scholarly journals Development of a User-Centric Bridge Visual Defect Quality Control Assisted Mobile Application: A Case of Thailand’s Department of Highways

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 9555
Author(s):  
Pravee Kruachottikul ◽  
Nagul Cooharojananone ◽  
Gridsada Phanomchoeng ◽  
Kittikul Kovitanggoon

Digital innovations have changed the way many industries operate, but the construction industry has been slow to adopt these technologies. However, challenges such as low productivity, project overruns, labor shortages, and inefficient performance management have motivated Thailand’s Department of Highways to adopt digital innovations to build a competitive advantage. Because this industry requires a large work force, obstacles to collaboration can result in ineffective project management. We aimed to improve collaboration on bridge inspections that typically requires the involvement of many people, personal judgement, and extensive travel to survey bridges across the country. One major challenge is to standardize human judgement. To address these challenges, we developed a user-centric bridge visual defect quality control mobile application to improve collaboration and assist field technicians to conduct visual defect inspection. Our results can be used as a case study for other construction firms to embrace digital transformation technologies. This research also demonstrates the new-product development process using the new technology in known markets innovation development and technology acceptance model. We offer several recommendations for future research, including other infrastructure applications.

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (04) ◽  
pp. 1750041 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. DARAWONG ◽  
B. IGEL

Intercultural communication has been considered as an effective tool in performing international business in overseas subsidiaries. In this paper, we investigate the impact of intercultural communication on interpersonal conflict between expatriates and Thai managers during the new product development process, and how expatriates’ culture of origin moderates this impact. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey from local managers who regularly communicate with expatriate managers working in Thailand. The results show that intercultural communication reduces relationship conflict and increases task conflict. Furthermore, the negative impact of intercultural communication on relationship conflicts between Asian expatriates and Thai managers is stronger than between Western expatriates and Thai managers. The research results contribute to the existing theories by extending inter-functional communication and conflict to an intercultural context. Also, this research enhances understanding on how the impact of intercultural communication on conflict is moderated by expatriates’ culture of origin, namely Asian and Western. Managerial implications for MNC subsidiaries and future research are also discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (01) ◽  
pp. 1650011 ◽  
Author(s):  
JORDAN ROBERT GAMBLE ◽  
MICHAEL BRENNAN ◽  
RODNEY MCADAM

This paper aims to provide a contemporary, critical and systematic overview of user-centric innovation (UCI) from a consumer perspective. The objectives of this paper were to identify and categorise gaps in research and/or knowledge, contextually classify empirical UCI studies, critically analyse the literature in terms of coalition/fragmentation and derive practitioner implications for industry implementation. Our findings indicate that user communities should be carefully evaluated by firm management as they can represent significant risks in relation to resource requirements as well as opportunities for capitalising on new product development. Furthermore, by ascertaining which product-related resources the consumers are lacking, it may provide organisations with details of the consumers’ ahead-of-the-market needs and may be used to devise effective recognition-based proactive UCI strategies. A research framework was also formulated to help future UCI researchers navigate the complex network of previous research and to assist in developing more structured and focussed future research questions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 3111-3120
Author(s):  
Erika Maria Perttunen ◽  
Summer D. Jung ◽  
Senni Kirjavainen ◽  
Tua A. Bjürklund ◽  
Sohyeong Kim

AbstractUnderstanding and applying consumers' needs in product development is key to success across various industries. The failure rate of new products, however, remains high because consumer demands are not adequately addressed. To investigate the role of consumers in the product development processes of small ventures, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews of 40 packaged food and beverage small ventures in California and Finland. Our findings showed that consumers rarely drove the design of new products, but rather functioned as a source of validation or feedback for small improvements of existing products. Consumer feedback was often unstructured and concentrated in the latter stages of the product development process. However, even though customer involvement in the small ventures' product development was more restricted than recommended in cocreation literature their influence still brought meaningful changes to the products. Given the small ventures' lack of resources, future research on creative, low-cost ways to co-create is called for.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-82
Author(s):  
Soumi Paul ◽  
Paola Peretti ◽  
Saroj Kumar Datta

Building customer relationships and customer equity is the prime concern in today’s business decisions. The emergence of internet, especially social media like Facebook and Twitter, changed traditional marketing thought to a great extent. The importance of customer orientation is reflected in the axiom, “The customer is the king”. A good number of organizations are engaging customers in their new product development activities via social media platforms. Co-creation, a new perspective in which customers are active co-creators of the products they buy and use, is currently challenging the traditional paradigm. The concept of co-creation involving the customer’s knowledge, creativity and judgment to generate value is considered not only an upcoming trend that introduces new products or services but also fitting their need and increasing value for money. Knowledge and innovation are inseparable. Knowledge management competencies and capacities are essential to any organization that aspires to be distinguished and innovative. The present work is an attempt to identify the change in value creation procedure along with one area of business, where co-creation can return significant dividends. It is on extending the brand or brand category through brand extension or line extension. This article, through an in depth literature review analysis, identifies the changes in every perspective of this paradigm shift and it presents a conceptual model of company-customer-brand-based co-creation activity via social media. The main objective is offering an agenda for future research of this emerging trend and ensuring the way to move from theory to practice. The paper acts as a proposal; it allows the organization to go for this change in a large scale and obtain early feedback on the idea presented. 


