Personalizable Knowledge Integration

Large repositories of data are used daily as knowledge bases (KBs) feeding computer systems that support decision making processes, such as in medical or financial applications. Unfortunately, the larger a KB is, the harder it is to ensure its consistency and completeness. The problem of handling KBs of this kind has been studied in the AI and databases communities, but most approaches focus on computing answers locally to the KB, assuming there is some single, epistemically correct solution. It is important to recognize that for some applications, as part of the decision making process, users consider far more knowledge than that which is contained in the knowledge base, and that sometimes inconsistent data may help in directing reasoning; for instance, inconsistency in taxpayer records can serve as evidence of a possible fraud. Thus, the handling of this type of data needs to be context-sensitive, creating a synergy with the user in order to build useful, flexible data management systems. Inconsistent and incomplete information is ubiquitous and presents a substantial problem when trying to reason about the data: how can we derive an adequate model of the world, from the point of view of a given user, from a KB that may be inconsistent or incomplete? In this thesis we argue that in many cases users need to bring their application-specific knowledge to bear in order to inform the data management process. Therefore, we provide different approaches to handle, in a personalized fashion, some of the most common issues that arise in knowledge management. Specifically, we focus on (1) inconsistency management in relational databases, general knowledge bases, and a special kind of knowledge base designed for news reports; (2) management of incomplete information in the form of different types of null values; and (3) answering queries in the presence of uncertain schema matchings. We allow users to define policies to manage both inconsistent and incomplete information in their application in a way that takes both the user's knowledge of his problem, and his attitude to error/risk, into account. Using the frameworks and tools proposed here, users can specify when and how they want to manage/solve the issues that arise due to inconsistency and incompleteness in their data, in the way that best suits their needs

The design and implementation of fuzzy query processing on sensor networks

Sensor nodes and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) enable observation of the physical world in unprecedented levels of granularity. A growing number of environmental monitoring applications are being designed to leverage data collection features of WSN, increasing the need for efficient data management techniques and for comparative analysis of various data management techniques. My research leverages aspects of fuzzy database, specifically fuzzy data representation and fuzzy or flexible queries to improve upon the efficiency of existing data management techniques by exploiting the inherent uncertainty of the data collected by WSN. Herein I present my research contributions. I provide classification of WSN middleware to illustrate varying approaches to data management for WSN and identify a need to better handle the uncertainty inherent in data collected from physical environments and to take advantage of the imprecision of the data to increase the efficiency of WSN by requiring less information be transmitted to adequately answer queries posed by WSN monitoring applications. In this dissertation, I present a novel approach to querying WSN, in which semantic knowledge about sensor attributes is represented as fuzzy terms. I present an enhanced simulation environment that supports more flexible and realistic analysis by using cellular automata models to separately model the deployed WSN and the underlying physical environment. Simulation experiments are used to evaluate my fuzzy query approach for environmental monitoring applications. My analysis shows that using fuzzy queries improves upon other data management techniques by reducing the amount of data that needs to be collected to accurately satisfy application requests. This reduction in data transmission results in increased battery life within sensors, an important measure of cost and performance for WSN applications

