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Did China follow the East Asian development model?

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Fri, 28 May 2010 00:38:00 +0000

Andrea Boltho ; Maria Weber

Keywords:
China, Growth, East Asia, Economic Policy
Abstract:
China is located in East Asia and, just as Japan, Taiwan or (South) Korea at earlier stages of their development, has now grown very rapidly for some three decades. That is not enough, however, for it to qualify for membership of the club. The East Asian development model has a number of additional and important characteristics. Four are selected for discussion: the almost constant encouragement given to investment, the manufacturing sector and external competitiveness, and pursued via a variety of fairly interventionist industrial, trade and financial policies; a concomitant belief in the virtues of intense domestic (Japan and Taiwan) and foreign (Korea) competition; a set of broadly sensible and appropriate macroeconomic policies; and a number of favourable (pre-)conditions, such as the presence of a homogeneous population, a relatively high stock of human capital, reasonable income equality and fairly authoritarian governments.China, since reforms began in the late 1970s, has shared some of these characteristics, but not all. In particular, it is still much more of a command economy than the other three countries have ever been, yet, at the same time, has embraced globalization with, arguably, much greater enthusiasm than was done, in earlier times, by Japan, Taiwan or Korea. If China's experience, however, is compared with that of other, more or less successful, developing countries, the similarities with the East Asia development model would seem to dwarf such differences

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ANALYSIS OF FILMMAKING TECHNIQUES FOR ARCHITECTURAL ANIMATIONS

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Mon, 17 May 2010 01:56:00 +0000

Rodrigo Garcia ALVARADO

Digital animation provides a new possibility to exhibit architectural projects, but it must address some features to properly show the building design. This paper (1) exposes a review of diverse moving images presentation of architectural environments in order to identify principles to be considered when display building projects through digital animation. It studied scenes of twenty productions; eight famous
movies from different ages, like examples of major filmmaking efforts; six
documentaries of historical buildings, as specific productions targeted to
display architectural environments; and six digital animations remarked
or prized in recent contests, like examples of new technologies in the
professional realm.The paper describes in particular the scenes of two
movies (“Metropolis” and “Bladerunner”), one documentary (on “Basilica
of San Marco”, Venice) and one digital animation (“Urban Prototype”).
The review was based on three scales of cinematographic representation:
the composition of image, the takes or sequence of images, and the general
montage of scene. Making a record of takes during the sequence, extracting
some frames, getting the point-of-views and drawing the environment
or building filmed. It analysed graphic properties of images, cameras’
location and movements, duration of takes, sounds, transitions, order
and meanings developed according overall production and cultural
situation. The main characteristic revealed was visual fragmentation of the
display of architectural environments, expressed in the graphic diversity
right through different takes to the scattering of camera views in the
environment filmed.

Keywords: architectural animation;filmmaking; CAAD.

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Why Do We Need Doctoral Study in Design?

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 02:31:00 +0000

Meredith Davis

North Carolina State University, North Carolina, USA

Abstract

This article makes a case for why design research is important to contemporary design practice and the deepening of the design disciplines, especially at this point in our history. It identifies the pressures on knowledge generation exerted by the shift from a mechanical, object-centered paradigm for design practice to one characterized by systems that: evolve and behave organically; transfer control from designers to users or participants; emphasize the importance of community; acknowledge media convergence; and require work by interdisciplinary teams to address the complexity of contemporary problems.Further, the text addresses the rather checkered past of design research programs in universities in the United States of America (USA), and the international positions by professional design associations on the development of research cultures. Included in this discussion is data on what American design professionals, faculty, and students think about design research and what this data tells us about growing research activity.

