Globale Diaspora der Hmong [Global Diaspora of the Hmong]

Gegenwärtige Diaspora-Konzeptionen führen die Bewahrung der Identität in der Fremde vor allem auf folgende interne Faktoren zurück: eine institutionalisierte globale Vernetzung, die Konstruktion einer Heimat und eine Rückkehrorientierung. Diaspora-Gemeinschaften werden dabei als in sich geschlossene, homogene Kollektive kontextualisiert. Externe Faktoren wie der Einfluss des Gastlandes, der eine Stratifizierung nach sozialen Klassen, Gender oder Generationen zur Folge hat, sind dagegen bisher wenig beachtet worden. Die in der Diaspora lebende ethnische Gruppe der Hmong versucht gleichermaßen ihre Identität zu bewahren. Die US-amerikanische Gemeinschaft entwickelte zudem diverse Heimatkonzeptionen, die eine Differenzierung nach Generationen zulassen. In diesem Beitrag werden Antworten auf folgende Fragen zur Diskussion gestellt: Welche Unterschiede lassen sich in der Konstruktion der Heimat zwischen der Einwandergeneration und in den USA sozialisierten Generationen feststellen? Gibt es analog zu Eisenstadts Trägergruppen für die Konstruktion der nationalen Identität ebenso erkennbare Kollektive in der US-amerikanischen Hmong Gemeinschaft, die eine diasporische Identität inaugurieren und prägen

Optimisation of large scale network problems

The Constrained Shortest Path Problem (CSPP) consists of finding the shortest path in a graph or network that satisfies one or more resource constraints. Without these constraints, the shortest path problem can be solved in polynomial time; with them, the CSPP is NP-hard and thus far no polynomial-time algorithms exist for solving it optimally. The problem arises in a number of practical situations. In the case of vehicle path planning, the vehicle may be an aircraft flying through a region with obstacles such as mountains or radar detectors, with an upper bound on the fuel consumption, the travel time or the risk of attack. The vehicle may be a submarine travelling through a region with sonar detectors, with a time or risk budget. These problems all involve a network which is a discrete model of the physical domain. Another example would be the routing of voice and data information in a communications network such as a mobile phone network, where the constraints may include maximum call delays or relay node capacities. This is a problem of current economic importance, and one for which time-sensitive solutions are not always available, especially if the networks are large. We consider the simplest form of the problem, large grid networks with a single side constraint, which have been studied in the literature. This thesis explores the application of Constraint Programming combined with Lagrange Relaxation to achieve optimal or near-optimal solutions of the CSPP. The following is a brief outline of the contribution of this thesis. Lagrange Relaxation may or may not achieve optimal or near-optimal results on its own. Often, large duality gaps are present. We make a simple modification to Dijkstra’s algorithm that does not involve any additional computational work in order to generate an estimate of path time at every node.We then use this information to constrain the network along a bisecting meridian. The combination of Lagrange Relaxation (LR) and a heuristic for filtering along the meridian provide an aggressive method for finding near-optimal solutions in a short time. Two network problems are studied in this work. The first is a Submarine Transit Path problem in which the transit field contains four sonar detectors at known locations, each with the same detection profile. The side constraint is the total transit time, with the submarine capable of 2 speeds. For the single-speed case, the initial LR duality gap may be as high as 30%. The first hybrid method uses a single centre meridian to constrain the network based on the unused time resource, and is able to produce solutions that are generally within 1% of optimal and always below 3%. Using the computation time for the initial Lagrange Relaxation as a baseline, the average computation time for the first hybrid method is about 30% to 50% higher, and the worst case CPU times are 2 to 4 times higher. The second problem is a random valued network from the literature. Edge costs, times, and lengths are uniform, randomly generated integers in a given range. Since the values given in the literature problems do not yield problems with a high duality gap, the values are varied and from a population of approximately 100,000 problems only the worst 200 from each set are chosen for study. These problems have an initial LR duality gap as high as 40%. A second hybrid method is developed, using values for the unused time resource and the lower bound values computed by Dijkstra’s algorithm as part of the LR method. The computed values are then used to position multiple constraining meridians in order to allow LR to find better solutions.This second hybrid method is able to produce solutions that are generally within 0.1% of optimal, with computation times that are on average 2 times the initial Lagrange Relaxation time, and in the worst case only about 5 times higher. The best method for solving the Constrained Shortest Path Problem reported in the literature thus far is the LRE-A method of Carlyle et al. (2007), which uses Lagrange Relaxation for preprocessing followed by a bounded search using aggregate constraints. We replace Lagrange Relaxation with the second hybrid method and show that optimal solutions are produced for both network problems with computation times that are between one and two orders of magnitude faster than LRE-A. In addition, these hybrid methods combined with the bounded search are up to 2 orders of magnitude faster than the commercial CPlex package using a straightforward MILP formulation of the problem. Finally, the second hybrid method is used as a preprocessing step on both network problems, prior to running CPlex. This preprocessing reduces the network size sufficiently to allow CPlex to solve all cases to optimality up to 3 orders of magnitude faster than without this preprocessing, and up to an order of magnitude faster than using Lagrange Relaxation for preprocessing. Chapter 1 provides a review of the thesis and some terminology used. Chapter 2 reviews previous approaches to the CSPP, in particular the two current best methods. Chapter 3 applies Lagrange Relaxation to the Submarine Transit Path problem with 2 speeds, to provide a baseline for comparison. The problem is reduced to a single speed, which demonstrates the large duality gap problem possible with Lagrange Relaxation, and the first hybrid method is introduced.Chapter 4 examines a grid network problem using randomly generated edge costs and weights, and introduces the second hybrid method. Chapter 5 then applies the second hybrid method to both network problems as a preprocessing step, using both CPlex and a bounded search method from the literature to solve to optimality. The conclusion of this thesis and directions for future work are discussed in Chapter 6

