2,132 research outputs found

    Sustainable urban development and its impact on facilities management: the case of the city of Doha, Qatar

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    This research study examines the extent of urban development in Doha in relation to the impact this development poses on Facilities Management (FM). The focus of this study is on the city of Doha, Qatar. Urban growth that is not underpinned by a sustainable development ethos presents unique challenges on social, economic, human and environmental development. Two fundamental drivers of the urban development, namely: the implementation of Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV) and the preparation to host major sports events such as Men's Handball Tournament 2015 and FIFA Football World Cup in 2022 have been investigated. Particular emphasis is to be placed on the government to look beyond ambitions for creating a 'global hub city' and contextualise the position of Qatar in terms of limited population numbers, dependence on a foreign workforce and the hiring of knowledge instead of creating a base. The emergence of FM as an important dimension to sustainable development requires a paradigm shift in encouraging FM involvement in the development process. A case study was undertaken and a thematic analysis was adopted within a non-interventional interpretative paradigm. Field data were collected using semi-structured interviews with respondents being identified through convenience and purposeful sampling considerations. The data show that while the hosting of major sports events presents legacy issues and FM pressures after the events, it is the implementation of the QNV that also provided significant challenges on rapid urban growth, sustainable development and FM. Implications of the findings are that a national development strategy for an emerging economy is required to be underpinned by the application of a holistic and sustainable approach that provides social and economic development to the communities; the formulation of an urban development process that assists in creating a controlled urban growth that can offer a viable creation of social inclusivity needed to achieve sustainable development; and that the low level of FM expertise as a result of the limited number of FM firms and the lack of technology and techniques presents unique FM challenges in Qatar

    Industry 4.0: the impact of strategic leadership behaviour on organisational response to the adoption of technological innovation.

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    The rapid development and cross-interaction between emerging technologies is called Industry 4.0, and it is being called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Organisational leaders are seeking to understand how to lead their firms to benefit from the opportunities that these technologies offer, as well as mitigating against the threats that the technologies could pose. This thesis aims to examine how Industry 4.0 and strategic leadership behaviours are intersecting and influencing each other. This study forms part of the requirement for completion of a Doctorate of Business Administration, a professional doctorate that was undertaken whilst the researcher was in full time employment in a leadership role. Partially influenced by professional practice, the research philosophy that underpins the study is pragmatic. Data collection was completed using semi-structured qualitative interviews. Data analysis included inductive and deductive thematic analysis to re-signify strategic leadership behaviour in the context of Industry 4.0. Yukl's 2012 hierarchal behavioural taxonomy was selected as the most appropriate framework to connect to existing literature on leadership behaviour. The primary finding is the display of knowledge management behaviours by strategic organisational leaders. This thesis recommends significant changes to Yukl's behavioural taxonomy by the addition of a metacategory called 'knowledge-based behaviours', and removal of 'externally focused behaviours' metacategory. This metacategory is partially populated by previously-identified behaviours: networking, external monitoring, representing, and facilitating collective learning. The objectives behind these behaviours are revised in line with the findings of this study. Additionally, a novel behaviour of critical evaluation is also included in the knowledge-based behaviour metacategory. Secondary findings include the revising the objectives of existing behaviours, as well as the identification of another novel behaviour 'mission matching'. Finally, the study provides evidence that the enablers and challenges of Industry 4.0 adoption previously theoretically identified in literature are broadly applicable; however, there is divergence on which factors have the most impact. This study also identified additional factors such as scepticism and the lack of a clear definition of Industry 4.0 impeding collective learning behaviours in organisations. This thesis proposes an updated definition of Industry 4.0, as well as a conceptual framework to assist with categorising technologies

    Electronic negotiation support systems and their role in business communication : an exploratory evaluation of auction use

