Showing papers on "Diffusion of innovations published in 2002"

Integrating models of diffusion of innovations: a Conceptual Framework.

Abstract: ▪ Abstract This chapter provides a conceptual framework for integrating the array of variables defined in diffusion research to explicate their influence on an actor's decision to adopt an innovation. The framework groups the variables into three major components. The first component includes characteristics of the innovation itself, within which two sets of variables are defined concerning public versus private consequences and benefits versus costs of adoption. A second component involves the characteristics of innovators (actors) that influence the probability of adoption of an innovation. Within this component six sets of variables concern societal entity of innovators (either people, organizations, states, etc.), familiarity with the innovation, status characteristics, socioeconomic characteristics, position in social networks, and personal qualities. The third component involves characteristics of the environmental context that modulate diffusion via structural characteristics of the modern world. T...

Interlocking Interactions, the Diffusion of Innovations in Health Care

Abstract: This article aims to provide a reassessment of the processes of diffusion of innovations into organizations, based on new empirical data. The focus of the article is the latter stages of the diffusion process. The article draws on the results of two studies, which examined the diffusion of innovations in health care in the UK. These projects were a matched pair of qualitative studies, using purposeful selections of comparative case studies. The results demonstrate the ambiguous, contested nature of new scientific knowledge. The highly interactive nature of diffusion, with active adopters is illustrated. There is no evidence of a single adoption decision. The science is socially mediated. The features of context and of actors interlock to influence diffusion.

Will the `Principles of Effectiveness' improve prevention practice? Early findings from a diffusion study

Abstract: This study examines adoption and implementation of the US Department of Education’s new policy, the ‘Principles of Effectiveness’, from a diffusion of innovations theoretical framework. In this report, we evaluate adoption in relation to Principle 3: the requirement to select researchbased programs. Results from a sample of 104 school districts in 12 states indicate that many districts appear to be selecting research-based curricula, but that the quality of implementation is low. Only 19% of the responding district coordinators indicated that schools were implementing a research-based curriculum with fidelity. Common problems included lack of teacher training, lack of requisite materials, use of some but not all of the required lessons and teaching strategies, and failure to deliver lessons to age-appropriate student groups. This study represents the first attempt to assess the quality of implementation of research-based programs as required by the Principles of Effectiveness. We conclude that low levels of funding, inadequate infrastructure, decentralized decision making and lack of program guidance have contributed to the slow progress in improving school-based prevention.

A framework for the dissemination and utilization of research for health-care policy and practice.

Abstract: Purpose (1) The purpose of this paper is to construct a comprehensive framework of research dissemination and utilization that is useful for both health policy and clinical decision-making. Organizing Construct (2) The framework illustrates that the process of the adoption of research evidence into health-care decisionmaking is influenced by a variety of characteristics related to the individual, organization, environment and innovation. The framework also demonstrates the complex interrelationships among these characteristics as progression through the five stages of innovation-namely, knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation and confirmation- occurs. Finally, the framework integrates the concepts of research dissemination, evidence-based decision-making and research utilization within the diffusion of innovations theory. Methods (3) During the discussion of each stage of the innovation adoption process, relevant literature from the management field (i.e., diffusion of innovations, organizational management and decision-making) and health-care sector (i.e., research dissemination and utilization and evidence based practice) is summarized. Studies providing empirical data contributing to the development of the framework were assessed for methodological quality. Conclusions (4) The process of research dissemination and utilization is complex and determined by numerous intervening variables related to the innovation (research evidence), organization, environment and individual.

Buying cars online: the adoption of the web for high-involvement, high-cost purchases

Abstract: This research explores the adoption of the Web throughout the buying process within high-value, high-involvement product categories (the car sector). Diffusion of innovations (Rogers, 1983) and innovation resistance Ram and Sheth (1989) theories are utilised and found to be useful. The research is exploratory, based on eight qualitative, semi-structured individual interviews with potential car buyers. Findings indicate that there is resistance to adopting online car purchase overall, but relative advantage is recognised at the early, information seeking stages. Consumers use the Web to improve the balance of power between themselves and car salespeople. Innovation resistance during later stages, result from the need for personal experience of the product prior to purchase, ie test driving, as well as the uncertainty regarding after-sales support. Further resistance comes from a reluctance to give up the social aspects of car buying and a perceived inability to negotiate with websites. It is suggested that organisations operating in these markets should focus Web activities on information provision, or opt for a hybrid strategy using both online and offline channels

Modeling diffusion of innovations in a social network.

