The role of virtual boundaries in knowledge sharing and organization

The concept of boundary is essential to investigations of knowledge organization and information sharing in the virtual world. With information and communication technologies playing an increasingly significant role in today's networked society, the idea of a boundary can no longer be tied to notions of geographical locale or intellectual domain. After reviewing traditional approaches to space and place, two concepts closely related to boundaries, we propose that it is the notion of place that both generates boundaries and provides for recognition of and distinctions between knowledge domains. In the online world, however, traditional concepts of space and place, and thus traditional understandings of boundary, are inadequate for explaining virtual boundaries because of the lack of physical embodiment in the digital environment. Rather, it is the individual's personal sense of belonging that creates an awareness of domains and facilitates the sharing of knowledge. The lack of embodiment in cyberspace shifts responsibility for the creation and recognition of boundaries to the individual, indicating that the idea of place in cyberspace -- "cyberplace" -- would best be characterized by a sense of "place-like" that is at once stable yet fluid, consistent yet dynamic

Intervention in public spaces as a strategy for spatial development. The Madrid experience in spanish context

Since the 1980s, public polices of support and investment in public spaces, as well as strategic interventions with all sort of scale raised Spain into a prominent place concerning the specialized debate between improvement of public spaces and urban development, spreading an image of several Spanish cities connected with its public spaces and propagating the idea of a Spanish livability, with intensive use of public space, dynamic city centers, and a wide range of touristic attractions and outdoor activities. Taking Madrid as a case study, the paper presents how this system of public spaces affects local spatial development and social dynamics, and how these areas perform a system that support cultural facilities, enhance the historical heritage, organize the mobility and encourage the development of economic activities in a strategy of spatial organization that improves the city for both tourists and inhabitants

21st century trade agreements: implications for long-run development policy

This repository item contains a single issue of The Pardee Papers, a series papers that began publishing in 2008 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The Pardee Papers series features working papers by Pardee Center Fellows and other invited authors. Papers in this series explore current and future challenges by anticipating the pathways to human progress, human development, and human well-being. This series includes papers on a wide range of topics, with a special emphasis on interdisciplinary perspectives and a development orientation.This paper examines the extent to which the emerging world trading regime leaves nations the “policy space” to deploy effective policy for long-run diversification and development and the extent to which there is a convergence of such policy space under global and regional trade regimes. We examine the economic theory of trade and long-run growth and underscore the fact that traditional theories lose luster in the presence of the need for long-run dynamic comparative advantages and when market failures are rife. We then review a “toolbox” of policies that have been deployed by developed and developing countries past and present to kick-start diversity and development with the hope of achieving longrun growth. Next, we examine the extent to which rules under the World Trade Organization (WTO), trade agreements between the European Union (EU) and developing countries, trade agreements between the United States (US) and developing countries, and those among developing countries (South-South, or S-S, agreements) allow for the use of such policies. We demonstrate that there is a great divergence among trade regimes over this question. While S-S agreements provide ample policy space for industrial development, the WTO and EU agreements largely represent the middle of the spectrum in terms of constraining policy space choices. On the far end, opposite S-S agreements, US agreements place considerably more constraints by binding parties both broadly and deeply in their trade commitments. Rachel Denae Thrasher holds a master’s degree in International Relations and a law degree, both from Boston University, and she is a Research Fellow at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. Her recent research has focused on policy issues related to regional trade agreements, multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and on global forests governance. Kevin P. Gallagher is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations and Research Fellow at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, both at Boston University. He is also a fellow at the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University. He has written extensively on trade and global development. Also see related publication The Future of the WTO, by Kevin Gallagher

Practical application of information technologies in management and economy

Сучасні інформаційні технології дозволяють створити єдине інформаційне середовище, фізичною основою якого є інтегровані комп'ютерні мережі та системи зв'язку, яке дозволяє супроводжувати та координувати як технологічні процеси, так і ділову діяльність будь-якої організації. Зокрема, такий підхід передбачає технічну, організаційну та методологічну інтеграцію таких базових напрямків управлінської діяльності, як виробничий, організаційний, маркетинговий, фінансовий, бухгалтерський, кадровий та проектно-конструкторський. Інформаційні продукти розміщаються в розподілених базах даних. Доступ до інформаційних продуктів відбувається через комп'ютер ну мережу і регламентується правилами та нормативами даної організації. Крім цього, інформаційні технології забезпечують динамічну координацію дій за рахунок використання сучасних засобів зв'язку та програмних засобів комп'ютерних мереж.Modern information technologies make it possible to create a single information space, the physical basis of which is integrated computer networks and communication systems, which allows to accompany and coordinate both technological processes and business activities of any organization. In particular, this approach involves the technical, organizational and methodological integration of such basic areas of management as production, organizational, marketing, financial, accounting, personnel and design. Information products are placed in distributed databases. Access to information products takes place through a computer network and is governed by the rules and regulations of the organization. In addition, information technology provides dynamic coordination through the use of modern means of communication and software of computer networks. Informational computer network of the organization can seamlessly connect to worldwide computer network INTERNET. Connection can be made through appropriate gateways with regulated access to internal information. Thus, the organization has direct access to a variety of information with a wide range of content: from legislation to information about the state of the markets of raw materials and finished products

Servicescapes seen by visually impaired travellers : Time-geography approach to servicescape research

