bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Confronting environmental perceptions of local populations and local authorities
Authors: Salgado Carvalho Daniela , Fidélis Teresa
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The main focus of this paper is on a study of environmental perceptions in the municipality of Aveiro, Portugal.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws pn complaints regarding environmental matters submitted to the City Council and on a critical analysis of the results in comparison with the opinions of local government authorities and non‐governmental organisations, which have responsibilities for local environmental management, and experts.

Findings

The results reflect the local actors relevant to the protests, including, among these citizens and local authorities, the main concerns intrinsic to the complaints and questionnaire responses, such as those relating to urban solid waste, water, air pollution, noise and unhealthy lots; and the “preferential zones” in which environmental problems are most likely to generate complaints, more specifically the dense urban areas and, to a lesser extent, the classified natural areas, and the preferential zones for the occurrence of environmental problems in the opinion of the respondents, namely the hydrographical nets and associated margins and the rural or sparse areas. The respondents were also encouraged to identify measures required to solve the local environmental problems, revealing a great range of suggested procedures, from educational to coercive types.

Originality/value

There are few studies concerning complaints on environmental issues and a comparison of these data with the perceptions of local decision‐makers and experts offers a useful route to the characterisation and evaluation of local environmental concerns, identifying the most significant environmental problems within the study area. Proper management of this information can positively influence the decision‐making processes, allowing a more directed and efficient performance on the part of local government.
Better environmental performance
Authors: Griffith Alan , Bhutto Khalid
Published: October 2009

Purpose

A previous paper in this journal focused on how the integration of standards‐based management systems used by major contractors operating within the construction sector could contribute to improvements in the environmental performance of a company. However, it was seen that the lack of a recognised management system framework to guide organisations and their operations was proving inhibitive to success. This paper aims to address that shortcoming, presenting a workable and useful framework for configuring integrated management systems (IMSs) targeted at delivering better environmental performance. It aims to report on a government‐funded research project examining the developments in and applications of IMSs applied to the environment, quality and safety of construction projects in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

The research project used a triangulated approach collating qualitative and quantitative data acquired by the multiple collection methods of questionnaire survey, structured and semi‐structured interviews and case studies. The qualitative approach involved the development of theory from data, or grounded theory, and evaluation of data, or analytic induction, while the quantitative approach used data‐sampling methods and database coding and analysis.

Findings

The findings show that a number of prominent UK principal contracting organisations have introduced integrated standards‐based systems for managing a construction project's environment, quality and safety. Notwithstanding, problems have readily been encountered and these appear to have occurred predominantly from a lack of an effective management system framework within which corporate organisation and project operations are arranged within the context of their business environment. The establishment of a robust framework is highlighted as being fundamental and essential to ensuring better environmental performance.

Originality/value

The research examines environmental performance within the project environment of the construction industry. The findings add to the current body of knowledge and will be of value to contractors seeking to satisfy the environmental requirements of their business through an effective management approach. Moreover, the research has wider value through transferable applications and experiences for other industry sectors.
Managing urban water in Australia: the planned and the unplanned
Authors: England Philippa
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify factors contributing to the success of demand management measures in a period of severe water shortage in urban areas of Queensland, Australia; to reflect on the role of demand management measures as a policy tool integral to Australia's National Water Initiative.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of a case study and literature review.

Findings

Australia's National Water Initiative, with its emphasis on market‐based reform, failed to provide adequate mechanisms for dealing with severe drought in Australia's urban areas. In contrast, a mix of regulatory, fiscal and educational initiatives encouraged Brisbane residents to reduce their water consumption by 57 per cent. These initiatives were successful because they formed part of a comprehensive, pervasive and persistent campaign delivered by two tiers of government working in conjunction and exhibiting strong local leadership.

Originality/value

The paper identifies the need to include demand management measures – including regulatory, fiscal and educational measures – as well as market‐based reforms in national water policy.
Bridging decision‐making process and environmental needs in corridor planning
Authors: Nobrega R.A.A. , O'Hara C.G. , Sadasivuni R. , Dumas J.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to clarify the spatial multi‐criteria workflow for stakeholders and decision makers, for which feedback rankings are vital to the success of the transportation planning.

