2,453 research outputs found
Spectrum auctions: designing markets to benefit the public, industry and the economy
Access to the radio spectrum is vital for modern digital communication. It is an essential component for smartphone capabilities, the Cloud, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, and multiple other new technologies. Governments use spectrum auctions to decide which companies should use what parts of the radio spectrum. Successful auctions can fuel rapid innovation in products and services, unlock substantial economic benefits, build comparative advantage across all regions, and create billions of dollars of government revenues. Poor auction strategies can leave bandwidth unsold and delay innovation, sell national assets to firms too cheaply, or create uncompetitive markets with high mobile prices and patchy coverage that stifles economic growth. Corporate bidders regularly complain that auctions raise their costs, while government critics argue that insufficient revenues are raised. The cross-national record shows many examples of both highly successful auctions and miserable failures. Drawing on experience from the UK and other countries, senior regulator Geoffrey Myers explains how to optimise the regulatory design of auctions, from initial planning to final implementation. Spectrum Auctions offers unrivalled expertise for regulators and economists engaged in practical auction design or company executives planning bidding strategies. For applied economists, teachers, and advanced students this book provides unrivalled insights in market design and public management. Providing clear analytical frameworks, case studies of auctions, and stage-by-stage advice, it is essential reading for anyone interested in designing public-interested and successful spectrum auctions
The University of Montana: A History Through the Lens of Physical Culture, PE, Health, Athletics, and Recreation 1897-2019: The Evolution of a Department
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/burns/1000/thumbnail.jp
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Alternative Power: The Politics of Denmark\u27s Renewable Energy Transition
Global climate change is one of the defining political challenges and opportunities of the current era. Experts widely agree that technical means already exist for making the necessary transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy; the obstacles to doing so are primarily political. Careful observers also recognize that this period of transition creates an opening for political innovation and development. How can the political will be generated to take action to prevent climate catastrophe? And what will the process of transitioning mean for the political systems that have been built on cheap and abundant oil? Political scientists have largely ignored technological development as a lever for political development, or feared that technology could only be a force of domination. Yet renewable energy enthusiasts have often seen democratizing potential in these technologies. What can be accomplished politically by building a wind turbine? As countries like Denmark accumulate decades of experience with renewable energy, it is becoming possible to give such questions close empirical consideration. Denmark generates more of its electricity from renewable sources, and has been doing so longer, than any other industrialized nation, making it a uniquely valuable case for studying an advanced renewable energy transition in progress. This dissertation draws on novel qualitative and quantitative data to present the first comprehensive history of Denmarkâs energy transition from its roots in the 1970s until the present, aiming to explain how this tiny nation emerged as the worldâs leading wind power producer, and assess whether this process has yielded any democratic dividends. The multi-method analysis sheds new light on internal dynamics of Denmarkâs energy transition, and, more generally, on late-stage evolutionary processes in mature technological systems. Many studies have shown an interest in the Danish case, which is usually presented as a relatively unqualified success story, but few have provided the empirical resolution to identify these complicating factors. This dissertation employs an explanatory strategy adapted from the ecological sciences to construct a more holistic and integrative portrait, resulting in a more thorough and accurate account of how Denmark jumped out to such a significant lead in the energy transition, and why that momentum might be flagging today, with implications for other countries hoping to chart a path toward a sustainable future
I Canât Get No (Need) Satisfaction: Applying Basic Psychological Needs Theory to Foster Human Connection and Improve Applicant Reactions in Asynchronous Video Interviews.
This research addresses the importance of making job applicants feel valued and respected, and tries to find ways to humanize high-stakes interactions in the digital age. In particular, this research experiments with designing one-way video interviews to increase applicantsâ sense of connection to the hiring organization. The results underscore the need for organizations to develop these assessments with humane technology principles in mind, in order to foster positive reactions from applicants and secure top talent
The Dependent Film Distributor: The Role of Entrepreneurship and the Experiential in the UK and Irish Theatrical Film Sector
This study considers the role of dependent entrepreneurship in the specialty theatrical film distribution sector in the UK and Ireland. It addresses a lack of research in the field of film distribution, which has a tendency to focus on second hand accounts. My thesis attempts to address this by drawing on my personal experience as a film distributor, adopting an innovative practice-led approach. This includes a combination of methods, such as iterative artefact creation across three foreign language film releases, audience questionnaires, and auto-ethnographic observations across a three-year period. This data is interrogated using a theoretical framework that incorporates existing debates around ideas of film distribution, entrepreneurship and the emergence of experiential cinema techniques, while exploring industry practices through national and transnational film perspectives.
