Search

The analysis of electric vehicle adoption pathways on a national level is a multi-dimensional problem, making adoption path analysis a complex task. The identification of successful strategies is however crucial for the decarbonization of the transport sector. This work provides an innovative analytical tool integrating a national adoption path identification framework and a macro-environmental STEPE (socio-cultural, technological, economic, political, environmental) approach. The method is tested at three countries: Norway, as the country with highest electric vehicle (EV) share globally, and France and Germany as two important European car-maker industries. When comparing France, Germany and Norway, the proposed framework allows raising the following main conclusions: Technology itself is not a decisive criteria. For the evolvement of a national EV production portfolio, the social value of the technology and the willingness of the incumbent car industry to position itself in this new market appear important. When EV are available in the market, regulatory incentives and policies have to match with consumer preferences. Among direct subsidies, policies affecting the purchase price of EV are identified as most effective instrument. The analysis further prompts a duality between national incentives and local programs supporting EV adoption. The final timeline analysis with Norway as forerunner and France and Germany as early adopters provides a detailed assessment of the temporal evolvement of national EV adoption pathways.

With more and more companies introducing mobile apps and consumers using them during the purchase journey, it is increasingly important to understand the consequences of app adoption on behavioral outcomes. This paper investigates the impact of app adoption on the number of additional products purchased by customers (i.e., cross-buying) and how this effect varies across different product categories and different customers. We focus on two key product category characteristics (utilitarian vs. hedonic nature and perceived risk) and on adopters who vary in their adoption timings (early vs. late adopters). Using data from an online retailer and a combination of propensity score weighting with difference-in-differences and Heckman correction estimation techniques, the results show that app adoption has a positive effect on cross-buying overall, but the effect varies greatly across products and consumers. App adoption promotes additional product purchases for hedonic products but leads to less cross-buying for utilitarian products. In addition, early adopters purchase a higher number of additional product categories than late adopters, with this difference decreasing over time and for new consumers compared to existing customers. These results offer novel insights into the behavioral consequences of app adoption and provide managers with useful recommendations for improving the effectiveness of their mobile app investments.

Recent technological advances have created unprecedented opportunities for consumer technology products to assume a new role, that of representing users’ social status. We study how social-reference-group effects impact firms’ product pricing, design, and targeting strategies. We find that, in a commonly-adopted strategy, Sequential Adoption, where early adopters (leaders) upgrade to a new version when new customers (followers) arrive and adopt the original version, a firm could benefit by leveraging a push effect on leaders who desire to escape from using the same version as followers. However, a strong reference-group effect can also hurt the firm due to a pull effect from the new version on followers who desire to assimilate with leaders. We then study how the firm should differentiate its product versions in two dimensions, functionality and exterior appearance, by leveraging the reference-group effect. We identify three optimal design policies: Functional-Only Differentiation, Joint Differentiation, and Exterior-Focused Differentiation, which differ in the firm’s focus on the two design dimensions. Two factors, the strength of the reference-group effect and the base functional value of the product, jointly determine the conditions under which each design policy dominates the others.

Customers are important intangible assets of firms. Customer equity (CE) and customer equity sustainability ratio (CESR) cannot only provide a crucial basis for measuring the growth potential of firms but also provide managers a reference standard to allocate the marketing resource. This empirical study discussed the CE measurement of a mobile payments aggregator. With the rapid development of mobile payment in China, it is very meaningful to calculate the CE of these aggregators as an emerging business pattern because calculating CE cannot only help the mobile payments aggregator evaluate its future business development but also help it to provide value-added services and generate service fee from its clients, i.e., the retailers. The main purpose of this paper is to calculate CE of a mobile payments aggregator generated from a specific retailer from the perspective of technology diffusion. Based on the Bass model and Rogers’ theory of innovation diffusion, we calculated CE and CESR for five segments, namely innovators, early adopters, early majorities, late majorities, and laggards. The results show that it is the early adopters and the early majorities who generate most of the profit and it is also these two segments that have the greatest growth potential in the future.

Purpose This study aims to examine whether the impact of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) on audit fees differs between early and late adopters. Design/methodology/approach The authors use robust econometric estimation on a sample of 314 firms from both early and late IFRS adopting countries. Findings The authors find that IFRS is positively and significantly associated with an increase in audit fees for early adopters, but the impact is very weak for late adopters and insignificant in some cases. The results on auditing time suggest that increase in audit fees around IFRS adoption is due to an increase in audit reporting lags. After accounting for pre- and post-years, the authors find that the relationship between IFRS and audit fees, as well as audit time for late adopters, is significant only in the adoption year. However, early adopters experience a significant increase in audit fees and audit time in the transition year to one-year post-adoption. Practical implications The findings imply that countries that are yet to adopt IFRS are less likely to experience a significant increase in audit fees audit time. Hence, is probable that the benefit of IFRS will outweigh the cost. Originality/value The results, therefore, suggest that early adopters paid a premium for been the first users of IFRS, which is consistent with any innovation. The study provides new insights by demonstrating that the consequences of IFRS differ between early and late adopters.

Purpose The Fail-Safe Startup: Your Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Success, the new book by entrepreneurship researcher Tom Eisenmann, sets out to help improve the odds by looking more closely at the most prevalent causes of startup failure and how to avoid them. Design/methodology/approach Eisenmann research led him to identify six distinct patterns that explain a large proportion of startup failures, three relating to early stage failures and three to late stage. Findings Strong demand from early adopters may lead a founder to scale up prematurely. Practical/implications Entrepreneurs must research differences in the needs of likely early adopters and mainstream customers during the upfront customer discovery phase. Originality/value Entrepreneurs must research differences in the needs of likely early adopters and mainstream customers during the upfront customer discovery phase. 10; 10;The line between visionary entrepreneur and cult leader can become blurry, and a founder?s ?reality distortion field--useful for motivating others to help pursue the founder?s dream?can become a liability.

PurposeIndustry 4.0 is a new trend among organizations. Some organizations have been early adopters or later adopters of Industry 4.0. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how performance effects vary between early and late adopters of Industry 4.0.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies a qualitative research methodology using grounded theory. 14 senior management professionals who have implemented Industry 4.0 participated in this study through a theoretical and snowball sampling approach. These professionals were from manufacturing and service sectors, from North America, Europe and Asia. The study used semi structured open-ended interviews to capture the organizational performance on operational, financial, environmental and social dimensions.FindingsThe findings were analyzed in terms of four broad themes which emerged from the interviews. In operational performance the operational and implementation cost will be higher for early adopters. The late adopters may enjoy the advantage in terms of improved business models. In terms of financial performance, the early adopters may see a marginal increase in profit and increased stock price compared to late adopters. The performance on the environmental dimension will see early adopters enjoying material efficiency, energy savings and an improved image of the company compared to late adopters. In social performance, the early adopters will provide a better quality of work life, safer manufacturing environment. However, the resistance from labor unions will be higher for early adopters compared to late adopters.Practical implicationsOrganizations must decide the timing of implementation of Industry 4.0. This study will act as a guide wherein they can decide to be an early adopter or late adopter based on knowledge of the resulting performance consequences.Originality/valueThis is the first paper that studies the performance effects of early versus late adopters of Industry 4.0.

