Search

There are huge reserves of hydrocarbons in the Arctic region. However, owing to the harsh climate, darkness, problems with communication, long distances, lack of infrastructure and other challenges, offshore operations related to hydrocarbon extraction are more difficult and more expensive. Nowadays, gas extracted from the Arctic shelf, is transported mainly by pipelines and liquid natural gas (LNG) carriers. Both methods are quite expensive. In this paper we consider the application of innovative compressed natural gas (CNG) technology to transport gas extracted from the hydrocarbon fields in the Arctic. The technology is not widely commercially used yet. The calculations show that the gas transportation costs using CNG carriers are lower than those using LNG carriers and pipelines for smaller gas fields and distances from the source to consumer up to 4000 km. The paper would be interesting for practitioners from the oil and gas and shipbuilding industry, policymakers and scholars.

Open innovation has received increasingly attention in scientific research (Chesbrough 2002; van de Vrande et al. 2009). It showed to be a fruitful strategy to employ in highly dynamic and changing environment (Chesbrough 2003a, b). Since its emergence, evidence to support open innovation model was taken mainly from the so-called ‘high technology’ industries, such as computers, information technology, and pharmaceuticals. However, more resent work Chesbrough and Growther (2006) confirmed the relevance of this approach in more mature industries. However, little is known so far under which conditions open innovation serves as appropriate strategy in such mature industries. This paper investigates innovation process in maritime industry, which is characterised by long-term trust-based relationships between involved partners, and substantial financial investment. Using example from a shipping company in Norway we show how the innovative action of the firm may depend on the combined influence of entrepreneurial orientation (Lumpkin and Dess 1996; Rauch et al. 2009) within the firm and cooperative links towards knowledge providers. We investigate innovation process that led to construction of a ship that was specifically designed to operate under the harsh Arctic conditions. Findings indicate that open innovation approach is particularly suitable for innovation process in mature industries when product requirements are dictated by extra demanding conditions. We contribute to the domain of open innovation by specifying that firm entrepreneurial orientation, collaborative links with customer and partner are particularly suitable when the level of uncertainty is high.

Although considerable research has highlighted that high levels of self-efficacy are associated with high levels of entrepreneurial intentions, little attention has been paid to the mediating effec...

This chapter is devoted to the development of the mathematical models of stochastic control systems based on the predictive models of random sequences. In particular, the linear algorithms of the forecast of a control object state for an arbitrary number of states of an investigated object and the values of a control parameter are obtained. In a mean-square sense, the algorithms allow one to get an optimal estimation of the future values of a forecasted parameter, in case true known values for an observation interval are used, provided that the measurements are made with errors. Using an arbitrary number of non-linear stochastic relations, a predictive model of a control system is obtained as well. The schemes that reflect the peculiarities of determining the parameters of a nonlinear algorithm and its functioning regularities are introduced in the work. Developed models allows one to take the peculiarities of the sequence of the change of control object parameters into full consideration and also to make full use of all known priori and posteriori information about the random sequence that was investigated. The algorithms obtained in this chapter can be used in different areas of human activity to solve a wide range of problems of the control of the objects of stochastic nature.

PurposeThis paper focuses on the motivation of females to start businesses in developed and emerging economies. Although the issues related to the motivation of entrepreneurs have been widely studied, there are a few studies focusing on the differences in women’s entrepreneurial motivation in countries with different levels of market economy development. Furthermore, existing studies on female founders mainly adapt the concepts that have often been developed in male-dominated paradigm. The purpose of this paper is to explore in depth motivations of female entrepreneurs in different contexts and discover the dissimilarities in women’s entrepreneurial motivations in countries with different levels of economic development.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative research approach is applied in this study to explore the social-driven and profit-driven motives of female entrepreneurs. The authors have employed purposeful sampling to select cases. The authors investigated the motivations of 45 female entrepreneurs in Norway (12), Russia (21) and Ukraine (12). Semi-structured interviews were used to collect primary data. The authors have also triangulated the data collected from interviews with the data available on the internet, company reports and newspaper publications.FindingsThe findings indicate that women often pursuit business opportunities to satisfy social needs, rather than focusing on traditional business outcomes such as growth or profit. However, different contexts – the emerging economies context of Russia and Ukraine and the developed one of Norway – seem to influence the motivation to establish new ventures differently. The study found a stronger desire to contribute to a society’s needs among female founders in Norway compared to their counterparts in Russia and Ukraine. This indicates that cultural and social context in developed countries, such as in Norway, probably provides more possibilities for female entrepreneurs for self-realisation elsewhere leaving more room for focusing on societal issues in business in comparison with emerging countries contexts.Originality/valueA novel conceptual contribution is the exploration of links between the social-driven and profit-driven motives of female entrepreneurs in emerging and developed economises. The study also adds to debates relating to context embeddedness of smaller firms.

