bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Origin of Solar Filament Plasma Inferred from In Situ Observations of Elemental Abundances
Authors: Song H. Q. , Chen Y. , Li B. , Li L. P. , Zhao L. , He J. S. , Duan D. , Cheng X. , Zhang J.
Published: February 2017

Solar filaments/prominences are one of the most common features in the corona, which may lead to energetic coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and flares when they erupt. Filaments are about 100 times cooler and denser than the coronal material, and physical understanding of their material origin remains controversial. Two types of scenarios have been proposed: one argues that the filament plasma is brought into the corona from photosphere or chromosphere through a siphon or evaporation/injection process, while the other suggests that the material condenses from the surrounding coronal plasma due to thermal instability. The elemental abundance analysis is a reasonable clue to constrain the models, as the siphon or evaporation/injection model would predict that the filament material abundances are close to the photospheric or chromospheric ones, while the condensation model should have coronal abundances. In this Letter, we analyze the elemental abundances of a magnetic cloud that contains the ejected filament material. The corresponding filament eruption occurred on 1998 April 29, accompanying an M6.8 class soft X-ray flare located at the heliographic coordinates S18E20 (NOAA 08210) and a fast halo CME with the linear velocity of 1374 km s−1 near the Sun. We find that the abundance ratios of elements with low and high first ionization potential such as Fe/O, Mg/O, and Si/O are 0.150, 0.050, and 0.070, respectively, approaching their corresponding photospheric values 0.065, 0.081, and 0.066, which does not support the coronal origin of the filament plasma.
Debout avec la terre
Authors: Glowczewski Barbara
Published: February 2017

De plus en plus de mouvements activistes luttant contre la destruction des milieux de vie, notamment par les industries extractives qui précipitent les transformations climatiques et empoisonnent les eaux et l’air, cherchent des alliances et des sources d’inspiration auprès de peuples autochtones, tels les Aborigènes d’Australie, qui n’ont pas la même vision de la Terre que celle consistant à nier la nature sous prétexte qu’elle aurait succombé aux technologies humaines. Il est proposé ici de répondre à la réduction des ontologies en anthropologie par une « slow anthropology » qui soit « Debout avec la terre », fondée sur une expérience de terrain écosophiquement inspirée des visions et de la créativité des peuples autochtones et de leurs alliés en passant par la SF selon Haraway, Stengers et Meillassoux.
Autopsie urbaine
Authors: Gaudin Olivier
Published: February 2017

Le Géant (1982), film de Michael Klier, est un montage d’images de vidéosurveillance et policières, enregistrées dans de grandes villes d’Allemagne de l’Ouest (RFA). Au-delà d’une simple critique dénonciatrice, ce détournement artistique interroge de manière spéculative nos regards de spectateur sur les espaces urbains. En dépassant l’association convenue entre mise en visibilité et capacité de contrôle, il ouvre de nouvelles pistes de réflexion sur les expériences urbaines.
Pollution de l’eau au Mexique et risques environnementaux
Authors: Lavaine Emmanuelle
Published: February 2017

Cet article mesure la perception du risque des populations affectées par un changement environnemental, au Mexique, avec pour unité spatiale la municipalité. À travers une analyse économétrique de données de panel pour la période 2000-2011, les évolutions des dépenses de santé et d’eau en bouteille sont étudiées à l’issue de l’implantation de plusieurs incinérateurs au Mexique. Par le biais d’un modèle de doubles différences, nous étudions les relations entre l’implantation d’un incinérateur et les dépenses de protection des ménages afin d’analyser leur perception du risque. Malgré l’absence de risque de contamination de l’eau, les résultats empiriques révèlent une augmentation de la consommation d’eau en bouteille. Par ailleurs, les niveaux de revenu et d’éducation des ménages jouent un rôle prépondérant dans l’évolution des dépenses de prévention.
Politiques climatiques : cessons de vouloir payer pour esquiver nos responsabilités !
Authors: Billette de Villemeur Étienne , Leroux Justin
Published: February 2017

Nous explorons une alternative aux instruments économiques existants pour lutter contre les changements climatiques : la création de créances carbone. Par ces dernières, les différents pays sont rendus responsables des dommages climatiques avérés, pour lesquels ils sont amenés à payer au rythme de leur occurrence. La perspective de ces paiements suffit à discipliner les différents acteurs et conduit à l’efficience. Le contournement de la problématique du taux d’escompte et le fait que les paiements soient uniquement basés sur des dommages avérés pourraient faciliter les accords internationaux et conduire à une répartition plus équitable des coûts et des risques.
Castle or not Castle : les frontières d’un objet dans l’Angleterre du xie siècle
Authors: De Souza Taveira Iris Maer
Published: February 2017

