Voice over IP

The area that this thesis covers is Voice over IP (or IP Telephony as it is sometimes called) over Private networks and not over the Internet. There is a distinction to be made between the two even though the term is loosely applied to both. IP Telephony over Private Networks involve calls made over private WANs using IP telephony protocols while IP Telephony over the Internet involve calls made over the public Internet using IP telephony protocols. Since the network is private, service is reliable because the network owner can control how resources are allocated to various applications, such as telephony services. The public Internet on the other hand is a public, largely unmanaged network that offers no reliable service guarantee. Calls placed over the Internet can be low in quality, but given the low price, some find this solution attractive. What started off as an Internet Revolution with free phone calls being offered to the general public using their multimedia computers has turned into a telecommunication revolution where enterprises are beginning to converge their data and voice networks into one network. In retrospect, an enterprise\u27s data networks are being leveraged for telephony. The communication industry has come full circle. Earlier in the decade data was being transmitted over the public voice networks and now voice is just another application which is/will be run over the enterprises existing data networks. We shall see in this thesis the problems that are encountered while sending Voice over Data networks using the underlying IP Protocol and the corrective steps taken by the Industry to resolve these multitudes of issues. Paul M. Zam who is collaborating in this Joint Thesis/project on VoIP will substantiate this theoretical research with his practical findings. On reading this paper the reader will gain an insight in the issues revolving the implementation of VoIP in an enterprises private network as well the technical data, which sheds more light on the same. Thus the premise of this joint thesis/project is to analyze the current status of the technology and present a business case scenario where an organization will be able to use this information

ACUTA Journal of Telecommunications in Higher Education

In This Issue Mobil VoIP for the Converged Campus Managing Remote IP Telephony Systems Cellular Service at University of Toledo Working with Wireless lmpact of Handheld Devices at Washington state university Point: Presence-Aware Communication Tools Counterpoint: Accessibility: Are You Too Connected? IP Telephony Payoff at Adelphi Institutional Excellence Award SUNY Upstate Medical University GIS Technology Brings the Layered Look to Campus Interview President\u27s Message From the Executive Director Here\u27s My Advic

Outlining a future of supply chain management-coordinated supply networks

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2001.Includes bibliographical references (p. 149-157).This thesis explores the use of different approaches and structures to facilitate coordinating a set of strategic business partners across multiple tiers of a single supply chain - defined as the supply network. The study is based on a deductive model of three dimensions of coordination, corresponding to the information, material, and financial dependencies between organizations in a supply network. This segmentation allows separate exploration of coordination structures at the level of information systems, logistics and operations, and financial allocation across organizations within the supply network. The research methodology entailed the use of the Delphi technique, soliciting input via in-depth personal interviews from academic, industry, and consulting experts in supply chain management. This method is selected because of few current examples in industry, lack of hard data and absence of structured frameworks in the field. For each of the coordination dimensions, the structures and mechanisms to efficiently coordinate a supply network were identified, described, and categorized. The result is a structured spectrum of coordinating approaches that illustrates the managing of dependencies within the supply network. Trends and consensus in the responses are identified from the data to provide insight into future developments in the field. Illustrative examples of such coordination structures are discussed to demonstrate the inner working of coordinating mechanisms, and to identify the key issues, requirements and obstacles in achieving coordination across multiple tiers.by Richard M. Hoppe.S.M

IP and ATM integration: A New paradigm in multi-service internetworking

ATM is a widespread technology adopted by many to support advanced data communication, in particular efficient Internet services provision. The expected challenges of multimedia communication together with the increasing massive utilization of IP-based applications urgently require redesign of networking solutions in terms of both new functionalities and enhanced performance. However, the networking context is affected by so many changes, and to some extent chaotic growth, that any approach based on a structured and complex top-down architecture is unlikely to be applicable. Instead, an approach based on finding out the best match between realistic service requirements and the pragmatic, intelligent use of technical opportunities made available by the product market seems more appropriate. By following this approach, innovations and improvements can be introduced at different times, not necessarily complying with each other according to a coherent overall design. With the aim of pursuing feasible innovations in the different networking aspects, we look at both IP and ATM internetworking in order to investigating a few of the most crucial topics/ issues related to the IP and ATM integration perspective. This research would also address various means of internetworking the Internet Protocol (IP) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) with an objective of identifying the best possible means of delivering Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for multi-service applications, exploiting the meritorious features that IP and ATM have to offer. Although IP and ATM often have been viewed as competitors, their complementary strengths and limitations from a natural alliance that combines the best aspects of both the technologies. For instance, one limitation of ATM networks has been the relatively large gap between the speed of the network paths and the control operations needed to configure those data paths to meet changing user needs. IP\u27s greatest strength, on the other hand, is the inherent flexibility and its capacity to adapt rapidly to changing conditions. These complementary strengths and limitations make it natural to combine IP with ATM to obtain the best that each has to offer. Over time many models and architectures have evolved for IP/ATM internetworking and they have impacted the fundamental thinking in internetworking IP and ATM. These technologies, architectures, models and implementations will be reviewed in greater detail in addressing possible issues in integrating these architectures s in a multi-service, enterprise network. The objective being to make recommendations as to the best means of interworking the two in exploiting the salient features of one another to provide a faster, reliable, scalable, robust, QoS aware network in the most economical manner. How IP will be carried over ATM when a commercial worldwide ATM network is deployed is not addressed and the details of such a network still remain in a state of flux to specify anything concrete. Our research findings culminated with a strong recommendation that the best model to adopt, in light of the impending integrated service requirements of future multi-service environments, is an ATM core with IP at the edges to realize the best of both technologies in delivering QoS guarantees in a seamless manner to any node in the enterprise

