Continuous Adaptation in a High-Velocity Environment: A Study of the Dot-Com Experience

In this study, we examine the phenomenon of the decline in valuation of dot-com organizations and propose that dot-com organizations that have continuously altered their business model in response to the environment have been rewarded by superior valuations in the market place. We first present the dominant perspectives in organizational adaptation research, and discuss their relevance to the current study. Using the concept of business models, we investigate the strategic adaptation paths of 22 dot-com organizations in the period from 1998 through 2001 and correlate them against the performance of their share prices over the same period

Serving Young Adult Online Consumers: the Transcendental Role of Social Media

Young adult consumers today are transforming the e-commerce arena by creating new means of doing businesses such as social commerce or social e-shopping. Our research pivots round an in-depth qualitative study that explores the meaning of the lived experience of young adult consumers who use social media for online shopping. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted in the U.S. and China. In total, we recorded 437 minutes of interviews with young adult consumers. These audio recordings are now being transcribed and the text transcriptions will be coded and analyzed using Atlas.ti. We expect to understand and be able to interpret the essences of young adults\u27 online shopping experience, an experience in which social media provides a unique channel to construct the social experience of shopping. This role of social media is perceived as transcendental. In other words, it is not the social media itself that fulfills the social perspective of online shopping. Rather, for young adult consumers, the essences of social commerce reach beyond the media; they are bounded to the meaning, comprehension, and perception of the content and the pattern of information exchanged related to online shopping and the message reflected and interpreted by its receivers

Enabling Context-Based Learning with KPortal Webspace Technology

Recognizing the importance of context-based learning and the general lack of technology applications in the design and development of the ideal and formal curricula, this paper describes an experimental system at a large public university. The authors describe the creation of a contextual environment for introducing concepts related to information security to undergraduate business students using the KPortal (Knowledge Portals) webspace technology that supports dynamic content gathered from various sources automatically. The KPortal webspace rated highly on the various attributes of effective contexts and the characteristics of technologies that enable context-based learning. The flexibility provided by the webspace permitted the authors to develop adaptable environments in which the students could connect well with rather abstract concepts. The overall intervention was designed to examine if a limited portion of the course could be supported by technology and next phases of the research will broaden its use to semester-length curriculum

An Experimental Study of Bifurcated (Weekend and Weekday) and Unitary (Past Week) Retrospective Assessments of Sleep

Discordance between weekday and weekend sleep schedules is common (Bonnet & Arand, 1995; Breslau, Roth, Rosenthal, & Andreski, 1997; Machado, Varella, & Andrade, 1998; Strauch & Meier, 1988; Tsai & Li, 2004). Brief retrospective self-report measures are essential for epidemiological research studies (Moul, Hall, Pilkonis, & Buysse, 2004), but self-reports are prone to error in recall, and the greater the variability in nightly sleep, the less reliable are retrospective reports (Babkoff, Weller, & Lavidor, 1996). More accurate self-report responses may be possible if measures prompt participants to consider variations in sleep schedules that are consistent (i.e., weekday and weekend sleep schedules). The current study experimentally examined whether Bifurcated (Weekday and Weekend) retrospective assessments of sleep are more accurate than Unitary (Past Week) assessments. Participants were randomly assigned to complete one of the two versions (Bifurcated vs. Unitary) of the Sleep Questionnaire. One hundred and thirty-one participants were included in the analyses. Results of a a series of analyses demonstrated that the Bifurcated version of the Sleep Questionnaire provided more accurate and less variable estimates of total sleep time than the Unitary version of the Sleep Questionnaire. Differences between the versions of the Sleep Questionnaire for other sleep variables were less consistent, and the increased length of the Bifurcated version of the Sleep Questionnaire may have contributed to increased missing and unusable data in this group. Overall, the findings suggest that in both research and clinical work, retrospective measures that examine weekday and weekend sleep separately may offer advantages over retrospective measures that do not differentiate between weekday and weekend sleep

A Comparison of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, a New Sleep Questionnaire, and Sleep Diaries

Self-report retrospective estimates of sleep behaviors are not as accurate as prospective estimates from sleep diaries, but are more practical for epidemiological studies. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the validity of retrospective measures and improve upon them. The current study compared sleep diaries to two self-report retrospective measures of sleep, the commonly used Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and a newly developed sleep questionnaire (SQ), which assessed weekday and weekend sleep separately. It was hypothesized that the new measure would be more accurate than the PSQI because it accounts for variability in sleep throughout the week. The relative accuracy of the PSQI and SQ in obtaining estimates of total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), and sleep onset latency (SOL) was examined by comparing their mean differences from, and correlations with, estimates obtained by the sleep diaries. Correlations of the PSQI and SQ with the sleep diaries were moderate, with the SQ having significantly stronger correlations on the parameters of TST, SE, and sleep quality ratings. The SQ also had significantly smaller mean differences from sleep diaries on SOL and SE. The overall pattern of results indicated that the SQ performs better than the PSQI when compared to sleep diaries

