Towards a model of dynamic capabilities in innovation-based competitive strategy : insights from project-oriented service firms

With the growing significance of services in most developed economies, there is an increased interest in the role of service innovation in service firm competitive strategy. Despite growing literature on service innovation, it remains fragmented reflecting the need for a model that captures key antecedents driving the service innovation-based competitive advantage process. Building on extant literature and using thirteen in-depth interviews with CEOs of project-oriented service firms, this paper presents a model of innovation-based competitive advantage. The emergent model suggests that entrepreneurial service firms pursuing innovation carefully select and use dynamic capabilities that enable them to achieve greater innovation and sustained competitive advantage. Our findings indicate that firms purposefully use create, extend and modify processes to build and nurture key dynamic capabilities. The paper presents a set of theoretical propositions to guide future research. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. Finally, directions for future research are outlined.

Demonstration of closed-­loop airborne sense-­and-­avoid using machine vision

This paper describes a vision-based airborne collision avoidance system developed by the Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation (ARCAA) under its Dynamic Sense-and-Act (DSA) program. We outline the system architecture and the flight testing undertaken to validate the system performance under realistic collision course scenarios. The proposed system could be implemented in either manned or unmanned aircraft, and represents a step forward in the development of a “sense-and-avoid” capability equivalent to human “see-and-avoid”.

Preliminary study on bridge health prediction using Dynamic Objective Oriented Bayesian Network (DOOBN)

The availability of bridges is crucial to people’s daily life and national economy. Bridge health prediction plays an important role in bridge management because maintenance optimization is implemented based on prediction results of bridge deterioration. Conventional bridge deterioration models can be categorised into two groups, namely condition states models and structural reliability models. Optimal maintenance strategy should be carried out based on both condition states and structural reliability of a bridge. However, none of existing deterioration models considers both condition states and structural reliability. This study thus proposes a Dynamic Objective Oriented Bayesian Network (DOOBN) based method to overcome the limitations of the existing methods. This methodology has the ability to act upon as a flexible unifying tool, which can integrate a variety of approaches and information for better bridge deterioration prediction. Two demonstrative case studies are conducted to preliminarily justify the feasibility of the methodology

How long is a tweet? Mapping dynamic conversation networks on Twitter using Gawk and Gephi

Twitter is now well established as the world’s second most important social media platform, after Facebook. Its 140-character updates are designed for brief messaging, and its network structures are kept relatively flat and simple: messages from users are either public and visible to all (even to unregistered visitors using the Twitter website), or private and visible only to approved ‘followers’ of the sender; there are no more complex definitions of degrees of connection (family, friends, friends of friends) as they are available in other social networks. Over time, Twitter users have developed simple, but effective mechanisms for working around these limitations: ‘#hashtags’, which enable the manual or automatic collation of all tweets containing the same #hashtag, as well allowing users to subscribe to content feeds that contain only those tweets which feature specific #hashtags; and ‘@replies’, which allow senders to direct public messages even to users whom they do not already follow. This paper documents a methodology for extracting public Twitter activity data around specific #hashtags, and for processing these data in order to analyse and visualize the @reply networks existing between participating users – both overall, as a static network, and over time, to highlight the dynamic structure of @reply conversations. Such visualizations enable us to highlight the shifting roles played by individual participants, as well as the response of the overall #hashtag community to new stimuli – such as the entry of new participants or the availability of new information. Over longer timeframes, it is also possible to identify different phases in the overall discussion, or the formation of distinct clusters of preferentially interacting participants.

Load modelling : induction motors

Modelling the power systems load is a challenge since the load level and composition varies with time. An accurate load model is important because there is a substantial component of load dynamics in the frequency range relevant to system stability. The composition of loads need to be charaterised because the time constants of composite loads affect the damping contributions of the loads to power system oscillations, and their effects vary with the time of the day, depending on the mix of motors loads. This chapter has two main objectives: 1) describe the load modelling in small signal using on-line measurements; and 2) present a new approach to develop models that reflect the load response to large disturbances. Small signal load characterisation based on on-line measurements allows predicting the composition of load with improved accuracy compared with post-mortem or classical load models. Rather than a generic dynamic model for small signal modelling of the load, an explicit induction motor is used so the performance for larger disturbances can be more reliably inferred. The relation between power and frequency/voltage can be explicitly formulated and the contribution of induction motors extracted. One of the main features of this work is the induction motor component can be associated to nominal powers or equivalent motors

Metaheuristics for minimizing the makespan of the dynamic shop scheduling problem

