bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Collection insight and interconnectivity through artificial intelligence image analysis: A collaboration with the National Archives of Estonia
Authors: Storch Hannah
Published: July 2024

Descriptive metadata information is paramount to creating a holistic historical record for researchers, scholars and the general public, as well as other institutions to use both internally and externally. Metadata contextualise image-based collections, providing insight into the individuals, objects and stories contained within them, allowing for the sharing and cross-referencing of information and collections. However, gathering descriptive metadata for image collections is time-consuming and costly to generate, often relying the knowledge of a single person. And yet, if researchers do not extract, catalogue and link this information to the images, valuable context can be lost, obscured by the sheer volume of images that one would have to review manually in order to find specific content. This paper demonstrates how the application of artificial intelligence (AI) image analysis offers an alternative to the traditional labour-intensive manual approach and provides important identifications within collections that allow for further research, collaboration and accessibility. The paper describes how, in partnership with the National Archives of Estonia, we digitised over 100,000 film frames and glass-plate negatives, collected from 22 different institutions around the country, and applied AI image analysis to the digital assets in order to take the first step in successfully identifying individuals within the collections, unlocking their stories, interconnecting these institutions’ collections and the broader cultural heritage community.
Creating a barrier against gas and water
Authors: Crossley Richard
Published: July 2024

With more deep construction in congested urban areas and an increase in the provision of residential basements, a more detailed assessment is required of the risks inherent in below-ground construction and how these might best be addressed, especially when considering factors other than water ingress such as ground gases and contamination. Strategies for dealing with all external sources of groundwater, surface/flood water, soil gases and contaminants should be determined from the very earliest stages of the planning and design processes for any project involving below-ground structures. Waterproofing systems are materials and methods used to protect a structure from water ingress, and which are often effective as ground gas barrier — ie a barrier between the structure and the ground intended to prevent or impede the ingress of radon, methane and other ground gases and contaminants. There has been much development and use of new materials for waterproofing and understanding how these waterproofing and gas barrier materials are applied to the structure is important when specifying, designing and constructing belowground structures. The relevant codes of practice for each subject offer guidance on how this can be achieved, but does the guidance contained within correspond between documents?
Is ransomware winning?
Authors: Goettl Chris
Published: July 2024

This paper evaluates the performance of ransomware attacks and looks at the tactics and successes to determine effective counterstrategies. By analysing lagging indicators of the successes of ransomware, we can reverse-engineer an effective counterstrategy to fight back and significantly reduce the effectiveness of ransomware. This paper argues that the biggest challenge in countering modern ransomware is that the approach most companies are taking is too narrow. There is no one solution answer to this challenge. The most effective counter to modern ransomware is a balanced security strategy of preventative and detect and response, layered in such a way as to disrupt, reduce and eliminate the tools and tactics that make modern ransomware effective. This also includes activities that happen well in advance of the ransomware attack and devices that may not even be part of the actual attack itself. This paper will also propose an effective strategy to counter modern ransomware and provide organisations with key technologies to remove critical capabilities from our adversary’s arsenal and disrupt the tactics that have made modern ransomware so successful.
How jersey sponsorship can be an effective marketing tool
Authors: Horowitz Scott
Published: July 2024

Creating an impression through consumer engagement is at the core of activating any sponsorship. Sponsorships can be the most effective form of marketing to consumers as, on average, fans are three times more likely to purchase products and services if they are aware of, and familiar with the brand. Jersey sponsorship is a great way to clear the hurdle but the greatest success will come to those who are clear in their objectives and thoughtful in their implementation execution and measurement.
Should you change your ad messaging or execution? It depends on brand age
Authors: Pauwels Koen , Sud Bharat , Fisher Robert , Antia Kersi
Published: July 2024

Should advertisers change their message (what is said), just as they do the execution (how it is said) to reflect changing consumer preferences? This paper is the first to quantify how these ad components and their interplay affect brand sales. The authors define the concepts of market consistency and changes in ad executions and show how they interact with each other and with the brand’s age in their sales outcome. The empirical analysis confirms the hypotheses in the US minivan market. As a brand matures, executional variations become increasingly beneficial, but changing advertising messaging to remain consistent with customer preferences becomes less effective. For older brands with little executional variation, changing the ad message even reduces sales. The authors thus uncover important boundary conditions for the opposing theories that brands should ‘stick with their message’ versus ‘change with the times’ and advise how to manage advertising as the brand matures.
Meeting today’s challenges in travel retail with digital commerce marketplaces
Authors: Gould Kian T.
Published: July 2024