Corporate venturing in the media & entertainment industry: contextual factors that influence corporate venture decision making

This research study focuses on Corporate Venturing (CV) within the Media and Entertainment(M&E) industry and investigates factors that influence CV decision-making. CV provides a viable strategy to facilitate innovation and organizational change within companies; however, this area is understudied within the M&E industry. Companies that make up the entertainment industry may not have specific insight into how best to exploit this opportunity. Specifically, this study looks at the influence of firm characteristics, industry characteristics, and other outside factors using the PESTLE strategy model characteristics impacting the parent or venture unit\u27s CV decision-making within the M&E industry. In terms of this research project, the focus is on the CV activity of the firm. Activity is defined as the decision to engage in corporate venturing, as well as the mode of CV to engage in. CV modes include, but are not limited to, corporate venture capital (CVC), venture alliances, and transformation arrangements. Additionally, in terms of M&E, this research focuses on television, film, and streaming with a specific emphasis on innovation and growth strategies. This research is a descriptive study and provides propositions to contribute to the emerging convergent literature on the topic. This research makes a relevant contribution to the fields of CV and strategy and to the entertainment and technology industries

Technical and vocational education and training to address skills mismatch and unemployment : the case of Saudi Arabia

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes have been widely promoted as one major strategy to address the problem of skills mismatch, identified as a factor exacerbating unemployment rates. The TVET programmes, if developed well, could significantly contribute to closing the gap between the skills demand and supply in the labour markets. Several countries have implemented TVET strategies, Saudi Arabia included. Results on the success of these TVET programmes are mixed and in the case of Saudi Arabia, the unemployment rates among the targeted TVET recipients has not improved. Thus, this research is aimed at understanding whether Saudi Arabia can address its unemployment problems arising from the skills mismatch through the utilisation of TVET initiatives. In order to gain this understanding, the research investigates the current VET systems, strategies, and policies in addressing problems of unemployment and skills mismatch, and to determine the potential or future development. A qualitative approach, utilising the theoretical lens of critical realism, was adopted in order to gain a deeper understanding of the role of TVET in addressing the skills mismatch and unemployment phenomenon in Saudi Arabia. In particular, three key labour market sectors: public sector, information and communication technology (ICT), and tourism and hospitality sector were selected for a more focussed analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key representatives from these sectors and analysed using thematic analysis approach. The analysis of the semi-structured interviews was complemented by pilot study and documentary analysis. The analysis of the primary research data revealed six key areas that should be taken into consideration by stakeholders, especially policy decision makers, in order to address the problem of unemployment among the indigenous Saudis through the current TVET system. These aspects are consistent across the three sectors investigated. The identified areas are: Saudi cultural barriers, Saudi career choices and awareness, understating the labour market and need for skills, wider education system and employment pathways, TVET provision and quality and cooperation between TVET institutions and organisations. The importance of understanding these aspects is because they constitute the ‘structural mechanism’ necessary for the future development and contribution of TVET to skills mismatch in Saudi Arabia. Thus, it is around these aspects that weaknesses (and strength) of the TVET systems and practices are visible, also within these aspects that stakeholder responsibilities can be defined. Further, through the revealed weaknesses in the current TVET system, such as weak link of TVET institutions with the labour market, suggestions and recommendations are made for policy implications, such as the need to promote education quality in the TVET institutions and encouraging women participation considering the cultural barriers. These findings are supported by secondary evidence, which show, for instance, continued growth in unemployment rates despite the various employment promotion policies and initiatives

A Holmes and Doyle Bibliography, Volume 5: Periodical Articles--Secondary References, Alphabetical Listing

This bibliography is a work in progress. It attempts to update Ronald B. De Waal’s comprehensive bibliography, The Universal Sherlock Holmes, but does not claim to be exhaustive in content. New works are continually discovered and added to this bibliography. Readers and researchers are invited to suggest additional content. Volume 5 includes "passing" or "secondary" references, i.e. those entries that are passing in nature or contain very brief information or content