Consider the following questions in the early stage of new product development. What should be the target market for proposed design concepts? Who will be the competitors and how fast are they moving forward in terms of performance improvements? Ultimately, is the current design concept and targeted launch date feasible and competitive? To answer these questions, there is a need to integrate the product benchmarking with the assessment of performance improvement so that analysts can have a risk measure for their R&D target setting practices. Consequently, this study presents how time series benchmarking analysis can be used to assist scheduling new product releases. Specifically, the proposed model attempts to estimate the "auspicious" time by which proposed design concepts will be available as competitive products by taking into account the rate of performance improvement expected in a target segment. The empirical illustration of commercial airplane development has shown that this new method provides valuable information such as dominating designs, distinct segments, and the potential rate of performance improvement, which can be utilized in the early stage of new product development. In particular, six dominant airplanes are identified with corresponding local RoCs and, inter alia, technological advancement toward long-range and wide-body airplanes represents very competitive segments of the market with rapid changes. The resulting individualized RoCs are able to estimate the arrivals of four different design concepts, which is consistent with what has happened since 2007 in commercial airplane industry. In addition, the case study of the Exascale supercomputer development is presented to demonstrate the predictive use of the new method. The results indicate that the current development target of 2020 might entail technical risks considering the rate of change emphasizing power efficiency observed in the past. It is forecasted that either a Cray-built hybrid system using Intel processors or an IBM-built Blue Gene architecture system using PowerPC processors will likely achieve the goal between early 2021 and late 2022. This indicates that the challenge to improve the power efficiency by a factor of 23 would require the maximum delay of 4 years to reach the Exascale supercomputer compared to the existing performance curve.

Do you remember the first time you used an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM)? Or a pay-at-the-pump gas station? Or an airline e-ticket kiosk? How did you know what to do? Although you never received any formal instruction in how to interact with the self-service technology, you were likely able to accomplish your task (e.g., withdrawing or depositing money) as successfully as an experienced user. However, not so long ago, to accomplish that same task, you needed the direct mediation of a service professional who had been trained how to use the required complex technology. What has changed? In short, the technology is now able to compensate for the average consumer's lack of experience with the transactional system. The technology itself bridges the performance gap, allowing a novice to accomplish the same task as an experienced professional. This shift to a self-service paradigm is completely changing the dynamics of the consumer relationship with the capitalist enterprise, resulting in what is rapidly becoming the default consumer interface of the postmodern era. The recognition that the entire performance support apparatus now revolves around the end user/consumer rather than the employee represents a tectonic shift in the workforce training industry. What emerges is a homogenized consumer culture enabled by self-service technologies--a kiosk culture. No longer is the ability to interact with complex technology confined to a privileged workforce minority who has access to expensive and time-consuming training. The growth of the kiosk culture is being driven equally by business financial pressures, consumer demand for more efficient transactions, and the improved sophistication of compensatory technology that allows a novice to perform a task with the same competence as an expert. "The Kiosk Culture" examines all aspects of self-service technology and its ascendancy. Beyond the milieu of business, the kiosk culture is also infiltrating all corners of society, including medicine, athletics, and the arts, forcing us to re-examine our definitions of knowledge, skills, performance, and even humanity. The current ubiquity of self-service technology has already impacted our society and will continue to do so as we ride the rising tide of the kiosk culture.

The medical device manufacturing industry has a deficiency in determining how to improve supplier performance for the components and systems they purchase. Many complex medical devices require components from superb suppliers. But how does a medical device manufacturer (MDM) impartially assess supplier performance to know which suppliers to continuing with (or even boost purchase volumes) and which suppliers they should exit? This study describes which supplier-specific metrics are most important to medical device manufacturers (MDMs) so they can utilize this supplier performance scorecard backed by real-world inputs. This research will focus on five categories to measure MDM supplier performance (Quality, Price, Delivery, Customer Service, and Partnership) across twenty-three (23) metrics. Because this is a focus of MDM supplier performance, we are not focusing on analysis of device sales to the final customer (e.g., distributors or group purchasing organizations {GPO}). The study will follow a framework including research analysis of supplier performance management in other industries, methods to attain data from MDMs via survey, results and analysis of the data, conclusions, and an easily understandable MDM supplier performance scorecard. In the survey, 135 MDM professionals replied when asked to rate twenty-three (23) supplier performance metrics, across five (5) categories aggregated from nine (9) different industries. The survey yielded a myriad of results including, weighting factors of each of the metrics, and those data results were used to compile an MDM supplier performance scorecard utilizing real-world feedback. The analysis revealed the ratings of importance of the categories as: Quality (43%), Delivery (24%), Customer Service (4%), Partnership (13%), Price (8%) and associated weights for the twenty-three (23) metrics that matter most to an MDM when creating a performance scorecard for their supplier base. Three contributions that this research will add to the body of knowledge: An in-depth review of supplier performance across many different industries (i.e., non-healthcare and healthcare) for contrasting/comparing evidence. A detailed MDM survey and statistical analysis on the topic of supplier performance management. An easily understandable and useable MDM supplier performance scorecard (via MS Excel) for MDM supply chain and/or operations users and/or managers.