Airports, airlines and the travel retail industry are facing unparalleled challenges. Rapidly changing purchasing behaviour by customers, the continuously growing impact of e-commerce and digitalisation are disrupting traditional revenue streams and business models of airports and airlines alike. Research shows that the traditional travel retail model of impulse buying at the airport has significantly decreased. Airports, airlines and travel retailers should embrace digitalisation and view it as an enormous opportunity to find new ways to generate core non-aviation revenues. To achieve this, though, they will need to collaborate and jointly create a digital airport commerce ecosystem, with the airport being the focus of an omnichannel marketplace. Airports have several competitive advantages when utilising e-commerce that can help them gain the pole position in omnichannel retailing. To create a digital airport commerce ecosystem and an online platform, the key players in aviation need full management support, a skilled team with a digital attitude, value-creating digital business models, enabling legal contracts and high-performance, scalable information technology (IT). This paper describes how stakeholders in the travel retail industry — airports, airlines, brands and duty-free operators — can benefit from digitalisation and how they can begin their journey on the way to a digital airport commerce ecosystem.
Metadata remediation through migration, post-migration or necessary clean-up: A roadmap for success
Authors: Smith Jason
Published: July 2024

Metadata clean-up (or remediation) projects can be time-consuming, stressful and, at some point, inevitable if metadata are retained. Having a plan before starting is paramount not only to a successful project, but also to prevent the waste of valuable resources. As this paper will show, determining which aspects of a clean-up project are most important is the key to ending the project with quality metadata — regardless of the metadata schema or metadata management system or the rationale for the clean-up.
Positioning infectious disease physician leaders to promote patient safety, mitigate risk: A cost avoidance revenue model
Authors: Bleasdale Susan C.
Published: July 2024

With the increase in the number of Medicare beneficiaries, more cost-efficient care is needed to preserve the Medicare budget. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have instituted value-based purchasing (VBP) to reduce healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes. The VBP programme has incentivised healthcare systems to allocate resources and effort to decrease healthcare-acquired conditions (HACs). Initial HACs were heavily weighted in infection-related conditions, and improvements have been actualised through infectious disease leadership. The VBP programme is anticipated to expand to new domains in antimicrobial stewardship (AS) with the addition of AS programmes to the hospitals’ conditions of participation. The VBP programme along with other evidence demonstrates that infectious disease care and leadership leads to improved patient outcomes and decreased healthcare costs. Healthcare systems should assess current infectious disease physician engagement and optimise the utilisation of this expertise to improve outcomes for a more cost avoidance revenue model.
BFI National Archive: Digital workflow for the preservation of digital cinema packages
Authors: Fairall Charles , Edmunds Helen , Cave Dylan
Published: July 2024

This paper looks at the approach the British Film Institute (BFI) National Archive takes to preserving file-based content, utilising a combination of manual and semi-automated processes. A case study is presented, which looks at the preservation workflow for unencrypted digital cinema packages acquired through the BFI Film Fund for contemporary feature film production, often in advance of their theatrical release. The paper aims to place the approaches for long-term preservation of digital files in the context of evolving technologies implemented at the BFI’s National Archive Conservation Centre during a critical transition phase from analogue to digital workflows. It also discusses strategies for implementing automated workflow.
How to achieve liveable urban communities in Egypt
Authors: Rizk Hegazy Ibrahim , Seddik Moustafa Weal
Published: July 2024

The deterioration of urban development that Egypt has experienced in the last few decades is an obvious outcome of previous corrupt policies and unilateral decisions. Urban management is a multidisciplinary approach that aims to supercede urban growth through the cooperation of different groups in the process. It is a system that links urban growth with policies and procedures and connects decision makers and professionals with communities. One major challenge is Egypt’s increasing population which is expected to nearly double over the next 40 years. It is, therefore, an absolute must to begin revising urban growth policies and plans. New theories of urban management must be carefully examined and studied, and solutions must be developed sooner rather than later to help spare Egyptian urban communities from imminent disaster. Moreover, to make these communities liveable and sustainable, comprehensive management of their systems is essential. This paper argues that liveable mechanisms within urban management in Egypt would offer suitable solutions for their problems. The paper also aims to identify liveable urban community principles and to demonstrate how the concepts of liveability can enhance the quality of a city. Moreover, this paper will propose a tool for assessing urban growth and management in Egyptian cities and offer recommendations for further improvements to be incorporated into processes to achieve liveable communities. These proposals may pave the way for defining policies to help achieve liveability and to improve the quality of urban cities in Egypt.
Allocating the number of slots among scheduled air routes:A social perspective
Authors: Yen Jin-Ru , Ke Yu-Fang , Vasigh Bijan , Ye Kung-Don
Published: July 2024

