Showing papers on "Diffusion of innovations published in 2013"

Social networks in political campaigns: Facebook and the congressional elections of 2006 and 2008

Abstract: This study examines the early adoption and dissemination of emerging technology tools in campaigns by analyzing which candidates were the most likely to adopt and use Facebook in the 2006 and 2008 elections to the US House of Representatives. The research hypotheses draw primarily from the diffusion of innovation literature. Our analysis of 802 candidates in 2006 and 816 candidates in 2008 indicates that Facebook adoption diffused rapidly between 2006 and 2008, with party (Democrats), competition, money and the level of education in the district explaining both adoption and implementation. Challengers and candidates for open seats were more likely to be early adopters, but incumbents used Facebook more extensively. Both higher adoption rates by peers or competitors in the candidate’s own state and a propensity to adopt earlier campaign technologies are strong positive motivators for early adoption, but irrelevant to usage.

From policy to practice: implementation of physical activity and food policies in schools.

Abstract: Purpose: Public policies targeting the school setting are increasingly being used to address childhood obesity; however, their effectiveness depends on their implementation. This study explores the factors which impeded or facilitated the implementation of publicly mandated school-based physical activity and nutrition guidelines in the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 school informants (17 principals - 33 teacher/school informants) to examine the factors associated with the implementation of the mandated Daily Physical Activity (DPA) and Food and Beverage Sales in Schools (FBSS) guidelines. Coding used a constructivist grounded theory approach. The first five transcripts and every fifth transcript thereafter were coded by two independent coders with discrepancies reconciled by a third coder. Data was coded and analysed in the NVivo 9 software. Concept maps were developed and current theoretical perspectives were integrated in the later stages of analysis. Results: The Diffusion of Innovations Model provided an organizing framework to present emergent themes. With the exception of triability (not relevant in the context of mandated guidelines/policies), the key attributes of the Diffusion of Innovations Model (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, and observability) provided a robust framework for understanding themes associated with implementation of mandated guidelines. Specifically, implementation of the DPA and FBSS guidelines was facilitated by perceptions that they: were relatively advantageous compared to status quo; were compatible with school mandates and teaching philosophies; had observable positive impacts and impeded when perceived as complex to understand and implement. In addition, a number of contextual factors including availability of resources facilitated implementation. Conclusions: The enactment of mandated policies/guidelines for schools is considered an essential step in improving physical activity and healthy eating. However, policy makers need to: monitor whether schools are able to implement the guidelines, support schools struggling with implementation, and document the impact of the guidelines on students’ behaviors. To facilitate the implementation of mandated guidelines/policies, the Diffusion of Innovations Model provides an organizational framework for planning interventions. Changing the school environment is a process which cannot be undertaken solely by passive means as we know that such approaches have not resulted in adequate implementation.

Social Media and Campaign 2012: Developments and Trends for Facebook Adoption

Abstract: Diffusion of innovation theory is used to explain adoption of Facebook in the 2012 campaigns for the U.S. Congress and to identify characteristics that differentiate the small subset of candidates who did not create a Facebook presence from the large majority who did. Models of Facebook adoption for House candidates reveal that there are no differences between Republicans and Democrats. Nonadopters are significantly more likely to be challengers or open-seat candidates, poorly financed candidates, candidates in noncompetitive races, and older. Among nonincumbents, Republicans, and candidates from Republican-oriented districts are more likely to adopt. This study serves as one of the first examinations of social media adoption by congressional candidates in the 2012 elections and discusses relevant developments and trends in adoption since Facebook's introduction in 2006.

The application of technology acceptance and diffusion of innovation models in healthcare informatics

Abstract: There have been many attempts to apply previously developed models of technology acceptance and the diffusion of innovations; however the models have weaknesses in predicting the behaviour of individuals and organisations, particularly within the complex health domain. The insights recent work on these models offer is relevant to health informatics development and innovation and need to be considered in the development of organisational strategies. This paper analyses the merits of several relevant models and explores their potential significance for the success or otherwise of health related Information Technology projects, highlighting their weaknesses in relation to the lack of differentiation between technological and human factors which limit their applicability in practice.

