A well-tailored centrality measure for evaluating patents and their citations

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 750-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Donato ◽  
Paolo Lo Giudice ◽  
Roberta Marretta ◽  
Domenico Ursino ◽  
Luca Virgili
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Scientific Paper ◽  
Patent Citation ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Directed Network ◽  
Patent Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Centrality Measure ◽  
Paper Citation ◽  
Patent Scope

Purpose The development of innovations in all the research and development (R&D) fields is leading to a huge increase of patent data. Therefore, it is reasonable to foresee that, in the next future, Big Data-centered techniques will be compulsory to fully exploit the potential of this kind of data. In this context, network analysis-based approaches are extremely promising. The purpose of this paper is to provide a contribution to this setting. In fact, the authors propose a well-tailored centrality measure for evaluating patents and their citations. Design/methodology/approach The authors preliminarily introduce a suitable support directed network representing patents and their citations. After this, the authors present the centrality measures, namely, “Naive Patent Degree” and “Refined Patent Degree.’” Then, the authors show why they are well tailored to capture the specificities of the patent scenario and why classical centrality measure fails to fully reach this purpose. Findings The authors present three possible applications of the measures, namely: the computation of a patent “scope” allowing the evaluation of the width and the strength of the influence of a patent on a given R&D field; the computation of a patent lifecycle; and the detection of the so-called “power patents,” i.e., the most relevant patents, and the investigation of the importance, for a patent, to be cited by a power patent. Originality/value None of the approaches proposing the application of centrality measures to patent citation networks consider the main peculiarity of this scenario, i.e., that, if a patent pi cites a patent pj, then the value of pi decreases. So, differently from classical scientific paper citation scenario, in this one performing a citation has a cost for the citing entity. This fact is not considered by all the approaches conceived to investigate paper citations. Nevertheless, this feature represents the core of patent citation scenario. The approach has been explicitly conceived to capture this feature.

How tall is your claim? Strategically acing patent scope

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Mayuree Sengupta
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Contemporary Literature ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Patent Grant ◽  
Patent Scope ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The article examines strategically directing the breadth of scope of a patent and hazards of litigation vis-à-vis the length of claims for innovating firms. Design/methodology/approach This paper enumerates latest literature on assessing patent scope and hence protection afforded to firm innovations. Based on prior research findings, this paper proposes to maintain a balanced and nuanced approach to claim drafting to assure grant of patent while minimizing litigation threats. Findings To strategically manage patent grant and minimize litigation threat, firms would better take a leaf out of academic discourse and streamline claim drafting – not too wide to earn an examiner’s ire and not too narrow to let an infringer bypass by. Unlike smaller firms or universities, big firms are less likely to renew a patent with less scope. Research limitations/implications The study sample in contemporary literature is exclusive to patents from US Patent and Trademark Office. Whether the same result will be replicated for diverse countries is uncertain. Practical implications The understanding that patent scope not only influences grant chances but also is an indicator of future litigation threat can help patent practitioners and innovating firms in strategically directing the patent. Originality/value The paper draws from the findings of three well-articulated recent research papers. The paper’s originality and value is in providing practical insights on how to perfect patent scope in a real world based on academic discourse.

Hierarchical main path analysis to identify decompositional multi-knowledge trajectories

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sejun Yoon ◽  
Changbae Mun ◽  
Nagarajan Raghavan ◽  
Dongwook Hwang ◽  
Sohee Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patent Citation ◽  
Knowledge Flows ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Patent Data ◽  
Sequencing Technology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Patent Classification ◽  
Changing Trends ◽  
Main Path ◽  
Data Driven Approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a quantitative method for identifying multiple and hierarchical knowledge trajectories within a specific technological domain (TD). Design/methodology/approach The proposed method as a patent-based data-driven approach is basically based on patent classification systems and patent citation information. Specifically, the method first analyzes hierarchical structure under a specific TD based on patent co-classification and hierarchical relationships between patent classifications. Then, main paths for each sub-TD and overall-TD are generated by knowledge persistence-based main path approach. The all generated main paths at different level are integrated into the hierarchical main paths. Findings This paper conducted an empirical analysis by using Genome sequencing technology. The results show that the proposed method automatically identifies three sub-TDs, which are major functionalities in the TD, and generates the hierarchical main paths. The generated main paths show knowledge flows across different sub-TDs and the changing trends in dominant sub-TD over time. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the proposed method is the first attempt to automatically generate multiple hierarchical main paths using patent data. The generated main paths objectively show not only knowledge trajectories for each sub-TD but also interactive knowledge flows among sub-TDs. Therefore, the method is definitely helpful to reduce manual work for TD decomposition and useful to understand major trajectories for TD.