Background There is an increasingly urgent gap in knowledge regarding the translation of effective HIV prevention and care programming into scaled clinical policy and practice. Challenges limiting the translation of efficacious programming into national policy include the paucity of proven efficacious programs that are reasonable for clinics to implement and the difficulty in moving a successful program from research trial to scaled programming. This study aims to bridge the divide between science and practice by exploring health care providers’ views on what is needed to implement new HIV programs within existing HIV care. Methods We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with clinic managers and clinic program implementing staff and five key informant interviews with district health managers overseeing programming in the uMgungundlovu District of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Qualitative data were analyzed using a template approach. A priori themes were used to construct templates of relevance, including current care context for HIV and past predictors of successful implementation. Data were coded and analyzed by these templates. Results Heath care providers identified three main factors that impact the integration of HIV programming into general clinical care: perceived benefits, resource availability, and clear communication. The perceived benefits of HIV programs hinged on the social validation of the program by early adopters. Wide program availability and improved convenience for providers and patients increased perceived benefit. Limited staffing capacity and a shortage of space were noted as resource constraints. Programs that specifically tackled these constraints through clinic decongestion were reported as being the most successful. Clear communication with all entities involved in clinic-based programs, some of which include external partners, was noted as central to maximizing program function and provider uptake. Conclusions Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, new programs are continuously being developed for implementation at the primary health care level. A better understanding of the factors that facilitate and prevent programmatic success will improve public health outcomes. Implementation is likely to be most successful when programs capitalize on endorsements from early adopters, tackle resource constraints, and foster greater communication among partners responsible for implementation.

Over the last five years, all major cloud platform providers have increased their serverless offerings. Many early adopters report significant benefits for serverless-based over traditional applications, and many companies are considering moving to serverless themselves. However, currently there exist only few, scattered, and sometimes even conflicting reports on when serverless applications are well suited and what the best practices for their implementation are. We address this problem in the present study about the state of serverless applications. We collect descriptions of 89 serverless applications from open-source projects, academic literature, industrial literature, and domain-specific feedback. We analyze 16 characteristics that describe why and when successful adopters are using serverless applications, and how they are building them. We further compare the results of our characterization study to 10 existing, mostly industrial, studies and datasets; this allows us to identify points of consensus across multiple studies, investigate points of disagreement, and overall confirm the validity of our results. The results of this study can help managers to decide if they should adopt serverless technology, engineers to learn about current practices of building serverless applications, and researchers and platform providers to better understand the current landscape of serverless applications.

Clinical decision-support tools (DSTs) represent a valuable resource in healthcare. However, lack of Human Factors considerations and early design research has often limited their successful adoption. To complement previous technically focused work, we studied adoption opportunities of a future DST built on a predictive model of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) progression. Our aim is two-fold: exploring adoption opportunities for DSTs in AD clinical care, and testing a novel combination of methods to support this process. We focused on understanding current clinical needs and practices, and the potential for such a tool to be integrated into the setting, prior to its development. Our user-centred approach was based on field observations and semi-structured interviews, analysed through workflow analysis, user profiles, and a design-reality gap model. The first two are common practice, whilst the latter provided added value in highlighting specific adoption needs. We identified the likely early adopters of the tool as being both psychiatrists and neurologists based in research-oriented clinical settings. We defined ten key requirements for the translation and adoption of DSTs for AD around IT, user, and contextual factors. Future works can use and build on these requirements to stand a greater chance to get adopted in the clinical setting.

Despite all the promising benefits, the adoption of fully autonomous vehicles (FAVs) is expected to require a long transitional process. While innovators and early adopters tend to adopt the technology fast, most will gradually adopt the technology after varying periods. Meanwhile, today’s social networking technologies have strengthened the influence of peer effects and caused noticeable changes to decision-making behavior. To date, there is relatively little study on how peer effects influence autonomous vehicles (AVs) adoption. The current paper explores how AV adoption is influenced by various factors, especially by different levels of individual susceptibility and prior-AV knowledge. Susceptibility is a latent variable measuring to what extent individuals will follow the influence of their peers in AV adoption. Prior-AV knowledge is another latent variable that measures people’s knowledge about AVs, which will further impact their price sensitivity. A stated preference (SP) survey was carried out in five cities in China. 1132 new car buyers were surveyed, resulting in 3855 valid records for vehicle preference. The Integrated Choice and Latent Variable (ICLV) Model is used to measure the susceptibility and prior-AV knowledge attributes, and identify their contribution to the heterogeneity of AV adoption intentions. The results show that many demographic factors influence the adoption of AVs. Younger individuals, those with higher education levels, higher income, and more driving experience are more readily influenced by their peers. High market penetration has a significant influence on FAV adoption, but to a varying degree depending on the individual susceptibility level. People with prior-AV knowledge, who are more likely to be older drivers, have no children under 18, have higher incomes and higher education levels, are found to be less sensitive to vehicle price.

This study quantifies the effect of the 2020 state COVID economic activity reopening policies on daily mobility and mixing behavior, adding to the economic literature on individual responses to public health policy that addresses public contagion risks. We harness cellular device signal data and the timing of reopening plans to provide an assessment of the extent to which human mobility and physical proximity in the United States respond to the reversal of state closure policies. We observe substantial increases in mixing activities, 13.56% at 4?days and 48.65% at 4?weeks, following reopening events. Echoing a theme from the literature on the 2020 closures, mobility outside the home increased on average prior to these state actions. Furthermore, the largest increases in mobility occurred in states that were early adopters of closure measures and hard-hit by the pandemic, suggesting that psychological fatigue is an important barrier to implementation of closure policies extending for prolonged periods of time.

Objective To identify facilitators and barriers of early implementation of a technician product verification (TPV) program in a large community pharmacy chain. Methods A mixed-methods (surveys, semistructured interviews, and nondisguised direct observation) approach was used to ascertain facilitators and barriers to implementation and to subsequently develop a scalable implementation strategy with the aim to accelerate TPV scalability across a large community pharmacy chain in states where it is permitted. One-on-one staff interviews and observations provided qualitative data to identify facilitators and barriers to TPV. A Web-based survey was used to gather perceptions on a variety of implementation strategies that would make use of identified facilitators and work to overcome identified barriers. Results During the mixed-method study, 3 key themes emerged: TPV is a complex intervention whose implementation is facilitated by both adaptability and trialability and is highly dependent on state practice regulations; the implementation climate of the pharmacy organization serves as a facilitator to TPV; and individual beliefs about TPV change over time as implementation experience increases. Conclusion TPV is an expansion of the technician role that allows the profession of pharmacy to increase the provision of clinical activities by delegation of a nonclinical-based task. Early adopters of TPV recognize that verification is a task that is increasingly automated by mail-order pharmacies and that verification may no longer be considered a pharmacist task. Pharmacies in this study tended to revert to comfortable, traditional workflow at the first sign of distress. To be successful in the future, TPV should be thought of as the primary workflow procedure and not as an option. TPV is a service that will require staff buy-in, patience, and championship.

