Improving industry science links through university technology transfer units: An analysis and a case.

Connectivity has become one of the critical success factors in generating and sustaining high-performing National Innovation Systems. Industry Science Links (ISLs) are an important dimension of this connectivity. Over the last decades, multiple insights have been gained (both from theory and practice) as to how 'effective' ISLs can be fostered through the design and the development of university-based technology transfer units. In this paper, we document and analyze the evolution of 'effective' university-based technology transfer mechanisms, towards a matrix structure allowing an active involvement of the research groups in commercial exploitation of their research findings, while specialized supporting services like intellectual property management and business plan development are centralized. We show that the establishment of:(1) an appropriate context within academia;(2) the design of stimulating incentive structures for academic research groups and,(3) the implementation of appropriate decision and monitoring processes within the interface unit itself, are critical elements in fostering 'effective' linkages between industry and the academic science base.Decision; Factors; Industry; Management; Matrix; Processes;

Landscape Architectural Design as Scientific Inquiry?

This presentation discusses ‘landscape architectural design as scientific inquiry’ and exemplifies this with the description of a design process within climate-responsive design leading to new design knowledge. ‘Research and design’ are issues that need increasing attention within landscape architecture academia. Substantial contributions on ‘research’ and ‘design’ exist within architectural theory [1,2,3,4]. However, within landscape architecture, there are only few publications on this topic. In those publications, either the definition of ‘research’ was not clearly stated [5] or from the onset, design was not considered to be research “by definition” [6]. This is in contrast to several assertions within architectural theory where design is considered as scientific research. So the question remains: can landscape architectural design also be scientific research? Here, it is stated that design can be scientific research when the design method is similar to a ‘scientific’ method and the aim of the design process is the generation of new knowledge. This requires that research questions are clearly formulated and a systematic, transparent and reliable method of looking for answers is guaranteed. Since there are various ways of conducting scientific research, consequently some ways of ‘design as scientific research’ can be thought of. For instance, ‘design as scientific inquiry’ can mean that design is done similar to action research- as a communicative process from which new knowledge can be gained [7]. But it can also mean that design processes are conducted similar to the methods in the classical empirical sciences. In this presentation, the focus will be on this latter method. In the empirical sciences, normally the research process consists of formulating hypotheses, testing these hypotheses in experiments and generating new knowledge from that. To guarantee reliability, the results are controlled through peer- review. When design is considered an inquiry similar to empirical sciences, possible design solutions are treated as hypotheses and then tested. Zeisel and other authors [8,9,10] proposed this earlier, but they were not clear about the ways design can be tested. Yet, the reliability of testing design is crucial for ‘design as scientific inquiry’. Actually, nowadays modern computer simulation methods offer new avenues for testing designs. With such simulations, the expected effect of design can be tested for many different issues and they can be used within a ‘design as scientific inquiry’ to generate new knowledge. Design processes to generate new knowledge that use these techniques are also widely found within engineering research and development. In this presentation, a similar ‘design as scientific inquiry’ process will be illustrated by an example- a process of climate responsive design to generate new design guidelines for microclimate responsive design of urban squares. This process consisted of generating various design alternatives- or hypotheses- that were expected to be a potential design guideline. These design alternatives were fit for mid-sized urban squares within a Northwest-European maritime climate context. They were all assumed to improve microclimate in the problematic situations: too windy spring and autumn and very hot summer circumstances. The design alternatives were composed of different configurations of vegetation and other elements like pergolas or wind screens that were expected to bring about microclimate improvement. These alternatives are tested with microclimate simulations and the alternative that shows the best effects can be considered as new design knowledge. This design process which had great similarity with scientific research processes can be considered an example for ‘landscape architectural design as scientific research’. [1] Lang. J. 1987. Creating architectural theory, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York [2] Cross, N. 2007. Designerly ways of knowing, Springer, London [3] Laurel, Brenda, ed., 2003, Design Research: Methods and Perspectives. Cambridge: MIT Press [4] de Jong, T.M. and Van der Voordt, D.J.M., 2002, Ways to study and research urban, architectural and technical design, Delft University Press, Delft [5] Milburn, L.S. Brown, Mulley, S.J., Hilts, Steward G., 2003, Assessing academic contributions in landscape architecture, Landscape and Urban Planning 64: 119-129 [6] Milburn, L.S. and Brown, R.D. 2003, The relationship between research and design in landscape architecture, Landscape and Urban Planning 64: 47-66 [7] De Jonge, J.M. (2009) Landscape Architecture between Politics and Science. PhD dissertation, Wageningen University. Blauwdruk, Wageningen [8 ] Zeisel, J. 2006, Inquiry by design (revised edition) W.W. Norton & Company, New York [9] Cross, N., Naughton, J., Walker, D. 1981. Design method and scientific method, Design Studies vol 2 no. 4 pp. 195-201 [10] de Jong, T.M and van der Voordt, D.J.M. 2002 Criteria for scientific study and design, in: de Jong, T.M. and Van der Voordt, D.J.M. (eds.), Ways to study and research urban, architectural and technical design, Delft University Press, Delft, p. 19-3

