Directions in the Field of Technology Innovation Management

Author(s):  
Robert S. Friedman ◽  
Desiree M. Roberts ◽  
Jonathan D. Linton

Although the goal of this book is to provide foundational knowledge through indepth consideration of the seminal literature in the technology innovation management field, we now offer some thoughts on integrating the past, present, and future research directions in this field. The underlying theme that holds together the research considered in this book is the tension between the old (current routine) and the new (innovation). Mainstream business and management theory, like economic theory, focuses on the assumption of equilibrium. The study of technology innovation management at its core considers how to manage in the face of dynamics caused by the novelty and uncertainty associated with innovation. The nature of these dynamics can differ depending on a variety of factors. In some cases, the innovation causes smaller disruptions, due either to the magnitude or the nature of its effects. Such changes are often associated with terminology such as continuous, evolutionary, incremental, or sustaining. At other times, the disruptions are quite large, either due to a greater magnitude of change or a substantial difference in the change. These changes are often associated with terms such as discontinuous, disruptive, radical, or revolutionary. A major challenge to technology innovation management research is that the assumption of equilibrium is needed in many cases to allow for sufficient simplification of phenomena to produce generalizable theory and solutions that are tractable and close formed.

Author(s):  
Xiaochen Zhang ◽  
Lanxin Hui ◽  
Linchao Wei ◽  
Fuchuan Song ◽  
Fei Hu

Electric power wheelchairs (EPWs) enhance the mobility capability of the elderly and the disabled, while the human-machine interaction (HMI) determines how well the human intention will be precisely delivered and how human-machine system cooperation will be efficiently conducted. A bibliometric quantitative analysis of 1154 publications related to this research field, published between 1998 and 2020, was conducted. We identified the development status, contributors, hot topics, and potential future research directions of this field. We believe that the combination of intelligence and humanization of an EPW HMI system based on human-machine collaboration is an emerging trend in EPW HMI methodology research. Particular attention should be paid to evaluating the applicability and benefits of the EPW HMI methodology for the users, as well as how much it contributes to society. This study offers researchers a comprehensive understanding of EPW HMI studies in the past 22 years and latest trends from the evolutionary footprints and forward-thinking insights regarding future research.


Author(s):  
Vicente González-Prida Díaz ◽  
Jesus Pedro Zamora Bonilla ◽  
Pablo Viveros Gunckel

This chapter aims to consider the effects of the new concept Industry 4.0 on decision making, particularly on the reduction of uncertainty and the risk associated with any choice between alternatives. For this purpose, this chapter begins by dealing with the concepts of risk and uncertainty and their epistemological evolution. After observing certain trends and recent studies in this regard, the authors address a more philosophical perception of risk, mainly on aspects related to engineering and social perception. The concept of human reliability will also be reviewed and how it can be improved with the application of emerging technologies, considering some methodological proposals to improve the decision making. After that, some of the possible future research directions will be briefly discussed. Finally, the chapter concludes by highlighting key aspects of the chapter as a context for other chapters in the book.


Author(s):  
Mi Jeong Kim ◽  
Xiangyu Wang ◽  
Xingquan Zhu ◽  
Shih-Chung Kang

A growing body of research has shown that Augmented Reality (AR) has the potential to contribute to interaction and visualization for architecture and design. While this emerging technology has only been developed for the past decade, numerous journals and conferences in architecture and design have published articles related to AR. This chapter reviews 44 articles on AR especially related to the architecture and design area that were published from 2005 to 2011. Further, this chapter discusses the representative AR research works in terms of four aspects: AR concept, AR implementation, AR evaluation, and AR industry adoption. The chapter draws conclusions about major findings, research issues, and future research directions through the review results. This chapter will be a basis for future research of AR in architecture and design areas.


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 425-448
Author(s):  
Valerie Dawn Caines ◽  
Monique F Crane ◽  
Jack Noone ◽  
Barbara Griffin ◽  
Shiksha Datta ◽  
...  