Renewable fuels (drop-in replacement fuels made from renewable electricity) are one option to reduce environmental impacts in transportation. To support the use of renewable fuels, this study identifies early adopters in commercial transportation. We also examine requirements for user acceptance. Finally, we present policy recommendations to increase user acceptance of these fuels. To answer these research questions, we utilize three group discussions with commercial fleet operators of companies operating in urban areas as well as national and international transportation. By discussing on acceptance-building measures, barriers as well as their perception of branches comparatively most appropriate to renewable fuels’ characteristics. The empirical results show that long-distance trucking is the most likely early adopter of renewable fuels. Within long-distance trucking, large logistics and transportation firms in particular are identified as most suitable. Small and medium sized firms, however, are not seen as early adopters. This is due the numerous technical options they have (e.g., renewable fuels, electric vehicles), price uncertainty of renewable fuels, and volatile political decisions regarding vehicles. In our analysis we further identify three acceptance objects: aspects of practical use of renewable fuels (e.g., vehicle technology readiness levels and knowledge), secondary effects of renewable fuel production (e.g., upstream environmental burdens), and the relationship of renewable fuels to electric vehicles. Finally, we provide policy recommendations to support of renewable fuels. First, potential users require reliable and detailed information about planned government actions. In addition, there is a need for long-term funding for these new technologies. In particular, use-case specific (e.g., long-distance trucking) funding is important. Finally, consideration of and information about secondary effects (e.g., upstream environmental burdens) are crucial for user acceptance.

PurposeIn the rapidly growing e-grocery segment, unattended delivery is an emerging practice with the potential to offer a superior delivery experience. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the body of knowledge for unattended grocery delivery services by empirically identifying and describing the forms and determinants of customer expectations.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study of potential early adopters was conducted to explore customer expectations of unattended grocery delivery services. Empirical data collected from direct observations and semi-structured interviews with ten Swedish households were coded and put through a single-case as well as a cross-case analysis revealing emerging patterns from which propositions were formed.FindingsThe iteration of theory and data in the case study resulted in a conceptual model of service expectations and determinants, containing six propositions. The study reveals a clear pattern that consumers expect to save time, gain flexibility and benefit from the ease of use of the service, while they predict sufficient security. Moreover, consumers’ desire open access features from retailers and service providers, integrated product returns service and nondescript hardware designs. The findings suggest that these service expectations are determined by personal needs, technology literacy and situational factors. The identified personal needs are stress reduction, limiting social interaction and increasing spare time.Research limitations/implicationsTo support further theory development, this study presents six propositions for the types, forms and determinants of customer expectations of unattended grocery delivery.Practical implicationsThis study provides managers with up-to-date insights into customer expectations and offers guidance in designing and developing unattended grocery delivery services.Originality/valueThis study contains the first in-depth analysis of customer expectations of unattended grocery delivery services, which are increasingly used for last mile e-grocery delivery.

Purpose In April 2020, Airbnb launched “Online Experiences,” (OE) a virtual tourism product responding to pandemic-related restrictions on physical travel. The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristics of this innovative product that were most salient to consumers and in so doing, to provide preliminary insights into the factors related to its success. Design/methodology/approach Using a grounded theory approach in this qualitative study, the authors investigated a sample of 500 online consumer reviews of 100 different Airbnb OE. The analysis identified five major themes associated with reviewers’ positive evaluations of OEs. Findings The study’s findings corroborate prior research on peer-to-peer businesses regarding the centrality of the host and the social appeal of such services, yet they also reveal newer, multifaceted expectations for OEs’ hosts. Further, consumers reacted positively to both the entertaining and educational aspects of OEs. Finally, reviewers’ comments reflect factors related to pandemic-related conditions such as seeking social interaction and virtual escape, yet they also identify factors that suggest the durative appeal of OEs as a tourism product (e.g. “repeatability” of OEs; OEs as sites for virtual connection with family/friends; OEs as a marketing tool for future travel). Originality/value To the best of my knowledge, this is one of the first studies investigating this recently launched virtual tourism product. The findings, thus, represent an important empirical baseline for future research on this topic.

The purpose of this study is to explain the market diffusion of satellites by exploring how early adopters raise regulatory barriers to adoption. Such influence of early adopters has not been explored significantly in the literature analyzing market diffusion of industrial products. In this paper, we adopt a macro and longitudinal approach to study the case of the satellites market from 1959 to 2017. The results indicate that early adopters raise regulatory barriers that hinder market takeoff and therefore the entry of mainstream adopters. Overall, the findings show that early adopters can extend the introduction stage over decades during which time they can shape markets to their strategic goals.JEL Codes: L10, L20, L90, N70, O30

This paper explores underlying power structures in an online learning environment through the lens of the community inquiry framework. By drawing on interview data from 22 students and 12 module leaders across three programmes at one higher education institution (HEI) in the UK, the study explores how technology enhances or inhibits cognitive presence, teaching presence, and social presence in an online learning environment. The results show that the pedagogical or psychological characteristics and approaches to online learning can enhance learners' experience or silence them, diminishing their experience in an online learning environment. This paper's core argument is that online learning occurs in a virtual space aided by 'technology' in which learners can access, engage, and interact within a community for a meaningful learning experience. However, a degree of bias can arise from the asymmetries of power underlying a technology-aided environment. This bias is shaped by 'access' to the online environment, 'skills, and expertise needed to take advantage of opportunities in the virtual environment, the nature of 'curriculum design' and module 'delivery plan' that determine learners' ability to become reflective autonomous learners. These biases have the potential to enhance or inhibit the student learning experience. The paper sets out what this means within the broader context of higher education policy and practice.

Digital pedagogies, blended, hybrid, and online learning are not new, indeed discussions about their role in higher education are well documented. With some notable exceptions however, many of these discussions, and many more attempts at implementation, have been small in scale, operating at the level of a single course, or even single members of staff. Barriers at national, institutional and personal levels all contributed to slow uptake of digital learning. The summer of 2020 though saw institutions across the UK, and indeed the world, forced into rapid transition to online learning in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper examines our work supporting a school - which achieved high student satisfaction rates - within a large post-92 university in this transition. With specific attention to academic identity and efficacy, we examine the approaches that were taken in helping academics to climb over the digital hurdle towards good online teaching. We suggest that a three-pronged approach is needed to overcome these barriers and create the belief in digital that is needed for a successful online transition, and for continued growth. These are a collective ‘all in it together’ approach, placing curriculum, rather than technology at the heart of the work, and also ensuring solid institutional support that does not rely on early adopters.