Abstract: A simple model of diffusion of innovations in a social network with upgrading costs is introduced. Agents are characterized by a single real variable, their technological level. According to local information, agents decide whether to upgrade their level or not, balancing their possible benefit with the upgrading cost. A critical point where technological avalanches display a power-law behavior is also found. This critical point is characterized by a macroscopic observable that turns out to optimize technological growth in the stationary state. Analytical results supporting our findings are found for the globally coupled case.

Evolution of Prices in Electronic Markets Under Diffusion of Price-Comparison Shopping

Abstract: Price-comparison engines allow customers to compare product offerings of online sellers and reveal almost complete information on the alternatives, and hence create erosion in store loyalty Consequently,the competitive dynamics of online sales are affected in markets where price-comparison shopping is diffusing rapidly We develop a dynamic competitive pricing model that deals with an asymmetric duopolistic market where the segment sizes are determined through a diffusion process Our diffusion-of-innovations approach allows us to dynamically capture the proportion of informed and uninformed customers in a homogenous goods market We use this model to analyze how strategic profit-maximization behavior evolves over time This analysis shows that the increasing numbers of price-comparison shoppers pull prices down, and the rate at which prices decrease is shaped by the diffusion curve and brand preference Our analysis shows that stores with loyal customers, or with a preference for their brands, can attain higher profits further into the diffusion process The direct implication is that firms should use their information technology, operations, and marketing capabilities to create, enhance, and cultivate stronger preferences for, and loyalty to, their brand names to survive the inevitable information-rich markets of tomorrow

Organizational designs for R&D

Abstract: Executive OverviewResearch and development is becoming increasingly business-oriented, and corporate reliance on new technology and innovation is greater than ever. How can RD they direct R&D resources more toward products and markets rather than basic scientific activities. Networked designs push the boundaries of R&D outside the confines of a central R&D group and the firm as a whole. Integrated models use sophisticated communication linkages to tie centralized, science-based activities with the business needs of the corporation. Within the three design approaches, there are design variants, each with its positive and negative tradeoffs. We...

Media Saturation and Entertainment—Education

Abstract: Entertainment—education initiatives face unique problems in media—saturated countries such as the United States. Five media theories (uses and gratifications, cultivation, agenda setting, knowledge gap, and diffusion of innovations) are reviewed for guidance in creating effects in such environments. Recommendations for entertainment—education initiatives in media—saturated countries are suggested including: reconsideration of the type of effects possible, the use of individual differences to target and effect audiences, consideration of competing social factors in choice of message and sender, and combining efforts of campaigners to create a cultivation—level theme message.

Putting empirically supported treatment into practice: Lessons learned in a children's mental health center.

Abstract: With the increasing focus on service accountability, there is an urgent need to identify empirically supported treatments (ESTs) and disseminate their use in the daily practice of mental health organizations. This articledescribes the authors' experiences of implementing an EST at a children's mental health center by involving the collaboration of clinicians, administrators, and innovator(s). Initially, a small group of clinicians voluntarily commit to pilot test the EST, with the intention of evaluating the adoption and integration of the treatment model into the organization's full-service delivery system. Using E. M. Rogers's (1995) work on the diffusion of innovations, the current case study example suggests that ESTs can be flexibly and successfully implemented with integrity.

The Diffusion of Information Technology in Singapore Schools: a Process Framework:

Abstract: This study looked into the way in which Singapore implemented the use of information technology in its schools. It adopted a process framework in using the diffusion approach to study the issue. Instead of focusing primarily on the outcome of adoption it also looked at context and actors' dimensions. The study found that the communication process was persuasion-oriented instead of interaction-oriented as intended by the new communication model. The communication process was outcome-oriented; communication was pro-innovation-biased and the message preoccupied with persuasion. Little room was given for the active interpretation of recipients and involvement of the recipients in planning. The study found that the practical operation of the two-way communication model was limited by the inherent top-down approach of the diffusion approach. It also found that the integration of IT into lessons was best achieved by granting autonomy to the schools.