Demonstrating Operating System Principles via Computer Forensics Exercises

We explore the feasibility of sparking student curiosity and interest in the core required MIS operating systems course through inclusion of computer forensics exercises into the course. Students were presented with two in-class exercises. Each exercise demonstrated an aspect of the operating system, and each exercise was written as a computer forensics investigation. Students were asked to indicate their perception of the practicality of the course material before and after completing the exercises. Based upon a t-test, we conclude that students find the course material to be of greater practical significance when course materials are linked to forensics topics

Organizational Engagement with Supply Chain Integration: Achieving a Tangible Strategy

Although supply chain management and supply chain integration have become topics found within today’s organization as well as topics for researchers from various disciplines, little research has been completed concerning the linkage between business strategy, supply chain strategy, and the resulting decision which an organization makes to enter into an integration initiative. This paper discusses the experience of one organization in formulating a supply chain strategy consistent with its business strategy. The paper concludes with key elements driving the supply chain which emerge from this linkage, a framework for determining the importance of the supply chain to the organization, and a discussion of the benefits gained from creating a tangible incarnation, an enactment, of the firm’s strategy

Outcomes and prognostic factors in parotid gland malignancies: A 10-year single center experience.

Objectives:To describe a 10-year single center experience with parotid gland malignancies and to determine factors affecting outcomes. Study Design:Retrospective review. Methods:The institutional cancer registry was used to identify patients treated surgically for malignancies of the parotid gland between January 2005 and December 2014. Clinical and pathologic data were collected retrospectively from patient charts and analyzed for their association with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Results:Two hundred patients were identified. Mean age at surgery was 57.8 years, and mean follow-up time was 52 months. One hundred two patients underwent total parotidectomy, while 77 underwent superficial parotidectomy, and 21 underwent deep lobe resection. Seventy patients (35%) required facial nerve (FN) sacrifice. Acinic cell carcinoma was the most common histologic type (22%), followed by mucoepidermoid carcinoma (21.5%) and adenoid cystic carcinoma (12.5%). Twenty-nine patients (14.5%) experienced recurrences, with mean time to recurrence of 23.6 months (range: 1-82 months). Five- and 10-year OS were 81% and 73%, respectively. Five- and 10-year DFS were 80% and 73%, respectively. In univariate analyses, age > 60, histologic type, positive margins, high grade, T-stage, node positivity, perineural invasion, and FN involvement were predictors of OS and DFS. In the multivariate analysis, histology, positive margins, node positivity, and FN involvement were independent predictors of OS and DFS. Conclusions:Our single-center experience of 200 patients suggests that histology, positive margins, node positivity, and FN involvement are independently associated with outcomes in parotid malignancies. Level of Evidence:4

Predicting length of stay in head and neck patients who undergo free flap reconstruction

ObjectiveUnderstanding factors that affect postoperative length of stay (LOS) may improve patient recovery, hasten postoperative discharge, and minimize institutional costs. This study sought to (a) describe LOS among head and neck patients undergoing free flap reconstruction and (b) identify factors that predict increased LOS.MethodsA retrospective cohort was performed of 282 head and neck patients with free flap reconstruction for oncologic resection between 2011 and 2013 at a tertiary academic medical center. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and surgical and infectious complications were characterized. Multivariable regression identified predictors of increased LOS.ResultsA total of 282 patients were included. Mean age was 64.7 years (SD = 12.2) and 40% were female. Most tumors were located in the oral cavity (53.9% of patients), and most patients underwent radial forearm free flap (RFFF) reconstruction (RFFF—73.8%, anterolateral thigh flap—11.3%, and fibula free flap—14.9%). Intraoperative complications were rare. The most common postoperative complications included nonwound infection (pneumonia [PNA] or urinary tract infection [UTI]) (15.6%) and wound breakdown/fistula (15.2%). Mean and median LOS were 13 days (SD = 7.7) and 10 days (interquartile range = 7), respectively. Statistically significant predictors of increased LOS included flap take back (Beta coefficient [C] = +4.26, P < .0001), in‐hospital PNA or UTI (C = +2.52, P = .037), wound breakdown or fistula (C = +5.0, P < .0001), surgical site infection (C = +3.54, P = .017), and prior radiation therapy (C = +2.59, P = .004).ConclusionSeveral perioperative factors are associated with increased LOS. These findings may help with perioperative planning, including the need for vigilant wound care, optimization of antibiotics prophylaxis, and institution‐level protocols for postoperative care and disposition of free flap patients.Level of Evidence2b; retrospective cohort.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155916/1/lio2410.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155916/2/lio2410_am.pd