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Copyright of LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: Problems & Perspective: Conference Proceedings is the property of Liepaja University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Crowdsourcing in science has become a growing field of research interest. Although the importance of crowdsourcing in science along with its barriers and requirements have been well recognized in the literature, many questions remain open. One of them refers to factors that determine the intention of academics to use crowdsourcing in science. Besides, previous research is held back by the lack of a rigorous measuring instrument. The aim of the article is to identify the antecedents of crowdsourcing in science, as well as the construction and initial testing of the measuring scale. Identifying the antecedents of crowdsourcing in science followed a combined approach, i.e., systematic literature review and nine focus group discussions were used. The process of developing the scale and its initial testing includes a pilot study conducted among 66 researchers. The final scale consists of 38 items covering the five antecedents of crowdsourcing in science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Process-oriented companies face the dichotomy of process standardization versus process diversity. On the one hand, multinational companies try to realize returns of scale by standardization. On the other hand, markets require businesses to adapt to local needs and government regulations. As of today, there is no framework available to measure the degree of process standardization. This is both a problem for companies that want to assess their degree of standardization as well as for research that aims to investigate standardization and its connection with other concepts. In this paper, we address this research gap from the perspective of scale development. We utilize a well-acknowledged method for devising a measurement instrument to specifically and directly measure the degree of standardization in business processes. Various application scenarios and future research areas are pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learner autonomy and self-direction in learning in higher education has become increasingly important as the focus changes from the teacher to the learner. Lifelong learning and the ability to continuously learn are only possible if students have more control of their own learning. This study is a first step towards an adaptation and validation of a Portuguese version of the Personal Responsibility Orientation to Self-Direction in Learning Scale (PRO-SDLS) to undergraduate engineering students. Using factor and reliability analysis, 12 items of the translated scale showed strong validity and reliability. The findings indicate that the PRO-SDLS can be used with engineering undergraduate students. More data collection and confirmatory analysis is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

New trends in online market expose the need for companies to deliver high levels of service quality in order to achieve important marketing outcomes. Consequently, many instruments that enable measurement and evaluation of users' perception of delivered e-service quality are developed. There are many measurement instruments that can be used for transaction-based services (like online shopping, Internet banking), but instruments for information-based services are rare. Faculty web sites are acting as web portals (information-based web portals) that offer access to a wide range of information and applications. Therefore, the objective of this article is to investigate and assess the quality of e-service provided by faculty web portals. Results of the performed study show that respondents were most satisfied with the quality of information provided on faculty web portal, and least satisfied with web design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to develop an instrument to measure restaurant service innovativeness from the customers' perspective. Three dimensions were identified through a literature review on innovation in experiential services, experience economy and service quality: food innovativeness, interaction process innovativeness and physical environment innovativeness. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses as well as Cronbach's alpha were used to refine the measurement scale with a sample of 167 individuals. A second order, an antecedents and a causal model were also tested in order to evaluate external convergent validity, external discriminant validity and concurrent validity of the scale (with a direct overall measure of the construct and a measure of differentiation). A reliable and valid 11-item three-dimensional measure of perceived restaurant innovativeness is provided, which could be used in academic research and by practitioners in decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory of effectuation has gained prominence in entrepreneurship literature, and consequently numerous of studies seeking to analyse effectual causal entrepreneurial behaviour are emerging. To be able to empirically test effectuation theory, efforts have been made to develop valid measurement scales. We here argue and show that current scales are hampered with important validity problems. Taking a novel approach, we critically evaluate the most used current scale, and build on the results to take steps to develop and validate new measurement scales for causation and effectuation consistent with theory and theoretical predictions. We measure five principles of effectuation and five principles of causation. Consistent with theory, we find (1) positive correlation between principles of effectuation, (2) positive correlations between principles of causation, (3) negative correlations between principles of effectuation and causation, and (4) that uncertainty is positively correlated with effectuation principles but negatively with principles of causation. Further, a parsimonious survey battery of 10 items, capturing the essence of effectuation and causation, is validated so that entrepreneurship scholars can use it to test, develop and further advance theorizing on effectuation and causation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic capabilities view (DCV) is in need of a solid empirical grounding. Existing attempts to identify the organizational behaviour (or microfoundations) on which dynamic capabilities rely are largely biased towards manufacturing. Thereby, these conceptualizations overlook some of the aspects that are specific for innovation in services, such as implicit innovation activity, intangibility of the product and customer co-creation. Studies dedicated to service innovation capabilities often only address a specific sector. More promising is the line of research that enriches mainstream innovation theory with insights from service innovation literature. In this paper, we are interested in a general conceptualization of dynamic capabilities that also covers the peculiarities of service innovation. Building on two key properties emerging from recent debates within the DCV, we classify existing attempts to conceptualize dynamic capabilities for service innovation. The only integrative conceptualization we encounter is then operationalized. Using two subsamples of a multi-industry survey dataset from 391 Dutch firms, we develop, purify (PCA) and validate (CFA) our measurement scale. Its wide applicability allows for comparison across firms and sectors, opening up the way for research on what capability brings about which type of innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]