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The Eastern Enlargement of the European Union: Fears, Challenges, and Reality

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 02:18:00 +0000

Jacek Więcławski
Department of International Political Relations
Lazarski School of Commerce and Law, Warsaw

Abstract: This essay focuses on the Eastern enlargement of the European Union (EU) and its impact on internal and external relations. Considering the analyses and forecasts available before enlargement, it presents the real consequences of the process, as well as challenges the EU has faced after the accession of new members from East-Central Europe.
The article analyses the most important consequences, including problems in the area of decision-making and management in the EU, social consequences of the enlargement, as well as the effect of the accession of East-Central European members on the international position of the EU. Considering the opportunities, chances, and dangers of the Eastern enlargement for the future of European integration, the article seeks to address the concept of globality in its regional European context.

Keywords: East-Central Europe, Eastern enlargement, European integration, EU foreign policy, labor migration, regional globality, social fears

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Consumption patterns and living conditions inside Het Steen, the late medieval prison of Malines (Mechelen, Belgium)

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Liesbeth Troubleyn, Frank Kinnaer, Anton Ervynck, Luk Beeckmans, Danielle Caluwé, Brigitte Cooremans, Frans De Buyser, Koen Deforce, Konjev Desender, An Lentacker, Jan Moens, Gaston Van Bulck, Maarten Van Dijck, Wim Van Neer, Werner Wouters

Keywords: archaeology, history, Flanders, late medieval urban society, prison, material culture.
Abstract
Excavations at the Main Square (Grote Markt) of Malines (Mechelen, Belgium) have unearthed the building remains of a tower, arguably identifiable as the former town prison: Het Steen. When this assumption is followed, the contents of the fills of two cesspits dug out in the cellars of the building illustrate aspects of daily life within the early 14th-century prison.An integrated approach of all find categories, together with the historical context available, illuminates aspects of the material culture of the users of the cesspits, their consumption patterns and the living conditions within the building.

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Escape of the Atmosphere of Rotating Planet

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:46:00 +0000

M.K.M. Ahmed and Z.M. Hayman*
Astronomy & Meteorology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, 12613

Abstract:

The problems of escape of a planetary atmosphere is reviewed. Formulae are derive for the rates of loss of mass and angular momentum from a unit area and from the whole planetary surface. The resulting formulae are applied to find the residence times of H, O, N2, O2 and CO2 in Martian atmosphere. All constituents are so stable while hydrogen is never stable and cannot be retained to my extent.

Keywords: Escape of a planetary atmosphere, loss of mass-residence times
Affiliation: Astronomy&Meteorology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo Universiy, Giza, Egypt

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Evaluating Knowledge Management Performance

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:31:00 +0000

Clemente Minonne1 and Geoff Turner2
1Switzerland and University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia
2Universities of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus and University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia

As organisations become increasingly aware that knowledge is among their most valuable strategic assets, they will be forced to re-evaluate the way in which they engage with the source of that knowledge to underpin their sustainable development. This will create a fundamental change to established practice; a change that results in a paradigm shift from the traditional operational approach to a more strategic involvement in knowledge management. This change is promoted by the knowledge management maturity model (KM3). KM3 is founded on the idea that successful knowledge management comprises four forms of integration, namely cultural, organisational, procedural and methodical. Despite an emphasis on one of these forms by many organisations, it is understood that all forms of KM integration should be considered in parallel to implement knowledge management practices in an integrative manner. Key indicators that measure the performance of knowledge management integration are needed. They need to measure both effectiveness and efficiency. In many cases, organisations having, and actively executing, a knowledge management strategy tend to focus on the efficiency dimension because it can be evaluated more easily than the effectiveness dimension. Yet this path is fraught with danger because, as with many other aspects of business, the management of knowledge has to be effective before it may provide efficiency gains. Nevertheless, organisations require appropriate forms of measurement. Those that are unwilling, or unable, to develop effective measuring and reporting systems are likely to suffer from product or service quality decreases, lower productivity growth and a reduced ability to compete because they will be less successful in acquiring and using relevant knowledge resources. Key performance indicators that are developed to assess the progress of organisations in this compelling activity need to be aligned with one or another of the four forms of integration and may be either qualitative or quantitative in nature. The balanced scorecard concept is used to measure performance of the KM3 where the balance between the four forms of integration is the prime consideration. Each of these is represented by one segment of the knowledge management monitor (KM2) to facilitate a better understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships. It does so by providing structured information about an organisation's knowledge resources: how they are nurtured and how they contribute to organisational sustainability. At the same time, use of KM2 is related to organisational economy. Good economy means good resource management, which for many organisations translates to how they manage individual and accumulated organisational knowledge. This has become so important that they are looking for a more integrated way of managing the three interdependent and complementary pillars of knowledge management, which are organisational learning management, organisational knowledge management and intellectual capital management. Although these three concepts lack a unifying vision, they all relate to each other by informing one another and provide the pathway for a knowledge-based orientation of strategic management.