Existing literature indicates that although both academics and practitioners recognize knowledge management (KM) as a source of competitive advantage, users are not always willing to use a knowledge management system (KMS). Because of the social nature of knowledge transfer, a KMS can be considered a socio-technical system. Many explanations have been presented for this failure to utilize the KMS. These explanations include a number of the socio-technical factors relating to people, processes, and technologies. While these factors may have significant explanatory power when examined independently, existing studies have not sufficiently addressed the interactions among all three socio-technical factors or their impacts on KMS usage. The goal of this study was to develop a comprehensive understanding of socio-technical factors that impact KMS usage within decision support systems (DSS). A comprehensive framework was presented that will be helpful in developing and improving KMS initiatives and thus improving KM across the organization. This study identified factors of people (self-efficacy, social ties, and ease of use), processes (leadership, culture/climate, and governance), and technologies (system & information quality, and technology fit) and their influence on KMS system usage. Analysis for this problem required a causal, non-contrived field study employing structural equation modeling. Founded on socio-technical systems theory, nine hypotheses were proposed. Data was collected using a 36 item survey distributed to KMS users from a variety of industries in the United States. Confirmatory factor analysis and an eight-stage structural equation modeling procedure were used to analyze 97 usable responses. The results confirmed that technology-oriented factors predicted knowledge seeking and contributing in DSS. Furthermore, significant positive relationships were confirmed between certain sociotechnical factors including: (1) people and process, (2) people and technology, (3) processes and technology, (4) processes and people, (5) technology and people, and (6) technology and processes. These findings extend the relevance and statistical power of existing studies on KMS usage. This study indicated that the most important concerns for increasing KMS usage were system quality, information quality, and technology fit. Results also confirmed that in the context of this study, people-oriented factors (self-efficacy, social ties, and ease of use/usefulness) and organizational process factors (leadership, organizational culture/climate, and governance) were not critical factors directly responsible for increasing KMS usage. However, the relationships among socio-technical factors all had positive significant relationships. Therefore, investments in people and process-oriented factors will create a more favorable perspective on technology-oriented factors, which in turn can increase KMS usage. On a practical front, this study provided indicators to managers regarding a number of desirable and undesirable conditions that should be taken into consideration when developing or implementing knowledge management initiatives and the systems to support them. This study offered an original contribution to the existing bodies of knowledge on socio-technical factors and KMS usage behavior. The constructs presented in this study highlighted the significance of social and technical relationships in understanding knowledge seeking and contribution in a decision-driven organization.

In the digital domain, virtual teams within organizations and corporations are becoming common. Restructuring an organization or corporation is vital because competition and globalization are increasing. In this era of globalization, distributed working groups need to develop a competitive advantage in these ever-changing environments. Historically, teams had experienced problems stemming from geographical and temporal limitations. With the increase of technology in telecommunications, organizations are increasingly forming virtual teams, which have become critical to the survival of nearly any corporate entity. Virtual teams have some of the same problems that regular teams have. One of the key challenges is the method of forming teams, while such challenge is exacerbated in digital environments. Despite the difficulties, the digital environment has made successful team development all the more challenging. The variation in people's skills makes the formation of teams even more difficult. This is why organizations cannot determine in advance if a virtual team will be a success. To evaluate the success of team formation in a virtual setting, this research study assessed the role of different computer-mediated communications (CMC) levels employed (no-CMC/face-to-face, online learning system, online learning system + social networking site) on the success of team formation measured by the level of task performance (TP), team cohesiveness (TC), computer skills (CS) and social bond (SB), while assessing the differences on such relationships when controlled for demographic information such as gender, age, education level, academic major, as well as academic year. Empirical data was collected from students at the Medical Sciences Campus in the University of Puerto Rico with 140 usable records. Using three teams and 140 participants, the results indicated that there is a statistically significance difference in the role of CMC levels employed (no-CMC/face-to-face, online learning system, online learning system + social networking site) on the level of perception of CS in team formation. Significant differences were also found in the role of CMC levels employed on the levels of TP, when controlled for gender. In addition, there is a significance difference in the role of CMC levels employed (no-CMC/face-to-face, online learning system, online learning system + social networking site) on the levels of CS, when controlled for education, academic major and academic year. The outcomes of the study contributed to the body of knowledge for both practice and research, to help organizations identify ways to support effective team formations in virtual environments.