Water Policy and Cultural Exchange: Transferring Lessons from Around the World to the Western United States

Abstract: Part of the Environmental Law Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, International Law Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Law Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Peace and Conflict Studies Commons, Public Policy Commons, State and Local Government Law Commons, Sustainability Commons, Transnational Law Commons, Water Law Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons

An introductory overview of innovation studies

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to provide a broad overview of the field of innovation studies. We focus on the the economics and sociology of innovation, which we can define as the study of the dynamic processes of generation, development, adoption ad diffusion of innovations in the economic and social system, as well as the characteristics of such processes and their effects on society and the economy. In order to present the many, complex and sometimes overlapping strands of research on innovation, we have chosen a disciplinary criterion. We have therefore identified several different theoretical perspectives on innovation and within each one we have tried to unravel the main issues that are being investigated. However, any attempt to categorise and streamline such a complex topic does, to some exent, introduce arbitrary distinctions in the analysis. In the last section, we explicitly focus on trying to re-estabilish some connections between different perspectives, and we try to uncover some general trends in innovation studies.

Managing Projects with Strong Technological Rupture - Case of High-Speed Ground Transportation

Abstract: Managing the launch of new technological trajectories is a complex task, especially in the case of High-Speed Ground Transportation (HSGT) Systems. For instance, Maglev systems are now developed since 40 years, and none of these technologies has been implemented until the first Transrapid contract for Shanghai (which could lead to a 1250 km track between Beijing and Shanghai). What are the future challenges for cutting-edge technologies such as a Swissmetro or the Japanese MLX-01? Behind such a question stands the problem of managing technological rupture. This brings us beyond the engineering field since it implies leading change and innovation through organizations, institutions and policy. HSGT innovations with strong technological rupture are complex to manage, involving industry, operators, institutions and politicians. The structure of public/private investments and the long lead-life of such projects (much longer than many industrial ones) require from decision-makers a good understanding of the management of complex systems. This presupposes a good technology assessment, in order to identify technological lock-ins, performances and benefits. However only assessing the intrinsic and extrinsic projects’ value without the ability to introduce change wouldn’t be enough: The ability to lead changes in cultures, organizations and processes is a determinant of the successful development and diffusion of such technologies. Therefore, the aim of this research is to examine the role of industry, operators and institutions in the implementation of innovative transportation networks and in the diffusion of innovations. Depending on the national context, experiences have been different depending on the countries. Innovative projects have sometimes been successful; other times they have failed, with millions of dollars wasted. Decision-making is a hard task, especially when it concerns R&D investments in projects that imply strong technological rupture. The assessment of risks and uncertainties is not an easy task, as decision-making unfolds in design, construction and operation phases. Therefore, the importance of integrating structural and organizational factors into the analysis seems to be necessary to provide pertinent recommendations for the management of such projects. For this purpose, this research provides a methodological approach with a view to understanding the impact of the technological rupture on project management, leading to a set of recommendations. Those ones are based on case studies, as well as the elaboration of Two HSGT Innovation Models, whose understanding is also enlightened by the development of several conceptual Models. The methodology can be described as follow: 1. Case studies: identification of critical factors of success/failure: - Related to the structure of the market and its evolution - Related to the notion of innovation and rupture 2. Elaboration of innovation models for HSGT technologies: - Modeling innovation processes: main existing models - Modeling diffusion processes of innovations, and decision-making - Elaboration of 2 HSGT innovation models – Putting into perspective the critical factors identified 3. Modeling the influence of institutional & organizational factors 4. Developing an approach centered on the notion of risk/opportunity - Defining a methodological approach in order to identify the risks related to the rupture - Identifying the impacts of the technological rupture on risks and uncertainties 5. Providing recommendations on project management Recommendations related to the critical factors underlined by the case studies and the conceptual models. This constitutes the important steps of this research, leading to a better understanding of innovation processes and how to manage them. The identification of critical factors in the management of such projects as well as recommendations are embodied in a Project Management Assessment Tool (PMAS). which is presented in annex. The originality of this research is to analyze, in a multi-perspective approach, innovation processes in the development of new technological trajectories characterized by strong technological rupture. The value of this research also resides in the international perspective of experiences through the case studies: This led to better take into account market and political contexts for recommendations on how to manage the rupture. This being said, this approach also provides a good basis for analyzing innovations in large technical systems in general, the nature of which go beyond private interests and are by nature dependent on public and political interests.

