Florin David, Tiberiu Tudorache and Virgiliu Firteanu
This paper presents a 3D numerical modeling of electromagnetic and thermal fields in three‐phase electric arc furnaces. The thermal effect of the foamy slag is studied in the…
Abstract
This paper presents a 3D numerical modeling of electromagnetic and thermal fields in three‐phase electric arc furnaces. The thermal effect of the foamy slag is studied in the first part of the paper. The Joule power density is calculated with an AC electromagnetic analysis and is transferred to the steady state thermal problem as heat source. The second part of the paper presents a numerical analysis of new electromagnetic stirring methods.
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Monica A. Zimmerman, David Barsky and Keith D. Brouthers
Despite changes in international trade agreements and the introduction of new technologies that facilitate international business, many firms, especially SMEs, still do not…
Abstract
Despite changes in international trade agreements and the introduction of new technologies that facilitate international business, many firms, especially SMEs, still do not diversify into international markets. In this paper, we suggest that an important factor that can influence the international diversification decision is social networks. We hypothesize that both the strength of the ties to international firms and the size of a SME’s international network influence its decision to diversify internationally. Our analysis suggests that the strength of international network ties significantly influences SME international diversification, but that the size of the international network does not. These results have important implications for researchers, managers, and public policy makers.
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Bruno Rossi, Barbara Russo and Giancarlo Succi
In this paper the authors aim to investigate the importance of factors for the adoption of free/libre open source software (FLOSS) in the public sector. They seek to evaluate how…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper the authors aim to investigate the importance of factors for the adoption of free/libre open source software (FLOSS) in the public sector. They seek to evaluate how different factors impact during the initiation and implementation phases of the adoption process.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors base the methodological approach on two exploratory case studies with a contrasting result logic. They build a multi‐level framework grounded both on literature review, and feedback from stakeholders. They then apply the framework to two case studies to better frame the findings. They consider phases of adoption (initiation, implementation) and the levels of adoption (technological, organizational, environmental, individual).
Findings
In the case studies, the authors found the importance of a strong and decision‐centric management board to give the impulse for the initiation phase of the process. As perceived by the stakeholders, a strong governmental support is of paramount importance to increase the adoption at the public level, although in the case studies examined the initiation stage started from the impulse of a championing management. Both case studies passed the initiation phase successfully. Continuous employees' training, organizational objectives consensus, and business process reengineering have been found important for the implementation phase. In the case study in which these factors were not in place, the implementation phase of adoption failed. Environmental factors – although relevant for the initiation of the adoption process – are less significant during the actual implementation of the adoption process, as the contrasting result logic from the case studies shows.
Research limitations/implications
The study refers to two public organizations in a specific environmental setting. No causality among factors has been inferred. Quantitative objective data have been used to determine the success of adoption, for qualitative data multiple sources have been used when possible to limit threats to validity.
Practical implications
The framework can be used by stakeholders in public organizations to better frame their adoption strategies and to compare results across institutions. Lessons learnt from the case studies can be useful to drive future adoptions of FLOSS.
Originality/value
The framework combines phases of adoption and levels making it possible to frame the analysis of the case studies. It has been operationalized with a set of metrics, and with a protocol for the case studies to increase replicability value.
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Anuja Shukla and Poornima Jirli
This study examines the ethical and social consequences of the accelerated adoption of new technologies. An empirical approach is employed to explore the impacts of rapid…
Abstract
This study examines the ethical and social consequences of the accelerated adoption of new technologies. An empirical approach is employed to explore the impacts of rapid technological integration on societal norms, ethical considerations, and individual behaviours. Responses from 305 participants are analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), focusing on perceived usefulness, ease of use, relative advantage, personal innovativeness, and fear of missing out (FOMO). The findings unveil intricate interactions between technological advancements and ethical–social dynamics, underscoring challenges and opportunities. This study offers critical insights for policymakers, technology developers, and society at large, aiming to encourage a more ethically informed and socially conscious approach to technology adoption.
