Achieving critical mass: a global research network in systems engineering

Abstract

It is no coincidence that the universities were pioneers of the internet, for the medium lends itself uniquely well to academic debate and collaboration. We call this process of sharing ideas in cyberspace “virtual learning”, and the main goal of any such community is to create a shared understanding that will inspire research and development. This paper describes trends and issues in creating a Virtual Learning Community in systems engineering, drawing upon the results of an European ALFA‐funded project named COSME.

Technology Diffusion

“…Mancur Olson (1965) was the first to introduce the concept of 'critical mass' to the social sciences, and he defines 'critical mass' as the critical number of early adopters which is necessary to lead the rest of the population in collective actions. 23 Rephrasing this, 'critical mass' theory leads to the critical (threshold) conditions for collective actions to emerge, and then continue as self-perpetuating 24 and profitable 25 (Marwell and Oliver 1993;Molina et al 2001;Puumalainen et al 2011).…”

Exchange-Traded Funds on European Markets: Has Critical Mass been Reached? Implications for Financial Systems

“…Hence, to enrich this study we use the novel methodological approach developed and presented in Lechman [ 54 , 57 ] that allows identification of the ‘critical mass’ along diffusion trajectory. According to Lechman [ 54 ], ‘critical mass’ (For the notion of the ‘critical mass’, see the works of Cabral [ 60 , 61 ], Marwell and Oliver [ 62 ], Economides and Himmelberg [ 63 , 64 ], Molina et al [ 65 ], Rogers [ 52 ], Evans and Schmalensee [ 66 ], or Puumalainen et al [ 67 ].) stands for the minimal and necessary number of users of new technology that ensures the emergence of the ‘take-off’ along the diffusion trajectory, and at which the further process of diffusion becomes self-perpetuating.…”

ICT Diffusion in Developing Countries

“…If social networks give positive feedback, then network effects (externalities) may emerge, showing the value of potential connectivity exponentially increasing with the number of users of a new technology (Economides and Himmelberg 1995a, b;Villasis 2008). 23 Rephrasing this, 'critical mass' theory leads to the critical (threshold) conditions for collective actions to emerge, and then continue as self-perpetuating 24 and profitable 25 (Marwell and Oliver 1993;Molina et al 2001;. However, the positive effects of networks may arise only if the social system achieves a certain 'critical mass', ensuring a further sustainable multiplication of users (Katz and Shapiro 1985Markus 1987;Oliver et al 1985).…”