Qu’est-ce que c’est qu’un château ? Quels sont les éléments qui permettent de les différencier des forteresses bâties avant les transformations politico-sociales des xe et xie siècles ? Cet article a pour objectif de soulever quelques observations concernant les « frontières » d’un objet et de son approche. Nous nous concentrerons plus spécifiquement sur le contexte médiéval anglais et son rapport avec le contexte français ainsi que ses dépendances vis-à-vis d’autres traditions, telles que celles de Rome et de la Scandinavie.
Du terroir au territoire
Authors: Dorison Antoine
Published: February 2017

Au milieu du xiiie siècle de notre ère, un nouveau groupe humain colonise l’ouest du bassin de Zacapu, dans le nord du Michoacán actuel. Il y édifie des sites à caractère urbain d’une densité inédite pour la région qui peuvent accueillir plusieurs milliers d’habitants. Dans cette région déjà occupée, leur construction et leur développement en seulement deux siècles (ces sites sont abandonné au début du xve siècle apr. J.-C.) provoquent une pression démographique importante et poussent à discuter de l’organisation territoriale locale. Un remodelage qui semble notamment influencé par l’appropriation par les nouveaux arrivants de l’environnement et de ses ressources. Il semble qu’on trouve des échos de ce phénomène dans l’histoire mythique de la création du Royaume tarasque telle qu’elle est contée par les anciens de l’élite de cette civilisation au xvie siècle. C’est à travers une approche combinant archéologie spatiale classique et géoarchéologie que l’on tente d’identifier les modalités de ce changement pour comprendre dans quelle mesure il a pu générer des frontières (physiques et culturelles) ou des alliances.
La Campanie archaïque, espace de frontières entre Grecs, Étrusques et indigènes ?
Authors: Maudet Ségolène
Published: February 2017

La Campanie archaïque a souvent été analysée comme une zone frontière des mondes grecs, étrusques et phéniciens. On commence par présenter les débats historiographiques sur l’analyse spatiale du monde grec, entre une vision centre-périphérie et un monde en réseaux. Les exemples archéologiques de Pithécusses et de Calatia permettent ensuite d’analyser dans le détail la complexité des processus à l’œuvre, entre interactions culturelles et stratégies aristocratiques. Le thème de la frontière permet ainsi de mettre en évidence les enjeux liés au tournant historiographique récent, tout en soulignant les limites de notre compréhension de ces phénomènes, notamment en dehors des élites et de leur riche mobilier funéraire.
Dynamiques territoriales et culturelles à la « frontière » de la cité de Métaponte
Authors: Bilbao Zubiri Eukene
Published: February 2017

La diaspora grecque en Méditerranée à l’époque archaïque a longtemps été vue par l’historiographie sous l’angle de la « colonisation » et de l’« hellénisation », effaçant de manière systématique les spécificités propres aux différentes régions et cultures. Dans le cas de Métaponte (Italie du sud), l’idée d’une rupture radicale avec le site de l’Incoronata a souvent été retenue, mais les fouilles récentes et une reprise des données anciennes permettent de reposer le problème de la naissance de cette cité et des rapports qu’elle entretenait avec les communautés contemporaines. À travers une double approche topographique et matérielle, centrée sur l’occupation du territoire et l’analyse stylistique des terres cuites, cette contribution cherche à comprendre la façon dont les Métapontins ont façonné leur cité et pris part dans les réseaux d’échanges dans la seconde moitié du viie siècle av. J.-C. par le biais de ses sanctuaires. Cette démarche a comme objectif de réévaluer les notions de « rupture » et de « frontière » dans ce dossier problématique et d’intégrer l’étude de Métaponte dans les courants interprétatifs plus nuancés de notre époque.
A Local Approach and Comparison with Other Data Mining Approaches in Software Application
Authors: Wu QingE , Yang Weidong
Published: February 2017