Green Knowledge Management zur Unterstützung ökologischer Nachhaltigkeit

Nachhaltigkeit und damit verbundene Umweltmanagement- und Green Ansätze haben sich in den letzten 20-30 Jahren stetig zu einem Trendthema weiterentwickelt, welches nicht nur durch Forschungseinrichtungen, sondern auch durch öffentliche Organisationen, Behörden, aber auch Privatunternehmen aufgegriffen wird. Durch gesteigerten Energie- und Ressourcenverbrauch werden immer neue Möglichkeiten gesucht sowohl die ökonomischen, ökologischen als auch sozialen Belastungen und Auswirkungen der Büro- und Betriebsumgebungen auf Mensch und Umwelt zu reduzieren. Während der Ansatz des zertifizierten Umweltmanagements schon seit den 1990er Jahren etabliert ist, sind Green Ansätze erst in den letzten 10 Jahren entstanden. Heutige Entscheidungen bzgl. einer geeigneten Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie und die Unterstützung von Maßnahmen einer Organisation, bedürfen Wissen für die Entscheidungsträger. Ebenso ist es von entscheidender Bedeutung die Umweltwirkungen einer Organisation anhand von Daten und Informationen zu erfassen, diese in Kontext zu setzen und das enthaltene Wissen für zukünftige Änderungen abzuleiten. Genau an dieser Problematik setzen die vorgelegte Arbeit und die damit verbundene Forschungsfrage an. Wie kann ein „klassisches“ Wissensmanagement hin zu einem „Grünen Wissensmanagement“ weiterentwickelt werden, so dass dieses gezielt die Themen Nachhaltigkeit, im Speziellen ökologische Nachhaltigkeit, Umweltmanagement und weitere Green Ansätze unterstützt? Die erarbeitete Green Knowledge Management Definition setzt sich dabei aus fünf Teilaspekten zusammen, welche in der Folge systematisch hergeleitet, konzeptuell ausgearbeitet und mit Hilfe von praktischen Beispielen dokumentiert werden. Hierzu wird etwa eine Auswahl bestehender Wissensmanagementmodelle untersucht, um daraus abzuleiten wie die Wissensprozesse mit denen des Umweltmanagements und verschiedener Green Ansätze ineinandergreifen können. Auch werden Arten von Wissensmanagementsystemen und deren Einsatzmöglichkeiten untersucht. Ebenso wird ein Planungs- und Entscheidungsunterstützungsinstrument in Form eines Würfels, dem „Green Knowledge Management Cube“, konzeptuell vorgestellt und prototypisch implementiert. Ein weiterer Aspekt besteht in der intensiven Betrachtung von Umweltinformationssystemen und den Möglichkeiten zur Erweiterung hin zu Umweltwissenssystemen. Hierzu präsentiert die Arbeit ein Modell eines Umweltwissenssystems, kurz UmweltWiS, dessen Logik auf dem Einsatz von semantischen Technologien basiert, um so eine flexible Erweiterbarkeit und die Einbindung von öffentlich verfügbaren Linked Open Data-Quellen aus dem Umweltbereich zu ermöglichen. Das UmweltWiS-Konzept hat den Anspruch in verschiedenen Anwendungskontexten sowohl im öffentlichen wie auch privatwirtschaftlichen Bereich einsetzbar zu sein. Dies wird mit Hilfe von drei Anwendungsfällen im Bereich der Forstwirtschaft, der Materialkunde und moderner Industrie 4.0 Umgebungen prototypisch dargestellt. Zum Abschluss der Arbeit wird betrachtet, wie ein Green Knowledge Management die Faktoren Recycling und Reduktion von Wissen adressieren kann, um somit eine Wiederverwendung, Weiterverwendung oder Weiterverwertung von Wissen möglich zu machen. Der Faktor der Reduktion von Wissen ist dabei im Zuge der Vermeidung von redundanten Wissensfragmenten oder veraltetem Wissen von Relevanz.Sustainability, environmental management and green initiatives are topics which gradually developed into trends since the late 1980s, not only in research institutions, but also in public and private organizations. While the usage of energy and other resources are increasing, these organizations search for new possibilities to reduce the economic, ecologic and social burdens and consequences of office and production environments for employees and nature. While certified environmental management systems were established already in the 1990s, green approaches and technologies are only about 10 years old and steadily developing. Decisions about a fitting strategy and the support of suitable measures inside an organization always require knowledge provided for the decision makers. Furthermore it is of importance to record the environmental consequences of the operational business and to not only record data and information, but to create a context and deduce the knowledge for future activities. Based on this situation, the work addresses the main research question of how „classical“ knowledge management might be further developed or transformed into Green Knowledge Management and how it addresses the goals of sustainability, especially ecological sustainability, environmental management and green approaches alike? The definition of Green Knowledge Management consists of five factors, which are discussed systematically, explored conceptually and documented with the help of practical examples. Different knowledge management models and their respective building blocks are analyzed to deduce how knowledge processes might interact with environmental ones as well as green aspects. Also different types of knowledge management systems are analysed for their application possibilities. A planning and decision making tool in form of a three dimensional cube, the “Green Knowledge Management Cube” is introduced on a conceptual level and documented with the help of exemplary implementations. An additional aspect for the development of Green Knowledge Management bases on the intensive analysis of environmental information systems and the possibilities for extending these systems to environmental knowledge systems. The work presents a model of an environmental knowledge system called UmweltWiS. The logic of the system applies semantic technologies to provide a flexible and extensible structure to integrate public linked open data sources with an environmental background. The UmweltWiS concept is designed to be applicable in different application scenarios, in public and private context. This is documented with the help of three use case scenarios of forestry, material science and modern industry 4.0 production environments. At the end of the work it is discussed how Green Knowledge Management may address the recycling and reduction of knowledge to provide possibilities for reusability. The reduction of knowledge supports the prevention of redundant knowledge fragmentation or the usage of outdated knowledge

Cultural value for young generation employees and implications in management style in the Chinese information technology industry

