bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Le voyage d'exploration du Mékong (1866-1868), Doudart de Lagrée et Francis Garnier
Authors: Taboulet Georges
Published: December 2013

Notre revue se devait de rappeler, fût-ce avec quelque retard, le centenaire de la mort stoïque, au fond de la Chine, le 12 mars 1868, du capitaine de frégate Doudart de Lagrée, chef de la mission d'exploration du Mékong, un des voyages scientifiques les plus féconds du XIXe siècle. La reconnaissance du puissant fleuve provenant des marches du Thibet s'imposa avec évidence du jour où les Français fondèrent un établissement en Basse-Cochinchine. Sept années pourtant s'écoulèrent entre la prise de possession de Saigon et la mise en route de la mission du Mékong. Parmi tous ceux qui, entre temps, se prononcèrent en faveur de l'exploration, deux marins exercèrent une influence déterminante : le vice-amiral Bonard, qui, de Paris, en 1864, recommanda officiellement le voyage ; à ses côtés, un très jeune officier, voué -è. une destinée brève et fulgurante, le de vaisseau Francis Garnier, qui, trois années durant, prôna l'entreprise avec une opiniâtreté jamais lassée. De juin 1866 jusqu'à l'été de 1868, la mission s'avança toujours plus loin dans le Nord de la péninsule, pour parvenir enfin en Chine sur les rives du Yang-tsé-Kiang. Progression lente et très dure, péniblement réalisée, sur le Mékong d'abord, ensuite par terre, aux prix de difficultés sans nombre et de souffrances héroïquement supportées, à travers des contrées totalement inconnues, sans liaison avec le reste du monde, sous un climat dévorant. Empêchés par la terrible rébellion des musulmans du Yunnam, de résoudre l'énigme des sources du Mékong, les explorateurs eurent au moins, grâce à une intuition prophétique du chef de la mission, la consolation de découvrir une autre voie d'accès à la Chine méridionale de beaucoup préférable à l'impraticable Mékong, le fleuve du Tonkin, le Song Koï. Outre l'enrichissement considérable qu'elle apporte aux connaissances géographiques, la mission du Mékong se place à l'origine de l'installation de la France au Tonkin comme à l'origine, un peu plus tard, du protectorat français au Laos. C'est dire la place que cette mission occupe dans l'histoire de l'Asie du Sud-Est.
Encore des chiffres, la traite négrière pendant la première moitié du XVIIIe siècle
Authors: Nardin Jean-Claude
Published: December 2013

An unpublished manuscript, kept in the Library of the Institut de France, concerning the French East and West India Company, gives numerical data about the French Atlantic slave trade, 1722- 1746. Compared with these figures, the estimates put forward by Pr Curtin in his recent The Atlantic Slave Trade. A Census, corne out quite satisfactorily, due to contrariwise errors. On the other hand, the statistical tables giving the exports of slaves geographically arranged are to be totally reckoned over again, once ail surviving journals by slave traders hâve been collected and turned to the best account.
L'Afrique noire et le monde méditerranéen dans l'Antiquité (Éthiopiens et Gréco-romains)
Authors: Desanges Jehan
Published: December 2013

Les contacts entre l'Afrique noire et le monde méditerranéen dans l'Antiquité ne se laissent appréhender qu'à partir du monde gréco-romain. Par Afrique noire, l'auteur entend d'ailleurs tout le domaine des populations que le monde classique qualifiait d'éthiopiennes. L'existence de rapports entre les Méditerranéens et l'Afrique noire occidentale au cours de cette période se laisse très malaisément établir. Le bilan des navigations dans l'Atlantique est tout à fait incertain. Les textes sont d'interprétation difficile, l'archéologie est silencieuse et l'orientation presque constante des courants et des vents semble s'opposer au retour des marins trop hardis. La voie terrestre paraît avoir été peu empruntée. La pénétration connue la plus profonde date du règne de Domitien, avec l'arrivée de Julius Maternus au pays d'Agisymba où vivaient en nombre les rhinocéros. De multiples indices donnent à penser en tout cas que le trafic transsaharien n'avait pas alors d'importance économique appréciable. Les Grecs et surtout les Romains n'en connaissaient pas moins des populations éthiopiennes, car celles-ci peuplaient la lisière saharienne de l'Afrique du Nord. Ces populations ethniquement complexes, étaient fort différentes de la plupart des Noirs du Sénégal et du Mali actuels. Les contacts furent beaucoup plus considérables le long des côtes de la mer Rouge et de l'océan Indien, ainsi que par la vallée du Nil, aux époques lagide et romaine. Cette dissymétrie a une grande importance historique et ne doit jamais être perdue de vue quand on évalue l'œuvre des géographes anciens, y compris Ptolémée. Somme toute, c'est surtout à l'intérieur de ses propres limites que le monde méditerranéen a connu les Noirs. A ce propos, tout en rendant hommage à l'œuvre exemplaire de F. M. Snowden Jr., l'auteur fait des réserves sur l'équivalence trop stricte entre Éthiopiens et Noirs établie par le savant américain, ainsi que sur l'absence de préjugés raciaux dans l'Antiquité.
Duala versus Germans in Cameroon : dimensions of a political conflit
Authors: Austen Ralph A.
Published: December 2013

