Capability demands of digital service innovation

This chapter explores the demands that digital service innovation places on those stakeholders who use the digital service through three lenses: workers and workplace, digital literacy, and, finally, digital education. The chapter includes an overview of digital service innovation. The impact of digital services generally is explored from the perspective of the workforce and the future of work developing an argument for the need for ongoing upskilling in the digital space. The skills required in the age of digital disruption are explored, and a definition and general understanding of what digital literacy entails is presented. Finally, the opportunities for education in digital environments are explored through three vignettes which illustrate different opportunities for upskilling and retraining. The chapter highlights adaptations required in socio-political environments, education and training, and curricula to allow digital service innovations to achieve the expected benefits

Absolute characterization of colloids by Field-Flow Fractionation.

The fundamental aspects of FFF techniques in their features of being absolute characterization techniques for colloids, particles,macromolecules and molecular assemblies, are reviewed. The different possible procedures for obtaining primary quantities for both monodisperse or quasi-monodisperse species and distributions of primary quantities for polydisperse species are described

Belle teal

Bai

A combined molecular simulation-molecular theory method applied to a polyatomic molecule in a dense solvent

Simulation of small molecules, polymers, and proteins in dense solvents is an important class of problems both for processing the materials in liquids and for simulation of proteins in physiologically relevant solvent states. However, these simulations are expensive and sampling is inefficient due to the ubiquitous dense solvent. Even in the absence of the dense solvent, rigorous sampling of the configurational space of chain molecules and polypeptides with traditional Metropolis Monte-Carlo, or molecular dynamics is difficult due to long time scales associated with equilibration. In this paper we discuss a series of configurational-bias Monte-Carlo (CBMC) simulations that use a rigorous molecular theory based implicit solvent to achieve an efficient sampling of a chain molecule in a dense liquid solvent. The molecular theory captures solvent packing around the chain molecule as well as the energetic effects of solvent-polymer interactions. It also accounts for entropic effects in the solvent

Turner Falls, Indian Territory.

Photograph of Turner Falls, Indian Territory

Engaging SMEs in e-business: some insights from a UK empirical study

The rapid rise of e-business has brought profound impact on, as well as significant challenges to, businesses of all sizes. The lack of anticipated engagement in e-business by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is still a concern to the UK government. Findings from the literature appear to have revealed a contradictory picture of SMEs’ engagement in e-business. There is limited systematic research into how companies, especially small companies, are adopting the Internet technologies. This book chapter reviews current research on SMEs’ e-business adoption by following various adoption models. The chapter examines the driving forces and inhibitors that effect the adoption of ebusiness technology in SMEs. Through interviews with 40 owner managers in the electronic components industry, the chapter reveals that most of the small firms in this industry are at the lower level of the ‘e-adoption ladder’ - predominantly using the Internet for searching information and email. SMEs in this industry have not yet widely engaged in online transactions. The current level of adoption is driven by both internal and external factors, including operational benefits, industry common practice and peer pressure. External forces such as a lack of push from suppliers and customers and a lack of strategic vision of using advanced e-business technology for competitive advantages have determinant effects on the level and scale of e-adoption in SME sector