Confucian value, as the China traditional value, has been extensively researched in Chinese management, since the culture value is the essence for studying management. These existing studies ignore a critical issue that is the generational value change. As the direct result of China fast developed economy and 'opening' policy, much international companies entry into China, which bring the Western production and ideology to Chinese. The value and lifestyle of Chinese people have dramatically changed, especially for those young generations. This generation is in the value verge stage, which they are more individualistic and less Confucianism. The existing Chinese management theory is inappropriate since it considers all Chinese hold a same value, the study focused on Chinese young generation employee and identifying a young generation employees suited management style is little and undeveloped, which is forms the distinctiveness of this research. The aim is to explore, illuminate and gain the deep understanding of Chinese young generation employees' perceptions of value and impact of their behaviour, further to propose effective management style including the effective management approaches, to potentially contribute Chinese local managers and Western managers in their global employee management. The concepts in the Confucianism, Individualism serve as the theoretical framework for this research. Also, the knowledge of management effectiveness, management style and management approaches ground the further analysis in this research. With its characteristic, this research selects China Information Technology industry to deeply study Chinese young generation employees' value and managers' first hand experiences, It employs social constructionism followed by qualitative methodology to understand participants' perceptions. Semi-structured interview is a method to gain the participants' thoughts and stories which later to be analysed by narrative analysis followed by thematic approach. An analysis of data revealed that Chinese young generation employees different to elder employee. Four distinctive perceived values have been discovered: practicality; self centered; performance orientated and anti-traditions. To respond young generation employees' value change, the analysis revealed a management style, entitled 'Elder- brother'. Heading this management, seven effective management approaches are explored: benevolence; equal and learning supervision style; open decision making style; direct communication style; performance based evaluation; flexible staff management and encouragement for young enployees' creations. At the same time, the analysis also provides an image for the qualified manager, who is self discipline; skilled and knowledge; competence in managing and having nice personal traits. Above all, they have not been discovered by past studies. They have offered new insights and raised awareness of the Chinese young employees' value, and corresponded managerial thought and behaviour. The contributions of this research are: 1) it extends the current literature of Chinese management theory, which was never concerned in past research, with the specific interest on the Chinese young generation employees; 2) it develops a new and practice based framework for managing Chinese young generation employees in a contemporary environment, by addressing the management style, detailed management approaches and the image of the manager; 3) it provides timely information for other academics and practitioners understand the current value presence in Chinese young generation employees, as well as guides both China and expatriate managers adopt their management behaviour in the future

A planning approach to the automated synthesis of template-based process models

The design-time specification of flexible processes can be time-consuming and error-prone, due to the high number of tasks involved and their context-dependent nature. Such processes frequently suffer from potential interference among their constituents, since resources are usually shared by the process participants and it is difficult to foresee all the potential tasks interactions in advance. Concurrent tasks may not be independent from each other (e.g., they could operate on the same data at the same time), resulting in incorrect outcomes. To tackle these issues, we propose an approach for the automated synthesis of a library of template-based process models that achieve goals in dynamic and partially specified environments. The approach is based on a declarative problem definition and partial-order planning algorithms for template generation. The resulting templates guarantee sound concurrency in the execution of their activities and are reusable in a variety of partially specified contextual environments. As running example, a disaster response scenario is given. The approach is backed by a formal model and has been tested in experiment

Assessing the impact of “more-flexible” learning as part of a study program

With the increasing use of Flexible Learning approaches in Higher Education at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), measuring their effectiveness, from both an educational and a participant's point of view, is of particular importance. In response to the limited scientific contributions on this topic, this article presents a possibility of how an assessment can take place: this study analyzes 62 undergrad-uate student responses to a Blended Learning task and compares the participant findings with a pre-existing educational competency framework

Managerial Approaches to Telecommuting

The purpose of this theoretical paper is to synthesize the current knowledge on the topic of telecommuter managerial approaches by cross-analyzing certain commonalities and differences among relevant literature and scholarly sources. This paper will explore key themes such as trust management, performance-based reviews, communication, boundary management, work-life balance, and social and professional isolation. Additionally, this analysis will identify significant issues and contradictions amidst the research of flexible work arrangement management styles. Furthermore, it will outline the most significant disadvantages and repercussions of telecommuting and discuss them in relationship to the management styles best suited to alleviating these issues. Then, this paper will develop and present a theory which clearly outlines the best approaches for managing telecommuters by succinctly tying together the crucial variables embodying this literature. After, this paper will provide recommendations and methods for implementing these managerial approaches in the organization. Lastly, this paper will explain the theory’s implications on the overarching knowledge and topic of telecommuter managerial approaches and nature of the workforce

Managerial Approaches to Telecommuting

The purpose of this theoretical paper is to synthesize the current knowledge on the topic of telecommuter managerial approaches by cross-analyzing certain commonalities and differences among relevant literature and scholarly sources. This paper will explore key themes such as trust management, performance-based reviews, communication, boundary management, work-life balance, and social and professional isolation. Additionally, this analysis will identify significant issues and contradictions amidst the research of flexible work arrangement management styles. Furthermore, it will outline the most significant disadvantages and repercussions of telecommuting and discuss them in relationship to the management styles best suited to alleviating these issues. Then, this paper will develop and present a theory which clearly outlines the best approaches for managing telecommuters by succinctly tying together the crucial variables embodying this literature. After, this paper will provide recommendations and methods for implementing these managerial approaches in the organization. Lastly, this paper will explain the theory’s implications on the overarching knowledge and topic of telecommuter managerial approaches and nature of the workforce

