Evan Malone, Kian Rasa, Daniel Cohen, Todd Isaacson, Hilary Lashley and Hod Lipson
This paper reports on a fabrication platform and extensions to deposition‐based processes that permit freeform fabrication of three‐dimensional functional assemblies with embedded…
Abstract
This paper reports on a fabrication platform and extensions to deposition‐based processes that permit freeform fabrication of three‐dimensional functional assemblies with embedded conductive wiring and power sources. Structure and joints are produced by fused deposition of thermoplastics and deposition of elastomers. Conductive wiring is achieved by deposition of various low‐melting‐point alloys and conductive pastes. Batteries based on zinc‐air chemistry are produced by the deposition of zinc, electrolyte, and catalysts, with separator media and electrodes. Details of the deposition processes are provided and several printed assemblies are demonstrated.
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Theresa Hammond, Kenneth Danko and Mark Landis
Although accounting professors around the globe have addressed various social aspects of accounting, very rarely does that research address the concerns of students. This is…
Abstract
Although accounting professors around the globe have addressed various social aspects of accounting, very rarely does that research address the concerns of students. This is despite the fact that students are the focus of the educational mission of most universities. In an effort to address this gap, this chapter extends the field of social accounting to an issue critical to students: the cost of accounting textbooks in the United States. Textbook cost is drawing increasing attention from public interest groups and government regulators as costs are growing at a more rapid rate than many other costs, and constitute a significant portion of the total cost of obtaining a higher education degree. For accounting students, these costs are exacerbated by the fact that accounting textbooks are among the most expensive of any major, and they are being revised with increasing frequency – which eliminates students’ ability to buy less expensive used books – often with little or no discernible benefit to students. We argue that in some subfields of accounting – especially managerial/cost and introductory courses – topics are relatively stable, and that frequent textbook revisions are unnecessarily costly for our students, many of whom, along with their families, are making significant financial sacrifices to earn their degrees. In this study, we provide background on the textbook pricing issue, include data from a survey of accounting faculty demonstrating that they consider the revisions too frequent, document the increasing frequency of accounting textbook revisions over recent decades, analyze content in a leading accounting textbook, and discuss options for reducing the cost of accounting textbooks, including following student activists’ lead in advocating for open-source, free textbooks.
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Anna Marie Johnson and Sarah Jent
This article presents an annotated bibliography of literature recently published on the topic of library instruction and information literacy in academic, school, public, special…
Abstract
This article presents an annotated bibliography of literature recently published on the topic of library instruction and information literacy in academic, school, public, special, and all types of libraries. Collaboration was a strong theme, especially among academic and school libraries. Other themes discussed in the articles include the globalism of information literacy, assessment, the use of course management systems, and the use and value of online tutorials.
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Tommaso Savino, Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli and Vito Albino
Into cultural and creative industries, the innovation is increasingly realized by a lead creator which is supported by a specific team. Hence, this paper aims to understand the…
Abstract
Purpose
Into cultural and creative industries, the innovation is increasingly realized by a lead creator which is supported by a specific team. Hence, this paper aims to understand the composition of this particular team.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted an in-depth case study of “Dal Pescatore”. This is the Italian restaurant keeping the highest award previewed by Michelin Guide from the longer period. The main figures of the restaurant are the head chefs (Nadia and Giovanni Santini) who are continually supported by a dedicated team
Findings
The analysis underlines the necessity to create a team which combines aged people linked to firms’ tradition with a low percentage of young foreign apprentices. If the old-timer member assures a deep understanding of the firm’s knowledge base, the young foreign apprentice can show an high learning attitude through which he/she more easily shares their different knowledge.
Research limitations/implications
This study discussed organizational efforts to foster innovation capacities of the main individuals into a firm. However, the present research suffers from some limitations which limits the generalizability of the results beyond the company studied: a single case study on a small and family firm with consolidated organizational routines. In addition, this research does not solutions about the mechanisms of interaction among these different team members.
Originality/value
Recent studies observed how a number of cultural and creative firms innovate through a particular team that develops the ideas of a lead creator. Nevertheless, despite the increasing importance of these teams, their composition remains unclear.
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This paper is based on insights from philosophy of science, centered in Gilbert Ryle’s notion of “category mistakes”. A category mistake occurs in a science when scholars have…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper is based on insights from philosophy of science, centered in Gilbert Ryle’s notion of “category mistakes”. A category mistake occurs in a science when scholars have been thinking of a phenomenon as of a certain sort, when it is really nothing of the kind. This paper aims to claim that regarding sustained enterprise innovation (SEI) as a strictly operational problem commits such a category mistake. Instead, SEI is an aspirational problem and thus requires scholars to examine it from that perspective as well.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper begins by explicating Ryle’s notion of a category mistake. It develops the suggestion that innovation scholars have made such a mistake by thinking of innovation as a strictly operational problem. In reality, it is as much an aspirational problem. The paper then builds on the metaphor made famous by Isaiah Berlin, distinguishing between hedgehogs and foxes. A hedgehog is a leader who copes with the non-predictive nature of innovation. The paper builds on the findings from positive psychology and virtue epistemology to highlight how humans can act rationally in the face of non-predictive outcomes. Four virtues of hedgehog leadership are proposed and defined.