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Asunción Ibáñez-Romero and Jon Mikel Zabala-Iturriagagoitia
iNNoVaNDiS started in 2005 at the University of Deusto (Spain) as a program that aimed to train students to perform as entrepreneurs. The aim of the chapter is to share the story…
Abstract
Purpose
iNNoVaNDiS started in 2005 at the University of Deusto (Spain) as a program that aimed to train students to perform as entrepreneurs. The aim of the chapter is to share the story of this 10-year old experience.
Methodology/approach
The chapter follows a case study approach, describing in a narrative form the evolution had by the program, from the perspective of the people that have been involved in it. It draws on the analysis of the different stages the program has gone through, over these 10 years, until the current structure of the program has been defined. Primary data are used to explain this evolution.
Findings
The chapter illustrates how the approach followed in iNNoVaNDiS has always been action-oriented. The rationale is that being entrepreneurial and innovative is a way of thinking, a mindset, and a personal identity. To achieve this different contexts are built during various workshops, working with real challenges faced by local organizations.
Practical implications
The program is run by a team with very different profiles, including consultants, researchers, academics, coaches, artists, engineers, entrepreneurs, actors, etc. This diversity allows the program to be in constant renewal. The program demystifies prejudices about the entrepreneur, the business idea and failure.
Originality/value
The philosophy behind the program is that entrepreneurship and innovation are not goals or disciplines to learn, and their purposes go far beyond starting a business. The scope of the initiative has not been the development of a business but rather to foster ethical entrepreneurship and innovative behavior in everyday life.
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João J. Ferreira, Mário L. Raposo, Ricardo Gouveia Rodrigues, Anabela Dinis and Arminda do Paço
The field of entrepreneurship is dotted across different paradigms. Measuring entrepreneurial intention automatically needs to incorporate insights from the psychological approach…
Abstract
Purpose
The field of entrepreneurship is dotted across different paradigms. Measuring entrepreneurial intention automatically needs to incorporate insights from the psychological approach and behavioural approach. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a comprehensive structural equation model which combines both psychological and behavioural perspectives aiming to identify what variables have influence on entrepreneurial intention of secondary students.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was developed involving a sample of secondary students. The method of data collection was a survey by self‐administered questionnaire, to two secondary student classes, with several groups of questions related to demographic characteristics, behavioural and psychological constructs and entrepreneurial intention. Data was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings
The results show that need for achievement, self‐confidence, and personal attitude positively affect entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, subjective norms and personal attitude affect perceived behavioural control. These findings could have a significant impact on knowledge of the contributions of behavioural and psychological theories to the entrepreneurial intention.
Research limitations/implications
Understanding of the ways in which several psychological and behavioural characteristics influence the entrepreneurial intention could help to advance our knowledge of the entrepreneurial process. Educational systems need to be oriented to emphasize and value entrepreneurship in order to promote an enterprise culture. Methods to teach entrepreneurship should also be explored further.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies to provide evidences of the entrepreneurial intention explained by several constructs related to psychological and behavioural characteristics in a 14‐15‐year‐old student population. Additionally, most studies of the entrepreneurial intention associated to these approaches have been mostly conceptual, and the few empirical studies have not used structural equation modelling. The use of these statistical tests helps to overcome the limitations evident in conceptual studies and provide evidence of the relationships between behavioural and psychological traits simultaneously.
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David Asamoah, Benjamin Agyei-Owusu and Elizabeth Ashun
While the concept of supply chain resilience has received lots of scholarly and policy interest over the past few years, empirical research examining its sources and outcomes…
Abstract
Purpose
While the concept of supply chain resilience has received lots of scholarly and policy interest over the past few years, empirical research examining its sources and outcomes remains inadequate, particularly, in the context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Grounded in the resource-based view and social capital frameworks, the study examines the relationship between social network relationship, supply chain resilience and customer oriented performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The study develops and empirically tests a research model that proposes social network relationships and customer-oriented performance as the antecedent and outcome respectively of supply chain resilience. Data was obtained from a survey of 110 SMEs in Ghana.
