Analysing the factors influencing clean technology adoption: a study of the Spanish pulp and paper industry

Technological change has a relevant role to play in the transition towards a sustainable industry. However, slow diffusion of clean technologies can be observed in OECD countries. The analysis of the determinants and barriers to clean technology adoption should be a main goal of economists and social scientists. This paper shows that three sets of interrelated factors prevent but also stimulate the widespread adoption and diffusion of clean technology: these are factors external and internal to the firm, conditions of the potential adopters and characteristics of the environmental technology. These factors are included in the so‐called ‘triangular model’, which is further applied to the analysis of clean technology adoption in the pulp and paper industry in Spain. The empirical study shows that clean technology adoption decisions are the result of an interaction between these factors, often involving contradictory signals for the potential adopter. The paper closes with some public policy recommendations for the effective and efficient promotion of clean technology diffusion. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Spatial aspects of the diffusion of technological innovations among American municipal governments

Examination of the spatial diffusion patterns of a sample of 43 technological innovations organized into four functional areas—fire fighting, traffic control, air pollution control, solid waste collection, and disposal—indicates the absence of systematic patterns of either rank-size or contagious diffusion of these innovations among municipal governments in the United States. Absence of these general patterns reflects an inadequate identification in existing theories of spatial diffusion processes of variables that enter into agency decisions to adopt new technologies and the inadequate identification of possible interactions among variables. In particular, attempts to model diffusion patterns based on neighborhood effect or on hierarchical relationships fail to take into account, it least for the classes of adopters and innovations studied here, polynuclear propagation and the role of intermediaries (e.g. professional associations, governmental agencies, suppliers) in communication patterns or the role of site-specific factors that determine the “suitability” or “worth” or an innovation to different potential adopters.     

Rethinking determinants of ICT acceptance: Towards an integrated and comprehensive overview

In the contemporary ICT environment, we are confronted with a growing number of failing innovations. New technological innovations often fail because too much attention is still given to (technical) product-related features without taking into account the most important parameters of user acceptance. In addition, suppliers of ICT products often lack accurate insight into the distinguished profiles of their (potential) target audience. In this article theoretical considerations and empirical results on this matter are highlighted. First of all, an approach is proposed in which more traditional and often scattered vision(s) on adoption determinants are broadened into an integrated framework. The approach provides a stronger base for better targeting of (new) users of technologies. Secondly, the authors elaborate on this by rethinking these determinants with regard to later adopters. Later adopters (or even non-adopters/users) are often ignored in technology acceptance research. However, especially for policy purposes, the understanding of why people do not adopt or do not use ICT is strongly relevant in the light of the development of an inclusive information society. Both approaches are illustrated by case studies starting from a common list of nineteen ICT appropriation determinants. This framework enables to better profile both earlier and later adopters as well as it allows to formulate recommendations how to bring innovations in the market. Summarizing, this contribution offers an integrated approach on technology acceptance research by bridging the gap between a market and a policy-oriented point of view.     

Groupware adoption in a distributed organization: transporting and transforming technology through social worlds

In this paper, we draw on theory from social worlds to analyze how different organizational contexts affect groupware adoption. We report on a study of the adoption of data conferencing in a large distributed organization. Our data show that the diffusion process, which was driven by the users, was a result of communication and transformation of the technology across different social worlds. We also discovered that membership in multiple social worlds in an organization creates a tension for the potential adopter who is in a distributed team. To function effectively, team members must uniformly adopt the technology, yet some may face resistance from other social worlds to which they belong. Our study showed that adoption was affected by organizational sites having conflicting views of the value of collaboration, different amounts and needs for resources, and different acceptance of technology standards. Potential technology adopters on distributed teams are faced with conflicting loyalties, constraints, and requirements between their distributed collaborations and organizational homes.     

基于局部网络效应的创新扩散分析

在考虑局部网络效应的基础上,采用微观扩散模型仿真分析创新扩散。研究表明,局部网络效应使得创新潜在采纳个体决策相互影响,从而导致这种采纳者之间微观交互模式所呈现的宏观社会网络结构影响创新扩散的速度和程度。即使某些创新收益非常高,也有可能因为创新潜在采纳个体之间交互模式的影响而导致其扩散最终失败。同时早期创新采纳个体一般具有社会联系比较广泛,自身采纳阈值较高,自身局部网络效应强度较小,更关注创新内在价值等创新特征。     

Profiling potential green electricity tariff adopters: green consumerism as an environmental policy tool?

