Knowledge management, absorptive capacity and organisational culture: A case study from Chinese SMEs

Copyright © 2008 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below.Based on the analysis of an innovative medium sized enterprise from mainland China, this paper investigated the Knowledge Management (KM) issues by focusing on its KM enablers and process. This paper attempts to investigate how Chinese enterprises absorb knowledge from external sources; how they developed culture to facilitate Knowledge Management Processes (KMPs) and what major challenges they raise for the future by looking at the case study of a Chinese Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The case study indicates that Chinese enterprises emphasised knowledge acquisition and the capacities of knowledge absorption, application, creation, sharing and integration as vital to sustaining competitive advantage for these firms. Corporative organisational culture also has significant impact on the KM in those enterprises

Closing the Business-IT \u27Gap\u27: A Trust-Building Approach

This paper argues that inadequate levels of trust underlie the poor relationship between cross-functional groups, such as business and IT in organizations and suggests trust-building guidelines for tackling persisting issues of cross functional conflict to leverage organizations productivity and performance. The paper begins with re-interpreting existing literature on the business-IT ‘gap’ to highlight why it is sustained by an underlying issue of trust deficit in the relationship and why a trust-building approach is appropriate for creating sustainable change in the system. It then critiques available trust-building advice and suggests an alternative approach to trust building. The paper builds on this by providing guidelines for action aiming to close the Business-IT ‘gap’

A participatory qualitative analysis of barriers of public transport by persons with disabilities from seven European cities

Although there is literature published by a considerable number of scientific publications regarding disability and transport, the affected persons are only very rarely involved in the research. The paper presents the results of two qualitative studies conducted jointly with persons with different forms of disabilities: i) a social media content analysis and ii) peer-to-peer interviews with persons with disabilities (N = 49). The studies aimed to identify barriers that persons with access needs face during their trips with public transport. In line with a participatory approach, persons with disabilities from seven European cities were involved in conducting the research allowing for new interpretations of transport equity issues. Qualitative content analysis of both studies revealed barriers clustered into eight categories: regulations, public awareness and assistance, information provision and communication, infrastructure, vehicles, general service quality, stops and stations and emotional barriers. The two studies highlight important factors that influence disabled users’ experiences of public transport. Upon reflection, the paper derives research hypotheses and demonstrates the value of involving people with disabilities in the analysis of disability research to derive in-depth insights about equity in transport.Peer Reviewe

Shared mobility services: an accessibility assessment from the perspective of people with disabilities

Introduction: Shared on-demand mobility services emerge at a fast pace, changing the landscape of public trans- port. However, shared mobility services are largely designed without considering the access needs of people with disabilities, putting these passengers at risk of exclusion. Recognising that accessibility is best addressed at the design stage and through direct participation of persons with disabilities, the objective of this study was to explore disabled users’ views on the following emerging shared mobility services: (a) ride pooling, (b) microtransit, (c) motorbike taxis, (d) robotaxis, (f ) e-scooter sharing, and (g) bike sharing. Methodolgy: Using an online mobility survey, we sampled disabled users’ (1) views on accessibility, (2) use intention, and (3) suggestions for improving accessibility. The results reflect the responses of 553 individuals with different types of disabilities from 21 European countries. Results: Projected accessibility and use intention were greatest for microtransit, robotaxis, and ride pooling across different disabilities. In contrast, motorbike taxis, e-scooter sharing, and bike sharing were viewed as least accessible and least attractive to use, especially by persons with physical, visual, and multiple disabilities. Despite differences in projected accessibility, none of the shared mobility services would fulfil the access needs of disabled persons in their current form. Suggestions for increasing the accessibility of these services included (a) an ondemand door-to- door service, (b) an accessible booking app, (c) real-time travel information, and (d) the necessity of accommodating wheelchairs. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need for improving both vehicles and service designs to cater for the access needs of persons with disabilities and provide policymakers with recommendations for the design of accessible mobility solutions

