Non-Tariff Measures: What do we Know, What Should be Done?

With the reduction in tariff barriers, Non-tariff and behind-the-border measures (NTM and BTB) have increased in importance. This paper surveys the state of knowledge with the view to drawing implications for policy suggestions to reduce those NTM barriers that are welfare reducing. Following a description of data bases and their shortcomings, the paper reviews the state of understanding on the effects of NTMs on trade flows. The more difficult issue of translating these effects into welfare implications are covered next. The paper concludes with different approaches at reducing NTMs.

Non-Tariff Measures: What do we Know, What Should be Done?

With the reduction in tariff barriers, Non-tariff and behind-the-border measures (NTM and BTB) have increased in importance. This paper surveys the state of knowledge with the view to drawing implications for policy suggestions to reduce those NTM barriers that are welfare reducing. Following a description of data bases and their shortcomings, the paper reviews the state of understanding on the effects of NTMs on trade flows. The more difficult issue of translating these effects into welfare implications are covered next. The paper concludes with different approaches at reducing NTMs.cerdi

An intelligent framework for dynamic web services composition in the semantic web

As Web services are being increasingly adopted as the distributed computing technology of choice to securely publish application services beyond the firewall, the importance of composing them to create new, value-added service, is increasing. Thus far, the most successful practical approach to Web services composition, largely endorsed by the industry falls under the static composition category where the service selection and flow management are done a priori and manually. The second approach to web-services composition aspires to achieve more dynamic composition by semantically describing the process model of Web services and thus making it comprehensible to reasoning engines or software agents. The practical implementation of the dynamic composition approach is still in its infancy and many complex problems need to be resolved before it can be adopted outside the research communities. The investigation of automatic discovery and composition of Web services in this thesis resulted in the development of the eXtended Semantic Case Based Reasoner (XSCBR), which utilizes semantic web and AI methodology of Case Based Reasoning (CBR). Our framework uses OWL semantic descriptions extensively for implementing both the matchmaking profiles of the Web services and the components of the CBR engine. In this research, we have introduced the concept of runtime behaviour of services and consideration of that in Web services selection. The runtime behaviour of a service is a result of service execution and how the service will behave under different circumstances, which is difficult to presume prior to service execution. Moreover, we demonstrate that the accuracy of automatic matchmaking of Web services can be further improved by taking into account the adequacy of past matchmaking experiences for the requested task. Our XSCBR framework allows annotating such runtime experiences in terms of storing execution values of non-functional Web services parameters such as availability and response time into a case library. The XSCBR algorithm for matchmaking and discovery considers such stored Web services execution experiences to determine the adequacy of services for a particular task. We further extended our fundamental discovery and matchmaking algorithm to cater for web services composition. An intensive knowledge-based substitution approach was proposed to adapt the candidate service experiences to the requested solution before suggesting more complex and computationally taxing AI-based planning-based transformations. The inconsistency problem that occurs while adapting existing service composition solutions is addressed with a novel methodology based on Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP). From the outset, we adopted a pragmatic approach that focused on delivering an automated Web services discovery and composition solution with the minimum possible involvement of all composition participants: the service provider, the requestor and the service composer. The qualitative evaluation of the framework and the composition tools, together with the performance study of the XSCBR framework has verified that we were successful in achieving our goal

COGNITIVE PRESENCE IN PEER FACILITATED ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE DISCUSSION: THE PATTERNS AND HOW TO FACILITATE