Design/methodology/approach

The experimental approach was designed to integrate in a novel fashion both analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multi‐criteria decision making (MCDM) within a geospatial information system (GIS) framework to deliver visual and objective tabular results useful to estimate environmental costs of the alignments generated. The method enables ranking, prioritization, selection, and refinement of preferred alternatives. The Interstate‐269, the newly planned bypass of Memphis‐TN, for which a recent environmental impact study (EIS) was completed, was selected as the experiment test‐bed.

Findings

The results indicate that the approach can automate the delivery of feasible alignments that closely approximate those generated by traditional approaches. Furthermore, via integration of local planning and ancillary spatial data, the method provided alignment results that avoided areas where local opposition was noted in the EIS. This enhanced method based on remote sensing and spatial information technologies delivers low or high‐predicted environmental costs per feature criteria and cumulative predicted costs while preserving local values and plans.

Practical implications

The method is highly transferable and limited solely by the availability of sources of geospatial data and coordination with stakeholders. The approach was implemented to derive results similar to traditional approaches with benefits in time, costs, and quality of solutions.

Originality/value

A novel adaptation of MCDM and AHD within a spatial decision‐making framework is presented. The paper suggests a clarification of multi‐criteria workflow to design and select least‐environmental‐cost corridors. The case study application provides a starting point to develop practical tools that delivers environmental benefits through a collaborative process capturing stakeholder values and decision maker opinions.
Restoring contaminated urban rivers using an intergovernmental, public‐private approach
Authors: Deason Jonathan P.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a new approach to restoring rivers in the USA that have been contaminated with hazardous substances.

Design/methodology/approach

Both primary and secondary data and information were used. Primary data and information were gathered through interview processes with subject‐matter experts involved in restoration of contaminated rivers in the USA.

Findings

Many urban rivers around the world contain severely contaminated sediments that adversely affect aquatic life and limit recreational and economic uses. It has been estimated, for example, that as many as 100 million tons of contaminated sediments are deposited annually in the waterways of Europe.

Originality/value

The recently developed approach to restoring urban rivers in the USA might be usefully adopted for use in other industrialized nations around the world.
Sustainability issues and the expansion of Teresina, Piauí, Brazil
Authors: de Carvalho Correia Jacob Melo Constance , Collet Bruna Gilda
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the urban transformation process that is happening in Teresina, State of Piauí in Northeast Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary data were used, based on the research plan's four parts: the city history during the colonial period; the territorial landmarks and policy implemented; the population growth; and the housing programs developed by governmental agencies.

Findings

The analysis showed that the city became impoverished and the environmental impacts are connected to the lack of any sanitation infrastructure, and to the floods invading the lowlands of the city, bringing diseases to the population. Poor quality of life of the poverty‐stricken population in those conditions suggests that the city is rather unsustainable.

Originality/value

The paper presents an understanding of the peculiar features of a Northeast Brazilian city that needs to improve the urban environment, specifically the area located on low lands of about 70 meters above sea‐level, where the rivers in flow cover an extensive part of the urban network.
Forecasting of ozone pollution using artificial neural networks
Authors: Ettouney Reem S. , Mjalli Farouq S. , Zaki John G. , El‐Rifai Mahmoud A. , Ettouney Hisham M.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The objective of this study is to develop and validate a neural‐based modelling methodology applicable to site‐specific short‐ and medium‐term ozone concentration forecasting. A novel modelling technique utilizing two feed forward artificial neural networks (FFNN) is developed to improve the performance of time series predictions.

Design/methodology/approach

Air pollution and meteorological data were collected for one year in two locations in Kuwait. The hourly averages of the data were processed to generate a covariance matrix and analyzed to generate the principal component method. A two‐FFNN model is then used to predict the actual data.

Findings

The newly developed model improves the prediction accuracy over the conventional method. Owing to the presence of noise and other minor disturbances in the data, shorter‐range modelling gives better modelling results.