A domain-specific measure of centrality for water distribution networks

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Ashkan Zarghami ◽  
Indra Gunawan
Keyword(s):  
Complex Networks ◽  
Betweenness Centrality ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Water Distribution Networks ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Centrality Measure ◽  
Centrality Analysis ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose In recent years, centrality measures have been extensively used to analyze real-world complex networks. Water distribution networks (WDNs), as a good example of complex networks, exhibit properties not shared by other networks. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of applying the classical centrality measures to these networks. The purpose of this paper is to generate a new centrality measure in order to stick more closely to WDNs features. Design/methodology/approach This work refines the traditional betweenness centrality by adding a hydraulic-based weighting factor in order to improve its fit with the WDNs features. Rather than an exclusive focus on the network topology, as does the betweenness centrality, the new centrality measure reflects the importance of each node by taking into account its topological location, its demand value and the demand distribution of other nodes in the network. Findings Comparative analysis proves that the new centrality measure yields information that cannot be captured by closeness, betweenness and eigenvector centrality and is more accurate at ranking the importance of the nodes in WDNs. Practical implications The following practical implications emerge from the centrality analysis proposed in this work. First, the maintenance strategy driven by the new centrality analysis enables practitioners to prioritize the components in the network based on the priority ranking attributed to each node. This allows for least cost decisions to be made for implementing the preventive maintenance strategies. Second, the output of the centrality analysis proposed herein assists water utilities in identifying the effects of components failure on the network performance, which in turn can support the design and deployment of an effective risk management strategy. Originality/value The new centrality measure, proposed herein, is distinct from the conventional centrality measures. In contrast to the classical centrality metrics in which the importance of components is assessed based on a pure topological viewpoint, the proposed centrality measure integrates both topological and hydraulic attributes of WDNs and therefore is more accurate at ranking the importance of the nodes.

Linking science to technology: the “patent paper citation” and the rise of patentometrics in the 1980s

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Hammarfelt
Keyword(s):  
Crucial Role ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Patent Citations ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Content Type ◽  
History Of ◽  
Scientific Context ◽  
Paper Citation ◽  
Objective Indicators

PurposeIn this article, the ideas and methods behind the “patent-paper citation” are scrutinised by following the intellectual and technical development of approaches and ideas in early work on patentometrics. The aim is to study how references from patents to papers came to play a crucial role in establishing a link between science and technology.Design/methodology/approachThe study comprises a conceptual history of the “patent paper citation” and its emergence as an important indicator of science and technology interaction. By tracing key references in the field, it analyses the overarching frameworks and ideas, the conceptual “hinterland”, in which the approach of studying patent references emerged.FindingsThe analysis explains how interest in patents – not only as legal and economic artefacts but also as scientific documents – became evident in the 1980s. The focus on patent citations was sparked by a need for relevant and objective indicators and by the greater availability of databases and methods. Yet, the development of patentometrics also relied on earlier research, and established theories, on the relation between science and technology.Originality/valueThis is the first attempt at situating patentometrics in a larger societal and scientific context. The paper offers a reflexive and nuanced analysis of the “patent-paper citation” as a theoretical and historical construct, and it calls for a broader and contextualised understanding of patent references, including their social, legal and rhetorical function.

Three Perspectives on Centrality

2020 ◽  
pp. 333-351
Author(s):  
Stephen P. Borgatti ◽  
Martin G. Everett
Keyword(s):  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Graph Invariant ◽  
Propagation Process ◽  
Centrality Measure ◽  
The Third ◽  
First Arrival ◽  
The Difference

This chapter presents three different perspectives on centrality. In part, the motivation is definitional: what counts as a centrality measure and what doesn’t? But the primary purpose is to lay out ways that centrality measures are similar and dissimilar and point to appropriate ways of interpreting different measures. The first perspective the chapter considers is the “walk structure participation” perspective. In this perspective, centrality measures indicate the extent and manner in which a node participates in the walk structure of a graph. A typology is presented that distinguishes measures based on dimensions such as (1) what kinds of walks are considered (e.g., geodesics, paths, trails, or unrestricted walks) and (2) whether the number of walks is counted or the length of walks is assessed, or both. The second perspective the chapter presents is the “induced centrality” perspective, which views a node’s centrality as its contribution to a specific graph invariant—typically some measure of the cohesiveness of the network. Induced centralities are computed by calculating the graph invariant, removing the node in question, and recalculating the graph invariant. The difference is the node’s centrality. The third perspective is the “flow outcomes” perspective. Here the chapter views centralities as estimators of node outcomes in some kind of propagation process. Generic node outcomes include how often a bit of something propagating passes through a node and the time until first arrival of something flowing. The latter perspective leads us to consider the merits of developing custom measures for different research settings versus using off-the-shelf measures that were not necessarily designed for the current purpose.

scholarly journals Vulnerable adults in police custody

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-8
Author(s):  
Ian Cummins
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Police Custody ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Vulnerable Adults

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the recent National Appropriate Adult Network (NAAN) report on the role of the appropriate adult. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on the NAAN report and a review of relevant policy and research literature. Findings There to Help 2 highlights that there are still significant gaps in the provision of appropriate adult schemes across England and Wales. These gaps potentially place vulnerable adults at increased risk. Originality/value This paper is a review of recent research.

