Contact of closely conformal spherical bodies.

Imperial Users onl

The Consequences of Mandatory Corporate Sustainability Reporting

We examine the effect of mandatory corporate sustainability reporting (MCSR) on several measures of social responsibility using both country and firm-level data. Using data for 58 countries, we show that after the adoption of MCSR laws and regulations, the social responsibility of business leaders increases and both sustainable development and employee training become a higher priority for companies. Moreover, for companies in countries with MCSR, corporate governance improves and on average, companies implement more ethical practices, bribery and corruption decrease, and managerial credibility increases. These effects are larger for countries with stronger law enforcement and more widespread assurance of sustainability reports. We complement the country-level analysis using environmental, social and governance metrics at the firm-level in conjunction with a differences-in-differences research design and we find that for the treatment group, energy as well as waste and water consumption significantly decline, while investments in employee training significantly increase after the adoption of MCSR laws and regulations.sustainability reporting, mandatory reporting, corporate sustainability, corporate social responsibility

Supply Chain Information Systems and Organisational Performance in Economic Turbulent Times

Supply Chain Information Systems and their impact on organisational performance has been studied by a number of studies. This study seeks to extend this body of knowledge by adopting a fresh lens to explore empirically the relationship between organizational performance and SCIS in circumstances of economic downturn and financial turbulence. The statistical relationship between Supply Chain Information Systems (SCIS) ˜Effectiveness and ˜Organisational Performance is tested and measured by multidimensional financial and non-financial variables. So even though complexities associated with measuring SCIS efficiency and Organisational Performance continue to dominate research discussions these are somewhat limited to just explaining the phenomenon without addressing the misalignment of the information provided by SCIS, business expectations and Organisational Performance. In consequence this papers reports findings from a large survey of 168 SCIS managers in Greek SMEs where even through economic downturn a strong correlation between SCIS and non-financial Organisational Performance is evidenced. In considering the findings this study proposes guidance to enhance SCIS Effectiveness and Organisational Performance

HelioTrope: An innovative and efficient prototype for solar power production

The solar energy alternative could provide us with all the energy we need as it exist in vast quantities all around us. We only should be innovative enough in order to improve the efficiency of our systems in capturing and converting solar energy in usable forms of power. By making a case for the solar energy alternative, we identify areas where efficiency can be improved and thereby Solar Energy can become a competitive energy source. This paper suggests an innovative approach to solar energy power production, which is manifested in a prototype given the name HelioTrope. The Heliotrope Solar Energy Production prototype is tested on its' capabilities to efficiently covert solar energy to generation of electricity and other forms of energy for storage or direct use. HelioTrope involves an innovative Stirling engine design and a parabolic concentrating dish with a sun tracking system implementing a control algorithm to maximize the capturing of solar energy. Further, it utilizes a patent developed by the authors where a mechanism is designed for the transmission of reciprocating motion of variable amplitude into unidirectional circular motion. This is employed in our prototype for converting linear reciprocating motion into circular for electricity production, which gives a significant increase in efficiency and reduces maintenance costs. Preliminary calculations indicate that the Heliotrope approach constitutes a competitive solution to solar power production

A low power, low bandwidth protocol for remote wireless terminals

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-75).by George Ioannou Hadjiyiannis.M.S

Forecasting Hydroelectric Dam Energy Production Using a Hybrid Ann-Arima Model

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Emission reduction via supply chain coordination

This paper examines the environmental impact of potential coordination on supply chains. A decentralized two-node supply chain is studied, in which one node is a buyer ordering from a second node, who is a supplier operating under the lot-for-lot policy. The supplier is allowed to use a quantity discount to manipulate the buyer's decision reducing both his individual cost and system's operational costs. This results in decreasing the frequency of deliveries. We demonstrate that environmentally friendly policies could be also cost saving. The crucial factor about the environmental benefits is the total distance travelled rather than the vehicle loads. We establish the magnitude of the environmental benefits using numerical examples under specific operational parameters. Complete and incomplete information cases are investigated, where the buyer and the supplier make their decisions to optimize their own business operations

THERMAL CONCEPTS AND PHENOMENA IN EARLY CHIDHOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION: A LITERATURE REVIEW

In the current study, an attempt is made to bring together and synthesize research data on the way early childhood children approach thermal phenomena and concepts. In this pool of data, the mental representations of young children, the barriers to the conceptualization of these phenomena and the effectiveness of specialized teaching interventions are highlighted and discussed. Going through a series of empirical studies the paper focuses on critical aspects of thermal phenomena and concepts such as thermal conductivity in solid and liquid materials, expansion and contraction of metals, thermal insulation, use of a thermometer etc. A considerable part of these studies prominently deals with the changes in the state of materials and in particular water and the water cycle in the natural environment. The literature review presented here provides a detailed overview and a classification of these studies as well as highlights the need to foreground the systemic character of phenomena and the unifying character of the concepts when approaching or researching about thermal phenomena in early childhood educational settings.  Article visualizations