Impact absorption of tennis shoe-surface combinations

The aim of this study was to investigate, for typical shoes and surfaces used in tennis, the relative role of the shoe and surface in providing cushioning during running. Five test surfaces ranging from concrete to artificial turf were selected, together with two shoe models. Impact absorbing ability was assessed mechanically using drop test procedures and biomechanically using peak magnitude and rate of loading of impact force and peak in-shoe pressure data at the lateral heel. Differences in biomechanical variables between shoe-surface combinations were identified using a two-way ANOVA (p < 0.05). Mechanical test results were found to rank the surfaces in the same order regardless of the shoe model, suggesting that the surface is influential in providing cushioning. However, for all mechanical and biomechanical (p < 0.05) variables representing impact absorbing ability, it was found that the difference between shoes was markedly greater than the differences between surfaces. The peak heel pressure data were found to rank the surfaces in the same order as the mechanical tests, while impact force data were not as sensitive to the changes in surface. Correlations between mechanical and biomechanical impact absorption highlighted the importance of testing the shoe-surface combination in mechanical tests, rather than the surface alone. In conclusion, mechanical testing of the shoe-surface combination was found to provide a strong predictor of the impact absorbing ability during running if pressure data were used. In addition, for typical shoe-surface combinations in tennis, the shoe was found to have more potential than the surface to influence impact loading during running. Finally, in-shoe pressure data were found to be more sensitive than force plate data to changes in material cushioning.     

A mathematical model for power output in rowing on an ergometer

A mathematical model relating power output of rower to stroke rate on an ergometer (the Concept II Indoor Rower TM, Model C) is studied. The model is used to analyse the ergometer performance of a particular rower. It is determined that he can be more efficient (i.e. decrease power output while maintaining fixed velocity) by decreasing stroke rate, but at the expense of increasing force during the drive. It is also shown that he can be more efficient by increasing the drag factor (using higher vent setting) without increasing force. Dependence of power output on rowing style (the shape of the force curve) is also examined. It is shown that variation of force during the drive has little effect on efficiency, but efficiency is reduced by asymmetry of the force curve that favours the legs.     

Strategic fit among knowledge attributes,knowledge management systems,and service positioning

Knowledge management systems (KMSs) support high-quality services while shaping and improving positioning of services. Given such strategic importance of KMS, this study explores the effects of different types of KMS, which respond to the attributes (i.e., diversity and tacitness) of collective knowledge, on service (re-)positioning. Through a case study of a financial consulting company at the core of KMSs, combinations of the two knowledge attributes are used to determine which type of KMS (i.e., information library, deepened stock, thought islands, and shared brain) offers the greatest efficiency and effectiveness in service (re-)positioning. The joint concerns of service innovation scope and specificity are also considered. Finally, the study discusses the theoretical and practical implications on KMS design and functionality in the new business age of service innovation.     

Application of association and decision rules on intellectual capital

Intellectual capital (IC), leading to sustainable competitiveness shapes the patterns of business reality nowadays. IC disclosure has become a critical necessity in this new framework. Being a novel interdisciplinary study, the aim of this paper was to examine IC disclosure by Greek publicly traded firms implementing association and decision rules. Firms were divided into three classes (low, medium and high) according to their IC disclosure, measured by the content analysis methodology. The association rules of each class were specified, highlighting IC reporting profile and focus of the firms belonging to each class. Firms in the high class were shown to have strongly realised the crucial need for a reporting change. Teamwork, corporate culture and extra-firm potential appeared to be underlined. Applying the decision tree methodology, the paper succeeded in proving the remuneration–incentive system, R&D and business collaborations items as the IC reporting-related factors differentiating classes.     

Explaining organizational knowledge creation with a knowledge maturing model

Social media challenge knowledge management because of encouraging conversations, networking and participation in more distributed, diverse and dynamic ways of knowledge development and increasingly important individuals’ interests driving them. Hence, we need to understand the complex relationships between different qualities of knowledge developed in informal and formal processes as well as for overcoming misalignments in routines, tools and infrastructures supporting organizational knowledge creation. This paper contributes a maturation perspective towards explaining organizational knowledge creation and presents a knowledge maturing model, which is grounded in organizational practice and validated with qualitative and quantitative empirical and design studies. The results describe how characteristics of knowledge and support by IT change between phases of knowledge maturing. Our findings confirm theories of organizational knowledge creation with respect to expanding scopes from individuals through communities to organizations moving from interest-driven knowledge exploration in informal contexts to goal-driven knowledge exploitation in formal contexts. The maturation perspective adds to our understanding that organizational knowledge creation is not simply a continuous process. Phases that emphasize changeability alternate with phases concerned with stability. Knowledge develops in contexts that need to switch multiple times between opening up for new knowledge and filtering relevant knowledge and between de- and re-contextualization.     

The relevance of intellectual capital disclosure: empirical evidence from Spanish universities

The reporting of intellectual capital (IC) in higher education institutions is of vital importance, mainly owing to the fact that knowledge is the main output and input in these institutions. Furthermore, the increasing social concern about establishing procedures of accountability and ensuring information transparency in public universities prompted us to consider the need to disclose information on their IC. In this study, we developed a questionnaire that was sent to members of the Social Councils of Spanish public universities in order to identify the intangible elements about which university stakeholders demand most information. It was also used to see which groups of universities have stakeholders who are more proactive to the disclosure of IC. Our results represent a starting point for public universities to identify the most commonly requested information about IC. Universities can then develop an IC report that fits their own characteristics and environment.     

Inducing knowledge sharing in teams through cost-efficient compensation schemes

A natural challenge for firms seeking to implement knowledge management systems is accounting for the interplay of incentives among workers and supervisors. This paper studies this interaction, focusing on the dynamics arising from joint projects, task evaluation, and knowledge sharing, in the framework of a game-theoretic model. We identify conditions under which a firm can minimize the costs of implementing an incentives-based system for knowledge sharing, taking into account the firm’s ability to monitor individual performance. We show that an employer in our framework has a stronger incentive to monitor tasks when relative-performance pay is small and when higher-paid agents are more likely to generate new knowledge.     

A managerial view of the knowledge flows of a health-care system

A health system has various knowledge structures enabling its knowledge resources to be efficiently applied. The literature has covered the management of clinical health information fairly extensively, but less is known about managerial knowledge flows. To address this knowledge gap, a regional health system in Finland is studied and managerial knowledge flows categorized in order to provide a better understanding of the inter-organizational knowledge networks of a health system. The paper contributes by illustrating and concretizing the knowledge dynamics of a health system. The empirical examination reveals the complexity of managerial knowledge flows and identifies three main categories of these: (1) national information steering, (2) regional information steering, and (3) internal control information. These categories are further elaborated with the data gathered through observation, interviews, and process modelling. A better understanding and management of knowledge flows is expected to have a positive effect on the performance of the health system.