I demonstrate how the concept of independence is a misleading term to describe those entities working in the UK and Irish film distribution sector, arguing that those commonly referred to as âindependentâ should be more accurately described as âdependentâ, due to their âdependenceâ on third-party stakeholders, state funding organisations, exhibitors, streamers, partnerships and the audience. My research finds that distributors need to develop an entrepreneurial skillset and act as producer-distributors to make releasing specialty films economically viable in an increasingly fragmented and challenging market. I determine that employing local and transnational partnerships as well as utilising experiential marketing (or promotional techniques) can help to broaden the appeal of a film and reduce release costs. I show how embedding the concept of entrepreneurship into the study of film distribution can bring new perspectives when researching the practices of film distributors. I highlight the effectiveness of a practice-led approach for other media workers wanting to critically interrogate their own practice
Anpassen verteilter eingebetteter Anwendungen im laufenden Betrieb
The availability of third-party apps is among the key success factors for software ecosystems: The users benefit from more features and innovation speed, while third-party solution vendors can leverage the platform to create successful offerings.
However, this requires a certain decoupling of engineering activities of the different parties not achieved for distributed control systems, yet.
While late and dynamic integration of third-party components would be required, resulting control systems must provide high reliability regarding real-time requirements, which leads to integration complexity.
Closing this gap would particularly contribute to the vision of software-defined manufacturing, where an ecosystem of modern IT-based control system components could lead to faster innovations due to their higher abstraction and availability of various frameworks.
Therefore, this thesis addresses the research question:
How we can use modern IT technologies and enable independent evolution and easy third-party integration of software components in distributed control systems, where deterministic end-to-end reactivity is required, and especially, how can we apply distributed changes to such systems consistently and reactively during operation?
This thesis describes the challenges and related approaches in detail and points out that existing approaches do not fully address our research question.
To tackle this gap, a formal specification of a runtime platform concept is presented in conjunction with a model-based engineering approach.
The engineering approach decouples the engineering steps of component definition, integration, and deployment.
The runtime platform supports this approach by isolating the components, while still offering predictable end-to-end real-time behavior.
Independent evolution of software components is supported through a concept for synchronous reconfiguration during full operation, i.e., dynamic orchestration of components.
Time-critical state transfer is supported, too, and can lead to bounded quality degradation, at most.
The reconfiguration planning is supported by analysis concepts, including simulation of a formally specified system and reconfiguration, and analyzing potential quality degradation with the evolving dataflow graph (EDFG) method.
A platform-specific realization of the concepts, the real-time container architecture, is described as a reference implementation.
The model and the prototype are evaluated regarding their feasibility and applicability of the concepts by two case studies.
The first case study is a minimalistic distributed control system used in different setups with different component variants and reconfiguration plans to compare the model and the prototype and to gather runtime statistics.
The second case study is a smart factory showcase system with more challenging application components and interface technologies.
The conclusion is that the concepts are feasible and applicable, even though the concepts and the prototype still need to be worked on in future -- for example, to reach shorter cycle times.Eine groĂe Auswahl von Drittanbieter-Lösungen ist einer der SchlĂŒsselfaktoren fĂŒr Software Ecosystems:
Nutzer profitieren vom breiten Angebot und schnellen Innovationen, wĂ€hrend Drittanbieter ĂŒber die Plattform erfolgreiche Lösungen anbieten können.
Das jedoch setzt eine gewisse Entkopplung von Entwicklungsschritten der Beteiligten voraus, welche fĂŒr verteilte Steuerungssysteme noch nicht erreicht wurde.
WĂ€hrend Drittanbieter-Komponenten möglichst spĂ€t -- sogar Laufzeit -- integriert werden mĂŒssten, mĂŒssen Steuerungssysteme jedoch eine hohe ZuverlĂ€ssigkeit gegenĂŒber Echtzeitanforderungen aufweisen, was zu IntegrationskomplexitĂ€t fĂŒhrt.
Dies zu lösen wĂŒrde insbesondere zur Vision von Software-definierter Produktion beitragen, da ein Ecosystem fĂŒr moderne IT-basierte Steuerungskomponenten wegen deren höherem Abstraktionsgrad und der Vielzahl verfĂŒgbarer Frameworks zu schnellerer Innovation fĂŒhren wĂŒrde.
Daher behandelt diese Dissertation folgende Forschungsfrage:
Wie können wir moderne IT-Technologien verwenden und unabhĂ€ngige Entwicklung und einfache Integration von Software-Komponenten in verteilten Steuerungssystemen ermöglichen, wo Ende-zu-Ende-Echtzeitverhalten gefordert ist, und wie können wir insbesondere verteilte Ănderungen an solchen Systemen konsistent und im Vollbetrieb vornehmen?
Diese Dissertation beschreibt Herausforderungen und verwandte AnsÀtze im Detail und zeigt auf, dass existierende AnsÀtze diese Frage nicht vollstÀndig behandeln.