A model for occupational safety and health intervention diffusion to small businesses.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Smaller businesses differ from their larger counterparts in having higher rates of occupational injuries and illnesses and fewer resources for preventing those losses. Intervention models developed outside the United States have addressed the resource deficiency issue by incorporating intermediary organizations such as trade associations. METHODS: This paper extends previous models by using exchange theory and by borrowing from the diffusion of innovations model. It emphasizes that occupational safety and health (OSH) organizations must understand as much about intermediary organizations as they do about small businesses. OSH organizations ("initiators") must understand how to position interventions and information to intermediaries as added value to their relationships with small businesses. Examples from experiences in two midwestern states are used to illustrate relationships and types of analyses implied by the extended model. RESULTS: The study found that intermediary organizations were highly attuned to providing smaller businesses with what they want, including OSH services. The study also found that there are opinion leader organizations and individual champions within intermediaries who are key to decisions and actions about OSH programming. CONCLUSIONS: The model places more responsibility on both initiators and intermediaries to develop and market interventions that will be valued in the competitive small business environment where the resources required to adopt each new business activity could always be used in other ways. The model is a candidate for empirical validation, and it offers some encouragement that the issue of sustainable OSH assistance to small businesses might be addressed. Am. J. Ind. Med. 9999:1-10, 2013. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Language: en

To wish impossible things*: Convergence as a process of diffusion of innovations in an actor-network

Abstract: Research into current developments in newsrooms has paid a great deal of attention to convergence projects, focusing on emerging models of newswork and the attitudes of journalists towards change. This study proposes a longitudinal approach to the research of convergence, defined as a process where the outcomes are shaped by aspirations, power relationships and internal communications within a media corporation. The case of a European public broadcaster is evaluated through interviews performed over the span of five years. For the analysis of the discourses of journalists and managers, the article tries to build bridges between two traditions of innovation research: diffusion of innovations theory and actor-network theory. The proposed theoretical framework unveils the intricate and unpredictable nature of innovation processes in journalism. Results suggest that journalists’ evaluation of the relative advantage of convergence depends on their position in the network. In the case analysed, the complexity o...

Are E-Books Replacing Print Books? Tradition, Serendipity, and Opportunity in the Adoption and Use of E-Books for Historical Research and Teaching

Abstract: This article aims to understand the adoption of e-books by academic historians for the purpose of teaching and research. This includes an investigation into their knowledge about and perceived characteristics of this evolving research tool. The study relied on Rogers’s model of the innovation-decision process to guide the development of an interview guide. Ten semistructured interviews were conducted with history faculty between October 2010 and December 2011. A grounded theory approach was employed to code and analyze the data. Findings about tradition, cost, teaching innovations, and the historical research process provide the background for designing learning opportunities for the professional development of historians and the academic librarians who work with them. While historians are open to experimenting with e-books, they are also concerned about the loss of serendipity in digital environments, the lack of availability of key resources, and the need for technological transparency. The findings show that Rogers’s knowledge and persuasion stages are cyclical in nature, with scholars moving back and forth between these two stages. Participants interviewed were already weighing the five characteristics of the persuasion stage without having much knowledge about e-books. The study findings have implications for our understanding of the diffusion of innovations in academia: both print and digital collections are being used in parallel without one replacing the other.

Adoption of e‐government services: an empirical study of the online tax filing system in Taiwan

Abstract: – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that influence the willingness of the public to adopt online tax filing services., – An online survey was conducted from which 400 valid questionnaires were recovered. The questionnaire data were used to research the degree of acceptance among Taiwanese taxpayers with regard to the online tax filing system. Respondents were classified into existing users (who were sub‐categorised into early adopters and late adopters) and potential adopters., – The results demonstrate that the perceived attributes of trialability and observability significantly influence the adoption intention of late adopters. However, these attributes did not have a significant influence on early adopters. Social norms and the perceived attributes of relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity significantly influence the adoption intention of current users. For potential adopters, only social norms had a significant effect on their intention to use the online tax filing system., – This study recommends that a more convenient and user‐friendly design for online tax‐filing processes would enhance the perception of the system and encourage taxpayers to continue or consider using this e‐government service., – While online tax‐filing systems are getting more attention in e‐government development, little is known about why people are willing to use them. This paper investigates the reasons by applying innovation diffusion theory, social cognitive theory and contingency theory. The results could be applicable to other e‐government services.