This study, in the context of peer-facilitated asynchronous online discussion, explored the characteristics and patterns of students’ cognitive presence, and examined the practices that aim to enhance cognitive presence development. Participants were 53 students from a graduate-level online course that focused on the integration of educational technologies. Data were collected from discussion transcripts, student survey, student artifacts, and researcher’s observations. Results demonstrated four phases of students’ cognitive presence: Triggering event, Exploration, Integration, and Resolution. Among the four phases, students’ cognitive presence tended to aggregate at the middle phases: Integration and Exploration. Percentage of the Resolution was very low. The distribution of students’ discussion behaviors further revealed: a) the hierarchical relationship between the four phases: Integration and Resolution involved a higher-level of cognitive engagement, and Triggering event and Exploration involved a lower-level of cognitive engagement; b) the phase of Resolution heavily relied on experiment, while the other three phases heavily relied on making use of personal experience; c) creating of cognitive presence occurred in both the private space of individual activities and the shared space of having dialogues. The conversation analysis of threads and episodes explored the temporal evolvement of cognitive presence. The results showed that, in an ongoing discussion, students’ cognitive presence evolved in a non-linear way, rather than strictly phase by phase as suggested by the PI model. Experiments were designed and conducted to determine the effects of two pedagogical interventions – 1) providing guidance on peer facilitation techniques; 2) asking students to label their posts. The results showed that the Intervention 1 and the combination of two interventions credibly improved students’ cognitive presence. They were especially effective in improving Integration, a higher level of cognitive presence. After having added Intervention 2, cognitive presence increased from the first-half to the second-half semester, although the improvement was not found to be statistically credible. This study confirmed the close association between and among cognitive presence, social interaction, and peer facilitation. The results clearly showed that Intervention 1 – providing guidance on peer facilitation credibly improved students’ social interaction and peer facilitation. However, Mixed findings were obtained for Intervention 2 – asking students to label their posts. It was found that Intervention 2 positively increased students’ social interaction. However, it did not show any impact on students’ peer facilitation behaviors. It is also worth noting that the effect of the combination of two interventions was much larger than any single one of them. Conversation analysis was conducted to zoom in on the dynamic process of discussion. The cases revealed that when students were provided with the guidance on peer facilitation techniques, they tended to use a variety of facilitation techniques in a strategic way to help peers to achieve a sustained and deeper-level conversation. Compared to the control group, the students in the treatment group showed more peer facilitation behaviors, which led to more conversations and more higher-level cognitive presence. This study has unpacked the complexity of students’ cognitive presence in a peer-facilitated discussion environment, especially when students are coached in performing teaching presence. The results shed light on the pedagogical practices and strategies of creating an online learning community that incubates rich cognitive presence. Finally, implications are discussed for the research and practices in online instruction and discussion analytics

Impact and Implications of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement in East and Southern Africa: 2nd WCO ESA Regional Research Conference

This book presents the papers, report and outcomes of the 2nd WCO ESA Regional Research Conference which was hosted by the Regional Training Centre (RTC) Kenya on the 23rd and 24th November, 2017, at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies (KSMS) in Nairobi, Kenya. It was co-organized by the ROCB and the RTC Kenya and attended by more than 200 participants from 20 nations. Participants included researchers and officials from various Customs administrations in the East and Southern Africa Region, WCO ESA Regional Training Centres (RTCs), the WCO, the African Union, the World Bank, Africa Development Bank, Regional Economic Committees (RECs) (the East African Community), the Government of Australia, Kenyan ministries, the private sector, academia, and other cooperating partners. The theme of the conference was “Impacts and Implication of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and the WCO Mercator Programme to the ESA region” and covered the following topics: Impacts of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement in East and Southern Africa; Data Analysis for Effective Border Management in East and Southern Africa; Best Practices in Digital Customs in East and Southern Africa; E-commerce as a Driver for Economic Growth in East and Southern Africa; Securing and Facilitating Trade in East and Southern Africa; and Regional Integration: Addressing Levels of Intraregional Trade in East and Southern Africa. The Governing Council of the World Customs Organization, East and Southern Africa region, established the regional research programme aiming to build institutional capacity and the body of knowledge in customs through research. The objective of the programme is to encourage research on topical themes for customs in East and Southern Africa. The programme also aims to develop a body of knowledge to guide the decision-making process concerning trade facilitation and regional economic integration in the Region. It is also hoped that the research programme and the results from findings from the research initiatives will assist countries in sharing experiences, ideas, knowledge, and information on new innovations to improve Customs operations while creating new inventions to continue modernizing customs to ease facilitation of trade in East and Southern Africa. The envisaged output from this process will always be the publication of an e-book (and book) consisting of a consolidation of papers presented during the conference