In order to complete an online, real-time and effective aging detection to software, this paper studies a local approach that is also called a fuzzy incomplete and a statistical data mining approaches, and gives their algorithm implementation in the software system fault diagnosis. The application comparison of the two data mining approaches with four classical data mining approaches in software system fault diagnosis is discussed. The performance of each approach is evaluated from the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy rate, error classified rate, missed classified rate, and run-time. An optimum approach is chosen from several approaches to do comparative study. On the data of 1020 samples, the operating results show that the fuzzy incomplete approach has the highest sensitivity, the forecast accuracy that are 96.13% and 94.71%, respectively, which is higher than those of other approaches. It has also the relatively less error classified rate is or so 4.12%, the least missed classified rate is or so 1.18%, and the least runtime is 0.35s, which all are less than those of the other approaches. After the performance, indices are all evaluated and synthesized, the results indicate the performance of the fuzzy incomplete approach is best. Moreover, from the test analysis known, the fuzzy incomplete approach has also some advantages, such as it has the faster detection speed, the lower storage capacity, and does not need any prior information in addition to data processing. These results indicate that the mining approach is more effective and feasible than the old data mining approaches in software aging detection.
Palmprint Recognition Based on Image Segmentation of Region of Interest
Authors: Wu QingE , Yang Weidong
Published: February 2017

To carry out an effective recognition for palmprint, this paper presents an algorithm of image segmentation of region of interest (ROI), extracts the ROI of a palmprint image and studies the composing features of palmprint. This paper constructs coordinates by making use of characteristic points in the palm geometric contour, improves the algorithm of ROI extraction, and provides a positioning method of ROI. Moreover, this paper uses the wavelet transform to divide up ROI, extracts the energy feature of wavelet, gives an approach of matching and recognition to improve the correctness and efficiency of existing main recognition approaches, and compares it with existing main approaches of palmprint recognition by experiments. The experiment results show that the approach in this paper has the better recognition effect, the faster matching speed, and the higher recognition rate which is improved averagely by 2.69% than those of the main recognition approaches.
Reading from Screen
Authors: Abubaker Azza A , Lu Joan
Published: February 2017

This research aims to deliver the fundamental, theoretical and empirical background surrounding electronic reading. It is structured into five sections starting with a reading definition, reading process, and a comparison between reading from paper and from an electronic format. The fourth section discusses the variables that influence reading electronic texts. These variables are classified into three categories: the individual or user variables (age, gender, experience and educational level); the text layout variables (font type and size, line length, spaces between lines of text, colour); and the applied technology (hardware and software). In the fifth section, a summary of previous studies is given and a framework for these variables is suggested based on the previous surveys.
Experiment 1
Authors: Abubaker Azza A , Lu Joan
Published: February 2017

In order to be sure that the level of e-text usability in early education can be improved, the following questions should be answered by the end of this chapter: RQ1: What are the existing prototypes (structure) of schoolbooks in primary education (PE)? RQ2: How are students interacting with schoolbooks in the electronic and printed version? RQ3: Is there a difference in the reading process between e-school textbook and p-school text-book? Quantitative and qualitative data were used in order to answer these three questions. The outcome was two flow charts which explain the interactions among students when reading e- schoolbook and paper schoolbook. In addition, it draws a clear picture of the design and structure of schoolbooks in Libya which are similar to schoolbooks used in other Arabic countries at the same educational level. The chapter comprises two main sections. The first section presents the data collection methods and research type. The second section displays the results of the observation. The chapter ends with a conclusion highlighting the main points that has discussed in the chapter.
Fundaments of Business Process Archeology
Authors: Pérez-Castillo Ricardo , Rodriguez de Guzmán Ignacio García , Piattini Mario
Published: February 2017

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.
A Revolutionary Look at Knowledge Management
Authors: Rouzbehani Khadijeh
Published: February 2017

The implementation of knowledge management for organization requires a systematic perspective about various organizational factors. Appropriateness of these factors and their integration and coordination is a vital prerequisite to implement knowledge management effectively. The primary purpose of this chapter is investigating the relationship between three fundamental aspects of intellectual assets- human capital, structural capital and relational capital- with knowledge management practices. The method of research is descriptive and co-relational which was conducted in a petrochemical Company in Tehran whose total number of personnel was720 and the sample of 265 members were selected as statistical sampling. The findings prove there are significant relationships between these intellectual assets and knowledge management practices. These findings support the necessity of preparing the prerequisites of effective implementation of knowledge management. Accordingly an organization characterized by more developed intellectual capitals can benefit more from KM.
Paths to Success
Authors: Martins Ana , Lopes Albino , Martins Isabel , Petiz Orlando
Published: February 2017