Green electricity tariffs are one means by which green consumers can contribute to a more sustainable future. This paper profiles potential adopters of green electricity tariffs. Potential adoption is measured in terms of respondents' willingness to pay a premium for green energy in a national survey of the UK population. Hypotheses based principally on the cognitive–behavioural literature on green consumerism and green energy markets are developed. These are tested using a broad range of variables, which are grouped into three categories (demographic, attitudinal and behavioural). Consistent with past research, the empirical analyses find that attitudinal variables best characterize potential adopters. Further, potential adopters are found to have higher income, be better informed with respect to energy matters, show concern for the environment and believe that individual actions can make a difference to environmental decay. The implications of these findings for marketing and environmental policy are explored. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Diffusing ‘best practice’ in Chinese multinationals: the motivation,facilitation and limitations

With increasing global integration, the diffusion of ‘best practice’ is a critical activity in MNCs, particularly for those from developing countries which have recently joined global markets. Recent research has suggested that ‘reverse diffusion’ is an important approach to the internationalization of management. However, there is little empirical evidence in support of this argument. This paper draws on in-depth case studies of the UK subsidiaries of Chinese MNCs to explore the nature and characteristics of diffusion activities. It confirms that ‘reverse diffusion’ played a positive part in the internationalization process of these companies, although the impact on the home firms is limited. It also found that new forms of management transfer are emerging in these Chinese MNCs. This suggests that the diffusion of ‘best practice’ in MNCs can be varied with different national and organizational characteristics.     

An agent-based model of innovation diffusion: network structure and coexistence under different information regimes

The paper analyzes how the structure of social networks affects innovation diffusion and competition under different information regimes. Diffusion is modeled as the result of idiosyncratic adoption thresholds, local network effects and information diffusion (broadcasting and demonstration effect from previous adopters). A high social cohesion decreases the probability of one innovation cornering the market. Nonetheless, with imperfect information, in small-world networks the higher speed of diffusion produced by the low average distance increases this probability. A low social cohesion also increases the probability of falling into traps of under-adoption. However, such probability is significantly lower with imperfect information, because such regime is characterized by higher levels of market concentrations and this reduces the frictions due to the coexistence of non-compatible product innovations.     

Technological adoption and use after mass market displacement: The case of the LP record

This paper investigates the reasons why some technologies, defying general expectations and the established models of technological change, may not disappear from the market after having been displaced from their once-dominant status. Our point of departure is that the established models of technological change are not suitable to explain this as they predominantly focus on technological dominance, giving attention to the technologies that display highest performance levels and gain greatest market share. And yet, technological landscapes are rife with technological designs that do not fulfil these conditions. Using the LP record as an empirical case, we propose that the central mechanism at play in the continuing market presence of once-dominant technologies is the recasting of their technological features from the functional-utilitarian to the aesthetic realm, with an additional element concerning communal interaction among users. The findings that emerge from our quantitative textual analysis of over 200,000 posts on a prominent online LP-related discussion forum (between 2002 and 2010) also suggest that the post-dominance technology adopters and users appear to share many key characteristics with the earliest adopters of new technologies, rather than with late-stage adopters which precede them.     

Labour-management partnership in the non-union retail sector

Analysts and policy advocates have argued that a meaningful labour-management partnership can be established in the absence of trade unions. In this paper we have examined employee outcomes of partnership in a medium-sized non-union retail firm, regarded as one of the ‘best practice’ cases of non-union partnership by the Involvement and Participation Association (IPA) of the UK. We have also compared the employee outcomes from our case study firm with those from a representative sample of retail sector workers from unionized and non-union retail firms in the UK. Findings indicate that compared to employees in other retail-sector firms, workers in the ‘best practice’ partnership firm were significantly disadvantaged with respect to their influence over workplace and policy decisions with little evidence of ‘mutual gains’ as claimed by partnership advocates.     