Equity Gap: Advancing Accessibility of Emerging Mobility Services

Due to the novelty of emerging mobility services, such as ride pooling, e-scooter sharing or robotaxis, empirical studies that focus on the accessibility of these systems for vulnerable-to-exclusion citizens are still lacking. Some early studies point to benefits of emerging mobility systems for advancing accessibility of transport, like promoting independent travelling for visually impaired persons with autonomous vehicles (Bennett, Vijaygopal, & Kottasz, 2020) or via the integration of new mobility services in the public transport system (Palm, Farber, Shalaby, 2021 & Young). On the other hand, emerging mobility systems, such as bike sharing or e-scooter sharing are expected to decrease accessibility due to cost-related or skill-related exclusion (Milakis, Gebhardt, Ehebrecht & Lenz, 2020). This paper is based on the research aim to understand which measures do people with disabilities suggest to ensure the accessibility of emerging shared mobility services. understand the divergent needs and attitudes of people with access needs towards future mobility as a means for designing inclusive mobility solutions. The paper addresses this pertinent research question in more detail: It aims to understand the divergent needs and attitudes of people with access needs towards future mobility as a means of designing inclusive mobility solutions. The paper is based on an empirical study that was conducted within the European research project TRIPS (TRansport Innovation for vulnerable-to-exclusion People needs Satisfaction, https://trips-project.eu) that aims to empower people with different types of disabilities to play a central role in the design of inclusive future mobility solutions. A survey developed on the findings of a preceding qualitative study (König, Seiler, Alčiauskaitė, & Hatzakis, 2021), addressed the respondents’ views on topics such as local inclusion policies, emerging assistive technologies and COVID-19 related changes of mobility. The survey was translated to 15 languages and disseminated via networks of disability organizations, newsletters and social media. After data cleansing, data from 553 respondents from 21 European countries were analysed. The mean age of respondents was 46.4 years (SD = 15.7 years). The sample consisted of people with different impairments: physical (53.7%), visual (15.4%), hearing (8.1%), mental (2.9%), intellectual (3.1%), multiple (15.4%) and other impairments (1.1%). Whereas the project adopts a broader view on mobility, this paper focusses on six emerging shared mobility services: ride pooling, bike sharing, e-scooter-sharing, motorbike taxi, microtransit and robotaxis. In particular, we present the findings of a single open-ended question: “What would you need to make this system work for you?”. Data was analysed using the inductive category development approach of qualitative content analysis using the software MAXQDA. Overall, more than 660 suggestions were identified and used for the analysis. The results were clustered to seven different areas of measures: 1) service design aspects, 2) vehicle design concepts, 3) measures to increasing social awareness and training of staff, 4) policy measures and regulations, 5) infrastructure measures, 6) safety, 7) human-machine-interaction and 7) affordability. Data was analysed using the inductive category development approach of qualitative content analysis using the software MAXQDA. Overall, more than 660 suggestions were identified and used for the analysis. The results were clustered to seven different areas of measures: 1) service design aspects, 2) vehicle design concepts, 3) measures to increasing social awareness and training of staff, 4) policy measures and regulations, 5) infrastructure measures, 6) safety, 7) human-machine-interaction and 7) affordability. The code matrix browser provides an overview over the code system and compares the frequency of codes for the six mobility services. For robotaxis, suggestions often fell within the category human-machine-interaction by indicating the need for accessible interaction systems with the driverless vehicle, such as a sign language transcription system, easy-read information and voice commands. The respondents requested design concepts to identify the pick-up stop and the vehicle. Suggestions from physically-impaired people underlined the need for automatic ramps for self-boarding. With regard to bike sharing, suggestions mostly pointed to adapted vehicles concepts that support keeping one’s balance, such as four-wheelers, tandems or tricycles. Respondents also expressed the need for the service to be compatible with wheelchairs or strollers, e.g., handbikes and support while riding by electric support or even self-driving bikes. For e-scooter sharing, suggestions were comparable to the bike sharing results. Beyond, the availability of a seat would be desirable to respondents with physical impairments. Regardless of the form of disability, respondents made a wish for the possibility of being accompanied by a companion. Suggestions with regard to the concept of microtransit highlighted the need for a door-to-door-service, an on-demand service that does not require long pre-booking times and wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Some comments also emphasized the wish for non-shared vehicles or separate compartments. Suggestions for ride pooling were in most parts comparable to microtransit. Furthermore, respondents required a location detection of the vehicle and an alternative to app-based booking. With regard to motorbike taxis, suggestions pointed to the need for training drivers in interacting with persons with disabilities. As for other two-wheelers, design concepts were requested for increasing stability and for carrying a companion. Furthermore, an alternative to wearing a helmet was required by some persons, e.g., due to wearing a cochlear implant. To conclude, several suggestions from respondents address measures for increasing accessibility across the six mobility services. To highlight two suggestions, booking systems that do not require mobile internet access and ensuring a certain soundstage of the vehicles for their identification are examples for advancing accessibility of these emerging mobility systems. It should also be noted that most of the suggestions for improvements, such as separate infrastructure or reliable and predictable information, would also benefit people without disabilities

