented; and it impact on the innovation process.
Design/methodology/approach
This work followed a qualitative research approach. After conducting a research of the current literature, this paper presents findings that include case studies from different companies, as well as a semi-structured interview with an outdoor sports equipment manufacturer. Companies from all over the world and of different sizes from under 100 employees to over 70,000 employees were considered in this research.
Findings
Literature research shows that AM brings many possibilities to enhance the innovation process, and case studies indicated several obstacles that hinder the technology from fully unfolding. AM is still at the early stage of entering the sports equipment industry and its potential benefits have not been fully exploited yet. The findings generated from the research of real-life practices show that AM provides several benefits when it comes to the innovation process, such as a faster development process, an optimised output, as well as the possibility to create new designs. However, companies are not yet able to enhance the innovation process in a way that leads to new products and new markets with AM. Limitations, including a small range of process able material and an inefficient mass production, still restrain the technology and lead to unused capability. Nevertheless, future prospects indicate the growing importance of AM in the innovation process and show that its advancement paves the way to new and innovative products.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations exist in the qualitative approach of this study, which does not include the quantitative verification of the results.
Originality/value
Very few studies have been conducted to investigate how firms can harvest AM to increase their innovation capabilities. How firms can use AM to shorten product development time is an emerging topic in business and operations but has not been studied widely. This paper aims to address this gap.
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Shashi Shekhar Mishra and K.B. Saji
The purpose of this paper is first, to identify the institutional variables that influence the technology acquisition intent (TAI) in new high‐tech product development (NPD…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is first, to identify the institutional variables that influence the technology acquisition intent (TAI) in new high‐tech product development (NPD) process; second, to identify and confirm the consequence of TAI in the Stage‐Gate system of NPD process; and third, to validate the moderating role of Perceived Risk and Project Duration on the “TAI to new product commercialization (NPC) relationship” in the NPD process.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design for this generic study involved two phases: exploratory and descriptive. The theoretical framework emanated from the exploratory phase and is validated by conducting a global survey on 215 high‐tech product marketing firms.
Findings
The institutional variables – Dominant Design and Network Externalities – directly influence a firm's TAI that in turn leads to NPC. While the study confirms that the longer project duration negatively moderates to TAI to NPC relationship, no support was found for the influence of increased risk perception on the same.
Practical implications
The study explains the rationale for marketer's efforts toward dominant design and network externalities. Also, the NPD teams should be cautious about project duration, as uncertainty associated with longer project duration reduces the TAI, and thereby inhibits the successful NPC.
Originality/value
By empirically investigating the influence of institutional variables on a firm's TAI, the study significantly contributes to extant theories on NPD. Also, the study results have significant implications for high‐tech product marketing theory and practice in the context of emerging market economies.
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The allocation of work based on typical male/female role models cannot be changed speedily, even in the alternative sector. The experience of enterprises in the alternative sector…
Abstract
The allocation of work based on typical male/female role models cannot be changed speedily, even in the alternative sector. The experience of enterprises in the alternative sector in West Germany, set up with the aims of self‐administration, neutralisation of property, regular change of staff at management level, limitation of size, and equal participation of women in all company functions, reveals that financial difficulties in such enterprises' early stages, and the lack of previous models on which to base themselves, create limitations. Faced with such problems and the need to remain viable, wages are cut and the principle of “best person for the job” prevails; for men and women already trained in traditional roles, this means that an existing skill is more valuable, short‐term, to the enterprise than giving training in a new — and thus the stereotypes are maintained.
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This study employs creative strategies to contentanalyse Super Bowl commercials from 2001 to 2009, focusing specifically on message strategies. The findings aim to answer four…
Abstract
This study employs creative strategies to contentanalyse Super Bowl commercials from 2001 to 2009, focusing specifically on message strategies. The findings aim to answer four research questions. What are the message strategies commonly employed in Super Bowl commercials? What are the trends of the message strategies employed in Super Bowl commercials over time? What are the relationships between the message strategies and the commercial likeability? What are the specific roles played by the high- vs. low-involvement product categories?
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The paper aims to adopt the hedonic price approach to quantify the brand equity of information and communication technology (ICT) products, narrowed down to laptop computers…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to adopt the hedonic price approach to quantify the brand equity of information and communication technology (ICT) products, narrowed down to laptop computers, laser printers, liquid crystal display computer screens, and mobile phones.
