Implementation of Tina service subscription information management using OBDMS

Master of Science in Engineering - EngineeringThe next generation telecommunication networks will offer users a range of services. These future telecommunication services are envisaged to be tailored services that are customizable in order to satisfy specific requirements of a variety of customers. Service subscribers and users should be offered some direct control in managing their services. Customization in a multi-service environment introduces the requirement for multiple service profiles for each user. Having user service profiles enable universal service access. The current telecommunication service subscription model is no longer viable for the next generation or TINA-based services. This work proposes a subscription and service information management system that is integrated into the existing TINA-structured platform in the South African TINA (SATINA) Trial. The system developed here realizes the object-oriented TINA subscription information management model. The information model defines all the information and relationships required to handle users, subscribers and the subscription life cycle. The project employs the emerging Object Database Management System (ODBMS) to manage the object oriented telecommunication subscription data. ODBMS provides a powerful and efficient way to managed these object oriented information as information and the relationships are stored as they are used in the application. The proposed subscription and service information management system is a distributed application based on the widely used three-tier architecture model. The three-tier model enables distributed access to the centrally managed subscription and service information regardless of the implementation adopted. Visual modeling technique is used to develop the application and convey the design principles. Application of the subscription and service information management system in the service provider domain is demonstrated by the domain administrator’s usage of the system’s graphical management console. The integration of the information management system and the SATINA Trial’s service platform is indicated through the usage of the TINA compliant Online Subscription service

The Security of International Finance

This lecture, presented at Oxford on 19 January 1999, opened the Wolfson College Lectures 1999 series Globalization and Insecurity. The first part of my lecture attempts to explain the origins of inherent instability in international capital flows, and why this requires public institutions to maintain an orderly market. In the second part, it is argued that despite widespread recognition of this problem, the necessary institutions do not exist due to the mismatch between intergovernmental power and the requirements of a global market. The third and last part of the lecture sketches some of the implications of this dilemma for belief in the efficiency of markets, the establishment of international property rights, and ultimately for global citizenship itself.

Award Term Incentive Contracting: An Investigation of United States Air Force Strategic Purchasing

This research explored implementing a best commercial practice of establishing strategic purchasing relationships within the Department of Defense (DOD) procurement environment. The research was sparked by Air Force Material Command\u27s (AFMC) instituting a commercial style acquisition strategy using an award term incentive on several programs. The award term incentive provides for extensions or reductions to the term of the contract based on contractors\u27 level of performance. Forthcoming implementation of Air Force FAR supplement 5317.7X Incentive Term Extension, will likely increase the number of acquisitions using an award term incentive. Research findings indicate that management should consider expanding the AFMC award term guidance to include the model developed from this research, which identifies decision criteria for selecting the award term incentive strategic purchasing method. Findings indicate that the acquisition professionals may not have the expertise or related purchasing skills necessary to establish strategic purchasing relationships for commercial type performance based services and that training is needed. The researcher also uncovered evidence that instability and reductions in the DOD workforce affects acquisition professionals\u27 ability to maintain currency with the changing legal environment. Further, workforce instability and reductions may influence the implementation of strategic contractual relationships. The research concludes that implementing the award term incentive affects the DOD competitive market

Sub-contracting, the seamy side of the clothing industry

This paper is the third in a series on the clothing industry, . forming part of the research project 'A Local Division of Production: Technological Change and the Productive lnterlinkages in Australian Manufacturing'. The findings and arguments presented in this paper are based on a variety of data including face to face interviews with industry, government and union representatives. The garment industry is characterised by labour intensity, the predominance of small firms and the pervasive practice of subco ntracting out the assembly stage of production . The results of the current study indicate that within certain sub-sectors of the clothing industry, these features are a consequence of the need for fl exibility and that in particular, sub-contracting, a critical link in the clothing chain of production, appears to be the only economically viable strategy for many firms in the current economic climate. However this strategy succeeds at the expense of a severely exploited hidden workforce of outworkers. The future of the Australian clothing industry has come under close scrutiny recently through Government measures designed to open up the se ctor to international competition. Both the Government and the union movement argue that the only survival path open to local clothing firms is to adopt the latest technology, improve quality, exploit niche markets and target export potentials. This paper suggests however, that although many of Australia's largest clothing companies are adopting this approach, many other companies cannot afford to and are likely to devise instead, an alternative survival strategy which incorporates the traditional practice of outwork. Unless more effort is made to understand the structure and the dynamics of change within this industry, the future scenario is likely to be quite different from that which the Government believes it is promoting and may well conflict with the grand vi sion of award restructuring being fostered by the Government and the unions