Runway slot allocation has been an important issue since the deregulation of the airline industry in the USA and other countries. Current slot allocation policies in Europe and the USA consider only the competition between airlines. For areas where airlines compete with surface modes of transport, however, maximising social benefit should be a further factor in the allocation of slots. Thus, this paper proposes an integer programming formulation, validated by the domestic air network in Taiwan, to determine the number of flights on scheduled routes such that net social benefit is maximised. The integer programming formulation is based on the concept of cost-benefit analysis, and includes the value of travel time savings by air service as the benefit, and the extra cost of providing air service as the opportunity cost. The research results suggest that the runway slots at Taipei Songshan Airport should be allocated to flights that serve Taipei and the three offshore islands first because they produce the greatest net social benefit. Although the developed model is most suitable to an air travel market that is highly regulated, such as the case in Taiwan, it is also applicable in some areas regarded as more market-based.
Building city brands through sport events: Theoretical and empirical perspectives
Authors: Westerbeek Hans , Linley Michael
Published: July 2024

This paper reflects theoretically and empirically on destination marketing and destination branding, with a specific focus on creating strong city brands. It will be argued why a strong destination brand makes it easier for marketers to attract visitors, new residents and investors to the destination. Focus is on how city brands are connected to major sporting events in order to achieve a number of branding objectives. Using an established city brand evaluation instrument, preliminary data from a four-country general population sample are presented, foreshadowing that some approaches may work better than others when choosing to use sport events to build strong city brands. In particular, it was found that building a strong event portfolio seems important in building long-lasting positive impressions about a city and its image.
Risk and threat perception: A pilot’s perspective on airline security
Authors: Borowsky Paul , Delone Gregory
Published: July 2024

The 11th September, 2001 terrorist attack resulted in myriad new policies designed to enhance aviation security. These policies ostensibly considered the origins of the exact threat facing the USA. Missing, however, were the inputs from rank and file pilots of the airlines that policy makers were, in part, attempting to protect. This exploratory study distributed a 50-question survey to active pilots of one of the country’s largest air carriers. The survey was designed to determine pilot perceptions of security risks and threats. Using factor and reliability analysis, scales were developed to document the multidimensionality of the constructs of security risks and threats and to assess the appropriateness of the linear combination of variables used in the construction of the scales. Finally, correlation analysis was used to better understand which areas of airline security might be targeted by policy makers to enhance existing structures and practices. Results revealed statistically significant differences in the perceptions of pilot security concerns and the focus of current US aviation security policy.
Social housing and urban renewal: Current Dutch policy
Authors: Priemus Hugo
Published: July 2024

The least popular urban districts are often dominated by social housing. In the Netherlands, the housing associations and the government reached a formal agreement in February 2007 to intervene in problem urban areas, 40 of which have been officially designated as priority neighbourhoods in need of special attention. This paper presents basic information about Dutch housing associations and the dynamics of Dutch policy on urban renewal. It sets out the proposals submitted by Aedes, the Dutch umbrella organisation of housing associations, on 2nd February, 2007. Five days later these proposals were incorporated in the Coalition Agreement of the current Cabinet of Balkenende IV. The current visions of the crucial role of social housing providers in urban renewal are explained and comments are made on the strategies of the government and the housing associations. Finally, conclusions are drawn and recommendations are offered for the Netherlands and for other EU member states where the position of the social housing sector is substantially different from the position of the social housing sector in the Netherlands. The role played by social housing providers in urban renewal in the Netherlands may serve as a source of inspiration for practitioners. In other EU countries, social housing providers (with a much smaller share of the housing market) may need more public subsidies and may resort more to selling rental properties.
Back to the future: Digitising orphaned VHS collections at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning Library
Authors: Armstrong Gina
Published: July 2024

This paper describes a pilot project for the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning Library digitising orphaned VHS assets for delivery via the local instance of Kaltura’s streaming video server. The paper introduces the background and details the theoretical and practical methodology of the project, as well as lessons learned and conclusions reached.
The outlook for airport finance: How forecasting techniques can adapt to reflect changeable market conditions
Authors: Carlisle Andy
Published: July 2024