Supporting organizational change: Fostering a more flexible approach to course delivery

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) adopted a flexible delivery policy in 1996. The main objective of the policy was to develop a more student‐centred approach to teaching and learning, since QUTs student population is predominantly part‐time, ‘mature age’, already in employment, and very diverse in cultural and academic background For many staff, the policy was threatening: staff were uncertain where they might begin to adapt their traditional face‐to‐face teaching approaches to overcome the limitations associated with time and place, and they were fearful that their teaching role and academic expertise might be superseded by a technological alternative. They lacked confidence to incorporate appropriate and relevant technologies in an innovative and effective way to support student learning objectives. This paper focuses on the implementation of QUTs policy. It highlights the role of a central services department, Teaching and Learning Support Services (TALSS), in providing training and fostering cultural change across the university. The implementation was guided by a model of flexible education and a set of principles underpinning a ‘whole of organization approach to flexible delivery. Strategies for supporting innovators, sharing experience across disciplines, co‐ordinating and focusing the support of educational developers, and embedding staff development processes are outlined The success and limitations of the organizational change strategy are summarized as ‘lessons learned’ to inform ongoing institutional policy and procedures

Agricultural advisers and the transition to sustainable soil managment in England: an analysis of the role of knowledge and knowledge processes

This research is concerned with the dynamic relationship between agricultural advisers, knowledge and soil in England. On the basis that agricultural advisers have always played a central role in linking research and farming practice and implementing policy on the farm, the thesis explores the role of the adviser in facilitating a shift towards sustainable soil management (which encompasses a range of complex and knowledge intensive practices) and to the realisation of policy objectives in this domain. Specifically it aims to provide detailed empirical evidence of the role that agricultural advisers play in the acquisition, utilisation, generation and transfer of knowledge about soil best management practice and to elicit the factors that enable and constrain these knowledge processes. Conceptually, the research draws on approaches to knowledge and knowledge processes in agriculture from the allied disciplines of rural geography, rural sociology and extension science. An actor-oriented Agricultural Knowledge and Information System (AKIS) approach provides the basis for examining adviser interactions with both the research and farming communities. While the AKIS describes the factors that enable and constrain how advisers engage in knowledge processes in terms of connections across institutional interfaces between research, advice and farming, an actororiented approach, which understands knowledge processes as social processes operating across social interfaces, enables exploration of how individual advisers behaving as autonomous agents resolve these constraining and enabling factors. The- study, combining quantitative and qualitative methods, employs an extensive postal questionnaire survey of a 163 agricultural advisers from across England and three detailed case studies where sustainable soil management is a central theme, namely: the Landcare Project; the UK Soil Management Initiative; and the SUNDIAL Fertiliser Recommendation System. The data describe an advisory community with a range of involvement, concerns and competence in soil management. Patterns of acquisition and utilisation of knowledge about soil best management practice revealed by the questionnaire data suggest that advisers are actively seeking and using knowledge about soil management, although some are more constrained than others in accessing it. These patterns, however, only provide a partial understanding of the complex knowledge processes in which advisers engage as they operate at the boundaries between science and practice. As such, qualitative data from the case studies are used to reveal that, in bridging the different institutional cultures and life worlds of research and practice, advisers encounter different understandings and expectations of soil best management practices. Rather than simply acquiring, utilising and transferring knowledge, the data reveal that advisers negotiate, adapt, transform, generate and integrate knowledge about soil as they struggle to reconcile the principles of research-based soil best management practice with the practical and business constraints of the farm. In doing this advisers, and agronomists in particular, tend to closely align themselves with the interests of the farming community and as such are more likely to reject or question soil best management practice. In addition the apparent lack of advisers' competence and skills in certain knowledge intensive soil best management practices and their reliance on experiential knowledge further explains their reluctance to engage in soil best management practices derived from national research. Integration of knowledge through dialogue and understanding emerges as key to overcoming these tensions and providing the basis for facilitating sustainable soil management. Advisers are shown to have a central role in integrating knowledge from research and from farmers. The processes and relationships that enable this integration are identified. The thesis concludes with some policy relevant suggestions to improve the effectiveness of advisers' participation in the transition to sustainable soil management in England. These include: exploiting a diverse and flexible advisory community; improving advisers' skills and expertise; instilling in them confidence to provide credible and practical soil best management practice; and improving the quality of communication between the advisers, researchers and farmers. Future research directions are reviewed in the context of the proposed implementation of Soil Management Plans on all farms in England as a component of cross compliance within CAP reforms