Empowering remittance management in the digitised landscape: A real-time Data-Driven Decision Support with predictive abilities for financial transactions

Blockchain technology (BT) revolutionised remittance transactions recording, banks and remittance institutes have shown growing interest in exploring blockchain\u27s potential advantages over traditional practices. This paper presents a data-driven predictive decision support approach as an innovative artefact designed for blockchain-oriented remittance industry. Employing theory-generating Design Science Research (DSR) approach, the transaction Big Data (BD) driven predictive emerged. The artefact integrates Predictive Analytics (PA) and Machine Learning (ML) to enable real-time transactions monitoring, empowering management decision-makers to address challenges in the uncertain digitized landscape of blockchain-oriented remittance companies. Bridging the gap between theory and the practice, this research safeguards the remittance ecosystem while fostering future predictive decision support solution with its PA advancement in other domains. Additionally, the generation of theory from the artifact\u27s implementation enriches the DSR approach and fosters grounded and stakeholder theory development in the Information Systems (IS) domain

Using Blockchain to Sustainably Manage Containers in International Shipping

This paper investigates how blockchain technology can improve information flows on empty container repositioning at an inter-organizational level in the shipping industry. By adopting a theory-generating design science research approach, we develop and evaluate an industry-wide blockchain artefact, named Greenbox Platform, where container owners can register, trade and share containers. It brings efficiency for shipping companies via cost reduction through minimizing the need for empty container repositioning, and effectiveness for leasing companies via container proof of ownership. The paper contributes to its application domain by a practical, theory-driven and novel application of blockchain technology to the shipping industry. Theorizing on its development and evaluation, the paper provides preliminary groundwork for two nascent design principles: 1) Explicitly define a structure of incentives for interorganizational and cross-industrial blockchain applications where stakeholders’ interests are not necessarily aligned; and 2) Consider environmental sustainability as a non-functional requirement in the development of a blockchain artefact

Extending the supply chain visibility boundary: utilizing stakeholders for identifying supply chain sustainability risks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how buying firms facing low supply chain visibility can utilize their stakeholder network to identify salient supply chain sustainability risks (SCSR). Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a design science approach to develop a procedural model for identifying SCSR as a new artifact. A small-scale field-testing study in a food supply chain of a Swiss retail firm demonstrates its applicability and pragmatic validity. Findings – When stakeholder knowledge external to the supply chain is regarded as a valuable resource, a generic understanding of a buying firm’s supply chain suffices to identify SCSR hotspots without creating complexity for the SCSR management. Research limitations/implications – The paper contributes to the study of SCSR by identifying mechanisms buying firms can employ to identify SCSR hotspots and fostering the nascent understanding of responsibility attribution by stakeholders. Moreover, the emerging theory of the supply chain is enriched by paving a way to extend the supply chain visibility boundary. The procedural model is presumably most useful in contexts of elevated stakeholder pressure and low supply chain visibility. Future research should seek to validate and improve the effectiveness of the newly designed artifact. Practical implications – The procedural model is directly applicable in corporate practice to the identification of SCSR. Moreover, its application fosters the understanding of a firm’s supply chain and its stakeholder network. Originality/value – SCSR is an increasingly important phenomenon in corporate practice that has received only scarce research attention. The design science approach represents a valuable means for generating theoretical insights and emergent solutions to the real-world problem of SCSR identification. Keywords Sustainability, Risk management, Stakeholder management, Design science, Supply chain visibilit