The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the importance of cross cultural collaboration and leadership contextualized in a knowledge management paradigm with innovation and intangibles as cornerstones of competitive advantage. It is our intent to shed light on the importance of new knowledge arising from the paradigm shift of organizational values wherein intangibles lie. An innovative culture based on learning steers organizations on human potential with a new mindset to develop core competencies. This chapter demonstrates how core values of commitment, tolerance, involvement and willingness to take risk foster organizational sustainability in the new age paradigm. Complex, dynamic and turbulent organizational environments lead to second order learning, as opposed to first order learning. Organizational memory is reinforced in an environment of collaborative effort and committed knowledge workers. The quality of learning depends on leadership fostering teamwork and harnessing a common vision and organizational principles that nurture and encourage trust.
Exploring Knowledge Types and Knowledge Protection in Organizations
Authors: Masrom Maslin , Mahmood Nik Hasnaa Nik , Al-Araimi Aida A. Aziz
Published: February 2017

Knowledge management has emerged as an area of enquiry for managing organizational knowledge. It is a key driver for organizational effectiveness and competitive advantage and an effective way to address economic problems including losses related to high turnovers and retiring workforce. It also has been considered an important weapon for maximizing the potential of knowledge for sustainable performance for public and private organizations. Knowledge is a critical resource for organizations, and the knowledge resources need to be properly recognized and used for achieving organizational goals. Knowledge has limited value if it is not shared within the organization. The aim of the chapter is to examine the relationship between knowledge types and knowledge protection. It will also identify several approaches (i.e. tools and programs) or mechanisms for protecting the knowledge from loss.
Developing a Unified Framework and a Causal Model of Transformational Leadership, Empowerment, Innovation Support, and Organizational Innovation
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: February 2017

The research objective in the study described in this chapter was to develop a unified framework and a causal model of transformational leadership, empowerment, innovation support, and organizational innovation for leather company employees in Thailand. The chapter argues that dimensions of transformational leadership, empowerment, and innovation support have mediated positive effect on organizational innovation. Innovation support positively mediates the relationships between transformational leadership and organizational innovation and between empowerment and organizational innovation. Transformational leadership is positively correlated with empowerment. Furthermore, the author hopes that understanding the theoretical constructs of transformational leadership, empowerment, innovation support, and organizational innovation through the use of this framework and causal model will not only inform researchers of a better design for studying transformational leadership, empowerment, innovation support, and organizational innovation, but also assist in the understanding of intricate relationships between different factors.
Evaluation of Cultural Intelligence in Staff of Industries, Mines and Trades Organizations - Case Study
Authors: Abdolshah Mohammad , Geranfar Baranak , Akbari Eisa , Vaziri Jalil
Published: February 2017

This article examines one of the key competencies of the 21st century known as cultural intelligence (CQ). This study investigates the relationship between CQ, organizational culture, and the effectiveness of staff in the industry, mine, and trade organizations of Semnan province in Iran. Using correlational analysis, the statistical population includes a total of 103 people from 141 employees based on personnel department documents. Three questionnaires were used to measure the variables and descriptive and deductive statistics were applied to evaluate and analyze the data. The Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression were used in deductive statistics to obtain the results. The findings show there is a significant relationship between CQ, organizational culture, and effectiveness. Among four cultural intelligence factors, only the knowledge of CQ can predict the effectiveness. The calculated correlation coefficient indicates that the creativity factors and communication pattern have the highest correlation coefficients.
Cross-Cultural Adaptation Challenges to Management Innovation in Multinational Business Context
Authors: Chen Zhuojun Joyce
Published: February 2017

With economic development and globalization, many multinational enterprises have been established. Because of the cultural and economic context differences, traditional management strategies could not be effectively implemented in multinational companies. Therefore, management innovation is necessary for those companies to achieve business success. Various studies on multinational management seem focused on differences in business environments and cultures between countries and comparative management styles. However, few studies have paid attention to the process of cross-cultural adaptation and transformation through day-to-day practices in multinational enterprises. Therefore, based on the concept of management innovation and the integrative theory of cross-cultural adaptation, this chapter intends to begin building a model to explore management innovation in multinational enterprises from the perspective of cross-cultural adaptation. Qualitative data was collected from Chinese-owned multinational companies. The results support the model conceptually and provide suggestions for further studies.
Strategic Learning for Agile Maneuvering in High Technology SMEs
Authors: Sirén Charlotta A. , Kohtamäki Marko
Published: February 2017

This chapter illustrates four interrelated strategic learning processes, namely knowledge creation, dissemination, interpretation, and implementation, that are critical in ensuring the effective and rapid renewal of the core capabilities of technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Based on a cluster analysis of 182 Finnish software companies and information from illustrative case examples, the chapter highlights success factors related to strategic learning practices necessary for survival and prosperity in the highly dynamic IT industry. By offering a consistent strategic learning framework and multiple practical examples, the chapter provides SME leadership teams with practical suggestions to facilitate strategic learning. In addition, the chapter considers learning traps that prevent firms from renewing their capabilities and highlights practices to avoid those traps to facilitate strategic learning in technology-based SMEs.
The Relationship Between Organizational Culture and Business Excellence
Authors: Kassem Rassel , Ajmal Mian M. , Khan Mehmood
Published: February 2017