A methodology for mapping co-benefits of climate adaptation. Participatory GIS in consultancy

This thesis seeks to broaden the research of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the context of citizen engagement and co-benefit mapping, by bringing forth consultancy perspectives and demands towards the uptake of new methods. The process is anchored in the Action Research methodology, as the empirical material is produced through a collaboration with the Ramboll consultancy. The thesis follows the process of creating a methodology for the spatial delineation of co-benefits within climate adaptation. It investigates how an otherwise analogue methodology can be enhanced by using digital tools based on GIS. The pinnacle of this process is the testing of the method, which could form the basis for co-benefit assessments, in two cases situated in a Western European context. The thesis discusses both the consultancy considerations for the adoption of a new participatory method, as well as the implications of using citizen knowledge in this process. One of the main research findings is the missing link between the concepts of place values, ecosystem services and co-benefits of climate adaptation, which is closely tied to the timing of the assessment, prior to or after climate adaptation measures. Local circumstances and project requirements dictate the introduction of a new digital method that is based on participatory GIS (PGIS), and partly the team’s resources. Integrating citizen knowledge in co-benefit assessments carried out in GIS is strongly related to the main difficulties of co-benefit assessments, such as overlapping and conflicting values. In addition to that, outreach is essential for a successful outcome, but also resource demanding

Navigating the digitalization of individuals as employees, customers, and themselves