Argentina e Brasil apresentam, cada um com suas particularidades, situações deficitárias no que diz respeito à base produtiva de alta intensidadetecnológica. Nesse amplo contexto, mostram-se de forte relevância políticas públicas de ciência, tecnologia e inovação voltadas para o fortalecimento e aprimoramento das áreas de produção e pesquisa nacionais em campos estratégicos. Por conformar um ramo fortemente demandante e dependente de produtos e serviços com intenso conteúdo tecnológico e ser um dos pilares do sistema de proteção social, o campo da saúde ganha destaque. Com isso, aparece como central para as políticas públicas nacionais dos países subdesenvolvidos, tendo em vista a importância de alcançarem maiores graus de autonomia frente aos oligopólios mundiais que dominam a produção de medicamentos e equipamentos para a saúde. É nesse conjunto de circunstâncias que se insere a proposta do presente trabalho, cujo objetivo é analisar umcircuito espacial produtivo e seus respectivos círculos de cooperação (SANTOS, 1986) que envolvem um serviço de alta densidade tecnológica na área da saúde. O recorte mais específico é a circularidade produtiva do radiofármaco fluordesoxiglucose (FDG-18F) para estudos em equipamento de tomografia por emissão de pósitrons (PET-CT) na Argentina e no Brasil. Para alcançar esse objetivo, além de pesquisa bibliográfica sobre o tema, empreendeu-se uma análise das políticas de ciência, tecnologia e inovação em saúde nos dois países. Destaca-se a realização de entrevistas com atores-chaves de várias instituições argentinas e brasileiras, abarcando representantes dos mais diversos segmentos envolvidos no circuito espacial produtivo estudado. O conjunto analítico explorado possibilitou o encontro de relevantes similitudes entre o funcionamento sistêmico dos elementos em questão nos dois países analisados, fundamentalmente no que concerne à lógica de atuação de setores privados na oferta e disponibilização de equipamentos e na prestação de serviços sofisticados de diagnóstico por imagem, como o caso do PET-CT. As estratégias de incorporação da tomografia computadorizada por emissão de pósitrons nos sistemas de saúde brasileiro e argentino são exemplos significativos, na área da saúde, de como as políticas do Estado e das empresas têm articulado os lugares para promover circuitos espaciais produtivos e círculos de cooperação que, todavia, nem sempre respondem aos princípios de universalização da saúde / Argentina and Brazil are found to be lacking in terms of a production base of high intensity technology.In this broad context, public policies on science, technology and innovation aimed at strengthening and improving national production and research in strategic fields are highly significant.Constituting a segment that is both heavily demanding and dependent on high technological content products and services and as one of the pillars of the social protection system, the field of health care is of particular importance.Thus it appears as central to the national public policies of developing countries, bearing in mind the importance of achieving greater degrees of autonomy from the global oligopolies that dominate the production of drugs and health care equipment.It is within this set of circumstances that the proposal for this study is placed, with the aim of analysing a productive spatial circuit and its respective circles of cooperation (Milton Santos, 1986) involved in the service of technological high density in the area of health.The most specific example is the productive circularity of the radiopharmaceutical fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-18F) for studies in positron emission tomography equipment (PET-CT) in Argentina and Brazil.To achieve this aim, as well as a bibliographic study on the topic, a review was conducted into the science, technology and innovation policies in health in both countries.This featured interviews with key players from several Argentinian and Brazilian institutions, encompassing representatives from the most diverse segments involved in the productive spatial circuit under investigation. The analytical set explored enabled the finding of significant similarities between the systemic functioning of the elements in question in both countries, fundamentally as regards the role played by the private sector in the supply of equipment and the provision of sophisticated diagnostic imaging services, such as PET-CT.Strategies to incorporate PETCT scans into the Brazilian and Argentinian health systems is a significant example of how the policies of the State and of private companies have underpinned the places to promote productive spatial circuits and circles of cooperation that do not always answer to the principles of universalized health care

This exploratory study identified generational preferences for receiving information from management through different communication channels and determined if age predicted productivity for productive and unproductive information received through different communication channels. This is the first study to empirically examine the relationship between age cohorts, communication channel preferences, information categories, and productivity. Sample participants worked as Extension agents at a major land-grant university. The four generations represented in the sample utilized multiple communication channels and were geographically dispersed throughout the state. The survey was administered electronically and completed by 204 (74%) of the eligible 275 employees in the organization. Independent Samples t-tests, General Linear Modeling, ANOVA’s, means analysis and linear regressions were employed to analyze the data to test the hypotheses. Regarding channel preference, the findings determined that face-to-face communication was preferred by both generations for receiving private and confidential information and for training. Media was preferred by both generations for routine and procedural and time-sensitive information. Lastly, the analysis revealed that written documents were the preferred method of both generational cohorts for compensation and benefits. Regarding productivity, the findings determined that age predicted a perceived increase in productivity tasks for production information received face-to-face from management, but did not predict a perceived increase in productivity tasks for the other communication channels. Both generational cohorts perceived productive information received face-to-face from management to increase morale and decrease stress. The cohorts, however, differed on the increase of trust as a result of receiving productive information face-to-face. Both generational cohorts perceived unproductive information received from management through all communication channels to negatively impact productivity tasks. Finally, both cohorts perceived unproductive information received face-to-face from management to negatively impact morale, trust and stress. Empirical examination of generational workforce issues is relatively new to Human Resources and research is needed to further examine generational perceptions. The study begins to open dialogue that the supposed differences inherent in the multigenerational workforce are not as much a factor of the generation as the information. The development of the new instrument in this study provides a new tool to examine organizations preferences and productivity.