Transforming teaching with emerging technologies: Implications for higher education institutions

Abstract: A gulf is widening between the technologies used by students, those used by educators and those provided by institutions. However, knowledge about the impact of so-called emerging technologies on learning or the readiness of higher education institutions (HEIs) to engage with such technologies in the South African context is relatively thin. This article uses Rogers' (2003) diffusion of innovations model as a conceptual framework to examine the diffusion, adoption and appropriation of emerging technologies in South African HEIs. We report on a survey which examined how emerging technologies are used in innovative pedagogical practices to transform teaching and learning across South African HEIs. The article concludes that, in order to foster a greater uptake or more institution-wide diffusion of use of emerging technologies, institutional opinion leaders need to purposefully create an enabling environment by giving recognition to and communicating with change agents, and developing policies that will encourage institutional-wide engagement with emerging technologies.

Disentangling Twitter’s Adoption and Use (Dis)Continuance: A Theoretical and Empirical Amalgamation of Uses and Gratifications and Diffusion of Innovations

Abstract: Drawing on Uses and Gratifications (UG) Theory and Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DIT), this study aimed to augment an exploration of individual user needs based on UG constructs with an analysis of the material characteristics of the innovation based on DIT constructs to provide a comprehensive explanation of people‘s motivations underlying various Twitter usage levels and frequencies. Whereas previous literature on Social Network Sites (SNS) have explored individuals‘ motivations underlying initial adoption, the equally interesting and relevant question of use (dis-) continuance has so far been largely overlooked. To fill this void in the literature, this study compares active users that have continued to use Twitter and inactive users that initially adopted, yet discontinued usage of Twitter. This study provides insights into different usage levels and frequencies through an investigation of 1) users‘ perceptions of the medium, 2) users‘ expected outcomes associated with the medium‘s use, and 3) the role and effect of mobile access. An analysis of 130 surveys with Partial Least Squares (PLS) and R 2 partitioning revealed that an understanding of adoption and use (dis-) continuance of Twitter requires us to account for both user-related motivations (UG) and perceived characteristics of the medium (DIT), as combining UG and DIT increased explanatory power (R 2 ) for the overall sample. Furthermore, our findings showed that inactive users‘ initial adoption and subsequent discontinuance was solely impacted by user-related needs, (i.e. UG constructs), whereas active users‘ continued use was largely motivated by technology characteristics, (i.e. DIT constructs). Finally, our study revealed significant differences between active and inactive users in terms of the devices and platform used for accessing Twitter, with active users reporting a significantly higher use of mobile devices. Based on these findings, we discuss contributions and implications for future research and practice.

Exploring the human element of computer-assisted language learning: an Iranian context

Abstract: Based on various theories of human agency (Ajzen, I. (2005). Attitudes, personality and behavior (2nd ed.). London: Open University Press; Davis, F.D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13, 319–340; Rogers, E.M. (1983). Diffusion of innovations (3rd ed.). New York: The Free Press), it is essential to know users' attitudes and abilities before implementing widespread use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) techniques in schools. This study takes a two-tiered approach. On the one hand, it aims to explore the current computer-related attitudes and abilities of Iranian high school language teachers and students, before the actual diffusion of computers into the education system. On the other hand, this study compares the attitudes of language teachers and students towards CALL, cultural perceptions of the role of computers in education, computer competence, and computer access. Toward this aim, a multi-section survey in ...

Exploration of perceived effects of innovations in postgraduate medical education.

