Narrow Results

This paper assumes that the key to understanding successes and failures in knowledge creation (KC) by academic innovation teams in a scenario of university–industry relations is to identify and evaluate preconditions, needed for efforts to flourish. We examine the synergistic intervention of individual competence, information literacy, innovation culture and communication in academic project team work while KC occurs, resulting in technological innovation. Our in-depth research with 20 university project teams has led us to a more differentiated picture of KC in academic innovation projects. The qualitative technique of categorical content analysis was used. As the main contributions, we present in a four-dimensional perspective the resulting relationships between the knowledge created by the teams and the critical factors that influence its creation. Moreover, deriving from these relations, six patterns of behaviour were found in the study.

Multipartite entangled states are key elements for quantum information processing. Here we experimentally investigate the particular properties of a polarization-entangled four-photon state, which can be generated directly by second order parametric down-conversion. The perfect correlations and the invariance under local transformations enable one to encode one qubit of quantum information in a decoherence-free subspace and thus to communicate it safely over noisy quantum channels. Furthermore, we present an experimental method to detect genuine fourpartite entanglement using entanglement witness operators. The implementation of such operators requires only of few local polarization measurements but uniquely proves the genuine multipartite entanglement.

Recently, Harrow et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett.92 (2004) 187901] gave a method for preparing an arbitrary quantum state with high success probability by physically transmitting some qubits, and by consuming a maximally entangled state, together with exhausting some shared random bits. In this paper, we discover that some states are impossible to be perfectly prepared by Alice and Bob initially sharing some entangled states. In particular, we present a sufficient and necessary condition for the states being enabled to be exactly prepared with probability equal to unity, in terms of the initial entangled states (maybe nonmaximally). In contrast, if the initially shared entanglement is maximal, then the probabilities for preparing these quantum states are smaller than unity. Furthermore, the lower bound on the probability for preparing some states are derived.

According to a study of health centers across the country, the physical health state is evaluated through a log-based, multi-access physical monitoring program and the accompanying challenges they face in their lifestyle. The deficiency of important nutrients is causing organ degradation, which in turn causes a wide range of health issues, especially for newborns, children, and adults. The physical activities of children and teenagers must be constantly monitored to eliminate issues in their lives through a smart environment. Physical monitoring systems with many access points, information needs, and accurate health-status diagnoses are becoming increasingly important in today’s fast-paced world. In eliminating problems from their lives, a smart environment must constantly monitor the physical activities of children and teenagers. There is a growing need for physical monitoring systems with multiple access points, information needs, and accurate health-status diagnoses in today’s human–robot interactive communication process rapidly changing world. Smart-log patches incorporating researchers have developed and tested sensors for the Internet of Things (IoT) in this study. The smart-log patch is a Bayesian deep learning network system that is based on edge computing (BDLN-EC) to infer and recognize various physical data gathered from people. Deep learning-driven wireless communication is described in signal analysis, encoding and decoding, security and privacy, channel estimation, and compression sensing. Deep learning-driven wireless connectivity intuitions and methodologies are the focus of our work. Wearable IoT systems with multimedia capabilities have been tested and evaluated for accuracy, efficacy, error, and energy usage.

The purpose of this paper is to present my personal journey in the last 30-plus years of research and development efforts on a cognitive robotic system called Intelligent Soft Arm Control (ISAC). In doing so, I will highlight how our team approached solving certain robot intelligence, communication, and control problems.

The keyword that most effectively describes 21st-century higher education is "expansion," as suggested by Daniel et al. [2009]. The present contribution aims to analyze current higher education requirements, offers a general insight into how to respond to pressing needs by exploiting the added value of networking potentiality, and reports on a successful case: the Licence Professionnelle "Management des Organisations de l'Economie Sociale" course (University Marne-la-Vallée, France).

This paper classifies design processes in seasonal industries, where designs of consumer products have to be delivered to tight deadlines, from the viewpoint of the relationship between the design company, the retailer and the final customers. The paper looks specifically at the risk that designers and retailers carry, the design rework required by the retailer and the communication between the retailer and the designer. We employ a motoring metaphor to show six models of design.

Prior research has shown that the level of communication has an effect on the learning outcomes in R&D alliances and, subsequently, on performance. The level of communication depends on issues such as the systems that enhance knowledge sharing and the factors that deter knowledge flows, such as tacitness of knowledge and (deliberate) barriers set up to limit knowledge transfer. Innovations and value can only be created through sufficiently open knowledge sharing. But on the other hand, too open knowledge sharing might outrun the value gained by innovations if the knowledge lost would leave the knowledge sharing firm vulnerable. Yet, there is still a lack of understanding on which factors are responsible of the level of communication and to what extent. In particular, it has often been forgotten that HRM-related mechanisms are not only functional within firms, but also between firms. Thus, in this study, the HRM-related mechanisms that contribute to both of these areas are examined by using empirical quantitative data gathered from 83 Finnish R&D intensive firms.

