1,721,044 research outputs found
A scanning device for multi-spectral imaging of paintings
No full textWe present a scanning device for 32-band multi-spectral imaging of paintings in the 380 ̃800 nm spectral region. The system is based on contact-less and single-point measurement of the spectral reflectance factor. Multi-spectral images are obtained by scanning the painted surface under investigation. An adjustment procedure was established and calibration was performed by means of a set of seven matt ceramic color tiles certified by National Physical Laboratory (UK). Colorimetric calculations were carried out in the XYZ colorimetric space, by following the CIE recommendations and choosing the D65 standard illuminant and the 1931 standard observer. Measurement campaigns were carried out on several paintings in situ and at the INOA Optical Metrology Laboratory located inside the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence. As an example we report herein on the measurements carried out on the Madonna in gloria tra Santi by Andrea Mantegna, (at present in the Pinacoteque of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan). Multivariate image analyses (MIA) were performed by considering the multi-spectral images as three-way data set. The stack of detected images were unfolded in a 2D data matrix and analyzed by the conventional Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
Image convolutions by quadrics Q1
No full textAimed to evaluate the image processing capabilities of the massively parallel computer Quadrics Q1, a convolution algorithm have been implemented that is described in this report. At first the discrete convolution mathematical definition is recalled together with the main Q1 h/w and s/w features. Then the different codification forms of the algorithm are described and the Q1 performances are compared with those obtained by different computers. Finally, the conclusions report on main results and suggest © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1996
Network pathways of peripheral firm entry: Empirical evidence from the global airline industry
Full text linkPrevious research on interfirm collaboration indicates that networks tend to be structurally stable due to path dependence and embedded firms' incentives to preserve their positional advantages. As a result, industry networks often resemble a core-periphery structure where peripheral firms seem to have little or no opportunity to access the core. Yet, under certain conditions, peripheral firms do manage to cross over to the industry center. In this paper, we examine one such condition: a sudden and unexpected change in the external environment. More specifically, we examine the relationship between the occurrence of an industry-level disruptive event and the dynamics of tie formation/dissolution facilitating or inhibiting peripheral firms' progress toward the center of the industry network. We substantiate our investigation by using longitudinal data on the alliance activities of 258 airlines and applying Stochastic Actor-Oriented Models (SAOM). We integrate our statistical analysis with interview material and descriptive network analysis. The findings reveal a variety of patterns of network entry, contributing novel insights to theories on network dynamics, innovation, as well as policy and practice
Now It Makes More Sense: How Narratives Can Help Atypical Actors Increase Market Appeal
Full text linkExtensive research shows that atypical actors who defy established contextual standards and norms are subject to skepticism and face a higher risk of rejection. Indeed, atypical actors combine features, behaviors, or products in unconventional ways, thereby generating confusion and instilling doubts about their legitimacy. Nevertheless, atypicality is often viewed as a precursor to sociocultural innovation and a strategy to expand the capacity to deliver valued goods and services. Contextualizing the conditions under which atypicality is celebrated or punished has been a significant theoretical challenge for organizational scholars interested in reconciling this tension. Thus far, scholars have focused primarily on audience-related factors or actors’ characteristics (e.g., status and reputation). Here, we explore how atypical actors can leverage linguistic features of their narratives to counteract evaluative discounts by analyzing a unique collection of 78,758 narratives from crafters on Etsy, the largest digital marketplace for handmade items. Marrying processing fluency theory with linguistics literature and relying on a combination of topic modeling, automated textual analysis, and econometrics, we show that categorically atypical producers who make more use of abstraction, cohesive cues, and conventional topics in their narratives are more likely to overcome the evaluative discounts they would ordinarily experience
Radically concrete or incrementally abstract? The contingent role of abstract and concrete framing in pitching novel ideas
Full text linkEntrepreneurs pitching new ideas are hard-pressed to frame their message in the most compelling way to win the attention and support of relevant audiences. But could a simple shift in framing sanction the success or failure of their communication efforts? Drawing on recent scholarship on the recognition of novel ideas and language, we compare the effectiveness of two framing approaches to idea pitching: abstract vs. concrete framing. We suggest that the best framing strategy to rally audience support depends on the novelty of the idea. Two controlled experiments where we investigate the combined impact of an idea’s degree of novelty and the abstractness level (why vs. how) of the framing strategy used to pitch it on the idea’s evaluation by members of a lay audience (e.g. crowdfunders, students, or other non-professional evaluators) confirm our intuition. The findings indicate that radical ideas are significantly more likely to elicit favourable evaluation from lay audience members when those ideas are framed in concrete ‘How’ terms; whereas incremental ideas fare better when framed in abstract ‘Why’ terms. By focusing on the framing strategies that entrepreneurs can use to communicate their new ideas, our study contributes to the growing research on the role of language in shaping the recognition of novelty. More generally, it provides entrepreneurs with actionable insights that they can leverage to attract attention and support from a general (lay) audience
Balancing Valued Tradition With Innovation When your product is a beloved classic, how do you update it to attract new customers?