The relationship between organizational culture (OC) and corporate performance was commonly studied and reflected in the literature in the last few years. However, the relationship between OC and business excellence is rarely tackled. In this context, this research examined the relationship between four OC types and organizational excellence and the role of information communication technology (ICT) as a moderator. A quantitative study was conducted, and the data were collected using a survey questionnaire distributed to middle managers in one of the gold winners of a United Arab Emirates-based business excellence award. The results showed that there is a positive relationship between organizational culture components and business excellence in general. A mission culture has the most significant relationship, in contrast, the adaptability culture had no positive relationship. Also, the moderating role of ICT was proven. The results of this research can be utilized by managers to build the OC type that boost excellence within their organizations.
Total Quality Management Practices in Multinational Corporations
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: February 2017

This chapter introduces the practices of Total Quality Management (TQM) in multinational corporations, thus explaining the history, overview, concept, and the various components of TQM. TQM practices and organizational culture, TQM practices and organizational performance (in terms of quality data and reporting, supplier quality management, product and service design, and process management), and the practical application of total quality management in service and manufacturing sectors are discussed. This calls for a change on the part of organization stakeholders to adopt these new practices through an effective in-service training for managers and staff to adequately put these principles into practice and by adopting an effective utilization of human resources to initialize and maintain the attempts to create a dynamic quality system. The chapter argues that applying total quality management practices in multinational corporations will significantly enhance organizational performance and achieve business goals in the global business environment.
Institutional and Cultural Implications of Mexican SMEs Internalization
Authors: Vargas-Hernández José G.
Published: February 2017

The aim of this chapter is to analyze from the perspective of institutionalism if the European Union market is a potential market for the internationalization of Mexican SMEs. This chapter identifies a framework of the current situation of Mexican SMEs, encompassing as the political-economic aspects that govern the cooperative relationship as the normative and cultural factors that impact directly businesses, concluding that the complexity of the European Union resulting from the uniqueness of each of its members is reflected in a set of formal and informal rules that negatively impact on the internationalization of Mexican SMEs to that market.
Super Leaders
Authors: Grover-Haskin Kim
Published: February 2017

Present day and projected labor demands forecast a need for minds to comprehend in algorithm in order to leverage computing developments for real world problem resolutions. This chapter focuses not so much on solutions to the preparation of the learners and the scientists, but on the future leadership that will advocate and open doors for the high performance computing community to be funded, supported, and practiced. Supercomputing's sustainable future lies in its future of leadership. Studies over the last ten years identify a shift in leadership as the Baby Boomers enter retirement. The talent pool following the Baby Boomers will shrink in numbers between 2010-2020. Women continue to be under represented in IT leadership. This chapter provides information on the talent pool for supercomputing, discusses leadership and organizational culture as influenced by gender, and explores how a mentoring community fosters leaders for the future.
E-Learning Readiness and the Effects of Organizational Culture
Authors: Hosseini Seyed Yaghoub , Salimifard Khodakaram , Yadollahi Shahrbanoo
Published: February 2017

Electronic readiness is an important issue in developing organizational e-learning. It focuses on organizational capabilities and capacities to use electronic resources in the learning process. Organizational culture is an important factor in successful e-learning readiness. This research is aimed to evaluate the impacts of organizational culture on e-learning readiness. A sample of 68 questionnaires consisting of both culture and readiness questions was analyzed. To test the research hypothesis, a Beta coefficient test was used. Research results indicate a significant positive impact of clan and adhocracy cultures on e-learning readiness. It also found that market culture has a negative impact on e-learning readiness, while findings cannot justify a relationship between hierarchy culture and e-learning readiness.
The Influence of Culture on the Adoption of Green IT
Authors: Campbell William M. , Moore Philip , Ratcliffe Martyn , Sharma Mak
Published: February 2017

This chapter addresses the impact of organizational culture on the adoption of Green IT initiatives. We begin by exploring organizational culture and consider the nature of culture within the IT sector. An analysis of the effect of culture on sustainable use of IT is presented using Cameron and Quinn's Competing Values Framework as a tool to explore organizational culture. A major theme of this Chapter is the use of choice architectures to ‘nudge' individuals in particular directions with a focus on adopting green IT policies. Other themes explored are the roles social media play in promoting green IT and the impact of culture on the use of tools which deliver green IT including cloud computing and context-aware systems. We consider the impact of globalization. Key recommendations for working with culture to support the adoption of green IT are provided.
Examining the Roles of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment in the Global Workplace
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: February 2017