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    Electronic communication media and electronic commerce have become substantial components of economic interaction. Buyers and consumers are increasingly integrated in processes of product and service specification. More and more coordination processes are conducted digitally or partly automated. Buyer-supplier relationships change. In the post-hype phase regarding online-auctions long term relationships prevail ? however, the electronic communication via e-mail as well as the different types of reverse auction have been established as business processes. The dissertation contributes to an understanding of the appropriation and use processes of electronic procurement auctions, i.e. the only form of electronic negotiation with sufficient market-penetration for a field study. Consequently, it explicates the effects of the technology in its application context. The focus of the study is on an aspect, which is hardly suitable for experimental analysis: the identification and contextualisation of organisational communication effects. It shows how auction systems can generate efficiencies as well as relational threats and communicative barriers. The latter is mainly achvied through references to the theory of Habermas. Based on the field study, conclusions for the adequate design and choice of negotiation support technology are drawn.Elektronische Kommunikationsmedien und Electronic Commerce haben sich zu integralen Bestandteilen wirtschaftlichen Handelns entwickelt. Zudem sind Abnehmer oder Konsumenten in Lieferketten zunehmend in die Prozesse der Spezifikation von Produkten und Dienstleistungen eingebunden. Zunehmend werden auch Vereinbarungsprozesse digital abgewickelt oder gar im Rahmen von elektronischen Beschaffungsauktionen teilautomatisiert. Die Beziehungen von Lieferanten und Einkäufern entwickeln sich parallel dazu weiter. Auch nach dem Ende der euphorischen Phase in Bezug auf Online-Auktionen herrschen langfristig angelegte Kooperation vor - Gleichwohl hat die elektronische Kommunikation sowohl in Form der E-Mail als auch in Form verschiedener Varianten der Beschaffungsauktion Einzug in geschäftliche Verhandlungsabläufe gefunden. Die Dissertation trägt dazu bei, die Aneignungs- und Nutzungsprozesse elektronischer Beschaffungsauktionen, der einzigen E-Verhandlungsform mit ausreichender Verbreitung, zu erklären und im Anschluss daran die Effekte dieser Technologien im Anwendungskontext aufzuzeigen. Der Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf einem Aspekt, der einer experimentellen Analyse schwer zugänglich, aber gleichwohl von großer Bedeutung ist: der Identifikation und Kontextualisierung von Effekten im Rahmen der organisationalen Kommunikation. Es wird aufgezeigt, wie Auktionssysteme Prozesseffizienzen generieren, aber auch Geschäftsbeziehungen gefährden und als Kommunikationsbarriere wirken können. Letzteres wird insbesondere durch Bezüge zum Kommunikationsmodell von Habermas erreicht. Die Arbeit liefert auf Basis einer Feldstudie eine Grundlage für die adäquate Gestaltung und die situationsbezogene Auswahl von Technologien

    Concentration dynamics and bargaining power: a theory of two-dimensional competition in the agri-food complex

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    This thesis attempts to explain vertical market interaction within the food chain from a new perspective. It takes a two-stage game-theoretic framework from industrial organisation literature, and extrapolates this into the area of bargaining relationships. In turn, the inter-sectoral paradigm developed is applied to the specific area of agricultural marketing and the conventional wisdom of cooperatives is challenged. The resulting model allows new insights into such issues as countervailing market power, the dynamics of market structure and competition policy. Although the principles have been developed within the context of the U.K. food chain, they are of wider relevance. The conceptual framework developed underlines that in studying bargaining relationships and market structures the economic concept of equilibrium may be better replaced with a broader game-theoretic understanding of the market process

    International policy entrepreneurship and production of international public goods: the case of multilateral trade regime

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    Abstract. The paper considers public goods in the realm of international governance, provides a framework explaining their provision, and applies it in the analysis of the trade policymaking in the GATT/WTO. International governance regime is seen as a public good; it is conceptualized as an equilibrium state, one where the extent of ideational and material conflicts, incongruities in policy mechanisms and the lack of institutions are substantially minimised. Such state is brought by policy entrepreneurship on the part of multiple actors. Three generic entrepreneurial functions (policy leadership, innovation and facilitation/coordination) are identified. Successful equilibration is characterized by the complementarity of entrepreneurial functions, as well as by the persistence and ingenuity of entrepreneurs in selecting and using specific means and instruments of entrepreneurship. Policy entrepreneurship is considered crucial in several areas, including problem framing, advocacy and coalition building, policy experimentation, and creation of the analytical instruments. It is also salient in moderation of conflicting positions, exercise of influence and management of the policy process.Keywords. Entrepreneurship, Public goods, Trade, International governance.JEL. F13, F50, H41, L2