Study objective The first ever report of vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) for benign gynaecological was reported in 2012. There has been an exponential uptake of the number of surgeons performing such procedures worldwide with no official guidance to ensure the safe implementation of this technique into gynaecological practice due its recency. The objective of this study is to report an international consensus-based statement to help guide a basis for adopting vNOTES into clinical practice. Study design The consensus-based statement was developed amongst 39 international experts using the Delphi methodology over three successive rounds. Consensus was pre-defined as an agreement of 80% or more by the experts. Consensus sought over eight key concepts pertaining to vNOTES including patient selection, perioperative management, surgical technique, instruments, anatomy, training, registries and trials and definition of the surgical technique. Recommendations from an expert anaesthetist and urogynaecologist were also sought to give a broader perspective with respect to the implementation of vNOTES. Results Fifty nine international surgeons were invited to participate and 39 (66%) agreed to participate based on being involved in a minimum of 20 vNOTES procedures. They were from 13 countries across 5 continents (Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Asia). Participation was 100% on all three rounds. Overall, consensus was reached in 50 of the 56 questions (89%) with the remaining 6 questions where consensus was not reached pertaining to the domain of patient selection. Conclusion An international expert based vNOTES statement is presented here to help guide adoption of vNOTES based on the experience of early adopters. Consensus was achieved on most components of this consensus statement. Given the recency of this technique, until high-level evidence becomes available, this statement provides an appropriate guidance to the safe implementation of vNOTES into gynaecological practice.

There is an ongoing policy debate over whether the adoption of IFRS should be mandatory. All Taiwanese listed companies had to adopt IFRS from 2013, but they could choose to adopt earlier in 2012. Surprisingly, given cross-national comparisons, not one Taiwanese company adopted early. This is an extreme example of policy "reluctance." We explore this unique setting, by analyzing a leading reluctant Taiwanese company, Clevo. It was widely known as a potential early adopter but withdrew at the last minute. This paper illustrates how a firm which perceived net benefits would be incentivized to adopt IFRS early, but then how uncertainties in regulations could stall such intentions. Through discussing how the accounting regulators responded to this firm's actions (and vice versa), this paper helps us to understand better the prerequisites for effective policy design and corporate decision-making in the context of IFRS adoption and implementation. This paper, using a qualitative research method, will also add to exiting IFRS literature which mainly focuses on quantitative analysis.

Purpose The advent of technology has enabled frequent innovations in the digital modes of doing business. While some users are reluctant to adopt one, others have made it their way of life. The purpose of this study is to find out the approximate time frame of a digital user in an emerging economy like India to adopt their favorite digital application. The importance of an individual’s level of internet skills is explored in the aspect of adopting digital innovations. Design/methodology/approach The study follows a quantitative approach where data collected from both primary and secondary sources are analyzed to arrive at the results. In total, 837 responses collected with the help of a structured questionnaire are entered and analyzed using SPSS. Multinomial logistic regression is the statistical tool used in the research. Findings Five sets of adopter categories based on Rogers (1983) are created using an adoption score and are represented in a Time Horizon to understand better. The Unaffected adopter category is used as the reference point to compare the set of internet skills against each of the other five categories. The five sets of categories comprising the internet skills depict interesting results in the case of all the four comparisons made. Social skills are not seen to have any influence on a user being an Innovator or Early Adopter as compared to an Unaffected user. It is also established that Operational and Creative skills play important role in users’ probability of being an innovator, early adopter and early majority compared to being unaffected. Originality/value The study analyzes the role of internet skills in the process of adopting digital innovations. The role of internet skill although is associated with every aspect of the digital revolution taking place all over, its application including the direct score of a digital user’s level of internet skills is not found in the literature.

State government has been moving from manual and paper-based processes to digital services. However, digital divide, declining trust in technology, and low IT/IS adoption rates by public sector employees are important challenges for successful delivery of e-government services to citizens. Previous studies in the area of IT/IS adoption and e-government have mainly focused on citizens. This paper examines IT/IS adoption by employees rather than citizens and the focus is on non-market environment and state government agencies. A research model has been proposed based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and technology acceptance model (TAM) which has been extended to include digital divide related constructs and trust in technology. To test the proposed model, a survey was conducted among early adopters of Office 365 at Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) in Springfield and Chicago. The paper contributes to research on IT/IS adoption in public sector. The findings also provide insightful design and practical implications for successful IT/IS deployment in public sector.

Problems of poor network interoperability in electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, where data about real-time usage or consumption is not easily shared across service providers, has plagued the widespread analysis of energy used for transportation. In this article, we present a high-resolution dataset of real-time EV charging transactions resolved to the nearest second over a one-year period at a multi-site corporate campus. This includes 105 charging stations across 25 different facilities operated by a single firm in the U.S. Department of Energy Workplace Charging Challenge. The high-resolution data has 3,395 real-time transactions and 85 users with both paid and free sessions. The data has been expanded for re-use such as identifying charging behaviour and segmenting user groups by frequency of usage, stage of adoption, and employee type. Potential applications include but are not limited to simulating and parameterizing energy demand models; investigating flexible charge scheduling and optimal power flow problems; characterizing transportation emissions and electric mobility patterns at high temporal resolution; and evaluating characteristics of early adopters and lead user innovation., Measurement(s) Unit of Electric Charge Technology Type(s) Internet Mobile Technology Factor Type(s) charging station location Sample Characteristic - Environment office Sample Characteristic - Location contiguous United States of America Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14357123

Routine outcome measurements as a critical prerequisite of value-based healthcare have received considerable attention recently. There has been less attention for the last step in value-based healthcare where measurement of outcomes also leads to improvement in the quality of care. This is probably not without reason, since the last part of the learning cycle: ‘Closing the loop’, seems the hardest to implement. The journey from measuring outcomes to changing daily care can be troublesome. As early adopters of value-based healthcare, we would like to share our 10 years of experience in this journey. Examples of feedback loops are shown based on outcome measurements implemented to improve our daily care process as a focused hand surgery and hand therapy clinic. Feedback loops can be used to improve shared decision making, to monitor or predict treatment progression over time, for extreme value detection, improve journal clubs, and surgeon evaluation. Our goal as surgeons to improve treatment should not stop at the act of implementing routine outcome measurements. We should implement routine analysis and routine feedback loops, because real-time performance feedback can accelerate our learning cycle. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:439-450. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.210012

In Japan, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rate has decreased from around 70% to less than 1% due to repeated media reports of diverse symptoms after HPV vaccination, and to suspension of the governmental recommendation. The challenges for re-promotion of the vaccine will be discussed from a marketing perspective. The adopter categories by which a new product penetrates the market can be divided into five groups, including Innovators, Early adopters, Early majority, Late majority, and Laggards. The 16.0% line, which is the sum of the percentages of the innovators and the early adopters, is thought to be an important determinate of whether a new product will penetrate the market. By various initiatives, vaccination coverage has recently risen to about 10%; however, there is still a large chasm difficult to cross before reaching the majority of individuals. To cross that chasm, peer education will be essential. First, community health workers will need to be educated so that they have a firm understanding of HPV vaccine and can confidently recommend vaccination to the targeted population. That population will be expected to pass on that recommendation to their acquaintances, resulting in widening dissemination of HPV vaccine among the majority.