Originality/value

A novel modelling technique is developed to predict the time series of zone concentration.
Data center metrics
Authors: Daim Tugrul , Justice Jay , Krampits Mark , Letts Matthew , Subramanian Ganesh , Thirumalai Mukundan
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify energy efficiency metrics that can be used by IT managers to measure and maintain the implementation of cost savings and green initiatives in data centers.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper looks at the background of the problem and explores the reasons why energy savings in the data center are an important issue. Included are interviews and survey results from IT professionals serving at four unique organizations. A model of the measurable components of a data center is created to provide a framework for organizing metrics and communicating results throughout the corporation. The strengths and weaknesses of two of the most common data center metrics, PUE and DCP, are examined closely.

Findings

The paper concludes with future metric recommendations and a proposed credit‐based system that could be applied to encourage closer management of these metrics.

Practical implications

The metric recommendations can be used by IT managers resulting in energy efficiency improvements in their data centers.

Originality/value

The paper provides a good comprehension of multiple approaches and makes recommendations for a platform metric that can be further developed and adopted as a standard.
Under the microscope: valuation and hedge funds
Authors: Haskin Benjamin J. , Davis Joseph G. , Flynn Jocelyn C.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The current financial crisis revealed weaknesses in the US financial system, including the difficulty of valuing complex assets. This paper seeks to examine regulatory and compliance issues for hedge funds valuing complex assets.

Design/methodology/approach

Within the context of hedge fund valuation, the paper provides a general overview of: the regulatory background of hedge funds and the central role valuation plays in the operation and regulation of such funds; relevant cases brought by the SEC; and a discussion of valuation best practices.

Findings

Hedge funds are not “unregulated.” There is a body of law and accounting standards that applies to hedge fund valuation. Nevertheless, hedge fund valuation standards are evolving in this era of heightened regulatory scrutiny. The common concepts that have emerged from valuation best practices will likely provide the underpinning for any regulatory initiatives regarding hedge fund valuation.

Research limitations/implications

By the time of publication, Congress may pass pending legislation governing hedge funds and there may be additional notable SEC cases on hedge fund valuation.

Practical implications

The economic crisis has revitalized the SEC's interest in this area. Consequently, hedge funds should consider adoption of a compliance program that specifically targets valuation by stressing investor disclosure, independence of the valuation function, comprehensive written valuation polices and procedures, and internal controls.

Originality/value

The paper compiles and organizes in one place the regulatory and compliance standards governing asset valuation by hedge funds.
SEC proposes investment adviser custody rule amendments to enhance safekeeping and oversight of client assets
Authors: Blumenthal Kleiman Lauren
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain a recommendation from the SEC Division of Investment Management for new rules focused on strengthening control over client assets held by registered investment advisers (RIAs) or their affiliates.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes Rule 206(4)‐2 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, known as the investment adviser “custody rule”; summarizes the three proposed amendments, which would require surprise examinations, written SAS‐70 reports, and delivery of account statements directly to advisory clients; and notes several concerns voiced by SEC commissioners.

Findings

The proposed rule amendments respond to the recent discovery of a number of investment adviser Ponzi schemes and other frauds that evidence an urgent need to reassess the regulations governing RIA custody. The SEC staff will respond to public comments and expect to have an active dialog with both RIAs and custodians in the course of developing final rules.

Originality/value

The paper presents expert analysis from experienced securities lawyers.
An innovative partnership framework for sustainable development of rural areas in South Africa
Authors: Ahmed Ezzat Othman Ayman , Sirbadhoo Neil
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role that South African Project Management Firms (SAPMF) can play towards supporting government initiatives for sustainable development of rural areas (RA).

Design/methodology/approach

A research methodology is designed to achieve three objectives. First, literature is used to review the concepts of public‐private partnerships, sustainable development of RA, government legislations and the project management profession. Second, semi‐structured interviews with government officials are used to identify the obstacles that hinder implementing the development plans for RA and investigate government's perception of creating a partnership with the private sector. Finally, survey questionnaires with SAPMF are used to identify the role that they can play in assisting government to achieve its plans for RA development and investigate SAPMF's perception of creating a partnership with the public sector.

Findings

Although there are government initiatives, RA still suffer from having inadequate development. Current legislation intended to address RA problems (Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy) is not operational and needs to be updated on a regular basis. Government strategies and plans for RA development have to be supported by SAPMF through creating a partnership welcomed by Government and SAPMF, that utilises their knowledge and unique management skills. The RA development partnership framework is recommended to be used as an innovative tool to assist in overcoming the obstacles that hinders RA development.