Diffusion of environmental business practices: A network approach

The purpose of this research is to build a conceptual foundation that examines network effects on the diffusion of environmental business practices (EBP) among suppliers. This research extends a network perspective to adoption of an environmental business practice across a large network of suppliers. The context of EBP is used to better understand adoption of a complex business practice, with perceived costs that are often greater than the perceived benefit. Variation in the level of structural and relationship embeddedness affect network diffusion of environmental business practices differently. Increased levels of structural and relational embeddedness are proposed to be positively associated with diffusion of EBP. From a practical standpoint, firms that leverage embeddedness may facilitate higher diffusion and adoption of environmental business practices. This facilitation may lead network actors to engage in EBP, and leverage benefits that may stem from these practices. This research introduces the concept of embeddedness to the environmental supply chain literature. Practicing managers can use the findings in this research to better position themselves within a network to diffuse EBP. This research also helps managers understand how supply chain members that are weakly connected to the primary network are important for introducing new ideas and innovations.     

组织间成本管理和供应商关系满意度的实证研究

企业为提高效益将更多的注意力关注于自己的核心竞争力,并将很多重要项目进行外包。同时为寻求成本控制即降低成本,以及技术的进步,企业需协同供应商开展组织间成本管理。对供应商来说披露成本信息会带来各种机会主义的风险。本研究通过202份问卷数据为基础,运用结构方程模型进行实证分析。研究结果表明,企业间开展组织间成本管理对供应商关系满意度的影响是正面的,供应商受益于组织间成本管理。组织间管理控制和信任这两种典型的商业交易中的治理机制对组织间成本调节而产生的关系结果的影响不一样,信任具有"独特的贡献力",而组织间管理控制的调节效应确不显著。     

Municipal demand-side policy tools and the strategic management of technology life cycles

This research is particularly concerned with public policy instruments which may help to accelerate the development and diffusion of sustainable innovations and support local economic development. While sustainable technology sectors are in high demand, firms still face significant barriers in developing and diffusing their technologies in regions throughout the world (Hoff, 2012). This area has been less explored in the extant research yet recent experiences suggest that supply side tools may not always have positive benefits for supporting clean technology evolution, or for taxpayers. Leveraging innovation policy and technology life cycle literature, we develop a model of demand-side policy instruments which could be applied at different stages of the technology s-curve in order to accelerate the adoption of sustainable technologies. Implications for managers, public policy actors and researchers are considered.     

Evaluating environmental sustainability strategies in freight transport and logistics industry

This paper provides a conceptual framework on green initiatives adoption in companies operating in freight transport and logistics industry and presents an overview on the emerging green practices and information systems adopted. On the basis of a literature review on the topic, a research question was identified and addressed through an analysis conducted in a sample of freight transport and logistics companies. This research question regards the behaviours of freight transporters in adopting green practices and information systems. As for the adoption of both green practices and information systems, the paper shows that freight transporters are not a homogeneous industry, but different types of behaviour emerge. As for the relationship between the degree of adoption of green practices and information systems, the paper proposes a taxonomy bringing together sustainable strategies for adopting green initiatives. Specifically, four strategies are identified: sustainability leaders, green practice adopters, information system adopters, and sustainability followers. These sustainable strategies highlight the different phases of the process of adoption of green initiatives.     

The sociology of a market analysis tool: How industry analysts sort vendors and organize markets

The information technology (IT) marketplace appears to be shaped by new kinds of specialist industry analysts that link technology supply and use through offering a commodified form of knowledge and advice. We focus on the work of one such organisation, the Gartner Group, and with how it produces a market analysis tool called the ‘Magic Quadrant’. Widely circulated amongst the IT community, the device compares and sorts vendors according to a number of more or less intangible properties (such as vendor ‘competence’ and ‘vision’). Given that potential adopters of IT systems are drawn to assess the reputation and likely behaviour of vendors, these tools play an important role in mediating choice during procurement. Our interest is in understanding how such objects are constructed as well as how they wield influence. We draw on the recent ‘performativity’ debate in Economic Sociology and the Sociology of Finance to show how Magic Quadrants are not simply describing but reshaping aspects of the IT arena. Importantly, in sketching this sociology of a market analysis tool, we also attend to the contested nature of the Magic Quadrant. Whilst Gartner attempt to establish this device as an ‘impartial’ and ‘legitimate’ arbiter of vendor performance, it is often viewed sceptically on the grounds that industry analysts are not always independent of the vendors they are assessing. Paradoxically these devices remain influential despite these sceptical assessments.     

