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This work aims to combine the cloud robotics technologies with deep reinforcement learning to build a distributed training architecture and accelerate the learning procedure of autonomous systems. Especially, a distributed training architecture for navigating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in complicated dynamic environments is proposed.

This study proposes a distributed training architecture named experience-sharing learner-worker (ESLW) for deep reinforcement learning to navigate UAVs in dynamic environments, which is inspired by cloud-based techniques. With the ESLW architecture, multiple worker nodes operating in different environments can generate training data in parallel, and then the learner node trains a policy through the training data collected by the worker nodes. Besides, this study proposes an extended experience replay (EER) strategy to ensure the method can be applied to experience sequences to improve training efficiency. To learn more about dynamic environments, convolutional long short-term memory (ConvLSTM) modules are adopted to extract spatiotemporal information from training sequences.

Experimental results demonstrate that the ESLW architecture and the EER strategy accelerate the convergence speed and the ConvLSTM modules specialize in extract sequential information when navigating UAVs in dynamic environments.

Inspired by the cloud robotics technologies, this study proposes a distributed ESLW architecture for navigating UAVs in dynamic environments. Besides, the EER strategy is proposed to speed up training processes of experience sequences, and the ConvLSTM modules are added to networks to make full use of the sequential experiences.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Crisis situations demand quick and effective decision-making to identify novel solutions. During these periods of uncertainty, the required innovation is likelier to materialize when leaders are equipped with the high cognitive depth that enables them to thoroughly analyze a specific issue. But when cognitive width is dominant, decision-making quality can be impeded by the leader’s tendency to consider a wider range of information pertaining to diverse issues.

The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The multifaceted effect of IT in organizations has been widely examined. However, the intervening role of IT strategy and business strategy on the effect of managing IT on firm performance remains less strong. This study examines how managing information technology (MIT) effects on firm performance by looking at the mediating role of IT strategy and business strategy.

Drawing on the resource-based view of IT and contingency perspective, theoretical insights for managing IT and the mediating effect of IT strategy and business strategy on firm performance are established. The model is empirically tested by using hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling for the data collected through the survey of 194 senior IT and business managers in China.

The significant and impactful relationship found in the model for the proposed idea. The results show that both IT strategy and business strategy partially mediate the effect of managing IT on firm performance.

The findings highlight that managing IT does not merely influence better firm performance; instead, the coherent amalgamation of IT strategy and business strategy can enrich firm performance. The theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

In line with the call for rigorous research to integrate the managing IT and firm strategies, this study demonstrates the mediating role of business strategy and IT strategy between the managing IT and the firm performance relationship, hence contributing to the IS research literature.

Despite the existing literature on the impact of IT capability and innovation capabilities, this study examines how IT-enabled dynamic capability dimensions impact on firm innovative capability to achieve organizational performance.

Drawing on the dynamic capability theory, this study empirically investigates the entire chain of relationships among dynamic capability, innovative capability, organizational performance and turbulent environment.

Using the data from 254 Chinese firms, this study reveals IT-enabled dynamic capability dimensions have positive and significant relationship with firm innovative capability types, which in turn have significant relationship with organizational performance except the process innovation.

This study contributes to the growing information systems literature and also suggests theoretical and practical implications.

This study examines IT-enabled dynamic capability with firm innovative capability types, which has received limited attention in the past.

Building on upper echelons theory, this study explores the influence of managerial cognition on firm innovation during times of crisis. Specifically, we aim to disentangle the concept of cognitive complexity by examining how CEOs’ cognitive depth and cognitive width differently influence their firms’ innovation outcomes. Additionally, we investigate how organizational slack moderates the impact of these cognitive attributes on innovation, providing a deeper understanding of the conditions under which managerial cognition drives firm adaptability in crises.

This study utilized a sample of 115 listed US firms ranked in the top 200 in terms of market capitalization share in 2020. We measured the key variables by analyzing text and archival data from interviews with CEOs, particularly focusing on their discussions regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regression analysis was employed to test the hypothesized relationships in the research model.

The results reveal that under the crisis, CEO cognitive depth enhances firm innovation, while CEO cognitive width impedes firm innovation. Moreover, organizational slack weakens the positive relationship between CEO cognitive complexity and innovation.

This study significantly contributes to and extends the established body of research on a leader’s cognition during a crisis. Our study goes beyond traditional views of cognitive complexity by highlighting the distinct impacts of two critical elements: cognitive depth and width, on decision-making processes. This study contributed to the innovative decision-making literature by opening up the black box behind the decision-making process of innovation during uncertainty. This underscores the multifaceted nature of cognitive processes in innovation, highlighting the interplay between cognitive depth, cognitive width and organizational resources in driving firm innovative outcomes during the crisis. We also broaden the temporal scope of empirical research on CEO cognition by gathering data from CEO interviews conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study reveals that when CEOs have a broader focus and attend to a wide range of information, their ability to quickly utilize firm resources for formulating competitive actions decreases during uncertainty. Consequently, it is crucial for CEOs to acknowledge the limitations of their attentional capacity. The allocation of their attention and information processing capacity has significant implications for their innovative decision-making processes, particularly in navigating through crises.

Our study finds that excessive attention during times of crisis may not necessarily be beneficial to firm innovation. An excessive focus on problems can lead to scattered attention, impairing judgment and decision-making abilities. Moreover, excessive attention to problems may trigger panic and unnecessary stress, further impacting decision quality. High cognitive width can trap teams in short-term thinking and emergency mode, neglecting long-term strategies and opportunities such as innovation investment. Yet, firms with more slack resources can reduce the negative impacts of cognitive depth.

This study proposes a comprehensive cognitive model to understand managers’ decision-making during a crisis. The research posits that different dimensions of CEOs’ managerial cognition have distinct impacts on firm innovation in crisis environments. This study significantly contributes to the study of managerial cognition and innovation literature.

