Innovation diffusion with generation substitution effects

Markets of high technology products and services, such as telecommunications, are described by fast technological changes and rapid generational substitutions. Since the conventional modeling approaches that are based on diffusion models do not usually incorporate this important aspect into their formulations, the accuracy of the provided forecasts is consequently affected. The work presented in this paper is concerned with the development of a methodology for describing innovation diffusion, in the context of generation substitution. For this purpose, a dynamic diffusion model is developed and evaluated, based on the assumption that the saturation level of the market does not remain constant throughout the diffusion process but is affected by the diffusion of its descendant generation, as soon as the latter is introduced into the market. In contradiction to the conventional diffusion models, which assume static saturation levels, the proposed approach incorporates the effects of generation substitution and develops a diffusion model with a dynamic ceiling. The importance of such an approach is especially significant for markets characterized by rapid technological and generational changes. Evaluation of the proposed methodology was performed over 2G and 3G historical data and for a number of European countries, providing quite accurate estimation and forecasting results, along with important information regarding the rate of generation substitution.     

Why Do Gen Y Students Study Abroad? Individual Growth and the Intent to Study Abroad

We propose that Generation Y college students’ motivations to study abroad are rooted in the desire for individual growth, which, combined with other motivation factors—gender, parents’ educational level, prior international experience, age, and household income—drives the intent to study abroad. The study samples juniors and seniors in business majors, thereby attempting to shorten the temporal distance between study abroad intent and action. A significant number of students declare intent to study abroad as freshmen, yet fail to act on those intentions when the opportunity presents itself a year or two later. Results showed that the desire for individual growth was significantly and positively related to Gen Y business students’ intention to study abroad. Students’ prior experience visiting foreign countries and younger age positively moderated the effect of the desire for individual growth on intent to study abroad. The time lag between intent and action, and the fact that study abroad is a high involvement activity creates promotional challenges on how to best promote study abroad to Gen Y students. The article suggests practical implications and suggests how schools might increase study abroad participation among Gen Y college students.     

Does Lecture Capturing Impact Student Performance and Attendance in an Introductory Accounting Course?

ABSTRACT

The study empirically examines the interplay between lecture capturing viewership, performance and attendance for students in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. The sample consists of 254 students enrolled in an introductory accounting class either in the Fall semester or in the Spring semester. We show a weak positive relationship between lecture capturing and performance, especially in the presence of other variables such as GPA, attendance, gender and seniority. However, we do not find that lecture capturing reduces attendance. Actual performance results are contrasted with students’ perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of lecture capturing. Survey responses reveal that, overall, students attribute a great deal of credit to this pedagogical resource. They stated that lecture capturing clarifies concepts discussed in class, assists in studying for exams, enhances exam results and increases interest in the course. However, the majority of low-performing students believe lecture capturing to be a substitute for attending traditional lectures.     

供给侧改革视域下现代农业产业化联合体研究

农业供给侧结构性改革要求创新农业产业化组织形式,现代农业产业化联合体是探索农业产业化组织形式的新成果。农业产业链分工细化、农业技术进步及农产品市场格局转变是联合体产生的3大内在诱因,政策引导、制度规范保障和实践反思是联合体产生的良好制度环境。其运行机制是通过产业联接提升规模集聚效应,通过要素联接保障农产品质量安全,通过利益联接让农民分享产业链收益,进而契合农业供给侧结构性改革的目标与要求。巢湖粮食产业化联合体实证分析表明,联合体实现了粮食产业链各经营主体联接,使品质契合消费者需要,增加了农户收益,降低了农业生产成本,且运行绩效良好。应从培育各类经营主体、催化联接机制和建设政府服务平台等方面促进现代农业产业化联合体发展,使之成为引领农业供给侧结构性改革的重要载体与平台。     

Identification and Use of Efficient Faces and Facets in DEA

This paper provides an outline of possible uses of complete information on the facial structure of a polyhedral empirical production possibility set obtained by DEA. It is argued that an identification of all facets can be used for a characterization of basic properties of the empirical production frontier. Focus is on the use of this type of information for (i) the specification of constraints on the virtual multipliers in a cone-ratio model, (ii) a characterization of the data generation process for the underlying observed data set, and (iii) the estimation of isoquants and relevant elasticities of substitution reflecting the curvature of the frontier. The relationship between the so-called FDEF approach and the cone-ratio model is explored in some detail. It is demonstrated that a decomposition of the facet generation process followed by the use of one of the available (exponential) convex hull algorithms allows for an explicit identification of the facial structure of the possibility set in fairly large DEA data sets. It is a main point to be made that the difficulties encountered for an identification of all facets in a DEA-possibility set can be circumvented in a number of empirical data sets and that this type of information can be used for a characterization of the structural properties of the frontier.     

Francis Ysidro Edgeworth's Catalan grandfather

Based on a 1831 note by Lord Holland, Sir John Hicks incorrectly concluded in a 1984 article that the maternal grandfather of Francis Ysidro Edgeworth, General Antonio Eroles, ‘a political refugee from Catalonia’ according to Keynes (), was a close relative of the Baron of Eroles. In this article, new information from Spanish and Irish sources about Antonio Eroles and his family is presented. It includes his birth place and day and it details his activities during the period 1823?–?34. As a consequence of this information, Lord Holland and Sir John Hicks' speculations are refuted.     

新生代农民工城市融入问题探析——基于社区管理的视角

新生代农民工城市融入水平一定程度上影响了社会的和谐发展,有效的社区管理,能更好的为新生代农民工城市融入指明路径,加快新生代农民工城市融入进程,体现城市对这一群体的宽容,也能更好的促进城市发展,加快社会主义和谐社会的构建进程。     

The dual nature of innovative activity: How entrepreneurial orientation influences innovation generation and adoption

This paper analyzes two modes of innovation that differ in their scope of newness — innovation generation and adoption. Building a theoretical model based on the Entrepreneurial Orientation literature and utilizing a unique sample of innovating firms, we find that 54% adopt innovations of other firms, 7% generate innovations internally whereas 39% combine the two. We also find that proactivity and risk taking influence the number of innovations generated and the extent to which firms favor generation over adoption and that environmental dynamism moderates one of these relationships. These findings add to the innovation and Entrepreneurial Orientation literatures.     

人口老龄化、推迟退休年龄对资本流动的影响

本文基于地区人口老龄化进程和经济发展的不对称性构建先富后老、先富未老、未富先老的模型结构,在开放经济下建立一个四地区世代交叠模型来分析中国人口老龄化对资本流动的影响。通过分析初始均衡和最终均衡之间经济变量的动态变化,本文结果显示资本会由人口快速老龄化地区流向老龄化速度相对较慢地区,这个结论意味着人口的快速老龄化使得中国成为资本输出大国。随着人口红利拐点到来,人口老龄化会显著降低中国的储蓄率,并导致资本输出减少。文章通过推迟退休年龄的政策试验,旨在为应对人口老龄化问题提供重要的参照作用。     

Understanding the Heterogeneity of Generation Y's Preferences for Travelling: a Conjoint Analysis Approach

The unique motives of young travellers make this market segment very important to the key objectives of the global tourism plan. Accordingly, it is important to understand better the main drivers that affect their choice of a tourism offer. This paper introduces conjoint analysis as an appropriate tool for evaluating the preferences of travellers. The survey was conducted on a sample of 514 respondents. To isolate homogeneous young traveller segments, preference‐based segmentation was performed on the conjoint data. Based on the study findings, a marketing strategy for each identified market segment is suggested. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.