Going Alone or Together? A Configurational Analysis of Solo Founding vs. Cofounding

Research and practice suggest that cofounded ventures outperform solo-founded ventures. Yet, little work has explored the conditions under which solo founding might be preferable to cofounding. Combining an inductive case-oriented analysis with a Qualitative Comparative Analysis of 70 new entrepreneurial ventures, we examine why and how solo founders can be as successful as their peers in cofounded ventures. We find that successful solo founders strategically use a set of cocreators rather than cofounders to overcome liabilities, retain control, and mobilize resources in unique and unexpected ways. A primary contribution of this paper is an emergent configurational theory of entrepreneurial organizing. Overall, we reveal the broader significance and theoretical importance of adopting a configurational lens for both practitioners and scholars of entrepreneurship.

Ubiquitous Networks: A Need of Future World of Things

With an exponential increase in the number of applications and user demand, it is essential to respond to the query of users with fast services and networks used. This is possible only by the use of ubiquitous networks supporting mass media communications. The integration of advanced technologies such as Communication, Navigation and Sensing Services (CONASENSE) and Human Bond Communications (HBC) takes care of sensing, services, data, speed, cooperation, content, and cost of communication. The combination of Data, Technology, and Media used for intelligent computation and communication over the internet could serve the purpose, and that’s the urgent demand of growing networks marching towards a fusion of IoT and 5G leading to 6G. IoT with 5G will be the backbone of networks in the future generation network, adding the concept of virtualization at Anytime, Anywhere, Anything, and Anybody. The definition of ubiquitous technology considers it networked, wireless and mobile, to connect a more significant number of users and the world around them. The ubiquitous network connects the D2D, M2M, D2M and uses the ICT and Cloud-based technology to mitigate the QoS parameters. The paper’s primary contribution is the proposal of 6G enabling technologies and use cases to demonstrate the need and integration of various prime techniques as IoT++5G++Cloud++AI/ML. The technology road map and proposed C6-WISDOM model illustrate the fundamentals of enabling future ubiquitous networks (6G). It also focuses on the critical requirements of 6G technology in support of ubiquitous networks and identifies the present technologies integrated to provide vertical sustainable wireless networking solutions.

Measuring the telework potential of jobs: evidence from the International Standard Classification of Occupations

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered and accelerated the shift of firms and businesses to adopt flexible alternative work arrangements such as teleworking or working from home (WFH) set-ups. To effectively transition to the ‘new normal’ of work, this paper measures the telework potential of jobs or the degree to which a job can be feasibly done at home or offsite. Using the task-based framework, this paper constructs continuous ‘teleworkability’ indices by implementing a classification process of the occupational tasks listed in the International Standard Classification of Occupations 2008 (ISCO-08) and based on the telework indicators in the literature. The correlates of these indices are estimated. Also, the indices are applied to Philippine occupations. The primary contribution of this paper is the set of ‘teleworkability’ indices for all 427 occupations (4-digit ISCO) to describe the telework potential of jobs in countries which pattern their local occupational codes to ISCO-08.

Towards a systematic approach to manual annotation of code smells

<div>Code smells are structures in code that indicate the presence of maintainability issues. A significant problem with code smells is their ambiguity. They are challenging to define, and software engineers have a different understanding of what a code smell is and which code suffers from code smells.</div><div>A solution to this problem could be an AI digital assistant that understands code smells and can detect (and perhaps resolve) them. However, it is challenging to develop such an assistant as there are few usable datasets of code smells on which to train and evaluate it. Furthermore, the existing datasets suffer from issues that mostly arise from an unsystematic approach used for their construction.</div><div>Through this work, we address this issue by developing a procedure for the systematic manual annotation of code smells. We use this procedure to build a dataset of code smells. During this process, we refine the procedure and identify recommendations and pitfalls for its use. The primary contribution is the proposed annotation model and procedure and the annotators’ experience report. The dataset and supporting tool are secondary contributions of our study. Notably, our dataset includes open-source projects written in the C# programming language, while almost all manually annotated datasets contain projects written in Java.</div>

Rewriting the Grammar of the Education System: Delhi’s Education Reform (A Tale of Creative Resistance and Creative Disruption)

The study was not designed to undertake an evaluation of the success or failure of reform. Nor was it specifically about the desirability or defects of the policy reform choices. It took these reform choices and the policy context as a given. It is important to note that the Delhi reforms had its share of criticisms (Kumar, 2016; Rampal, 2016). However, our goal was not to comment on whether these were the “right” reforms or have their appropriateness measured in terms of their technical capability. This study sought to understand the pathways through which policy formulations, designed and promoted by committed leaders (the sound and functional head of the flailing state), transmit their ideas and how these are understood, resisted, and adopted on the ground. In essence, this is a study that sought to illuminate the multifaceted challenges of introducing change and transition in low-capacity settings. Its focus was on documenting the process of implementing reforms and the dynamics of resistance, distortion, and acceptance of reform efforts on the ground. The provocative claim that this report makes is that the success and failure, and eventual institutionalisation, of reforms depend fundamentally on how the frontline of the system understands, interprets, and adapts to reform efforts. This, we shall argue, holds the key to upending the status quo of “pilot” burial grounds that characterise many education reform efforts in India. Reforms are never implemented in a vacuum. They inevitably intersect with the belief systems, cultures, values, and norms that shape the education ecosystem. The dynamics of this interaction, the frictions it creates, and reformers’ ability to negotiate these frictions are what ultimately shape outcomes. In the ultimate analysis, we argue that reforming deeply entrenched education systems (and, more broadly, public service delivery systems) is not merely a matter of political will and technical solutions (although both are critical). It is about identifying the points of reform friction in the ecosystem and experimenting with different ways of negotiating these. The narrative presented here does not have any clear answers for what needs to be done right. Instead, it seeks to make visible the intricacies and potential levers of change that tend to be ignored in the rush to “evaluate” reforms and declare success and failure. Moving beyond success to understand the dynamics of change and resistance is the primary contribution of this study.