This chapter describes the concepts of job satisfaction and organizational commitment; the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment; the significance of job satisfaction in the global workplace; and the significance of organizational commitment in the global workplace. Job satisfaction is important from the perspective of maintaining appropriate employees within the organization. Organizational commitment plays an essential role in determining whether employees will stay with the organization and enthusiastically work toward organizational goals. Retention of employees is one of the most significant outcomes of organizational commitment. The chapter argues that encouraging job satisfaction and organizational commitment has the potential to increase organizational performance and gain sustainable competitive advantage in the global workplace.
Exploring the Role of Organizational Culture in Modern Organizations
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: February 2017

Organizational culture controls the way employees behave among themselves as well as with people outside the organization, and represents certain policies which guide the employees and give them a sense of direction in the workplace. Organizational culture helps keep employees motivated and loyal to the management of the organization. Having a shared organizational culture in the workplace gives employees a sense of unity, thus promoting better communication and less conflict. The chapter argues that the improved organizational culture has the potential to enhance organizational performance and reach strategic goals in modern organizations.
Challenges of Practicing and Honing Leadership Skills through Cross-Cultural Service Learning
Authors: Zimmerman Jeff
Published: February 2017

This chapter provides insight into the unexpected cross-cultural challenges faced by service learning project coordinators in an overseas setting. The chapter focuses on a service learning project geared towards undergraduate U.S. leadership students on a 5-week summer study abroad trip to Austria. The instructor sought to utilize the abroad experience to highlight the value of service learning as a medium to benefit the local Austrian community, while furthering the U.S. students' understanding of cross-cultural leadership. Like other individuals in a new host culture (i.e. expatriates), the service learning project coordinator (US instructor) faced a variety of unexpected cross-cultural challenges upon arrival in the host culture (Austria). This chapter highlights some universal cross-cultural challenges (lack of cultural and organizational familiarity, culture shock), why they can be expected, and why they are often difficult to resolve. Potential solutions addressing these challenges in the context of cross-cultural service learning projects are also explored.
An Image De-Noising Method Based on Intensity Histogram Equalization Technique for Image Enhancement
Authors: S. P. Shantharajah , T Ramkumar , N Balakrishnan
Published: February 2017

Image enhancement is a quantifying criterion for sharpening and enhancing image quality, where many techniques are empirical with interactive procedures to obtain précised results. The proposed Intensity Histogram Equalization (IHE) approach conquers the noise defects that has a preprocessor to remove noise and enhances image contrast, providing ways to improve the intensity of the image. The preprocessor has the mask production, enlightenment equalization and color normalization for efficient processing of the images which generates a binary image by labeling pixels, overcomes the non-uniform illumination of image and classifies color capacity, respectively. The distinct and discrete mapping function calculates the histogram values and improves the contrast of the image. The performance of IHE is based on noise removal ratio, reliability rate, false positive error measure, Max-Flow Computational Complexity Measure with NDRA and Variation HOD. As the outcome, the different levels of contrast have been significantly improved when evaluated against with the existing systems.
A Technique to Approximate Digital Planar Curve with Polygon
Authors: Ramaiah Mangayarkarasi , Ray Bimal Kumar
Published: February 2017

This chapter presents a technique which uses the sum of height square as a measure to define the deflection associated with a pseudo high curvature points on the digital planar curve. The proposed technique iteratively removes the pseudo high curvature points whose deflection is minimal, and recalculates the deflection associated with its neighbouring pseudo high curvature points. The experimental results of the proposed technique are compared with recent state of the art iterative point elimination methods. The comparative results show that the proposed technique produces the output polygon in a better way than others for most of the input digital curve.
Deploying ICT to Enhance Small Businesses and Achieving Sustainable Development
Authors: Omiunu Ojinga Gideon
Published: February 2017

Beside the SMEs, families operate small and fragmented businesses due to poverty and unemployment to help cater for their needs and family needs. These small and fragmented businesses are common among the poor due to lack of credit to expand such businesses. In addition, with the mandate from the federal government of Nigeria, every business must be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of the federal republic of Nigeria and pay a certain amount of money every year depending on level of business growth and development. Suffice to note that despite the payment of these charges by businesses, nothing is done by the federal government to assist them.
Encouraging Internationalization and Entrepreneurial Orientation in Small and Medium Enterprises
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: February 2017