Keywords: strategic knowledge management, performance measurement, integrative approach

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THE MARKETING MIX CONTRIBUTION IN IMPROVING THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ROMANIAN HISTORY STRATEGY

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:50:00 +0000

RUXANDRA IRINA POPESCU, RAZVAN-ANDREI CORBOS

Keywords: Cultural Institutions, museums, Marketing Mix, strategy, strategic option, goals

Abstract: The National Museum of Romanian History (NMRH) is one of the most important actors in the contemporary Romanian archeology field and leader of the preventive archeology thanks to its big surface and patrimony. Thus, in the context of improving its activity through strategy reshaping, the marketing mix can help develop assets in order to assure NMRH`s leading position.The present paper focuses on the way in which the product policy can mobilize NMRH`s resources in order to build an effective supply, analyses the options for overcoming financing problems (reduced public financing, raising competition for private funds, increasing operational costs, subsidy reduction) and identifies solutions for promotion policies and distribution aimed to effectively inform the target public, as well as other market segments about the cultural products and services NMRH offers.

Full Text: PDF

A Social Work Model of Empathy

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:28:00 +0000

Karen E. Gerdes, Elizabeth A. Segal

Abstract

This article presents a social work model of empathy that reflects the latest interdisciplinary research findings on empathy. The model reflects the social work commitment to social justice. The three model components are: 1) the affective response to another’s emotions and actions; 2) the cognitive processing of one’s affective response and the other person’s perspective; and 3) the conscious decision-making to take empathic action.

Mirrored affective responses are involuntary, while cognitive processing and conscious decision-making are voluntary. The affective component requires healthy, neural pathways to function appropriately and accurately. The cognitive aspects of perspective-taking, self-awareness, and emotion regulation can be practiced and cultivated, particularly through the use of mindfulness techniques. Empathic action requires that we move beyond affective responses and cognitive processing toward utilizing social work values and knowledge to inform our actions. By introducing the proposed model of empathy, we hope it will serve as a catalyst for discussion and future research and development of the model.

Key Words: Empathy, Social Empathy, Social Cognitive Neuroscience

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HOW MODELLING LIMITS ANALYSIS – THE LONG WAY FROM DISTRIBUTED SIMULATION TO REALITY

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 08:48:00 +0000

Peter Lendermann
Chief Executive Officer
D-SIMLAB Technologies Pte Ltd
9 Jurong Town Hall Road, #03-45 iHUB
Singapore 609431
SINGAPORE
ABSTRACT

This keynote talk reviews the author’s experience with
simulation at the interface between modelling and analysis.
It describes how a research roadmap for the development
and application of distributed simulation technology for
manufacturing and logistics network design and optimisation,
driven by the desire of generating an academic R&D
track record, was eventually overruled by the need of industrial
relevance.

Illustrated by real application scenarios
from semiconductor manufacturing and aerospace spare
parts logistics network optimisation, an important conclusion
is that simulation analysis remains a pure academic
exercise as long as the underlying model is not an appropriate
representation of the industrial system to be analysed.