German efforts to expropriate the urban landholdings of the Duala led to a protracted struggle which, in 1914, culminated with the exécution of Duala Manga Bell, the paramount Duala chief. From an economic view-point, this struggle was not rational : the Germans did not need to and Duala prosperity depended more upon rural plantations than
Women and slavery in the Kingdom of Dahomey
Authors: Obichere Boniface I.
Published: December 2013

Dans le Dahomey précolonial, les femmes participent pleinement à la vie politique, sociale, économique, religieuse, militaire du royaume. Elles ont donc la possibilité de réduire en esclavage, dans une société éminemment esclavagiste. Domestiques, travailleurs agricoles, porteurs, soldats, ces esclaves sont souvent des femmes, et ces femmes sont souvent plus estimées que les hommes dans ces diverses activités. On trouve des marchés d'esclaves à travers tout le pays. Les esclaves domestiques peuvent fort bien être vendus outre-Atlantique, sort qui peut même être celui de la reine mère, d'origine esclave. En théorie, les enfants nés d'esclaves sont considérés comme libres, mais les cas de vente ne sont pas rares ; aussi bien, les parents libres ont le pouvoir de vendre leurs propres enfants. En revanche les prisonniers ramenés des incessantes expéditions guerrières ne sont pas en priorité destinés à la vente à l'Étranger mais au repeuplement et à l'accroissement démographique du royaume. Un grand nombre de femmes esclaves sont gardées dans les palais royaux, au service des personnes royales plutôt que comme concubines ou épouses du roi à proprement parler. Les femmes esclaves sont naturellement considérées comme biens meubles. Celles qui appartiennent aux ethnies du Nord sont préférées, aussi bien dans le royaume que dans la traite atlantique, que le Dahomey réussit à pratiquer jusqu'en 1893. Il ne semble pas que le sort des esclaves au Dahomey ait eu le caractère bénin que d'aucuns lui ont attribué, si l'on considère que le roi dut se réserver le droit de condamner à la peine capitale, ses sujets se laissant aller à l'exécution de leurs esclaves sous le plus futile prétexte.
Mode de production, histoire africaine et histoire comparée
Authors: Coquery-Vidrovitch Catherine
Published: December 2013

La réflexion sur le « mode de production » a surtout servi, jusqu'à présent, à déduire un «modèle» théorique de l'observation historique ; mais l'historien devrait plutôt, à l'inverse, se demander si le concept est utile à l'approfondissement de sa connaissance sociale. Deux écueils sont à éviter : la généralisation formaliste (tel que sociétés « asiatiques » «avec grands travaux» ou « sans grands travaux ») ou, au contraire, l'émiettement exagéré (tout système social devenant prétexte à un nouveau mode de production) . L'intérêt de la réflexion récente sur le mode «tributaire» n'est pa» de présenter une nouvelle systématisation de l'évolution du développement de l'humanité. Il est, en insistant sur le caractère universel des sociétés précapitalistes, de lutter contre la vision ethnocentrique de l'historiographie occidentale considérée comme spécifique depuis l'origine. Les sociétés européennes ont relevé, comme les autres, du groupe «tributaire», au sein duquel les sociétés chinoise ou arabe connaissent encore, à la sortie du Moyen Age, une avance considérable. C'est donc seulement après avoir pratiqué méthodiquement l'histoire comparée, par la confrontation de société à société (chinoise, arabe, médiévale, européenne, amérindienne, africaine...) des éléments qui la composent (évolution des villes, de la monnaie, de la propriété...) que l'on comprendra pour quelles raisons c'est l'Occident qui a « fait le saut » capitaliste.
Cyclic photochemical re-growth of gold nanoparticles: Overcoming the mask-erosion limit during reactive ion etching on the nanoscale
Authors: Özdemir Burcin , Seidenstücker Axel , Plettl Alfred , Ziemann Paul
Published: December 2013