Originality/value

This paper establishes a partnership between the public and private sectors which is put through the development of an innovative framework that portrays the relationship between government and SAPMF. Adopting the developed framework by both sectors will help the government utilise the unique expertise and skills of SAPMF towards sustainable development of RA. The developed framework represents a novel and creative synthesis that has not been previously done in the South African context.
Clients' perception of construction project leaders in the Nigerian banking industry
Authors: Iroroakpo Idoro Godwin
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to promote full involvement of construction project leaders in the attempt by Nigerian banks to develop new branches and expand the scope of their services to customers whose banks were either liquidated or merged after the 2005 consolidation exercise.

Design/methodology/approach

Structured questionnaires are used to collect data on status, professions, services and leadership roles of construction project leaders from a sample of 80 clients' representatives selected randomly from the 24 Nigerian banks that survived the liquidation exercise.

Findings

The study discovers that Nigerian banks appoint mostly their staff who may not be project managers as project leaders and engage them mostly with services which relate to the day to day running of their new projects. It also discovers that the authority giving to project leaders is not full rather the control over the delivery of banks' projects is shared with the banks and this does not influence the banks' perception of the performance of project leaders. While this finding may appear as if the control giving to project leaders is not important in their performances, the study reveals that the performances of project leaders have significant influence on the performance of other project team members.

Research limitations/implications

Although, there have been studies on project leadership in the construction industry generally, specific attention has not been given to project leadership in the banking industry as done in this paper.

Practical implications

The study considers the development as unhealthy because it will not encourage construction project leaders to regard the success or failure of the projects as their responsibility and will not motivate them to perform their duties effectively. It therefore advocates that clients in the Nigerian banking industry should adopt a practice whereby project managers instead of any construction professionals are the ones to be appointed as construction project leaders and that more authority and leadership functions on the delivery of the projects than those retained by clients be delegated to them.

Originality/value

The results of the study have identified some of the shortcomings in project leadership practice in the Nigerian banking industry which will spur changes that promote greater achievement of the goals of the banks for developing new projects.
A review of rectenna models for electromagnetic energy harvesting
Authors: Patrick Motjolopane Bokang , van Zyl Robert
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Distributed wireless sensor networks (DWSNs) are applied in a variety of applications that can enhance the quality of human life. Batteries are the predominant source of energy in DWSNs. One of the key obstacles in the adoption of DWSNs technology is the limited lifetime of batteries in microsensors. Recharging or replacing depleted batteries can significantly increase costs in DWSNs. The purpose of this paper is to address, through a thorough review, this power challenge in DWSNs and to evaluate a 16‐element equiangular spiral rectenna to harvest ambient microwave energy in real‐life scenarios to supply indoor DWSNs.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper focuses on the practical implementation of a rectenna that can be used in electromagnetic energy harvesting. The design and measurement of the rectenna follows a broad overview of rectenna designs reported in the literature.

Findings

The paper concludes that the 16‐element equiangular spiral rectenna has the potential to generate power that enables long periods of operation of the DWSNs without human intervention in the power management process, thus reducing maintenance and administration costs.

Originality/value

Research into electromagnetic power harvesting is very limited in the South African context. The paper presents a concise overview of existing power harvesting techniques that will benefit novice researchers in the field of electromagnetic energy harvesting. It concludes with the performance characterisation of a spiral array rectenna.
Reducing the delivery lead time in a food distribution SME through the implementation of six sigma methodology
Authors: Nabhani Farhad , Shokri Alireza
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Six sigma is a systematic data driven approach to reduce the defect and improve the quality in any type of business. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from the application of six sigma in a food service “small to medium sized enterprise” (SME) in a lean environment to reduce the waste in this field.

Design/methodology/approach

A simplified version of six sigma is adopted through the application of appropriate statistical tools in order to focus on customer's requirements to identify the defect, the cause of the defect and improve the delivery process by implementing the optimum solution.