Contracts Ex Machina

Smart contracts are self-executing digital transactions using decentralized cryptographic mechanisms for enforcement. They were theorized more than twenty years ago, but the recent development of Bitcoin and blockchain technologies has rekindled excitement about their potential among technologists and industry. Startup companies and major enterprises alike are now developing smart contract solutions for an array of markets, purporting to offer a digital bypass around traditional contract law. For legal scholars, smart contracts pose a significant question: Do smart contracts offer a superior solution to the problems that contract law addresses? In this article, we aim to understand both the potential and the limitations of smart contracts. We conclude that smart contracts offer novel possibilities, may significantly alter the commercial world, and will demand new legal responses. But smart contracts will not displace contract law. Understanding why not brings into focus the essential role of contract law as a remedial institution. In this way, smart contracts actually illuminate the role of contract law more than they obviate it

INCREASING DEFENSE CONTRACTOR COMPETITION IN A PREDOMINANTLY SOLE-SOURCE CONTRACTING ENVIRONMENT

This research was derived from a Naval Supply Systems Command Weapons System Support (NAVSUP-WSS) problem statement that identified that more than 80% of WSS contracts occur in a sole-source environment. Operating in this environment presents supply chain constraints, cost, and readiness risks for the Navy. The purpose of this research is to analyze the NAVSUP-WSS sole-source contracting environment to determine methods for increasing competition. We utilized the resource dependency theory as our foundational framework and employed a mixed-method approach involving both qualitative and quantitative methodologies for our research. We analyzed more than 62,000 contracting actions and conducted spend analysis on WSS procurements for FY19-FY20 and we reviewed NAVSUP’s supply chain and contracting operation following Kraljic’s supply matrix. Our results identified the top four items frequently procured under sole-source conditions, the percentage of awards and dollar amount awarded to the top WSS contractors, and the policy and operational conditions that contribute to the WSS sole-source environment. Lastly, we developed a NAVSUP-WSS supply matrix to apply methods for increasing defense contractor competition for selected items that were identified as a result of our spend analysis.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Creating International Credit Rules and the Multilateral Agreement on Investment: What are the Alternatives?

In Jonathan Michie and John Grieve Smith (eds.), Global Instability and World Economic Governance. London and New York: Routledge Press.

A Delphi Expert Assessment of Proactive Contracting in an Evolutionary Acquisition Environment

This study used structured group discussions (The Delphi Method) among three groups of contracting professionals from the Air Armament, Aeronautical Systems, and the Electronic Systems Centers in order to identify potential roadblocks to implementation of Evolutionary Acquisition strategies. The Delphi groups also tackled the problem of identifying and exploring potential business strategies that may counter the identified challenges. Discussions revealed that current laws, regulations, and internal processes pose challenges in an evolutionary acquisition environment. No single business strategy emerged as the best way to implement the EA strategy. Participants suggested that all three Centers concluded that robust business planning, pre-contract agreements between the Government and the contractor, long-term relationships, and encouraging team behavior are key factors. Participants from all three Centers are accommodating evolutionary acquisition with current contract types. Multiple contract types are being combined under one contract vehicle; award and incentive fees are being tailored to motivate specific contractor behavior. The best strategy for an evolutionary acquisition may be a strategy that is tailored to the specific requirement

Anti-Corruption as Strategic CSR: A Call to Action for Corporations

Corruption is not a peripheral social concern that corporations can ignore or passively address -- it is a bottom-line issue that directly affects companies' ability to compete. Widespread in emerging markets, corruption is becoming an increasingly important issue for business to address. Furthermore, it inflicts enduring harm on disadvantaged populations by diverting resources for critical services like education, clean water and health care into the pockets of dishonest public officials. This white paper presents a critical assessment of corporate anti-corruption efforts in the developing world and offers a guide for corporations to move beyond traditional ethics and compliance activities to strategic anti-corruption efforts. Sponsored by The Merck Company Foundation and developed in collaboration with the Ethics Resource Center, the paper reveals opportunities for corporations to engage in more comprehensive and effective anti-corruption reform as a business imperative

Flexibility in contracting

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