    Bargaining in the shadow of a trial : adding notions of fairness to interest-based negotiation in legal domains

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    Most negotiation support systems have focused upon the notion of meeting the disputants’ interests. However in the legal domain, Alternative Dispute Resolution often occurs in the shadow of the law. Integrative bargaining neglects the vital issues of justice and power. In this article we address the issue of how to add notions of fairness to interests, through the development of the Family_Mediator system. Family_Mediator is an extension of the Family_Winner system, which advises mediators about potential trade-offs and compensation strategies for divorcing couples

    Imaginary penalities: reconsidering anti-trafficking discourses and technologies

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    The antithesis between a criminalisation and a human rights approach in the context of trafficking in women has been considered a highly contested issue. On the one hand, it is argued that a criminalisation approach would be better, because security measures will be fortified, the number of convictions will inevitably increase, and states’ interests will be safeguarded against security threats. On the other hand, it is maintained that a human rights approach would bring more effective results, as this will mobilise a more ‘holistic’ approach, bringing together prevention, prosecution, protection of victims and partnerships in delivering gendered victim services. This antithesis, discursively constructed at an international level, cuts across a decentralised reliance on the national competent authorities. To investigate this powerful discursive domain, I set these approaches within the larger framework of a tripartite ‘anti-trafficking promise’ that aims to eliminate trafficking through criminalisation, security and human rights. I ask how clearly and distinctively each term has been articulated, by the official anti-trafficking actors (police and service providers), and what the nature of their interaction is within the larger whole. In grappling with these questions, I undertake both empirical and theoretical enquiry. The empirical part is based on research I conducted at the Greek anti-trafficking mechanisms in 2008-2009. The theoretical discussion draws, in particular, on the concept of ‘imaginary penalities’ introduced in the criminological work of Pat Carlen. I consider what it might mean to bring this concept to bear in the context of anti-trafficking. In my analysis, criminalisation is linked to a ‘toughness’ rhetoric, an ever-encroaching and totalising demand for criminal governance. Security is shown to express the contemporary grammar of criminalisation, crafting a global language of risks and threats as core elements of the post 9/11 ideological conditions in the area of crime control. Finally, human rights are figured as tempering or correcting the criminal law for the sake of victims’ protection. Together, these three elements constitute a promise that, once they are balanced and stabilised, trafficking can be abolished. Yet it is not only trafficking that is at stake. My study shows how anti-trafficking discursive formations also produce particular forms of subjectivity and conceptions of class, sex, ethnicity and race. The upshot is to bring into focus the imaginary penalities at the centre of anti-trafficking discourses and technologies, while also suggesting the possibilities for contesting and transforming their subjects and fields of operation. The thesis opens up the conceptual map of future critical engagement with the relation of structural inequalities and imaginary penalities

    Design of an artificial intelligence model that refines the results of analysis in economic decision making. The case of final energy consumption in the UE

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    [ES] El objetivo de este Trabajo de Fin de Grado, titulado ‘Diseño de un modelo de Inteligencia Artificial que afina los resultados del análisis en la toma de decisiones en economía: el caso del consumo final de energía en la UE’, es arrojar luz sobre el potencial de la Inteligencia Artificial (IA) para el proceso de toma de decisiones. El estudio comienza estableciendo las bases del enfoque tradicional para la toma de decisiones y analizando los procesos que existen. Además, se definen las limitaciones de estos enfoques tradicionales. La siguiente sección explora los nuevos enfoques basados en IA. En primer lugar, se establecen los conceptos fundamentales de la IA. Además, se aclaran las diferencias entre IA y ‘Machine Learning’. Luego, se profundiza en el proceso de toma de decisiones utilizando esta tecnología. Habiendo sentado las bases, la investigación se adentra en los efectos económicos que surgen de la integración de la IA en empresas y organizaciones internacionales, diferenciando entre el nivel de la empresa y las repercusiones micro y macroeconómicas. Por último, se presenta un estudio de un caso real en el sector energético europeo, para comparar el rendimiento predictivo de los métodos tradicionales con las técnicas novedosas de la IA.[EN] The objective of this Final Degree Dissertation, entitled ‘Design of an Artificial Intelligence model that refines the results of the analysis in economic decision making: the case of final energy consumption in the UE’ is to shed light on the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) from a decision-maker perspective. The study commences by establishing the bases of the traditional way of conducting data-driven decisions and discussing the various processes that exist. Additionally, it defines the limitations of these traditional approaches. The subsequent section explores the novel AI approaches for the decision making process, first, it establishes the fundamental concepts of AI. Additionally, it clarifies the distinctions between AI and Machine Learning. Then, it dives into the process of making decisions using AI, proposing examples of techniques employed in different areas. Having laid the groundwork, the research delves into the economic effects that arise from the integration of AI in businesses and international organizations, distinguishing between firm level, and microeconomic and macroeconomic level repercussions. Lastly, a real-world case study in the European energy sector is presented, to compare the predictive performance of traditional methods with AI techniques