A successful process of design concept evaluation has positive influence on subsequent processes. This study aims to consider the evaluation information at multiple stages and the interaction among evaluators and improve the credibility of evaluation results.

This paper proposes a multi-stage approach for design concept evaluation based on complex network and bounded confidence. First, a network is constructed according to the evaluation data. Depending on the consensus degree of evaluation opinions, the number of evaluation rounds is determined. Then, bounded confidence rules are applied for the modification of preference information. Last, a planning function is constructed to calculate the weight of each stage and aggregate information at multiple evaluation stages.

The results indicate that the opinions of the evaluators tend to be consistent after multiple stages of interactive adjustment, and the ordering of design concept alternatives tends to be stable with the progress of the evaluation.

Updating preferences according to the bounded confidence rules, only the opinions within the trust threshold are considered. The attribute information of the node itself is inadequately considered.

This method addresses the need for considering the evaluation information at each stage and minimizes the impact of disagreements within the evaluation group on the evaluation results.

Managing IT with firm performance (FM) has always been a debatable topic in literature and practice. Prior studies examining the above relationship have reported mixed results and have yet ignored the eminent managing IT practices. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the relevance of Val-IT 2.0 practice in managing IT investment, and its mediating role in the FM context.

This paper is developed on two themes of literature. First, managing IT as a firm’s IT capability in order to generate value from IT investment. Second, IT as a firm’s resource under resource-based view offers firm’s competence that deploys potentials in achieving FM. The structural equation modeling with partial least squares techniques used for analyzing data collected from 176 organization’s IT, and business executives in China.

The results of this study show empirical evidence that Val-IT’s components (value governance, portfolio management, and investment management) are significantly linked to the management of IT (MIT), and it found to be a significant mediator between Val-IT components and FM.

This research contributes to the literature and practice by way of highlighting the value generation through managing IT on FM.

This study is fully based on Val-IT 2.0 with the FM where the managing IT mediate this relationship in a country-specific study in China. This study adds to the Chinese information system literature which suffers the lack of empirical studies in the context of MIT research.

Despite the conceptual, empirical and theoretical advances in alignment–performance relationship, there is a limited research on the alignment dimensions and organizational performance measures. Though strategic alignment is believed to improve organizational performance, the purpose of this paper is to develop conjectures for understanding how different alignment dimensions influence organizational performance measures.

The data were acquired from 161 senior IT and business managers paired responses in China and were analyzed by using a structural equation modeling technique.

The hypothesized relationships are largely supported. Thus, quality-oriented strategic alignment dimension has a significant relationship with all performance measures. Contrary to expectations, both product and marketing-oriented strategic alignment dimensions do not show a significant impact on financial return. The marketing-oriented strategic alignment dimension also has an insignificant relationship with operational excellence.

This study suggests that the business–IT alignment can be dimensioned to better combine business strategy and IT strategy. Hence, managers can focus specific alignment dimension instead of entire strategies of a firm for a better decision making.

Findings suggest guidance for formulating combined business and IT strategic alignment into dimensions and proposing insightful and practical implications.

Although information technology (IT) governance and IT capability have been extensively examined, the impact of IT governance mechanisms on IT-enabled dynamic capability (ITDC) with moderators has received less attention. This study investigates how the impact of IT governance mechanisms on firm performance is achieved through an ITDC through the moderating role of IT governance decentralization and a turbulent environment.

This study extends from the traditional view of IT capabilities and integrates dynamic capability theory to propose that IT governance is vital for the ITDC. Path analysis, hierarchical regression analysis and moderation analysis were performed using partial least squares (Smart PLS 3.0) as the data analysis methods. This study empirically tests the proposed mediated moderation model by using data collected from 254 firms in China to test the hypotheses.

Significant and impactful relationships are found in the model that includes turbulent environment moderating effects. Contrary to expectations, IT governance decentralization is also significant but not very strong.

This study’s findings have implications for investigating IT governance, IT-enabled capabilities and moderators. Accordingly, this study has implications for board and executive management to capitalize on dynamic IT capability, to keep pace with the challenges and turbulent conditions associated with business needs and for the productivity paradox in the context of Chinese firms.

This country-specific research study theoretically contributes to the IT governance, dynamic capabilities and turbulent environment in the information systems literature and proposes many practical guides to the board and executive management of companies in the Chinese context.

The purpose of this paper is to enhance the characteristics of TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs). Because these NPs stick together easily and are difficult to distribute evenly, they cannot be used extensively in lubricating oils. Altering TiO₂ was recommended as an alternate way for making NPs simpler to disperse.

Through dielectric barrier discharge plasma (DBDP)-assisted ball mill diagnostics and modeling of molecular dynamics, TiO₂@PEG-400 NPs were produced using the DBDP-assisted ball mill. The NPs’ microstructure was examined using FESEM, TEM, XRD, FT-IR and TG-DSC. Using the CFT-1 reciprocating friction tester, the tribological properties of TiO₂@PEG-400 NPs as base oil additives were studied. EDS and XPS were used to examine the surface wear of the friction pair.

Tribological properties of the modified NPs are vastly superior to those of the original NPs, and the lipophilicity value of TiO₂ NPs was improved by 200%. It was determined through tribological testing that TiO₂@PEG-400’s exceptional performance might be attributable to a chemical reaction film made up of TiO₂, Fe₂O₃, iron oxide and other organic chemicals.

This work describes an approach for preventing the aggregation of TiO₂ NPs by coating their surface with PEG-400. In addition, the prepared NPs can enhance the tribological performance of lubricating oil. This low-cost, high-performance lubricant additive has tremendous promise for usage in marine engines to minimize operating costs while preserving navigational safety.