Servet Soyguder and Hasan Alli
This study seeks to develop a novel eight‐legged robot. Additionally, this study defines design and control of an eight‐legged single actuator walking ROBOTURK SA‐2 spider robot…
Abstract
Purpose
This study seeks to develop a novel eight‐legged robot. Additionally, this study defines design and control of an eight‐legged single actuator walking ROBOTURK SA‐2 spider robot based on the features of a creatural spider.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the single actuator eight‐legged tetrapod walking spider robot was modeled on solid works and then the animation of the model was realized to ensure the accurate walking patterns and more stable walking. Based on this model, the novel prototype of the single actuator eight‐legged walking spider robot was constructed.
Findings
A novel motion mechanism uses only one actuator for driving the system.
Originality/value
The modeled single actuator eight‐legged robot is original in terms of the developed motion mechanism.
Servet Soyguder and Hasan Alli
This paper seeks to develop a novel legged robot.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to develop a novel legged robot.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the paper models the legged robot using 3D computer model by intelligent inspiration of biological principles. Then, based on this model, it develops the prototype of the legged robot.
Findings
A novel motion mechanism is used and only two actuators are used for driving the system.
Originality/value
The modelled legged robot is original in terms of the developed motion mechanism.
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Omkar Dastane and Herman Fassou Haba
The purpose of the study is to identify drivers of mobile massive open online course (MOOC) continuous intention (CI) through the lenses of customer perceived value (CPV) theory…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to identify drivers of mobile massive open online course (MOOC) continuous intention (CI) through the lenses of customer perceived value (CPV) theory. Consumer choice is successfully explained by CPV, but lesser attention is given to linking the theory to the mobile MOOC context whereby the majority of theories have adopted approaches like technology acceptance model (TAM), unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), etc.
Design/methodology/approach
A mix-method approach was employed. Study A (qualitative), explores context-specific perceived value (PV) dimensions using nethnographic analysis of 627 learner reviews on Corsera app. Study B (quantitative), collects primary data by administering a questionnaire based on dimensions, and 231 responses were then analysed using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results revealed that three context-specific PVs (i.e. pedagogy, interface and content) have a positive and significant impact on CI. Pedagogy value is a chief driving force of mobile MOOC CI followed by content value. Ubiquity value demonstrated insignificant impact.
Practical implications
The findings provide insights for MOOC apps and their developers for formulating better value propositions for ensuring sustainable business which may result in gaining a higher share in the growing mobile learning market.
Originality/value
This study bridges an important gap in mobile MOOC literature by providing a novel approach to investigating what drives mobile MOOC CI through the lenses of CPV theory. It is the first study investigating mobile MOOC CI through the specific CPV dimensions identified by employing a mixed-method approach. The study formulates a conceptual framework that may serve as a foundation for future research on mobile MOOCs for which literature is relatively scant.
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Khushnuma Wasi, Zuby Hasan, Nakul Parameswar, Jayshree Patnaik and M.P. Ganesh
Tech start-ups (TSs) functioning in different domains have a responsibility of ensuring that domestic knowledge and capabilities are leveraged to minimize dependence on foreign…
Abstract
Purpose
Tech start-ups (TSs) functioning in different domains have a responsibility of ensuring that domestic knowledge and capabilities are leveraged to minimize dependence on foreign organizations. Despite the growth of the ecosystem, while numerous TSs emerge, very few of them are able to survive, and of those that survive, very few scale up. The aim of this study is to identify the factors influencing the competitiveness of technological start-ups and to study the interrelationship and interdependence of these factors.
Design/methodology/approach
Modified total interpretative structural modeling (m-TISM) was employed for the current research. The analysis of what factors have an effect on competitiveness, how they affect it and why they affect it should be explored. The study begins by developing the list of factors through literature search, and further it is validated by expert opinion. A hierarchical model has been developed using m-TISM and MICMAC analysis to analyze the driving and dependency power of factors at each level.
Findings
Results show that the competitiveness of TSs is affected by organizational agility and internationalization. Factors present at the bottom level, namely entrepreneurial intensity, act as a strong driver for TSs. Team member commitment, transformational leadership, strategic alliances, knowledge sharing and organizational ambidexterity are middle-level factors.
Originality/value
This study is among the few articles that have explored competitiveness of TSs in the Indian context.
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Enrique González-Muñoz, Miguel Ángel Gallardo-Vigil and José Gutiérrez-Pérez
In this study, we assessed the educational value and efficacy of a virtual educational escape room (VEER), called “The Mysterious Disappearance”, for training pre-service teachers.