This qualitative study investigates different perceptions of knowledge sharing in a cross-cultural research collaboration between German and Chinese scientists. Special emphasis is placed on the in-group and out-group orientation of partners, different communication styles and personal and organizational influence factors. Data was obtained by conducting six focus groups in Germany and China. All ideas expressed in these focus groups were categorized and thoroughly evaluated. Our analysis reveals that the in- and out-group orientation of collectivistic and individualistic cultures might not be as pronounced as theory would suggest. In fact, members of the more collectivistic Chinese culture even showed a higher out-group orientation than members of the more individualistic German culture in our study. The resulting theoretical and practical implications for managing cross-cultural collaboration projects are discussed in detail in the paper.

Successful organizations depend not only on highly successful ideas and projects, but also on terminating poorer projects so that they do not drain their intellectual and other resources. There is, however, evidence that organizations let many projects go on for too long before terminating them. This paper investigates managers' termination behaviors in the energy industry along two dimensions — termination and accommodation. Managers have two main concerns when terminating innovative ideas and projects. One is that the idea is actually abandoned (termination) and the other is that whoever came up with the idea does not become de-motivated when a project is terminated (accommodation). We explore the variance in the data to generate categories of termination and accommodation behaviors. We group our findings into seven major categories of termination strategies that vary with respect to accommodation. We then discuss three major features of accommodation strategies.

Interdependence between Technically Trained Managers and Marketing Managers in new product development (NPD) teams is inherent, though few studies have investigated its effects within such teams. Here, interdependence is disaggregated into two underlying dimensions — the dependence of the Technically Trained Manager on the Marketing Manager, and the dependence of the Marketing Manager on the Technically Trained Manager during the project. Our model is tested using data from 184 Technically Trained Managers from Australian companies involved in NPD. The results suggest that interdependence is an important contextual variable during NPD projects. Senior managers should communicate its importance to NPD team members because of its positive effects within the NPD team. Where the Technically Trained Manager and Marketing Manager recognise their interdependence, they engage in more frequent, and more bidirectional communication. This is important because more effective communication between these two managers positively influences the quality and effectiveness of their working relationships, which in turn can increase NPD project success.

Innovation is an ever-increasing focus for modern organizations; yet research studies on organizational culture have tended to neglect this aspect. This paper specifies the key factors characterising a company's innovation culture and examines the top managers' executed impact as organizational leaders from the individual perspective on implementing and fostering it in their respective organizations. Based on a conceptual framework, the empirically identified key factors of the (1) formal embedment, (2) climate, (3) incentives and reward allocation, (4) integration into decision process, (5) cross-hierarchical communication and (6) communication style are presented. Within the empirical study, 37 top managers of 21 leading companies in the industries of “fashion and accessories” and “watch and jewelry” were interviewed. The results indicate that the impact of top managers lag behind their potential to advance innovativeness through innovation culture, and the detected deficit represents scope for improvement. The paper concludes by highlighting the implications of the study and its limitations.

This paper assesses the effects of aligning co-creation partners’ communications on consumers’ perceptions of joint innovation efforts. Two online experiments are conducted. Study 1 ($n=201$) investigates message content alignment (partners stating identical versus complementary messages) and visual alignment (partners assimilating the visual design of their communications versus autonomous designs). Results reveal a positive effect of using complementary over identical message content on consumers’ perceptions of the co-created product. The latter effect is reinforced by autonomous visual designs. Study 2 ($n=137$) shows that the effect of content alignment on both the lead firm and co-creation partners are mediated by the perceived fit between partners and the perceived corporate credibility of the lead firm. This research is one of the first to study effects of communication by multiple co-creation partners and demonstrates the positive effects of adequately aligning partners’ communications about joint innovation efforts.

This paper proposes a socio-cognitive model of technological co-operation which links substantive interactions in a technological co-operation project with an analysis of group processes. Substantive interactions are concerned with the development of business relationships and the transformation and transaction of resources and goods. Social interactions are concerned with the development of group integration through the creation and maintenance of shared understanding and communication among participating individuals. Insight into these interactions will improve our understanding of the process of technological co-operation and provide input into the management of this process. Therefore, a unique method is proposed. It consists of an analysis at the level of the project and at the level of communicating participants. This approach is applied to a study of a collaborative project in the Dutch construction industry.

This paper addresses the disparity and conflict between scientific meaning and the contextualised interpretation of (predominately) empirical indicators. This disparity arises due to the difficulty that the scientific community experiences when attempting to communicate with the political and planning community whose perspective remains outside the scope of both the indicator and the tools used.

We suggest that for empirical science to be communicated effectively to a policy oriented audience it must be transformed through both theoretical and virtual contexts. The significance of this approach is that at every stage communication becomes possible through a common negotiated reference point, or set of reference points. We highlight a mismatch between the science and the response, emphasising the value of an integrative approach to assessing environmental change and the need for accessible decision support tools in formulating responses to changes in the human-environmental balance.