Abstract: Context Many studies have examined how educational innovations in postgraduate medical education (PGME) impact on teaching and learning, but little is known about effects in the clinical workplace outside the strictly education-related domain. Insights into the full scope of effects may facilitate the implementation and acceptance of innovations because expectations can be made more realistic, and difficulties and pitfalls anticipated. Using workplace-based assessment (WBA) as a reference case, this study aimed to determine which types of effect are perceived by users of innovations in PGME. Methods Focusing on WBA as a recent instance of innovation in PGME, we conducted semi-structured interviews to explore perceptions of the effects of WBA in a purposive sample of Dutch trainees and (lead) consultants in surgical and non-surgical specialties. Interviews conducted in 2011 with 17 participants were analysed thematically using template analysis. To support the exploration of effects outside the domain of education, the study design was informed by theory on the diffusion of innovations. Results Six domains of effects of WBA were identified: sentiments (affinity with the innovation and emotions); dealing with the innovation; specialty training; teaching and learning; workload and tasks, and patient care. Users’ affinity with WBA partly determined its effects on teaching and learning. Organisational support and the match between the innovation and routine practice were considered important to minimise additional workload and ensure that WBA was used for relevant rather than easily assessable training activities. Dealing with WBA stimulated attention for specialty training and placed specialty training on the agenda of clinical departments. Conclusions These outcomes are in line with theoretical notions regarding innovations in general and may be helpful in the implementation of other innovations in PGME. Given the substantial effects of innovations outside the strictly education-related domain, individuals designing and implementing innovations should consider all potential effects, including those identified in this study.

Cops, Teachers, and the Art of the Impossible: Explaining the Lack of Diffusion of Innovations That Make Impossible Jobs Possible

Abstract: In their 1990 book Impossible Jobs in Public Management, Erwin C. Hargrove and John C. Glidewell argue that public agencies with limited legitimacy, high conflict, low professional authority, and weak agency myths have essentially impossible jobs. Yet some such positions have proven operationally possible. For example, over a 17-year period, the New York City Police Department achieved dramatic reductions in crime. A second impossible job discussed by James Q. Wilson, the urban school superintendent, has also proven possible, with Washington, D.C., having considerable success educating disadvantaged children. However, these successes in urban crime control and public schooling have not been widely copied. Building on the work of Manuel P. Teodoro, the authors use these cases to discuss how the inflexibility of personnel systems and political costs of disruptive reforms combine with the professional norms and progressive ambition of agency leaders to limit the diffusion of innovations in law enforcement and schooling. The article concludes with hypotheses for future testing.

The vision integration process: Applying Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory to leader–follower communications:

Abstract: Involving followers in the communication of a new vision can be critical to its ultimate adoption. Viewing vision as a relatively novel guiding framework that may or may not “diffuse” throughout an organization, we apply Roger’s (2003) Diffusion of Innovations model to the visioning process. Employees from a large supermarket chain (n = 1481) completed surveys concerning vision knowledge, perceptions of the vision’s innovation characteristics (i.e. relative advantage, compatibility, trialability, observability, and complexity), bidirectional leader–follower communication about the vision, perceived integration of the vision into work behaviors, and organizational commitment. Perceptions of the innovation characteristics of the vision were related to both vision integration and commitment. Based on our findings, we argue that a new vision can be conceptualized as an innovation, in which followers are actively involved in decisions of adoption or rejection. We advocate a more balanced approach to vision int...

Following the Leader: Using Opinion Leaders in Environmental Strategic Communication

Abstract: This study explores potential factors that lead to environmental opinion leadership behaviors such as informing the public about environmental issues and encouraging preventative behaviors among various social groups. Building on the theoretical framework of the diffusion of innovations model, these analyses explore the effects that mass media may have on perceptions of self-efficacy among opinion leaders and how self-efficacy may, in turn, encourage leaders to communicate about aquatic invasive species (AIS) to others in their social networks. Results indicate that mass media and governmental media can have both a positive and negative influence on levels of self-efficacy, and that opinion leaders with higher levels of self-efficacy are more likely to participate in behaviors that could potentially influence their social network(s). These findings not only highlight factors that influence opinion leadership regarding advocacy of environmental behaviors, but also offer insights as to how future campaigns ...

