Application of data mining techniques for economic evaluation of air pollution impact and control

In this research we examine aspects of the interdependence between economic development and the use of environmental and natural resources assets from global data published by United Nations. For that purpose, we use data mining techniques. Data mining techniques applied in this thesis were: 1) Group method of data handling (GMDH), originally from engineering, introducing principles of evolution - inheritance, mutation and selection - for generating a network structure systematically to develop the automatic model, synthesis, and its validation; 2) The weighted least square (WLS) and step wise regression were also applied for some cases; 3) The classification-based association rules were applied. Data sets for this research consist of two sets integration data of air quality data and macroeconomic data of the cross-country data of World Development Indicator 2003 (WDI 2003), and from www.nationmaster.com. The results from www.nationmaster.com were as follows: the corruption index was strongly related to the urban SO2 concentration. The corruption index along with NOx emission has big contribution to the debt. Debt is the debt of the home country to the foreign country or external debt or foreign debt. The result from WDI 2003 shows that the mortality rate of children under five years old depended on sanitation and water facilities obtained from GMDH results. However, the results from stepwise regression shows that mortality rate was dependent on annual deforestation, particulate matter, nationally protected area, but the big contribution was from annual deforestation. Based on GMDH, new Gross National Income (GNI) formula was found. Previously GNI was known as Gross National Product (GNP). It was different from the common formula of GNP. The formula or equation model of urban SO2 concentration was also found through the GMDH algorithms. The results were then compared to WLS and Stepwise regression. The debt was found by GMDH to be dependent on the corruption index as well as urban SO2 concentration. Corruption index along with NOx emission were related to debt. Results from weighted least square using SAS software showed that the corruption index was significant to the concentration of urban SO2. Results from classification rules of the WDI 2003 data showed that the more energy imports net from foreign country was associated with the smaller in adjusted net saving in home country. Energy imports net were calculated as energy use in oil equivalents. This indicated that if the energy imports net was higher, then the adjusted net saving was small, and then CO2 emissions was small also. Thus, to reduce global warming in home country, a country can import energy from foreign country. According to the result from association rules on nationamaster.com data there were indication that corruption index was related with higher urban SO2 concentration, and inflation. Results from association rules of item sets shows that the urban SO2 always follows the direction of corruption index. In addition, if any country wants to reduce the urban SO2 concentration, more works can be conducted on controlling corruption index than controlling SO2 emission per populated area

Building International Business Competencies, Human Capital, and Service Capabilities: A Study of Emerging Market Professional Service Small-and-Medium-Sized Enterprises

Prior research has shown that a firm’s intangible resources are an important source of sustainable competitive advantage. This dissertation focuses on the intangible resources of Professional Service Firms that are Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (PSF SMEs) from an emerging market (namely India). PSF SMEs from emerging markets (such as India) are expanding globally and are attempting to compete with developed country market firms. This research study examines the factors that allow these PSF SMEs to compete successfully in the global marketplace. Examining these factors will enable developed country market firms as well as other emerging market firms to better understand the ways in which they can successfully compete globally. Professional service involves an organization or profession that offers customized, knowledge-based services to clients; examples are legal, engineering, accounting, architectural, financial, and software services. SMEs are generally defined as firms that have fewer than 500 employees or less than $25 million in revenues. The global professional services market is worth trillions of dollars and growing. PSFs (especially those that are also SMEs) from emerging markets are becoming quite successful in developed economies (such as the U.S. or U.K.) and in other emerging economies. This dissertation examines the intangible factors that contribute to the competitive advantages and superior performance of emerging market PSF SMEs. Specifically, this research documents the relationships among a PSF’s international business competencies (IBCs), human capital, service capabilities, competitive advantages, and financial performance. The study involves a 2018 survey of 251 senior managers or owners of PSF SMEs from India that have operations in various foreign markets. Structural equation modeling is used in the analysis of the study’s data. The results of the study show the positive impacts of the PSF SME’s IBCs, human capital, and service capabilities on the firm’s competitive advantages and performance. A detailed discussion of the theoretical, methodological, and managerial contributions and implications of the study are provided

Building International Business Competencies, Human Capital, and Service Capabilities: A Study of Emerging Market Professional Service Small-and-Medium-Sized Enterprises

Prior research has shown that a firm’s intangible resources are an important source of sustainable competitive advantage. This dissertation focuses on the intangible resources of Professional Service Firms that are Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (PSF SMEs) from an emerging market (namely India). PSF SMEs from emerging markets (such as India) are expanding globally and are attempting to compete with developed country market firms. This research study examines the factors that allow these PSF SMEs to compete successfully in the global marketplace. Examining these factors will enable developed country market firms as well as other emerging market firms to better understand the ways in which they can successfully compete globally. Professional service involves an organization or profession that offers customized, knowledge-based services to clients; examples are legal, engineering, accounting, architectural, financial, and software services. SMEs are generally defined as firms that have fewer than 500 employees or less than $25 million in revenues. The global professional services market is worth trillions of dollars and growing. PSFs (especially those that are also SMEs) from emerging markets are becoming quite successful in developed economies (such as the U.S. or U.K.) and in other emerging economies. This dissertation examines the intangible factors that contribute to the competitive advantages and superior performance of emerging market PSF SMEs. Specifically, this research documents the relationships among a PSF’s international business competencies (IBCs), human capital, service capabilities, competitive advantages, and financial performance. The study involves a 2018 survey of 251 senior managers or owners of PSF SMEs from India that have operations in various foreign markets. Structural equation modeling is used in the analysis of the study’s data. The results of the study show the positive impacts of the PSF SME’s IBCs, human capital, and service capabilities on the firm’s competitive advantages and performance. A detailed discussion of the theoretical, methodological, and managerial contributions and implications of the study are provided