Digitalization has long since entered and transformed our professional lives, our interaction with companies, and our private lives. With the progress in digitalization in general and of individuals in particular, both opportunities and challenges arise. Digitalization represents a double-edged sword, with its vast potential on the one end and a number of risks and detrimental effects for individuals, such as technostress, on the other. Individuals need to navigate the opportunities provided by digitalization, as well as its risks, in all areas of their lives. Addressing digitalization in a way that is in the best interest of individuals requires a thorough understanding of developments, challenges, and possible interventions and solutions. Matt et al. (2019) propose a framework for studying the digitalization of individuals, which represents a holistic approach to structure, classify, and position research along different roles of individuals from a comprehensive set of research angles. By applying this framework as a guiding structure, this dissertation aims to advance knowledge for an improved, safer, and more deliberate navigation of digitalization for individuals in their roles as employees, customers, and themselves from the research angles design, behavior, and consequences. While building on and integrating qualitative research methods such as literature analysis and expert interviews, this dissertation mainly relies on the collection of empirical data and their quantitative analysis. This comprises several small- and large-scale surveys and field experiments, as well as analytical methods such as structural equation modeling, regression analysis, and cluster analysis. Chapter 2 of this dissertation discusses the digitalization of individuals in their role as employees. Chapter 2.1 covers workplace design in terms of equipment with digital workplace technologies (DWTs) and the user behavior of employees. It determines which DWTs exist and are used by individual employees in a comprehensive and structured fashion. Contributing to a deeper understanding of workplace digitalization, chapter 2.1 also demonstrates and elaborates how this overview of DWTs represents a basis for individualized digital work design as well as adequate interventions. Chapter 2.2 deals with the consequences of DWT user behavior. It focuses on the relationship between workplace digitalization, the negative consequence technostress, and possible countermeasures termed technostress inhibitors. By enabling a more detailed understanding of the underlying mechanisms as well as evaluating the effects of countermeasures, chapter 2.2 discusses the overall finding that workplace digitalization increases technostress. The dynamics of its different components and technostress inhibitors, however, require individual consideration at a more detailed level, as the interrelationships are not consistently intuitive. In chapter 3, the focus changes to individuals in their role as customers. As a response to increasing data collection by companies as well as increasing data privacy concerns of customers, chapter 3.1 focuses on the identification of a comprehensive list of data privacy measures that address these concerns. Furthermore, it is identified that the implementation of some of these measures would lead to increased customer satisfaction, demonstrating that there is an upside to data privacy for companies and that mutually beneficial outcomes for both involved parties are conceivable. Chapter 3.2 analyzes whether and how digital nudging can be applied to influence customers online shopping behavior towards the selection of more environmentally sustainable products in online supermarkets and how this influence differs with respect to individual customer characteristics. It determines the digital nudging element default rules to be generally effective and simplification to be effective among environmentally conscious customers. On a macro level, the findings contribute to a safer environment in which individuals live their lives, while at the individual level, they foster decision-making quality and health. Chapter 4 highlights the digitalization of individuals themselves. Chapter 4.1 deals with the design of a habit-tracking app that offers users autonomy in their goal-directed behavior. It is found that the provision of autonomy enhances well-being. Its exercise improves performance, which in turn positively affects well-being. Chapter 4.1 thus contributes insights into how digital technologies can foster the flourishing of users. As a summary, this dissertation aims to provide research and practice with contributions to a deeper understanding of how individuals as employees, customers, and themselves can successfully navigate digitalization.Die Digitalisierung und durch sie verursachte Veränderungen haben längst in unserem Berufsleben, unserer Interaktion mit Unternehmen und unserem Privatleben Einzug erhalten. Mit der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung im Allgemeinen und der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung von Individuen im Speziellen ergeben sich sowohl Chancen als auch Herausforderungen. Die Digitalisierung stellt ein zweischneidiges Schwert dar. Den enormen Potenzialen stehen eine Reihe von Risiken und negativen Auswirkungen für Individuen wie z.B. Technostress gegenüber. Individuen müssen sich in allen Lebensbereichen in einem Spannungsfeld der Digitalisierung zurechtfinden, welches am einen Ende vielfältige Chancen für Weiterentwicklung und Selbstverwirklichung bereithält, aber am anderen Ende auch zahlreiche Fallstricke und Risiken birgt. Mit der Digitalisierung auf eine Art und Weise umzugehen, die im besten Interesse von Individuen liegt, erfordert ein gründliches Verständnis der Entwicklungen und Herausforderungen sowie möglicher Interventionen und Lösungen. Matt et al. (2019) schlagen ein Framework für die Untersuchung der Digitalisierung von Individuen vor, das einen ganzheitlichen Ansatz zur Strukturierung, Klassifizierung und Positionierung von Forschung entlang verschiedener Rollen von Individuen und unterschiedlicher Forschungsperspektiven darstellt. Unter Anwendung dieses Frameworks als Leitstruktur zielt diese Dissertation darauf ab, aus den Forschungsperspektiven Design, Verhalten und Konsequenzen Wissen zu schaffen und zu erweitern, wie Individuen in ihren Rollen als Arbeitnehmer:innen, Kund:innen und im privaten Kontext die Digitalisierung besser, sicherer und bewusster meistern können. Aufbauend auf und unter Einbeziehung von qualitativen Forschungsmethoden wie Literaturanalyse und Experteninterviews stützt sich diese Dissertation vor allem auf die Erhebung empirischer Daten und deren quantitative Auswertung. Dies umfasst mehrere kleiner und größer angelegte Umfragen und Feldexperimente sowie analytische Methoden wie Strukturgleichungsmodelle, Regressions- und Clusteranalysen. Kapitel 2 der Dissertation befasst sich mit der Digitalisierung von Individuen in ihrer Rolle als Arbeitnehmer:innen. Kapitel 2.1 beschäftigt sich mit der Gestaltung von Arbeitsplätzen hinsichtlich der Ausstattung mit digitalen Technologien und des Verhaltens von Arbeitnehmer:innen bei deren Nutzung. Zum anderen arbeitet Kapitel 2.1 heraus, inwiefern dieser Überblick der digitalen Technologien eine Grundlage für die individualisierte Gestaltung digitaler Arbeit sowie für adäquate Interventionen darstellt. Kapitel 2.2 beschäftigt sich mit den Konsequenzen des Nutzungsverhaltens dieser digitalen Technologien. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei der Zusammenhang zwischen der Digitalisierung von Arbeitsplätzen, der negativen Konsequenz Technostress und möglichen Gegenmaßnahmen, den sogenannten Technostress-Inhibitoren. Kapitel 2.2 ermöglicht ein detaillierteres Verständnis der zugrunde liegenden Mechanismen und bewertet die Wirksamkeit von Gegenmaßnahmen. In Kapitel 3 liegt der Fokus auf Individuen in ihrer Rolle als Kund:innen. Als Reaktion auf zunehmende Datenerfassung seitens Unternehmen und wachsende Datenschutzbedenken seitens Kund:innen konzentriert sich Kapitel 3.1 auf die Identifizierung einer umfassenden Liste von Datenschutzmaßnahmen, die diese Bedenken adressieren. Darüber hinaus wird festgestellt, dass die Umsetzung einiger dieser Maßnahmen zu einer höheren Kundenzufriedenheit führen würde. In Kapitel 3.2 wird analysiert, ob und wie digitales Nudging eingesetzt werden kann, um das Online-Einkaufsverhalten von Kund:innen in Richtung der Auswahl umweltfreundlicherer nachhaltiger Produkte in Online-Supermärkten zu beeinflussen und wie sich dieser Einfluss in Bezug auf einzelne Kundenmerkmale unterscheidet. Kapitel 4 beleuchtet die Digitalisierung von Individuen im privaten Kontext. Kapitel 4.1 befasst sich mit der Entwicklung einer App zum Festhalten und zur Verfolgung von Gewohnheiten, die ihren Nutzer:innen Autonomie in Bezug auf ihr zielgerichtetes Verhalten bietet. Es wird festgestellt, dass die Bereitstellung von Autonomie das Wohlbefinden der Nutzer:innen steigert. Die Ausübung von Autonomie verbessert die Leistung bei der Zielerreichung. Zusammenfassend stellt diese Dissertation für Forschung und Praxis Beiträge bereit, die zu einem tieferen Verständnis eines erfolgreichen Umgangs von Individuen als Arbeitnehmer:innen, Kund:innen und Individuen im privaten Kontext mit der Digitalisierung führen sollen

