This article examines the dynamics of surveillance as a form of peripheral vision – a diffuse, indirect mode of observation increasingly embedded in hyperconnected urban environments. Focusing on the widespread deployment of CCTV, it explores how contemporary surveillance operates less through overt control and more through an unobtrusive, continuous presence. Such conditions give rise to what is conceptualised here as soft dependence, a socio-technical state in which individuals become habituated to being watched, contributing to the normalisation of surveillance in everyday public life. Drawing on qualitative interviews conducted in Scotland with local authorities, law enforcement, CCTV operators and community members, the study investigates how public acceptance of surveillance is shaped not only by perceived safety benefits, but also by the subtle, often unnoticed, nature of peripheral observation. Central to the analysis is the concept of latent optics, which theorises how surveillance mediates spatial experience, influences social behaviour and reconfigures public trust, precisely by avoiding direct visibility. By engaging reflexively with both empirical data and conceptual frameworks, this article contributes to critical debates in surveillance studies, urban sociology and cultural criminology. It advocates a more ethically attuned and critically informed approach to surveillance governance in increasingly monitored societies.
Examining the writings of foundational Western political philosophers has led to past insights on leadership implications for managers in general, but what can we learn from such writings and their logics of organizing under uncertainty that may inform innovation management and the pursuit of responsible innovation? This conceptual research paper examines select writings from Plato, Aristotle, and Machiavelli. Focusing on The Republic , Politics , and The Prince , it considers how they relate to governance and leadership in the context of uncertainty and innovation. It then compares how their logics of organizing differ in their emphasis. Two tensions are central to these organizing logics. The first tension concerns sources of authority (whether organizing is governance-centered or leadership-centered), and the second concerns modes of commitment under uncertainty (whether innovation emphasizes sustained focus or flexibility). I describe the implications of these tensions for the principles on which managers may draw when leading organizations under uncertainty as well as for the pursuit of responsible innovation.
Digitalisation is assumed to extend the reach of higher education through asynchronous and online learning and is predominantly framed in positive terms in public discourse and academic research. Given that critical perspectives have emerged in a relatively limited and fragmented manner, this systematic literature review seeks to bring greater coherence to research on the darker sides of digital transformation, particularly in the post-COVID-19 context. COVID-19 forced higher education institutions into an overnight shift to emergency remote teaching. With regard to the darker sides of digitalisation, research has mainly focused on experienced shortcomings in basic technical requirements and deficiencies in digital learning solutions. This emphasis has led to a narrowly focused, operational approach. From this technocratic and problem-solving perspective, less manageable, darker sides risk being overlooked. A monopolised market for digital learning solutions has emerged, with learning analytics empowering Big Tech companies deliberately selected by neoliberal governments. This new, powerful elite tracks student behaviour through surveillance practices, positioning users as consumers of technology rather than as academic learners. The intrinsic risks of invasive profiling, unauthorised surveillance and the ongoing proliferation of digitalisation with built-in darker sides call for further research. The situation is particularly problematic when the academic community contributes to an overly optimistic view of digitalisation, which is exactly what happens. The key contribution of our article is to reveal that research on the dark side of digitalisation in higher education subtly reproduces technological solutionism.
Universities are increasingly influential in driving social and economic growth through technology transfer, particularly in resource-constrained settings. This study aims to improve knowledge regarding university-appropriate technology transfer as part of the university’s third mission, and to identify the key enablers and barriers in the technology transfer process in developing economies. Using a qualitative case study approach, we investigated the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). We conducted online and telephone interviews with 38 individuals between March 2021 and May 2022. This study proposes a conceptual framework to enhance appropriate technology transfer from universities in resource-constrained settings. It highlights the crucial role of intermediaries and academic volunteers in university-appropriate technology transfer. Additionally, this study identifies specific barriers to technology transfer, such as cultural resistance, lack of sustained support, and institutional constraints, and offers recommendations to address these challenges.
Innovative externally orientated management accounting techniques (EXMATs) may not deliver the benefits anticipated. The current study investigates whether, and to what extent, EXMATs create and sustain competitive advantage. Using a quantitative research design to investigate the subject over a ten-year time frame in the Nigerian manufacturing sector, we develop a measurement scale to evaluate the use of customer-focused and competitor-based accounting techniques as innovative management accounting techniques. Four dimensions of competitive advantage are investigated – accounting returns, shareholder value creation, market share and customer patronage. The results show that firms differ significantly in competitiveness, with intense users of EXMATs consistently outperforming non-intense users and the sector average in terms of profitability, shareholder value creation, market share and customer patronage over the ten-year period examined. Overall, empirical evidence supports the proposition that intense use of EXMATs can both create and sustain competitive advantage. Our research contributes to knowledge by developing a measurement scale to assess management accounting innovation from annual reports and secondary data. Most studies have used survey methods, which may suffer from respondent bias. The study verifies that the use of EXMATs can both create and sustain competitive advantage, thus addressing the contention in the literature.