The basic idea of using hexagonally ordered arrays of Au nanoparticles (NP) on top of a given substrate as a mask for the subsequent anisotropic etching in order to fabricate correspondingly ordered arrays of nanopillars meets two serious obstacles: The position of the NP may change during the etching process and, thus, the primary pattern of the mask deteriorates or is completely lost. Furthermore, the NP are significantly eroded during etching and, consequently, the achievable pillar height is strongly restricted. The present work presents approaches on how to get around both problems. For this purpose, arrays of Au NPs (starting diameter 12 nm) are deposited on top of silica substrates by applying diblock copolymer micelle nanolithography (BCML). It is demonstrated that evaporated octadecyltrimethoxysilane (OTMS) layers act as stabilizer on the NP position, which allows for an increase of their size up to 50 nm by an electroless photochemical process. In this way, ordered arrays of silica nanopillars are obtained with maximum heights of 270 nm and aspect ratios of 5:1. Alternatively, the NP position can be fixed by a short etching step with negligible mask erosion followed by cycles of growing and reactive ion etching (RIE). In that case, each cycle is started by photochemically re-growing the Au NP mask and thereby completely compensating for the erosion due to the previous cycle. As a result of this mask repair method, arrays of silica nanopillar with heights up to 680 nm and aspect ratios of 10:1 are fabricated. Based on the given recipes, the approach can be applied to a variety of materials like silicon, silicon oxide, and silicon nitride.
Editorial
Authors: Gabrovsek Franci
Published: December 2013

The initiator of this issue was professor David Culver, who suggested the publication of papers presented at the multidisciplinary symposium on Carbon and Boundaries in Karst in our journal. Being familiar with the high quality of past meetings organized by the Karst Waters Institute, the editorial board of AC agreed with the proposal and invited Dave as a guest editor. His editorial work was highly efficient and thorough; he found relevant reviewers and provided a high quality reviews for each manuscript. The issue contains high quality review and original research paper, presenting a comprehensive coverage of the role of karst in the global carbon cycle. This issue would not be possible without a wide cooperation of reviewers who provided thorough and thoughtful reviews of all manuscripts. Several manuscripts have been rejected for different reasons, and most of the others were considerably improved after the review. Even though the review process was anonymous, we present the list of those reviewers that have agreed to be acknowledged in alphabetical order: Pavel Bosák, Annette S Engel, Derek Ford, Christian Griebler, Ellen Herman, Janet S Herman, William K Jones, Alexander Klimchouk, Florian Malard, Pierre Marmonier, Jonathan B Martin, MaryLynn Musgrove, John E Mylroie, Diana Northup, Metka Petrič, Tanja Pipan, Nataša Ravbar, Benjamin Schwartz, Kevin Simon, Branka Trček, Michael Venarsky, George Veni and William B White.We hope that the readers will enjoy reading the issue.Franci Gabrovšek, the editor
A framework for assessing the role of karst conduit morphology, hydrology, and evolution in the transport and storage of carbon and associated sediments
Authors: Veni George
Published: December 2013

Karst aquifers and conduits form by dissolution of carbonate minerals and the slow release of inorganic carbon to the surface environment. As conduits evolve in size, morphology, and position within the aquifer, their function and capacity change relative to the storage and transport of inorganic and organic carbon as sediment. Conduits serve mostly as transport mechanisms in relation to sediments. Quantified data are sparse, but for conduits to function effectively there must be at least equilibrium in the amount of sediment entering and exiting the aquifer. If sediment discharge exceeds input, little sediment will remain underground. When natural declines in base level cease removing sediments and only deposit calcite speleothems, these materials are stored until the rock mass is denuded. While sediment storage is mostly transient in hydrologically active conduits, relative differences occur. Aquifers with conduits developed at multiple levels or as floodwater mazes store proportionately greater volumes of sediment. Hypogenic systems should store greater volumes of sediment than epigenic aquifers because they mostly discharge a dissolved load as opposed to both dissolved and suspended clastic loads. However, some hypogenic aquifers are diffusely recharged and receive and store little sediment from the surface. The global volume of sediment and organic carbon stored in karst aquifers is estimated in this study to be on the order of 2x104 km3and 2x102 km3, respectively. The amount of organic carbon stored in paleokarst is not estimated, but available data indicate it is substantially greater than that stored in modern karst aquifers. Development of such data may suggest that paleokarst petroleum reservoirs might serve as efficient carbon sinks for global carbon sequestration. Hydrocarbon-depleted paleokarst reservoirs should provide substantially more storage per injection well than sequestration in non-paleokarstic rocks.Keywords: Sediment, carbon, paleokarst, conduit morphology, karst hydrology, sequestration.DOI: 10.3986/ac.v42i2-3.662
Risk education in Serbia
Authors: Kovačević - Majkić Jelena , Milošević Marko V. , Panić Milena , Miljanović Dragana , Ćalić Jelena
Published: December 2013

Natural disaster risk reduction can be achieved through vulnerability reduction, as well as through strengthening the resilience of the population. One of the segments leading to these aims is a proper risk education. It is the public (compulsory) education system that reaches the greatest number of participants and represents a good platform for the natural disaster knowledge transfer. Geography, as a complex subject that includes both natural and social components, is the most appropriate to transfer the knowledge necessary to improve the resilience. Research done in Serbia (detailed analyses of curricula, textbooks, teachers' role and pupils' knowledge) shows that children do learn about natural disasters but not in a way which provides usable knowledge.
Boole-WebLab-FPGA: Creating an Integrated Digital Electronics Learning Workflow Through a Hybrid Laboratory and an Educational Electronics Design Tool
Authors: García-Zubía Javier , Angulo Ignacio , Rodriguez-Gil Luis , Orduña Pablo , Dziabenko Olga , Güenaga Maria
Published: December 2013

