Forecasting customer switching intention in mobile service: An exploratory study of predictive factors in mobile number portability

This study investigates switching barriers under the mobile number portability (MNP) in the U.S. mobile market. The structural equation modeling analysis is used to evaluate the causal model, and confirmatory factor analysis is performed to examine the reliability and validity of the measurement model. The logistic regression is used to investigate the effect of demographics on switching decision. The findings indicate that customer satisfactions, switching barriers, and demographics significantly affect subscribers' intent to switch. Among them, switching barriers had the most significant influence, which raises a question of the effectiveness of MNP. The MNP in the U.S. mobile market is intended to play an important role in lowering switching costs which can increase the level competition among providers. The findings, however, imply that subscribers still perceive switching barrier high, discouraging them from switching carriers.     

Navigating between dyads and networks

With this article we draw up a panorama of proposed conceptualisations lying between dyad and network. We strive to summarize as far as possible the major dimensions, found in the academic management literature, which have been used to characterise networks. These dimensions are then used to interpret the above conceptualisations. This allows us, to round off, to propose a potential roadmap allowing researchers and practitioners alike the possibility of situating and positioning themselves in the myriad field that could loosely be termed network research.     

Learning process in new product development teams and effects on product success: A socio-cognitive perspective

The study purports to develop and empirically test a model of team learning process and its effects on team performance in new product development teams. Using the socio-cognitive theory of learning in groups and organizations, several hypotheses were tested to show that the primer components of social cognition (that is, information acquisition, information dissemination, information implementation, unlearning, thinking, intelligence, improvisation, sense-making, and memory) form an interactive process model of the team learning phenomenon. By studying 165 new product development projects, it was shown: (i) that the eight primer socio-cognitive factors of information acquisition, information dissemination, information implementation, memory, thinking, improvisation, unlearning, and sense-making constitute interrelated sub-components of a higher-order team information-processing construct; (ii) that team intelligence is positively related to components of team information-processing; and (iii) that information-processing facilitates new product success primarily through the positive effects of superior information implementation. Theoretical and managerial implications of the study findings are discussed.     

A Scenario-Based Assessment Model—SBAM

Scenario generation methods have often been used by policy makers as an instrument to manage the uncertainty of the technological environment and to support the shaping of long-term technology policies. Although scenario generation methods are conceptually useful in the shaping of long-term technology policies, the literature suggests that there is a methodological gap between the two. In an effort to bridge this gap, the authors propose a Scenario-Based Assessment Model (SBAM). This work introduces the principles and methodological basics of the SBAM. Moreover, an example is given to illustrate how this model can be applied.     

Unemployment and employment offices’ efficiency: What can be done?

Regional employment offices provide placement services to job-seekers and employers and organize active labor market programs. In this paper, we carry out a quantitative evaluation of the employment offices’ performance in Switzerland based on production efficiency measures. We use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to estimate the performance of all employment offices and then account for factors in the local operating environment that are outside managerial control. This approach, and the ranking of employment offices, may easily be interpreted by policymakers and provides guidelines for raising the efficiency of the public employment service. Our findings suggest that there is considerable room for improved efficiency in employment service, which could lead to a lower level of structural unemployment. We also find that differences in the external operating environment have a significant influence upon the efficiency of employment offices.     

Child Labor in Carpet Weaving: Impact of Social Labeling in India and Nepal

Does the labeling of tradable products like carpets which have been produced without child labor increase the welfare of children and their families? This paper presents results of surveys conducted in India and Nepal. The findings suggest a positive link between social labeling and the removal of child laborers for households above the subsistence level. However, for households below the subsistence level, no significant influence has been found.     

Is inventor network structure a predictor of cluster evolution?

Geographical clusters are significant drivers of regional economic growth and competitiveness in today's economy. Recent studies have shown that geographically limited knowledge diffusion which results from inventor movements within clusters is a facilitating factor to regional innovation output and therefore to the development of clusters. However, it remains unclear whether the dynamics of inventor movements can be used as an indicator for different stages of cluster progression. In this study, using patent co-authorship data, we construct inventor networks for two telecom clusters, New Jersey and Texas. Based on the longitudinal analysis of inventor network properties and interviews with the key inventors maintaining the networks, we seek to gain a better understanding of 1) how the properties of inventor networks across the two clusters reflect their difference in fundamental “typology” of clusters; and 2) are the patterns of inventor network structures and properties over time indicative of the change in viability of the clusters. Our findings suggest that the cluster “typology” is a key factor determining the structure of the inventor networks in a geographical cluster. Over time, as the economic and social conditions of a cluster change, the regional inventor networks change their performance accordingly. Importantly, the cluster “typology” may be a significant moderating factor for the relationship between the inventor network performance and the cluster's development.     

A comparison of the spatial distribution of innovative activities in China and the U.S.

In order to enhance the independent innovation capability and help China to become an “innovation-oriented country” this article compares the spatial distribution of innovative activities between China (representing a typical developing country) and the United States. We also provide some recommendations for China and other developing countries to optimize the spatial distribution of their innovative activities. Using invention patents as an indicator gathered from the websites of the CSIPO and the USPTO, this paper compares the spatial distribution of innovative activity in China and the U.S. by methods such as rank-frequency, concentration and classification. The results show that the invention patents have experienced rapid growth and significant fluctuation in recent years in China, while the United States has been relatively stable. The spatial diversity of patent distribution in China is more obvious than in the United States. There is a concentrated trend of innovative activities in both China and the United States from the inland areas to the coastal regions.