Long-term barriers to economic development

Abstract: What obstacles prevent the most productive technologies from spreading to less developed economies from the world’s technological frontier? In this paper, we seek to shed light on this question by quantifying the geographic and human barriers to the transmission of technologies. We argue that the intergenerational transmission of human traits, particularly culturally transmitted traits, has led to divergence between populations over the course of history. In turn, this divergence has introduced barriers to the diffusion of technologies across societies. We provide measures of historical and genealogical distances between populations, and document how such distances, relative to the world’s technological frontier, act as barriers to the diffusion of development and of specific innovations. We provide an interpretation of these results in the context of an emerging literature seeking to understand variation in economic development as the result of factors rooted deep in history.

How to Facilitate Social Contagion

Abstract: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals has proven to be a real challenge. Providing evidence on cost-effective interventions did not prove to be sufficient to secure the trust of national authorities, health care providers and patients. Introducing change in a health system requires a good understanding of the relationships between the actors of the system. Social network analysis can provide a new avenue to analyse the diffusion of innovations within a health system or a health organisation and analyse the structure and the properties of a health system. Evidence has been generated on the necessity of not only identifying the actors of a system but also qualifying the relationships between these actors.

Network proximity and business practices in African manufacturing

Abstract: Patterns of correlation in innovation and contractual practices among manufacturing firms in Ethiopia and Sudan are documented. Network data that indicate whether any two firms in the utilized sample do business with each other, buy inputs from a common supplier, or sell output to a common client are used for the analysis. Only limited support is found for the commonly held idea that firms that are more proximate in a network sense are more likely to adopt similar practices. Indeed, for certain practices, adoption decisions appear to be local strategic substitutes: if one firm in a given location uses a certain practice, nearby firms are less likely to do so. These results suggest that the diffusion of technology and new business practices may play a more limited role in spurring growth in Africa's manufacturing sector than is often assumed in the present policy discussion.

Diffusion of innovation in systematic review methodology: why is study selection not yet assisted by automation?

Abstract: Introduction Systematic reviews, the foundation of much Evidence-Based medicine, are suffering from increasing ‘data deluge’: reviewers often need to manually assess many thousands of titles and abstracts to determine their relevance. Automation has been advanced as a potential solution; but given that its efficacy was first demonstrated in 2006, why is it not yet widely used? The Diffusion of Innovations framework by EM Rogers is used to structure an exploration of why this might be the case. Discussion According to Rogers, five characteristics affect the rate of adoption of innovations: those perceived as having greater relative advantage, compatibility, trialability and observability, and less complexity, will be adopted more rapidly than others. The relative advantage of automation has been demonstrated empirically, though usually in narrowly focused reviews in clinical areas, rather than more challenging areas for automation, such as public health. Detailed methods and procedures for their use have yet to be established, addressing transparency, replicability and reporting practices. While issues concerning the compatibility of new technology with existing infrastructure are probably surmountable, the use of automation may challenge contemporary notions of what constitutes a systematic search and how publication bias is addressed using sensitive search techniques. The remaining factors are interrelated. The technologies are complex, both to understand and to deploy. This affects the trialability of automation: technical expertise is required and there are thus few opportunities for reviewers to observe others using these technologies. Conclusion Further technical and empirical work is needed where systematic reviewers work with information and computer scientists to develop solutions which have a demonstrative relative advantage and which are clearly compatible with the needs of systematic reviewers and their users. Such work may have a significant role to play in addressing the deluge of new research publications which threaten to overwhelm systematic review processes.