Abstract
Purpose
In this study, we assessed the educational value and efficacy of a virtual educational escape room (VEER), called “The Mysterious Disappearance”, for training pre-service teachers.
Design/methodology/approach
“The Mysterious Disappearance” was developed ad hoc and contains various activities and puzzles focussing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The research will evaluate the design quality and satisfaction of 193 participants regarding the VEER, their perceptions of game-based learning (GBL) and analyse which soft skills are most used and which valence typology (positive/pleasant or negative/unpleasant emotions) has the greatest impact on players’ experience. Descriptive, exploratory factor and inferential analyses are employed.
Findings
The study indicates that the VEER is rated very positively by pre-service teachers. Overall satisfaction levels are high, and the resource and methodology are perceived as favourable. The design quality of the resource is also well rated, with participants perceiving it as a challenging but engaging and well-balanced. Participation in the VEER shows several benefits, especially in cognitive and motivational areas. The participants demonstrated high levels of soft skills utilisation. The resource elicits predominantly positive and pleasurable emotions. Finally, there is a positive perception towards GBL among pre-service teachers, both as students and future teachers.
Originality/value
This study employs a multivariate analysis, using a questionnaire comprising three scales. This study’s dual focus on participants’ perceptions, as current Students and Future teachers, provides insights into their potential role as designers/implementers. Findings contribute to the ongoing development of academic hypotheses, particularly by highlighting the increased motivation linked to VEER use and its positive impact on learning. Designed with the SDG framework, the game enhances teachers' engagement with the 2030 Agenda, supporting their professional development and promotes values related to sustainability. The VEER was developed ad hoc by one of the authors, and the study has potential implications for numerous fields and areas of research.
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This paper reviews experience with credit union demutualisation to date in the light of increasing discussion about whether demutualisation is a likely (or inevitable) future…
Abstract
This paper reviews experience with credit union demutualisation to date in the light of increasing discussion about whether demutualisation is a likely (or inevitable) future stage in the evolutionary process. It is argued that the credit union industry faces an inherent demutualisation bias which emerges as the sector develops maturity. Contributing factors include the emergence of professional management pursuing personal objectives, together with the economic realities of technological change, financial liberalisation, increased competition, and prudential regulation based on minimum capital requirements. Demutualisation incentives may partially reflect the unsuitability of the mutual form of governance in larger, more sophisticated financial institutions, but there is also a significant risk of demutualisation based on wealth expropriation motives. Alternative policies and strategies which might avoid this demutualisation bias are examined.
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Joanna Khoo, Helen Hasan and Kathy Eagar
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to present patient-level utilisation patterns of hospital-based mental health services funded by private health insurers; and second…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to present patient-level utilisation patterns of hospital-based mental health services funded by private health insurers; and second, to examine the implications of the findings for planning and delivering private mental health services in Australia.
Design/methodology/approach
Analysing private health insurance claims data, this study compares differences in demographic and hospital utilisation characteristics of 3,209 patients from 13 private health insurance funds with claims for mental health-related hospitalisations and 233,701 patients with claims for other types of hospitalisations for the period May 2014 to April 2016. Average number of overnight admissions, length of stay and per patient insurer costs are presented for each group, along with overnight admissions vs same-day visits and repeat services within a 28-day period following hospitalisation. Challenges in analysing and interpreting insurance claims data to better understand private mental health service utilisation are discussed.
Findings
Patients with claims for mental health-related hospitalisations are more likely to be female (62.0 per cent compared to 55.8 per cent), and are significantly younger than patients with claims for other types of hospitalisations (32.6 per cent of patients aged 55 years and over compared to 57.1 per cent). Patients with claims for mental health-related hospitalisations have significantly higher levels of service utilisation than the group with claims for other types of hospitalisations with a mean length of stay per overnight admission of 15.0 days (SD=14.1), a mean of 1.3 overnight admissions annually (SD=1.2) and mean hospital costs paid by the insurer of $13,192 per patient (SD=13,457) compared to 4.6 days (SD=7.3), 0.8 admissions (SD=0.6) and $2,065 per patient (SD=4,346), respectively, for patients with claims for other types of hospitalisations. More than half of patients with claims for mental health-related hospitalisations only claim for overnight admissions. However, the findings are difficult to interpret due to the limited information collected in insurance claims data.