Findings

The result suggests that modification in layout utilization reduced the number of causes of defect by 40 percent resulting in jumping from 1.44 sigma level to 2.09 Sigma level which is substantial improvement in SME.

Research limitations/implications

Simplicity of six sigma is important to enabling any SME to identify the problem and minimize its cause through a systematic approach.

Practical implications

Integrating of supply chain objectives with any quality initiatives such as lean and six sigma has a substantial effect on achieving to the targets.

Originality/value

This paper represents a potential area in which six sigma methodology along side the lean management can promote supply chain management objectives for a food distribution SME.
Computer‐based approach to material and process selection
Authors: Djassemi Manocher
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a perspective of computer‐aided material and process selection (MPS) software tools for product development purpose and present a practical approach for manufacturers and other decision makers involved in MPS.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi‐criteria deductive approach for MPS is applied to a case study by taking into account the technical performances and environmental constraints. A resource‐based cost modeling is also deployed to examine the implication of selected material and process on overall product cost.

Findings

The paper demonstrates the capabilities and shortcoming of existing computerized MPS software tools in assisting product managers and designers for handling the growing volume of material/process data.

Research limitations/implications

Applying computer‐aided MPS approach to complex shape products with multiple features is not a straightforward task and requires further development in existing MPS software tools.

Practical implications

Computer‐aided MPS systems can assist decision makers in solving many material/process selection problems by following a systematic process.

Originality/value

Given today's rapid technological changes, it is important for decision makers to understand the capabilities of computer‐aided MPS software tools in handling a growing volume of data. Very limited research has been done to explore the capabilities and limitations of existing material/process selectors. It is the first in the literature that demonstrates the application of multi‐criteria deductive approach in MPS using a software tool.
Selection of maintenance policy for textile industry using hybrid multi‐criteria decision making approach
Authors: Ilangkumaran M. , Kumanan S.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the use of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) under fuzzy environment and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to select an optimum maintenance strategy for a textile industry.

Design/methodology/approach

First by using improved AHP with fuzzy set theory, the weight of each criterion is calculated to overcome the criticism of unbalanced scale of judgments, uncertainty, and imprecision in the pair‐wise comparison process. Then this paper introduces a model that integrates improved fuzzy AHP with TOPSIS algorithm to support maintenance strategy selection decisions.

Findings

An efficient pair‐wise comparison process and ranking of alternatives can be achieved for maintenance strategy selection through the integration of AHP with fuzzy set theory and TOPSIS.

Originality/value

The paper points out a new insight of multi‐criteria decision making techniques to select optimum maintenance policy for a process industry with the use of a case study.
Perceived importance of performance management metrics among UK theatre companies
Authors: Bennett Roger
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of the use of performance management metrics by UK theatre companies, the levels of importance attached to various types of measures, and possible determinants of managerial perceptions of the importance of each category.

Design/methodology/approach

A model was constructed which hypothesised that the types of metrics regarded as most important by theatre managements depended on organisational identity, financial situation, environmental volatility, production diversity and visitor orientation. This was tested via a survey of 195 UK theatres.

Findings

A theatre's financial situation greatly influenced the categories of metrics that its management deemed to be important, exerting both a direct effect and indirect impacts. An organisation's “artistic identity” also affected the dimensions of the operations that its management sought to measure.

Research limitations/implications

The data were self‐reported; less than a majority of the sampling frame participated in the study; and managers in theatres that used few or no metrics may have been less likely to respond to the invitation to take part in the study. It was not possible within the confines of an already crowded questionnaire to explore the influences of various stakeholders on a theatre management's choice of metrics.

Practical implications

Environmental circumstances and managerial inclinations seemingly determined the metrics that were considered important, but the metrics involved were not necessarily those that should have been applied.

Originality/value

This is the first empirical study to determine the factors that cause theatre managements to prioritise the use of specific types of performance metrics and to explain variations in organisational behaviour in this regard.
A critical analysis of intercultural communication research in cross‐cultural management
Authors: Bjerregaard Toke , Lauring Jakob , Klitmøller Anders
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Functionalist models of intercultural interaction have serious limitations relying on static and decontextualized culture views. This paper sets out to outline newer developments in anthropological theory in order to provide inspirations to a more dynamic and contextual approach for understanding intercultural communication research in cross‐cultural management (CCM).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analyzes the established approaches to the cultural underpinnings of intercultural communication in CCM and examines how newer developments in anthropology may contribute to this research.