Purpose Despite a lot of agricultural initiatives by the government in a regionally diversified country like India, agriculture is poor, and farmer suicide cases are rampant. This study aims to socially transform and bring behavioural change among the farmers of southern India through the usage of new media. The research has gauged the factors that affect new media accessibility and usability, hindrances in the process and change of farmer’s behaviour through online social marketing bringing social transformation. Design/methodology/approach The study is action participatory in nature, and the data is triangulated by conducting a survey at the first level using the Delphi technique among 184 rural south Indian farmers who are smartphone users use new media, and at the next level, the farmers were requested to use WhatsApp for agricultural new sharing, and in the last stage, personal interview with entrepreneurs and farmers has been conducted to understand their new media adoption, e-learning and online social marketing. Findings New media is the best way to transform agricultural practices socially. It is a forum where all the farmers of the country can get together and address the issue of the agrarian crisis. Online social marketing (OSM) through WhatsApp is one of the best methods of behavioural change because different farmers can share their experiences and emotion for the crisis and give an appropriate solution to a problem. And, one of the most important features of OSM is it removes third parties from miscellaneous issues be it selling, buying or seeking and sharing information. Research limitations/implications Despite trying to cover different hindrances in the way of social marketing of agriculture, the study is not free without its limitations. Language was a barrier, and this study require a lot of time to perceive the changes and adoption. Also, due to time constraint, the authors have categorically clubbed innovators, early adopters and early majority in the same layer opinion leaders and adopters of innovation. These could be analyzed separately in five layers, as suggested by Rogers (1995). Practical implications From the managerial perspective, the government should extend services that teach the agriculturists, farmers the use of new media. The marketers and makers of apps and software can tap into this business for launching products for farmers. We need apps designed only for farmers, where agricultural and farming practitioners all over the country and globe can interact about their products, conditions of agriculture and give solution to issues arising in agriculture and farming. Originality/value The researchers posit that there are hardly any studies that provide strategies to the agricultural and farming sectors in a regionally diversified country like India. The study is one of its first kind to propose new media strategies to reach out to the farmers of different regions and segmentation for a behavioural change and adoption of new media for better and sustainable agriculture. It has gauged into the factors that affect new media accessibility and usability among farmers and simultaneously gave strategy for behavioural change.

Space is a resource that is constantly being depleted, especially in mega-cities. Underground workspaces (UGS) are increasingly being included in urban plans and have emerged as a realistic and essential component of vertical cities. While progress had been made on the engineering aspects associated with the development of high-quality UGS, public attitudes towards UGS as work environment (i.e. concerns public has on the design of UGS) are relatively unknown. Here, we present the first large-scale study examining preferences and attitudes towards UGS, surveying close to 2,000 participants from four cities in three continents (Singapore, Shanghai, London and Montreal). Contrary to some anecdotal or qualitative beliefs, air quality (and not lack of windows) is the major concern of prospective occupants. Windows, temperature and lighting emerged as additional key architectural features for UGS. Importantly, early adopters (i.e. individuals more willing to accept UGS and thus more likely to be the first occupants) across all cities prioritised air quality. Present results suggest that (perceived) air quality is a key architectural feature for UGS that needs to be communicated to prospective occupants as this will improve their attitudes and views towards UGS. This study highlights the importance of indoor air quality for the public. Ministry of National Development (MND) National Research Foundation (NRF) Accepted version This research is supported in part by the Singapore Ministry of National Development and the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office under the Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge (L2 NIC) Research Programme (L2 NIC Award No L2 NIC FP1-2013-2).

Purpose: The purpose of this research article is to assess what information should be connected and how its information can be connected based on integrated thinking fit within integrated reporting into information system of regional investment potential (ISRIP) of regional government. To develop insight into how it can be implemented over changes of investment climate due to the top down pressures to fulfill sustainable development goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach: we conducted research for regional governments (province/district/city) in Indonesia with investment characteristics of the potential, priorities and opportunities of regional investment units by taking samples for 100 regional investment units. Measurement used nominal scale with chi-square test for goodness of fit to get the measurement of observation frequency (OF) and compared with the expected frequency (EF). Findings: the measurement results showed observed frequency (OF) with a value of 137.97. Afterwards, for expected frequency (EF), with degrees of freedom (6-1) (7-1) and a significance level of 0.05, within the chi- square showed the value of 43.77. Due to OF > EF, this result indicated for being of corresponding between integrated thinking of regional investment within implementation of information system of regional investment potensial (ISRIP). The level of integrated thinking relationships with integrated reporting in the role of 'ISRIP' has a Pearson contingency coefficient of 0.4057, as a moderate relationship. Originality: This research article contributes to the growing debate about the benefits of integrated reporting as a voluntary reporting initiative, and in which another organization have adopted as a mandatory initiative for the mode of reporting up to date; more specifically, in the efforts of regional governments to adopt an integrated thinking that is in line with the role of an integrated reporting system, in communicating of regional investment units. Practical implications: To be as an early adopter of reporting practices towards the implementation of the information system of regional investment potential (ISRIP). We imply that the six capital with strategic communication will enhance performance of ISRIP, through fundamental way and as regional strategic wisdom. To meet the values of accountable organization within regional investment units' management. In line with national alignment in global megatrends with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) accomplishment.

The rapid rise of value-based payment (VBP) models presents both new opportunities and challenges for behavioral health providers, especially in health systems that serve low-income and marginalized communities. This column discusses the experience of a community health care system as an early adopter of VBP in order to demonstrate both the constraints and possibilities health systems face when implementing VBP models. This example and the lessons drawn from it can assist other health systems seeking to implement these models.

Exploring the behavior change process has been of interest and importance to public health professionals, to translate research into practice. Diffusion of innovations (DOI) model has been extensively applied in public health to examine the process by which innovation is passively communicated to individuals and groups. It builds on a staged model of awareness, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation; and categorizes communities into innovators (2.5%), early adopters (13.5%), early majority (34%), late majority (34%) and laggards (16%). It reflects on the diversity of strategies to be applied for different cadres of the society to bring about a wholistic change. Nonetheless, DOI suffers from ‘pro-innovation’ and ‘individual blame’ bias, as it fails to account for the influence of societal, cultural, and extraneous factors affecting individual behavior change. The social networks theory (SNT) in contrast, explains behavior change based on social networks and their influences. It builds on the constructs of homophily, centralization, reciprocity, transitivity, and density; and fills the void in the DOI model. We suggest public health professionals to combine the constructs of DOI and SNT in rolling out behavior change interventions, to yield a comprehensive approach.