Knowledge gaps remain in the study of servicescapes, since existing research on servicescapes tends to ignore major advances in the understanding of space and time as social phenomena. One aspect that particularly requires further study is how emerging constraints influence customers’ interactions with organized service places. The time-geography approach was therefore applied to the current servicescape research to help to identify various constraints that blind and visually disabled persons (VIPs) experienced in a certain service place and time. A complementary usage of the concept of tactics illustrated how constrained customers responded to the constraints. The overall research question - How do blind and visually impaired persons act and move in hospitality servicescapes? – was explored empirically through individual and focus group interviews and go-along observations of 56 blind and VIPs during 3.5 years. The study population was composed of residents of Sweden, Kazakhstan, and Germany. The analysis was organized into two themes – Competition of space-time projects and Tactical behavior: evaluating, mapping, and networking. This was followed by a discussion of the analysis under the two headings A scarcity of resources and A struggle for resources. This book concluded that emerging constraints are not only “created by” the organization of servicescapes, but are also due to the customers’ insufficient capabilities. The outcome of an individual’s action in service place depends on customer’s capability to overcome unexpected constraints and available resources, such as time and an access to service offerings. Some of the key findings that emerged were that blind and VIPs were not passive recipients of services but rather developed tactical strategies to navigate within poorly organized servicescapes. In so concluding the book suggests that servicescape is a place of dynamic interplay between emerging constraints and the tactical behaviors of the constrained customers

The Evolving Intervention Regime in Africa: From Basket Case to Market Place?

The analysis that follows aims to present dynamic new information about pressing law of the use of force and peacemaking developments in Africa. It is meant to be more descriptive than analytic. It will discuss, among other things, the evolution of the international law of the use of force by assessing state practice and treaty law developments in Africa since the end of the Cold War-developments that undoubtedly form an important part of the evolution of the corpus of general international law. Space constraints will not permit me to examine the legality of the various African interventions that have taken place since the end of the Cold War (the majority of which took place without UNSC authorization). These include the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) interventions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, and now Guinea; the Mission for the Implementation of the Bangui Agreement (MISAB) in the Central African Republic (CAR); and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) operation in Lesotho. I will nonetheless discuss the efficacy of the regional frameworks that gave them impetus.1 I will also refer to the intervention provisions in the new Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU), which in late 2002 will replace the Organization of African Unity as the premier continental organization in Africa. Not only is Africa the first region to advance comprehensive intervention regimes, but the ones it advances are leagues ahead of the other regions of the world. African state practice and treaty law developments since the end of the Cold War illustrate that, with some exceptions, African nations have been among the most committed to creating peace both within and outside of Africa

Identification Spatial Effects of Space Economy in Peripheral Areas of Sanandaj

Areas around cities are crystallization space organization with natural, social, economic and physical revelation in geographic context to another that inform in context of dynamic interaction of human and environment within economical and social system. In capitalism organizations space formation in order to goals of circulation and accumulation capital and in finally adapted to administrative and political structure and economic base each geographical place in priorities of accumulation of capital will form forms, structure and functions of different. The type of this research is descriptive-analytical and is based on the process of combining multiple methods. Therefore, this research attempt to evaluate the spatial effects of space economy revolution in the peripheral areas of Sanandaj. In this regard, It were identified criteria for space economy revolution in four dimensions social, economic, physical – environmental and infrastructure to identify the most important spatial effects of space economy revolution in the study area, with using multi – criteria decision analysis methods FTOPSIS in each dimension have been recognized. The results show that of the most important spatial effects of Space Economy Revolution in the economic sector include rising land prices, buying and selling land for farming and gardening, reduction in the area under cultivation, increased investment in real estate sector (buy and sell housing). The most important social effects of Space Economy Revolution in social dimension are rural population growth, increasing rural – urban migration and most important physical – environmental effects of Space Economy Revolution in the peripheral villages of Sanandaj include garden and agricultural land conversion to second home, destruction of natural landscapes of villages, and the spread of illegal construction. And in the infrastructure facilities and services dimension, the effects of Space Economy Revolution in the peripheral villages of Sanandaj include improving infrastructure of services, improving access to communication services and development of financial services such as Post Bank and Corporations

Organizational Learning: Core Issues for Mustering Growth in Learning Organization.

This article focus on how learning serves as a means of transforming organization`s fortune and exploring factors influencing learning and the role of human resource development practitioners in creating opportunities for, and supporting, lifelong learning. This article examines one aspect of that project – factors inhibiting and enhancing learning in work, specifically in large, learning-oriented organizations. These factors are categorised at organizational – human resource, board of directors, time and time pressure, simultaneity and window of opportunity and event occurring within and outside.  Functional – focuses on the history, culture and learning style and pattern of inculcating ideas; Group and Followers levels.  Experiential learning theory offers a dynamic theory based on a learning cycle driven by the resolution of the dual dialectics of action/reflection and experience/abstraction. These two dimensions define a holistic learning space wherein learning transactions take place between individuals and the environment. This approach is adopted by reviewing current research on individual learning styles and managerial problem solving/decision making, the process of team learning and organizational learning. This work describes how this approach can serve as a useful framework to design and implement management education (learning) programmes in work setting, management training and development

Control of multiscale systems with constraints. 1. Basic principles of the concept of evolution of systems with varying constraints

Physical fundamentals of the self-organizing theory for the system with varying constraints are considered. A variation principle, specifically the principle of dynamic harmonization as a generalization of the Gauss-Hertz principle for the systems with varying internal structure is formulated. In compliance with this principle the system evolves through dynamics of the processes leading to harmonization of the internal multiscale structure of the system and its connections with external actions as a result of minimizing the dynamic harmonization function. Main principles of the shell model of self-organization under the action of the dominating entropic disturbance are formulated.Comment: First par