This chapter explains the overview of internationalization; the aspects of internationalization in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs); internationalization, social capital, and Foreign Market Knowledge (FMK) in SMEs; internationalization and marketing capability; internationalization, innovation, and Research and Development (R&D); the implications of internationalization in SMEs; the overview of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO); EO and firm performance; EO, organizational learning, and knowledge management; and the current trends and issues with EO in SMEs. Encouraging internationalization and EO is essential for SMEs that seek to serve suppliers and customers, increase business performance, strengthen competitiveness, and achieve continuous success in SMEs. The chapter argues that encouraging internationalization and EO has the potential to enhance organizational performance and reach strategic goals in SMEs.
Innovation-Driven Planned Behaviour Towards Achieving the Wellbeing of the Malaysian SMEs
Authors: Taghizadeh Seyedeh Khadijeh , Rahman Syed Abidur , Ramayah T.
Published: February 2017

Innovation requires an innovation mind-set derived from behavioural aspects of individuals. To realize such a notion, this paper introduces a framework and integrated theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in the line with the exploratory and exploitative innovations. Attitudes towards innovation, subjective norms for innovation and perceived control over innovation can influence on exploratory and exploitative innovations in SMEs. It is believed that through exploratory and exploitative innovations, entrepreneurs in SMEs may achieve subjective wellbeing. The approach of applying the TPB to exploratory and exploitative innovations will have few implications. First it allows SMEs to understand which factors are important in doing exploratory and exploitative innovations. Second, it will indicate that doing exploratory and exploitative innovations can bring the feeling of perceived wellbeing among entrepreneurs. Finally, the framework identifies a number of areas for future research that can verify the comprehensive understanding of successful innovations.
Business Incubation in Malaysia
Authors: Indiran Logaiswari , Khalifah Zainab , Ismail Kamariah , Ramanathan Santhi
Published: February 2017

The purpose of this chapter is to present the importance and contribution of business incubation programmes to Small and Medium Enterprises in Malaysia. Chapter starts with a brief review of the history and transition of major economic policies in Malaysia as well as the government responses towards achieving the status of fully developed nation by the year 2020. The policy review includes the Laissez-faire Policy, New Economy Policy, National Development Plan, National Vision Policy, and New Economy Model which were set to achieve nation's rapid economic growth. This review leads the paper towards the exploration of the major drivers of current economic growth in Malaysia. This chapter identifies Multimedia Super Corridor as the most important initiative and a key driver to global Information Communications Technology development as well as the major contributor to Small and Medium Enterprises establishment in Malaysia. In addition, it outlines the significant contribution of Small and Medium Enterprises to the economic growth in Malaysia, and finally identifies business incubators as a support mechanism to accelerate the SMEs success, especially the start-up firms. This chapter provides knowledge to the researchers and practitioners on the linkages among Multimedia Super Corridor, Small and Medium Enterprises and incubators that align with the economic policy development. As a conclusion, the chapter discusses the challenges faced by the incubation programmes in Malaysia and thus, highlights the prominence of business incubators as a niche subject to be explored in depth, in terms of their growth and potentials in Malaysia.
SMEs in Nigeria
Authors: Oni Oluwasola
Published: February 2017

Research in the area of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and coopetition has been ongoing for a considerable length of time. However, such studies have focused on SMEs in developed countries while there is very limited research in the same area with a focus on SMEs in Africa and developing countries. This research therefore aims to explore possible benefits and barriers that SMEs in Nigeria would experience in the adoption of coopetition. Considering the fact that it is a relatively new area of research, existing theories examining similar fields of study will be analysed with the aim of generating a theoretical framework through which factors affecting the phenomenon in the country may emerge.
Sourcing Strategies of Firms
Authors: Serwach Tomasz
Published: February 2017

The purpose of the chapter is to present recent theoretical developments in FDI theories with an emphasis on sourcing strategies of firms. It is stated that economic theory explains the existence of the so called vertical FDI as the result of market failures or transaction costs and incomplete contracts. Firms engage in foreign sourcing due to lower costs or an access to unique resources but that sourcing takes place within firms' boundaries in order to benefit from internalization advantages. Although recent theories have been developed in the context of FDI from developed countries, those new insights can be easily applied to the case of outward FDI from emerging economies as well.
On Some Aspects of State-Owned Enterprises' Foreign Direct Investments (SOEs' FDI)
Authors: Götz Marta Anna , Jankowska Barbara
Published: February 2017

