Patrik Spieß, Christof Bornhövd, Tao Lin, Stephan Haller and Joachim Schaper
The purpose of the paper is to show that smart item technologies, like RFID and sensor networks, are considered the next big step in business process automation. Through automatic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to show that smart item technologies, like RFID and sensor networks, are considered the next big step in business process automation. Through automatic real‐time data acquisition, these technologies can provide benefits to a variety of industries by improving the efficiency of their operations. A service‐oriented infrastructure is proposed that enables the integration of RFID, wireless sensor networks and embedded systems technologies with existing business processes.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper discusses the system requirements of a smart items infrastructure in detail. Based on these requirements, the overall infrastructure and the constituting components are introduced. Also, using two real‐world scenarios, it is shown how the proposed infrastructure can be used.
Findings
The paper found a set of technical requirements for a smart items infrastructure. The research resulted in the architectural design presented.
Originality/value
To the best of one's knowledge, this paper is the first to identify and explain the technical requirements for a holistic smart items infrastructure. The service‐oriented system architecture provides a new approach to a flexible/adaptable infrastructure for ubiquitous computing. By pointing out requirements and open issues, the paper identifies interesting topics for future research in this area.
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This study investigates national trends in students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupational expectations by using Program for International Student…
Abstract
This study investigates national trends in students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupational expectations by using Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000, 2003, and 2006 data. The analyses in this study revealed several noteworthy national trends in STEM occupational expectations. In many countries students’ computing or engineering (CE) occupational expectations changed between PISA 2000 and PISA 2006, while students’ health service (HS) occupational expectations remained constant. In particular, many developed countries experienced downward national trends in CE occupational expectations among top performers in science. This study also found gender differences in national trends in STEM occupational expectations. In many countries boys’ CE occupational expectations decreased between PISA 2000 and PISA 2006, while girls’ occupational expectations remained unchanged in both CE and HS fields. Finally, the gender gaps in CE occupational expectations converged in many countries, but this convergence was not due to increases in CE occupational expectations among girls, but rather decreases in expectations among boys. Because one of the policy goals in many countries is to promote engagement in STEM education and occupations among students, especially academically talented students, the current findings – national declines in CE occupational expectations among top academic performers – will most likely be viewed as problematic in several countries. Future research should use data collected over longer periods to investigate whether students’ interest in STEM education and occupations increased or decreased in a variety of countries, and whether these patterns varied by student characteristics and performance levels. Moreover, future research must focus on factors that can explain the national trends in student interest in STEM education and occupations.
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Maureen O'Callaghan and Michelle Robinson
This chapter examines how entrepreneurs are addressing some of society's greatest challenges by taking over some of the functions of government and charities. It's driving change…
Abstract
This chapter examines how entrepreneurs are addressing some of society's greatest challenges by taking over some of the functions of government and charities. It's driving change, but is it the kind of change we want to see? The chapter examines the growing body of literature on entrepreneurship which looks at this question and focuses on some key areas. These areas, including entrepreneur values and motivation, prosocial behaviour, entrepreneurial education and more form the concepts that underpin both the research and the online training intervention I've developed. The chapter highlights one of the most important findings from a review of the existing literature; that the world needs people with prosocial values and motivations, and entrepreneurs as a group could make a significant contribution to society. In the chapter, there's also a discussion about what needs to happen to enable them to make that contribution and an examination of what the existing research says.
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The purpose of this paper is to pose questions about quality indicators, describe the fields of reference of communicators and the instruments currently being used in quality…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to pose questions about quality indicators, describe the fields of reference of communicators and the instruments currently being used in quality assurance of journalism, especially in Germany.
Design/methodology/approach
Due to their relevance to the questions being posed in media ethics, the paper deals with the meaning‐conferring functions of media offerings and with reasonable expectations toward media courses that prepare young communicators for their field of occupation.
Findings
This paper reveals that a more in‐depth involvement with constructivist epistemologies can impart to the media students a particular understanding of the dimensions of ethics, norms, law and the associated sets of rules.
