Resistance: a medium for the successful implementation of technological innovation

Resistance to change has long been recognised as a critically important factor that can influence the success or otherwise of implementing any 'technological innovation. Information technology (IT) focused interventions, for example, business process re-engineering (BPR) and enterprise resource planning (ERP), are often quoted as examples of costly failures, with reported levels of dissatisfaction ·with strategic IT investments ranging from 20-70 percent and that employee resistance was to blame. The intention of this chapter is to rethink resistance. The author suggests that resistance remains to this day a complex, multifaceted phenomenon that continues to affect the outcomes of change, both negatively and positively. Although research has procured a solid understanding of resistance- and the benefits that can accrue to an organisation through its proper utilisation, it appears that the classical adversarial approach remains the dominant means ofmanaging resistance because such learning is not reflected in modern management techniques. The author concludes that as companies in every industry are now translating the power and possibilities 0/ e-business into strategic and operational realities, newapproaches in change managementare required to help organisations to understand the complex dynamics o/technological innovation and especially the multifaceted nature o/resistance.

Do entrepreneurship programs matter? An analysis of North American university innovation systems

Are there differences in commercialization outcomes between universities in Canada and the USA? If so, why? We first examine the commercialization performance of universities on both sides of the 49th parallel through indicators of university spinouts generated. Secondly, we measure the presence and growth in numbers of entrepreneurship centers to determine if there are any parallels or discernable patterns that may be related to spinout performance. Based upon theories that suggest entrepreneurial culture plays a significant role in the spinout process, we then test the hypothesis that entrepreneurship education programs play a significant role in determining spinout performance. Our model assumes that the level and intensity of an academic entrepreneurship program/center is a valid indicator of “entrepreneurial culture” that may impact upon a universities propensity to spinout new knowledge intensive firms. Our results find that there is indeed a correlation between intensity of entrepreneurship program and commercialization outcomes.

Social cognitive theory in technological innovation

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to understand the behavior that Australian youths have towards wireless application protocol (WAP) banking.

Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on a quantitative study of the youth market in Australia. Social cognitive theory is utilized to support a conceptual model that is empirically tested.

Findings – The major finding from the research is that the conceptual model is partially supported which indicates the immaturity of WAP technology.

Originality/value – Social cognitive theory provides a useful explanation for youth’s intentions to use WAP technology in the banking industry. The youth market is an early adopter of technology that presents a good indicator of future market potential.

Transforming value perception in music information systems

Information systems are changing the way artists and consumers create, use and interact with music. Music experience has become richer and more sophisticated than simply buying and listening to music. New links between IS and music are forging unprecedented levels of creative e-collaboration, innovative music technology development, new music commerce and marketing methods, alongside with the emergence of e-music communities nurturing up-and-coming artists careers. Distinct from non-creative industries, the music industry is at the forefront of technological innovation where the ubiquitous adoption of music downloading, widespread use of personal music systems, and value chain disintermediation has shifted the focus of value delivery towards consumer control. This paper provides new insights into the effect of recent technological change on stakeholders within the music industry value chain, and of music information systems upon creative music products. The paper further explores the stakeholder perceptions of the value added or depleted from music by the technology, and examines the future expectations of information systems amidst the volatility and uncertainty of the music industry.

Analysis of the value of home automation systems

Smart technology involves the integration of a variety of home systems including lighting, climate control, security etc. to enhance the comfort, convenience and economy of the home for its users. It is currently unknown if homebuyers believe that these systems add value to the home. This study used the market value of home sales and an attitudinal survey of homebuyers, to determine the increased value of homes containing smart technology. The results demonstrated that a significant price premium was paid for the incorporation of the technology into new homes. In addition, the research suggests that the use of this technology is not limited to high-income earners or other demographic stereotypes. Instead it has broad market appeal and the potential to save energy for the community at large.

Enabling electronic medicine at Kiwicare : the case of video conferencing adoption for psychiatry in New Zealand

Telemedicine emerges as a viable solution to New Zealand health providers in reaching out to rural patients, in offering medical services and conducting administrative meetings and training. No research exists about adoption of telemedicine in New Zealand. The purpose of this case study was to explain factors influencing adoption of telemedicine utilizing video conferencing technology (TMVC) within a New Zealand hospital known as KiwiCare. Since TMVC is part of IT, tackling it from within technological innovation literature may assist in providing an insight into its adoption within KiwiCare and into the literature. Findings indicate weak presence of critical assessment into technological innovation factors prior to the adoption decision, thereby leading to its weak utilization. Factors like complexity, compatibility and trialability were not assessed extensively by KiwiCare and would have hindered TMVC adoption. TMVC was mainly assessed according to its relative advantage and to its cost effectiveness along with other facilitating and accelerating factors. This is essential but should be alongside technological and other influencing factors highlighted in the literature.

Innovation theories in retrospect : the case of electronic commerce adoption in small business in New Zealand

A review of the technological innovation adoption literature on small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) provides useful insights into factors influencing innovation adoption but points to the need to introduce more determinants of innovation adoption to SMEs research. This research is interested in identifying these factors and hence, introducing more potential determinants to electronic commerce (EC) adoption research in SMEs. Therefore, this research attempts to extend the technological innovation theories to EC adoption research in SMEs by identifying potential constructs and factors from these theories and then checking their face validity using three case studies in New Zealand. This research endeavours to shortlist and discuss the most important determinants of EC adoption and to eliminate the least relevant ones.

