Information Systems for “Wicked Problems”

The objective of this commentary is to propose fruitful research directions built upon the reciprocal interplay of social media and collective intelligence. We focus on “wicked problems” – a class of problems that Introne et al. (Künstl. Intell. 27:45–52, 2013) call “problems for which no single computational formulation of the problem is sufficient, for which different stakeholders do not even agree on what the problem really is, and for which there are no right or wrong answers, only answers that are better or worse from different points of view”. We argue that information systems research in particular can aid in designing appropriate systems due to benefits derived from the combined perspectives of both social media and collective intelligence. We document the relevance and timeliness of social media and collective intelligence for business and information systems engineering, pinpoint needed functionality of information systems for wicked problems, describe related research challenges, highlight prospective suitable methods to tackle those challenges, and review examples of initial results.     

Determinants of Hazard Confronting New Entry: Does Financial Structure Matter?

This paper attempts to identify the determinants ofhazard confronting 219 new manufacturing firmsestablished in 1982–84 and followed up to1992 using a Cox regression model. Three sets ofvariables are combined in the analysis: firm, sectorand cohort specific. Financial, firm specificcharacteristics such as larger initial financialcapital size, conservative borrowing, heavier fixedasset commitment and lower diversification in terms ofholding other firms' assets are estimated to reducefirm hazard. Higher sectoral entry and lower sunk costsectoral requirements by increasing marketcontestability increase risk of failure together withcyclical variations.     

Accounting for Net Entry into Greek Manufacturing by Establishments of Varying Size

Adopting the view that size matters in understanding entry (exit) patterns, this research explores the nature and causes of net entry patterns of various size-defined groups of establishments in the case of a less industrialised country – Greece. The hypothesis to be tested is that the determinants of entry are not independent of firm size. Throughout this paper the analysis has had to confront difficulties arising from the use of net entry rates defined at the size class level. The degree of size disaggregation used in this paper is considerably finer than used before. Five employment-defined size classes have been used instead of sliding cut-off points discriminating between small and large firms. Unlike other research using pooled models to explain variation in entry (exit) rates across industries, the data used here are characterised by the absence of significant industry-specific systematic variation. Overall, the results obtained in this paper indicate that there is a gradation in the responses of different size classes to stimuli defined at the industry level. Evidence is offered that small firms are different in that they manage to overcome entry barriers, perhaps adopting different survival strategies, and that large firms are well aware of market conditions and are in an advantageous position to overcome many of the problems imposed by entry barriers. Size classes in the middle of the size class distribution offer a rather mixed result due to size-related advantages and disadvantages.     

Net entry behaviour in Greek manufacturing: consumer, intermediate and capital goods industries

This research explores the nature and causes of net entry of firms in three groups of Greek manufacturing industries–consumer, intermediate and capital goods. The research questions whether or not the determinants of net entry rates across sectors are different. Econometric analyses reveal that, indeed, there are significant differences in the determinants of net entry rates across industry groups, but also there is strong within-group correlation across sectors.     

Economic restructuring and the debt problem: the Greek case

The Greek postwar economic development process clearly illustrates the links between the debt explosion, that many countries in the periphery and semi-periphery face at the moment, and the strategy of free-market economic restructuring. It is argued that both the balance of payments and the budget deficits, which fuelled the Greek debt explosion in the 1980s, have been heavily conditioned by structural problems that are directly related to the development strategy adopted by the Greek ruling élite. In the absence of radical structural changes, a new stop–go cyclical pattern tends to become a permanent feature of the development process: debt-led growth followed by Stabilization Programmes to secure the external debt servicing     

The dynamics of crop sectors in regional development: The case of tobacco

The importance of specific crop sectors can be better cast in a broader framework to account for intersectoral effects. Input-output analysis can provide this framework to assess the importance of the controversial crop, tobacco. In this respect, employment, income, and output multipliers were estimated to demonstrate the dynamics of the sector at the regional and national levels. Furthermore, the impact of totally eliminating tobacco cultivation was computed. Results clearly demonstrate the significance of the tobacco sector and its interrelation with the rest of the economic sectors.This study was partially financed by the Portuguese Association of Tobacco Producers.     

Intra-Industry Growth Dynamics in the Greek Services Sector: Firm-Level Estimates for ICT-Producing,ICT-Using,and Non-ICT Industries

The stochastic patterns of firm growth are examined with the use of a data set of 4,975 firms surviving in the Greek services sector over the 1995–2001 period. The analysis first takes into account the intensity of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the services industries and then, through a system dynamic panel data technique, investigates how initial size and past growth influence firm growth. The classification of industries as three ICT-related groups provides interesting results at both the aggregated group level and the disaggregated industrial level. In general, Gibrat’s Law is accepted for firms in ICT intensive industries, while it is rejected in non-ICT industries.     

Technical efficiency of alternative farming systems: the case of Greek organic and conventional olive-growing farms

Olive-growing is a major farming activity in Greek agriculture. This paper analyzes empirically the technical efficiency of organic and conventional olive-growing farms using a stochastic production frontier methodology and a translog functional specification. Findings indicate that the organic olive-growing farms examined exhibit a higher degree of technical efficiency (relative to their production frontier) than do conventional olive-growing farms. Reasons may include lower profit margins and restrictions on inputs permitted, thus forcing organic farmers to be more cautious with input use. However, both input- and output-oriented technical efficiency scores are still relatively low for both types of olive-farming. Thus there is considerable scope for cost reducing and farm income improvement in both farming modes. This could prove crucial for the long-run viability and the future course of the sector.     

On the Inconsistency of the Change-Point Estimator for the NE Family

Here, we provide a simple proof of the well-known classical result that the estimator of an unknown change-point is inconsistent. The proof utilizes only the law of large numbers in place of the usual random walk theory based arguments     

Gibrat’s law and persistence of growth in Greek manufacturing

This study makes use of a sample of Greek manufacturing firms during 1995–2001 in order to analyze Gibrat’s law. We find Gibrat’s law is rejected for the total sample of firms, since persistence of growth plays a key role. The classification of firms in size and age groups, however, yields more interesting results: Gibrat’s law is rejected for micro, small, and young firms, since an inverse relationship between firm growth and initial firm size is found along with a persistence of growth rates in subsequent periods. In contrast, Gibrat’s law is accepted for medium, large, and old firms, implying that the growth patterns of these categories follow a random walk and do not tend to persist in subsequent periods.