How tall is your claim? Strategically acing patent scope

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Mayuree Sengupta

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.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk Chang ◽  
Sylvain Max ◽  
Jérémy Celse

Purpose Employee’s lying behavior has become ubiquitous at work, and managers are keen to know what can be done to curb such behavior. Managers often apply anti-lying strategies in their management and, in particular, the role of self-awareness on lying intervention has drawn academic attention recently. Drawing on multi-disciplinary literature, this study aims to investigate the efficacy of self-awareness in reducing lying behavior. Design/methodology/approach Following the perspectives of positivism and deductive reasoning, a quasi-experimental research approach was adopted. Employees from Dijon, France were recruited as research participants. Based on the literature, different conditions (scenario manipulation) were designed and implemented in the laboratory, in which participants were exposed to pre-set lying opportunities and their responses were analyzed accordingly. Findings Unlike prior studies which praised the merits of self-awareness, the authors found that self-awareness did not decrease lying behavior, not encouraging the confession of lying either. Employees actually lied more when they believed other employees were lying. Practical implications This study suggests managers not to rely on employee’s self-awareness; rather, the concept of self-awareness should be incorporated into the work ethics, and managers should schedule regular workshops to keep employees informed of the importance of ethics. When employees are regularly reminded of the ethics and appreciate its importance, their intention of lying is more likely to decrease. Originality/value To the best of the atuhors’ knowledge, the current research is the first in its kind to investigate lying intervention of employees in the laboratory setting. Research findings have brought new insights into the lying intervention literature, which has important implication on the implementation of anti-lying strategies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 1598-1612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Winnard ◽  
Jacquetta Lee ◽  
David Skipp

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the results of testing a new approach to strategic sustainability and resilience – Sustainable Resilient Strategic Decision-Support (SuReSDS™). Design/methodology/approach The approach was developed and tested using action-research case studies at industrial companies. It successfully allowed the participants to capture different types of value affected by their choices, optimise each strategy’s resilience against different future scenarios and compare the results to find a “best” option. Findings SuReSDS™ enabled a novel integration of environmental and social sustainability into strategy by considering significant risks or opportunities for an enhanced group of stakeholders. It assisted users to identify and manage risks from different kinds of sustainability-related uncertainty by applying resilience techniques. Users incorporated insights into real-world strategies. Research limitations/implications Since the case studies and test organisations are limited in number, generalisation from the results is difficult and requires further research. Practical implications The approach enables companies to utilise in-house and external experts more effectively to develop sustainable and resilient strategies. Originality/value The research described develops theories linking sustainability and resilience for organisations, particularly for strategy, to provide a new consistent, rigorous and flexible approach for applying these theories. The approach has been tested successfully and benefited real-world strategy decisions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 564-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J.R. Butler

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the potential implications and non-implications for leadership and organization development of a recent systematic review of empirical developments in organizational cognitive neuroscience (OCN). Design/methodology/approach Butler et al.’s (2016) systematic review of 40 empirical articles related to OCN is re-interpreted in terms of its potential to reveal (non-) implications for practice. OCN is critically discussed, then related to the research findings from studies with two methodological designs. Findings At this stage of OCN’s emergence, it appears that neuroimaging and physiology-based research methods have equal potential in their implications for practice, though hormonal data poses ethical public interest dilemmas. Both methods cannot be reduced to specific forms of application to practice, but they set an aspirational direction for the future development of leadership and organizations. Practical implications There appear to be two paces of translational activity – practitioners are moving more quickly than academics in applying OCN to practice. It is suggested that a meeting of minds may be needed to ensure that any risks associated with applying OCN to practice are minimized or eliminated. Social implications Inter-disciplinary research, like OCN, requires a social consensus about how basic research in cognitive neuroscience can be applied to organizations. A think tank will provide opportunities for deeper engagement and co-production between academics and practitioners. Originality/value Critically exploring the potential implications of OCN for practice, by basing the discussion on a systematic review of empirical developments.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1909-1930
Author(s):  
Jasmina Ilicic ◽  
Stacey Baxter ◽  
Alicia Kulczynski

Purpose The purpose of this study is to introduce the homophone emotional interest superiority effect in phonological, or sound-based, priming, whereby pseudohomophone brand names (i.e. non-words that are pronounced identically to English words, for example, Bie) prime brand meaning associated with the member of the homophone pair that is emotionally interesting (i.e. Bie will be prime brand avoidance (purchase) when consumers are emotionally interested in the homophone bye [buy]). Design/methodology/approach Studies 1 and 2 examine the effect of homophone emotional interest on brand judgements and behaviours. Study 3 investigates the role of boredom with the brand name in attenuating the homophone emotional interest superiority effect. Findings Findings indicate that pseudohomophone brand names prime brand judgements and behaviours associated with the word from the homophone pair that evokes emotional interest. Study 2 provides further evidence of homophone emotional interest as the process influencing brand judgements and behaviours. Study 3 establishes that the effect of pseudohomophone brand names on brand judgements weaken when boredom with the brand name is induced. Research limitations/implications This study is limited, as it focuses only on fictitious brands and methodologically creates boredom in a way in which may not be typical of what would be experienced in the real world. Practical implications This study has important implications for brand managers in the development of new brand names and in prioritising the intended homophone pair from a pseudohomophone brand name to influence consumer judgements and behaviours. Originality/value This study introduces and provides evidence of a homophone emotional interest superiority effect. This study also identifies a condition under which the homophone emotional interest superiority effect is attenuated.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah P. Lonbay ◽  
Toby Brandon