The world remains in a phase of prolonged uncertainty, which causes particular problems for airport managers, investors and lenders as they look to develop business plans and models that are robust and credible. The often long lead times to plan and develop infrastructure capacity and the increasing diversity of airline service in the market demand a clear view of the future market and traffic. Underlying aviation activity and its growth over time, in turn, will affect virtually every part of an airport business plan. There remain many different approaches to forecasting and it may be difficult to demonstrate that any one is more valid than others at predicting the future; however, lessons from the past few years suggest that there is an increasing need both to consider risk explicitly and to understand the key drivers that will influence demand. While it is ultimately for the airport manager, investor or lender to judge the level of risk they wish to assume in business planning, enhancing the transparency of the forecasting process can allow for a more considered view of the implications. This in turn provides the basis for more informed judgment in decision making, balancing out the risks and opportunities to develop business plans that can better adapt to changing market conditions. This paper looks to outline some of the current global market trends and considers ways in which demand forecasting techniques can respond to enhance the overall business planning process. In looking at this challenge, three specific issues can be identified which need to be addressed: (1) What is the current outlook in demand for air travel? (2) What are the key issues which forecasting needs to consider? (3) How do we best manage the risks inherent in any future forecast?
Changing financial services firms’ behaviour through a duty of care
Authors: Chiu Iris H.-Y. , Brener Alan
Published: July 2024

There have been a number of calls for regulators to impose a new and higher duty of care on regulated firms. These calls are evidence of a continuing mistrust of the financial services industry. The remedy largely rests in the hands of the latter to demonstrate that it is worthy of trust. The new duty of care will not achieve the aims of those that seek a significant improvement in the conduct of the industry. What is sought by all is a change in culture. This paper looks at the practical steps that a regulated firm can take to demonstrate its adherence to both the letter and spirit of financial services regulation and those specifically aimed at addressing cultural change. These actions include firms focusing on their strategy and business model and who, and how, they employ people and operate their processes. This includes the regulatory Senior Managers and Certified Persons Regime. It also includes steps to measure culture and emphasises the importance of avoiding self-deception.
Did Wirecard ever matter? Reflections on the structure of the German e-commerce payment service provider market
Authors: Bartelt Niklas , Hommel Ulrich
Published: July 2024

The scandal-ridden collapse of Wirecard AG in June 2020 raises three important issues regarding the German e-commerce payment service provider (PSP) market. First, what do we know about the structure of the PSP market and, more specifically, its concentration when Wirecard was still ‘in the game’? Secondly, in the light of the evidence on market concentration, was the disruptive fallout following Wirecard’s demise based on realistic concerns? Finally, would linking company reporting to market data have allowed for a more precise gauging of Wirecard’s market relevance ex ante? To explore these questions, this paper draws on a data-driven market survey, expert interviews and confirmational reverse data engineering. The paper concludes that market power on the supply side of the market is not only limited but also sufficiently counterbalanced by market concentration on the buy side — among other factors. Simply put: Wirecard was not a systemically important PSP; indeed, it was not even a major one. The insights provided by this paper should invite further forensic analysis to better understand why many market observers got it wrong.
China's cross-border data sharing requirements: Compliance challenges for global institutions
Authors: Shen Eugenie , Roberts Alex
Published: July 2024

To protect public and societal interest, ensure network security and safeguard national security, China has passed a series of data security and data protection laws in the past few years which, due to the cross-border data transfer or sharing restrictions under these laws, pose particular challenges for global institutions, especially financial institutions, which need information from their subsidiaries or counterparts in China. This paper summarises the three principal laws that govern the collection, storage, transfer and use of data within China and what global institutions with connections to China need to know.
The US Army’s path to virtual recruiting
Authors: Garfinkel Xeriqua , Clark Shauna M.
Published: July 2024

The US Army is currently undergoing a multi-year process of adopting virtual techniques to recruit its target market. When the world pivoted to social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Army easily adapted to the new environment. The US Army Recruiting Command, responsible for marketing the Army and processing new recruit packets, focused on leveraging virtual tools, social media intelligence analysis, and adapting its traditional culture of in-person recruiting to a more online, story-centric and visual content recruiting effort. The COVID environment expedited the expansion of virtual recruiting practices from just marketing to include most of the job application process, traditionally completed in-person. The result is an engaged online following that is reaching the target audience who are eligible for military service. The Army achieved its personnel end-strength goal for fiscal year 2020 despite closing 1,400 physical recruiting stations for two weeks, reopening less than 1 per cent through the summer and cancelling nearly all physical recruiting events. The Army also demonstrated its adaptation to virtual recruiting by digitally processing eligible civilians into the military while taking care of its existing force by adhering to nationwide social distancing mandates.
Structural movement and defects in traditional Scottish residential property
Authors: Gibbon David
Published: July 2024

