An Information System Design for Organizational Creativity Support

The aim of this paper is to explore the issue of organizational creativity support and to propose a conceptual framework for the design of an organizational creativity support system. In order to achieve the research goal, the logic of the discourse is as follows. At the start, a critical review of the relevant literature is conducted to identify the issue of computer organizational creativity support. Next, a multi-agent approach is described as a foundation for the design of the organizational creativity support system. Then, a comprehensive framework for the design of information systems to support organizational creativity is proposed. Finally, the idea of organizational creativity support system based on different intelligent agents is discussed. In conclusion, theoretical contributions and practical implications of the study are presented

Health biotechnology in China: National, regional, and sectoral dimensions

Biotechnology is one of the knowledge fields particularly targeted by China, as it is considered to open up windows of opportunity for catch-up to the leading economies. However, the seizing of these opportunities requires the existence of an institutional and organizational structure supportive of the introduction and usage of biotechnological knowledge. The present contribution discusses this problem in its national, regional, and sectoral dimensions. By focusing on the biopharmaceutical sector, it is shown that the regulatory environment and the capital market constitute serious bottlenecks to further development. --China,health biotechnology,innovation system,pharmaceutical

OpenKnowledge at work: exploring centralized and decentralized information gathering in emergency contexts

Real-world experience teaches us that to manage emergencies, efficient crisis response coordination is crucial; ICT infrastructures are effective in supporting the people involved in such contexts, by supporting effective ways of interaction. They also should provide innovative means of communication and information management. At present, centralized architectures are mostly used for this purpose; however, alternative infrastructures based on the use of distributed information sources, are currently being explored, studied and analyzed. This paper aims at investigating the capability of a novel approach (developed within the European project OpenKnowledge1) to support centralized as well as decentralized architectures for information gathering. For this purpose we developed an agent-based e-Response simulation environment fully integrated with the OpenKnowledge infrastructure and through which existing emergency plans are modelled and simulated. Preliminary results show the OpenKnowledge capability of supporting the two afore-mentioned architectures and, under ideal assumptions, a comparable performance in both cases

On the Convergence of Evolutionary and Behavioral Theories of Organizations: A Tentative Roadmap

The behavioral theory of the firm has been acknowledged as one of the most fundamental pillars on which evolutionary theorizing in economics has been built. Nelson and Winter’s 1982 book is pervaded by the philosophy and concepts previously developed by Cyert, March and Simon. On the other hand, some behavioral notions, such as bounded rationality, though isolated from the context, are also at the heart of some economic theories of institutions such as transaction costs economics. In this paper, after briefly reviewing the basic concepts of evolutionary economics, we discuss its implications for the theory of organizations (and business firms in particular), and we suggest that evolutionary theory should coherently embrace an “embeddedness” view of organizations, whereby the latter are not simply efficient solutions to informational problems arising from contract incompleteness and uncertainty, but also shape the “visions of the world”, interaction networks, behavioral patterns and, ultimately, the very identity of the agents. After outlining the basic features of this perspective we analyze its consequences and empirical relevance.

Accounting historians engaging with scholars inside and outside accounting: issues, opportunities and obstacles

Originating in a panel presentation at the eighth Accounting History International Conference, this study offers a reflection on the issues, opportunities and obstacles which may arise when accounting historians engage with other accounting scholars and scholars outside of accounting. Supporting the view that accounting scholars need and should make an effort to engage with other scholars inside and outside accounting, various aspects are considered as enhancing the interdisciplinarity of accounting history research. Then, issues such as researchers and the community, research problems, theories, methods and data are addressed. The opportunities arising from interdisciplinary interactions with a wide range of scholars are then developed. Finally, the potential obstacles are addressed. These obstacles can be overcome by the development of robust communication and the invention of a new genre of discourse and research focus and by working with those outside our discipline and embracing the challenge of the new and the different

McKnight Foundation - 2003 Annual Report: 50 Years - The Common Thread

Contains board chair's message, president's message, program information, grant and project highlights, financial statements, list of board members and staff, and nine essays that trace the 50-year history of the foundation