The diffusion of innovations into psychiatric practice.

Abstract: Unsurprisingly, given that this is the Clinical Computing column, the assessment and treatment systems I mentioned above are built on computer technology. They are part of a compelling body of literature reporting the efficacy of computers in clinical psychiatry. Among other findings, this literature claims that patients like giving their histories to computers (3), that adolescents are more honest with computers than with clinicians (4), that computer-based assessments can be comparable to the best rating instruments used in research (5), and that computer-assisted treatments are effective and well received (2,6,7). Scores of papers, none convincingly challenged. Why have computer-based systems not swept into clinical use? Rogers (8), in his seminal Diffusion of Innovations, studied the elements that determine whether an innovation spreads throughout a group. He and other innovation researchers have examined a host of historical successful and unsuccessful innovations and tried to identify the factors that explain the variance. His examples range from the adoption of scurvy prophylaxis by the British Navy to the popular rejection of the Dvorak typewriter-keyboard layout.

Diffusion of an Educational Innovation in Trinidad and Tobago The Role of Teacher Attitudes and Perceptions toward Computers in the Classroom

Abstract: New communication technologies, such as computers, are particularly beneficial to several development initiatives including education. In an attempt to ascertain the feasibility of successfully dif...

Diffusion of Courses with World Wide Web Features: Perceptions of Journalism and Mass Communication Program Administrators

Abstract: Journalism professionals, university administrators, educators, and students, are participating in or are at least witnessing a transition between traditional print and broadcast emphases in journalism training and a profession that is increasingly influenced by the Internet, the World Wide Web (Web) and media convergence.1 The Internet is transforming how communication professionals and journalists go about their work.2 The new generation of students will need to combine basic skills in writing and thinking with new media coursework that emphasizes all aspects of human communication. This study examined perceptions of top administrators concerning courses with Web features at Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC) programs. ASJMC promotes itself as an organization of leaders whose purpose is to take a "catalytic" role in education in the journalism field. This project studied the imperatives/pressures to implement courses with Web features and resistances to implementation. The study also examined administrators' perceptions of conditions that facilitate implementation of educational technology innovations. Background Some academics and professionals have criticized schools for being slow to respond to the need for new technology training for both faculty and students.3 Research shows that educators at accredited journalism and mass communication programs in the United States agree that programs without a significant Web presence are ignoring the impact of technology on the field.4 Universities today face many external and internal pressures to become more actively involved in the educational applications of new technologies.5 A number of universities are now examining the potential benefits of using Web-based technologies as a way of offering pedagogically viable solutions to challenging instructional problems. Political and economic factors, however, not educational priorities, can drive technological innovations in higher education.6 The Internet and the Web in education overcome many of the constraints imposed by traditional educational infrastructures.7 Some examples of such constraints include time of instruction, geographical space, and lecture-based teaching. Recent communication research has focused on the potential benefits or pressures to adopt and implement Web courses, from administrative and pedagogical perspectives.8 Administrators, for example, are enthusiastic about marketing opportunities of the Web courses to attract untapped pools of students and/or to bolster flagging enrollments. Pedagogically, there are potential Web course benefits of active learning, empowerment of the student, real world simulations, and faster feed-back. There are eight main conditions that facilitate the implementation of educational technology innovations.9 Ely developed this information based upon 50 structured interviews he conducted with educators in Southeast Asia and Latin America. Dissatisfaction with the status quo is the first factor that facilitates change. Second, knowledge and skills concerning the technology must be present for the change to occur. Third, adequate resources must be available. Fourth, there must be adequate time to implement. Fifth, there should be rewards or incentives for participation. Sixth, active participation in the adoption decision is expected and encouraged. Ely noted that often in education, decisions are made by others and then handed down for implementation. Seventh, there needs to be commitment by those involved. Finally, leadership must be evident in terms of the executive in charge and a project leader who is more involved on a daily basis. The absence of any condition will probably reduce the effectiveness of the implementation process. Theoretical Base A diffusion of innovations (DOI) theorist, Everett M. Rogers, stated that while some innovations, such as the Internet, do not face much resistance, certain areas such as education and religion tend to offer strong resistances to innovations. …

