Smart Sustainable E-Solutions for Implementation and Enforcement of Smart Cities in India

In the present knowledge and information age Indian towns and cities are expanding rapidly in spatial and demographic terms. Moreover, spatial information are not correlated with the complex urban integrated problems, as data generated at various level for urban planning and management remains uncoordinated and redundant to support decision-making and leading to poor urban governance and timely implementation of the master plan. Hence, there is an urgent need to create common platform so as to address problems and issues in the right perspective to assist cities in coping with economic realities and, thereby, produce high quality responsive environment and demonstrate successful urban solutions. Thus, in order to address these issues in a holistic manner, the Ministry of Urban Development has launched the Smart City Mission for 100 cities on 25th June, 2015. However, due to the absent of any basic “Smart E-Solutions Model” for implementation and enforcement of sustainable development plan in India, the present paper is an attempt to evolve the concept of “Smart E-Solutions Model”. At first the present paper discusses about the smart sustainable solutions at design level. Thereafter, the paper evolves a “Smart E-Solutions Model” to establish intelligent online system for implementation and enforcement of sustainable development plan design. Hence, to define the success of Smart City Scheme in India, the present paper pursing a vision of sustainable smart cities by exploring the possibilities of different innovative solutions through designing of Smart Comprehensive Development Plan (SCDP) through virtual world. GIS based SCDP will facilitate the cities to compete in the global competitive world. In India designing SCDP will act as E-solution tool to ease out new challenges and opportunities for urban planners and managers to design the various dreams, ideas and hopes of urban community and translate the same into the spatial terms. In all this paper will thread common ground to address problems and issues in the right perspective to assist urban planner, manager in coping with economic realities and, thereby, produce high quality responsive environment and demonstrate successful sustainable urban solutions for implementation of Smart Comprehensive Developemnt Plan through “Smart E-Solutions Model“

Cyborgs as Frontline Service Employees: A Research Agenda

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Purpose This paper identifies and explores potential applications of cyborgian technologies within service contexts and how service providers may leverage the integration of cyborgian service actors into their service proposition. In doing so, the paper proposes a new category of ‘melded’ frontline service employees (FLEs), where advanced technologies become embodied within human actors. The paper presents potential opportunities and challenges that may arise through cyborg technological advancements and proposes a future research agenda related to these. Design/methodology This study draws on literature in the fields of services management, Artificial Intelligence [AI], robotics, Intelligence Augmentation [IA] and Human Intelligence [HIs] to conceptualise potential cyborgian applications. Findings The paper examines how cyborg bio- and psychophysical characteristics may significantly differentiate the nature of service interactions from traditional ‘unenhanced’ service interactions. In doing so, we propose ‘melding’ as a conceptual category of technological impact on FLEs. This category reflects the embodiment of emergent technologies not previously captured within existing literature on cyborgs. We examine how traditional roles of FLEs will be potentially impacted by the integration of emergent cyborg technologies, such as neural interfaces and implants, into service contexts before outlining future research directions related to these, specifically highlighting the range of ethical considerations. Originality/Value Service interactions with cyborg FLEs represent a new context for examining the potential impact of cyborgs. This paper explores how technological advancements will alter the individual capacities of humans to enable such employees to intuitively and empathetically create solutions to complex service challenges. In doing so, we augment the extant literature on cyborgs, such as the body hacking movement. The paper also outlines a research agenda to address the potential consequences of cyborgian integration

IT’S NOT ABOUT WHAT, IT’S ABOUT WHO YOU KNOW: SOCIAL MEDIA-USE IN ORGANISATIONS (8)

This paper investigates the impact of social media-use on communication processes within organisations. Findings from three qualitative comparative case studies are analysed through the lens of the resource based view of organisations. The analysis follows comparative logic focusing on similarities and differences in case-settings and outcomes. Each of the cases represents an organisation with workforces of similar size, composition and distribution but with qualitatively different approaches to social media-use and, as expected, different effects of social media on processes and capabilities. The findings suggest, that the value of social media in contrast to other IT technologies is derived from its use for relationship-building (who the users are connected to and how) rather than information storage and dissemination (what do the users know and where they find it)