The label ‘Industry 4.0’ has captured increasing attention in recent years. However, despite impressive media coverage, EU activism, and being featured in many government programs, the picture of the actual diffusion and realistic industrial potential of the so-called ‘Industry 4.0 enabling technologies’ is still unclear. Far from filling this gap at the European or global level, in this paper we focus one specific, though relevant, industrial domain: the Italian mechanical engineering sector. The analysis shows the magnitude of a phenomenon that has undoubtedly been subject to some excessive rhetoric. Nevertheless, our findings show that things are progressing as the early adopters (mostly large businesses) are beginning to invest in and develop strategic plans for future action. However, most players such as small-sized family-owned enterprises are simply looking at the moment, and do not appear to have a strategy in approaching Industry 4.0 or any plan for getting on board in the near future, and this is something industrial and political leaders should take note.

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate social influences on the UK integrated reporting () adoption and implementation.Design/methodology/approachThe study was based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 36 senior executives actively involved in within 17 organisations.FindingsMain social influences on adoption externally were reported design consultants and to a lesser extent, external auditors, primarily to legitimise . Internal influences were board support for , with the main driver being the mind-set of the CFO/Chairman to drive sustainability throughout the organisation or to regain trust in society. Social influences aiding further diffusion at the implementation stage came from three external sources: business networks; report design consultants; and external auditors. Internal influences in driving diffusion within organisations were identified in five functional areas, with finance, sustainability and communications functions exerting the greatest external influence on the diffusion of .Research limitations/implicationsThis research study was limited by the small sample of organisations that participated, although significant efforts were made to ensure that the sample incorporated the majority of early adopter UK organisations who demonstrated best practice in . Therefore, the findings are specific to the research context and do not represent statistical generalisations.Practical implicationsEmpirical evidence identifying social influences from a practitioner perspective provides recommendations as to how may be further diffused in the future.Social implications creates the potential to significantly improve the long-term health of corporations and the external environment they impact through consideration of the three indivisible and integrated dimensions of sustainable development, the economy, society and the environment and can contribute to a sustainable society by providing the opportunity for organisations to respond to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This highlights the significance of the research, which aims to gain insights into social influences which can assist in the adoption and implementation of .Originality/valueThis is the first comprehensive study of social influences on the adoption and implementation practices in the UK. It incorporates recommendations to improve the likelihood of subsequent adoption and diffusion of based on the findings.

The path towards a transport system with fully automated vehicles entails a transitioning period where manual and automated vehicles will coexist in traffic for many years. To realize the many suggested benefits of automated transport, such as lower emissions and improved safety, there is a need for more knowledge concerning the user experience of both manual and automated systems. This study measures and compares driver acceptance of an integrated driver assistance system and a retrofit system based on geofence technology. We focus on two use cases: low-emission zones and school zones. The integrated system was tested by 43 participants driving on a pre-defined test route, using an assisting and visual system with HMI integrated in the dashboard. The retrofit system involved 42 participants and was implemented with an on-board unit with a visual system, using an external screen as HMI. Participants tested the system for eight weeks, including two weeks in black mode. Participants in both trials were experienced drivers and likely to be ‘‘early adopters”, and the acceptance of the systems was evaluated through a survey. Although the research design for the two driver assistance systems was not identical, similar questions were given, making it possible to compare driver acceptance and workload. The analysis shows overall high acceptance among the users for both trials. However, the results show that the integrated system had greater levels of satisfaction, usefulness and usability for low emission zones, as well as greater levels of satisfaction and usefulness for school zones. We also conclude that retrofit systems must improve HMI satisfaction to constitute a viable option for transport authorities when integrating novel ITS technologies.

Aim: We sought to understand how early adopters used pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing for treating depression and attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Patients & methods: We conducted a phone survey with prescribers who had previously ordered an Informed PGx (Progenity, Inc., MI, USA) test. Results: We identified 1037 prescribers in our sampling period. Respondents (n = 64) were predominantly female (61.5%) and in pediatrics (n = 42; 64.6%). PGx testing was used for multiple scenarios (mean 3.3 ± 1.6); the most common was after no response to medication was observed (80%; 51/64). Most respondents state that test results typically reveal an altered metabolizer status. Conclusion: PGx test results ordered by early adopters often reveal altered metabolizers which leads them to change the depression/ADHD medication regimen. Future work should evaluate the clinical utility of PGx testing for depression/ADHD treatment.

Six Sigma techniques have been adopted by a wide range of manufacturing firms and have also translated successfully into other sectors, including retail, hospitality, financial services, high tech, transportation, government, and healthcare. Six Sigma is a management philosophy that emphasizes reducing variation, driving down defect rates, and improving customer satisfaction. The Six Sigma methodology is driven by team projects that have a clearly defined purpose and specific goals. The Six Sigma standard of quality has its basis in normal distribution theory. As an enterprise‐wide system, it follows that Six Sigma deployment requires the efforts of a crosssection of people filling various roles. These roles include Executive, Champion or Sponsor, Process Owner, and the Belt‐holders. The quality tools available to Six Sigma practitioners are vast. Six Sigma practitioners also leverage the Basic Seven and New Seven Tools. Along with the early adopters of the Six Sigma methodology, have all reported remarkable financial benefits.

There is now a significant and growing functional gap between the public Internet, whose basic architecture has remained unchanged for several decades, and a new generation of more sophisticated private networks. To address this increasing divergence of functionality and overcome the Internet's architectural stagnation, we argue for the creation of an Extensible Internet (EI) that supports in-network services that go beyond best-effort packet delivery. To gain experience with this approach, we hope to soon deploy both an experimental version (for researchers) and a prototype version (for early adopters) of EI. In the longer term, making the Internet extensible will require a community to initiate and oversee the effort; this paper is the first step in creating such a community.

U.S. professional sports teams are increasingly relying on sophisticated forms of data analysis to identify potential areas of competitive advantage over their league rivals. Indeed, emerging evidence suggests that the most sophisticated teams in this area are using the insights that they derive from data analytics to establish durable and significant gains over their competition on the playing field. At the same time, sports franchises frequently utilize non-compete agreements to protect the resulting, proprietary information that their data analysis yields. Unfortunately, recent academic research suggests that this reliance on covenants not to compete can decrease the rate of knowledge diffusion within an industry, making it more difficult for teams to catch up to early adopters of data analytics. Thus, teams’ growing reliance on data analytics — and their use of non-compete agreements to protect it — could have significant, but heretofore unrecognized, ramifications for league efforts to maintain an adequate level of competitive balance amongst their franchises. This article explores this state of affairs, as well as the implications it presents for the governance of U.S. professional sports leagues.

With the inauguration of the world's largest green hydrogen facility, the Government of Japan is steadily advancing towards its goal of transforming into a hydrogen-based society, but the lack of interest in adopting hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) among consumers is noticeable. This study examines the socioeconomic profiles of 500 potential car buyers with and without interest in HFCVs. The results show that the potential early adopters of HFCVs exhibit similar trends of sex, employment status, number of people in the households, weekly distance traveled, and frequency of using expressways that influence their decision. They have a significant variance in income, previous battery electric vehicle (BEV) experiences, and knowledge of HFCVs. The results suggest that knowledge of HFCVs and related technologies, and previous experience in driving BEVs encourage respondents to purchase HFCVs. The study suggests that the greater awareness of HFCV can assist policymakers in the successful market adoption.