Um diese LĂŒcke zu schlieĂen, beschreiben wir eine formale Spezifikation einer Laufzeit-Plattform und einen zugehörigen Modell-basierten Engineering-Ansatz.
Dieser Ansatz entkoppelt die Design-Schritte der Entwicklung, Integration und des Deployments von Komponenten.
Die Laufzeit-Plattform unterstĂŒtzt den Ansatz durch Isolation von Komponenten und zugleich Zeit-deterministischem Ende-zu-Ende-Verhalten.
UnabhĂ€ngige Entwicklung und Integration werden durch Konzepte fĂŒr synchrone Rekonfiguration im Vollbetrieb unterstĂŒtzt, also durch dynamische Orchestrierung.
Dies beinhaltet auch Zeit-kritische Zustands-Transfers mit höchstens begrenzter QualitĂ€tsminderung, wenn ĂŒberhaupt.
Rekonfigurationsplanung wird durch Analysekonzepte unterstĂŒtzt, einschlieĂlich der Simulation formal spezifizierter Systeme und Rekonfigurationen und der Analyse der etwaigen QualitĂ€tsminderung mit dem Evolving Dataflow Graph (EDFG).
Die Real-Time Container Architecture wird als Referenzimplementierung und Evaluationsplattform beschrieben.
Zwei Fallstudien untersuchen Machbarkeit und NĂŒtzlichkeit der Konzepte.
Die erste verwendet verschiedene Varianten und Rekonfigurationen eines minimalistischen verteilten Steuerungssystems, um Modell und Prototyp zu vergleichen sowie Laufzeitstatistiken zu erheben.
Die zweite Fallstudie ist ein Smart-Factory-Demonstrator, welcher herausforderndere Applikationskomponenten und Schnittstellentechnologien verwendet.
Die Konzepte sind den Studien nach machbar und nĂŒtzlich, auch wenn sowohl die Konzepte als auch der Prototyp noch weitere Arbeit benötigen -- zum Beispiel, um kĂŒrzere Zyklen zu erreichen
Application of knowledge management principles to support maintenance strategies in healthcare organisations
Healthcare is a vital service that touches people's lives on a daily basis by providing treatment and
resolving patients' health problems through the staff. Human lives are ultimately dependent on the skilled
hands of the staff and those who manage the infrastructure that supports the daily operations of the
service, making it a compelling reason for a dedicated research study. However, the UK healthcare sector
is undergoing rapid changes, driven by rising costs, technological advancements, changing patient
expectations, and increasing pressure to deliver sustainable healthcare. With the global rise in healthcare
challenges, the need for sustainable healthcare delivery has become imperative. Sustainable healthcare
delivery requires the integration of various practices that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of
healthcare infrastructural assets. One critical area that requires attention is the management of
healthcare facilities.
Healthcare facilitiesis considered one of the core elements in the delivery of effective healthcare services,
as shortcomings in the provision of facilities management (FM) services in hospitals may have much more
drastic negative effects than in any other general forms of buildings. An essential element in healthcare
FM is linked to the relationship between action and knowledge. With a full sense of understanding of
infrastructural assets, it is possible to improve, manage and make buildings suitable to the needs of users
and to ensure the functionality of the structure and processes.
The premise of FM is that an organisation's effectiveness and efficiency are linked to the physical
environment in which it operates and that improving the environment can result in direct benefits in
operational performance. The goal of healthcare FM is to support the achievement of organisational
mission and goals by designing and managing space and infrastructural assets in the best combination of
suitability, efficiency, and cost. In operational terms, performance refers to how well a building
contributes to fulfilling its intended functions.
Therefore, comprehensive deployment of efficient FM approaches is essential for ensuring quality
healthcare provision while positively impacting overall patient experiences. In this regard, incorporating
knowledge management (KM) principles into hospitals' FM processes contributes significantly to ensuring
sustainable healthcare provision and enhancement of patient experiences. Organisations implementing
KM principles are better positioned to navigate the constantly evolving business ecosystem easily.
Furthermore, KM is vital in processes and service improvement, strategic decision-making, and
organisational adaptation and renewal.
In this regard, KM principles can be applied to improve hospital FM, thereby ensuring sustainable
healthcare delivery. Knowledge management assumes that organisations that manage their
organisational and individual knowledge more effectively will be able to cope more successfully with the challenges of the new business ecosystem. There is also the argument that KM plays a crucial role in
improving processes and services, strategic decision-making, and adapting and renewing an organisation.