In this paper, we consider the changes that occurred in the service exports of thirty-eight European countries in the period of 2005&ndash, 2016. We have found that the existing world trend related to the growth of service exports is also present in Europe. However, the trend of the service exports&rsquo, share growth in the general volume of export is not common for all European countries. We found that higher growth rates are observed in European countries with lower levels of GDP per capita. We also discovered the presence of a strong positive correlation between growth in service exports and GDP growth, as well as between growth in service exports and GDP per capita. We also found that there is a linear correlation between the growth of service exports and the growth of GDP per capita, as well as between the growth in service exports and GDP growth. The data obtained allowed us to conclude that European countries, categorized as &ldquo, Innovation Leaders&rdquo, in accordance with the European Innovation Scoreboard, are not the leading countries in Europe with regard to the rates of service export growth. We also discovered that service exports in Europe are less sensitive to adverse macroeconomic effects than goods exports.

The maritime industry is one of the most polluting in the world. In this paper we present fresh insights related to the application of the novel blockchain technology in reducing pollutions. We analyse recent literature on blockchain technology and propose ways of the utilization of blockchain technology in the maritime industry. Special interest for maritime industry specialists represents the perspectives of the utilization of the blockchain technology in improving the environmental efficiency of the maritime industry. The technology has a broad range of applicability, allowing connecting the supply chain more efficiently, providing the exchange and visibility of time-stamped proofed data, decreasing the industry operational costs with intermediaries and increasing security. It also allows full visibility for all parties involved with proof of work, facilitating Class Societies inspections, Port State Control and audits compliance. The results of the study also show that cases on blockchain application in other fields increase the industry willingness to its application on the maritime industry. While having blockchain implementation specialized third parties would increase the implementation possibility and the industry willingness due to reduced costs and friction. The study will be interesting for scholars, policy-makers and practitioners from the maritime industry.

Offshore oil and gas operations continuously go to the High North. The ecology of the Arctic area is very fragile. The maritime industry is mainly eco-destructive. In the Arctic, the problems of possible ship accidents and catastrophes are extremely dangerous for the nature. In this paper, we analyse recent literature on new digital simulation technology and propose new ways of the utilization of this novel technology in the maritime industry. We present fresh insights related to the architecture, software and hardware related to joint digital simulation platforms in planning safe maritime operations in the Arctic and effective search and rescue operations. For the facilitation of integrated systems, the project will work towards a cross industry, open platform ecosystem connecting operations with the help of cloud technology: from data collection to storage through analytics. The utilization of the joint digital simulation platforms will allow to minimize pollution effects during navigation and accidents. The study will be interesting for scholars, policy-makers and practitioners from the maritime industry.

The given chapter is devoted to the development of the mathematical support, in particular, mathematical models and algorithms, which can be successfully used for solving prediction tasks in various areas of human activity, including energetic and ecological management. The development peculiarities and the use of models and algorithms as elements of green technology to predict electric energy consumption based on mathematical apparatus of canonical expansions of random sequences are currently being discussed. Developed calculation method doesn’t impose any limitations on the qualities of random sequences of the change of electric energy consumption (requirement of linearity, Markovian behavior, monotony, stationarity etc.) and has maximal accuracy characteristics in this connection. Block diagrams of algorithms and results of the applied realization of the developed models and algorithms, for example the prediction of electric energy consumption by one of the local neighborhoods in Mykolaiv, Ukraine are introduced in the work. Comparative analysis of the results of a numerical experiment with the use of a Kalman filter and the linear prediction method confirms the high efficiency of the developed models and algorithms (relative error of prediction of electric energy consumption is 2–3%).