In this article, we focus on the ever-growing numbers of older workers and considerations for workplace practices and policies that make the most from the qualities older workers bring. To begin, we explore the socio-political context examining employment trends for older workers and highlight policies and trends that inform workforce planning. We then extend the discussion of older workers from the perspective of person–environment (P-E) fit, entrepreneurship, resilience and cognitive functioning. Each of these perspectives have received increased research and practitioner attention over the past two decades. They present opportunities to increase our understanding of older people in a workplace context and how to support older workers in a socio-political environment focused on career longevity. We argue that a new national strategy is needed to guide future initiatives and policy development. We propose future research directions and practitioner intervention prospects. JEL Classification: M54


2002 ◽  
Vol 27 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 137-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony H. Winefield

Research on unemployment, underemployment and organisational stress have become major social issues over the past 20 years and have attracted considerable research interest on the part of organisational psychologists both in Australia and overseas. Globalisation has led to restructuring and downsizing in many industrialised societies and a shift, for many workers, from the prospect of secure, long-term employment, to unemployment or inadequate or insecure employment. This paper reviews the research on these topics, discusses their theoretical implications and suggests future research directions.


Author(s):  
Miri Scharf

Relatively little research has examined the grandparent–adult grandchild relationship, although these relationships might play a more significant role than in the past, possibly impacting grandchildren’s development and the adjustment of both parties. This chapter reviews different theoretical perspectives related to this bond and presents the special flavor of this bond during emerging adulthood resulting from the different developmental trajectories of grandparents and grandchildren that mutually influence one another. Empirical findings demonstrating large variation both within and between families regarding frequency of contact and quality of the relations are presented, as well as various contextual and demographic variables that might mediate and moderate these variations. Finally, the importance of studying this bond, future research directions, and possible implications are discussed.


Author(s):  
JC Noble

Semi-arid woodlands are an important part of the Australian landscape and they have been the focus for scientific research by CSIRO since the 1960s. This book reviews that research and sets it in a historical perspective. It examines the development of pastoral science, with particular reference to the farming frontier in western New South Wales, as well as research conducted by CSIRO over the past thirty years aimed at helping manage increasing shrub densities while improving productivity. The author discusses past, current and future research directions and looks at how management perceptions and approaches continue to change as understanding of ecological processes and new strategies evolve.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Liu ◽  
Shuyun Ren ◽  
Tsan-Ming Choi ◽  
Chi-Leung Hui ◽  
Sau-Fun Ng

Sales forecasting is crucial for many retail operations. It is especially critical for the fashion retailing service industry in which product demand is very volatile and product’s life cycle is short. This paper conducts a comprehensive literature review and selects a set of papers in the literature on fashion retail sales forecasting. The advantages and the drawbacks of different kinds of analytical methods for fashion retail sales forecasting are examined. The evolution of the respective forecasting methods over the past 15 years is revealed. Issues related to real-world applications of the fashion retail sales forecasting models and important future research directions are discussed.


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9164
Author(s):  
Xiaoqing Wang ◽  
Zizhang Guo ◽  
Zhen Hu ◽  
Jian Zhang

In the past decade, researchers have carried out a massive amount of research on the application of biochar for contaminants removal from aqueous solutions. As an emerging sorbent with great potential, biochar has shown significant advantages such as the broad sources of feedstocks, easy preparation process, and favorable surface and structural properties. This review provides an overview of recent advances in biochar application in water and wastewater treatment, including a brief discussion of the involved sorption mechanisms of contaminants removal, as well as the biochar modification methods. Furthermore, environmental concerns of biochar that need to be paid attention to and future research directions are put forward to promote the further application of biochar in practical water and wastewater treatment.


Author(s):  
Yu Chen ◽  
Yiduo Yang ◽  
Mengjiao Li ◽  
Erdong Chen ◽  
Weilei Mu ◽  
...  

The booming wearable market and recent advances in material science has led to the rapid development of the various wearable sensors, actuators, and devices that can be worn, embedded in fabric or accessories, or tattoos directly onto the skin. Wearable actuators, a subcategory of wearable technology, have attracted enormous interest from researchers in various disciplines and many wearable actuators and devices have been developed in the past few decades to assist and improve people's everyday lives. In this paper, we review the actuation mechanisms, structures, applications, and limitations of recently developed wearable actuators including pneumatic and hydraulic actuators, shape memory alloys and polymers, thermal and hygroscopic materials, dielectric elastomers, ionic and conducting polymers, piezoelectric actuators, electromagnetic actuators, liquid crystal elastomers, etc. Examples of the recent applications such as wearable soft robots, haptic devices, and personal thermal regulation textiles are highlighted. Finally, we point out the current bottleneck and suggest the prospective future research directions for wearable actuators.


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