Design/methodology/approach
The hedonic price model features the list price as the dependent variable of the regression, whilst the measurable attributes of the product and brand dummies are on the right‐hand side. Additionally, the model can be adjusted to measure brand effects on profit margins as well.
Findings
In most of the price and log price models, brand dummies are significant, and positively linked to the consumers' willingness to pay. Nevertheless, amongst the four ICT products in this study, only the laptop brands show positive values. Negative but significant brand dummies suggest that brands are undoubtedly important; however, other features exhibit higher value to consumers.
Research limitations/implications
As is the case with other financial approaches to valuing brands, the results do not explain how to exploit those values; rather, it identifies the brand's position as measured against other brands.
Practical implications
Negative brand premiums imply that brand loyalty is not strong in the market, and that the opportunity exists for a new brand's penetration. The construction of brand premium rankings should prove beneficial to firms who wish to evaluate their current position against other competitors. Regarding the products' features, the results suggest that consumers generally focus their decision to purchase a particular brand on its basic or core features.
Originality/value
The paper proposes another approach to assessing brand equity, namely, in terms of both price and profit margin premiums. Though imperfect, the hedonic methodology is relatively simple and relies on available secondary data.
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Most students report giving little thought to their consumption and waste, and when confronted with issues of sustainability still find them either distant and impersonal or…
Abstract
Purpose
Most students report giving little thought to their consumption and waste, and when confronted with issues of sustainability still find them either distant and impersonal or overwhelming. One area that has been relatively unexplored is the concept of a self‐audit and self‐reflection in the development of intrinsic motivation for living sustainably. The aim of this paper is to describe the results of a case study that addresses this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
As part of an integrated course, Introduction to Sustainable Design, undergraduate students participate in the creation and use of a personal Resource Consumption and Waste Audit that makes tangible their resource consumption and waste generation and that forms the basis for self‐reflection throughout the course. The instructions to the students for the three‐day audit are provided along with the results as self‐reported by the students.
Findings
Students generally express surprise and dismay at their levels of consumption and waste, and state that they are motivated to change behaviors. Many call the audit “life‐changing” and add that everyone should do a similar audit if our society is to become more sustainable.
Originality/value
The audit provides a novel, simple and cost‐effective way for students to assess their own resource consumption and waste generation, and it lays the groundwork for behavioral change based on self‐reflection around these issues. It has the additional advantages of requiring no special technology, being adaptable to different courses and majors, and providing a basis for development of quantitative and longitudinal studies.
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José A. Rodríguez, John W. Mohr and Laura Halcomb
Drawing on insights from a yearlong ethnography and in-depth survey of the members of a Buddhist monastery located in the heart of modern Europe, we examine how members of the…
Abstract
Drawing on insights from a yearlong ethnography and in-depth survey of the members of a Buddhist monastery located in the heart of modern Europe, we examine how members of the organization come to be more or less involved in the organization and in its core institutional logic. Here we present an exploratory analysis of how individuals’ beliefs about Buddhism and its relationship to everyday life are deeply intertwined with and articulated into different regimes of organizational activities, rituals, and religious practices. Borrowing from institutional logics theory, we use methods for illustrating the relational structure that articulates dualities linking beliefs and practices together. We show that dually ordered assemblages can reveal different types of logics embraced by different members of an organization. Our principal contention is that the greater the structural alignment between an individual’s belief structure, their repertoire of practices, and the institutional logic of the organization, the more well integrated that individual will likely be within the organization, the higher the probability of transformational changes of personal identity, as well as the greater probability of overall success in organizational membership recruitment and retention.
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Organizational researchers live in two worlds. The first demands and rewards speculations about how to improve performance. The second demands and rewards adherence to rigorous…
Abstract
Organizational researchers live in two worlds. The first demands and rewards speculations about how to improve performance. The second demands and rewards adherence to rigorous standards of scholarship (March & Sutton, 1997, p. 698).Those of us who study organizations and are professors of management work on the front lines, so to speak, where the beliefs we have about how to improve managerial performance get passed directly on to practitioners. The question is, What right do we have to put our beliefs in a privileged position? Beliefs, by definition, are supposed to be true. According to Webster’s (1996) a belief is a conviction about the truth of some statement and/or reality of some phenomenon, especially when based on examination of evidence. Are all of our lectures based on consensually agreed upon evidentiary standards? What are these standards and who should maintain them?