During the last years the presence of remote laboratories has been growing. However, many labs focus on providing a very specific experience, intended to prove a specific point or to carry out a specific practice, rather than to help the student acquire a wider range of skills through several different uses of the lab. This paper describes the creation of Boole-WebLab-FPGA, a system which integrates Boole-Deusto â??an educational electronics design toolâ?? and WebLab-Deusto-FPGA. The latter is a hybrid remote laboratory which lets users program a real FPGA board remotely. This real, physical board has been given the capability to interact with not only real hardware (LEDs), but also with virtual simulations of more complicated models, such as a watertank. The integration of these tools in a single system provides an attractive workflow for teachers and students. Students can design a combinational circuit easily through Boole-Deusto and immediately (in the same lecture session, if they so wish) try it on real hardware. Because additionally that real hardware can also be interacting with a virtual simulation, a wide range of experiments can be proposed and the replay potential of the laboratory is increased.
A Mobile-Based Prototype for Skin Lesion Analysis: Towards a Patient-Oriented Design Approach
Authors: Rosado Luís , Vasconcelos Maria João , Ferreira Márcia
Published: December 2013

The wide spreading of the new generation of smartphones, with significant improvements in terms of image acquisition and processing power, is opening up the possibility of new approaches for skin lesion monitoring. Mobile Teledermatology appears nowadays as a promising tool with the potential to empower patients to adopt an active role in managing their own skin health status, while facilitates the early diagnosis of skin cancers. The main objective of this work is to create a mobile-based prototype for skin lesions analysis with patient-oriented features and functionalities. The presented self-monitoring system collects, processes and storages information of skin lesions through the automatic extraction and classification of specific visual features. The algorithms used to extract and classify these features are briefly described, as well as the overall system architecture and functionalities.
Globally Distributed Pendulum Experiment as an Educational Resource on e-lab
Authors: Neto Rui Borralho , Fernandes Horácio , Pereira Tiago , Borges Isabel , Amarante-Segundo Gesil , Balula Samuel , Figueiredo Rui , Pereira José Pedro
Published: December 2013

e-lab is a remote laboratory platform that provides access to several remote experiments in basic or advanced physics. Recent upgrades to itâ??s interface and new features introduced make it more accessible and appealing, but experimentâ??s attractiveness for teachers and students has been an issue. A new experiment intended to improve this aspect was introduced: the World Pendulum. Consisting in multiple identical pendulum apparatuses connected to e-lab and scattered throughout different locations across several countries. The World Pendulum is intended at exploring a unique feature allowed by remote experimentation â?? experimental repetition in different locations.
Multiparameter Optical Monitoring of Madeira Wine
Authors: Pereira Vanda , Marques José Carlos , Carvalho Maria João , Chen Monchu , Sol Ricardo , Novo Catarina , Bilro Lúcia , Antunes Paulo , Alberto Nélia , Pinto João Lemos
Published: December 2013

Madeira wine vinification process has been mostly empiric and requiring further studies. The present paper describes the existing pilot plant facility in Madeira University, with the installed controlled systems and safety devices. An advanced multi-parameter platform for real time monitoring and interactive data visualization is described and its potential use demonstrated.
Fundaments of Business Process Archeology
Authors: Pérez-Castillo Ricardo , Rodriguez de Guzmán Ignacio García , Piattini Mario
Published: December 2013

Archeologists investigate some scenarios by trying to understand what they are observing and how it all fits together. Archeologists have to be careful to preserve the artifacts they find and respect and understand the cultural forces that produced them. Similar to traditional archeology, Business Process Archeology is carried out similarly to traditional archeology, but engineers do not have to wait for ages so that they can comprehend unfathomable artifacts. This is due to the fact that code and business process models become legacy just about as soon as they are written or modeled. Thereby, Business Process Archeology attempts to provide answers to the following questions: What are we looking at? How does it fit in with the rest of the world? and What were they thinking? This introductory chapter shows Business Process Archeology as an emerging stage within software modernization processes, focusing on understanding and recovering specific knowledge from existing software assets. Business Process Archeology consists of analyzing different software artifacts by means of reverse engineering techniques and tools in order to obtain very abstract models that depict not only the legacy systems but also the company and/or the company operation supported by this system (e.g., business process models). This chapter introduces fundaments and the basis of Business Process Archeology with some allusions to the remaining chapters of this book.
An Architecture to Infer Business Rules from Event Condition Action Rules Implemented in the Persistence Layer
Authors: Maldonado Carlos Arévalo , Gómez-López M. Teresa , Quintero Antonia M. Reina , Ramos Isabel
Published: December 2013