Case study evidence of the extent and nature of foreign subsidiaries' R&D and innovation capability in Hungary

Multinational companies increasingly locate their R&D activities outside their home countries, thus being one of the main contributors to the ongoing process of the internationalisation of R&D. The internationalisation of corporate R&D is gaining momentum and the New Member States of the European Union, including Hungary are increasingly taking part in that process. The present paper analyses three aspects of this topic, first, the characteristics of R&D activities carried out by foreign affiliates in Hungary. Second, what are those locational factors which attract these types of investments to Hungary, distinguishing between production-related and knowledge-seeking R&D and relating locational factors in Hungary to those in the home country. And third, we analyse what the impact of this type of investments on the local economy is, where we also distinguish between production-related and “stand-alone”, knowledge-seeking projects. In the analysis, company case studies were used based on questionnaire-led semi-structured interviews with leading managers of 20 foreign-owned automotive and electronics companies

Video Game Development in a Rush: A Survey of the Global Game Jam Participants

Video game development is a complex endeavor, often involving complex software, large organizations, and aggressive release deadlines. Several studies have reported that periods of "crunch time" are prevalent in the video game industry, but there are few studies on the effects of time pressure. We conducted a survey with participants of the Global Game Jam (GGJ), a 48-hour hackathon. Based on 198 responses, the results suggest that: (1) iterative brainstorming is the most popular method for conceptualizing initial requirements; (2) continuous integration, minimum viable product, scope management, version control, and stand-up meetings are frequently applied development practices; (3) regular communication, internal playtesting, and dynamic and proactive planning are the most common quality assurance activities; and (4) familiarity with agile development has a weak correlation with perception of success in GGJ. We conclude that GGJ teams rely on ad hoc approaches to development and face-to-face communication, and recommend some complementary practices with limited overhead. Furthermore, as our findings are similar to recommendations for software startups, we posit that game jams and the startup scene share contextual similarities. Finally, we discuss the drawbacks of systemic "crunch time" and argue that game jam organizers are in a good position to problematize the phenomenon.Comment: Accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Game

Preventing Incomplete/Hidden Requirements: Reflections on Survey Data from Austria and Brazil

Many software projects fail due to problems in requirements engineering (RE). The goal of this paper is analyzing a specific and relevant RE problem in detail: incomplete/hidden requirements. We replicated a global family of RE surveys with representatives of software organizations in Austria and Brazil. We used the data to (a) characterize the criticality of the selected RE problem, and to (b) analyze the reported main causes and mitigation actions. Based on the analysis, we discuss how to prevent the problem. The survey includes 14 different organizations in Austria and 74 in Brazil, including small, medium and large sized companies, conducting both, plan-driven and agile development processes. Respondents from both countries cited the incomplete/hidden requirements problem as one of the most critical RE problems. We identified and graphically represented the main causes and documented solution options to address these causes. Further, we compiled a list of reported mitigation actions. From a practical point of view, this paper provides further insights into common causes of incomplete/hidden requirements and on how to prevent this problem.Comment: in Proceedings of the Software Quality Days, 201

"Re-engineering Cyprus" : information technologies and transformation processes in the Republic of Cyprus

By most Western Europeans Cyprus is probably perceived as a tourist resort rather than a technologically highly developed country. Interested German visitors are informed by the travel brochure published by the Republic of Cyprus' tourist office that "in the villages old customs and traditions still exist" (Zypern. 9000 Jahre Geschichte und Kultur 1997, 11). Pictures of places of antiquity, churches, monasteries, fortresses, archaic villages and of people engaged in agricultural work and crafts convey the image of a traditional Mediterranean society. However, the Republic of Cyprus is a rapidly modernising country. It has developed recently "from a poor agrarian into a high-income service economy" (Christodoulou 1995, 11) and "radical transformation processes" are observed (cf. ibid., 18). The forthcoming accession to the European Union additionally accelerates the pace of these transformation processes. Due to its position on the extreme rim of Europe in the Eastern Mediterranean region at the crossroads of three continents, the island is perceived both as marginal (cf. Pace 1999) and as a link between Europe and the Asian and African continents (cf. Kasoulides 1999). Cyprus is conceptualised for the future as a centre and intersection: as regional hub of the modern capital market, as communications and trade centre in the Eastern Mediterranean, as "telecommunications hub for the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region", as "international services centre". The Republic of Cyprus has a highly developed telecommunications infrastructure, which is the basic prerequisite for the conversion into such a centre and is one of the most important factors for the economic competitiveness of Cyprus. The global nature of communication platforms today, especially the Internet, is regarded as the key to the integration of Cyprus into the world economy. By implementing information technologies and promoting necessary expertise, economic progress and modernisation of the country as well as its global competitiveness is assumed to be guaranteed. Investments in the information technology infrastructure are regarded as essential for the development of Cyprus, fostering the implementation of the information society. This aim and the necessary implementation measures feature increasingly on the agendas of scientific and economic conferences and symposia in Cyprus

Software Development Standard and Software Engineering Practice: A Case Study of Bangladesh

Improving software process to achieve high quality in a software development organization is the key factor to success. Bangladeshi software firms have not experienced much in this particular area in comparison to other countries. The ISO 9001 and CMM standard has become a basic part of software development. The main objectives of our study are: 1) To understand the software development process uses by the software developer firms in Bangladesh 2) To identify the development practices based on established quality standard and 3) To establish a standardized and coherent process for the development of software for a specific project. It is revealed from this research that software industries of Bangladesh are lacking in target set for software process and improvement, involvement of quality control activities, and standardize business expertise practice. This paper investigates the Bangladeshi software industry in the light of the above challenges.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, 11 table