Exploring ethics and human rights in artificial intelligence – A Delphi study

Ethical and human rights issues of artificial intelligence (AI) are a prominent topic of research and innovation policy as well as societal and scientific debate. It is broadly recognised that AI-related technologies have properties that can give rise to ethical and human rights concerns, such as privacy, bias and discrimination, safety and security, economic distribution, political participation or the changing nature of warfare. Numerous ways of addressing these issues have been suggested. In light of the complexity of this discussion, we undertook a Delphi study with experts in the field to determine the most pressing issues and prioritise appropriate mitigation strategies. The results of the study demonstrate the difficulty of defining clear priorities. Our findings suggest that the debate around ethics and human rights of AI would benefit from being reframed and more strongly emphasising the systems nature of AI ecosystems

A reflection on participatory research methodologies in the light of the COVID-19 – lessons learnt from the European Research Project TRIPS

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has had considerable impacts on research projects, particularly those adopting participatory approaches. This paper reflects on the methodological adaptations employed by the European research project TRIPS to facilitate co-design and open innovation practices towards the development of accessible mobility solutions. The article reports how the methods were adapted to facilitate participatory research with almost no physical meetings. In doing so, the paper presents the alternative ‘distanced-based’ participatory approaches employed to engage users with disabilities and institutional stakeholders in the transport ecosystem, like online workshops, social media content analysis, online surveys and peer-to-peer telephone interviews. Lessons learnt and practical guidelines for distance-based participatory research are presented and discussed with the aim of increasing resilience in the light of future changes

Artificial intelligence for human flourishing – Beyond principles for machine learning

open access articleThe technical and economic benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) are counterbalanced by legal, social and ethical issues. It is challenging to conceptually capture and empirically measure both benefits and downsides. We therefore provide an account of the findings and implications of a multi-dimensional study of AI, comprising 10 case studies, five scenarios, an ethical impact analysis of AI, a human rights analysis of AI and a technical analysis of known and potential threats and vulnerabilities. Based on our findings, we separate AI ethics discourse into three streams: (1) specific issues related to the application of machine learning, (2) social and political questions arising in a digitally enabled society and (3) metaphysical questions about the nature of reality and humanity. Human rights principles and legislation have a key role to play in addressing the ethics of AI. This work helps to steer AI to contribute to human flourishing

Investigating knowledge management factors affecting Chinese ICT firms performance: An integrated KM framework

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in the Journal of Information Systems Management, 28(1), 19 - 29, 2011, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/10580530.2011.536107.This article sets out to investigate the critical factors of Knowledge Management (KM) which are considered to have an impact on the performance of Chinese information and communication technology (ICT) firms. This study confirms that the cultural environment of an enterprise is central to its success in the context of China. It shows that a collaborated, trusted, and learning environment within ICT firms will have a positive impact on their KM performance