Empowering remittance management in the digitised landscape: A real-time Data-Driven Decision Support with predictive abilities for financial transactions

The advent of Blockchain technology (BT) revolutionised the way remittance transactions are recorded. Banks and remittance organisations have shown a growing interest in exploring blockchain's potential advantages over traditional practices. This paper presents a data-driven predictive decision support approach as an innovative artefact designed for the blockchain-oriented remittance industry. Employing a theory-generating Design Science Research (DSR) approach, we have uncovered the emergence of predictive capabilities driven by transactional big data. The artefact integrates predictive analytics and Machine Learning (ML) to enable real-time remittance monitoring, empowering management decision-makers to address challenges in the uncertain digitised landscape of blockchain-oriented remittance companies. Bridging the gap between theory and practice, this research not only enhances the security of the remittance ecosystem but also lays the foundation for future predictive decision support solutions, extending the potential of predictive analytics to other domains. Additionally, the generated theory from the artifact's implementation enriches the DSR approach and fosters grounded and stakeholder theory development in the information systems domain.Comment: Ppaper has been accepted for presenting in the Australasian Conference on Information Systems 2023, Dec 6 to 8, Wellington, N

The discovery of cumulative knowledge: Strategies for designing and communicating qualitative research.

Purpose: this paper provides guidance for designing and generating cumulative knowledge based on qualitative research. Design/methodology/approach: the paper draws on the philosophy of science and specific examples of qualitative studies in accounting that have claimed a cumulative contribution to knowledge to develop a taxonomy of theoretically-justified approaches to generating cumulative knowledge from qualitative research. Findings: the paper argues for a definition of cumulative knowledge that is inclusive of anti-realist research, i.e. knowledge is cumulative if it increases the extent and density of intertextual linkages in a field. It identifies the possibility of cumulative qualitative research based on extensions to the scope of our knowledge and the depth of our knowledge. Extensions to the scope of our knowledge may include expanding the time periods, context, and/or theoretical perspective used to explore a phenomenon. Extensions to the depth of our knowledge may include new empirical knowledge, methodological pluralism, theory elaboration or analytic generalization. Individual studies can demonstrate their contribution to cumulative knowledge by locating their research within a typology/taxonomy that makes explicit the relationship of current research to past, and potential, research. Research limitations/implications: the taxonomy may be useful to qualitative researchers designing and reporting research that will have impact on the literature. Social implications: the increased use of research impact as an evaluation metric has the potential to handicap the development of qualitative research which has been characterized as generating non-cumulative knowledge. The taxonomy and the strategies for establishing cumulative impact may provide a means for this approach to research to establish its importance as a contribution to knowledge. Originality/value: The concept of cumulative knowledge has not been systematically applied to research based on qualitative methods in accounting

A Design Theory for Secure Semantic E-Business Processes (SSEBP)