Determinants of end-user acceptance of biometrics: Integrating the “Big 3” of technology acceptance with privacy context

Abstract: The information systems (IS) literature has long emphasized the importance of user acceptance of computer-based IS. Evaluating the determinants of acceptance of information technology (IT) is vital to address the problem of underutilization and leverage the benefits of IT investments, especially for more radical technologies. This study examines individual acceptance of biometric identification techniques in a voluntary environment, measuring the intention to accept and further recommend the technology resulting from a carefully selected set of variables. Drawing on elements of technology acceptance model (TAM), diffusion of innovations (DOI) and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) along with the trust-privacy research field, we propose an integrated approach that is both theoretically and empirically grounded. By testing some of the most relevant and well-tested elements from previous models along with new antecedents to biometric system adoption, this study produces results which are both sturdy and innovative. We first confirm the influence of renowned technology acceptance variables such as compatibility, perceived usefulness, facilitating conditions on biometrics systems acceptance and further recommendation. Second, prior factors such as concern for privacy, trust in the technology, and innovativeness also prove to have an influence. Third, unless innovativeness, the most important drivers to explain biometrics acceptance and recommendation are not from the traditional adoption models (TAM, DOI, and UTAUT) but from the trust and privacy literature (trust in technology and perceived risk).

Differentiating innovation priorities among stakeholder in hospital care

Abstract: Decisions to adopt a particular innovation may vary between stakeholders because individual stakeholders may disagree on the costs and benefits involved. This may translate to disagreement between stakeholders on priorities in the implementation process, possibly explaining the slow diffusion of innovations in health care. In this study, we explore the differences in stakeholder preferences for innovations, and quantify the difference in stakeholder priorities regarding costs and benefits. The decision support technique called the analytic hierarchy process was used to quantify the preferences of stakeholders for nine information technology (IT) innovations in hospital care. The selection of the innovations was based on a literature review and expert judgments. Decision criteria related to the costs and benefits of the innovations were defined. These criteria were improvement in efficiency, health gains, satisfaction with care process, and investments required. Stakeholders judged the importance of the decision criteria and subsequently prioritized the selected IT innovations according to their expectations of how well the innovations would perform for these decision criteria. The stakeholder groups (patients, nurses, physicians, managers, health care insurers, and policy makers) had different preference structures for the innovations selected. For instance, self-tests were one of the innovations most preferred by health care insurers and managers, owing to their expected positive impacts on efficiency and health gains. However, physicians, nurses and patients strongly doubted the health gains of self-tests, and accordingly ranked self-tests as the least-preferred innovation. The various stakeholder groups had different expectations of the value of the nine IT innovations. The differences are likely due to perceived stakeholder benefits of each innovation, and less to the costs to individual stakeholder groups. This study provides a first exploratory quantitative insight into stakeholder positions concerning innovation in health care, and presents a novel way to study differences in stakeholder preferences. The results may be taken into account by decision makers involved in the implementation of innovations.

Understanding News Sharing in Social Media from the Diffusion of Innovations Perspective

Abstract: Social media is becoming increasingly used as sources of news. The present study thus investigates the factors that may influence news sharing behavior in social media. Based on the diffusion of innovations theory, we propose several influential factors derived from online social networks which include opinion leadership, homophily, tie strength, and news preference. By incorporating social network analysis with the support of other statistical methods, we found that opinion leadership was the strongest factor predicting news sharing, followed by news preference and tie strength. Notably, we looked into the phenomenon of homophily at the network and individual levels. While homophily existed at the network level, such similarity actually hampered news sharing in users' local networks. Implications of our work are also discussed.

Role of Innovation Attributes in Explaining the Adoption Intention for the Interbank Mobile Payment Service in an Indian Context

Abstract: This study presents an investigation on the role of innovation attributes that significantly influence the behavioural intention and actual adoption of potential consumers towards the interbank mobile payment service. Using attributes from Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory, along with one other attribute, cost, the diffusion of this IMPS application has been studied. The proposed model was empirically tested against the data gathered from both, the adopters and non-adopters of this technology. The SPSS analysis tool was used to perform the reliability tests, and linear and logistic regressions. While relative advantage, compatibility, complexity and trialability displayed significant relationships, observability exhibited a poor impact on behavioural intention. On the other hand, behavioural intention and cost showed significant impacts on the adoption of the IMPS application. The theoretical background, discussions, key conclusions, and limitations, alongside research implications of this study have been presented.

