Mapping trajectories of becoming: four forms of behaviour in co-housing initiatives

In order learn about planning in a world increasingly characterised by resource interdependencies and a plurality of governing agencies, this paper follows the processes of becoming for two co-housing initiatives. Self-organisation – understood as the emergence of actor-networks – is the leading theoretical concept, complemented by translation from actor-network theory and individuation from assemblage theory. This theoretical hybrid distinguishes four forms of behaviour (decoding, coding, expansion and contraction) that are used to analyse the dynamics of becoming in the two cases. As a result, information is revealed on the conditions that give rise to co-housing initiatives, and the dynamic interactions between planning authorities, (groups of) initiators and other stakeholders that gave shape to the initiatives. Differences between these actors become blurred, as both try to create meaning and reasoning in a non-linear, complex and uncertain world. The paper concludes with a view on planning as an act of adaptive navigation, an act equally performed by professionals working for planning authorities and a case initiator

Interpreting an ERP implementation from a stakeholder perspective

ERP systems are software packages that enable the integration of transactions oriented data and business processes throughout an organization. ERP implementation can be viewed as an organizational change process: many problems related to ERP implementation are related to a misfit of the system with the characteristics of the organization. This article uses the evidence of a case study to uncover some important dimensions of the organizational change issues related to ERP implementation. The study shows how ERP implementation can impact the interests of stakeholders of the ERP-system and how these groups may react by influencing the course of events, for example by altering the design and implementation in ways that are more consistent with their interests. Understanding the possible impact of ERP on particular interests of stakeholders may help project managers and others to manage ERP implementations more effectively.

The EU Strategy for Central Asia says 'security'. Does this include Security Sector Reform? EUCAM Policy Brief No. 10, 12 November 2009

Central Asia faces a broad range of security challenges. Due to the region's position at the crossroads between Russia, China and Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and the Caspian Sea it is confronted with a range of trans-national issues such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, organised crime and terrorism. Central Asia also encounters specific regional threats including scarcity of water resources for generating power and irrigation purposes, which is currently causing tension. On a national level the five Central Asian republics face the threat of instability due to bad governance and the harsh impact of the economic crisis. The European Union regards itself as a security actor and takes a keen interest in working with Central Asian states on the basis of joint security interests. This EUCAM policy brief assesses in what aspects of Security Sector Reform the EU is engaged in with Central Asia and in what context these possible activities should be viewed

An empirical taxonomy of IS decision-making processes

Decisions to invest in information systems (IS) are made by many organisations on a very regular basis. Such decisions can vary from quickly identifying the problem, screening options and choosing a solution in a very straightforward way, to very extensive and repeated search, screen, design and negotiation activities which can take many years. There has been little explicit research into the process by which managers and organisations decide to develop IS applications. This research addresses this by analyzing 20 IS decision-making processes, using a phase-based as well as an attribute-based approach. Mintzbergs typology is used to characterize seven types of IS decisions from a phase-based or process-based perspective. For the attribute approach, the decisions have been analyzed on the basis of subjective/objective and offensive/defensive contrasts and placed in one of four categories: innovative, rational, necessary or political. The paper concludes by identifying five factors that result in major differences in IS decision-making processes. These issues are: (1) whether there is scope to design a solution, (2) whether distinct alternatives have to be searched for, (3) the degree of urgency and necessity from the perspective of the decision-makers, (4) whether the decision can be subdivided in order to follow a gradual process path (planned versus incremental) and (5) the number and power of stakeholders involved in the process and the extent that their interests vary and contrast. The paper suggests that managers deciding on IS applications should be aware of these factors in order to design a process that fits best with the specific circumstances: no single process should be considered universally applicable. This conclusion is in contrast with many decision-making models rooted in the MIS-field, which suggest to use prescriptive and rational approaches to organise IS decision-making processes.