The business rules that govern the behaviour of a business process can be hardcoded in different ways in a software application. The modernization or improvement of these applications to a process-oriented perspective implies typically the modification of the business rules. Frequently, legacy systems are not well documented, and almost always the documentation they have is not updated. As a consequence, many times it is necessary to analyze the source code and databases structures to transform them into a business language more understandable by the business experts involved in the modernization process. Database triggers are one of the artefacts in which business rules are hardcoded. The authors focus on this kind of artefact, having in mind to avoid the manual analysis of the triggers by a database expert and bringing it closer to business experts. To achieve this, they need to discover business rules that are hardcoded in triggers and translate them into vocabularies that are commonly used by business experts. In this chapter, the authors propose an ADM-based architecture to discover business rules and rewrite them into a language that can be understood by the business experts.
Unifying a Framework of Organizational Culture, Organizational Climate, Knowledge Management, and Job Performance
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: December 2013

This chapter introduces the framework and causal model of organizational culture, organizational climate, knowledge management, and job performance related to business process orientation. It argues that dimensions of organizational culture, organizational climate, and knowledge management have mediated positive effect on job performance. Knowledge management positively mediates the relationships between organizational culture and job performance and between organizational climate and job performance. Organizational culture is positively related to organizational climate. Furthermore, the author hopes that understanding the theoretical constructs of organizational culture, organizational climate, knowledge management, and job performance through the use of the framework and causal model will not only inform researchers of a better design for studying organizational culture, organizational climate, knowledge management, and job performance, but also assist in the understanding of intricate relationships between different factors.
Improving the Accessibility of Business Process Modelling Tools
Authors: Vaziri Daryoush Daniel , DeOliveira Domingos
Published: December 2013

This chapter concerns with the accessibility of Business Process Modelling tools (BPMo tools) and Business Process Modelling languages (BPMo languages). Therefore, the reader is introduced to accessibility first. The authors provide definitions, standards, and a status quo on accessibility. Afterwards, the chapter concerns business process management. The reader learns definitions for processes and advantages and disadvantages of modelling languages. The BPM section is closed with the selection of a proper modelling notation for the accessibility evaluation. In form of two separate analyses, the authors evaluate the accessibility of two BPM tools. The results and recommendations for actions are presented after each analysis.
Market Trajectory
Authors: Xiong Hongru , Wu Guisheng
Published: December 2013

It is widely accepted that technological trajectory theory provides great implications of opening “windows of opportunity.” However, a person can merely find limited innovation opportunities for those latecomer firms from developing economies since he or she has to overcome many barriers during catching-up process. The authors put forward traditional trajectory theory and construct a new theoretical framework to explore the evolutionary rule of innovation itself, focusing on market perspective. The authors suggest that there exist market innovation and market trajectory. Not only presenting theoretical deduction for introducing this new framework, the authors also conduct several brief case studies to interpret innovation opportunities derived from market trajectory. The authors’ proposed model offers some new theoretical contributions and also important implications for barrier breakthrough and exploring innovation opportunities. Latecomer firms could utilize market trajectory to greatly broaden “windows of opportunities” and catch up, mainly through seizing low-end markets, or exploiting latent segmentation, or finding “blue ocean.”
Methodology to Identify Opportunities for Development-Oriented Quality Innovation
Authors: Freire Clovis
Published: December 2013

This chapter considers the broader developmental impact of quality innovation as a process that creates novelty that satisfies not only the short-term profit of firms but also the long-term developmental gains of the society at large. Development is associated with the production of an expanding range of more complex products, which ultimately are the result of innovation. In the context of development-oriented quality innovation, the question is how governments and business sector could foster the emergence of more complex products given existing productive capacities and the incentives created by domestic and global demand. This chapter presents a methodology to identify such opportunities for development-oriented quality innovation and illustrate its application in the context of the least developed countries.
The Methodology of National Innovation System Analysis
Authors: Golichenko Oleg
Published: December 2013

Many efforts have been made in developing the National Innovation System (NIS) concept. However, there are the limitations, which do not make it operable and effective in practice. This investigation attempts to eliminate some limitations of the approach. The NIS is presented as three interrelated macro blocs: business environment, environment producing new knowledge, and knowledge transfer mechanism. The principles of performance and efficiency measuring of NIS are proposed. The system structure-object and functional approaches to NIS performance and efficiency are applied. The former is used for decomposition of NIS objects of high aggregation level. The latter is available for analysis of NIS efficiency and its factors. The methods allow the estimation of the NIS component by component and identification of the cause-effect chains of factor impacts on its elements. The key policy tools tailored to liquidate and mitigate market failure and NIS dysfunctions are proposed.
A Framework to Analyse the Role of Government in Promoting Quality Innovation in Developing Economies
Authors: Nakandala Dilupa , Turpin Tim
Published: December 2013

