bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Implementing an adaptive TCP fairness while exploiting 802.11e over wireless mesh networks
Authors: Fowler Scott , Eberhard Marc , Blow Keith 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of 802.11e MAC to resolve the transmission control protocol (TCP) unfairness.Design/methodology/approachThe 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.FindingsSimulation 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/implicationsFuture 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 implicationsBy 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/valueWith 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

PurposeThe 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/approachBased 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.FindingsThe 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 implicationsMaking 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/valueThe 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

PurposeThe 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/approachThe 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.FindingsThe 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/implicationsCompared 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 implicationsThe 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/valueThis paper contributes to the implementations of XML database systems.
Corporate social responsibility and consumers' response: the missing linkage
Authors: Gao Yongqiang 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe 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/approachBased 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.FindingsThe 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/implicationsGiven 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/valueThe 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

PurposeThe 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/approachThis 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.FindingsCourage 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/implicationsThe 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/valueThe 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

PurposeMergers 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/approachThis 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.FindingsThe 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/implicationsThis 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 implicationsThe 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/valueThis 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

PurposeThe 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/approachThis paper provides an “insider” account of the author's experience collecting field data during six months in a department of aFortune500 company.FindingsIt 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/valueThe 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.
From re‐presentation to re‐creation
Authors: Svensson Peter 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the possibilities of letting ideas from ethnomethodology inform a radicalisation (i.e. going to the roots) of interviewing in management and organization studies.Design/methodology/approachThe argument draws upon insights from discourse and conversation analysis, in particular the acknowledgement of the productive function of language use in social life.FindingsA radicalised approach to interviews is one that tries to abstain from letting the interview talk represent an organizational reality “out there.” The aim of radicalised interviewing is rather that of trying to identify situations and practices within the organization that resemble the interview situation.Research limitations/implicationsInterview research within management and organization studies needs to take into consideration that the relation between interview accounts and organizational reality is one of the re‐creation rather than re‐presentation. This insight has implications for both the interview practice and the analysis of interview material. The challenge for the interviewer is to contribute to an interview situation that enables the re‐creation of organizational reality.Practical implicationsThe practice of interviewing in business practice offers the same kind of problems as the research interview, and thus needs to take into consideration the re‐creational nature of the interview situation.Originality/valueThe paper attempts to complete the linguistic turn and explore the radical consequences for the practice of interviewing. Doing so, the paper contributes to the self‐reflexive methodological debate in a way that tries to avoid pragmatic and inconsistent argumentation.
Organizational ethnography and methodological angst: myths and challenges in the field
Authors: Yanow Dvora 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the myths and challenges in the field of organizational ethnography and methodological angst.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is initially written as an invited keynote address for the 3rd Annual Joint Symposium on “Current Developments in Ethnographic Research in the Social and Management Sciences” (University of Liverpool Management School and Keele University Institute for Public Policy and Management, Liverpool, September 3‐5, 2008). It explores what might be distinctive about organizational ethnography and how that might be different from “anthropological” ethnography. In particular, it engages a kind of collective methodological performance anxiety among organizational studies scholars without formal training in anthropology who do ethnographic research.FindingsThe paper argues that it is time to be explicit about a variety of forms of professional angst that many ethnographic researchers within organizational studies carry which have not been discussed.Originality/valueThe paper is of value to those willing to consider the myths and challenges that need engaging and perhaps uprooting and casting off.
Sowing strategic alliances in the Americas