Findings

The standard frameworks for classifying cultures in CCM are based on a view of culture as static, formal mental codes and values abstracted from the context of valuation. However, this view, underwriting the dominating research stream, has been abandoned in the discipline of anthropology from which it originated. This theory gap between intercultural communication research in CCM and anthropology tends to exclude from CCM an understanding of how the context of social, organizational and power relationships shapes the role of culture in communication.

Practical implications

The paper proposes to substitute the view of culture as comprising of abstract values and codes as determinants of communication with concepts of culture as dynamically enfolded in practice and socially situated in specific contexts, in order to give new directions to theories on intercultural communication in CCM.

Originality/value

Scant research has compared intercultural communication research in CCM with new anthropological developments. New insights from anthropology are analyzed in order to open up analytical space in CCM.
Globalization and national policy formation: an exploratory analysis
Authors: Feaver Donald
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Even though the promise of globalization has faded and it is no longer the fashionable topic it once was, national policy‐makers must still deal with its widespread economic, political and social effects. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between, on the one hand, differing levels of human development between countries, and, on the other, the extent to which countries pursue national policy objectives disciplined by what has been described as the “universal values” underlying the globalization process.

Design/methodology/approach

The concepts of globalization and world society values are first defined and discussed in a policy‐related context. The relationship between globalization values, national policy settings and human welfare and freedom is explored by means of a simple SEM model.

Findings

The results of the SEM model indicate that there is a clear link between higher levels of human development where countries' normative policy settings concord with world society values. A more important outcome is greater insight into the critical role that social connectedness plays in explaining differences in levels of human development.

Originality/value

The paper presents an exploratory analysis of globalization and national policy formation.
A new channel assignment algorithm for wireless mesh networks
Authors: Yang Jianjun , Fei Zongming
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) have evolved quickly during the last several years. They are widely used in a lot of fields. Channel allocation provides basic means to guarantee mesh networks’ good performance such as efficient routing. The purpose of this paper is to study channel allocation in mesh networks.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the papers in channel allocation fields are surveyed, and then the limitations in existing methods noted. Graph theory is used to find a better model to represent the problem and algorithms are proposed based on this model. Simulation proved that algorithms are better than the previous conflict graph‐based approaches.

Findings

The paper analyzes the conflict graph‐based model and finds its limitations, then proposes a bipartite graph‐based model. Algorithms were devised based on this model. Simulation results illustrate that the algorithms can reduce the starvation ratio and improve the bandwidth utilization, compared with previous conflict graph‐based algorithms.

Research limitations/implications

The research of this paper is based on an ideal network environment without interference or noises. It will be better if the noises are considered in future work.

Practical implications

To study the routing strategies of WMNs, it is not sufficient to only consider path length as routing metric since the nodes are heterogeneous. The routing metrics should include the channel bandwidths which are the results of channel allocation.

Originality/value

This paper presents a new bipartite graph‐based model to represent the channel allocation problem in mesh networks. This model is more efficient and includes more information compared with conflict graph model, and it also proposes channel allocation algorithms based on bipartite graph‐based model. The algorithms can reduce starvation ratio and improve the bandwidth utilization.
Implementing an adaptive TCP fairness while exploiting 802.11e over wireless mesh networks
Authors: Fowler Scott , Eberhard Marc , Blow Keith
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of 802.11e MAC to resolve the transmission control protocol (TCP) unfairness.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper shows how a TCP sender may adapt its transmission rate using the number of hops and the standard deviation of recently measured round‐trip times to address the TCP unfairness.

Findings

Simulation results show that the proposed techniques provide even throughput by providing TCP fairness as the number of hops increases over a wireless mesh network (WMN).

Research limitations/implications

Future work will examine the performance of TCP over routing protocols, which use different routing metrics. Other future work is scalability over WMNs. Since scalability is a problem with communication in multi‐hop, carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) will be compared with time division multiple access (TDMA) and a hybrid of TDMA and code division multiple access (CDMA) will be designed that works with TCP and other traffic. Finally, to further improve network performance and also increase network capacity of TCP for WMNs, the usage of multiple channels instead of only a single fixed channel will be exploited.