Diffusion of innovations revisited: from social network to innovation network

Abstract: The spreading of innovations among individuals and organizations in a social network has been extensively studied. Although the recent studies among the social computing and data mining communities have produced various insightful conclusions about the diffusion process of innovations by focusing on the properties and evolution of social network structures, less attention has been paid to the interrelationships among the multiple innovations being diffused, such as the competitive and collaborative relationships between innovations. In this paper, we take a formal quantitative approach to address how different pieces of innovations socialize with each other and how the interrelationships among innovations affect users' adoption behavior, which provides a novel perspective of understanding the diffusion of innovations. Networks of innovations are constructed by mining large scale text collections in an unsupervised fashion. We are particularly interested in the following questions: what are the meaningful metrics on the network of innovations? What effects do these metrics exert on the diffusion of innovations? Do these effects vary among users with different adoption preferences or communication styles? While existing studies primarily address social influence, we provide a detailed discussion of how innovations interrelate and influence the diffusion process.

Evolving Greenhouses: An Agent-Based Model of Universal Darwinism in Greenhouse Horticulture

Abstract: To explore the space between the theories of the Diffusion of Innovations and Universal Darwinism, we first examine a case study of the history of the greenhouse horticulture sector of the Netherlands, comparing and contrasting the narrow focus of Diffusion of Innovations and the wider focus of Universal Darwinism. We then build an agent-based model using elements of both in order to test how well the Diffusion of Innovations theory holds up when some of its simplifications are removed. Results show that the single, simple pattern prominent in Diffusions of Innovations theory does emerge, but that it is only one of several patterns and that it does not behave precisely as expected. Results also show agent properties, such as stubbornness or innovativeness, can be surprisingly complex, as when stubbornness shows an advantage in the long term, while innovativeness was beneficial to the network but not to the innovator. While the Diffusion of Innovations theory is simple and can easily guide policy decisions, this paper shows that adding complexity to place diffusions inside a larger evolutionary context results in more realistic analysis and can help policy-makers to achieve challenging goals amidst modern economic and political challenges.

Diffusion of innovations in social interaction systems. An agent-based model for the introduction of new drugs in markets.

Abstract: The existence of imitative behavior among consumers is a well-known phenomenon in the field of Economics. This behavior is especially common in markets determined by a high degree of innovation, asymmetric information and/or price-inelastic demand, features that exist in the pharmaceutical market. This paper presents evidence of the existence of imitative behavior among primary care physicians in Galicia (Spain) when choosing treatments for their patients. From this and other evidence, we propose a dynamic model for determining the entry of new drugs into the market. To do this, we introduce the structure of the organization of primary health care centers and the presence of groups of doctors who are specially interrelated, as well as the existence of commercial pressure on doctors. For modeling purposes, physicians are treated as spins connected in an exponentially distributed complex network of the Watts-Strogatz type. The proposed model provides an explanation for the differences observed in the patterns of the introduction of technological innovations in different regions. The main cause of these differences is the different structure of relationships among consumers, where the existence of small groups that show a higher degree of coordination over the average is particularly influential. The evidence presented, together with the proposed model, might be useful for the design of optimal strategies for the introduction of new drugs, as well as for planning policies to manage pharmaceutical expenditure.

Gender and E-Government Adoption in Spain

Abstract: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) models, which include trust as a central factor, are currently standard tools for studying the process of new technology acceptance, but some further research is needed to gauge how different variables could influence this process. This is the case of gender factor, given that there is no general accord in the literature as to the role of this variable. Thus, the present research focuses on hypothetical gender-based differences that could affect the explanatory model for e-Government adoption by citizens. The results of the study show that the effects of gender on e-Government involvement are nearly none—probably because these technology-based activities are quite broadly implemented in Spain by now. This in turn implies both, that in Spain e-Government usage level is similar between genders and that the behavior explaining model is virtually the same, with no gender traits acting on it -apart from a slightly particular role played by compatibility in the female case.