This chapter analyses the role of government in promoting quality innovation in developing economies. The emphasis is on the importance of understanding firms as main actors of innovation that form the central core of the national innovation system framework. The authors discuss the importance of recognising the range and diversity of innovation firm-level actors in the world’s developing economies and their broad requirements for systemic support in order to capitalize on existing resources within the economy. Using the Sri Lankan national innovation system as a case study, the authors discuss the limited ability of traditional systemic approaches to account for diverse firm requirements in the innovation process. In order to promote quality innovation in firms, it is important that governments in developing economies where resources are scarce build on existing capabilities in innovation and technology.
Innovation and Competitiveness
Authors: Karabay Melisa Erdilek
Published: December 2013

While the fostering effect of globalization continues, the traditional perspectives of corporations regarding competition lose their significance as the conventional strategies have started to give way to new approaches in the business world. Many firms have realized the fact that it is fundamentally necessary to revise their competitive strategies to maintain their sustainability. Therefore, “innovation,” one of the emerging strategies of competition, has globally become more and more dominant. However, the debate on the strategic value of innovation is still ambiguous not only in the theoretical framework but also in practice. The main purpose of this chapter is to make clear the theoretically informed definition of “innovation” and express its potential for providing competitive advantage in the financial sector. The chapter discusses some of the main scholarly sources of the issues related to the innovation strategies supported by the cases in the Turkish Banking and Insurance Industries.
Knowledge Absorptive Capacity for Technological Innovation Capabilities
Authors: Ali Murad , Park Kichan
Published: December 2013

This chapter presents the development stages of a theoretical model of Knowledge Absorptive Capacity (KAC) that shows how most, if not all, firms in developing countries initiate, implement, assimilate, improve, and develop external knowledge. The chapter reviews the literature, models, and frameworks related to knowledge absorptive capacity. The chapter utilizes a qualitative content analysis as an explanation method in case study research to validate the proposed model. The chapter then analyzes Korean firms as a case in point to illustrate how Korean firms have built their knowledge absorptive capacity. The model consists of four stages: 1) knowledge initiation, 2) knowledge imitation, 3) knowledge improvement, and finally, 4) knowledge innovation or 4KI. The framework shows four development stages at Korean firms as: 1) entrance of foreign companies into the Korean market and their reluctance to transfer their knowledge and information sharing to Korean firms, initiating its knowledge absorptive capacity, 2) Korean firms started knowledge absorptive capacity by means of imitating knowledge from external (especially foreign firms), 3) it then developed knowledge absorptive capacity by means of improving external knowledge, and finally, 4) capability to create their own knowledge and becoming one of the leading economy in the world which challenges firms from advanced countries in the global market. The chapter also highlights the developmental changes in the electronics industry of Korea. Keeping past experiences in consideration, the authors conclude that this model provides useful implications for developing economies, known as latecomers following the same pattern of KAC.
Evidence-Based HR-Mediated Innovative Quality Management Practices
Authors: Bhattacharyya Dipak Kumar
Published: December 2013

To achieve excellence in quality is now the top priority of organizations across the globe. From conformance to standards, quality has now transcended to customer satisfaction. While many have established continuous quality improvement tools, there is not much evidence on innovation- and creativity-backed quality pursuits of organizations. To ensure innovative and creative quality improvement, organizations are required to embrace various Human Resource Management (HRM) practices. Such HR practices hand help organizations to involve all cross-sections of employees in achieving excellence through continuous quality improvement and at the same time lend support to institutionalizing the culture of innovation and creativity. This chapter investigates the innovative quality improvement strategies of two SMEs in India, which helped them in achieving business results even in a competitive economy. Both the organizations have substantial stake in the domestic and export markets. Both the organizations, despite their less competitive pay and benefits compared to other domestic and international level competitors, through their excellent HR practices, could successfully institutionalize innovative and creative quality improvement culture.
Foresights and Practice in Technology Development for E-Government Applications
Authors: Bwalya Kelvin Joseph
Published: December 2013

Although a lot has been achieved with regards to technology development for e-Government applications, there are still no global technological conceptual frameworks and models that define e-Government platform design and implementation the world over. This has partly been attributed to the differing local contexts and organisational cultures in the public services departments (even within the same government). Because of this scenario, there is need to review the different technology design endeavours geared towards achieving process automation and application integration in the different government departments to achieve meaningful and robust e-Government development. This lead chapter intends to review the different approaches that have been done on the technology front of e-Government (especially design of interoperability frameworks and ontology platforms) in different parts of the world and outlines the future works that e-Government researchers and practitioners need to concentrate on. This chapter sets the tone for the remaining chapters of this book, which discuss various aspects of e-Government implementation from the technological front (deployment, design, and customization of e-Government solutions). The chapter posits that with the current pace of technological advancements and efforts by the OASIS forum and other interested parties, it is not difficult to notice that global technological models of e-Government are to be realized in the foreseeable future.
Designing E-Government Platforms using Systems Thinking Perspectives and Performance Measurement Frameworks
Authors: Utulu Samuel C. Avemaria , Sewchurran Kosheek
Published: December 2013