Toolset for Visual Creative Conflict Management

Conflict is neuro-physiologically processed by emotional faculties of the humanbrain, similarly to pain processing (Lack & Bogacz, 2012). Pain causes an away-reflex , and so does conflict. Most of us, therefore, try to avoid pain and likewise conflict. Some of us are drawn into conflict, either as an active party or a referee, against our will, while others of us must handle conflict as a matter of life role. Because of this away-reflex to conflict, we often try to resolve conflict in a single step in order to get it over with as quickly as possible. Many people expect to resolve a conflict in a single intervention (Elliott, d\u27Estrée & Kaufman, 2003). When that doesn\u27t work, our emotional response is amplified, typically including frustration, anger, and withdrawal. This project aims to provide a toolset that transitions a user\u27s handling of conflict from their emotional faculties to their logical faculties, overcoming the away-reflex. It also provides a visual representation of the conflict, which allows a conflict manager to logically plot and manage a multi-step resolution process with improved potential for long term results over the get-it-over-quickly single-step reflex. And, it comprises an open framework to which an expanding number of resources can be added to bolster a conflict manager\u27s understanding of all parties\u27 concerns, personalities, motivations, fears, and to enable the conflict manager to generate new ideas using Creative Problem Solving, and increase influence and persuasiveness

Methods and Tools for Planning the Future Power System : Issues and Priorities

This report contributes to discussion of the nature of the future power system in the context of the IET’s ‘Power Networks Joint Vision’ initiative. It summarises a number of future challenges arising from the changing nature of generation and demand and the possibility of greater demand-side participation in electricity markets. It argues that these require significant change in respect of current practice in the assessment, planning and development of power network facilities enabling future system operation. It reflects on methods and tools used by network planners in Britain today and discusses areas in which modelling capability needs to be developed and enhanced data or user competencies are required