The aim of this study is to develop a theoretical framework for blockchain, operations in particular. Furthermore, we aim to identify the main drivers and barriers of digital innovation and explore the general possibilities of blockchain applications within the maritime industry. A case study approach is applied: the Norwegian offshore industry. Primary data is collected through interviews, while secondary data is collected from industrial and company reports, the Internet, and national and international media reports. We have discovered that cost reduction intentions, the high level of regulation in the maritime industry, and the large amount of data that maritime companies should process, along with the intention to work more effectively, are the main drivers of digital innovation. On the other hand, the high cost of implementation, the bad quality of Internet connections offshore, the old age of decision-makers, the technology-oriented culture, the lack of investment initiatives, the low level of blockchain diffusion through the supply chain, and risk aversion are the main barriers. The results of the qualitative study show that some of the barriers and motives of digital innovation and the introduction to blockchain technology were pointed out by earlier studies. However, we have identified several unique drivers and barriers specific to the industry. Finally, the blockchain process framework is developed. Applying Blockchain technology: Evidence from Norwegian companies

The growing importance of cooperative relationships may currently be observed throughout the world. The vast majority of such relationships take the form of coopetition, i.e., the simultaneous existence of cooperation and competition between competitors. Previous research on coopetition characterizes these relationships mostly in the context of the benefits achieved. Researchers emphasize a number of benefits resulting from coopetition, e.g., stimulation of innovations of partners, development of the technology, obtaining complementary resources, entering new markets, or creating new products. However, when deciding to begin coopetition, companies should not only consider the benefits, but also the drawbacks associated with such relationships. This is due to the fact that disadvantages are inherent features of coopetitive relationships between competitors. The relationship between the duration of cooperative relationships in particular areas and the benefits and costs associated with these relationships is scarcely researched. Using a sample of 210 companies operating in the high-tech sector in Poland, we aimed to cover this gap in the knowledge base and to analyze this aspect of coopetition. Several research methods including multidimensional correspondence analysis, correlation analysis of qualitative variables, a chi-square test, multi-table analysis, and association rules were applied. The results of our research showed that coopetition is a viable strategy which contributes to the sustainable development of firms. We also found that the duration of coopetitive relationships in different areas of company activity is related to different types of benefits to collaboration partners.

In this paper, we consider issues related to green innovation strategies. Notably, we focus on the issues related to R&D strategic alliances aimed to develop green technologies in maritime sector. Still managers often use their gut feelings to select partners from the prospective candidates. However, expensive R&D projects aimed at developing radical green innovations need thorough preliminary analysis of collaborators. We apply fuzzy logic approach to facilitate decision making of management teams who are responsible for selection partners for collaborative green innovation projects. Namely, in this study the approach of formal concept analysis is used to facilitate partner selection.

The article is a review of the perspective methods and approaches to the design of fuzzy decision support systems (DSS) with the application of discrete fuzzy inference engine. The authors also developed a two-stage method for fuzzy rule base (RB) correction in the case of changing the structure of the input vector. In addition, the fuzzy DSS with a hierarchical structure for the best selection of the marine delivery company was developed. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness and feasibility of fuzzy DSS structure with variable input coordinates vector, in particular, in marine practice.

Purpose – Universities provide entrepreneurship-specific education (ESE) to equip students with the entrepreneurial alertness and risk-taking assets required to pursue entrepreneurial careers. Building upon insights from a dynamic view of human capital, the paper explores the linkage between ESE investment, alertness, and risk-taking asset accumulation, and the outcome relating to the intention “to become an entrepreneur” (henceforth termed an “entrepreneurial mindset”). Design/methodology/approach – Survey information from 189 students from three universities in the Ukraine was hand collected. Hierarchical multiple ordinary least squares regression analysis and slope analysis were used to test presented hypotheses. Findings – ESE students reported higher intensity of entrepreneurial mindset. Further, ESE students who accumulated the connection entrepreneurial alertness asset reported higher intensity of entrepreneurial mindset. ESE students were more oriented to higher entrepreneurial mindset when they had accumulated more connection entrepreneurial alertness asset. ESE students who accumulated the risk-taking propensity asset reported lower intensity of entrepreneurial mindset. ESE students were more oriented to higher entrepreneurial mindset when they perceived less risk. Originality/value – The paper makes a novel contribution by considering whether ESE promotes different elements of entrepreneurial alertness and risk-taking assets. Building upon insights from a broader conceptualization of the entrepreneurial alertness asset (Tang et al., 2012), the paper conceptualized for the first time the linkage between three elements of entrepreneurial alertness and student entrepreneurial mindset. Further, the paper conceptualized linkage between two elements of risk-taking relating to risk-taking perception asset and risk-taking propensity asset, and higher intensity of entrepreneurial mindset. Assets relating to entrepreneurial alertness and risk-taking perception need to be honed in transition economy contexts associated with political structures that did not promote individual risk-taking.