Practical implications
This study shows the challenges of understanding utilisation patterns with one data source. Analysing insurance claims reveals information on mental health-related hospitalisations but information on community-based care is lacking due to the regulated role of the private health insurance sector in Australia. For mental health conditions, and other chronic health conditions, multiple data sources need to be integrated to build a comprehensive picture of health service use as care tends to be provided in multiple settings by different medical and allied health professionals.
Originality/value
This study contributes in two areas: patient-level trends in hospital-based mental health service utilisation claimed on private health insurance in Australia have not been previously reported. Additionally, as the amount of data routinely collected in health care settings increases, the study findings demonstrate that it is important to assess the quality of these data sources for understanding service utilisation.
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Corey R. Payne and Beverly J. Silver
Many analyses point to Trump's behavior on the world stage – bullying and racketeering more reminiscent of a mafioso than a statesman – as a personal character flaw. We argue…
Abstract
Many analyses point to Trump's behavior on the world stage – bullying and racketeering more reminiscent of a mafioso than a statesman – as a personal character flaw. We argue that, while this behavior was shocking in how unvarnished it was, Trump marks the culmination of a decades-long trend that shifted US foreign policy from a regime of “legitimate protection” in the mid-twentieth century to a “protection racket” by the turn of the twenty-first. While the temperaments of successive presidents have mattered, the problems facing the United States and its role in the world are not attributable to personalities but are fundamentally structural, in large part stemming from the contradictions of US attempts to cling to preeminence in the face of a changing global distribution of power. The inability of successive US administrations – Trump and Biden included – to break out of the mindset of US primacy has resulted in a situation of “domination without hegemony” in which the United States plays an increasingly dysfunctional role in the world. This dynamic has plunged the world into a period of systemic chaos analogous to the first half of the twentieth century.
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The complex environment of regional and extra-regional politics in South Asia renders the region more susceptible to economically and militarily weaker states. This article…
Abstract
Purpose
The complex environment of regional and extra-regional politics in South Asia renders the region more susceptible to economically and militarily weaker states. This article investigates the challenges Bangladesh faces due to rapidly changing geopolitical dynamics and global political and economic upheavals.
Design/methodology/approach
This study delves into the dilemmas encountered by Bangladesh as a weak state through literature review, in-depth interviews, media reports and dialogues.
Findings
Four key factors are identified: (a) Bangladesh’s significance to major powers has increased; (b) it confronts many obstacles hindering its pursuit of a purely non-aligned foreign policy due to its strategic importance to these powers; (c) its internal factors including political turbulence, corruption, and fragile external relations, have been detrimental; and (d) the intensification of key powers’ influence has constrained its autonomy.
Originality/value
This study underscores that weak institutions, least regional integration, and limited cooperation among states have compromised the autonomy of weak states like Bangladesh in South Asia. There is a need for unity and collaboration among these nations to address dilemmas in the interest of their national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and regional stability.
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Bill Francis, Iftekhar Hasan and Yun Zhu
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not the chief executive officers’ (CEO) compensation is affected by the compensation of the outside directors sitting on their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not the chief executive officers’ (CEO) compensation is affected by the compensation of the outside directors sitting on their board, who are also CEOs of other firms.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collect CEOs’ and CEO-directors’ compensation data from Execucomp. The authors then match the CEO-directors’ compensation with appointing firms’ CEO compensation and financial statements, from Execucomp and Compustat, respectively. The sample contains 7,561 firm-year observations from 1996 to 2010, with 1,213 distinct S&P 1500 firms and 1,563 distinct CEO-directors. The authors use ordinary least squared method with firm and year fixed effect in most of the analysis.
Findings
With both annual and excess compensation, the authors find strong evidence that CEO-directors’ compensation is related to the compensation of the CEO. Causally, when CEO-director overturns his/her excess compensation from negative to positive, the CEO is more likely to have similar upward change in the following year, while more interestingly, the opposite does not hold. These findings are persistent over time and remain robust to various additional tests.
Research limitations/implications
Due to the data availability, this paper investigates the S&P 1500 public firms.
Originality/value
It is the first work that investigates the link between board members’ external compensation and the CEO’s compensation. This sheds new light on the process of the CEO’s compensation design, in regard to both the information being utilized in the design procedure and the CEO’s influence on his/her own compensation. Second, this paper adds additional evidence to the choice of peer groups in compensation construction. Third, the authors enhance the understanding of the role of CEO-directors. The authors show that CEO-directors may be the ally of CEO, and help in justifying CEO’s compensation, especially when underpaid.