Practical implications

By allowing the tuning of the 802.11e MAC parameters that have previously been constant in 802.11 MAC, the paper proposes the usage of 802.11e MAC on a per class basis by collecting the TCP ACK into a single class and a novel congestion control method for TCP over a WMN. The key feature of the proposed TCP algorithm is the detection of congestion by measuring the fluctuation of RTT of the TCP ACK samples via the standard deviation, plus the combined the 802.11e AIFS and CWminallowing the TCP ACK to be prioritised which allows the TCP ACKs will match the volume of the TCP data packets. While 802.11e MAC provides flexibility and flow/congestion control mechanism, the challenge is to take advantage of these features in 802.11e MAC.

Originality/value

With 802.11 MAC not having flexibility and flow/congestion control mechanisms implemented with TCP, these contribute to TCP unfairness with competing flows.
A survey on model versioning approaches
Authors: Altmanninger Kerstin , Seidl Martina , Wimmer Manuel
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a feature‐based characterization of version control systems (VCSs), providing an overview about the state‐of‐the‐art of versioning systems dedicated to modeling artifacts.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a literature study of existing approaches, a description of the features of versioning systems is established. Special focus is set on three‐way merging which is an integral component of optimistic versioning. This characterization is employed on current model versioning systems, which allows the derivation of challenges in this research area.

Findings

The results of the evaluation show that several challenges need to be addressed in future developments of VCSs and merging tools in order to allow the parallel development of model artifacts.

Practical implications

Making model‐driven engineering (MDE) a success requires supporting the parallel development of model artifacts as is done nowadays for text‐based artifacts. Therefore, model versioning capabilities are a must for leveraging MDE in practice.

Originality/value

The paper gives a comprehensive overview of collaboration features of VCSs for software engineering artifacts in general, discusses the state‐of‐the‐art of systems for model artifacts, and finally, lists urgent challenges, which have to be considered in future model versioning system for realizing MDE in practice.
An efficient mapping schema for storing and accessing XML data in relational databases
Authors: Wu Jun , Huang Shang‐Yi
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reduce the number of join operations for retrieving Extensible Markup Language (XML) data from a relational database.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper proposes a new approach to eliminate the join operations for parent‐child traversing and/or sibling searching such that the performance of query processing could be improved. The rationale behind the design of the proposed approach is to distribute the structural information into relational databases.

Findings

The paper finds that the number of join operations which are needed for processing parent‐child traversal and sibling search can be bounded under the proposed approach. It also verifies the capability of the proposed approach by a series of experiments based on the XMark benchmark, for which it has encouraging results.

Research limitations/implications

Compared with previous approaches based on the structure encoding method, the proposed approach needs more space to store additional immediate predecessor's IDs. However, the approach has similar performance to others and it is much easier to implement.

Practical implications

The experimental results show that the performance of the proposed approach is less than 3 per cent of the well‐known MonetDB approach for processing benchmark queries. Moreover, its bulkloading time is much less than that for the MonetDB. There is no doubt that the approach is efficient for accessing XML data with acceptable overheads.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the implementations of XML database systems.
Corporate social responsibility and consumers' response: the missing linkage
Authors: Gao Yongqiang
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical framework to explain why corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity leads to different consumers' responses, especially why, in some cases, CSR activity might backfire on the company.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a review of previous literature, the aspects of a CSR activity and the contrasting objectives that may influence consumers' responses are discussed. Several propositions are put forward.

Findings

The structure of a CSR activity, mainly including type of issue/cause, its form, timing and commitment, leads to consumers' different attributions, which in turn leads to consumers' different responses to the firm. Also, consumers make attributions about a firm's CSR activity in terms of the contrast effect between the firm's corporate social performance (CSP) and other objectives for reference, such as the firm's CSR ability, its past CSP, its negative social impact of operation and other firms' CSR activities. Moreover, even though consumers can make positive attribution to a firm's CSR activity, the significant contrast effect of it against the objectives might also lead to consumers making negative responses.