Structural movement can be a source of great concern to the purchasers and owners of historic buildings. Is this concern generally justified or exaggerated? In this overview of the topic, the author provides some advice on the assessment of traditional buildings, distinguishing between the role of the building surveyor and that of the structural engineer, and reviews some key issues including: the inevitability that buildings will be subject to movement (even modern well-engineered buildings); the advantages of flexibility provided by lime mortars in traditional buildings; the composite nature of traditional buildings and the interface between masonry and timber framed elements resulting in cracking that may not be of great concern, the implications of ill-advised alterations; the psychology of cracks in building leading sometimes to needless anxiety; some case studies illustrating that some traditional buildings may conceal serious defects; and others that superficially appear to be in a parlous state, but may in fact be stable. The use of steel in hostile environments may give a false sense of security as a replacement for decayed timbers.
Lease accounting: Anticipating the new standard
Authors: Tiso Len , Mcconnell Margo
Published: July 2024

With the overhaul of global lease accounting standards imminent, corporate real estate (CRE) and other senior executives face a myriad of resultant pre-implementation and post-implementation issues. This paper is intended to address the implications of the new standard from the tenant perspective. In particular, issues arising for companies which lease commercial real estate strategically and follow US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) will be discussed. Both the initial transition to the new standard and the ongoing maintenance of reporting lease obligations in the future will require changes to CRE decision making and processes in collaboration and communication with both internal and external stakeholders.
Giant hogweed: Public enemy
Authors: Adams Greig
Published: July 2024

Now widely recognised as the UK’s most dangerous plant and amid a plethora of press articles providing photographs depicting the excruciating burns experienced from persons unwittingly coming into contact with giant hogweed, surveyors need more than ever to be alert to the possibility of this invasive plant colonising subjects being inspected. Significant legal penalties, possible imprisonment and substantial fines relating to allowing the spread of this dangerous plant underpin the importance of the subject matter. This paper concentrates on identification of giant hogweed at various stages through its lifecycle, how to differentiate from similar species, legalities, eradication and control.
Corporate blogs, social media links and firm performance: A study of Fortune 500 companies
Authors: Wei Yujie , Song Pingping , Rutherford Brian
Published: July 2024

This research explores the relationships between corporate blogs, social media links and the performance of Fortune 500 companies. Using secondary data from the companies regarding their revenue, profits and ratings on the Most Admired Companies (MAC) list, the study tests the influence of blogs and social media links on performance. Specifically, it compares the performance outcomes of those companies with corporate blogs, those companies with social media links, and those companies with neither blogs nor social media links. The results indicate that those companies with corporate blogs have higher revenues and profits, and score higher on the MAC list than those without. Similarly, those companies with social media links have higher revenues, profits and MAC ratings than those without. The findings confirm the association between corporate blogs and social media links in relation to performance outcomes. As the first study to test such relationships in the social media context, the findings provide valuable insights into the influence of corporate blogging and social media strategies on firms’ financial performance and reputation. The study also provides directions for future research in the social media context.
UCSF School of Pharmacy digital assets taxonomy and metadata development
Authors: Busch Joseph A. , Davila Eric , Farm Frank , Lauruhn Michael , Levings Susan
Published: July 2024

This paper provides a short report on a project to establish and maintain a web-based digital asset collection to serve the needs of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy Dean’s Office communications projects. The repository is intended to handle an initial collection of 7,500 digital assets, but to be able to grow to over 28,000 assets. The project entailed the design and implementation of a database schema for the ResourceSpace digital asset repository, and vocabularies and asset tagging guidelines, which are illustrated in the paper.
20-minute neighbourhoods: A community perspective from the streets of Scotland
Authors: Edwards Stephen , Lee Rachel , Joester Kate , Docherty Anne
Published: July 2024

The Scottish government has made the 20-minute neighbourhoods approach a priority. They are an important part of the nation’s plans for regeneration and its response to the climate crisis. Drawing on the model developed by Plan Melbourne, this paper discusses the application of the 20-minute neighbourhood concept in the established neighbourhoods of North Lanarkshire, Stirling and Dunblane from a community perspective. Based on the findings of a year-long project by Living Streets Scotland, it reminds planners and urbanists interested in creating low-traffic, 15- or 20-minute neighbourhoods or cities that listening to community viewpoints, in particular the voices of women, children, older and disabled people, is essential to their successful implementation. There is no ‘one size fits all’. Walking is literally a street-by-street issue. Every pavement, every crossing, every route — including longer journeys that cannot be walked or cycled — must be joined up for any of it to be accessible.
Unlocking the next wave of value in corporate real estate
Authors: Morphakis Harry , Przytula Michael
Published: July 2024