Television Programmes and Cultural Proximity: A Panacea for Violence in a Multi-Cultural Society

Considering the prominence of television as a visual medium, this study sought to know the relationship between television programmes and cultural proximity as well as the appropriate ways to inculcate violence-free behaviour in the viewers through cultural based programmes. The symbolic interaction theory was used as a framework.  The survey research design was adopted to collect quantitative data from 138 respondents. Qualitative data was gathered through the observation of the different television channels received in Abia state. It was discovered that a majority of the respondents get exposed to Western TV channels (which contain a lot of violence) more than the local ones. It was also found that infusing lifestyles that are peculiar to the local setting helps to create closeness between programmes and the viewers. It was therefore concluded that television programmes that are culturally close to the people help to reduce violence in the society by injecting moral virtues that eschew violence.  Finally it was recommended that NBC should strictly enforce the local content policy because presently, TV stations do not adhere to the rules; when they do, the programmes are adulterated with western values. Keywords: culture, proximity, television programmes, violence, behaviour

云数据库

报告包括如下内容：云数据库概念和特点、云数据库与传统的分布式数据库、云数据库的影响、云数据库产品、云数据库领域的研究问题

An Ethnographic Investigation into Postgraduate Researchers’ Experience: University of Birmingham’s Library Services

This report is the work of the Birmingham Undergraduate Internship Programme (BUIP) Intern in Library Services during the summer of 2019. This report seeks to explore the experience of postgraduate researchers at the University of Birmingham

The development of an authentic Indian restaurant concept in Portugal - idea validation

Recent trends demonstrate a crescent demand for ethnic restaurants in Portugal, that Indian cuisine is not as well-entrenched as other international gastronomies and that current offers are mostly characterised by commercialised food and lack of differentiation. Hence, to capitalise on the market gap, the authors developed a unique detailed concept that aims to deliver a novel experience of Indian culture and cuisine, rooted in authentic and sustainable values, to adventurous food seekers. For the development of an authentic Indian restaurant concept in Portugal, focus is given to the most critical aspects for a successful business implementation

Aspects of the spatial and behavioural ecology of Hippopotamus amphibious in the Saint Lucia Estuary, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) is endemic to Africa but threatened by range restriction, exploitation and competition with humans and domestic livestock for access to critical resources such as fresh water and grazing. Collectively these impacts have resulted in population declines throughout most of their range with the consequence that hippos are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red list. Despite these threats to their persistence and their important ecological role as ecosystem engineers there have been surprisingly few studies concerning factors that influence their current distribution and habitat use. Such research is important for developing effective conservation and management plans to improve the protection of vulnerable and ecologically important species such as hippo. South Africa is home to one of a few growing hippo populations and one of the last persisting in an estuarine habitat. The St Lucia Estuary, one of three Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance located in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (itself a UNESCO World Heritage site), in northern KwaZulu-Natal is not only the largest estuarine system in Africa, but is also home to one of South Africa's largest hippo populations. In this study I explore aspects of the spatial and behavioural ecology of hippo within the St Lucia Estuary. More specifically, I investigate select abiotic and biotic predictors of hippo presence and the frequency with which they return to their diurnal lie-up sites. I used binary logistic regression models to evaluate the effects of the selected habitat features on hippo occurrence at two spatial scales (broad and fine). I used a negative binomial with log-link model to evaluate the effects of the selected habitat features on the frequency of use of sites (hippo persistence) in the fine-scale study. In addition, I employed both instantaneous scan sampling and continuous sampling methods in an attempt to determine the diurnal activity budgets and social interactions of a single group near the mouth of the St Lucia Estuary. I used non-parametric tests to evaluate differences in behaviour with daytime and across sampling days with a view to an improved understanding of how the environment influences the behaviour of hippo in an environment subject to ongoing human modification