PurposeThis paper studies female entrepreneurship in two post‐Soviet countries – Russia and Ukraine. Employing institutional theory, the research aims to investigate the entrepreneurial environment, particularly government support programmes and the availability of financial resources, with a focus on women entrepreneurs.Design/methodology/approachThis research is a qualitative investigation that comprises 60 interviews with Russian and Ukrainian entrepreneurs, bank officers and representatives of government organisations supporting the development of entrepreneurship.FindingsThe investigation provides evidence that these countries have overcome the transition from a command to a market economy and local people are gradually adjusting to the new environment. Concentrating on macro/meso and money elements from the 5M model suggested by Brush et al., the authors suggest an additional construct – “motherland” – to embed a context in a new model.Research limitations/implicationsOnly two factors of Brush et al.'s 5M model were considered – i.e. macro/meso environment and money (availability of financial resources). Discussion of management, marketing and motherhood is beyond the scope of the present paper.Practical implicationsThe study reveals a broad range of managerial information and empirical data on the development of female entrepreneurship in contemporary Russia and Ukraine. The findings are helpful for policymakers engaged with these two countries.Originality/valueThe study is an attempt to capture the context dependency of research on female entrepreneurs, and suggests a new dimension for inclusion in Brush et al.’s 5M model – “motherland”.

In this article, we consider open innovation from the perspectives of: i) causation and effectuation, and ii) social networking. Our empirical evidence consists of a case study of a late-stage open-innovation project aimed at creating a hybrid ship that uses liquid natural gas and hydrogen as power sources. The results show that the effectuation approach is preferable to open innovation when the initiator of open innovation aims to keep sensitive information inside the closed group, when the initiator has established an effective team of representatives from other firms from earlier innovation projects, and when the participants are geographically close. An innovation, to be effective, has to be simple and it has to be focused. It should do only one thing, otherwise, it confuses. If it is not simple, it won’t work. All effective innovations are breathtakingly simple.

This article explores links between entrepreneurship education (EE) participation, alertness and risk-taking skills and the intensity of entrepreneurial intention relating to becoming an entrepreneur. Guided by insights from human capital and socially learned stereotypes theories, we conceptualize and test novel hypotheses that consider the potential moderating effect of gender and participation in EE. Business students participating in EE modules were compared with engineering students excluded from such programmes. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that EE students reported high intensity of intention; however, EE did not generate equal benefits for all students. Women were significantly less likely to report high intensity of intention; however, those citing the alertness skill were more likely to report high intensity of intention than non-EE women students. Both male EE and non-EE students citing the risk perception skill reported higher intention, whereas women EE students citing the risk perception skill reported lower intention.

Purpose – This paper aims to explore whether an integrated conceptual model (ICM) relating to factors drawn from entrepreneurial event theory (EET) (i.e. perceived desirability and perceived feasibility) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) (i.e. attitudes toward the behaviour, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control) explains more of the variance relating to the intention to become an entrepreneur than individual EET or TPB models.Design/methodology/approach – Survey information from 192 students from three universities in the Ukraine was hand collected. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses presented.Findings – Models relating to EET, the TPB and the ICM explained 40 per cent, 55 per cent and 60 per cent of the variance in the entrepreneurial intention dependent variable, respectively. Students reporting higher levels of perceived desirability, perceived feasibility, attitude toward the behaviour (i.e. enterprise) and perceived behavioural control were more likely ...

PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the partner selection criteria reported by maritime firms in Norway. The study aims to analyze how a maritime firm's competitive advantage can be enhanced by the selection of the right partner with reference to a strategic alliance.Design/methodology/approachA multiple‐case study methodology was used. Archival, survey and interview data were explored relating to the partner selection process reported by Norwegian maritime firms. Primary data were gathered from semi‐structured personal interviews with managers of Norwegian maritime firms.FindingsCase study evidence suggests that the strategic alliances were successful when partners had been carefully selected. As detected elsewhere, successful alliances were associated with partners that had managed to build trustful and honest relationships, had common strategic goals, and partners that supplied resources and competencies. Notably, it was detected that cyclicality in the maritime industry shaped the partner selection process. Trust between partners was used as mechanism to reduce uncertainty relating to the strategic alliance process. Firms seeking long‐term alliances selected partners with substantial capital and financial stability to survive a market's downturn, as well as the resources required for expansion during a recession.Practical implicationsPresented findings have implications for practitioners, especially for managers of shipping firms, banks, shipyards, producers of ship equipment, ship design firms, and ship brokers. Practitioners need to be aware that the rationale for inter‐firm collaboration change over time, and motives are linked to the phase of the maritime cycle. Inter‐firm collaboration provides competitive advantage benefits to firms and collaboration can protect as well as create jobs and can create wealth in maritime communities.Originality/valueA novel conceptual contribution is the exploration of links between maritime industrial cyclicality and the partner selection process relating to strategic alliances. The study also adds to debates relating to the profiles of internationalizing smaller firms.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to apply a mathematical method of formal concept analysis (FCA) to facilitate evaluation of potential partners, and to select the most appropriate partner for horizontal strategic alliances. Horizontal collaboration between ship design firms is important in relation to business cyclicality in the industry. The workload in ship design firms drops during the troughs of the shipbuilding cycle and increases dramatically during the peaks of the cycle.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed method of partnership selection applies FCA, which is based on mathematical lattice theory. FCA allows firms to evaluate and select the best suitable partners for horizontal interfirm cooperation from several possible candidate firms. Utilization of FCA allows a firm to visually analyze a potential partner for a horizontal strategic alliance.FindingsThe contribution of this study to the literature is twofold. First, it contributes to the literature on the application of FCA in management field. Second, this study contributes to the partner selection literature. The contribution of the study is an alternative quantitative method for partner selection based on FCA. FCA compliments qualitative approaches in the process of alternatives evaluation and decision‐making regarding partner selection for horizontal collaboration.Practical implicationsPractitioners from ship design firms can use the FCA tool to facilitate decision‐making relating to the screening of potential partners for horizontal cooperation with regard to pre‐specified selected criteria.Originality/valueFCA has been marginally applied to aid managerial decision making. The FCA tool is valuable for practitioners from ship design firms to manage the selection of partners for horizontal collaboration. The FCA tool is associated with numerous advantages, notably, relative simplicity and versatility of visual analysis when compared with other mathematical approaches such as the analytic hierarchy process, the analytic network process, optimization modeling, and fuzzy set logic.

In this article, we discuss the role of open innovation in collaborative design processes in mature industries such as the shipping industry. We examine the design of high-tech offshore service vessels in environments characterized by high volatility and complexity. We elaborate on the role that accumulating and sharing core competences plays in speeding up the innovation process and increasing product value. We present a longitudinal case study of a shipping company implementing an open innovation approach that integrates its own core competences in offshore operations with the competences of ship designers and ship builders to develop a new design for challenging environments. In this article, we draw on an open innovation approach and a competence-based view to demonstrate how the firm can "reach out" to gain novel competences related to innovation, which may transform the competitive environment to the firm’s advantage. The article would be useful to innovation scholars and practitioners who work with innovative product development.

The paper compares the collaboration between a university and an industrial cluster in two different regions in Norway. One is a small Western coast regional university with many ties to the regional maritime industry, which is part of the strongest national industrial cluster. To examine an influence of university-business cooperation on education and research in the medical imaging industry and maritime industry of Norway, a case study approach was selected. Our study reveals a clear division of labor between teaching-oriented regional universities serving regional firms, and research-intensive large universities catering for knowledge and candidate needs for larger firms all over the country.