Author(s):  
Nor Hayati Kassim ◽  
Norlina Mohamed Noor ◽  
Jati Kasuma ◽  
Juliza Saleh ◽  
Ceaser Dealwis ◽  
...  

Companies are now recognizing that their employees require a spectrum of mobile applications in order to achieve maximum efficiency at the workplace. Mobile applications such as WeChat, Twitter and WhatsApp via smartphones have become influential tools and extensively used by employees at the workplace. This state-of-the-art technology in communication has penetrated various fields, including routine administrative jobs at the workplace. The objective of this research is toinvestigate the acceptance of the WhatsApp mobile application for formal use among support staff at The Commission of the City of Kuching North, Sarawak (DBKU). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and behavioral intention of the users in using WhatsApp are the variables measured for job performance. The researchers utilized convenience sampling, whereby a total of 105 employees from two departments participated in the investigation. Data was collected using a set of selfadministered questionnaires which was adapted from Davis. The findings revealed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of WhatsApp as a means of communication were significant for job performance at DBKU. The employees felt more competent during their formal interaction at the workplace as less effort was needed while using WhatsApp. The existence of features which were user-friendly and easy operational functions helped to create positive attitudes when utilizing the application. Faster feedback, ease of use, and convenience were some of the reasons for the employees’ willingness to use WhatsApp for communication at the workplace.


10.28945/4314 ◽  
2019 ◽  

Aim/Purpose: The goal of this study is to advance understanding of ICT utilization by SMMEs by checking access, ability (in terms of technological skills) and usage of ICT among some SMMEs entrepreneurs operating their businesses in an underdeveloped areas to enhance their business activities in order to utilizes the digital opportunities 21st century digital economies present. Background: In today’s world no nation or region is untouched by the forces of globalization and digital economy. One of the key pioneering forces of globalization is the advances of ICT like internet, social networks, etc. In the sphere of business, this pioneering force has also altered the way businesses and organizations communicate and interact with customers and society at large. Such alternation presents obvious opportunities for wealth creation and growth for businesses and organizations that are well-equipped to take advantages of them. But for those that are less-equipped, particularly SMMEs, globalization can easily lead to fore-closures and marginalization. It is a common knowledge that SMMEs entrepreneurs mostly rely on ICT gadgets like mobile phone, Laptops, Tablets to conduct their business activities as many of them don’t have enough capital to set up offices with necessary equipment. Therefore, using various ICT functions/programs on these ICT devices to enhance their business activities are critical to their businesses in the 21st century digital economies. Methodology: Purposeful sampling was used to approach fifty-four SMMEs entrepreneurs operating their businesses in underdeveloped areas locally called Townships in Buffalo City Metropolitan. Microsoft excel was used in the descriptive statistics. Contribution: This research will add to the growing knowledge ICT usage in SMMEs in the 21st century digital economies. Findings: The results indicate that the participating SMMEs entrepreneurs need to be educated, trained and supported in the use of the ICT applicable to enhance their business activities in order for them to take advantages of 21st century digital economies present. Recommendations for Practitioners: The agencies tasked with looking after SMMEs in South Africa needs to consider the lacked of utilisation of ICTs by SMMEs entrepreneurs operating their businesses in underdeveloped areas as one of the barrier to growing of their businesses and take necessary steps to address it. Recommendation for Researchers: Since age and gender have been proven to be key-moderating variables in many technology acceptance models. There is a need to explore in depth whether the factors of gender and age also act as barriers. Impact on Society: The research will assist stakeholders, policy makers and agencies tasked with looking after SMMEs to identify the barriers hindering SMMEs to grow and address them accordingly. Future Research: More work needs to be done to check whether gender, age of the SMMEs entrepreneurs have some effects on their attitude towards the integration of ICT into their business activities.


Author(s):  
M.L. Anderson ◽  
P. Tangyunyong ◽  
T.A. Hill ◽  
C.Y. Nakakura ◽  
T.J. Headley ◽  
...  

Abstract By combining transmission electron microscopy (TEM) [1] with scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) [2], it is possible to enhance our understanding of device failures. At Sandia, these complementary techniques have been utilized for failure analysis in new product development, process validation, and yield enhancement, providing unique information that cannot be obtained with other analytical tools. We have previously used these instruments to identify the root causes of several yield-limiting defects in CMOS device product lines [3]. In this paper, we describe in detail the use of these techniques to identify electrically active silicon dislocations in failed SRAMs and to study the underlying leakage mechanisms associated with these defects.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document