The knowledge economy and innovation: certain uncertainty and the risk economy

The knowledge economy is a dominant force in today's world, and innovation policy and national systems of innovation are central to it. In this article, we draw on different sociological and economic theories of risk to engage critically with innovation policy and national systems of innovation. Beck's understanding of a risk society, Schumpeter's innovation thesis, and Perez's techno-economic paradigm are used to consider the risk economy, and the broader risk implications of knowledge economy policies and their associated innovation systems. Derrida's theory of haunting provides the methodological framework for our discussion. We use his notion of “hauntology” to conceptualize the risk economy as a ghost that haunts knowledge economy policies and systems. The spectral risk economy draws attention to the inherent instability of the knowledge economy, and challenges the certainty of its economic dogma by offering an alternative perspective. The risk economy problematizes knowledge economy policies and systems by revealing the uncertain and “undecidable” future of social, political and cultural hazards ignored in the interest of commercial gain.

Finding and filling the gaps in the Australian governments' innovation and entrepreneurship support spectra

A national innovation system is concerned with the full process of converting new knowledge into commercially viable results. Governments are policy-active in trying to create productive national innovation systems. This paper reviews ways of thinking about entrepreneurship as the commercialisation component of Australia’s innovation system. The paper explores the impact and relevance of selected existing Australian Commonwealth, and to a lesser extent State government, programs for the commercialisation channels so identified, using four frameworks for the analysis: financial, management/start-up, innovation and entrepreneurial. The analysis indicates program initiatives covering the later development and commercialization phases, but serious gaps in the support available for the entrepreneurship phase involving the act of new entry. This gap is covered by research provider business development people and to a limited extent by incubator and State government initiatives. A critical issue has been and is access to smaller amounts of seed finance. The critical human component is the education of public servants and politicians about the nature and operation of entrepreneurship.

Bringing innovation to centre stage : the rhetoric of commercialisation and cross-sector collaboration

As a key element in Australia's national innovation system, public sector organizations, such as universities and public-funded research agencies, have increasingly become involved in R&D collaborations with firms. Government policy has encouraged this cross-sector collaboration, and in the most recent policy "act" has focused on the commercialisation of research findings (through which R&D outputs are translated into marketable commodities) and has encouraged public sector organizations to become more directly involved in this activity. But while the policy rhetoric has contributed to a discourse of marketization, through which cultural change in the research performing organizations is both promoted and legitimised, there are other voices in the unfolding policy drama which point to the complex and multifaceted nature of commercialisation in national economies. These countervailing voices emphasise the multiple roles that public sector organizations play in national innovation systems, and this introduces organizational role ambiguity into the discourse leading to confusion among the research performing actors. It is concluded that, given the complex and subtle nature of innovation processes, the traditional dichotomy between applied (or commercially-focused) research and "public good" research is no longer tenable nor helpful in the policy debates.

Adoption of technological innovations in the m-commerce industry

The banking industry has globalised as a result of the many technology innovations created by the internet. The electronic commerce (e-commerce) industry is a result of these technological innovations that have revolutionised the way both consumers and businesses conduct business. In the past decade, banks have encouraged the use of e-commerce and most people are now comfortable conducting their banking online. More recently, mobile commerce (m-commerce) has started to gain momentum and an increasing amount of people are conducting their banking on mobile phone devices instead of through the internet. Mobile banking is a technological innovation that people adopt in different ways depending on internal and external environmental influences. In this paper, a social cognitive theoretical framework is adopted to understand an individual’s intention to adopt mobile banking. A conceptual model is proposed, which helps to explain how environmental influences affect an individual’s intention to adopt mobile banking. Implications for mobile banking and m-commerce industry are stated along with suggestions for future research on technological innovations.

Emotional connections to books and technological innovations : an e-book perspective

E-book devices are a technological innovation that has been mass marketed to consumers as a revolution in the way that books will be read and stored. This paper extends previous research on technology adoption behaviour of individuals by focusing on the role of emotional connections people have towards e-books. A number of technology adoption models can explain the adoption of e-book devices such as the technology acceptance model, theory of planned action, theory of reasoned action and social cognitive theory. Due to the increased importance of social learning on a person’s behaviour, social cognitive theory is identified in this paper as being the most appropriate theoretical lens to understand the emotional connections a person has towards e-books. The findings from this paper may help to fill the gaps in academic discussion about what theory best explains a person’s behavioural intention towards technological innovations and the impact of marketing on this behaviour. In addition, the paper has a number of managerial implications including identifying the importance of an emotional connection to a technological innovation that influences the adoption process. The emphasis on emotional connection as mediating the way a person receives information about e-book devices may help to influence future marketing efforts of new technologies.

Mobile teachers, teacher identity and international schooling

Mobile Teachers, Teacher Identity and International Schooling focuses on the increased mobility of teachers and curriculum and what it means for the expansion of international schooling. In the early 21st century, educational institutions have been transformed by technological innovation and global interconnectivity. The demographic, ideological, economic and cultural flows that integrate local and global interconnections have consequences for the ways in which educational policy, theories and practice can be understood and take place locally. The everyday lives of practitioners, parents and students; the institutions in which they are educated and work; and the sociocultural and ideological contexts in which they work, are all consequently changing. The manifestation of these changes – as evident in the work and lives of teachers within specific cultural contexts and education systems; in their implications for educational theory and methodology; and their consequences for policy, programs, practice and research in education – are the focus of this book.This book explores the mobility of curriculum, pedagogies, ideas and people that represent and mediate the impact of Global uneven flows and movements through, in, and for school education, and the concepts and practices which frame that transformation. The particular focus of the book is on how these flows inform the ways individuals negotiate their identities, cultures and languages in different national and educational contexts. Education systems and the educational experiences offered by schools are being reconfigured due to multiple pressures. What do these moves to mobilise and to work transnationally mean in terms of educational provision, possibilities and practice?