Self-organization in urban development: towards a new perspective on spatial planning

To date, participatory spatial planning has produced disappointing results. We argue that one reason is that time and again participatory planning proposals remain controlled by public government, and that public government seems not to be very adaptive to initiatives that emerge from the dynamics of civil society itself. To find out why and how citizens could and would be motivated to contribute out of their own motivation to urban development, we propose turning the focus outside-in, instead of inside-out. In this article, we therefore introduce the notion of self-organization, referring to initiatives that originate in civil society itself, via autonomous community-based networks of citizens outside government control which participate in developing the ‘urban fabric’ too. We discuss some examples of self-organization and draw preliminary conclusions of the concept’s usefulness for the theory and practice of spatial planning

Interpretative perspectives on the acceptance of an optional information system

Understanding the factors that contribute to the acceptance and use of information systems is a central concern in the field of information systems. Especially in cases where users are relatively free to use an information system (a so called optional information system) it is important for implementers to understand which factors determine acceptance in order to develop an effective design and implementation plan. In order to identify factors that determine acceptance, this report describes and analyses the implementation of a therapy expert system for general practitioners (GPs) in the Netherlands. The Netherlands Ministry of Health decided to implement this system with the objective to promote cost effectiveness, consistency and quality of therapies and drug prescriptions of general practitioners. This paper uses an interpretive perspective to analyze the limited acceptance of the system. While the promotion campaign focused on the system, GPs based their decision on wider contextual factors. The case demonstrates pitfalls, which come up during the implementation of such a system, and shows which factors may play a role in the decision of possible users to accept or reject such an optional information system. Different issues arise from this case. One is that users seem to differ from non-users and that perceptions about the system itself but also about non-system features affect the decision to accept. The paper uses the evidence of the case by suggesting to extend the technology acceptance model (TAM) with relevant contextual factors. It concludes by outlining its implications for implementers of optional information systems in general.

The coexistence of cognitive radio and radio astronomy

An increase of the efficiency of spectrum usage requires the development of new communication techniques. Cognitive radio may be one of those new technique, which uses unoccupied frequency bands for communications. This will lead to more power in the bands and therefore an increasing level of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), which would cause loss of operation particularly for passive users of the spectrum, such as radio astronomy. This paper will address this issue and will present calculations indicating that the impact of cognitive radio on radio astronomy observations is considerable. The signal levels resulting from cognitive radio systems indicate that spectral bands used for cognitive radio applications cannot be used for radio astronomical research

Assessment of rfi measurements for lofar

In the North-Western part of Europe, ASTRON is building the world-largest largest low-frequency radio telescope. The telescope is based on phased array principles and is known as the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR). LOFAR is optimized for detecting astronomical signals in the 30-80 MHz and 120-240 MHz frequency windows. Since this part of the spectrum is in extensive use by others, special care must be taken in the selection of possible out-station sites for LOFAR. RFI measurements were made to be sure that the radio spectrum at the potential out-station locations is suitable for LOFAR operations. An assessment procedure is presented here and specific issues are discussed, such as the impact of Digital Video Broadcast, and wind turbines. The results of\ud the RFI observations has generated a list of specifications for (international) LOFAR out-stations

Dilatonic Parallelizable NS-NS Backgrounds

We complete the classification of parallelizable NS-NS backgrounds in type II supergravity by adding the dilatonic case to the result of Figueroa-O'Farrill on the non-dilatonic case. We also study the supersymmetry of these parallelizable backgrounds. It is shown that all the dilatonic parallelizable backgrounds have sixteen supersymmetries.Comment: 8 pages, lanlmac; v2: minor corrections; v3: a reference added; v4: minor correction

Analyzing inter-organizational systems from a power and interest perspective

Inter-organizational systems (IOS) are ICT-based systems that enable organizations to share information and to electronically conduct business across organizational boundaries. Especially since the increasing availability of the Internet, there have been less technological barriers to implement IOS. However, that does not imply that IOS-possibilities are implemented successfully in all occasions: other barriers may remain. Innovation is not only a technical process of ?solving problems?, it also involves economic and political processes in which interests are articulated, alliances are built and outcomes are struggled over. To explore this observation, this paper presents a model that helps to describe and analyze IOS from a power and interest perspective of multiple parties. To illustrate this model, eight case studies of IOS are discussed, of which two in more depth. After that, we will put the findings of the analysis in a broader perspective. The paper concludes with the assertion that the scope for the design of an effective IOS depends on a combination of technical, economic and social