Diffusion of innovations

About: Diffusion of innovations is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2139 publications have been published within this topic receiving 191397 citations. The topic is also known as: diffusion of innovation & diffusion of innovations theory.

A unified approach to the diffusion of innovations in education : computer networks in the Arlington School District

Abstract: The implementation of technology in education is cyclic increasing and decreasing with each attempted application of a new technology to classroom practice. A new technology for education is introduced, expectations are raised, research is conducted indicating educational effectiveness, little to no diffusion of the innovation takes place, and then expectations are left unmet. This thesis first identifies the factors influencing successful diffusion of innovations in education, and evaluates the technology strategy pursued by the Arlington, Massachusetts public school district with respect to those factors. The factors are developed from an examination of the historical cycle of educational technology, historical approaches to education reform, and diffusion of innovations theory. This thesis hypothesizes that a successful diffusion strategy for computer networks in education should address the situational constraints on teacher choice, the historical legacy of top-down education reform, and the attributes of the innovation that will influence adoption. Arlington’s unified approach creating a coalition of stakeholders to use and fund the network and combining network deployment with planned school building renovation is seen to address many of these factors. Thesis Supervisor: Ceasar McDowell Title: Assistant Professor, Harvard University Graduate School of Education Thesis Reader: Lee McKnight Title: Lecturer, MIT Technology and Policy Program

Does IT governance matter in e-HRM?

Abstract: Information Technology (IT) governance is the responsibility for systematically making decisions that will impact the use of IT in a firm. It has been touted as "the single most important predictor of the value an organization generates from IT" (Weill and Ross, 2004, pp.3-4). In this paper, we present the results of a survey-based study of US and Canadian firms that utilise IT for electronic Human Resource Management (e-HRM) purposes. To investigate whether the mode of HR-IT governance matters in terms of the intensity of usage of HR technologies, we used the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory in a moderated mediation functional form (James and Brett, 1984). We find that the way an organisation assigns responsibility for decision making for HR Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) makes a difference in terms of the user (HR) and technical (Information Systems or IS) department factors that are statistically related to the intensity of HR technology usage.

New Technologies, Scale and Scope, and Location of Production in Developing Countries

Abstract: The paper presents the preliminary results of an international research project undertaken in Brazil, India, Mexico, Turkey, Thailand and Venezuela on whether and to what extent flexible automation and associated organizational techniques have diffused to developing countries, and what their impact has been on product, plant and firm scale and scope. It shows that while diffusion has been rapid in the countries under study, particularly in the case of computer-numerically-controlled (CNC) machine tools, it was far slower than in developed countries. Diffusion of new organizational techniques was also slow. The paper analyses the data on product scale, and concludes that NT do not necessarily lead to reductions in product scale, product variety or scope. On the contrary, the data show significant increases in variety and availability of sizes of the products on offer, not because of new products, but due to vertical integration in the production of components. The paper concludes that the output or capacity of most firms surveyed increased as a result of the adoption of NT, due to reduction in waiting times, better factory and labor organization, increased efficiency of CNC machine tools and higher capital and marketing 'fixed' costs. Such findings imply that scale will continue to be an impediment to entry into industrial production by small developing country firms.

Intellectual property for economic development

Abstract: Protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs) serves a dual role in economic development. While it promotes innovation by providing legal protection of inventions, it may retard catch-up and learning by restricting the diffusion of innovations. Does stronger IPR protection in a developing country encourage technology development in or technology transfer to that country? This book aims to address the issue, covering diverse forms of IPRs, diverse actors in innovation, and diverse cases from Asia and Latin America.