No full textSooner or later, most successful companies face the challenge of updating a cherished old product. Make no changes, and you risk becoming irrelevant to new customers. Change too much, and you may alienate your most loyal customers.
So how do you leverage a historically strong brand with sensitivity to heterogeneous customer preferences? To explore this question, we studied Italian opera companies, which face this dilemma every season. Many of the best-loved operas in the repertoire are more than 150 years old, and the most devoted operagoers have fairly traditional tastes. However, if opera companies hew to their preferences, they may limit their cultural relevance and fail to develop new audiences.
Our analysis of ticket sales for 2,627 Italian opera productions from 1989 to 2011, and interviews with 15 artistic directors of opera houses, yielded some insights into successfully managing the tension between tradition and innovation that can be applied by anyone with a beloved product they need to updat
Anchor entrepreneurship and industry catalysis: The rise of the Italian Biomedical Valley
Full text linkAccounting for the rise of the medical device industry in the Emilia-Romagna town of Mirandola from a once depressed agricultural area in 1962 to a world-manufacturing center for dialysis equipment and disposable plastic medical devices, requires in large measure mapping the methods of the local entrepreneur who spearheaded its development. Reworking Agrawal and Cockburn's anchor-tenant hypothesis highlighting the role of large organizations in fostering agglomerations, this paper privileges the Schumpeterian entrepreneur as the dynamic force driving new industrial formations. This anchor-entrepreneur with no prior experience in manufacturing medical devices and without any public financing or large private backers founded six firms. Each of these would be sold off fairly quickly to a different large multinational corporation. Placing the anchor-entrepreneur at the center stage advances understanding of early industry evolution, spelling out how first-mover pioneers shape the environment to establish the first markets needed to attract new resources and capabilities. Underpinning our argument are 61 fine-grain interviews with key medical device industry informants in addition to extensive secondary sources and historical records. We draw on this material to induce a stylized model of anchor-entrepreneurship and industry catalysis that rests on three generative processes: bricolage, second-hand imprinting and beaconing
Start with “Why,” but only if you have to: The strategic framing of novel ideas across different audiences
Full text linkResearch Summary: Building on social psychology research and entrepreneurship work on linguistic framing, we argue that the appreciation of novel ideas varies with the mental construal that members of different audiences use to evaluate them. Specifically, we theorize that the congruency between idea framing and audiences' mental construals depends on audiences' level of expertise in evaluating novel ideas. In four experiments, we found that innovators benefit from deploying framing strategies congruent with audiences' mental construals: novices (e.g., lay people, crowdfunders) appreciate more novel ideas framed in abstract why terms, while experts (e.g., professional investors, innovation managers) novel ideas framed in concrete how terms. Integrating the strategic framing of novel ideas with construal level theory and audience heterogeneity contributes to research on entrepreneurship, innovation, and impression management. Managerial Summary: One of the critical challenges that innovators (e.g., entrepreneurs) face is to persuade relevant audiences (e.g., users, crowdfunders, professional investors, and innovation managers) to support their novel ideas. This article integrates various literatures concerned with the evaluation of novelty to examine the impact of different framing strategies on the reception of novel ideas by different audiences. By demonstrating that the framing of a novel business idea affects audience members' evaluation, and that the effectiveness of different frames (why vs. how) varies with the target audiences (novices vs. experts), we offer actionable insights into how innovators can strategically use linguistic framing to increase the likelihood of eliciting favorable evaluations and resource commitment for their ideas
Fitness determinants in creative industries: A longitudinal study on the Hollywood film-making industry, 1992-2003
No full textIt is often overlooked that fitness is a multidimensional concept, and that its components are context-specific. The multifaceted nature of fitness is most evident in cultural/creative industries, because firms are confronted with the challenge of balancing seemingly conflicting needs: artistic performance and commercial imperatives have to be satisfied for long term survival. In this study we examine two important component-traits that make up the fitness function for the Hollywood motion picture industry, which we argue are human capital and network capital. Although many studies have recognized the critical role of 'creative' human capital - which is typically embedded in individuals and groups - and network capital - that is, inter-organizational networks - we do not have many studies that empirically analyze their complex relationships using large scale data sets. We situate the analysis within the period 1992-2003, one in which we have good data and the industry appears relatively stable and very productive. While still exploratory, our paper shows how such human capital and network resources interact with the structure of the industry and influence different dimensions of the fitness function. We show how the traits work differently on the different dimensions of fitness to create a dynamic tension between creativity and performance. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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