This dissertation develops and evaluates a Design theory. We follow the design science approach (Hevener, et al., 2004) to answer the following research question: "How can we formulate a design theory to guide the analysis and design of Secure Semantic eBusiness processes (SSeBP)?" Goals of SSeBP design theory include (i) unambiguously represent information and knowledge resources involved in eBusiness processes to solve semantic conflicts and integrate heterogeneous information systems; (ii) analyze and model business processes that include access control mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to resources; and (iii) facilitate the coordination of eBusiness process activities-resources by modeling their dependencies. Business processes modeling techniques such as Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) (BPMI, 2004) and UML Activity Diagrams (OMG, 2003) lack theoretical foundations and are difficult to verify for correctness and completeness (Soffer and Wand, 2007). Current literature on secure information systems design methods are theoretically underdeveloped and consider security as a non-functional requirement and as an afterthought (Siponen et al. 2006, Mouratidis et al., 2005). SSeBP design theory is one of the first attempts at providing theoretically grounded guidance to design richer secure eBusiness processes for secure and coordinated seamless knowledge exchange among business partners in a value chain. SSeBP design theory allows for the inclusion of non-repudiation mechanisms into the analysis and design of eBusiness processes which lays the foundations for auditing and compliance with regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley. SSeBP design theory is evaluated through a rigorous multi-method evaluation approach including descriptive, observational, and experimental evaluation. First, SSeBP design theory is validated by modeling business processes of an industry standard named Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR) approach. Our model enhances CPFR by incorporating security requirements in the process model, which is critically lacking in the current CPFR technical guidelines. Secondly, we model the demand forecasting and capacity planning business processes for two large organizations to evaluate the efficacy and utility of SSeBP design theory to capture the realistic requirements and complex nuances of real inter-organizational business processes. Finally, we empirically evaluate SSeBP, against enhanced Use Cases (Siponen et al., 2006) and UML activity diagrams, for informational equivalence (Larkin and Simon, 1987) and its utility in generating situational awareness (Endsley, 1995) of the security and coordination requirements of a business process. Specific contributions of this dissertation are to develop a design theory (SSeBP) that presents a novel and holistic approach that contributes to the IS knowledge base by filling an existing research gap in the area of design of information systems to support secure and coordinated business processes. The proposed design theory provides practitioners with the meta-design and the design process, including the system components and principles to guide the analysis and design of secure eBusiness processes that are secure and coordinated

Building transformative capacities: integrating design research into port-city transformation

Port cities understood as complex human-environment systems are in an urgent need of complying with sustainability goals in the wake of the changing climate and the resulting economic and social consequences. Furthermore, such systems’ interdependencies are not fully understood, changes in them not fully predictable, and straight forward solutions to make them more fit for future challenges tackle part of the problem while generating other. Hence, port city development poses to any actor involved what researchers have identified since the 1970s as ‘a wicked problem’. Contemporary researchers engaged in the study of such problems increasingly recognise the inability of a single field of knowledge to generate pertinent answers, pointing at transdisciplinary science to be the only way out. In this paper we invoke basic tenets of transdisciplinary science to call for the inclusion of the discipline of landscape architecture into port-city studies. The disciplinary understanding of dynamic human-environment systems as ‘landscapes’ prompts the production of multi- and transdisciplinary knowledge, in particular through design research. Based on a case study of three design projects for transforming post-industrial port sites in Nantes (France), Gothenburg (Sweden), and Providence (U.S.A) the paper discusses how their design approaches (iterating, prototyping, simulating) could render planning procedures more dynamic. Furthermore, the paper theorise the interdependency of place and site, project and process, practice and theory

Cognitive science

Anthropologists and cognitive scientists interested in ethics and morality have much to gain from a two-way dialogue that does not shy away from constructive criticism. This chapter seeks to initiate such a conversation through an overview of three lines of recent research in cognitive science: the evolution of human morality from the standpoint of evolutionary psychology; theories that look to social institutions rather than only evolved psychological dispositions for insight into the variability of human moral dispositions; and studies of how responsibility and intentionality are ascribed in cases of wrongdoing. The final section offers some personal reflections on the methodological challenges of inter-disciplinary engagement, drawing on some of the authors’ recent research on morality and change in western Amazonia. It concludes that anthropologists can use experimental methods creatively, as a way of generating new ethnographic insights; although if genuine conversation on an equal footing is to take place, then ethnography must not only inform experimental design but also be employed to redefine concepts and generate theory