Harvest Club : creating a bridge between local private food producers and their customers

The food commodity that is wasted most worldwide are vegetables and fruit. Most food waste takes place at the household level. While urban gardening and farming trends pick up, small, private producers cannot consume everything they produce contributing again to food waste. In advanced economies people are looking to consume low-emission products, from local sources. In this context, this dissertation will aim to find a way to reduce food waste by bridging the gap between private food producers and local consumers. The methods include a competitor analysis based on secondary data, and qualitative interviews based on hypotheses formed and tested through a quantitative survey to derive a business model canvas of a digital platform to be applied in different European countries. The research proved that people are aware and pained by food waste and have the intention to act. People who have a surplus of fresh products sometimes throw it away. Thus, society is interested in the idea of a food sharing platform, would use it, and is likely to spread the idea by word-of-mouth, especially among consumers who already buy local and in-season foods. The business plan for the platform Harvest Club was created to help disrupt unsustainable consumption patterns. Based on a regional and inclusive community-oriented approach it is a well-suited way to connect a neighborhood through the exchange of home-grown and homemade products and harvest, ultimately contributing to local and in-season consumption while reducing food waste.O produto alimentar mais desperdiçado a nível mundial são os vegetais e a fruta. A maioria de todo o desperdício alimentar ocorre a nível doméstico. Enquanto a jardinagem urbana e as tendências agrícolas se acentuam, os produtores privados não podem consumir tudo o que produzem, contribuindo para o desperdício alimentar. Nas economias avançadas, procura-se consumir produtos com baixas emissões, de fontes locais. Neste contexto, esta dissertação terá como objetivo encontrar uma forma de reduzir o desperdício alimentar, colmatando o fosso entre os produtores privados de alimentos e os consumidores locais. Os métodos incluíram uma análise da concorrência baseada em dados secundários, e entrevistas qualitativas, com base nas quais foram formadas e testadas hipóteses com um inquérito quantitativo para derivar uma tela de modelo de negócio de uma plataforma digital a ser aplicada em diferentes países europeus. A investigação provou que as pessoas estão conscientes do desperdício alimentar e pretendem agir. Pessoas com um excedente de produtos frescos, por vezes passam a descartá-los. Assim, a sociedade está interessada na ideia de uma plataforma de partilha de alimentos, utilizá-la-ia, e divulgaria a ideia, especialmente entre os consumidores que já compram alimentos locais e sazonais. O plano de negócios para a plataforma Harvest Club foi criado para ajudar a perturbar padrões de consumo insustentáveis. Baseado numa abordagem regional e comunitária inclusiva, é uma abordagem apropriada de conectar um bairro através da troca de produtos caseiros, contribuindo, em última análise, para um consumo local e sazonal, ao mesmo tempo que reduz o desperdício alimentar

Corporate Governance ohne Vertrauen? Ökonomische Konsequenzen der Agency-Theorie

Both, discussion and legislation in the field of corporate governance have been dominated by new institutional economics, especially agency theory. Due to its restrictive assumptions agency theory systematically disregards some important aspects that influence cooperative interaction between shareholder and manager. In addition to the widely accepted crowding out-effect of intrinsic motivation resulting from measures of explicit control, one can assume that extensive monitoring and performance-based incentive systems will induce a similar crowding out effect of trust. Thus, the objective of our paper is to conceptually prove this thesis. We will show that agency-theory implies a suboptimal high degree of explicit control for various social-psychological factors are neglected. Finally, we derive important implications for developing an alternative corporate governanceapproach, which considers trust as a relevant alternative for designing efficient corporate governance systems. --Trust,distrust,corporate governance,agency-theory

Die Auswirkungen der Unternehmenstransparenz auf den Erfolg börsenorientierter Kapitalgesellschaften in Deutschland - Eine Darstellung des aktuellen Forschungsstandes