Research limitations/implications

Given the complex psychological processes of consumers, it is not known if there are other components of a CSR activity and other contrasting objectives that might influence consumers' responses.

Originality/value

The paper helps business managers to realize the risks embedded in CSR activities, and helps them to use CSR strategically to promote business goals by carefully considering the mix of components of CSR activity and the fit with other contrasting objectives.
Features of successful entrepreneurs in Estonia and changing organisational development challenges
Authors: Elenurm Tiit , Alas Ruth
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the implications of changing success factors of entrepreneurs for the role of organisational development (OD) programmes in facilitating organisational learning and change in Estonian enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

This explorative research is conducted as part of the Entrepreneurship Work in Organizations Requiring Leadership Development research programme focusing on international perspectives of entrepreneurship. Participants of Estonian focus groups at first filled individual work sheets by answering questions about traits of successful entrepreneurs in Estonia. Second, participants compared successful entrepreneurs in Estonia in the 1990s and in 2007 in focus groups of four to five members and presented their common position, but also differences are revealed in group discussions.

Findings

Courage to risk, openness to new information, flexibility, creativity and determination were the features of successful entrepreneurs in Estonia most often pointed out by all categories of respondents. Focus groups stressed that some success factors of an entrepreneur operating in Estonia in 2007 were more important than in the 1990s: broad world view, wide social network, innovativeness and creativity, lobbying in European Union (EU)‐related structures.

Research limitations/implications

The research uses focus groups that highlight perceptions of changing success factors of entrepreneurs but does not involve a representative sample of Estonian entrepreneurs. Research results can be used as an input for entrepreneurship training and OD programmes.

Originality/value

The results of the research explain why organisation development tools in the present environment of organisational changes in a new EU member state have to stress creativity and support inter‐organisational networking. In the 1990s “selling” the vision of an entrepreneur that was driven by best practices from advanced market economies was often the main focus of OD programmes.
Organizational commitment during organizational changes
Authors: Raukko Mélanie
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) represent major organizational changes, and create traumatic, stressful situations to employees. The purpose of this paper is to study the acquired key employees' organizational commitment towards the acquiring organization during the post‐acquisition integration phase.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a longitudinal single case study of a European‐acquisition within the high‐tech sector. Data are collected for nearly two years both with four repetitive quantitative surveys and 58 interviews.

Findings

The results imply that the key employees perceive the organizational changes differently. In friendly acquisitions, key employees not only expect organizational changes but also they may have an active role in inducing changes. Moreover, the results imply that key employees' organizational commitment is closely linked to the prior role of the key employees in the acquired company, and how they perceive and experience the post‐acquisition integration phase.

Research limitations/implications

This research is a single case study, which strives for analytical generalisation rather than statistical generalisation. The results of the case study are limited to the context of European small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and the Indian IT industry, and not generalisable as such to other companies or industries. However, this research contributes to the growing interest in understanding how change is experienced by individuals, and especially how key persons and managers from the acquired company experience changes following a cross‐border acquisition.

Practical implications

The findings of this paper provide useful insights to managers involved in M&As on how key persons from acquired SMEs may react to changes following a friendly acquisition.

Originality/value

This paper focuses on the key persons of an acquired high‐tech company and provides unique insights on how key persons may be critical in M&As not only for their tacit knowledge but also from the change leadership point of view. Commitment is crucial from both the retention and change management perspective.
Methodological emotional reflexivity
Authors: Munkejord Keith
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of emotions in fieldwork by applying grounded theory (GT). Although analytical guidelines in GT are well documented, the implications of researcher emotions have received much less attention.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides an “insider” account of the author's experience collecting field data during six months in a department of aFortune500 company.

Findings

It is argued that methodological emotional reflexivity (MER) as a part of doing GT will increase both awareness and understanding about how emotions influence the research process. MER comprises emotional awareness, empathic understanding and emotions in decision making.

Originality/value

The paper proposes acknowledging that emotions are part of, connected to, and both influence and are influenced by research decisions within GT. It is suggested that MER becomes an integral part of memoing in GT. Memos provides a link between data and evolving insights, and is considered fundamental in GT. The inclusion of MER provides a more transparent and adaptive GT approach.