As real estate providers seek to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on their tenants’ businesses — and, by association, their own — a serious question has to be asked: to drive the next wave of value, will the new normal require a change in the landlord–tenant relationship? This paper argues that the answer is yes. It requires a change from the legacy real estate mindset of cost control and reducing expenditure per square foot, to one of increasing value per square foot. Landlords can make use of a number of critical technologies to pave the way to this next wave of value creation across their portfolios: the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G and digital tenant services. This paper explores the use of these technologies, their benefits, what is required to precipitate a change in the relationship with tenants and how this will shape future operating models.
Live stack replacement in high-rise residential buildings
Authors: Swift Ed
Published: July 2024

There are approximately 4,500 tall buildings under local authority control in the UK. Many were built in the postwar period, which means that refurbishment programmes are required at regular intervals to keep the buildings operational and comfortable for local authority residents. While many refurbishment programmes are focused on the aesthetic properties of a building, there is a growing need to address the drainage systems in high-rise buildings, which can often be overlooked until a problem occurs and is reported. Local authorities can arrive at a situation where essential drainage system maintenance work needs to take place, but can only be completed by moving residents out of buildings temporarily, or to another site altogether. This is a costly undertaking, which often brings a range of unknown factors that can increase the time needed to complete work and the cost of rehousing residents. Manufacturers are beginning to work with networks of approved installers to offer an alternative, more efficient approach and have developed a drainage stack replacement method that takes place section by section within a building, without putting a full drainage system out of commission. The process that has been developed also makes provision to improve the fire protection systems within a building, with a range of passive fire protection products for use with plastic-based drainage systems. This paper outlines the problems found in many high-rise residential buildings under local authority control and sets out a solution, which has been incorporated into a growing number of refurbishment and maintenance programmes, that allows for project cost control, minimises disruption to residents, and provides for effective building fire protection improvements as a matter of course.
The Big Data Bang: When collision of content marketing, mobile commerce and social share resulted in an omnichannel digital experience
Authors: Lee David
Published: July 2024

The digital world today has transformed not only our lifestyles but also the way we work with agencies and the media. A glimpse at one of the world’s largest eMarketplace ecosystems sheds light on the Big Data bang that has already happened. When the Big Data of almost everything collided, it was a Big Bang of dynamic real-time data and personalisation power ID, and the resulting revolution of omnichannel experiences. During this transformative era, consumer purchase path touchpoints became fluid, but predictable. Is your business ready to bloom in the new Big Data bang ecosystem?
Best practices in implementing a CMMS
Authors: Rives Robert
Published: July 2024

With so many needs and limited budgets, how does one make the most out of a computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) implementation? From the initial request for quote (RFQ) to a fully functional system it can be a long road full of key decision points. How the procurement process and implementation of CMMS are managed is crucial to the success of the project. In this paper, the City of Kansas City, Missouri shares its experience in its journey to procure and implement a CMMS platform, providing lessons in best practices in CMMS implementation and how technology can meet an organisation's needs both today and tomorrow.
Rediscovering your brand's True North: How Crayola articulates its brand identity to compel change in internal culture and consumer communication
Authors: Lozano Victoria
Published: July 2024

Renewing our childhood spirit! Since the turn of the 20th Century, Crayola has been practically synonymous with crayons and colour. But at one point in its history, Crayola nearly lost sight of the most important consumers — children. This paper describes the internal revitalisation of one of the most cherished children's brands. It shows how the necessary tools were developed to reinvigorate the corporate culture and excite consumers with a passion for creative play. The final outcome of these efforts is an inspiring ‘true north’ articulation — a rallying cry which unites ‘Crayolians’ all over the world and creates a deeper, more meaningful purpose in the partnership with parents and educators to help them raise inspired, creative children.
The data explosion: Is your business ready for the AI revolution?
Authors: Ford Simon
Published: July 2024

This paper discusses the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) and what this means for data centres and the broader industry, as well as how businesses can adequately prepare for the transformation that it will bring.
Using AI to minimise bias in an employee performance review
Authors: Melton Liz , Riewe Grant
Published: July 2024