The paper explores whether resource-based view with newly emerged extensions including the dynamic capabilities perspective and the knowledge-based view is a new theory of the firm the or a compliment to existing theories. The paper analyzes new paradigms in the strategic management literature using Thomas Kuhn’s (1962) theory of scientific revolutions. Kuhn’s framework is an important model that contributed significantly to the philosophy of science. The results suggest that strategic management is a multi-paradigmatic discipline. The conclusion indicates that the resource-based theory is a new paradigm of strategic management, although not a dominating one.

The paper presents the requirements and challenges to collaborative design related to the design of vessels for offshore operations in the Arctic area. We look into the design process of offshore service vessels in environments characterized by high volatility and complexity. Due to increased complexity as to functionality, the number of stakeholders and uncertainty as to environmental aspects more information from different sources have to be included, also encompassing long trial periods with user feedback. This has implications for the construction processes and the open interplay with partners in an open innovation approach.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the difference in entrepreneurial intentions, perceived entrepreneurial motivation, and cognitive profiles (attitudes towards entrepreneurship, perceived behaviour control, and subjective norms) between individuals who have participated in enterprise education programmes in the universities and those who have not. The paper also investigates the mediating role of attitudes towards entrepreneurship, perceived behaviour control, and subjective norms related to entrepreneurial motivation and the forming of entrepreneurial intentions.Design/methodology/approachSurvey information from 321 students from three universities in the Ukraine was hand collected. Hierarchical multiple regressions were used to test hypotheses.FindingsIndividuals who participate in enterprise programmes tend to have higher entrepreneurial motivation and are more likely to become entrepreneurs. Empirical evidence shows that attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behaviour control mediate the relationship between perceived entrepreneurial motivation and entrepreneurial intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is based on data collected from three universities in one city. The implications for education managers related to the inclusion of enterprise courses into the study plans of engineering students are also discussed here.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for the stimulation of student enterprise in transitional economies where attitudinal and resource (i.e. skill, competence and knowledge) deficiencies can retard enterprise. Entrepreneurial motivation is an important link between an intention and action. Enterprise education programs which stimulate entrepreneurial motivation should be offered to engineering students since many of them start ventures later. Engagement into enterprise development programs of engineering students might evoke earlier interest in self‐employment career path among young people.Originality/valueThe article contributes to the field of entrepreneurial motivation and intentions. The study extends insights from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) (i.e. subjective norms, attitudes toward this behaviour, and perceived behavioural control) by also considering the perceived entrepreneurial motivation profiles of students.

In this paper, we explore how partnership context influences the process of R&D consortia formation in a mature industry, namely the shipping industry. We elaborate on the partner selection criteria and how they change over time when goals move from wide and intangible to very specific R&D tasks. We present two cases related to R&D joint projects in the high-tech Norwegian offshore service vessel industry. We find that when the aim of collaborative R&D work is narrowly defined and concentrated on the creation of clear-cut, tangible products, partner selection may be easy, with a broad range of potential partners. When the R&D aims are more broadly defined and less tangible, prospective participants are more careful and the number of partners from which a selection can be made is more limited. We discuss how different aims lead to different partner choice criteria. Implications for the strategies of developing R&D alliances are discussed.

The paper presents software for simulation and optimization elaborated by a Norwegian firm. This tool is applied by an international corporation which consists of ship designers, suppliers of equipment, and R&D suppliers during their collaborating projects with shipowners. This tool allows a better coordination between participants of the design process situated in different countries, simulation of vessel behaviour in different weather conditions, and cost control. This tool can also be applied in other industries, for example, car design.

Cooperative decision making is broadly understood as a consensus process aiming to find the best possible solution for both a particular group as a whole and for its members. While some of the researchers concentrate on the human aspect of the process others work on providing technical solutions facilitating both human and computer based decision makers. Ranking of projects proposals applying closed sets theory is in the main focus of this work. Particular attention is paid to involvement of generators and cover tuples.