Electrification of Road Transport and the Impacts on Air Quality and Health in the UK

Currently, many cities in Europe are affected by concentrations of PM2.5 and NO2 above the WHO guidelines on the protection of human health. This is a global problem in which the growth of road transport constitutes a major factor. Looking to the future, electric vehicles (EVs) are considered to be the choice technology for reducing road transport greenhouse gas emissions, but their impact on air quality needs to be considered. Taking the UK as a case study, this paper begins by understanding the trajectory of a future scenario without the introduction of EVs, reflecting on the latest emission control improvements in internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). This is then compared to a 2050 scenario in which the introduction of EVs, based on the UK government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan, is reviewed. This plan includes a ban on the sale of ICEV cars and LGVs, beginning in 2030, with the subsequent electrification of heavier vehicles. By 2030, population exposure to NOx was found to be significantly reduced in the ICEV scenario, with a marginal further reduction found for the EV scenario. The EV scenario further reduced NOx exposure by 2050, with most of the benefits being realized before 2040. For the ICEV and EV scenario, PM2.5 emissions were largely unchanged due to the primary contribution of non-exhaust emissions, suggesting that EVs are likely to yield relatively smaller changes in exposure to PM2.5 than for NOx.

Project Managers as Knowledge Workers: Competencies for Effective Project Management in Developing Countries

Studies have shown that project managers are responsible for the successful management of various projects. Increasingly, this success depends on the project manager being a knowledge worker (KW)—i.e., possessing and utilizing both “hard” and “soft” skills/competencies to manage assigned projects. Nonetheless, there has not been enough studies on what these competencies are, especially in the context of developing countries (DCs). This study, therefore, seeks to conceptualize project managers as KWs by identifying the key competencies and their relationships needed to effectively manage projects in DCs. To achieve this objective, a survey was conducted among 112 project management (PM) practitioners in Ghana. The opinions from the respondents were edited, summarized and categorized by creating word queries, thus, making it easier to make deductions from them. Finally, content analysis was conducted to help establish links in the responses so as to deduce appropriate recommendations. The findings provide a set of “soft” and “hard” skills/competencies and their unique combinations for effective PM in DCs. The primary contribution of this study stems from highlighting the key competencies that project managers need to ensure effective PM in DCs, thus, helping these countries to make a more efficient use of their scarce resources.

Densification of Amorphous Calcium Phosphate: A Comparison of Cold Sintering Processes

The recent surge in interest in the densification of calcium phosphate powders needs consideration of all the influencing factors. Spark plasma sintering with the primary contribution from the spark plasma and cold compaction that densifies from the large compaction pressures were considered. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy characterized the powder and tablet to confirm the retention of the amorphous phase. Density was measured using the Archimedes method and the microstructure was viewed by scanning electron microscopy. The densified tablets were indented by nanoindentation to determine the hardness and elastic modulus. Reports on the density showed that the smallest contribution to density arose from vacuum, a marginally higher densification from the spark plasma effect, but the largest densification arose from the use of significantly higher pressures. Nanoindentation showed a small difference in elastic modulus between tablets densified at 25 °C and 200 °C, but a larger difference in the hardness.

Re-positioning workplace aggression interventions: a violence framework

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the socio-psychological systems in organizations that structurally support workplace aggression. Design/methodology/approach Using both a structural and contextual model of intimate partner violence (IPV), the factors supporting workplace aggression were analyzed. The narratives were provided from the participants’ lived experiences of workplace aggression, producing clear indications of where formal and informal power reside. Findings The methods of power and control used by workplace perpetrators parallel those illustrated in IPV. The inaction of management and the lack of social support enabled informal power asymmetries and the organizational norm of silence. The findings have implications for how workplaces view and intervene in relationship-based violence. Originality/value Workplace aggression has been studied from a conflict management perspective, without exploring the components that enable and support organizational abuse. As a result, organizational responses to workplace aggression have failed to address the complex relationship-based components and consequences. The primary contribution of this study is the disruption of the conflict-based perspective of workplace aggression into a more appropriate framework of violence, power and control.

Introducing the Military Mutinies and Defections Database (MMDD), 1945–2017

Military mutinies are critical to scholars’ collective understanding of civil–military relations. This article introduces a new dataset that systematically codes mutinies across all regions and conducts an exploratory analysis of these new data. The primary contribution made here is the introduction of a new dataset that provides scholars with a sample of mutinies across region, space, and time. The new Military Mutinies and Defections Database (MMDD) codes events of military indiscipline from 1945 to 2017. This dataset uses geocoding techniques that will enable scholars to explore the spatial patterns and diffusion associated with mutinies. The second contribution is the preliminary exploration of these new data. Of note, I demonstrate that over one-third of all mutinies are violent, 6% of mutinies are associated with civilian deaths, and anocracies are more likely to experience mutinies than democratic or autocratic counterparts. MMDD provides investigators with an exciting new tool to explore dimensions of military disloyalty.