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of fintech, mobile money and digital financial services in Uganda and factors impacting adoption of the services. The study will also determine their social impact through financial inclusion in the Ugandan market. Design/methodology/approach This study covers the adoption and use of fintech, mobile money and digital financial services in Uganda. A case study approach was used through a survey questionnaire for 400 randomly selected participants within the Kampala region. Questionnaire was designed to measure customer perception of digital financial services and adoption including mobile money and agency banking. Findings The adoption of mobile money services is driven by mobile devices penetration and the need for access to financial products and services for the unbanked. Results support CGAP (2013) that observed that mobile money adoption was based on two key variables: social network and social interactions of the customer and a segment of customers who can be described as mobile technology leaders (early adopters). There has been positive impact on person to person transfers, grocery payments and mobile money providers have to continue to simplify the access to financial services and bring convenience to the bottom of the pyramid. And mobile money positively impacts sustainable developmental goals covering Gender Equality (SDG5), SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; expanding financial inclusion through mobile money and SDG 10 – Reduce Inequalities. Research limitations/implications This study has limitations commonly prevalent with qualitative research, including the small size limited to Kampala and challenges of making generalisations beyond this context. Practical implications The paper might serve as a valuable source of information for government and fintech companies in developing the digital financial services ecosystem as well as for students and academics for further case studies in this area. Originality/value This paper serves as one of the first qualitative research papers concerning mobile money and digital financial services adoption, solely focused on Uganda. Its value is in its showcasing of the importance of mobile money among customers in emerging markets.

Governments, industry and academia are paying high attention to autonomous vehicles and platooning, due to their high potential to transform public and private transport and reduce carbon emissions generated by road transport. The road freight sector is expected to be an early adopter of the autonomous technology due to the potential cost reduction for logistics companies. However, despite the expected fuel savings and polluting emission reductions due to truck platooning, actual benefits would strongly depend on the adopted technology and the operational conditions of the system. This paper investigates the potential for truck platooning to reduce carbon emissions from road freight, presenting a series of scenarios that vary by adoption rates, operational models and platoon size. Scenarios were co-designed with freight stakeholders to build a Truck Platooning Roadmap (2025–2050), considering a specific case study: the UK. Polluting emissions and related external costs are calculated across the different scenarios. Results show that there is high uncertainty for the adoption of truck platooning, with a potential first phase involving a small pool of low-automated trucks, and a second phase with a larger pool of high-automated trucks, reflecting higher economic and environmental benefits. A series of other technological and policy considerations are presented to support policymakers to draw a zero-carbon road freight strategy. Graphic abstract

This study investigates associations between mathematics pedagogy and teachers’ integration of Information Communication Technologies (ICT). As an early adopter of presentation-oriented hardware an...

New technologies have been driving the global financial market, including fintech companies, which provide disruptive financial services in which information technology is the key factor. The objective of this study is to identify which factors most influence intentions to continue using these companies’ products. To achieve this, research by Ryu (2018) was replicated. Our adopted model evaluates the weight of seven factors composing two latent variables - perceived risk and perceived benefit - in the continuity of use of these services. The data collection was performed through an electronic survey, distributed through social networks during May and June of 2019. The main results confirmed seven of the eleven initial hypotheses, highlighting that the perceived benefits, especially the economic ones, were relevant to early adopters and seamless transactions were relevant for late adopters. Surprisingly, perceived risk was not a determinant of continuance intention. One of the contributions of this study is that it indicates some possible demographic and behavioral characteristics of Brazilian fintech consumers, opening up space for a better understanding of the market and service improvements. RESUMO Novas tecnologias têm impulsionado o mercado financeiro mundial, como empresas chamadas de fintech, que oferecem serviços financeiros disruptivos em que a tecnologia da informação é fator chave. O objetivo deste trabalho é identificar quais fatores mais influenciam a intenção de continuidade de uso dos produtos oferecidos por essas empresas. Para isso, foi replicada a pesquisa de Ryu (2018). O modelo adotado avalia o peso de sete fatores que compõem duas variáveis latentes - risco e benefício percebidos - na continuidade de uso desses serviços. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de questionário eletrônico distribuído por redes sociais entre maio e junho de 2019. Os resultados principais ratificaram sete das onze hipóteses iniciais, enfatizando que a percepção dos benefícios, especialmente os econômicos, foram relevantes para adotantes iniciais e a fluidez na transação, para adotantes tardios. Surpreendentemente, a percepção de risco não foi determinante para intenção de continuidade de uso. Uma das contribuições deste estudo é apontar possíveis características demográficas e comportamentais do cliente brasileiro de fintechs, abrindo espaço para compreensão do mercado e melhoria nos serviços.

If the pattern of appliance use varies between households, then we expect that appliance replacement cycle also varies between households. Although many studies identified early adopters of new energy-efficient products, few studies have examined households that have been using old energy-inefficient products and how their characteristics are associated with product replacement. In this study, we initially modify a survival function and develop an economic model to evaluate the impact of household characteristics on appliance replacement. We subsequently apply the model in microlevel data analysis from the Survey on Carbon Dioxide Emission from Households obtained from the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. We use information about age distribution of refrigerators (REFs) and examine how family size, household income, and age of household’s head affect the replacement cycle of REFs. Our empirical results reveal that (1) large-sized, (2) high-income, and (3) young households replace REFs more rapidly. These findings suggest that policies that encourage small-sized, elderly, and low-income households to replace old appliances are needed.

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the dynamics of the organizational buying process of radical software innovations. Acquisition of technology innovations by early adopting organizations has been studied previously with scant attention being given to the actual buying process and the risk mitigation mechanism. This paper addresses these gaps in the literature and this paper finds evidence to support that the organizational buying process of radical software innovations is different from the general models of organizational buying.Design/methodology/approachMethods from the grounded theory approach were used to conduct 20 in-depth interviews with senior industry practitioners. Purposive sampling was used to identify the participants.FindingsA theoretical model of the organizational buying process of radical software innovations emerged with themes and concepts that explain the dynamics of the buying and adoption processes. The paper challenges the fundamental tenet of organizational buying that needs recognition triggers the buying process. An interesting nuance was found that risk is mitigated within the buying action itself.Practical implicationsAn understanding of the buyer behaviour process will help marketers of radical software innovations to formulate the appropriate marketing response. Sales personnel can attune their customer interactions when helping customers to acquire a radical software innovation. Firms that want to be early adopters and innovate can tune their buying process in line with the findings.Originality/valueThis paper develops a typological buying model. It unravels the dynamics of the adoption process by discussing how early adopting organizations buy radical software innovations. New concepts with rich explanatory powers are discussed.