Purpose The increased involvement of adults at risk in the safeguarding process has become a prominent issue within English safeguarding policy. However, there is evidence to suggest that actual levels of involvement are still low. The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a PhD study in relation to the benefits of advocacy in supporting this involvement in adult safeguarding for older people. Design/methodology/approach Participants in the study included advocates and social workers who had experience of working with older people through the safeguarding process within two North East England local authorities. A critical realist approach through in-depth interviews was taken with all the participants. Findings The research findings in relation to the benefits of advocacy in supporting older people going through safeguarding processes are reported. The practical limitations and factors which help and hinder advocacy support within the process are also considered. The theoretical implications for power, empowerment, and advocacy are also explored. Research limitations/implications A key limitation of this research is that it did not include older people who had been through safeguarding amongst the participants. Practical implications Key implications for practice and policy are discussed. Originality/value The paper provides an overview and critique of empowerment in adult safeguarding and the role that advocates play in promoting this key principle.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-38
Author(s):  
John P. Sloan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe lessons learned from a homecare practice for frail elderly people. Design/methodology/approach – It is strictly a description of a point of view in respect of care of frailty designed to avoid institution. Findings – Generally, frail elderly patients choose care focused on comfort and function as opposed to the traditional systematic healthcare goals of rescue and prevention. This choice should be respected. Research limitations/implications – There are no formal research findings. Practical implications – Cost-saving as well as improvement in care is possible through team-based relationship-oriented homecare of the frail elderly where that care emphasizes comfort and function. Originality/value – This paper is authored by Dr John Sloan and is entirely original.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sampsa Hyysalo ◽  
Mikael Johnson

Purpose – “User” is the lingua franca term used across IT design, often critiqued for giving a reductionist portrayal of the human relationship with technologies. The purpose of this paper is to argue that equating “user” with flesh and blood “people out there” is naïve. Not only that, it closes important options in conducting human-centered design. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conceptually elaborate a relational understanding of the user and integrate research findings on user representations found at the intersection of human-centered design and social studies of technology. Findings – The user is best understood as a relational term that bridges between people out there and renditions of them relevant for design. A distinction between “user representations” and “engaged use” is a key distinction to clarify this further. Research to date demonstrates that R & D organizations have a wide range of user representations and positioning human-centered design to these would advance its likely yield. Research limitations/implications – The strategic positioning of user studies and other human-centered design within R & D organizations is a growing research area that merits further research. Practical implications – Descriptions of users would benefit from being more strategic in order to become viable amidst other design concerns. This can be aided by, for instance, visualizing the “users” that different fractions in the company rely on and compare these to the users indicated by human-centered design. Originality/value – The paper makes an original reconceptualization of the user and integrates literature on user representations to open new options for conducting human-centered design.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-339
Author(s):  
Weizhuo Wang ◽  
Christopher Gan ◽  
Zhiyou Chang ◽  
David A. Cohen ◽  
Zhaohua Li

Purpose This paper aims to develop and estimate a logit model of whether homeownership could be promoted by participation in and use of the Housing Provident Fund (HPF) program, with a focus on factors that influence the use of HPF loans. Design/methodology/approach This paper develops and estimates a logit model of whether homeownership could be promoted by participation in and use of the HPF program, with a focus on factors that influence the use of HPF loans. Findings The results show that coefficients of marital status, educational level, age, duration of employment and employer are significantly related to the use of HPF loan for homeownership. Research limitations/implications Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Practical implications The research findings provide a better understanding of homeowners’ characteristics. Originality/value To manage the HPF program effectively, it is important for government to have a better understanding of the underlying demand for homeownership, especially with respect to the different demographic variables and accessibility to HPF loans and the HPF.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-365
Author(s):  
Declan Brady

Purpose This paper aims to describe a perspective from the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS) on the role of ethics in IT professionalism, and what that means in a practical sense for IT practitioners. Design/methodology/approach The paper develops ideas generated in a series of micro-conferences hosted by CEPIS on the topic of ethics, in the context of establishing a professional ethics framework as part of CEPIS’ work in support of IT professionalism. Findings Professional ethics is the weakest of the four professional pillars, and development of supports and resources is required. CEPIS is taking action in this areas. Practical implications Without a framework, and without IT Practitioners themselves taking a coordinated action, there risks a fragmentation of responses to ethical questions. Originality/value This paper describes the view of the CEPIS on the need for, and role of, professional ethics, and how that might be supported.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Scottie Kapel ◽  
Krista Schmidt

PurposeThis paper discusses efforts to produce instructional support objects for undergraduate students engaged in creating infographics, an alternative assignment growing in popularity at the authors' university.Design/methodology/approachThe authors examined scholarly, professional, trade and open-web sources to identify best practices for design and data visualization for this type of assignment. They categorized their findings and used a preponderance-of-evidence method for final selection of relevant practices. The authors detail the creation of their support products (instructional checklists and example infographics) and offer recommendations for librarians engaged in similar efforts.FindingsDespite the growing popularity of alternative assignments, guidance for best practices in data and design as they relate to student-created infographics is nascent, and best practices for design and data visualization in this context have yet to be concretely identified. Without extant guidance for student-created infographics, the authors developed a checklist of potential best practices for design and data visualization.Practical implicationsThe use of alternative projects assigned in lieu of traditional research papers is growing. Additional guidance may be required for students creating non-traditional works as standards and best practices for these projects are under-developed in the academic setting. Librarians will want to consider their role in supporting students assigned to create an alternative project.Originality/valueA consideration of best practices for data and design visualization for students designing research infographics has not yet been written.


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