    Implementation of computer visualisation in UK planning

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    PhD ThesisWithin the processes of public consultation and development management, planners are required to consider spatial information, appreciate spatial transformations and future scenarios. In the past, conventional media such as maps, plans, illustrations, sections, and physical models have been used. Those traditional visualisations are at a high degree of abstraction, sometimes difficult to understand for lay people and inflexible in terms of the range of scenarios which can be considered. Yet due to technical advances and falling costs, the potential for computer based visualisation has much improved and has been increasingly adopted within the planning process. Despite the growth in this field, insufficient consideration has been given to the possible weakness of computerised visualisations. Reflecting this lack of research, this study critically evaluates the use and potential of computerised visualisation within this process. The research is divided into two components: case study analysis and reflections of the author following his involvement within the design and use of visualisations in a series of planning applications; and in-depth interviews with experienced practitioners in the field. Based on a critical review of existing literature, this research explores in particular the issues of credibility, realism and costs of production. The research findings illustrate the importance of the credibility of visualisations, a topic given insufficient consideration within the academic literature. Whereas the realism of visualisations has been the focus of much previous research, the results of the case studies and interviews with practitioners undertaken in this research suggest a ‘photo’ realistic level of details may not be required as long as the observer considers the visualisations to be a credible reflection of the underlying reality. Although visualisations will always be a simplification of reality and their level of realism is subjective, there is still potential for developing guidelines or protocols for image production based on commonly agreed standards. In the absence of such guidelines there is a danger that scepticism in the credibility of computer visualisations will prevent the approach being used to its full potential. These findings suggest there needs to be a balance between scientific protocols and artistic licence in the production of computer visualisation. In order to be sufficiently credible for use in decision making within the planning processes, the production of computer visualisation needs to follow a clear methodology and scientific protocols set out in good practice guidance published by professional bodies and governmental organisations.Newcastle upon Tyne for awarding me an International Scholarship and Alumni Bursar

    A human factors perspective on volunteered geographic information

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    This thesis takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the unique abilities of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) to enhance the utility of online mashups in ways not achievable with Professional Geographic Information (PGI). The key issues currently limiting the use of successful of VGI are the concern for quality, accuracy and value of the information, as well as the polarisation and bias of views within the user community. This thesis reviews different theoretical approaches in Human Factors, Geography, Information Science and Computer Science to help understand the notion of user judgements relative to VGI within an online environment (Chapter 2). Research methods relevant to a human factors investigation are also discussed (Chapter 3). (Chapter 5) The scoping study established the fundamental insights into the terminology and nature of VGI and PGI, a range of users were engaged through a series of qualitative interviews. This led the development of a framework on VGI (Chapter 4), and comparative description of users in relation to one another through a value framework (Chapter 5). Study Two produced qualitative multi-methods investigation into how users perceive VGI and PGI in use (Chapter 6), demonstrating similarities and the unique ability for VGI to provide utility to consumers. Chapter Seven and Study Three brought insight into the specific abilities for VGI to enhance the user judgement of online information within an information relevance context (Chapter 7 and 8). In understanding the outcomes of these studies, this thesis discusses how users perceive VGI as different from PGI in terms of its benefit to consumers from a user centred design perspective (Chapter 9). In particular, the degree to which user concerns are valid, the limitation of VGI in application and its potential strengths in enriching the user experiences of consumers engaged within an information search. In conclusion, specific contributions and avenues for further work are highlighted (Chapter 10)
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