Originality/value
This paper is focusing on the latently present, meaning‐generating aspects of the media, just not discussing them in terms of “effects” including their measurability, but in terms of reception and epistemology, underscoring the responsibility of all related communicators.
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Dale Tweedie and James Hazelton
The purpose of this paper is to encourage and advance interdisciplinary accounting research on economic inequality.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to encourage and advance interdisciplinary accounting research on economic inequality.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors review prior research into economic inequality, including two new papers in this issue, to identify topics where economic inequality and accounting research intersect. The authors then draw on prior accounting research to identify frameworks accounting scholars already use apposite to analysing these topics.
Findings
Economic inequality cuts across major accounting topics, including measurement, reporting and tax. Inequality also bears on an influential agenda in interdisciplinary accounting research to hold corporations and states accountable for their impacts. Four prior research frameworks accounting scholars might apply to this agenda are: critical Marxian or post-Marxian; accounting ethics; advocacy; and disclosure studies.
Social implications
A growing body of social scientific research, as well as influential global institutions, social movements and political debates, raise concerns over inequitable global distributions of wealth and income. The authors explore ways accounting scholars can help redress these inequities.
Originality/value
While economic inequality affects billions of people, accounting scholarship is yet to give these inequities the attention their scale and social impact merits. The authors suggest ways accounting researchers can make substantive contributions to addressing this issue.
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Wen-Jung Chang, Da-Chian Hu and Panay Keliw
Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationships among OC, KS, OCB and OI “Organization” is often seen as a company and few studies pay much attention to tribes and other…
Abstract
Purpose
Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationships among OC, KS, OCB and OI “Organization” is often seen as a company and few studies pay much attention to tribes and other related organizations and communities of Indigenous peoples. However, Indigenous peoples production organizations (IPPOs) would be certainly influenced by factors from the internal/external, including organizational culture (OC), organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), knowledge sharing (KS) and organizational innovation (OI). Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationships among OC, KS, OCB and OI.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on valid 139 Indigenous workers in IPPOs, this study used structural equation modeling to validate the relationships among OC, OCB, KS and OI.
Findings
The empirical findings indicate that OC would significantly influence OCB and OI, whereas KS would not have significant impact on OI. In addition, OC would not influence KS as usual, whereas OCB would do. Finally, OCB would impact KS.
Practical implications
As OCB acts as a complete mediator in OC–KS relationship, it means that these IPPOs already have OCB to motivate their staffs to do KS, but not enough to achieve more excellent performance on innovation.
Originality/value
Compared to past studies, this study aims to investigate the theory of organizational behavior and whether it is suitable between general businesses and IPPOs.
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This paper conceptualised the distinctive capabilities system and tested its relationship between small and medium enterprise (SME) non-financial and financial performance…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper conceptualised the distinctive capabilities system and tested its relationship between small and medium enterprise (SME) non-financial and financial performance, encompassing leadership and learning orientation as mediators, moderators and moderators’ mediators.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design is exploratory, quantitative and cross-sectional. The study employed partial least squares path modelling for testing the direct, mediation and moderation effects, and, for testing moderated mediation, the author adopted PROCESS analysis. Before testing the hypotheses, a confirmatory factor analysis procedure was applied to the measurement model validity test.
Findings
Our empirical findings confirm that (1) learning orientation has a positive and significant implication as a moderator between the distinctive capabilities system and SME performance; (2) the distinctive capabilities system has a significant relationship with leadership and learning orientation, and leadership has a significant relationship with learning orientation and (3) the distinctive capabilities system has no direct impact on performance. These findings suggest that, by nature, the distinctive capabilities system has an indirect impact on SME performance, which must be understood as a consequence of living “far-from-equilibrium” and being forced to learn and adapt to come up with better market configurations.
Originality/value
This study intends to contribute to the existing literature in three ways: (1) it proposes the distinctive capabilities system definition; (2) it highlights the system’s features and benefits that make it a core construct for SMEs surviving and thriving and (3) it shows the causal relationship between the leadership capability and learning orientation and the distinctive capabilities system and performance.