Public Policy and Diffusion of Innovation

Abstract: Marketers have traditionally studied diffusion of innovation with a primary focus on the individual consumer as a unit of analysis, the major types of findings being characteristics of adopter categories and opinion leadership. We propose that this perspective is not adequate from a macromarketing perspective, in which the goals are to set public policy for societal good or to create an environment which enables the diffusion of an innovation in a way that no single marketer could do alone. In setting public policy which can enable (or inhibit) diffusion of innovation for societal good, a system composed of a mass social infrastructure, a competitive infrastructure, and a technical infrastructure should be considered.

Electronic databases in public libraries: issues of organisational adoption

Abstract: Based on research which evaluated content, usability, and use of electronic databases in public library settings, user adoptions are examined. This is done in terms of Everett Rogers' analysis of the diffusion of innovations. In this case, it was an organisation, the State Library of Victoria, which decided to adopt an innovation on behalf of the public libraries of Victoria. Nevertheless, Rogers' framework is useful for understanding why staff and library users were slower than might be expected to accept or adopt electronic databases for their information seeking. Training is the main way in which this situation could be changed ********** Librarians in all sectors are playing a key role in the diffusion of electronic technologies. It is through libraries that many people use technologies such as cdroms, online databases or the internet for the first time. The attitudes of librarians to new technologies are therefore very important. For example, in the early stages of the introduction of a set of online databases into a public library, the extent to which librarians understand and promote the databases, and assist users, will be crucial to their acceptance. As Holland says, it is through persuading patrons to adopt information/networked technology that librarians act as change agents in the wider diffusion process. `The concepts of diffusion, change agency, and critical mass provide ... a structure and criteria to analyse how effective [librarians] are, and reasons why some projects succeed and others fail'. (1) In relation to this concept of the librarian as change agent in the diffusion of innovation this article discusses a project which was undertaken in Victoria in 2000. The project evaluated the content, usability and use of four sets of electronic databases--World magazine bank (Ebsco Host); two Gale products, Health reference library (now Health and wellness resources center) and Custom database; and Electric library (at that stage, an Infosentials product). These electronic databases were provided on a trial basis in the public libraries of Victoria by the State Library of Victoria (SLV), through the Gulliver program. (2) Members of Enterprise Information Resources Group (EIRG)/ Information and Telecommunications Needs Research Group (ITNR) at Monash University were involved in the evaluation of the pilot program at four Victorian public libraries (Bayside and Port Phillip in metropolitan areas; Corangamite, a regional library service and Casey-Cardinia in a semi rural area). The chief investigators, Associate Professor Frada Burstein and Dr Kirsty Williamson received an ARC Spirt grant in partnership with SLV/Vicnet, to undertake the research. (3) SLV/Vicnet also contributed funding to the project. As well as trialing the databases with individual users, focus groups were conducted with staff in each of the public libraries. With both groups of participants, interesting and rich data emerged from the fieldwork. Although an important focus of the project was the evaluation of the databases from a user perspective, this paper is largely concerned with user adoption of the databases for finding information in a library context. Diffusion of innovations Everett Rogers is a famous name in the literature about the diffusion of innovations. In 1962 he published a landmark study Diffusion of innovation which is now in its fourth edition. (4) In the latest edition he analyses and critiques the 4,000 publications available at that time, compared with the 405 publications which provided the supporting evidence for the first edition in 1962. The theoretical framework he began to develop in the original edition has been revised and updated in each subsequent edition. Rogers describes five attributes of innovation * `Relative advantage is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as better than the idea it supersedes. This might include economic profitability or social prestige, for example. …