Findings
The paper concludes that hedgehog leadership is necessary for sustained enterprise innovation. It also concludes that hedgehogs can act rationally in pursuit of non-predictive outcomes by practicing a set of governing virtues.
Research limitations/implications
Further research needs to be conducted to validate the proposed governing virtues, to illuminate the optimal hedgehog/fox balance within the enterprise, and to validate through longitudinal work the impact of hedgehogs on sustained enterprise innovation.
Practical implications
Based on the continuing interest in innovation expressed by enterprise leaders around the world, hedgehogs are in increasing demand. Fortunately, hedgehogs can be made (and self-made) via deliberate practice of the governing virtues. Aspiring and current hedgehogs can be confident that practicing these virtues and becoming increasingly adept at their application will promote and effect enterprise innovation.
Originality/value
Very little research has been conducted on the aspirational aspect of SEI. This is an insidious gap in the literature, as it affects scholars and practitioners alike. Scholars are trapped in the “normal science” paradigm that treats the innovation problem as if it can be solved through operational techniques. This paper contends that this ubiquitous category mistake has led scholars down a blind alley. Instead, it is important for scholars and practitioners alike to view SEI as an aspirational problem that requires vastly different research frameworks and practitioner prescriptions.
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Quality has typically been regarded as a key strategic component of competitive advantage and, therefore, the enhancement of product quality has been a matter of prime interest to…
Abstract
Quality has typically been regarded as a key strategic component of competitive advantage and, therefore, the enhancement of product quality has been a matter of prime interest to firms. Quality provides a basis for strategic advantage, and thus improvement in product quality may lead to enhanced performance. However, a frequent concern is that product quality no longer provides enduring competitive advantage; instead, it has become essentially a competitive prerequisite. Hence, an assessment of whether improvements in product quality are reflected in greater quality performance is likely to be of considerable interest to organizations. Suggestions have been made that the implementation of environmental accounting also contributes to the enhancement of quality performance. Argues that the greater the integration of environmental issues into financial decision processes, the better the performance of the firm. Investigates the extent to which product quality and the implementation of environmental accounting positively influence quality performance.
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Sara Hamed, Noha El-Bassiouny and Anabel Ternès
The purpose of this study is to combine the two fields of transformative service research (TSR) and evidence-based design (EBD) to improve the healthcare service provided in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to combine the two fields of transformative service research (TSR) and evidence-based design (EBD) to improve the healthcare service provided in hospitals. TSR and EBD are two separate research fields that aim to improve the well-being of consumers within the service sector. Research propositions for making changes in the hospital physical environment to improve the patient well-being are developed to link the two fields.
Design/methodology/approach
This work takes a theoretical approach to develop research propositions based on the literature. The research propositions guide the development of the framework developed for future studies under TSR and EBD.
Findings
The research propositions should be tested empirically in future studies to develop a methodology for transforming a hospital physical environment. The implementation of these propositions would allow hospitals to reach a new and more sustainable competitive advantage.
Originality/value
The relationship between the domains of TSR and EBD has not been explored before in the literature. This study presents an unprecedented work that is needed to improve patient well-being. It contributes to TSR and EBD by providing a research agenda for healthcare practitioners and researchers to pave the way for achieving improved healthcare services focusing on patient well-being and sustainability.
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Maria Tzouriadou, George Barbas, Constantinos Vouyoukas and Eleni Anagnostopoulou
This research study aims to examine: whether preschoolers at risk form a homogenous or a heterogeneous group of high‐risk children; and in case preschoolers form a heterogeneous…
Abstract
Purpose
This research study aims to examine: whether preschoolers at risk form a homogenous or a heterogeneous group of high‐risk children; and in case preschoolers form a heterogeneous group, what are the distinctive characteristics of specific language impairment and mild intellectual disabilities groups in language acquisition and social competence that make differential early intervention necessary.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 143 Greek preschoolers aged 4.5 through 5.5 participated in the study. Among them, according to DTLA‐P:3, 42 with mild intellectual disabilities and 41 with specific language impairments were detected. A total of 60 typically developed children were also detected. Children's categorization to the above groups was verified by the Λ‐α‐T‐ω Language Competence Test Level I, which was used to estimate intra‐individual differences in language competence. To assess peer relations, a peer relation checklist was developed and standardized.
Findings
The findings of this study support the approach of the two distinct groups of high‐risk preschoolers in terms of their language and social characteristics.
Originality/value
Research findings highlight the different educational needs of high‐risk preschoolers, which make necessary the differential use of preschool curricula.