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A Case Study on the Selection and Evaluation of Software for an Internet Organisation

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:30:00 +0000

Pieter van Staaden1 and Sam Lubbe2
1 Faculty of Informatics, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
2 School of Information Systems and Technology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

The authors conducted research to determine whether IT-managers, IT auditors, Users, management, etc. (all decision-makers) use a certain evaluation and selection process to acquire software to meet business objectives and the requirement of users. An argument was used that the more thorough the software evaluation and selection process, the more likely it would be that the organisation will chose software that meets these targets.

The main objective of the research was therefore to determine whether Media24 use evaluation methods and obtain the desired results. Media24 is Africa's biggest publishing group and offers entertainment, information and education 24 hours a day and served as a good example of an Internet Service organisation that made their employees available for this research project. The results confirmed that Media24 uses suggested protocol as noted in the theory for software acquisition correctly during most stages.

Keywords: Black Box testing, business process, commercial software system, document, evaluation, request for Proposal (RFP), requirements, selection, software, vendors.

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Flickr: a first look at user behaviour in the context of photography as serious leisure

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:22:00 +0000

A.M.Cox, P.D. Clough and J. Marlow
Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello Street, Sheffield S1 4DP United Kingdom

Abstract
Introduction. The use of Flickr, a photo sharing Website, is examined in the context of amateur photography as a 'serious leisure' pursuit.
Method. Eleven telephone interviews were carried out with users of Flickr, using an open-ended interview schedule to explore use of the system within the context of the interviewees' photographic practices.
Analysis. Practices described are set against theoretical considerations from the literature, specifically the alternate paradigms of the photographic club and the photo magazine. Sontag's cultural critique of photography is an important, challenging reference point.

Results. The affordances of the system affect the satisfactions of hobby photography. Flickr creates moral dilemmas, such as whether to reciprocate comments or tag the photos of others. The system's appeal lies in its moral qualities as much as whether it is easy to use or performs functions efficiently. Flickr draws users into the hobby and so, like the camera club or the magazine, can be linked to the interests of industry. Yet it is too pessimistic to see it as simply a vehicle of consumerist culture; users expressed almost unqualified satisfaction with the system for its direct pleasures and learning opportunities.
Conclusions. The fluid social relations of Flickr potentially free the hobby from the rather restrictive codes and ordering of the photographic club.

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Millennial Students and Technology Choices for Information Searching

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:37:00 +0000

Martin Rich
Cass Business School, London, UK

This paper draws together ideas about different generations of students, notably the 'millennial generation' (born from around 1982 to 2000) which encompasses a high proportion of current students in higher education, and ideas about the different types of technology available when searching for information.

In the context of higher education, this is particularly relevant when students are encouraged to find out information for themselves, typically to relate this to taught material. This is connected with information literacy, as it reflects students' abilities to carry out simple or complex research. This paper focuses on why students choose particular technologies to support their research and the effect of these choices on their learning and on their written work.

A particular current issue is the emergence of the generation of Internet resources collectively known as 'web 2.0' - notably Blogs and Wikis - and the relationship of these to the way that students presently in universities favour structuring their work. These resources also introduce issues of authoritativeness. It is tempting to dismiss Wikipedia as the work of amateurs, but where a blog has been created by a notable expert, author, or journalist, questions arise as to whether the blog should be regarded as of different value from the same person's written work. Therefore some consideration will be given to how students can be encouraged to recognise and draw on intelligent exploitation of these new resources.

Keywords: millennial students, Web 2.0, information literacy

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Adoption of Web 2.0 Technologies in Education for Health Professionals in the UK: Where are we and why?