This chapter intends to present information systems philosophies on design of affluent e-Government platform design. The chapter looks at e-Government platform design in two ways. First, it looks at it as a prevailing concept and philosophy that emanate through the combination of literature in the academic disciplines of government and governance, ICT and information society, and e-Business. Hence, the chapter argues that these fields of study provided the theoretical basis influencing e-Government platform design. Second, the chapter proposes that if the philosophies embedded in the literature dealing with systems thinking and performance measurement are included as part of the theories for e-Government conceptualization, this may culminate into developing a new philosophy. This philosophy may be based on asking relevant and appropriate socio-cultural questions that may facilitate the design of better e-Government platforms. The chapter proposes a model for incorporating the said philosophical standpoints into actual e-Government design. The anticipation is that such a platform may culminate into e-Government platforms that may meet social requirements necessary for requisite e-Government platforms.
Geospatial Technology-Based E-Government Design for Environmental Protection and Emergency Response
Authors: Cai Tianxing
Published: December 2013

Fast development of geospatial technologies has made it possible to integrate existing user operational information and value-added services in a single harmonized infrastructure. This has made it possible to utilize geospatial technologies in the e-Government context. The emerging technologies have made it possible for natural disaster monitoring and mitigation for early warning in order for effective actions under emergency situation, such as natural disaster and chemical accident, to be taken. Natural disasters may include fires, explosions, leakages, or releases of toxic or hazardous materials that can cause people illness, injury, disability, or death. With emerging geospatial technology capabilities and applications such as Google Earth, GIS, and GPS, computer modeling and simulation can provide the inverse identification of emission profile and location. The modeling result can further present the forward prediction of the likely impact of any disaster event. Therefore, the community can acquire the situation in time to form spontaneous emergency response planning, which will also help the other stakeholders such as government and responsible community team. This modeling tool can form a virtual e-Government solution requisite for effective monitoring and mitigation. This chapter highlights the current research trends and future prospects with regards to integrating technologies for managing spatio-temporal information with e-Government conceptualization.
M-Governance
Authors: Moraa Hilda , Salim Anne , Otieno Albert
Published: December 2013

iHub Research conducted a study on 896 citizens to establish whether citizens raise alarm when faced with problems related to water. The study aimed to ascertain the communication channels they use to forward complaints to relevant authorities and the level of satisfaction obtained by the citizens after their complaints have been received. The study found that 68% of the respondents had faced challenges while trying to access their main source of water and were not able to complain to anyone about the problems affecting them due to inexistence of appropriate communication channels. A lack of understanding with regards to whom or where to complain was cited as one of the major reasons as to why most respondents do not complain about the water service levels. Majority of the citizens interviewed use face-to-face communication to raise their water grievances. Levels of satisfaction were found to vary when it comes to rating the action taken on water complaints raised. This study opines that with the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) this scenario is poised to change. The study participants revealed that they are motivated to utilise ICTs to air their complaints with regards to their levels of service satisfaction. Emerging ICT applications, especially those accessible on mobile devices, provide a lot of promise for enhancing water service delivery in Kenya because feedback on water/service quality can be received ubiquitously.
Government 2.0
Authors: Pankowska Malgorzata
Published: December 2013

E-Government and e-Democracy system development is enabled by Internet technology. The implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) accelerates the transformation of government institutions and their methods of operations. The use of ICTs at municipality institutions not only opens up possibilities for improving services to citizens and businesses, but also increases their involvement in local community governance. The general objective of this chapter is to reveal, at the municipality level, the opportunity for local community development and stronger citizen involvement in governing processes (e-Democracy). The chapter aims to present the new sources of knowledge, particularly through the involvement of individuals in local government development. The chapter aims to understand challenges in developing open information infrastructures that support municipality innovation and development. The chapter utilizes extensive literature reviews and the analysis of the content of selected e-Government portals to inform its positions.
Party Rhetoric in Federal Budget Communications
Authors: Trimble Tammy E.
Published: December 2013

This chapter explores differences in federal budget communication associated with the development and passage of the Federal Budget Resolution for Fiscal Years 1999, 2000, and 2001. While theory suggests that party-based differences within budget communication exist, empirical studies have not yet explored the full extent of these differences. The goal of this research is to illustrate the significant party-based differences in the goals and values communicated by the actors within the federal budget process. These findings inform our understanding of how actors within this key governing process communicate. This understanding will better equip public administrators to engage others in dialogue and debate that facilitates agreement and understanding.
Imagining U.S. Democratic Values in Commencement Addresses
Authors: Childers Jay P. , Wonnacott Mark
Published: December 2013