Performance reviews are intended to be objective, but all humans experience bias. While many companies opt for group reviews as a way to de-bias and challenge the status quo, what is being said in those meetings, how those comments are said and the context for those remarks are just as important. At the same time, most people’s attention span is of shorter duration than a review and being promoted depends on what bosses remember about their direct reports, their subjective measure of employee success, and their ability to convince others that employee accomplishments are deserving of a reward. As a result of these compounding factors, meta-bias patterns emerge in company culture. Combine those limitations with the fact that reviews are often a breeding ground for subtle — and not-so-subtle — bias, and it begs the question: Why are we not using technology to help? With developments in natural language processing (NLP) and conversational AI (CAI), computers can identify biased phrases in real time. Although these technologies have a long way to go to match human nuance, we can at least flag problematic phrases during something as significant as performance reviews. And with the right inputs rooted in social science and normalised based on geography, contextual relationships and culture, we could be surfacing insidious bias throughout organisations. This paper examines how a future CAI tool could reduce bias and, eventually, teach people to re-evaluate and reframe their thinking. In a performance review setting, the system would flag problematic phrases as they are said, and committee heads would stop the conversation. The committee would then evaluate the comment, ask the presenter for further information, and only continue once there is sufficient clarity. Once the discussion concludes, the review cycle would continue until another phrase is identified. The system serves to be persistently aware throughout all conversations and highlight potential bias for everyone to learn from. Beyond pointing out biased phrases during a performance review, a combination of NLP and CAI can serve as a foundation for company-wide analytics. Organisations can track who is speaking in a majority of meetings, what was said, who challenges biased phrases, whether or not certain types of people are misrepresented in reviews more or less frequently, and so on. All this information gives a fundamentally new picture of what is happening inside a company, laying the groundwork for human resource (HR)-related metrics that individuals (and the company as a whole) can improve over time.
Money and the fear of missing out: How to stay sane in a world shaken by Libra
Authors: Salmony Michael
Published: July 2024

This paper discusses the issues surrounding the question of whether the best way to provide seamless pan-European/global payments is to deploy a new cryptocurrency, perhaps via a private actor, or to build on the existing infrastructure.
Why we don't think the way we think we think: The theory and application of behavioural economics
Authors: Tasgal Anthony
Published: July 2024

A new body of thinking under the portmanteau term of behavioural economics (BE) challenges many of the rigidly held but poorly supported practices of marketing and sales which would love to see ‘consumers’ as rational, economic agents, easily wooed by appeals to their conscious rationality. Instead, the BE enterprise suggests that marketing has to acknowledge that humans are far messier, more unpredictable, and ruled by forces that they are often not aware of. Until the concepts of heuristics and satisficing, and the power of System 1 and the rule of context are fully appreciated and implemented, many of those working in marketing and communications are doomed to irritate and alienate those people they most want to attract or retain.
A dynamic process of health risk assessment for business continuity management during the World Exposition Shanghai, China, 2010
Authors: Sun Xiaodong , Keim Mark , Dong Chen , Mahany Mollie , Guo Xiang
Published: July 2024

Reports of health issues related to mass gatherings around the world have indicated a potential for public health and medical emergencies to occur on a scale that could place a significant impact on business continuity for national and international organisations. This paper describes a risk assessment process for business continuity management that was performed as part of the planning efforts related to the World Expo 2010 Shanghai China (Expo), the world’s largest mass gathering to date. Altogether, 73 million visitors attended the Expo, generating over US$2bn of revenue. During 2008 to 2010, the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention performed a dynamic series of four disaster risk assessments before and during the Expo. The purpose of this assessment process was to identify, analyse and evaluate risks for public health security during different stages of the Expo. This paper describes an overview of the novel approach for this multiple and dynamic process of assessment of health security risk for ensuring business continuity.
Creating e-SEPA: Now or never
Authors: Leibbrandt Gottfried , Liezenberg Chiel
Published: July 2024

As online payments take off, European banks have a unique chance to get it right, and introduce a bank-driven, Europe-wide infrastructure for e-payments. Such an infrastructure should include a scheme for instant authorisation of e-payments (online, mobile or other), after which clearing and settlement can take place through various channels, such as SCT, SDD or Cards. Such a scheme would include a rulebook, communication/messaging protocols and standards and be open enough to existing customer-to-bank authorisation digital identities and authentication mechanisms. It also needs to be supported by a compelling business model and strong governance.
On continuity case studies
Authors: Lindstedt David , Lombardo Timothy
Published: July 2024