Purpose This study aims to examine the integration of integrated reporting (IR) into the formal control systems (FCSs) early adopters use to implement IR, and investigate whether it drives informal control systems (ICSs) change at this early stage. Design/methodology/approach A case study was conducted in seven large Japanese companies. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and e-mail exchanges with the managers responsible for developing integrated reports in Japanese companies that excel in IR practices. Content analysis was adopted to analyze the data. Findings The results showed incremental changes to the integration of IR into FCSs. However, the integration may not cause radical changes to ICSs because all sample companies recognized the importance and necessity of embedding integrated thinking in all levels of companies to put it into practice for value creation over time. Originality/value This study contributes to IR research from an internal corporate perspective. Specifically, this study provides new knowledge on the relationships between IR and MCSs. This research also gives new insight into operationalization and internalization of sustainability in terms of IR and MCSs in companies, not only in Japan, but also worldwide.

The customary doctor and patient interactions are currently undergoing significant changes through technological advances in imaging and data processing and the need for reducing person-to person contacts during the COVID-19 crisis. There is a trend away from face-to-face examinations to virtual assessments and decision making. Ophthalmology is particularly amenable to such changes, as a high proportion of clinical decisions are based on routine tests and imaging results, which can be assessed remotely. The uptake of digital ophthalmology varies significantly between countries. Due to financial constraints within the National Health Service, specialized ophthalmology units in the UK have been early adopters of digital technology. For more than a decade, patients have been managed remotely in the diabetic retinopathy screening service and virtual glaucoma clinics. We describe the day-to-day running of such services and the doctor and patient experiences with digital ophthalmology in daily practice.Die gewohnten Prozesse in der Patientenbetreuung in der Augenheilkunde unterliegen derzeit signifikanten Veränderungen durch Fortschritte bei Bildgebungsverfahren und Datenverarbeitung. Dieser Prozess wird durch die aktuelle Notwendigkeit zur Reduzierung von Personenkontakten im Rahmen der COVID-19-Pandemie erheblich beschleunigt. Die Augenheilkunde eignet sich besonders für derartige Veränderungen, da ein großer Anteil der Diagnose und Behandlung auf Routinemessungen und bildgebenden Verfahren beruht, deren Beurteilung keinen direkten Arzt-Patienten-Kontakt erfordert. Die Einbindung der digitalen Ophthalmologie in die tägliche Praxis variiert stark zwischen einzelnen Ländern. Durch die finanziellen Einschränkungen im National Health Service (NHS) in Großbritannien sahen sich die britischen Augenkliniken schon relativ früh dazu genötigt, digitale Technologien in den Alltag einzubinden. Seit mehr als 10 Jahren sind das Diabetische-Retinopathie-Screening und virtuelle Glaukomsprechstunden fester Bestandteil der täglichen Praxis. In dieser Arbeit beschreiben wir die Organisation und die Erfahrungen mit diesen neuen Formen der Patientenbehandlung aus Sicht der behandelnden Ärzte und Patienten.

Due to the environmental and nutritional benefits of insects, their consumption would be one of the solutions to feed the growing human population. Despite the increasing interest in the use of insects as food and feed, consumer acceptance is the major obstacle to successful implementation in Western countries and we studied the factors that influence consumer acceptance in a group of university students from Germany and the Netherlands. In this exploratory research, a survey was conducted (n = 222). Socio‐demographic and psychological factors were established from a theoretical review. In addition, we elaborated on questions regarding information on the health and environmental benefits of consuming insects. Initially, the data obtained are presented through descriptive statistics. The influence of the socio‐demographic and psychological factors, and the information on the willingness to accept insects as animal feed and human food was analyzed using correlations and multiple linear regressions. Results showed more willingness to accept insects as animal feed than in human food. The acceptance among German and Dutch students seems to be driven by issues similar to those in other European countries, such as visual aspects and knowledge about the benefits. The effect of the information on willingness constitutes an important finding of this study, especially for the use of insects in animal feed, since most of the previous studies have focused on the use of insects as human food. Our data support the need to inform and educate consumers about the environmental and health benefits of entomophagy. We conclude that effective efforts to implement entomophagy could increase the level of familiarity with the insect food and inform (or educate) consumers about its benefits. Insights from this study are useful to address studies focusing on specific segments of possible early adopters and consequently addressing communication strategies in this market segmentation., Data about insights into the consumer's acceptance towards insects in feed and food is presented. Rather than invest efforts in reducing neophobia and disgust, it could be more effectively to increase the level of familiarity with the dishes and interest about entomophagy.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate if and how government intervention can nudge students to become ebook readers. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 1,144 students from four middle and high schools in urban and rural areas of Indonesia participated in this study. The results from statistical analyses were further discussed through the lens of the nudge theory. Findings This paper founds evidence that government intervention in the form of the Buku Sekolah Elektronik (BSE) policy that has been providing free electronic textbooks for more than a decade can help nudge students to become ebook readers. After controlling for student’s demographic information, this paper founds that their awareness of such a policy is significantly associated with a stronger preference toward ebooks while having no significant effect on their preferences toward printed book format. This paper also founds that mobile device adoption plays an important role where early adopters tend to prefer ebook format, whereas laggards are more associated with printed book format. Originality/value Many have studied the benefits of using ebooks in learning, but the literature also shows that most students still prefer reading printed books over ebooks. This is true not only in developing countries where problems with infrastructures can hamper the adoption of ebooks in general but also in developed countries where ebooks are much more prevalent, even among the general population. This paper showed how government interventions have the potency to help tip the scales and nudge students to become ebook readers.

Increasing ridership in the urban rail systems in major cities is outpacing their designed capacity. Promotion based demand management can facilitate better utilization of the available capacity of the existing system when the investment and opportunity to expand the system are limited. While several studies address short-term behavioral responses to such promotions using before and after analysis, how behavioral changes are sustained in the long run is also very important as well as differences in response among different user groups. Using an extensive smart card dataset over two years from Hong Kong’s urban heavy railway system, this paper explores the longitudinal behavior of passengers in response to a promotion aiming at changing passengers’ travel period from peak to the pre-peak. The approach uses customer segmentation to understand the heterogeneous response of different groups. Users who have high flexibility in schedule and familiarity with the system and travel long distances tend to be more likely to change their travel periods to take advantage of the discount. The longitudinal promotion analysis reveals that 35–40% of passengers who initially adopted the promotion will eventually revert to their previous travel time periods. The results suggest that the promotion designs should be adjusted/renewed over time to sustain the initial response given the attrition of early adopters. Based on the behavioral analysis, an ‘optimal’ promotion design approach is applied to examine the effectiveness of promotion strategies given different behavioral responses over time, heterogeneous group behavior, and constraints on the investment budgets and performance requirements. The promotion design using group-specific response can better target price-sensitive users, hence improves its effectiveness over time, while the design based on the average response shows a significant performance decrease. However, the optimal design schemes using different behavioral responses are relatively consistent in terms of the selected stations for promotion, though some differences exist in the discount levels and time periods for the areas where there can be more early morning travelers. From a design perspective, there is not much difference in the promotion effectiveness regardless of the behavioral response assumed for the design.