Characterizing Proof-of-Concept Practices using the Lens of Context Engineering

In this study, a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) context is acknowledged as an activity system with a set of practices performed by diverse practitioners, aiming to produce knowledge about performance of the technological artifacts under study. Ten PoC practices were identified through content analysis of narratives and observations, supported by the lens of Context Engineering (CE) from Information Systems (IS). CE introduces a framework of problems that help to understand the relevance of context as a fundamental factor in PoC, emphasizing the importance and need for reflection in action, for PoC practitioners. These practices are characterized as a cycle of knowledge production in the PoC context. The authors also identify the hermeneutic character of PoC activities, indicating a need to understand the whole activity system in relation to its constituent parts, while finding the meaning of the parts in the whole PoC context

Investigating the Habits of Mind of Practicing Engineers

One goal of undergraduate engineering education is to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and decision-making strategies that are necessary for success in engineering practice. One proposed method to teach students these skills is to incorporate habits of mind into K-12 and undergraduate curricula. Habits of mind are the intelligent, social behaviors that engineers should aspire to have when solving problems, engaging with others, and dealing with uncertainty. Previous literature has suggested that incorporating ideas about habits of mind in educational curricula can teach students the disciplinary skills, technical knowledge, and social values that would help prepare them to enter the workforce and society in general. While engineering education researchers have explored how undergraduate engineering students use habits of mind in an academic context, there is little research examining how practicing engineers use habits of mind when solving problems at their workplaces. The purpose of this study is to explore how habits of mind are represented within the authentic work of practicing engineers working across different engineering contexts. Analysis of field notes, interviews, think-alouds, and artifacts from four distinct practicing engineers suggests that there are five broad habits of mind that are represented across different engineering contexts. The habits of mind include being Problem-focused, Interpersonal, Self-reflective, Mindful of the bigger picture, and Technically adept. Findings from this study also suggest that habits of mind are used differently depending on the engineering context. The results of this study can inform curriculum development for undergraduate engineering education to prepare students to enter the engineering workforce by teaching them the engineering habits of mind that are used by practitioners in their field. Additionally, findings support the development of a conceptual framework for habits of mind in engineering for the purpose of guiding pedagogy and curriculum development

Contextualizing the Global Nursing Care Chain: International Migration and the Status of Nursing in Kerala, India

In this article I explore the issue of nursing status in Kerala, India and how over time a colonial discourse of caste‐based pollution has given way to a discourse of sexual pollution under expanding migratory opportunities. Based on survey and qualitative research findings, I caution that the improving occupational status of nursing in India is not directly mapped onto social status, and this is particularly evident in the matrimonial market. In the light of these findings I argue that global nursing care chain (GNCC) analysis must assess more than just workplace contexts in order to conceptualize how global care chains (GCCs) interlock, and how they are differentiated from each other

Contextualizing the Global Nursing Care Chain: International Migration and the Status of Nursing in Kerala, India

In this article I explore the issue of nursing status in Kerala, India and how over time a colonial discourse of caste‐based pollution has given way to a discourse of sexual pollution under expanding migratory opportunities. Based on survey and qualitative research findings, I caution that the improving occupational status of nursing in India is not directly mapped onto social status, and this is particularly evident in the matrimonial market. In the light of these findings I argue that global nursing care chain (GNCC) analysis must assess more than just workplace contexts in order to conceptualize how global care chains (GCCs) interlock, and how they are differentiated from each other

Organizational energy: A behavioral analysis of human and organizational factors in manufacturing