Co-workers’ perceptions of and reactions to employee’s involuntary demotion

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 740-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Hennekam ◽  
Subramaniam Ananthram ◽  
Steve McKenna
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Informational Justice ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Behavioural Reaction ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
The Way

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how individuals perceive and react to the involuntary demotion of a co-worker in their organisation. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw on 46 semi-structured in-depth interviews (23 dyads) with co-workers of demoted individuals. Findings The findings suggest that an individual’s observation of the demotion of a co-worker has three stages: their perception of fairness, their emotional reaction and their behavioural reaction. The perception of fairness concerned issues of distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational justice. The emotional responses identified were feelings of disappointment/disillusion, uncertainty, vulnerability and anger. Finally, the behavioural reactions triggered by their emotional responses included expressions of voice, loyalty, exit and adaptation. Originality/value Perceptions of (in)justice perpetrated on others stimulate emotional and behavioural responses, which impacts organisational functioning. Managers should therefore pay attention to the way a demotion is perceived, not only by those directly concerned, but also by co-workers as observers.

Consumer value creation through WhatsApp use

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-471
Author(s):  
Jorge Cruz-Cárdenas ◽  
Jorge Guadalupe-Lanas ◽  
Ekaterina Zabelina ◽  
Andrés Palacio-Fierro ◽  
Margarita Velín-Fárez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Role Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Value ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand in-depth how consumers create value in their lives using WhatsApp, the leading mobile instant messaging (MIM) application. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts the perspective of customer-dominant logic (CDL) and uses a qualitative multimethod design involving 3 focus groups and 25 subsequent in-depth interviews. The research setting was Ecuador, a Latin American country. Findings Analysis and interpretation of the participants’ stories made it possible to identify and understand the creation of four types of value: maintaining and strengthening relationships; improving role performance; emotional support; and entertainment and fun. In addition, the present study proposes a conceptual model of consumer value creation as it applies to MIM. Practical implications Understanding the way consumers create value in their lives using MIM is important not only for organizations that offer MIM applications, but also for those companies that develop other applications for mobile phones or for those who wish to use MIM as an electronic word-of-mouth vehicle. Originality/value The current study is one of the first to address the topic of consumer behavior in the use of technologies from the perspective of CDL; this perspective enables an integrated qualitative vision of value creation in which the consumer is the protagonist.

scholarly journals Advantages and potential challenges of data management in e-maintenance

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arian Razmi-Farooji ◽  
Hanna Kropsu-Vehkaperä ◽  
Janne Härkönen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo
Keyword(s):  
Data Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Maintenance Systems ◽  
Industry Leader ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to understand data management challenges in e-maintenance systems from a holistically viewpoint through summarizing the earlier scattered research in the field, and second, to present a conceptual approach for addressing these challenges in practice. Design/methodology/approach The study is realized as a combination of a literature review and by the means of analyzing the practices on an industry leader in manufacturing and maintenance services. Findings This research provides a general understanding over data management challenges in e-maintenance and summarizes their associated proposed solutions. In addition, this paper lists and exemplifies different types and sources of data which can be collected in e-maintenance, across different organizational levels. Analyzing the data management practices of an e-maintenance industry leader provides a conceptual approach to address identified challenges in practice. Research limitations/implications Since this paper is based on studying the practices of a single company, it might be limited to generalize the results. Future research topics can focus on each of mentioned data management challenges and also validate the applicability of presented model in other companies and industries. Practical implications Understanding the e-maintenance-related challenges helps maintenance managers and other involved stakeholders in e-maintenance systems to better solve the challenges. Originality/value The so-far literature on e-maintenance has been studied with narrow focus to data and data management in e-maintenance appears as one of the less studied topics in the literature. This research paper contributes to e-maintenance by highlighting the deficiencies of the discussion surrounding the perspectives of data management in e-maintenance by studying all common data management challenges and listing different types of data which need to be acquired in e-maintenance systems.

An exploratory empirical study of whistleblowing and whistleblowers

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 755-770
Author(s):  
Maria Krambia-Kapardis
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Topic ◽  
Due Date ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Unethical Behaviour ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
European Directive ◽  
Original Survey ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop a profile of whistleblowers and to determine whether whistleblowing legislation would encourage those individuals to bring to light some illegal or unethical behaviour that otherwise would remain in the shadows. Design/methodology/approach Having identified whistleblowing correlation, a survey was carried out in Cyprus of actual whistleblowers and could-have-been whistleblowers. Findings Males between 46 and55 years of age, regardless of whether they have dependents or hold senior positions in organizations are significantly more likely to blow the whistle. However, could-have-been whistleblowers did not go ahead because they felt that the authorities would not act on their information. Research limitations/implications Because of the sensitive nature of the research topic and the fact that only whistleblowers or intended whistleblowers could participate in the study, the sample size is limited as a result. This, in turn, limits both the number of respondents in each category (actual and intended) as well as constrains the statistical analysis that could be carried out on the data. Practical implications It remains to be seen whether EU Member States shall implement the European Directive 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union Law, in its entirety by the due date, namely December 2021. Originality/value This study provides a literature review of whistleblowing and reports an original survey against the backdrop of the European Directive.

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