Technological catch-up is becoming the most important and strategic decisions for latecomer firms to strengthen technological capability and enlarge market position. Set strategic alliance as research perspective, we study the mechanism how patent strategy selections of latecomer firms help realize catch-up effects via alliance cooperation. Results show that in the latecomer context, the goals or intentions for firms to participate in strategic alliances may vary greatly because of differences in technological capability or market positions, which then influence their patent strategy selection. Generally, the latecomer firms’ patent strategies present typical regularity. Firms with lower technological capability or weaker market position tend to choose patent defensive strategy and patent leveraging strategy, and the strategic mix would help advance their strategic goals in technological catch-up.

This study aims to explore the design of technological service system of long-term care institutes. The design is based on the integrated framework of activity theory and customer value perspective to suggest the critical considerations of system design. This study collected a total of 351 service events of 17 long-term care institutions located in Japan, Singapore, and China and a total of 75 equipment or facilities. In addition, this study conducted in-depth interviews with experts. The findings are described as follows. First, in the aspect of the services, provided by the subject for the objects, the study shows long-term care institutes place more emphasis on hedonic value and then functional value and contextual value of the objects. Moreover, ethical value and relationship value are neglected. Second, in the aspect of tool, the equipment or facilities of long-term care mostly emphasize functional value and contextual value. Third, in the aspect of community, the system design should consider sharing platform, sharing information and network between the focal institute and other institutes. Finally, in the initial stage of system design, related policies, rules, and operation procedures should be considered. Moreover, long-term care institutes can improve the service quality based on the five-dimension framework of customer value. Furthermore, the focal long-term care institute should collaborate with external institutes to reach a clear division of labor through the sharing platform to build a complete care ecosystem.

Analyses around the process of constitution of the legal environment of organizations are of great importance for organizational studies because, through the use of concepts such as: endogeneity and institutionalization, as well as other contributions from (neo) Institutionalism, it is possible that we break with the belief somewhat ingrained, in the more traditional academic circles, around a supposed erogeneity of laws, by organizations and legal systems. And, as we will try to demonstrate, in concrete terms, we observe the prevalence of endogenous models, given the valorisation of technical mechanisms that are adjusted, in view of legal requirements, in favour of the subsequent convalidation of greater institutional legitimacy. In view of this scenario, there is, in parallel, a gap around a deepening of the internal mechanisms and external pressures that cause organizations to be affected by endogenous practices, a process that will also be encompassed. Therefore, in methodological terms, we opted for a critical review of the classical (neo)institutionalist literature, and during the studies, it was noticed that this epistemology presents advances in organizational studies because it departs from the functionalist logic, still excessively based on logic: pressures x responses, while seeing organizations being linked to two environments: technical and institutional. Moreover, the (neo)institutionalist perspective envisions endogenous practices from a broader perspective, conceiving them via a multicausal reading, factors that enhance such epistemology, whose uses should be valued even more by academia and the market.

The methodology aspect of a research study is deemed central to the trustworthiness of that studys findings. Irrespective of this, most researchers, especially emerging researchers often fall for the entrenched dualist reasoning for methodological choices. Often, emerging researchers, postgraduate students in particular, and some established researchers believe in the quantitative - qualitative research divide and that these two methodological approaches cannot be employed in the same study. Several scholars have chided the dualist or purist approaches as prejudicial to the attainment of rich research findings. Thus, this conceptual note sought to stimulate further the debate leading to the understanding that these two research traditions can be combined in one study to address research questions and thus enhance the research findings. The paper discusses the philosophical views of the two research approaches confirming their differences and argues against the incompatibility thesis raised by purists in the debate against mixing the qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The article then discusses the mixed methods research approach to dispel the binary or purist reasoning and encourage emerging researchers to embrace the mixed methods research where possible to answer the research questions.