Product design strategies in technological shifts: An explorative study of Italian design-driven companies

This article analyzes the relationship between technological shift and product design strategies in the Italian lighting industry, where design players have experienced a discontinuous technological shift due to the introduction of LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology.     

Relative age effects in political selection

We exploit a regression discontinuity design to provide causal evidence of the relative age effect (RAE) on a long-run adult age outcome: Political selection. We find strong evidence of the RAE in politics in Finland. However, the effect is heterogeneous: We find that male candidates born early in the calendar year have a significantly higher probability of getting elected to the parliament but no similar RAE applies to female candidates nor to municipal elections. Moreover, this effect only takes place in the most competitive parliamentary districts and is present only for some parties. We also find that in all the groups where the RAE does not exist, early-born candidates are under-represented suggesting attrition of talent in the candidate placement. Overall, our results show that seemingly artificial cutoffs imposed by the government have persistent consequences even on the selection to the highest positions of power within a society.     

The aesthetic fidelity effect

Product aesthetics is a powerful means for achieving competitive advantage. Yet most studies to date have focused on the role of aesthetics in shaping pre-purchase preferences and have failed to consider how product aesthetics affects post-purchase processes and consumers' usage behavior. This research focuses on the relationship between aesthetics and usage behavior in the context of durable products. Studies 1A to 1C provide evidence of a positive effect of product aesthetics on usage intensity using market data from the car and the fashion industries. Study 2 corroborates these findings and shows that the more intensive use of highly aesthetic products may lead to the acquisition of product-specific usage skills that form the basis for a cognitive lock-in. Hence, consumers are less likely to switch away from products with appealing designs, an effect that is labeled as the ‘aesthetic fidelity’ effect. Study 3 addresses an alternative explanation for the ‘aesthetic fidelity effect’ based on mood and motivation but finds that the ‘aesthetic fidelity’ effect is indeed determined by usage intensity. Finally, Study 4 identifies a boundary condition of the positive effect of product aesthetics on product usage, showing that it is limited to durable products. In sum, this research demonstrates that the effects of product aesthetics extend beyond the pre-consumption stage and have an enduring impact on people's consumption experiences.     

香文化理念森林旅游产品开发设计

森林旅游的快速发展倒衬出森林旅游产品开发设计的乏力,森林旅游产品的开发一直处于初级状态。针对这种情况,从香文化理念的视角出发,对森林旅游产品进行有效的开发设计。在对香文化的内涵进行深度解读的基础上,提出了融合香文化的森林旅游产品的设计理念,最后设计了香景、节日、住宿、香事和纪念等五大类型森林香文化系列旅游产品,为森林旅游产品的开发设计提供新的思路,同时也为香文化的发展开拓了新的空间。     

天地一体化信息网络中天基卫星网络架构设计

为了充分利用各种空间设施资源，提升天基信息网络覆盖与传输能力，分别从天基信息网络体系架构和逻辑功能架构角度进行了系统性设计。与以往天基网络的设计不同，该设计更注重各类卫星网络的深度融合应用，为此将网络虚拟化技术引入天基卫星网络。同时，还提出了解决新架构下卫星组网难题的方法，将电磁涡旋、卫星灵活载荷和边缘计算技术设计到天基网络。仿真表明，所提出的架构能有效提升频谱利用率和减少卫星网络信令开销。     

Differentiating two types of learning in contract design: Evidence from the construction industry

This research investigates the learning of inter-organizational contract design in greater depth. Two types of learning, i.e. learning from all past partnerships and learning from one specific partner, are distinguished in terms of their influence on the complexity of three different functions of the contract, namely control, coordination, and adaptation. Contract design capability and interorganizational routines are employed as mediators to explain the two types of learning respectively. Empirical tests using data from the Chinese construction industry reveal that there are significant indirect effects between partner-specific experience and contractual coordination, and between general partnership experience and all the three functions of the contract. This research contributes to the literature by providing more nuanced conclusions regarding the contract learning issue.     

Incentives to move up: Effects of pay gaps between levels on employee performance

Employees of a certain rank are motivated by the pay gap between them and the levels above (upward comparison), and the pay gap between them and the levels below (downward comparison). In some cases, employees face multiple upward comparisons such as immediate and subsequent upward comparisons. We hypothesise that upward comparison matters more than downward comparison, and in the case of multiple upward comparisons, the immediate one matters more than the subsequent ones. We also hypothesise that the pay gap effect resulting from the upward/downward comparison ought to be non‐linear in that performance increases with pay gap size at a decreasing rate. The results from two empirical studies, namely, a longitudinal field study and a laboratory experiment, largely support our hypotheses.     

Assessment of Current Training Program and Its Effectiveness in Hotels of Bhutan

The increasing number of tourist in Bhutan demands for more high-quality hotels to provide better services to guests. The objectives of the study are, (1) to assess the current training provided to the hotel employees; (2) to evaluate the training gap concerning training design and; (3) to examine relationship between the training factors affecting the training effectiveness in Bhutanese hotel industry. Findings showed mismatch of training provided to employees resulting in poor quality of service. Negative score was found between the importance and satisfaction level of hotel employees on contents of training design. However the results showed positive relationship between the training factors and training effectiveness, work environment has strong influence.     

中国菊花主题花展及其对行业发展的作用

以解决岩石园“如何设计”“为何设计”的问题入 手，通过分析国内外知名岩石园，从而得到当前岩石园规划设计 依据的类型，确定以高山生境特征作为设计依据。但高山生境在 城市中无法完全复制，因此仅以模仿其景观风貌特点作为设计依 据。以中国高山生境为例，通过对生长的高山植被景观风貌进行 提炼，得到高山植被外观风貌构建模式图；结合外观风貌特点， 提取高山植被景观元素特点和设计要点，通过植物种类替换，构 建出岩石园基于高山生境特征的植物造景设计模式     

略论应将人列入景观及景观设计之要素

在通常的风景园林书籍中，未曾明确将人及其活动列入景观设计的要素。喜欢观看他人及被人观看是人的本性之一。明确提出并论述应将人及其活动列入景观及景观设计之要素的必要性。在风景园林等景观场所的规划设计中，将人及其活动作为景观要素之一加以考虑，必将进一步拓宽景观规划设计的视野，增加其维度，有助于提升景观设计的水平，使所设计的景观更加人性化，更加体现以人为本的理念，为建设美丽中国，留住乡愁作出贡献。