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:28:00 +0000

Rod Ward, Pam Moule and Lesley Lockyer
University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

This paper describes the findings about the use of Web 2.0 technologies in the education of health professionals in the United Kingdom (UK). The work is part of a wider study scoping the use of e-learning.
Its objectives were to:

* Explore issues influencing implementation and use by both early and late adopters
* Identify barriers to implementation and good practice
* Review the employment of e-learning within curricula representing a range of teaching models

In phase one, a postal survey obtained data from 25 higher education institutions relating to their uptake and development in this field. A second phase identified four case studies, two from early and two late adopters, reflecting the features identified from phase one. In the case studies, interviews and focus groups with students and staff were conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the issues which were significant to them.
The main findings suggested e-learning development and use varies, with a spectrum of employment across the sector. The predominant engagement is with instructivist learning approaches managed through a Virtual Learning Environment with only limited experimentation in interactive learning online.
This paper will discuss the findings from the study where they relate to the limited use of Web 2.0 technologies. It will include a discussion on the moral, legal and ethical implications of current and future developments.

Keywords: web 2.0, survey, case study, e-learning, web based learning

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Strategies for Teaching Research Ethics in Business, Management and Organizational Studies

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:15:00 +0000

Strategies for Teaching Research Ethics in Business, Management and Organizational Studies
Linda Naimi
Organizational Leadership, Purdue University, USA

Ethics education has become increasingly important in the wake of corporate scandals and scientific misconduct. The pressure to achieve at all costs has created what Callahan (2005) called our Cheating culture. We recognize that our students need preparation, mentoring and positive role models to help them in recognizing ethical issues, analyzing and reasoning carefully about them, and making responsible decisions in the face of difficult dilemmas.

Nowhere is this more critical than in the area of research, particularly human subject research. To ensure integrity in research, students and faculty must demonstrate that they understand the ethical and legal ramifications of their work prior to initiating any research. In addition to legal requirements, universities have employed a variety of creative approaches designed to promote integrity in personal and professional conduct.

This paper discusses learning theories and offers a number of effective strategies for teaching research ethics to undergraduate and graduate students in business, management and organizational studies. Successful strategies include online interactive training modules, case studies, role playing, action research, critical inquiry, simulations and online interactive tutorials, such as that offered by LANGURE. LANGURE (Land Grant University Research Ethics) is a national network of more than one hundred faculty and graduate students at eight land grant and historically black universities in the United States, engaged in developing a model curriculum in research ethics for doctoral candidates in the physical, social, and life sciences and engineering. The author teaches and conducts research in undergraduate and graduate courses in Research Ethics, Ethics, Law and Public Policy and Leading with Integrity. These courses examine the ethical, legal, and global challenges facing business leaders today.

Keywords: Research, ethics, business, management, organization, case studies

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Business Benefits of Non-Managed Knowledge

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Sinead Devane1 and Julian Wilson2 1Business School, Bournemouth University, UK
2James Wilson (Engravers) Ltd, Poole, UK

Getting individuals to use knowledge is vital for business to thrive, especially in small businesses where each individual’s impact (good and bad) upon the organisation has an amplified effect. This paper presents the effects of one small business’ effort to make the most of its employees’ knowledge.

Here we introduce the thinking behind the organisation’s different approach; non-managed knowledge, or the indirect management of knowledge. The paper addresses a philosophical argument about the nature of knowledge and the way we use it and this argument is supported by a case study of the organisation and quantitative results from the company’s own records.

We argue that the management of knowledge itself is not a cost effective exercise, as knowledge is such a complex phenomenon, inextricably bound with individual biographies and circumstances of the moment. Rather, a new focus for knowledge management is presented, through which the effects of an individual’s use of knowledge is demonstrated. Knowledge itself cannot be seen, but the effects of its use can. Just as a shadow is cast when the sun shines on an object, so what a person achieves in their work takes a form that belies the knowledge that was used in the achievement.

Thus in this organisation individuals are encouraged to maximise their own agency, and work to their own potential. What they achieve above and beyond the minimum standards of the organisation will demonstrate their own competence. Such working conditions encourage individual development, the application of knowledge and effective knowledge management through indirect means.