We propose a framework which directly addresses the perceptual, empirical, theoretical and virtual dimensions of indicators and through which the conflicts between the science and the interpretation of socio-natural change may be overcome.

Follow-up is an essential component of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) if the success of EIA in improving the sustainability of a project once implemented is to be determined. This paper aims to establish universally-applicable criteria for EIA follow-up to evaluate project performance once assessed and underway. A suite of 24 criteria is derived from EIA follow-up best practice principles published by the International Association for Impact Assessment. The criteria are categorized according to the five dimensions of EIA follow-up: monitoring, evaluation, management, communication and governance. Posed as questions, the criteria support qualitative assessments of EIA follow-up performance for a project. Through application of the criteria to a case study currently under construction (the Shell Cove Marina project in eastern Australia), we found they provided an effective basis for a document review process delivering a short but informative account of the follow-up performance of the case study. The more robust evaluation of some of the criteria, particularly in the governance category, would require supplementary techniques such as interviews.

In network telemetry systems, nodes produce vast number of configuration files based on how they are configured. Steps were taken to process these files into databases to help the work of the developers, testers and customer support to focus on the development and testing and to be able to give advice to the customers about how to configure the nodes. However, the processing of these data in relational database manager system is slow, hard to query and the storage takes huge disk space.

In this paper, we are presenting a way to store the data produced by these nodes in graph database, changing from relational database to NoSQL environment. With our approach, one can easily represent and visualize the network of machines.

In the end, we are going to compare the inserting, querying time and storage size in different database manager systems. The results could also be used for other types of configuration data too from other kinds of machines to show the connection between them and query them easily.

Electricity networks in Finland are subject to adverse winter weather, particularly a combination of heavy snowfall with strong winds, causing electricity outages especially in the rural areas. The severe consequences of such events require that electricity distributors and the entire network of stakeholders establish a proactive risk management for achieving enhanced situational awareness during adverse weather events, efficient and effective recovering after electricity outage as well as improved preparedness against future events. This paper shows how a risk assessment performed with an Action Error Analysis (AEA) were conducted in order to enhance the resilience of electricity networks against adverse winter weather. This also encompassed an assessment of co-operation and communication structures about such risks. Adverse winter weather that took place in Pirkanmaa, in South-West Finland in November 2015, serves as a case study and laboratory for the assessments. The results of the AEA underscore the importance of co-operation and communication-related challenges that electricity distributors, rescue authorities and municipalities face in maintaining and obtaining a high level of resilience of electricity networks during and after heavy snowfalls. Against this background, novel ways and measures related to co-operation and communication of stakeholders to improve the resilience of electricity networks against future events are discussed.

Guided by the literature in diffusion of innovations, the technology acceptance model, and risk information sharing, this paper reports the results of a survey distributed to National Weather Service (NWS)-Memphis Weather Forecast Office (WFO) stakeholders who receive the Mississippi River Outlook product and its embedded 28-day experimental forecast. The survey examined perceptual factors that likely influence participants’ adoption of flood forecast information provided in the Outlook, and assessed Outlook recipients’ forecast-sharing behaviors and perceptions. Results revealed that the first responders perceived the Outlook product to be more useful than experts, while experts experienced less social influence to use it than first responders or the public. Although participants were generally favorable toward and intended to use the Outlook in the future, experts were significantly less likely to do so and hold a favorable attitude. The majority of participants reported sharing the Outlook with an average of 11 people, and were most likely to share either the entire Outlook verbatim or specific, verbatim sections. Implications of the Outlook’s perceived characteristics and participants’ Outlook-sharing behaviors are discussed.

In this research, we examine the relationship between customer satisfaction with water and wastewater services, demographic factors, communication with the utility, and perceived trustworthiness. Through a survey of the UK public ($n=760$), we found that 77% of the respondents stated they were satisfied with their water and wastewater services. Statistical analysis highlighted significant demographic differences in the level of satisfaction, particularly by age, with higher satisfaction in older respondents. We found that the degree to which respondents think their water utility can be trusted to provide accurate information predicted satisfaction, as did more frequent engagement with a water utility’s social media. More frequently contacting a water utility or discussing water services with friends and family both negatively predicted satisfaction. Meeting the public’s expectations for accurate and timely information is coupled with their perceptions of a water utility’s trustworthiness and their satisfaction with water and wastewater services. Water utilities may increase the satisfaction of their customers through strategies and initiatives that are attentive to the credibility of the information they provide and the means through which they provide it. In summary, our research indicates that the water sector’s ambition to develop more diverse (and inclusive) customer engagement experiences, including through online platforms and social media, may deliver benefits (particularly with the less engaged and younger age groups across varying regional water governance contexts) that complement the overall efforts to build trust and satisfaction, but we acknowledge that these are complex long-term processes.