Scientific breakthroughs rarely begin as polished theories; they emerge as raw, unfiltered ideas that challenge convention and demand cross-disciplinary exploration. Preprints have transformed this early stage of discovery, providing an open arena where unconventional concepts – once confined to lab notebooks or conference whispers – can be shared, debated and refined in real time. From CRISPR ( Hossain, 2021 ) to AlphaFold ( Jumper et al ., 2021 ), history shows that unfiltered ideas, when rapidly disseminated, catalyze disruptive advances across biology, medicine and beyond. Yet academia often undervalues these fragile beginnings, prioritizing finished narratives over generative sparks. This article argues for the preservation of unfiltered ideas through preprints as the cornerstone of trans-disciplinary innovation. Beyond accelerating collaboration and transparency, preprints function as anticipatory infrastructures – expanding society’s capacity to imagine, contest and co-create knowledge futures. By legitimizing early dissemination, they unlock solutions to global challenges that no single discipline can reach alone.
Disruptive innovation represents a strategic approach that gradually displaces existing mainstream products by introducing performance attributes valued by low-end or emerging market users. This study conceptualizes disruptive innovation through two primary dimensions – product-technology and market-enterprise, underpinned by an analysis of publication trends, prominent journals and research hotspots in the field. The research systematically categorizes the types of disruptive innovation and synthesizes their structural measurement using three distinct classification approaches. Key determinants of disruptive innovation are examined through the lenses of resource-based theory, trait activation theory, dynamic capabilities theory, institutional theory and value networks. Additionally, the study explores the implications of disruptive innovation for employees, leaders and organizations. Drawing on these insights, future research directions are proposed, emphasizing the exploration of novel characteristics and forms of disruptive innovation, the integration of influencing factors, the investigation of its potential negative consequences, and its localization in diverse contexts. This study serves as a foundational reference for scholars seeking to advance their understanding of disruptive innovation and offers practical guidance for managers aiming to navigate and implement disruptive innovation within organizations.
This study examines how smartphones have evolved from functional tools into potent symbols of status, identity and social capital among young adults in urban Bangladesh. Drawing on qualitative case studies and digital urban ethnography in Dhaka, the research explores how these devices are embedded in everyday social performance and aspirational behavior. Grounded in attachment theory, the theory of attainment, mimetic desire and Bourdieu’s concepts of capital and habitus, the study investigates the motivations behind smartphone choices, the emotional bonds users form with their devices and the performative display of smartphones in social and romantic contexts. Findings reveal that high-end smartphones are often acquired not for utility, but to project prestige, demonstrate ‘tech-savviness’ and navigate peer and societal expectations. The study also highlights how smartphone ownership influences impression management, particularly in youth interaction and romantic endeavor. These insights shed light on the broader implications of digital technology in shaping identity and social hierarchy in a rapidly transforming society.
The advent of large language models (LLMs) has triggered concerns about various issues, one of which is plagiarism. In contrast with two long-standing types of human plagiarism, competitive and institutionalised, LLMs introduce a new type, which can be called automated plagiarism. There are many possible responses to it, including ignoring it, banning it, polluting it, exposing it, labelling it and suing for copyright infringement. The rise of automated plagiarism may stimulate thinking about alternative ways of allocating credit for human creative work.
This study addresses a critical gap in existing research by systematically comparing the performance of five popular large language models (LLMs) in supporting high-quality qualitative research. Our methodology combines a literature review of academic papers from 2020 to 2025 with a proof-of-concept experiment evaluating ScholarAI, ChatGPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, NotebookLM and Perplexity on key qualitative analysis tasks. We sought to determine how well these generative artificial intelligence (AI) models meet established standards of methodological rigor in qualitative analysis. Findings reveal significant variation in LLM performance: the models excelled at efficiently retrieving relevant literature, summarizing content and generating insights, but exhibited inconsistencies in contextual comprehension, coding accuracy and depth of critical analysis. These results informed a novel evaluation framework aligning LLM outputs with qualitative research quality criteria, contributing guidance for researchers and practitioners. We recommend that practitioners leverage LLMs to improve productivity while exercising critical oversight of their outputs, and that researchers address ethical concerns and refine evaluation rubrics to ensure responsible AI integration. Overall, this work establishes a foundation for responsible human–AI collaboration in qualitative research by highlighting both the opportunities and challenges of using generative AI to enhance methodological rigor and accessibility.
