The administrative window into the integrated DBMS

A good office automation system manned by a team of facilitators seeking opportunities to serve end users could go a long way toward defining a DBMS that serves management. The problems of DBMS organization, alternative approaches to solving some of the major problems, problems that may have no solution, and how office automation fits into the development of the manager's management information system are discussed

Federation views as a basis for querying and updating database federations

This paper addresses the problem of how to query and update so-called database federations. A database federation provides for tight coupling of a collection of heterogeneous component databases into a global integrated system. This problem of querying and updating a database federation is tackled by describing a logical architecture and a general semantic framework for precise specification of such database federations, with the aim to provide a basis for implementing a federation by means of relational database views. Our approach to database federations is based on the UML/OCL data model, and aims at the integration of the underlying database schemas of the component legacy systems to a separate, newly defined integrated database schema. One of the central notions in database modelling and in constraint specifications is the notion of a database view, which closely corresponds to the notion of derived class in UML. We will employ OCL (version 2.0) and the notion of derived class as a means to treat (inter-)database constraints and database views in a federated context. Our approach to coupling component databases into a global, integrated system is based on mediation. The first objective of our paper is to demonstrate that our particular mediating system integrates component schemas without loss of constraint information. The second objective is to show that the concept of relational database view provides a sound basis for actual implementation of database federations, both for querying and updating purposes.

A Citation-Based Ranking of Strategic Management Journals

Rankings of strategy journals are important for authors, readers, and promotion and tenure committees. We present several rankings, based either on the number of articles that cited the journal or the per-article impact. Our analyses cover various periods between 1991 and 2006, for most of which the Strategic Management Journal was in first place and Journal of Economics & Management Strategy (JEMS) second, although JEMS ranked first in certain instances. Long Range Planning and Technology Analysis & Strategic Management also achieve a top position. Strategic Organization makes an impressive entry and achieves a top position in 2003-2006.Journal rankings; Citation analysis; Strategic Management; Academic impact; Strategy

Economic security & reconstruction: utility, history and practice in post-conflict environments

Please consult the paper edition of this thesis to read. It is available on the 5th Floor of the Library at Call Number: Z 9999 P65 D53 2007This paper argues that the historical origins of the modem nation-state structure are based in part on economic processes, which give contemporary nation-states a specifically economic set of features and characteristics. As a result, there is a real but little understood economic security component of international relations that is increasingly recognized by competing schools of academic thought, including the realist school, which has historically been hesitant to acknowledge such issues as a feature of the international system. The paper further suggests that an understanding of economic security has significant implications for the theory and practice of post-conflict reconstruction in contemporary nation-states. However, CUlTent reconstruction practice fails to explicitly acknowledge the reality of the economic security dimension, although it sometimes recognizes the role of economic security in an implicit way, resulting in a disturbing separation of policy and practice that weakens overall reconstruction efforts. A stronger understanding of the economic security paradigm allows the international community to identify and adopt those development and reconstruction practices that are most effective in the field, and thereby offer the greatest opportunities to strengthen and stabilize state security in postconflict environments. The paper concludes by identifying and endorsing specific reconstruction strategies and practices that, by incorporating an understanding of the economic security paradigm, are best positioned to enhance the security-building process in post-conflict environments

Panelized Workforce Housing

This study analyzes the utility of a panelized exterior wall system in workforce housing. First, it introduces why the need for the project exists. Second, it touches on how Cal Poly procured the project and who the client is. Third, it lays out how the project was dealt with as far as its structure and the roles of the students taking part in the cohort. Fourth, it looks at the process of designing the panels, the various restrictions the students had to deal with in designing them, and how the panels changed over time due to new constraints being made or due to the constraints being loosened. Fifth, it discusses why certain panel design decisions were made and how the design of the panels affects the overall design and cost of the house. Finally, the study concludes by explaining the lessons learned from this panel design process and what the advantages and disadvantages of panelization were. The method of panelization discussed is not the most sustainable building method, however, in this specific case, panelization did provide for a large labor cost saving for the client. Since the primary goal of the project was to help working families to afford a home, panelization helped to make the project a success