We provide greater theoretical precision to the concept of productive opportunities of Penrose. We show firm emergence as a recursive cycle of changing productive opportunities. We show how those opportunitiesresult from the technological base of the firm and are associated with the particular characteristics of the technology.We also show how productive opportunities require the assembly of different internal and externalresources, and therefore partners. We address explicitly how the firm and its potential partners perceive uncertainty and single out the different mechanisms used by the firm to address uncertainty—envisioning, pooling, and staging—to secure resources from external partners and exploit the identified productive opportunities in a timely manner.
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The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) movement is the latest ‘big thing’ in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) which threatens to transform Higher Education. Both opportunities and threats are extensively discussed in literature, comprising issues on opening up education for the whole world, pedagogy and online versus campus education. Most of the literature focus on the origin of the MOOC movement in the US. The specific context of Europe with on the one hand autonomous countries and educational systems and on the other hand cross-border cooperation and regulations through the European Union differs from the US context. This specific context can influence the way in which the MOOC movement affect education in Europe, both reusing MOOCs from other continents (US) as publishing MOOCs, on a European platform or outside of Europe. In the context of the EU funded HOME project, a research was conducted to identify opportunities and threats of the MOOC movement on the European institutions of higher education. Three sources of data were gathered and analysed. Opportunities and threats were categorized in two levels. The macro level comprises issues related to the higher education system, European context, historical period and institutional level. The micro level covers aspects related to faculty, professors and courses, thus to the operational level. The main opportunities mentioned were the ECTS system as being a sound base for formal recognition of accomplishments in MOOCs, the tendency to cooperate between institutions, stimulated by EU funded programs and the many innovative pedagogical models used in MOOCs published in Europe. The main threats mentioned were a lacking implementation of the ECTS system, hindering bridging non/formal and formal education and too much regulation, hindering experimenting and innovation.
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Voor het vierde achtereenvolgende jaar organiseerde SURF Educatie de EduTrip, waaraan dit jaar maar liefst ruim 100 mensen uit het Nederlandse hoger onderwijs en aan het onderwijs gerelateerde bedrijfsleven deelnamen. Doel van het Nederlandse bezoek aan EDUCAUSE was allereerst om via netwerken en het leggen van contacten met collega s, gezamenlijk zicht te krijgen op de huidige stand van zaken rondom ICT in de Amerikaanse instellingen voor hoger onderwijs. Op basis hiervan is dit boekje tot stand gekomen.
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International entrepreneurship (IE) as a field of research has emerged at the intersection of internationalization and entrepreneurship theories. At this intersection it has come to emphasize the activities centered on international opportunities. International opportunities, then, are about value creation and competitive imperfections in international exchange. However, the activities of value creation in relation to international opportunity actualization have received limited attention. With a view that international opportunities take many forms and are generated in various of entrepreneurial processes, we develop theory-driven conceptualizations of international opportunities for future empirical probing. Building on knowledge of entrepreneurial opportunities in entrepreneurship research and prior research on international opportunities this study proposes four conceptualizations of value-creating international opportunities differentiating venture and market type of opportunities and opportunities of objective and subjective nature. The chapter concludes by discussing the implications of the different conceptualizations of international opportunities as different modes of value creation.
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In this chapter, I will present not only an outline of current developments ofcorporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental, social, and governance(ESG), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to the newEU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (European Union, 2024)and the consequences these have for organizations but also the opportunitiesand risks they provide in relation to the spread of disinformation. I will alsodiscuss the recent court cases against companies and governments regardinggreenwashing and discuss opportunities for organizations to position themselvesas innovative and attractive for future and current employees with afocus on sustainability in the war for talent
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This paper highlights key opportunities for technology design for informal caregivers who provide long-term in-home care. For this purpose, a study with informal caregivers was conducted, including interviews (N=4) and online questionnaires (N=34) based on holistic analysis of supportive technologies. These investigations provide a deeper understanding of the key opportunities in the design of technologies to support the caregiver, namely (1) making caregivers better informed and more aware of existing solutions (2) increasing awareness of the caregivers' own wellness; (3) cherishing the valuable, positive moments of caregiving (e.g. by capturing precious moments) and (4) encouraging meaningful social interactions among caregivers for strengthening social ties.
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There is a plurality in the conceptualizations of entrepreneurial opportunities. Yet these conceptualizations lack construct clarity, and there is a need for a more interactive perspective that also recognizes the role of non-human actors. We address these omissions and present a new model of the gestation of entrepreneurial opportunities using the Actor-Network Theory (ANT). We show that the interaction between the actors is initiated with the conception of the new venture idea; that non-human actors can have an effect on how opportunities are (not) exploited; and that entrepreneurs simultaneously apply both actions related to discovery and creation.
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Mastering academic language (AL) by elementary school students is important for achieving school success. The extent to which teachers play a role in stimulating students’ AL development may differ. Two types of AL stimulating behavior are distinguished: aimed at students’ understanding and at triggering students’ production of AL. As mathematics requires abstract language use, AL occurs frequently. The instructional methods teachers use during mathematics instruction may offer different opportunities for AL stimulating behavior. In our first study, based on expert opinions, instructional methods were categorized according to opportunities they offer for stimulating students’ AL development. In the second study, video-observations of mathematics instruction of elementary school teachers were analyzed with respect to AL stimulating behavior and instructional methods used. Results showed that actual AL stimulating behavior of teachers corresponds to the expert opinions, except for behavior shown during task evaluation. Teachers differ in time and frequency of their use of instructional methods and therefore in opportunities for stimulating AL development. Four teaching profiles, reflecting different AL stimulating potential, were constructed: ‘teacher talking’, ‘balanced use of methods’, ‘getting students at work’ and ‘interactive teaching’. Teachers showed more types of behavior aimed at students’ AL understanding than at production.
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The Study Success and Diversity research groups at Inholland are conducting a long-term qualitative study among students, focusing on their experiences with (online) higher education. The study examines issues related to social and academic integration, motivation, student well-being and equal opportunities. A total of 110 students were interviewed in June and November 2020. In this infographic we share preliminary results of this qualitative study. Students are missing the social aspect and structure of the university. They need contact and are finding it difficult to stay motivated. Studying at home requires a great deal of energy and self-discipline. Students tend to be distracted more quickly at home and find it harder to concentrate. The preliminary results seem to confirm the assumption that studying together has a motivating effect. In addition to their experiences, we asked for tips on how to increase their well-being and active involvement.
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