Keywords: knowledge management, outcomes and application, reification, cultural memes, agency, innovation

Download full paper : http://tinyurl.com/ltn4ne

Comparison of Web and Telephone Survey Response Rates in Saudi Arabia

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Ali A. Al-Subaihi
Taibah University, Madinah, Monawwarh, Saudi Arabia

A study was conducted to compare the response rate of telephone interview and Web Survey in Saudi Arabia utilizing Internet usage statistics, as well as experimental design. Official data shows that the reason that led the majority of Saudi people to choose not to interact with Web Survey similarly to the telephone interview is not technical due to the lack of Internet coverage, but rather cultural. Furthermore, the experimental part demonstrates three main findings. First, the response rate to the Web Survey is significantly lower than to the telephone interview.

Second, Saudi males participated significantly more than females especially with the Web Survey though both had the same level of Internet access. Third, the average response rate of telephone interview is significantly above 95% for both genders, whereas the average response rate of the Web Survey is about 30%.

Keywords: web survey; telephone survey; response rate; Saudi Arabia.

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HURRICANE! - A SIMULATION-BASED PROGRAM FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:32:00 +0000

Jia Luo
Alpesh P. Makwana
Dezhi Liao
J. Peter Kincaid

Institute for Simulation and Training
3100 Technology Parkway
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL 32826 USA

ABSTRACT
We describe the development, testing and fielding of a PC-based instructional program, Hurricane!. This program educates students about the effects of hurricane winds on different kinds of residential structures.The effects on the residential structures are physics-based. The program has been developed both for schools and science museums. The format is game-based with realistic graphics and sounds and students see different degrees of damage depending
on choices that make. For example, a one story masonry house built to current Florida building code standards, is much less vulnerable than a two story wood structure built before 1985. Therefore, students who make the first choice see less damage. Several tests in middle school science classes have demonstrated that the game is highly interesting and effectively teaches concepts central to understanding how to prepare for a hurricane.

Full paper as pdf file

Distortion-Free Steganography for Polygonal Meshes

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:24:00 +0000

Alexander Bogomjakov Craig Gotsman Martin Isenburg

Center for Graphics and Geometric Computing - Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Center for Applied Scientific Computing - Lawrence Livermore National Labs

Abstract

We present a technique for steganography in polygonal meshes. Our method hides a message in the indexed representation of a mesh by permuting the order in which faces and vertices are stored. The permutation is relative to a reference ordering that encoder and decoder derive from the mesh connectivity in a consistent manner. Our method is distortion-free because it does not modify the geometry of the mesh. Compared to previous steganographic methods for polygonal meshes our capacity is up to an order of magnitude better. Our steganography algorithm is universal and can be used instead of the standard permutation steganography algorithm on arbitrary datasets. The standard algorithm runs in O(n2 log2 n loglog n) time and achieves optimal O(nlogn) bit capacity on datasets with n elements. In contrast, our algorithm runs in O(n) time, achieves a capacity that is only one bit per element less than optimal, and is extremely simple to implement.

Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): I.3.m [Computer Graphics]: Miscellaneous

1. Introduction
Steganography (or, more simply, data-hiding) is the science of hiding messages in media in such a way that even the existence of the message remains undetected to all but the recipient. This is in contrast with cryptography, where the fact that a message is hidden in the data is not disguised, but it may be retrieved only by the use of a secret key, typically known only to the recipient. Thus, steganographic messages do not attract attention to themselves, to messengers, or to recipients. A classic example is invisible ink that turns brown when the paper is heated. An inconspicuous cover message is important as a blank sheet of paper can arouse suspicion.

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Evolution of the Internet AS-Level Ecosystem

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:20:00 +0000

Srinivas Shakkottai
Texas A&M University
College Station, USA

Marina Fomenkov
Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis - CAIDA
San Diego Supercomputer Center,
University of California, San Diego

Ryan Koga
Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis - CAIDA
San Diego Supercomputer Center,
University of California, San Diego

Dmitri Krioukov
Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis - CAIDA
San Diego Supercomputer Center,
University of California, San Diego

kc claffy
Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis - CAIDA
San Diego Supercomputer Center,
University of California, San Diego

Abstract. We present an analytically tractable model of Internet evolution at the level of Autonomous Systems (ASs). We call our model the multiclass preferential attachment (MPA) model. As its name suggests, it is based on preferential attachment. All of its parameters are measurable from available Internet topology data. Given the estimated values of these parameters, our analytic results predict a defnitive set of statistics characterizing the AS topology structure. These statistics are not part of model formulation. The MPA model thus closes the \measure-modelvalidate-predict" loop, and provides further evidence that preferential attachment is the main driving force behind Internet evolution.

