e-Science Infrastructure for the Social Sciences

When the term „e-Science“ became popular, it frequently was referred to as “enhanced science” or “electronic science”. More telling is the definition ‘e-Science is about global collaboration in key areas of science and the next generation of infrastructure that will enable it’ (Taylor, 2001). The question arises to what extent can the social sciences profit from recent developments in e- Science infrastructure? While computing, storage and network capacities so far were sufficient to accommodate and access social science data bases, new capacities and technologies support new types of research, e.g. linking and analysing transactional or audio-visual data. Increasingly collaborative working by researchers in distributed networks is efficiently supported and new resources are available for e-learning. Whether these new developments become transformative or just helpful will very much depend on whether their full potential is recognized and creatively integrated into new research designs by theoretically innovative scientists. Progress in e-Science was very much linked to the vision of the Grid as “a software infrastructure that enables flexible, secure, coordinated resource sharing among dynamic collections of individuals, institutions and resources’ and virtually unlimited computing capacities (Foster et al. 2000). In the Social Sciences there has been considerable progress in using modern IT- technologies for multilingual access to virtual distributed research databases across Europe and beyond (e.g. NESSTAR, CESSDA – Portal), data portals for access to statistical offices and for linking access to data, literature, project, expert and other data bases (e.g. Digital Libraries, VASCODA/SOWIPORT). Whether future developments will need GRID enabling of social science databases or can be further developed using WEB 2.0 support is currently an open question. The challenges here are seamless integration and interoperability of data bases, a requirement that is also stipulated by internationalisation and trans-disciplinary research. This goes along with the need for standards and harmonisation of data and metadata. Progress powered by e- infrastructure is, among others, dependent on regulatory frameworks and human capital well trained in both, data science and research methods. It is also dependent on sufficient critical mass of the institutional infrastructure to efficiently support a dynamic research community that wants to “take the lead without catching up”.

Building Strong Global Brands: Impact of Cross Sector Alliances, Sustainable Innovations and Strategic CSR

This research investigates three key dimensions that have an impact on multiple stakeholders, and can enhance the value of global brands. These are: (i) Cross-Sector Alliances (CSA), (ii) Sustainable Innovations (SI), and (iii) Strategic CSR. Five global brands have been selected that appear both in the Forbes list of “Most Sustainable Companies” and Interbrand list of “Best Global Brands” in 2017. Data has been gathered through documentary research.  Content analysis of this data-set has led to the compilation of five case studies. Key findings and managerial implications are discussed. The contribution of this research is that it adopts a new approach to studying global brand management by incorporating CSA, SI and strategic CSR. It focuses not only on the economic aspects of global branding but also on potential societal and environmental outcomes for enhancing brand value

Towards an Australian Partnership for Sustainable Repositories: A National Infrastructure Development Proposal

The Australian Partnership for Sustainable Repositories (APSR) responds to the call to develop the national research information infrastructure through a broad, repository-based architecture. First, the proposal has an overall focus on the critical issues of the access continuity and the sustainability of digital collections. Second, it will build on a base of demonstrators for digital continuity and sustainability, embedded in developmental repository facilities within partner institutions. Third, it will contribute to national strength in this area by encouraging the development of skills and expertise and providing coordination throughout the sector. APSR will actively provide international linkages and national services