Die Erhöhung der Informationstransparenz seitens der Unternehmensleitung gegenüber den Anteilseignern ist eine wesentliche Forderung der Corporate Governance. Deshalb kommt ihr auch bei der Gesetzgebung und der Festlegung von Best Practice-Regeln sowie hinsichtlich der Unternehmensbewertung eine besondere Bedeutung zu. Allerdings wird diesbezüglich auch argumentiert, dass es nicht im Interesse des Unternehmens sein könne, wettbewerbsrelevante Informationen offen zu legen, da diese damit auch Wettbewerbern, Kunden und Lieferanten zur Verfügung stehen, die dies zu Lasten des zur Informationstransparenz gezwungenen Unternehmens für ihre Interessen ausnutzen könnten. Der vorliegende Beitrag erfasst zunächst systematisch die theoretischen Argumente, die einen Einfluss der Unternehmenstransparenz auf den Unternehmenserfolg begründen können. Danach wird untersucht, inwieweit diese Einflüsse durch die empirische Unternehmensforschung bestätigt werden konnten. Auf diese Weise wird der Stand der relevanten Forschung dargestellt sowie darauf aufbauend Forschungslücken. -- Enforcing corporate transparency is one of the main objectives of corporate governance. Additionally, it is one of the most important criteria used to assess corporate governance systems and, therewith, to evaluate changes of firm performance respectively shareholder value. However, publishing strategic information that allows for evaluating management decisions (e.g., M&As, innovation pipeline) may not be always in the best interest of the firm. For competitors, customers and suppliers may use the information, too, to maximize their own interests (e.g., price negotiations, counter-strategies) enforcing corporate transparency may reduce profitability and subsequently decrease shareholder value. Our paper provides a review of the state-of-the-art of the scholarly debate on the impact of corporate transparency on corporate performance. Furthermore, we discuss whether and how conceptual and theoretical assumptions and hypotheses arguments are backed by empirical studies. Thus, we provide a systematic overview of what we already know that enables us to identify research gaps and respective research fields.Corporate Governance,Finanzmarktkommunikation,Unternehmenstransparenz,Corporate Governance,Corporate Transparency,Investor

De la mímesis a la ficción

El punto de partida del texto de Schaeffer se sitúa en la última cruzada antimimética de la historia occidental: la que pronostica el triunfo de lo virtual sobre lo real o, en un tono más dramático, la invasión de los simulacros. El pretexto es bueno porque señala cuál es la escala y la complejidad de la que parte si se tiene en cuenta la naturaleza de la empresa: ir desentrañando los mecanismos representacionales miméticos hasta dar con las modalidades propias de la ficción y de los dispositivos ficcionales. La propuesta es desembarazarla de su estatus ontológico equívoco y demostrar su pertinencia operativa en los procesos cognitivos, lúdicos y artísticos

Globale Diaspora der Hmong

"Gegenwärtige Diaspora-Konzeptionen führen die Bewahrung der Identität in der Fremde vor allem auf folgende interne Faktoren zurück: eine institutionalisierte globale Vernetzung, die Konstruktion einer Heimat und eine Rückkehrorientierung. Diaspora-Gemeinschaften werden dabei als in sich geschlossene, homogene Kollektive kontextualisiert. Externe Faktoren wie der Einfluss des Gastlandes, der eine Stratifizierung nach sozialen Klassen, Gender oder Generationen zur Folge hat, sind dagegen bisher wenig beachtet worden. Die in der Diaspora lebende ethnische Gruppe der Hmong versucht gleichermaßen ihre Identität zu bewahren. Die US-amerikanische Gemeinschaft entwickelte zudem diverse Heimatkonzeptionen, die eine Differenzierung nach Generationen zulassen. In diesem Beitrag werden Antworten auf folgende Fragen zur Diskussion gestellt: Welche Unterschiede lassen sich in der Konstruktion der Heimat zwischen der Einwandergeneration und in den USA sozialisierten Generationen feststellen? Gibt es analog zu Eisenstadts Trägergruppen für die Konstruktion der nationalen Identität ebenso erkennbare Kollektive in der US-amerikanischen Hmong Gemeinschaft, die eine diasporische Identität inaugurieren und prägen?" (Autorenreferat

In Quest for Proper Mediums for Technology Transfer in Software Engineering

Successful transfer of the results of research projects into practice is of great interest to all project participants. It can be assumed that different transfer mediums fulfill technology transfer (TT) with different levels of success and that they are impaired by different kinds of barriers. The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding about the different mediums used for TT in software engineering, and to identify barriers weakening the success of the application of such mediums. We conducted an exploratory study implemented by a survey in the context of a German research project with a broad range of used mediums. The main reported barriers were low expectations of usefulness, no awareness of existence, lack of resources, or inadequateness in terms of outdated material or being in an immature state. We interpreted our results as symptoms of a lack of a dissemination plan in the project. Further work will be needed to explore the implications for the transfer of research results (knowledge and techniques) to practice.Comment: Proceedings of the International Conference on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement, 201