Key words: Preferential attachment, Internet evolution, AS-level topology, Internet measurement

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A Data Warehouse Model for Micro-Level Decision Making in Higher Education

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:27:00 +0000

Liezl van Dyk

University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
lvd@sun.ac.za

Abstract: An abundance of research, by educational researchers and scholars of teaching and learning alike, can be found on the use of ICT to plan design and deliver learning activities and assessment activities. The first steps of the instructional design process are covered quite thoroughly by this. However, the use of ICT and quantitative methods to close the instructional design cycle by supporting sustainable decision making with respect to the evaluation of the effectiveness of teaching processes hold much unleashed potential. In this paper a business intelligence approach is followed in an attempt to take advantage ICT to enable the evaluation of the effectiveness of the process of facilitating learning. The focus is on micro-level decision support based on data drawn from the Learning Management System (LMS). Three quantifiable measures of online behaviour and three quantifiable measures of teaching effectiveness are identified from literature to arrive at a 3x3 matrix according to which 9 measures of e-teaching effectiveness can be derived by means of pair-wise correlation. The value and significance of information are increased within context of other information. In this paper it is shown how the value of LMS tracking data increases within context of data from other modules or others years and that useful information is created when this tracking data is correlated with measures of teaching effectives such as results, learning styles and student satisfaction. This information context can only be created when a deliberate business intelligence approach if followed. In this paper a data warehouse model is proposed to accomplish exactly this.

Keywords: learning management system, data warehouse, student tracking, decision support, student feedback,
learning styles

1.Introduction
In a paper, commissioned by the EDUCAUSE Centre for Applied Research, Goldstein & Katz (2005) coined the terminology Academic Analytics to refer to Business Intelligence within an Educational setting. They argue that Business Intelligence “rang hollow to our delicately trained academic ears”. Business Intelligence entails the gathering of data from internal and external data sources, as well as the storing and analysis thereof to make it measurable, so as to assist and sustain more efficient and longitudinal decision-making (Kimball, 2002 and Imnon et al., 2001).

Page : 10
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Attaining Social Value from Electronic Government

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:22:00 +0000

Michael Grimsley1, and Anthony Meehan2
1Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University, UK
2Centre for Research in Computing, Department of Computing, The Open University, UK
m.f.grimsley@shu.ac.uk
a.s.meehan@open.ac.uk

Abstract: We define and elaborate a Social Value framework supporting evaluation and attainment of the broader sociopolitical and socio-economic goals that characterise many electronic government initiatives. The key elements of the framework are the willingness of citizens to (positively) recommend an e-Government service to others, based upon personal trust in the service provider, and personal experience of the service, based upon experience of service provision and outcomes. The validity of the framework is explored through an empirical quantitative study of citizens’ experiences of a newly introduced e-Government system to allocate public social housing. The results of this study include evidence of generic antecedents of trust and willingness to recommend, pointing the way to more general applicability of the framework for designers and managers of electronic government systems.

Keywords: electronic government, social value, public value, recommendation, trust, evaluation.

Page : 12
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Network Marketing's Greatest Gift

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:17:00 +0000

Hint: It's Not the Products or the Income

By Robert T. Kiyosaki

After retiring in 1994, financially free at the age of 47, I began to research the network marketing industry. Whenever someone invited me to a presentation, I would go, just to hear what they had to say. I even joined a few—but not necessarily to make more money. I joined in order to take a long, hard look at the positives and negatives of each business.