The goal of KM is to aid action â providing "a knowledge pull" rather than the information overload most
people experience in healthcare FM. Other motivations for seeking better KM in healthcare FM include
patient safety, evidence-based care, and cost efficiency as the dominant drivers. The most evidence exists
for the success of such approaches at knowledge bottlenecks, such as infection prevention and control,
working safely, compliances, automated systems and reminders, and recall based on best practices. The
ability to cultivate, nurture and maximise knowledge at multiple levels and in multiple contexts is one of
the most significant challenges for those responsible for KM. However, despite the potential benefits,
applying KM principles in hospital facilities is still limited. There is a lack of understanding of how KM can
be effectively applied in this context, and few studies have explored the potential challenges and
opportunities associated with implementing KM principles in hospitals facilities for sustainable healthcare
delivery.
This study explores applying KM principles to support maintenance strategies in healthcare organisations.
The study also explores the challenges and opportunities, for healthcare organisations and FM
practitioners, in operationalising a framework which draws the interconnectedness between healthcare.
The study begins by defining healthcare FM and its importance in the healthcare industry. It then discusses
the concept of KM and the different types of knowledge that are relevant in the healthcare FM sector.
The study also examines the challenges that healthcare FM face in managing knowledge and how the
application of KM principles can help to overcome these challenges. The study then explores the different
KM strategies that can be applied in healthcare FM. The KM benefits include improved patient outcomes,
reduced costs, increased efficiency, and enhanced collaboration among healthcare professionals.
Additionally, issues like creating a culture of innovation, technology, and benchmarking are considered.
In addition, a framework that integrates the essential concepts of KM in healthcare FM will be presented
and discussed.
The field of KM is introduced as a complex adaptive system with numerous possibilities and challenges.
In this context, and in consideration of healthcare FM, five objectives have been formulated to achieve
the research aim. As part of the research, a number of objectives will be evaluated, including appraising
the concept of KM and how knowledge is created, stored, transferred, and utilised in healthcare FM,
evaluating the impact of organisational structure on job satisfaction as well as exploring how cultural
differences impact knowledge sharing and performance in healthcare FM organisations.
This study uses a combination of qualitative methods, such as meetings, observations, document analysis
(internal and external), and semi-structured interviews, to discover the subjective experiences of
healthcare FM employees and to understand the phenomenon within a real-world context and attitudes of healthcare FM as the data collection method, using open questions to allow probing where appropriate
and facilitating KM development in the delivery and practice of healthcare FM.
The study describes the research methodology using the theoretical concept of the "research onion". The
qualitative research was conducted in the NHS acute and non-acute hospitals in Northwest England.
Findings from the research study revealed that while the concept of KM has grown significantly in recent
years, KM in healthcare FM has received little or no attention. The target population was fifty (five FM
directors, five academics, five industry experts, ten managers, ten supervisors, five team leaders and ten
operatives). These seven groups were purposively selected as the target population because they play a
crucial role in KM enhancement in healthcare FM. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with all
participants based on their pre-determined availability. Out of the 50-target population, only 25 were
successfully interviewed to the point of saturation. Data collected from the interview were coded and
analysed using NVivo to identify themes and patterns related to KM in healthcare FM.
The study is divided into eight major sections. First, it discusses literature findings regarding healthcare
FM and KM, including underlying trends in FM, KM in general, and KM in healthcare FM. Second, the
research establishes the study's methodology, introducing the five research objectives, questions and
hypothesis. The chapter introduces the literature on methodology elements, including philosophical views
and inquiry strategies. The interview and data analysis look at the feedback from the interviews. Lastly, a
conclusion and recommendation summarise the research objectives and suggest further research.
Overall, this study highlights the importance of KM in healthcare FM and provides insights for healthcare
FM directors, managers, supervisors, academia, researchers and operatives on effectively leveraging
knowledge to improve patient care and organisational effectiveness
Connecting to make a difference : social learning and radical collective change in prefigurative online communities
In view of the current global social and ecological predicament, what might constitute relevant forms of radical collective change? What role can processes of social learning play in facilitating such change? And to what extent are online networks able to support the unfolding of such processes? This thesis addresses these questions. I first present the results of two participatory action research projects, taking place in two different prefigurative online communities attempting to bring about very different forms of collective change. The first focuses on building a transnational, decentralised grassroots economic system as an alternative to global capitalism, but struggles to shake free from the toxic influence of global financial markets, and from unhelpful ways of relating and organising. The second aims to foster self-organisation and new forms of relationality between humans and with the rest of the living world, but struggles to address the heritage of historical violence and injustice, or to bring about visible political change. With the help of the Wenger-Trayner social learning theory and evaluation framework, I consider what processes of social learning have been taking place (or not) in these networks, and their outcomes; and what other social change efforts may learn from these experiments and their limitations. Finally, I present a reflexive account of my own process of learning and unlearning through my involvement with these projects and others, with regards to the question of what may constitute radical collective change. This critical assessment of my own thinking and aspirations leads me to argue in favour of decolonial approaches to social change as potentially relevant responses to the global predicament. This thesis contributes to the understanding of social learning processes within prefigurative online communities, and to the practice of social change efforts in such contexts
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