Market fields structure & dynamics in industrial automation

There is a research tradition in the economics of standards which addresses standards wars, antitrust concerns or positive externalities from standards. Recent research has also dealt with the process characteristics of standardisation, de facto standard-setting consortia and intellectual property concerns in the technology specification or implementation phase. Nonetheless, there are no studies which analyse capabilities, comparative industry dynamics or incentive structures sufficiently in the context of standard-setting. In my study, I address the characteristics of collaborative research and standard-setting as a new mode of deploying assets beyond motivations well-known from R&D consortia or market alliances. On the basis of a case study of a leading user organisation in the market for industrial automation technology, but also a descriptive network analysis of cross-community affiliations, I demonstrate that there must be a paradoxical relationship between cooperation and competition. More precisely, I explain how there can be a dual relationship between value creation and value capture respecting exploration and exploitation. My case study emphasises the dynamics between knowledge stocks (knowledge alignment, narrowing and deepening) produced by collaborative standard setting and innovation; it also sheds light on an evolutional relationship between the exploration of assets and use cases and each firm's exploitation activities in the market. I derive standard-setting capabilities from an empirical analysis of membership structures, policies and incumbent firm characteristics in selected, but leading, user organisations. The results are as follows: the market for industrial automation technology is characterised by collaboration on standards, high technology influences of other industries and network effects on standards. Further, system integrators play a decisive role in value creation in the customer-specific business case. Standard-setting activities appear to be loosely coupled to the products offered on the market. Core leaders in world standards in industrial automation own a variety of assets and they are affiliated to many standard-setting communities rather than exclusively committed to a few standards. Furthermore, their R&D ratios outperform those of peripheral members and experience in standard-setting processes can be assumed. Standard-setting communities specify common core concepts as the basis for the development of each member's proprietary products, complementary technologies and industrial services. From a knowledge-based perspective, the targeted disclosure of certain knowledge can be used to achieve high innovation returns through systemic products which add proprietary features to open standards. Finally, the interplay between exploitation and exploration respecting the deployment of standard-setting capabilities linked to cooperative, pre-competitive processes leads to an evolution in common technology owned and exploited by the standard-setting community as a particular kind of innovation ecosystem. --standard-setting,innovation,industry dynamics and context,industrial automation

Participatory Transformations

Learning, in its many forms, from the classroom to independent study, is being transformed by new practices emerging around Internet use. Conversation, participation and community have become watchwords for the processes of learning promised by the Internet and accomplished via technologies such as bulletin boards, wikis, blogs, social software and repositories, devices such as laptops, cell phones and digital cameras, and infrastructures of internet connection, telephone, wireless and broadband. This chapter discusses the impact of emergent, participatory trends on education. In learning and teaching participatory trends harbinge a radical transformation in who learns from whom, where, under what circumstances, and for what and whose purpose. They bring changes in where we find information, who we learn from, how learning progresses, and how we contribute to our learning and the learning of others. These trends indicate a transformation to "ubiquitous learning" ??? a continuous anytime, anywhere, anyone contribution and retrieval of learning materials and advice on and through the Internet and its technologies, niches and social spaces.not peer reviewe

Case study analysis of strategic alliances for the U.S. beef industry

This paper provides case studies on the structure of six strategic alliances in the beef industry. Strategic alliances are identified whose structure could conceivably be used in Louisiana. Strategic alliances are compared and contrasted on the basis of development and performance. The main objective of this study was to determine the organization and operation of six strategic alliances in the beef industry. The study examines strategic alliances in the U.S. beef industry using multiple exploratory case studies. The exploratory type, allows the researcher to better understand critical points in the beef industry and how the use of strategic alliances can lead to better performance. The alliances are chosen within four different categories of strategic alliances in the beef industry; in this case, six alliances are chosen as commercial beef carcass type. As a research technique, the exploratory case study attempts to answer what questions, and provides the researcher an opportunity to develop hypotheses. Five hypotheses are formulated in the study. Based on the hypotheses, personal interviews take place with the application of a questionnaire that contains fifty-seven open-ended type questions on production, economic and general characteristics about the alliances. The information gathered will support or refute the hypotheses formulated in order to establish precise criteria on strategic alliance formation. A comparison between the six strategic alliance structures will be describe based on the hypotheses formulated and information collected throughout the application of the questionnaire. The hypothesis test revealed that strategic alliances serve, with no doubt, to reduce transaction cost along the production chain but it is not the case for the issue of price variability. As well, strategic alliances serve to increase the flow of information and to provide alternative market outlets but do not serve to increase producers\u27 access to capital

Toward distributed infrastructures for digital preservation:The roles of collaboration and trust

This paper first explores some of the reasons why collaboration is becoming increasingly important in supporting scientific data curation, digital preservation initiatives and institutional repository development. It then investigates the concepts of trust and control used in the organisation science literature and attempts to apply them to the work on trustworthy repositories being carried out by various international initiatives

The disrupters: Lessons for low-carbon innovation from the new wave of environmental pioneers

We need disruptive forms of innovation 13 cheaper, easier-to-use alternatives to existing products or services, often produced by non-traditional players for previously ignored customers. This report tells the stories of eight such "disrupters" and draws wider lessons for low-carbon innovation. Its recommendations include: 1. Government should provide an enabling policy framework within which low-carbon innovation ca