The paper presents three dimensional scanning tools elaborated by a Norwegian firm. This tool is applied by a number of Norwegian firms (ship designers, shipbuilders, suppliers of equipment, and classification societies) during their collaborating projects. This tool allows 3D scanning, making drawings and 3D hull models. This tool is also applied in other industries, for example, architecture, house construction, and mechanical production.

There is a growing body of research devoted to the issues of cooperative design. However, there are still gaps in the existing knowledge on partner selection for cooperation. This paper intends to explore partner selection issues in the context of collaborative ship design. The study aims to fill a gap in the partner selection literature by proposing a quantitative technique based on formal concept analysis. An illustrative example of the selection of a partner for a project-based alliance in a naval architect firm is presented. The study has implications for practitioners and researchers.

The paper presents a model for inter-organizational and interdisciplinary collaboration in ship design. Two case studies illustrate the application of this model in ship design practice. Case studies also demonstrate usage of two computer-based collaboration tools employed by a large design firm and a small one.

The recent increase of information flow in the shipbuilding industry due to the implementation of computer-aided design and tougher market requirements for ship design stipulates a need for effective collaboration between ship designers, shipowners, shipyards, suppliers, classification societies, and other supply chain partners. This paper presents two-dimensional collaborative models for vessel design and sheds light on the features of inter-organizational and intra-organizational collaboration. Two case studies show how two different ship design companies have organized cooperative work during the design process and how they employed computer-aided collaborative tools.

In this paper we propose a model for automated assessment of learner's knowledge in a well-defined domain. Arranging knowledge states in a distributive lattice based on prerequisite and surmise relationships among them is considered. The suggested framework is intended to be a building block of an intelligent tutoring system.

Universities provide entrepreneurship-specific education (ESE) to equip students with the alertness and risk-taking skills required to pursue entrepreneurial careers. This study explores links betw...

In the present paper, we apply the theory of planned behaviour and personal initiative taking literature to explore the entrepreneurial intentions of 266 female and 161 male respondents in Russia and Ukraine. Our findings show that the intensity of entrepreneurial intentions reported by Ukrainian students is higher than those reported by their Russian counterparts. We also find that men have higher entrepreneurial intentions then women in these countries. At the same time, gender moderates the relationship between perceived behavioural control and intentions, but not between attitude or subjective norms and intentions. We also find that personal initiative taking does not add to the explanation of entrepreneurial intentions above the variables in the theory of planned behaviour model. We discuss the possible reasons for these findings and their implications for future research.

Outsourcing and offshoring have become viable strategies of global firms. The success and necessity of usage of these strategies is stipulated by quick development in information and communication technologies. The prior research has shown that firms which use offshoring have better chances to survive than firms which rely solely on domestic suppliers and performing works in-house. The paper considers issues of cooperative ship design grounded on a strategy of flexible sourcing, when the firm rationally combines outsourcing and insourcing strategies. The mathematical method of formal concept analysis is applied to visualise and analyse firm's insourcing and outsourcing strategies. An example is presented to illustrate application of the concept lattice in decision support regarding sourcing of a Norwegian ship design firm.

This paper investigates the interfirm cooperative strategies of shipbuilding firms. This paper aims to understand the system nature and dynamics of interfirm cooperative strategies adopted by firms in the shipbuilding industry related to the phase of the shipbuilding cycle. A theory- building approach from case studies is applied in this study. The study is based on interviews with managers of the Norwegian, Danish, Polish and Ukrainian shipbuilding firms. In addition, secondary data were collected. Issues relating to the aims of joining cooperative agreements; resources and competences which the shipbuilding firms and their collaborators contribute to joint ventures, strategic alliances and other collaborative arrangements; and how collaborative strategies were related to the phase of the shipbuilding cycle were explored. Implications for further research, practitioners and policy-makers are provided.

The recent increase in information and knowledge flows within the shipbuilding industry, due to the implementation of computer-aided design and tougher market requirements for ship design, generates a need for effective collaboration between ship designers, shipowners, shipyards, suppliers, classification societies, and other supply chain partners. This paper uses a comparative case study approach to explore how two different ship design firms have organised cooperative work during the design process, and how they employed computer-aided collaborative tools for knowledge management. This study will be interesting for practitioners from shipbuilding and ship design firms, and scholars of knowledge management and applications of collaborative knowledge management tools in organisations.