This paper seeks to explore the behavior and embodied energy involved in the decision-making of information technology/information systems (IT/IS) investments using a case within a small- to medium-sized manufacturing firm. By analyzing decision making within a given case context, this paper describes the nature of the investment through the lens of behavioral economics, causality, input-output (IO) equilibrium, and the general notion of depletion of executive energy function. To explore the interplay between these elements, the authors structure the case context via a morphological field in order to construct a fuzzy cognitive map of decision-making relationships relating to the multidimensional and nonquantifiable problems of IT/IS investment evaluation. Noting the significance of inputs and outputs relating to the investment decision within the case, the authors assess these cognitive interrelationships through the lens of the Leontief IO energy equilibrium model. Subsequently, the authors suggest, through an embodied energy audit, that all such management decisions are susceptible to decision fatigue (so-called 'ego depletion'). The findings of this paper highlight pertinent cognitive and IO paths of the investment decision-making process that will allow others making similar types of investments to learn from and draw parallels from such processes

Global Strategy and the Acquisition of Local Knowledge How MNCs Enter Regional Knowledge Clusters

The paper addresses two recent interrelated phenomena: High- tech regional knowledge clusters, and globalization of R&D activities by multinational corporations (MNCs). Combining MNC literature; regional development literature; and literature on social networks, the paper discusses determinants of entry modes used by MNCs that localize R&D units in regional knowledge clusters. The paper states that the entry mode used by a MNC depends upon the type of agglomeration economies the latter seeks to appropriate: Those related to network relations; to local labor market specialization; or to institutional specialization. The paper adds theoretical insight into advantages and disadvantages of different entry modes with respect to appropriation of agglomeration economies, and special attention is dedicated to discussing acquisition. Through the use of an empirical case ¾ the entry of five MNCs into the Danish telecommunications cluster in Aalborg, the paper exemplifies its theoretical observations, but also points to how the evolution of a knowledge cluster may be severely affected by MNCs that enter through acquisition.MNCs; entry mode; acquisition; explorative R&D; regional clusters; localized learning; networks; telecommunications industry; North Jutland; Denmark.

Factors and challenges affecting the information-seeking behavior of science and technology researchers

This study investigates the factors and challenges affecting the information-seeking behavior of multidisciplinary science and technology researchers of the six departments of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) in Nigeria. This study depicts a non-academic setting and by extension the African context. One hundred and sixty five researchers were given questionnaires of which responses of 114 questionnaires were finally analyzed. Based on the questionnaire results, the respondents provided suggestions on how certain factors and challenges have influenced their information-seeking behavior. The authors make recommendations on how these factors and challenges can be adequately tackled in order for researchers to optimally derive lasting benefits from their information-seeking process as they engage in research. An excellent recommendation is the effective collaboration of FIIRO library with the functional libraries of higher institutions and research institutions both home and abroad

Contextualizing Patent Disclosure

One of the main justifications for a patent system is that patents disclose useful technical information that others can learn from. However, patents are not performing this function well. The average patent is written in legalese, uses vague language, and is hard to connect to commercial activity. Legal scholars have responded with calls to improve the patent document through better writing, more examples, and better enforcement of patent doctrines. The courts have sought to ensure that patent specifications are robust and justify the grant of a monopoly. This follows from the Supreme Court\u27s characterization of technical teachings within a patent as the quid pro quo for the patentee\u27s exclusive rights. The problem with these approaches is that they focus exclusively on patent content, and overlook the many ways in which patent context matters to the dissemination of technical information. A review of the ways in which patents truly promote the progress reveal that patent information beyond, not just within, a patent\u27s four corners, can shape the extent to which the subject invention of the patent spreads beyond the inventor. Whether a patent is in force, is commercially important, is subject to licensing or other commitments, or is held for defensive or offensive reasons, for example, can determine whether and how the teachings within the patent spread. In this Article, I argue that we need to rethink the concept of patent disclosure. Rather than focusing only on the content of the patent, we should keep in mind the context of the patent, and how the greater availability of contextual information about the patent can promote the progress. This contextual information represents not only the final product of a patent as issued, but the process by which it is made and used, the timing and terms on which it is provided to the world, and the publicly reported transactions in which the patent is involved. Making contextual information more accessible would do much to reinvigorate the disclosure function of the patent system-in many cases, using already existing information