Human-computer interaction as science

Human-computer interaction (HCI) has had a long and troublesome relationship to the role of 'science'. HCI's status as an academic object in terms of coherence and adequacy is often in question---leading to desires for establishing a true scientific discipline. In this paper I explore formative cognitive science influences on HCI, through the impact of early work on the design of input devices. The paper discusses a core idea that I argue has animated much HCI research since: the notion of scientific design spaces. In evaluating this concept, I disassemble the broader 'picture of science' in HCI and its role in constructing a disciplinary order for the increasingly diverse and overlapping research communities that contribute in some way to what we call 'HCI'. In concluding I explore notions of rigour and debates around how we might reassess HCI's disciplinarity

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

Sustainability in design: now! Challenges and opportunities for design research, education and practice in the XXI century

Copyright @ 2010 Greenleaf PublicationsLeNS project funded by the Asia Link Programme, EuropeAid, European Commission

An aesthetic for sustainable interactions in product-service systems?

Copyright @ 2012 Greenleaf PublishingEco-efficient Product-Service System (PSS) innovations represent a promising approach to sustainability. However the application of this concept is still very limited because its implementation and diffusion is hindered by several barriers (cultural, corporate and regulative ones). The paper investigates the barriers that affect the attractiveness and acceptation of eco-efficient PSS alternatives, and opens the debate on the aesthetic of eco-efficient PSS, and the way in which aesthetic could enhance some specific inner qualities of this kinds of innovations. Integrating insights from semiotics, the paper outlines some first research hypothesis on how the aesthetic elements of an eco-efficient PSS could facilitate user attraction, acceptation and satisfaction

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ROMANIA

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main opportunities and limitations of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The survey was defined with the aim to involve the highest possible number of relevant CSR topics and give the issue a more wholesome perspective. It provides a basis for further comprehension and deeper analyses of specific CSR areas. The conditions determining the success of CSR in Romania have been defined in the paper on the basis of the previously cumulative knowledge as well as the results of various researches. This paper provides knowledge which may be useful in the programs promoting CSR.Corporate social responsibility, Supportive policies, Romania

Livelihood security of pastoralists in semi-arid rangelands under global change - A social-ecological modelling study

More than two billion people inhabit global drylands where animal husbandry is the most important source of income for pastoral livelihoods. Consequences of climate and land use change accompanied by human population growth cause an accelerating degradation of natural resources. These trends endanger sustainable range management for livestock and consequentially pastoral livelihood security. Drylands are characterized by low and spatio-temporally variable precipitation. It follows, that sustainable range management is dependent on adaptive mobility to make use of the highly variable availability of forage resources. Intensive research on such strategies is mainly focused either on ecological or economic aspects of sustainable resource use. However, the feedbacks between the natural and the social system are currently not well understood so far. It is still an open question how the diverse set of drivers interacts and translates into vulnerability for pastoral livelihoods. We aim to analyze the consequences of climate and land use change on pastoral livelihood security. This is exemplified by a case study on nomadic herdsmen in the High Atlas Mountains of Southern Morocco. The challenge is to evaluate diverse aspects of pastoralism and their combined impact on pastoral households. To achieve this goal, we develop an ecological-economic simulation model on spatially heterogeneous rangelands. The resulting herd size dynamics are then evaluated by means of an innovative risk assessment, to identify the constraints under which income for households is not sufficient anymore in three different model applications. First, consequences of projected climate change for drylands are investigated in terms of increased precipitation variability and decreased mean annual precipitation. Interestingly, increasing precipitation variability has a smaller effect on the sustenance of the herd size than for example a decreased mobility. Especially the negative effects of extremely high precipitation variability were not confirmed by this study. This can be partly explained by the traits of perennial vegetation. Mediterranean shrubs are able to conserve reserves that buffer effects of variable precipitation and production of forage. But even more important is the adaptive strategy of mobile and frequently destocked herds, which allows sufficient pasture resting and thereby a sufficient performance of vegetation and herd size. The second model application tests the effect of drought events on pastoral livelihood security. Surprisingly, meteorological droughts are only in rare cases the single cause for the vulnerability of pastoral households since several effects overlap. This is proved by a hypothetical reference simulation under constant precipitation, where a considerably high variation of vegetation and herd size can be observed. This is evidence for a tightly coupled vegetation-herbivore system which already poses a challenge for pastoral livelihoods. The innovative characterization of diverse socio-economic household types reveals the major influence of socio-economic factors compared to single drought events on the livelihood of mobile pastoralists. The third model application uses a newly developed operationalization of the concept of key resources to evaluate the relative importance of different pasture types for local herds in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. These pastures are characterized by specific vegetation traits due to the climatic gradient and different tenure regimes. Particularly, the communal winter pastures can be identified as essential for the long term sustenance of livestock. Besides vegetation production, the ability to conserve reserves plays an important role. This applied example helps to review and refine the concept of key resources. The different applications of our newly developed model help to find options and constraints of sustainable range management related to the combined effect of natural and socio-economic impacts. Model analyses enable us to compare climate and socio-economic change in their consequences on pastoral livelihood security. Notably, it seems that climate change affects adaptive herd management less then previously expected. This underlines the importance of typical traits of adaptive pastoralism for sustainable resource use. A major risk for livelihoods is posed by socio-economic change such as increasing income needs or reduced mobility resulting from land use change. This could partly be compensated by increasingly diversified income from non-pastoral activities but it remains an open question how effective this strategy is in the long-term. The general principles of sustainable range management can be further demonstrated by the development of a strategic board game. In it, three to five players take the role of nomadic herdsmen to raise their herd of sheep. During the game, players can experience typical events in the environment of pastoral households and are confronted with complex decisions. The board game supports the communication and education about various aspects of sustainable range management, such as mobility and resting times for pastures. Beyond that, it facilitates learning about natural resource use and livelihood security in a broadly understandable way. Finally, the problem-oriented modelling approach of this work contributes to the integration of natural and social sciences in research on range management in drylands. The interdisciplinary perspective supports mutual understanding on principles of sustainable land use which could be transfered to wider regions

Development of a robust and resilient Supply Chain System for selected companies in Gauteng

Abstract: These days, in the extremely competitive nature of business, nearly every big business has to reap the benefits of investing in improvements of its supply chain. The beginning of the upgrades is considered together with the examination concerning profits and most organisations have addressed measures that a supply chain execution and monitor changes in order to drive the benefits of their business. While execution estimation is basic, most organisations either measure excessively or pay little attention to supply chain. Different weaknesses may incorporate; an excessive number of measurements, disconnected measurements, clashing measurements, obsolete measurements, temperamental information, and absence of possession, among others. Some organisations measure incorrect variables in their pursuit of their objectives. This is detrimental to the realisation of these objectives and this affects the organisation. Framework estimations lead to improved framework. "Estimation is the initial step that prompts control and in the long run to progress. In the event that you can't gauge something, you can't get it. On the off chance that you can't get it, you can't control it. On the off chance that you can't control it, you can't improve it" (Harrington, 2012)...M.Ing. (Quality and Operations Management