In this article, the authors discuss the role of action research in relation to the investigation and practical implementation of innovations in health care. The diffusion of innovations is an essential component of the modernization of health services worldwide. However, the literature shows that it is not an easy process to research. A paradox is noted that although action research has much t...

We discuss a theoretical conceptual framework to help understand how the new business analytics technologies have diffused in firms. We draw on three theoretical perspectives for this purpose. They are innovation diffusion theory, IT Business Value and the technology-organization-environment theory. We develop a conceptual framework that helps understand the interlinkages among factors affectin...

We investigate empirically how the Japanese patent system has affected postwar growth in Japanese total factor productivity. The system has been criticized for several reasons, including that it encourages numerous filings of narrow claims that build incrementally on fundamental technologies developed by domestic and foreign inventors. Stated in different terms, the system was designed to promo...

The context for the paper was the evaluation of a national program in Australia to investigate extended scopes of practice for health professionals (paramedics, physiotherapists, and nurses). The design of the evaluation involved a mixed-methods approach with multiple data sources. Four multidisciplinary models of extended scope of practice were tested over an 18-month period, involving 26 orga...

The influence of the digital culture on the modern childhood and adolescent educational context makes it dynamic and fast-changing. In a field characterised by technological innovation and change, leadership style is critical to facilitating successful adaptation of useful technology, which contributes to successful learning outcomes. At the same time, much of the discussion on digital culture ...

Recent technological innovations have enabled the development of a new class of dynamic (vibration-insensitive) interferometer based on a CCD pixel-level phase-shifting approach. We present theoretical and experimental results for an interferometer based on this pixelated phase-shifting technique. Analyses of component errors and instrument functionality are presented. We show that the majority...

Article history: Received 29 October 2009 Received in revised form 8 June 2010 Accepted 9 June 2010 The presence of a slowdown in new product life cycles has recently received notable attention from many innovation diffusion scholars, who have tried to explain and model it on a dualmarket hypothesis (early market-main market). In this paper we propose an alternative explanation for the slowdown...

This paper aims to provide some guidelines for operators involved in local development related to the creation and management of territorial networks as critical tools to foster forms of efficient, effective and sustainable local development. Some models of local territorial networks’ structure and dynamics are described on the basis of the contributions of the complex networks’ theories. The d...