This article is divided into three sections. The first section provides a taxonomy of case studies within the field of business continuity along with a brief commentary. The second section discusses the proper use of case studies in general pedagogy and provides research-based recommendations for their employment. The third section provides suggestions and examples of how business continuity case studies might be utilised specifically for instruction in the discipline of business continuity planning.
Little details that make a difference: A value-based approach to disaster management
Authors: Sawalha Ihab Hanna , Shamieh Jamal M. , Meaton Julia
Published: July 2024

Even the most prepared organisations are likely to be severely affected during an incident if they fail to recall certain little details. Little details bridge the gap between expected and real future scenarios. They are crucial for the management of natural and man-made disasters and can be considered enablers of success. The existing literature focuses extensively on major aspects of disaster management, including mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, while paying less attention to other details that can contribute positively to the overall success of the disaster and emergency management process. This study aims at: (1) identifying little details that make a positive difference in the event of a disaster; (2) investigating the value of these details to overall disaster and emergency management; and (3) introducing a value-based approach to disaster and emergency management.
Best practices for supplier debriefs
Authors: Vitasek Kate , Downard Andrew , Witteveen Wiebe , Nikolaev Fredrik , Keith Bonnie
Published: July 2024

Although supplier debriefs play a crucial role in modern procurement, they are often overlooked in both the public and private sectors. This paper underscores their importance and outlines best practices for implementation. While public procurement mandates them, the private sector often omits this essential step. These debriefs create value for both buyers and suppliers by enhancing relationships, refining procurement strategies and mitigating risks. They also provide suppliers with constructive feedback to improve their offerings, boosting their chances in future bids. Whether conducted virtually or in person, supplier debriefs offer a structured way for suppliers to assess their bid strengths and weaknesses, which is particularly relevant when substantial effort is involved. Key elements for effective debriefs include clear notifications, timing considerations, ground rules, attendee selection, agenda structuring and appropriate communication styles. Embracing supplier debriefs fosters collaboration, trust and efficiency in competitive bidding, making them indispensable for organisations seeking success.
Community-led marketing for mobile games: Rovio’s fans first strategy
Authors: Bergstrom Saara
Published: July 2024

The mobile app ecosystem has seen explosive growth as consumers rush to app stores on their mobile devices. At the same time, the app market is becoming an increasingly competitive environment for developers. In addition to paid user acquisition and advertising, many developers are investing in building brands around their games and engaging with consumers to ensure longevity for their games. Building a brand and a wide audience is especially important when expanding a property beyond a mobile game into other areas such as merchandise, which can be a significant source of revenue.
A very British Black Friday: Retailers lose out as Black Friday becomes the domain of discounters
Authors: Lennox Alasdair , Shields Aaron , Guilar Piers
Published: July 2024

The current authors studied Black Friday in Britain and learned that the reality is somewhat different from the hype. There will always be a small proportion of shoppers who get a kick out of grabbing a bargain, no matter how hostile the experience, but the majority are sensible human beings who are in control and able to make their own decisions. Moreover, they are happily buying online, at home. While customers snap up a bargain, retailers are losing out—mostly to online discounters such as Amazon. We predict that Black Friday will become the domain of discounters as the rest of the retail community experiments with alternative strategies. We explore some of these alternatives and suggest a brighter future for UK retailers and customers alike.
Towards unpredictability in airport security
Authors: Ghelfi-Waechter Signe Maria , Bearth Angela , Fumagalli Carla Sophie , Hofer Franziska
Published: July 2024

An important responsibility of airport security is to make passengers feel safe during their travel and give airport staff the feeling of a secure work environment. Recently, the concept of unpredictability, originating in the social sciences, is discussed as prevention against insider threats. The assumption is that by being less predictable about where, how and what type of security measures are applied, airport security is improved. Thus, this study was particularly interested in how airport employees perceive unpredictability after experiencing an unannounced security control. This was investigated in a longitudinal online survey with an experimental group and a control group. The findings suggest that the current police strategy is indeed unpredictable and that the deterrence effect of this unpredictability sustains at least one month. Thus, unpredictability appears to be useful and has the potential of replacing current strategies within airport security. There is, however, a lack of scientific research, and several open questions make its use vulnerable and not (yet) reliable enough to be applied in a systematic way. For example, it is not yet known how unpredictability influences human decision making and actual behaviour. Further, it has not yet been analysed how effective such measures in fact are — for example, how the detection performance is or whether they can substitute for other security measures. This stresses the need for more research to gain further empirical evidence on the effectiveness of unpredictability and the related implications for airport security.