E-procurement adoption by European firms: A quantitative analysis

We explore country differences in adoption of electronic procurement. Data are used from the EU-initiated e-Business W@tch survey 2003. Analyses are conducted on 3475 organizations from seven different European countries that were stratified according to nine different sectors and three size categories. It appears that there indeed are country differences with respect to e-procurement adoption, and that firms from countries with a low uncertainty avoidance such as Germany and the UK are the early adopters of e-procurement, while countries that are less reluctant to change such as Spain and France have lower adoption rates.     

Underlining micro socio-psychological mechanisms of buyer-supplier relationships: Implications for inter-organizational learning agility

The nature and patterns of vertical work relationships between buyers and suppliers is a key subject of inquiry in organization and management research. However, the mechanisms conducive to transforming transaction-based relationships into commitment-based relationships remain elusive. Although commitment-based relationships can produce various outcomes, little is known about whether and how these work relationships build and facilitate inter-organizational capabilities and their performance implications. This article presents a theoretical model that clarifies the micro socio-psychological mechanisms by which buyers and suppliers can develop inter-organizational learning agility. By drawing on theoretical insights in the areas of social exchange, micro-foundations, positive work relationships, commitment, and dynamic capabilities, it suggests that three mechanisms – respectful engagement, rich and ongoing communication, and advice seeking and giving – can transition buyer-supplier relations from transactional ties to commitment-based ties. It is argued that relationship commitment is a key to building inter-organizational learning agility by enacting three mechanisms: psychological availability, generativity and reflective reframing. The discussion centers on the fundamentals for developing this stream of research.     

Technological learning and the political shaping of technology: The management of R,D&D of wind and wave power in the UK

This paper recognises the important role of learning in the process of the shaping or construction of technology. Previous research (e.g. by Collingridge, Genus and Woodhouse) has investigated and suggested ways in which the costs of the inevitable errors made when implementing new or risky technologies may be kept low and the learning obtained subsequently incorporated into the technology in question. In particular, the adoption of trial-and-error forms of the gradual implementation of flexible technology has been advocated as a useful decision making strategy for coping with the need to make decisions under uncertainty. The paper considers the recent history of wind and wave power in the United Kingdom. It examines the extent to which a number of factors related to the process of research, development and demonstration (R,D&D) in these areas have provided stimuli or impediments to such trial-and-error implementation and opportunities to learn about the technologies involved. Here, the concept of technological momentum is central to the analysis. The paper is concerned to relate the discussion to the prospects for the development of a renewable energy sector in the UK, capable of competing on reasonable terms with rival conventional or nuclear energy sources. Conclusions drawn concern the extent to which various political and market related factors distort the construction and competitive process, so as to frustrate the technological learning relevant to potentially socially and commercially beneficial energy sources.     

A two-way relationship between multi-level technological change and organisational characteristics-cases involving the development of heavy hybrid buses

This paper analyses inter- and intra-organisational interaction in cases of product development, which involves significantly new technologies that affect core product sub-systems. The analysis shows that in such cases, there is a need to collaborate with suppliers to learn about the new technology. Moreover, provided that the firm's existing technology is still relevant, there is a need to integrate the new technology with existing technologies. Therefore, close supplier interaction has to be associated with close intra-organisational interaction. However, even a case where there is a limited need to integrate the new technology with existing technologies, there is a need to justify the new technology internally and negotiate the process of adopting it within the organisation. The paper thus demonstrates a two-way relationship between organisational characteristics and multi-level technological change. On the one hand, different types of technological changes demand different kinds of R&D organisations and supplier relationships. On the other hand, decisions to implement technological changes are influenced by existing organisational structures and product development philosophies.