Process Moves in The Intra-organizational Diffusion of Knowledge Management: Preliminary Findings from A Study on CKO Effectiveness

Abstract: The existing literature on Chief Knowledge Officers (CKOs) focuses on individual characteristics and organizational context but fails to convincingly address the issue of process dynamics in terms of effective and ineffective CKO moves and strategies. In order to address this gap we review propositions from the management fashion, diffusion of innovations and issue selling literatures, and identify sets of effective and ineffective CKO process moves based on an empirical study of CKOs in large industrial and financial service companies in Germany and Switzerland. The paper proposes an agenda for future CKO research, and concludes with a set of guidelines for organizational practice.

Transnational ties that bind. The Gandhian repertoire's passage from India to the American civil rights movement

Abstract: How did the Gandhian repertoire of collective action travel from the Indian independence movement to the American civil rights movement? Why did it take more than three decades before African-American activists adopted and implemented Gandhi's style of protest? Since neither historians nor social scientists have developed convincing answers to these questions, this article proposes a new theoretical framework for studying transnational diffusion between social movements. It argues that (1) diffusion items may be dynamic and malleable rather than finished products; (2) receiving critical communities face interpretive obstacles produced by mainstream opinion leaders and media; (3) receiving critical communities can overcome these obstacles through mental dislocation and physical relocation of the diffusion item; and (4) dislocation and relocation take place in the context of two diffusion mechanisms -- brokerage and collective appropriation. This theoretical framework not only allows for better answers to the two specific questions above, but should also enable more sophisticated explanations for other cases of transnational diffusion between social movements. 66 References. Adapted from the source document.

Simulation models of the adoption process in smallholder farming systems in nigeria

Abstract: Adoption and diffusion of innovations are central to the understanding of the process of change in human societies. Despite the considerable work in the 1980s and 1990s to understand the factors influencing the adoption decision of farmers and adoption potentials of innovations, it remains difficult for researchers to predict with a reasonable degree of certainty how innovations will thrive when they are released into farming systems. This three-stage study therefore seeks to develop simulation models for estimating the potential level of adoption of recommended practices in smallholder farming systems. The first stage of the research involves a content analysis of 36 studies to identify the key variables in the adoption and diffusion process in smallholder farming systems in Nigeria. These variables were categorized as dependent variable (adoption), intervening variables (knowledge of farm innovations, attitude to change from existing to new technology, communication about innovation and contribution of agriculture to GDP) and explanatory variables (socio-economic factors, communication and extension factors, innovation characteristics and national social, economic and environmental factors). In the second stage, data were extracted from 27 similar studies. These data were used to propose four models of the adoption process for small farmers in Nigeria. Model 1 (Nigerian Small Farmer Adoption Model version 1 (NSFAMI) was developed from all the data collected. Model 2 (Nigerian Small Farmer Adoption Model version 2 (NSFAM2) was developed using the 23 studies conducted between 1991 and 2001. Model 3 (Southwest Nigerian Small Farmer Adoption Model (SWNSFAM)) was developed using the 16 studies that were conducted in this agro-ecological zone. Model 4 (Ogun State Small Farmer Adoption Model (OGSSFAM)) was developed with data from the 8 studies conducted in (Ogun State. .,In the third stage of the research, primary data on the key variables in the adoption process were obtained from 77 farmers selected in a multi-stage process in (Ogun State. These data were used to demonstrate the use of the models in strategic planning of interventions, understanding impact of interventions in a farming system, decision making about alternative innovations and evaluating the performance of innovations over time. In order to test the predictive power of the models, adoption scores predicted by the models were compared with observed values obtained both in a 1994 study in (Ogun State and the 2002 survey in the State. Three of the models (NSFAM2, SWNSFAM and OGSSFAM) produced similar results to the 1994 survey while two of the models (NSFAM2 and OGSSFAM) produced results similar to the 2002 survey. It was thus demonstrated that at least two of the models (NSFAM2 and OGSSFAM) can serve as useful tools for a better understanding of the adoption process of smallholder farming systems in (Ogun State. However, the fact that NSFAM2 contains data from 15 other locations in Nigeria suggests that it can also be of some use in other States of the Federation