This chapter begins with an assumption that while democracy means the people rule, how the people are supposed to rule is both always in need of articulation and subject to change over time. Given this, this chapter explores the rhetoric of commencement addresses delivered at various colleges and universities between 1935 and 2012 to examine the ways in which democracy is imagined. What an analysis of these 158 speeches reveals is that democratic citizenship has increasingly become understood as the ability to pursue individual happiness and success. Moreover, such a vision of citizenship has been given to young adults through the increasing use of personal narratives instead of arguments derived from shared or universal values. Such changes in how the American people imagine democracy ultimately present the nation with some important challenges for self-governance.
Charismatic and Affective Rhetoric in a Presidential Campaign
Authors: Willis Sheilesha R. , Sweida Gloria L. , Glassburn Stephanie , Sherman Cynthia L. , Bligh Michelle C.
Published: December 2013

Although prior research demonstrates that charisma and rhetoric are two determinants of voting behavior, few studies have examined the effects of charismatic rhetoric and affect as they pertain to the outcomes of presidential elections. Using DICTION software for content analysis, 432 pre-convention speeches from the 2008 presidential election were analyzed to explore the effects that charismatic rhetoric and affect have on presidential candidates’ success. Results indicate that there were more similarities than differences in the charismatic and affect-laden rhetoric of successful and unsuccessful presidential candidates in both the Republican and Democratic parties. Overall, the results demonstrate that both successful and unsuccessful presidential candidates used charismatic rhetoric and emotional language to motivate their followers in the 2008 presidential election.
Gubernatorial Rhetoric and Public Responsiveness
Authors: Crew Robert E. , Lewis Christopher J.
Published: December 2013

This chapter examines the relationship between the rhetorical styles utilized by American governors and public responsiveness. Using DICTION, the authors code 564 State of the State addresses delivered by 156 governors during a 12 year time period and relate variations in the resulting styles to measures of gubernatorial approval. The analysis suggests that variations in two elements of rhetorical style, creativity and optimism, affect levels of approval.
Content Analysis as Rhetorical EEG of the Presidency
Authors: Collier Ken
Published: December 2013

Electroencephalography (EEG) tracks voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain by recording electrical activity along the scalp to reveal what regions of the brain are involved in different mental processes. This chapter demonstrates how DICTION can be used to measure the fluctuations in the rhetoric in drafts of presidential speeches as they move through the White House speech drafting and review process. This chapter incorporates rhetorical analysis of 494 drafts of 67 presidential speeches gathered from the archives of administrations from Franklin Roosevelt to George H.W. Bush. Like the EEG, looking at the fluctuations in rhetorical scores may not reveal exactly what the thoughts are in the process, but it can reveal how a speech’s language changes over the course of the speechwriting process and help us unravel the mysteries of the inner-workings of this vital institution.
Post-9/11 Policy Discussions of Human Rights and Freedoms
Authors: Merola Linda M.
Published: December 2013

During the years following the attacks of September 11, 2001, American leaders were forced to confront a substantial number of contentious dilemmas involving civil liberties in the context of terrorism. Previous scholarship has made clear that exposure to threatening information may result in significant decreases in the public’s willingness to support expansive civil liberties guarantees, yet few researchers have systematically examined the content of information transmitted to the public during these debates. This study employs a computerized content analysis to investigate differences in broadcast media coverage following the reporting of significant post-9/11 security/rights dilemmas. The analysis focuses on two key periods: the reporting of President Bush’s authorization of warrantless NSA wiretapping in late 2005 and the 2009 proposal by President Obama to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Findings suggest that broadcast sources diverged significantly in the amount of threat conveyed to the public during the reporting of key security/rights dilemmas.
Countering Bad Press about Higher Education with Institutional Vision
Authors: Abelman Robert
Published: December 2013

This chapter summarizes findings from several investigations that have performed a DICTION-based content analysis of the mission and vision statements of distinctive types of academic institutions. Key linguistic components found to constitute a well-conceived, viable, and easily diffused institutional vision were isolated, measured, and compared to normative scores gathered from a nationwide sample of colleges and universities. Findings revealed significant stylistic differences across institution types regarding clarity, complexity, pragmatics, optimism, and the ability to unify the campus community. In doing so, they provided a prescription for how mission and vision statements can better serve as guiding, governing, and self-promotional documents, particularly in times of crisis, change, and negative press.
Digital Narratives and the Genealogy of a Hybrid Genre
Authors: Pacea Otilia
Published: December 2013

From a simple list of links annotated and maintained by a small blog community of Internet groupies to elaborated content today, blogs have exploded into a rich gamut of subgenres. Most approaches that pioneered internet communication research are in fact non-empirical and non-linguistic. Two major blog types appear to have emerged, personal blogs and thematic blogs, with their corresponding already-established subgenres of filter blogs, k-logs, and corporate blogs as well as other emerging hybrid subgenres such as that of expat blogs. This chapter explores the language of high-impact blogs, testing a new methodology to establish blog genealogy in the context of online genre hybridity. Language data are collected using a major blog searching engine (Technorati) that currently indexes more than a million blogs. Individual language scores, which are used to calculate DICTION’s sub variables, are concatenated to outline the overall tone and theme of the blog posts that can be classified accordingly. The findings are correlated with existing blog classifications to propose a Diction-based methodology for genre analysis.