For the shop scheduling problems such as flow-shop, job-shop, open-shop, mixed-shop, and group-shop, most research focuses on optimizing the makespan under static conditions and does not take into consideration dynamic disturbances such as machine breakdown and new job arrivals. We regard the shop scheduling problem under static conditions as the static shop scheduling problem, while the shop scheduling problem with dynamic disturbances as the dynamic shop scheduling problem. In this paper, we analyze the characteristics of the dynamic shop scheduling problem when machine breakdown and new job arrivals occur, and present a framework to model the dynamic shop scheduling problem as a static group-shop-type scheduling problem. Using the proposed framework, we apply a metaheuristic proposed for solving the static shop scheduling problem to a number of dynamic shop scheduling benchmark problems. The results show that the metaheuristic methodology which has been successfully applied to the static shop scheduling problems can also be applied to solve the dynamic shop scheduling problem efficiently.

Internet-enabled international entrepreneurship : a conceptual exploration of the link between a firm’s resource base, dynamic capabilities and international market performance

It has been suggested that the accumulation of valuable resources and capabilities, such as Internet application, is not enough to support a firm’s sustainable competitive advantage, especially for high technology-mediated firms; which often operate in fast changing dynamic environments. While the idea of ‘Internet-enabled resources and capabilities’ has been recognised by RBV theorists, the notion has largely been ignored in conceptual and empirical studies. Given this finding, a conceptual framework is constructed and research issues are then developed in order to focus attention on the relationship between, the Internet and a firm’s resource base, dynamic capabilities and international market performance. We postulate that successful Internet-enabled market performance arises from those international entrepreneurial-oriented firms which encompass: international vision, international business experience, Internet-international marketing capabilities and international networking capabilities. Recommendations for future theory development are presented, along with the implications for international entrepreneurial managers in Australian small and medium sized firms

Human seat modelling using inverse dynamic musculoskeletal models

In this work a biomechanical model is used for simulation of muscle forces necessary to maintain the posture in a car seat under different support conditions.

Mapping the dynamic of Project Management field : Project Management in action

Focusing on the role within and between organizations of the project management discipline to design and implement strategy, as source of competitive advantage, leads us to question the scientific field behind this discipline. This science should be the basis for the development and use of bodies of knowledge, standards, certification programs, education, and competencies, and beyond this as a source of value for people, organizations, and society. Thus the importance to characterize, define, and understand this field and its underlying strength, basis, and development is paramount. For this purpose we propose to give some insights on the current situation. This will lead us to clarify our epistemological position and demonstrate that both constructivism and positivist approaches are required to seize the full dimension and dynamics of the field.We will referee to sociology of actor-networks and qualitative scientometrics leading to the choice of the co-word analysis method in enabling us to capture the project management field and its dynamics.Results of a study based on the analysis of ABI Inform database will be presented and some future trends and scenarios proposed.

Expression Pattern of the Alpha-Kafirin Promoter Coupled with a Signal Peptide from Sorghum bicolor L. Moench

Regulatory sequences with endosperm specificity are essential for foreign gene expression in the desired tissue for both grain quality improvement and molecular pharming. In this study, promoters of seed storage α-kafirin genes coupled with signal sequence (ss) were isolated from Sorghum bicolor L. Moench genomic DNA by PCR. The α-kafirin promoter (α-kaf) contains endosperm specificity-determining motifs, prolamin-box, the O2-box 1, CATC, and TATA boxes required for α-kafirin gene expression in sorghum seeds. The constructs pMB-Ubi-gfp and pMB-kaf-gfp were microprojectile bombarded into various sorghum and sweet corn explants. GFP expression was detected on all explants using the Ubi promoter but only in seeds for the α-kaf promoter. This shows that the α-kaf promoter isolated was functional and demonstrated seed-specific GFP expression. The constructs pMB-Ubi-ss-gfp and pMB-kaf-ss-gfp were also bombarded into the same explants. Detection of GFP expression showed that the signal peptide (SP)::GFP fusion can assemble and fold properly, preserving the fluorescent properties of GFP.

Strategic Management Practices in the Construction Industry : a Dynamic Capabilities View

This book is an empirical study of strategic management practices in the construction industry. It examines the dynamic capabilities paradigm within the context of the Indonesian construction industry. The characteristics of asset-capability combinations were found to be significant determinants of the competitive advantage of the Indonesian construction enterprises, and that such advantage sequentially contributes to organizational performance. In doing so, this study fills an important gap in the empirical literature and reinforces the dynamic capabilities framework’s recognition as a rigorous theory of strategic management. As the dynamic capabilities framework can work in the context of Indonesia, it suggests that the framework has potential applicability in other emerging and developing countries