Planning and Leveraging Event Portfolios: Towards a Holistic Theory

This conceptual paper seeks to advance the discourse on the leveraging and legacies of events by examining the planning, management, and leveraging of event portfolios. This examination shifts the common focus from analyzing single events towards multiple events and purposes that can enable cross-leveraging among different events in pursuit of attainment and magnification of specific ends. The following frameworks are proposed: (1) event portfolio planning and leveraging, and (2) analyzing events networks and inter-organizational linkages. These frameworks are intended to provide, at this infancy stage of event portfolios research, a solid ground for building theory on the management of different types and scales of events within the context of a portfolio aimed to obtain, optimize and sustain tourism, as well as broader community benefits

Addressing data integration challenges to link ecological processes across scales

Data integration is a statistical modeling approach that incorporates multiple data sources within a unified analytical framework. Macrosystems ecology – the study of ecological phenomena at broad scales, including interactions across scales – increasingly employs data integration techniques to expand the spatiotemporal scope of research and inferences, increase the precision of parameter estimates, and account for multiple sources of uncertainty in estimates of multiscale processes. We highlight four common analytical challenges to data integration in macrosystems ecology research: data scale mismatches, unbalanced data, sampling biases, and model development and assessment. We explain each problem, discuss current approaches to address the issue, and describe potential areas of research to overcome these hurdles. Use of data integration techniques has increased rapidly in recent years, and given the inferential value of such approaches, we expect continued development and wider application across ecological disciplines, especially in macrosystems ecology

The Vital Role of Social Workers in Community Partnerships: The Alliance for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth

The account of The Alliance for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (GLBTQ) Youth formation offers a model for developing com- munity-based partnerships. Based in a major urban area, this university-community collaboration was spearheaded by social workers who were responsible for its original conceptualization, for generating community support, and for eventual staffing, administration, direct service provision, and program evaluation design. This article presents the strategic development and evolution of this community- based service partnership, highlighting the roles of schools of social work, academics, and social work students in concert with community funders, practitioners and youth, in responding to the needs of a vulnerable population

Session 1 Paper - Contemporary Expeditionary Warfare for Scientists and Engineers

Expeditionary forces from many countries have deployed to mitigate the effects of natural disasters and human conflicts. Approaches are usually linked to the nation’s maritime strategy. Expeditionary forces provide rapid response to man-made disruptions such as mass casualties by terrorists, vessel hijackings by pirates, murders by drug cartels, and nuclear accidents. Recent examples include Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response (HA/DR) and Non Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO). HA/DR type missions have been planned and executed to mitigate the effects of catastrophic tropical cyclones, flooding, wild fires, and tsunami. NEO missions are focused on the evacuation of a nation’s citizens and other foreigners from threatened areas abroad. The need for robust capabilities in this area in both expeditionary warfare and disaster recovery are required so that governments can perform their civil functions. This type of crisis response requires expeditionary forces to be self-sustaining and make data-driven decisions in austere and chaotic environments. Technology solutions have been developed to identify, study and resolve expeditionary warfare and force protection challenges, especially along dynamic coasts that are modified by waves, tides, and shallow water processes. This paper will highlight the impact of waves, tides, and shallow water processes. There are many other environmental factors that are required to support expeditionary warfare

Understanding Ambidexterity: Managing Contradictory Tensions Between Exploration and Exploitation in the Evolution of Digital Infrastructure

Prior research on the evolution of digital infrastructure has paid considerable attention to effective strategies for resolving contradictory tensions, yet what we still do not understand is the role of higher-level organizational capabilities that help balance the contradictory tensions that emerge during this evolution. In addressing this gap, two related questions guided our investigation: (1) How do organizations experience and resolve contradictory tensions throughout the evolution of digital infrastructure? and (2) What can we learn about the organizational capabilities that drive strategic actions in resolving these contradictory tensions? We approach these questions using an in-depth case study at RE/MAX LLC, a global real estate franchise. Based on our findings, we propose a theoretical model of digital infrastructure ambidexterity. The model recognizes three pairs of capabilities (identifying and germinating, expanding and legitimizing, and augmenting and implanting) and two supporting factors (leadership and structure) that are key to resolving contradictory tensions during this evolution. This study responds to a recent research call for dynamic process perspectives at multiple levels of analysis. We discuss the implications of this model for research and practice and offer observations for future research

Assessing the Flexibility of a Service Oriented Architecture to that of the Classic Data Warehouse

The flexibility of a service oriented architecture (SOA) is compared to that of the classic data warehouse across three categories: (1) source system access, (2) integration and transformation, and (3) end user access. The findings suggest that an SOA allows better upgrade and migration flexibility if back-end systems expose their source data via adapters. However, the providers of such adapters must deal with the complexity of maintaining consistent interfaces. An SOA also appears to provide more flexibility at the integration tier due to its ability to merge batch with real-time source system data. This has the potential to retain source system data semantics (e.g., code translations and business rules) without having to reproduce such logic in a transformation tier. Additionally, the tight coupling of operational metadata and source system data within XML in an SOA allows more flexibility in downstream analysis and auditing of output . SOA does lag behind the classic data warehouse at the end user level, mainly due to the latter\u27s use of mature SQL and relational database technology. Users of all technical levels can easily work with these technologies in the classic data warehouse environment to query data in a number of ways. The SOA end user likely requires developer support for such activities

More Than a One-Trick Pony: Exploring the Contours of a Multi-Sector Covener

Today\u27s managers must find ways to identify and sustain productive relationships within multi-sector collaborative arrangements. This paper explores empirically the activities of a convener based on tasks identified by Agranoff and McGuire (2001) and applies this framework to the case of Virginia\u27s Coastal Zone Management Program (VCZMP). We find that the convener displays characteristics described by Agranoff and McGuire, as well as characteristics of traditional hierarchical managers. This research suggests that both sets of skills are necessary for effective multi-sector collaborative governance

Harmony in Purpose: The Key Role of Organizational Values in Nonprofit Collaboration and Cross-Sector Partnerships

This research paper aims to evaluate the role of organizational values in partner selection for nonprofit collaboration and cross-sector partnerships. In today\u27s complex social landscape, organizations increasingly recognize the need to collaborate across sectors to address multifaceted challenges effectively. Partner selection is a critical process in establishing successful collaborations, as it determines the alignment of values, goals, and working approaches between participating organizations. Drawing upon existing literature on collaboration and organizational values, this study seeks to investigate whether organizational values influence the partner selection process in nonprofit collaboration and cross-sector partnerships. The research will employ a single method approach to gather comprehensive data and insights. The qualitative interviews will be conducted with a select group of participants to gain deeper insights into their experiences and decision-making processes related to partner selection. By analyzing the interview transcripts, this research aims to uncover patterns, themes, and trends regarding the role of organizational values in partner selection. The findings of this research will provide valuable insights into the factors influencing partner selection decisions and shed light on the importance of organizational values in fostering successful and sustainable collaborations. It will contribute to the existing knowledge and understanding of effective partnership formation in the nonprofit and crosssector contexts. Ultimately, this research aims to contribute to the advancement of crosssector collaboration theory and practice by highlighting the significance of organizational values as a key determinant in partner selection