Authors: Gouvea Raul , Kassicieh Sul 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of increasing trade and investment relations between China and Latin American economies. The paper focuses on the threats and opportunities that permeate this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe paper surveys existing literature and secondary data in Spanish, Portuguese, and in English to investigate the different ramifications of this dynamic relationship between China and Latin American economies.FindingsAfter analyzing trade and investment trends and data, it is clear that Latin American economies must make changes to increase their participation in the Chinese market. Direct involvement with China is inherently risky, however, the opportunities obviously make the alliance necessary. Latin American economies are under increasing pressure to revamp their business environments and to implement long‐term strategies in order to compete more efficiently with China, domestically and in third‐markets. China has showed Latin American economies that investments in education, R&D, innovation, infrastructure, and friendly business policies, both facilitate and foster the creation of new competitive advantages.Originality/valueThis paper highlights and contributes to a better understanding of the ongoing challenges and opportunities permeating the Chinese Latin America's trade and investment relationship, as well as a indicating a number of areas for further study.
To what extent has the process of globalisation reduced the national growth process in Europe?
Authors: Floyd David , McManus John 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges faced by European leaders in the twenty‐first century economy.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is an exploratory and expository review of the relationship and contributions made by politicians of individual countries.FindingsThe paper suggests that opposition parties are offering little in the way of alternative policies in most European Union (EU) countries. For most countries that endorse the globalisation process, this is unlikely to change and in the EU.Originality/valueThis paper allows researchers and practitioners to gain an understanding of European integration and theories of globalisation to build a contextual picture of the challenges faced by European leaders.
Corporate social disclosure in Libya
Authors: Pratten John D. , Abdulhamid Mashat Adel 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine corporate social disclosure in Libya so as to determine if it follows the western capitalist model or whether it has developed its own distinct characteristics resulting from influences of the Islamic and socialist environment in which it operates.Design/methodology/approachThe paper arrives at a definition of western CSR, discovers the reasons that firms make disclosures, and then considers the key influences on Libyan society. It finally studies disclosure in 56 of its companies.FindingsThe results suggest that the emphasis on CSR disclosure in Libya is different from that to be found in the west.Research limitations/implicationsBefore final conclusions can be drawn, more companies would need to be studied, from a wider variety of industries.Originality/valueDespite the limitations, the paper offers an insight into a socialist and Islamic approach to corporate social disclosures.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting: a study of selected banking companies in Bangladesh
Authors: Khan Habib‐Uz‐Zaman , Halabi Abdel K. , Samy Martin 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting by banks in the developing economy of Bangladesh. This paper also aims to examine the users' perceptions relating to CSR disclosures issues.Design/methodology/approachThe study collected two types of data. First the annual reports of 20 selected banking companies, which are listed in Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), were considered. A questionnaire was also used to investigate the level of users' understanding and their perception of CSR reporting.FindingsThe principal findings are twofold: first, the study shows that the selected banking companies did some (albeit little) CSR reporting on a voluntary basis. Second, that the user groups are in favor of CSR reporting, and would like to see more disclosure. The current disclosures by the selected banks, however, are not ample at all to measure the social responsiveness of the organizations.Originality/valueThe paper provides useful informaiton on users' perceptions relating to CSR disclosures issues.
Corporate social reporting in Malaysia: a case of mimicking the West or succumbing to local pressure
Authors: Amran Azlan , Siti‐Nabiha A.K. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe primary objective of this paper is to explore and interpret the perceptions and motives of selected Malaysian managers on CSR by using Institutional theory.Design/methodology/approachThe paper attempts to explain the local CSR trend by interviewing senior managers from selected companies who have been identified as good reporters. The interview findings are analysed systematically and narrated in order to capture the spontaneity and candidness of the reporters' feelings on CSR practices and motives. The data are than interpreted through the lens of institutional theory.FindingsDespite low level of awareness of CSR, there is an increasing trend of reporters. A popular reason given by the respondents to explain this paradox is the need to follow the reporting trend, echoing the finding of an earlier study by Mohamad Zain. By following the reporting trend, the companies expect to be accepted as one of the international players. This mimetic action taken by some of the companies reflects the pressure of globalisation where social and environmental issues have taken centre stage. Based on the overall findings, the rising trend in the number of reporters can only find its explanation in western mimicry.Practical implicationsThe study uncovers some of the motives for the adoption of CSR by companies in developing countries. Rather than relying on the western experience of CSR, which is well published in established journals, this study provides useful and unique insights into a developing country's CSR experience that can be used as a trajectory to understand the experiences of developing countries as a whole.Originality/valueThis paper offers an important insight about the CSR practices through the institutional theory perspective.