Findings
The findings of the study suggest that a firm's external and internal social networks can be leveraged to enhance its supply chain resilience and customer-oriented performance. Supply chain resilience was also found to enhance customer-oriented performance. Additionally, supply chain resilience was found to significantly mediate the effect of social network relationships on customer-oriented performance.
Originality/value
This is the first study that empirically explores and establishes the relationship between social network relationships, supply chain resilience and customer-oriented performance to the best of the authors’ knowledge.
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Hannah Stolze, Jon Kirchoff and Alexis Bateman
Interest in the intersection of sustainability and supply chain resiliency has grown in recent years by managers and scholars. However, examples of how sustainability can improve…
Abstract
Interest in the intersection of sustainability and supply chain resiliency has grown in recent years by managers and scholars. However, examples of how sustainability can improve resiliency are rare. The purpose of this article is to address this dearth of evidence by investigating how sustainable strategies and practices can create more robust supply chains that are resilient to global disruptions. A strategic model of resiliency is introduced based on the supply chain management practices at Dr. Bronner’s, a rapidly growing personal care product company. The case study data explores the relationship between sustainability and resiliency and reveals a potential pathway for companies to merge the two.
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Cyrine Ben-Hafaïedh and Frédéric Dufays
Purpose: Entrepreneurial teams are one of the most crystallized forms of collaboration in the generically collective dynamics underpinning social entrepreneurship. Despite their…
Abstract
Purpose: Entrepreneurial teams are one of the most crystallized forms of collaboration in the generically collective dynamics underpinning social entrepreneurship. Despite their quantitative prevalence, social entrepreneurial teams (SETs) remain quite absent from the scholarly literature. This chapter aims to develop a research agenda addressing this gap. Methodology/Approach: This chapter first reviews the scarce literature dealing with this subject and develops an operationalizable definition of SETs. Next, it confronts current knowledge on entrepreneurial teams with the specific context of social entrepreneurship to introduce and discuss main topics of investigation on SETs. Findings: Six topics are suggested to have a high potential for developing knowledge on SETs: formation, size and extended team, gender, decision-making and leadership, identity, and turnover. Research Implications: This chapter frames these research avenues within a developmental stages perspective with the aim to contribute to help form and maintain effective SETs. Originality/Value of Chapter: This research has implications for scholars as it defines SETs as a distinct object for research, which allows extending knowledge on collaborative dynamics in social entrepreneurship, but also on entrepreneurial teams in general. The suggested research agenda and its orientation toward the development of effective SETs should be a springboard for future research on this subject.
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David Freund, Robert Lee, Heinz Tüselmann and Qi Cao
The main purpose of this study is to explain the combined effects of host country weak network ties and absorptive capacity on the innovative foreign knowledge inflows of…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this study is to explain the combined effects of host country weak network ties and absorptive capacity on the innovative foreign knowledge inflows of international high-tech small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach
Data are drawn from the two largest and most authoritative German Federal Government census-databases of biotech and nanotech SMEs. A structured survey questionnaire was administered and regression analysis adopted.
Findings
This study demonstrates weak network ties in the host country and developing absorptive capacity produce a combined effect that positively influences international high-tech SMEs innovative foreign knowledge inflows. Also, host country weak network ties and absorptive capacity when considered separately, each respectively, positively influence innovative foreign knowledge inflows.
Practical implications
The results help inform key personnel in international high-tech SMEs about the relevance of host country weak network ties and absorptive capacity for foreign knowledge inflows. In addition, the results help policymakers and think-tanks to promote tailored advice and guidance e.g. those policymakers implementing the EU Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan.
Originality/value
There is a recent call in the literature to combine network theory and absorptive capacity theory to better explain knowledge creation in the context of international high-tech SMEs knowledge sourcing. By addressing this call, the study provides a more refined and comprehensive account of international high-tech SMEs innovative foreign knowledge inflows.