After working my way through masses of wannabes, hustlers and dreamers, I began to meet the leaders of some of these businesses. The ones I met were some of the most intelligent, kind, ethical, moral and professional people I have met in all my years of business. Once I got over my own prejudices and met people I could respect and relate to, I found the heart of the business.

I am often asked, “If you did not become rich and famous from a network marketing business, why do you recommend people get into the business?”
It is because I did not gain my fortune from network marketing that I can be perhaps a bit more objective about industry and its real value—a value that goes beyond the potential of making a lot of money.
It’s Not the Money
“We have the best compensation plan

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The Emergence and Diffusion of the Concept of Knowledge Work

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:55:00 +0000

Hanna Timonen and Kaija-Stiina Paloheimo
Helsinki University of Technology, Finland
hanna.timonen@tkk.fi
kaija-stiina.paloheimo@tkk.fi

Abstract:

The past decades have witnessed the proliferation of research on knowledge work. Knowledge work has mostly been used as an antonym to manual work, to refer to specific occupations characterized by an emphasis on specialized skills and the use of theoretical knowledge. The efforts to encompass all the different contexts where knowledge plays a relevant role in work tasks has resulted in various and ambiguous definitions of what knowledge work actually is.

In order to shed light on the elusive concept of knowledge work, we studied how it has appeared in the scientific discussion, and diffused from one scientific community to another. As the circulation of new ideas and concepts in scientific discussion is apparent through academic literature, we examined the emergence and diffusion of the concept of knowledge work through a citation analysis on articles from the Social Sciences Citation Index. The data set consists of 273 articles with 7,057 cited references for the 1974 to 2003 period, and we used a dense sub-network grouping algorithm on the co-citation network to distinguish highly cited groups of references.

We distinguish three periods of diffusion of the concept of knowledge work. The results show that Drucker’s In the age of discontinuity (1969) and Bell’s The coming of post-industrial society (1968) were the main influencers when the concept emerged in the scientific discussion from 1974 to 1992. After this period, we can distinguish a slow diffusion period from 1993 to 2003, when the concept started to gain attention, and a fast diffusion period from 1999 to 2003, when the research proliferated.

The discussion dispersed outside the management domain already in the emergence period, but the management domain has stayed the main domain of discussion also later on. However, from 1992 to 2003 the discussion inside the management domain dispersed into different groups. One of the main influences to a new group of research that appeared at this time was Zuboff’s In the age of the smart machine (1984). This group, drawing on research conducted on knowledge-intensive firms, has recently produced highly cited articles such as Blackler’s ‘Knowledge, knowledge work and organizations’ in Organization Studies (1995). As the current discussion on knowledge work is dispersed in different groups, there is a need to engage in a common conceptual discussion and define what is actually meant by knowledge work.

Keywords: scientific discourse, knowledge work, bibliometric analysis, citation analysis

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Nonlinear Image Recovery with Half-Quadratic Regularization

noreply@blogger.com (lore) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:40:00 +0000

Donald Geman and Chengda Yang
July, 1993

Abstract

One popular method for the recovery of an ideal intensity image from corrupted or indirect measurements is regularization: minimize an objective function which enforces a roughness penalty in addition to coherence with the data. Linear estimates are relatively easy to compute but generally introduce systematic errors; for example, they are incapable of recovering discontinuities and other important image attributes. In contrast, nonlinear estimates are more accurate, but often far less accessible. This is particularly true when the objective function is non-convex and the distribution of each data component depends on many image components through a linear operator with broad support. Our approach is based on an auxiliary array and an extended objective function in which the original variables appear quadratically and the auxiliary variables are decoupled. Minimizing over the auxiliary array alone yields the original function, so the original image estimate can be obtained by joint minimization. This can be done efficiently by Monte Carlo methods, for example by FFT-based annealing using a Markov Chain which alternates between (global) transitions from one array to the other. Experiments are reported in optical astronomy, with Space Telescope data, and computed tomography.

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