The Max-Flow Min-Cut Theorem for Countable Networks

We prove a strong version of the Max-Flow Min-Cut theorem for countable networks, namely that in every such network there exist a flow and a cut that are "orthogonal" to each other, in the sense that the flow saturates the cut and is zero on the reverse cut. If the network does not contain infinite trails then this flow can be chosen to be mundane, i.e. to be a sum of flows along finite paths. We show that in the presence of infinite trails there may be no orthogonal pair of a cut and a mundane flow. We finally show that for locally finite networks there is an orthogonal pair of a cut and a flow that satisfies Kirchhoff's first law also for ends.Comment: 19 pages, to be published in Journal of Combinatorial Theory, Series

Relation between start-ups’ online social media presence and fundraising

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the emergences of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have changed the way human beings communicate and interact. In the past few years, this has become crucial in the context of business, especially in start-up fund raising. Access to venture capital financing is a crucial issue in the entrepreneurial finance literature. To further explore the use of social media for entrepreneurs, the authors have explored how entrepreneurs use social media for fund-raising purposes. The authors have used Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to collect entrepreneurs’ funding data from Crunchbase and entrepreneurs’ social media data from Facebook and Twitter. The results show that social media is significant for start-ups in their success or failure in fund raising. Investing energy into utilizing online social media and exhausting these platforms consciously contributes to the financial success of start-ups. Therefore, start-ups which are popular among online fans and followers can manage to raise larger amounts of funding in the early stages. Design/methodology/approach: This research relies on a wide range of quantitative data, which was obtained from three different online sources which includes Facebook, Twitter and CrunchBase. The use of a variety of internet technologies have been linked to increases in individuals’ social network diversity, which likely increases access to social capital at the individual level (Hampton and Wellman, 2003). The dataset was retrieved by using APIs, which enables the collection of novel metrics, from various sources that provide a well-structured dataset (Priem and Hemminger, 2010). Hypotheses were tested on a longitudinal dataset from 2000 to 2013, comprising general and investment data and social media metrics of start-ups. First, a sample from the database was selected to ensure data availability and reliability. After sampling, all the selected companies’ Twitter and Facebook activities were observed and metrics were analysed. SPSS was used to conduct correlation and regression analyses. Findings: This study analysed whether start-ups’ social media convention is able to influence investors’ choices, especially the amount of total funding given. The paper showed that innovative start-up companies were able to benefit from communicating on social media platforms. Start-ups, which were using Facebook and Twitter effectively, focusing on valuable social media metrics, received larger amount of funding in total. Furthermore, it was observed that as their business grew, they intended to put more effort into online social networking. It confirmed the idea that businesses are using social media consciously. Originality/value: This is the only paper that the authors could find that examines the relationship between fundraising and activity on social networks

Precision Agriculture in the Dairy Industry: The Case of the AfiMilk® System

Although predictable output is desirable for most businesses, agriculture is behind other industries in the adoption of information technology. While precision agriculture provides a technological means for obtaining desirable goals such as product quality, labor cost, and product mix and market requirements, the dairy industry relies on semi-controlled environments. This paper describes the use of a current AgIS implemented by S.A.E. Afikim. We use the dairy industry to illustrate the role of AgIS in controlling the inputs and environmental parameters required to achieve the above mentioned business goals. Data was collected using open-end interviews with managers in the applied research and development, and marketing departments of S.A.E. Afikim (AfiMilk® system). Findings suggest that even though AfiMilk® utilizes current information technology and supports precision agriculture concepts, it is still a transactional system with some management support capabilities. At present, the AfiMilk® system partially supports loop-back capabilities, and strategic and long-term executive decision-making

Marketing and Non-Market Based Value Creation: Gifts and “Guanxi”

This conceptual paper analyses the general role of long term, non-market based value creation as being fundamental to business ethics and also to marketing concepts in societies in the 21st century. A framework is provided that combines the monetary nature of value in market-based exchange and the more social and emotional nature of long-term relationships. Particular attention is given to gift giving and to business interactions based on personal relationships, as exemplified in the Chinese concept of, “guanxi”. It is argued that they constitute important forms of value creation in a broad range of societies

Tutorial: Identity Management Systems and Secured Access Control

Identity Management has been a serious problem since the establishment of the Internet. Yet little progress has been made toward an acceptable solution. Early Identity Management Systems (IdMS) were designed to control access to resources and match capabilities with people in well-defined situations, Today’s computing environment involves a variety of user and machine centric forms of digital identities and fuzzy organizational boundaries. With the advent of inter-organizational systems, social networks, e-commerce, m-commerce, service oriented computing, and automated agents, the characteristics of IdMS face a large number of technical and social challenges. The first part of the tutorial describes the history and conceptualization of IdMS, current trends and proposed paradigms, identity lifecycle, implementation challenges and social issues. The second part addresses standards, industry initia-tives, and vendor solutions. We conclude that there is disconnect between the need for a universal, seamless, trans-parent IdMS and current proposed standards and vendor solutions

Identity Management

Identity Management (IdM) has been a serious problem since the establishment of the Internet as a global network used for business and pleasure. Originally identified in a Peter Steiners’ 1993 New Yorker cartoon “On the Internet nobody knows you’re a dog”, the problem is over 15 years old. Yet, little progress has been made towards an optimal solution. In its early stages, IdM was designed to address the problem of controlling access to resources and managing the matching of capabilities with people in well defined situations (e.g., Access Control Lists). In today’s computing environment, IdM involves a variety of user centric, distinct, personal forms of digital identities. Starting with the basics of traditional access control often assimilated to “directory entries” (i.e., ID, password and capability) IdM is generalized to the global networked society we now live in. With the advent Inter-organizational systems (IOS), social networks, e-commerce, m-commerce, service oriented computing and automated agents (such as botnets), the characteristics of IdM evolved to include people, devices, and services. In addition, as the complexity of IdM increases so did related social issues such as legitimacy, authoritativeness, privacy rights, personal information protection as well as broader problems of cyber predators and threats. The tutorial addresses the following IdM topics: history and background (access control), what is IdM, technical challenges, social issues, life cycle, standards, research projects, industry initiatives, paradigms, vendor solutions, implementation challenges, emerging trends, and research concepts