This paper develops a translation studies framework to analyse the mechanisms of knowledge exchange and communication occurring in the Anglo-Japanese context of Hybrid Innovation (HI) – a training programme linking academia and corporate industry held yearly at the Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) in collaboration with Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. While HI is in part aligned to conventional ‘design thinking’ courses, it also distinguishes itself in its ever-evolving blend of methods from art, design, science and the humanities, highlighting its transdisciplinary nature. As an inquiry into the challenges of how to study innovation in transcultural settings, this paper examines the ensuing hybrid methodology of HI through the lens of translation. The goal is to illuminate and problematize discourses concerning creativity and innovation by proposing a translation-inspired conceptual framework based on: a) domestication and foreignization – key concepts from translation studies for dealing with foreign notions within a culture; b) creative translation devices – pedagogical tools that support the learning process; and c) productive uncertainty – a lesson in familiarization with the unknown. The analysis reveals that participants engage with uncertainty by learning to pause, reflect and reinterpret their experiences, generating new knowledge in so doing. Rather than delivering a fixed set of innovation techniques, HI functions as a mode of learning through translation and the cultivation of creativity, critical thinking and reflective practice. This approach provides a novel model for knowledge transfer and the development of innovative mindsets in both corporate and academic contexts.
We examine how sportswashing can be transformed into an opportunity to advance the morally charged cause(s) that prompted its use. After characterizing sportswashing through a literature review, we develop conceptual arguments that show how sportswashing can bring positive change. We employ a two-dimensional framework, incorporating control over media narratives and the capacity for action, to map the extent to which cause promoters can leverage sportswashing situations. We propose three rationales through which sportswashing can advance the cause agenda: (i) leveraging media coverage of the sportswashed event to raise awareness of the cause, (ii) transforming key stakeholders of the sportswashed event into cause promoters, and (iii) leveraging the sportswashing experience to raise future standards. We also provide anecdotal evidence to support our rationale. Rather than accepting sportswashing at face value, promoters of various causes can innovate and advance their agendas by viewing these events as opportunities to reframe sportswashing and subvert the original intent of the sportswashers. These promoters need to be equipped and trained to enhance their abilities in managing sportswashing. Our study also serves as a catalyst for future research and discussion on the potential for repurposing sportswashing.
Innovation research has grown steadily over the years, with different foci and methodological approaches. The abundance of literature on the topic makes clear that innovative processes are at the centre of many narratives, in academia, the public sector in general and in industry. This contribution scopes the literature and traces some key considerations regarding a determining factor: openness. The paper explores the literature in order to narrow down the characteristics of so-called ‘open innovation’. An emphasis is placed on the main channels that determine collaboration practices, particularly between academia and the private sector, namely university-industry linkages. It focuses on open transfers of knowledge and open science research practices. The overarching discussion develops key questions underlining the relevance of open innovation for science, industry and the consolidation of narratives promoting access and collaboration. The paper concludes by offering some insights into trends and challenges from a research perspective as well as from the view of innovation dynamics.
Known as a pioneer of electronic music, Lev Theremin (1896–1993) had a career as an inventor which stretched the entire span of the Soviet Union’s existence. He witnessed the upheavals of war, terror and revolution firsthand but also tried his luck as an inventor in the United States. With an emphasis on the Soviet Union, this paper uses the case of Theremin – including the years he spent in the United States – as a lens through which intellectual property can be analysed. Soviet attempts to control and reward inventors, inventions and inventiveness to a large extent took place outside the formal legal framework. Theremin’s inventive career embodied the contradictions and tensions of intellectual property politics and its attempts to encourage, reward and control both inventions and inventors. As the case of Theremin will show, many of the dealings between inventor and state were classified and unrecognized, shaped by both voluntary cooperation and force. Using the methodological approach of the meta-archive, this paper traces the overarching structural context for owning and controlling knowledge and ideas through the personal trajectory of Theremin.
Since at least the 1960s, scholars, pundits and the general public have been worried about AI hype – the tendency to project more power, agency and intelligence on AI than it really has. To counter this tendency, academics often warn against anthropomorphizing AI or assuming that its impacts on society are inevitable. While these are sensible cautions, taken too far, they risk ignoring the way the design of AI actually can shape and condition how power and authority is distributed in society – and in academia. How, then, to see AI? Is it merely a tool people use for their own ends? Or can it hijack these ends? This paper argues that Langdon Winner provides provocative frameworks for tackling these questions.