This chapter seeks to enrich the existing literature by discussing the broader context of international engagement of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). It discusses the rationale for examining foreign direct investment (FDI) done by SOEs and outlines the challenges which need to be addressed in this respect. It provides a brief overview of FDI carried by Polish SOEs. The authors applied the qualitative methodology of critical literature review and descriptive analysis of internationalization of Polish state-controlled firms. This chapter can contribute to the current studies devoted mainly to Chinese or other Asian emerging state-controlled multinationals by adding the Central and Eastern European (CEE), in particular the Polish, perspective. It concludes that given the well-recognised peculiarities of such entities adequate framework needs to be adopted to explore their foreign activities. The Polish multi-case study encompassing nine entities demonstrates that the group can be pretty heterogeneous and indeed can combine the specificity of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and SOEs.
The Use of Social Networks in Achieving e-Democracy in the Arab Spring Countries
Authors: Abdelghaffar Hany , Hassan Lobna
Published: February 2017

Electronic democracy (e-democracy) is a way to engage citizens and politicians with their government through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) tools. Although the concept of e-democracy has been growing during the past years, few studies have examined how to achieve success of e-democracy via social networks. This research is answering the following question: How social networks support the local government decision making to enhance e-democracy? To answer the research question, a proposed model was introduced and a survey method was employed. Findings showed that governments could use social networks to facilitate awareness of information among citizens and support citizens in building their communities. Furthermore, social networks would help to facilitate deliberation among citizens. However, this should be supported with appropriate level of involvements from the government side in the discussion to provide support. Through this, governments could enhance their decision making.
A Systematic Literature Review on Immigrants' Motivation for ICT Adoption and Use
Authors: Acharya Bhanu Bhakta
Published: February 2017

Several studies demonstrate that immigrants use computers and the Internet more than non-immigrants or earlier immigrants. What motivates immigrants to use information and communication technology (ICT)? What are the factors that influence immigrants' ICT behaviors? For this study, the author chose 20 peer-reviewed articles published between 2001 and 2015 to study immigrants' motivations for ICT adoption and use. The following article will discuss two motives for immigrants' ICT use, as well as identify seven factors influencing adoption, non-adoption, use, and non-use.
Implementation of the Communication Network for the Multi-Agent Robotic Systems
Authors: Kirichek Ruslan , Paramonov Alexander , Vladyko Andrei , Borisov Evgeny
Published: February 2017

The paper proposes a structure of self-organizing communication networks of the multi-robot system. The considered networks are organized on the basis of two radio channels: to transmit control (telemetry data) and to transmit data (video flow), which have the higher bandwidth requirements. The algorithm of self-organizing network is designed and presented based on the wideband channel quality control: data of the received signal strength indicator (RSSI), the capacity and the packet error ratio (PER).
Participative Knowledge Management to Empower Manufacturing Workers
Authors: Campatelli Gianni , Richter Alexander , Stocker Alexander
Published: February 2017

Due to the rapid technologic change, we see the role of manufacturing workers continuously changing: the increasing automation of manufacturing processes has reduced the amount of manual work, whereas the increasing complexity of manufacturing systems requires workers to build-up broader and deeper skills. In this paper, the authors suggest a participative knowledge management approach to empower manufacturing workers. Starting from a comprehensive empirical analysis of the existing work practices in a manufacturing company, the authors have developed and validated a knowledge management system prototype. The prototype is aimed for training, problem solving, and facilitating the discovery, acquisition, and sharing of manufacturing knowledge. The conducted evaluation of the prototype indicates that workers' skills and level of work satisfaction will increase since the knowledge management system allows faster problem solving by finding better solutions for observed defects.
Exploring a Risk Adjusted Return on Capital Model for the Performance and Persistence of the Indian Equity Mutual Funds
Authors: Kumar Manoj
Published: February 2017

Assisting fund investors in making better investment decisions when faced with market climate change is an important subject. For this purpose, the author adopts a genetic algorithm (GA) to search for an optimal decay factor for an exponential weighted moving average model, which is used to calculate the value at risk combined with risk-adjusted return on capital (RAROC). The author then proposed a GA-based RAROC model. Next, using the model to find the optimal decay factor and investigate the performance and persistence of 31 Indian open-end equity mutual funds over the period from November 2012 to October 2015, divided into three periods: November 2012- October 2013, November 2013- October 2014, and November 2014- October 2015, which includes the global financial crisis. The author finds that for three periods, the optimal decay factors are 0.999, 0.951 and 0.990, respectively. The rankings of funds between bull and bear markets are quite different. Moreover, the proposed model improves performance persistence. That is, a fund's past performance will continue into the future.