16 research outputs found
Will the US Economy Recover in 2010? A Minimal Spanning Tree Study
We calculated the cross correlations between the half-hourly times series of
the ten Dow Jones US economic sectors over the period February 2000 to August
2008, the two-year intervals 2002--2003, 2004--2005, 2008--2009, and also over
11 segments within the present financial crisis, to construct minimal spanning
trees (MSTs) of the US economy at the sector level. In all MSTs, a core-fringe
structure is found, with consumer goods, consumer services, and the industrials
consistently making up the core, and basic materials, oil and gas, healthcare,
telecommunications, and utilities residing predominantly on the fringe. More
importantly, we find that the MSTs can be classified into two distinct,
statistically robust, topologies: (i) star-like, with the industrials at the
center, associated with low-volatility economic growth; and (ii) chain-like,
associated with high-volatility economic crisis. Finally, we present
statistical evidence, based on the emergence of a star-like MST in Sep 2009,
and the MST staying robustly star-like throughout the Greek Debt Crisis, that
the US economy is on track to a recovery.Comment: elsarticle class, includes amsmath.sty, graphicx.sty and url.sty. 68
pages, 16 figures, 8 tables. Abridged version of the manuscript presented at
the Econophysics Colloquim 2010, incorporating reviewer comment
A review of current issues and challenges for TQM implementations in the Jordanian information and communications technology sector
This paper discusses the application of Total
Quality Management (TQM) in Jordanian
Information and Communications Technology
(ICT) sector. Utilising a methodology based
upon questionnaires and semi-structure
interviews, investigation of Jordanian ICT
organisations and their significant
stakeholders has revealed that although they
have endeavoured to put into practice the
strategies, tools and techniques of TQM, there
are barriers to achieving successful
implementation. The most significant relate to
government influences and internal cultural
characteristics. This research has further
identified that effective information systems
play a successful role in TQM
implementations, an issue that is not well
demonstrated in the literature
An investigation of the role of leadership in the implementation of TQM in Medical Universities of Iran
In the developing countries, management is one of the big challenges in the running of academic organisations. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management approach that aims for long term success.
Since the mid 1980s âqualityâ has been a major issue in higher educational institutions. Universities are under a lot of pressure from a range of stakeholders. After successful implementation of TQM in higher educational institutes in developed countries it is now the right time for implementation of TQM in developing countries. This paper aims to discuss the role of top management (leadership) in the successful implementation of TQM in Iranian Medical Sciences Universities (MSUs). The Baldrige quality model was chosen as the framework for the research. Two MSUs were identified and a questionnaire was delivered to different groups within the Universities. The relationships between the leadership category and other categories were identified. The findings indicated that top management (leadership) is highly related to the other categories and hence by improving this category there will be a positive impact on other categories. The results also revealed that the employees' opinions on the senior leaders in terms of the commitment, participation, and adoption of the TQM were low and needs to be addressed
The role of national culture in Total Quality Management
This paper discusses the role of national
culture in adopting total quality management
(TQM) in developing countries, using the ICT
organisations in Jordan as the basis of the
study. employing a methodology of semistructured
interviews, the data was collected
from General and TQM managers. The ten
largest organisations, based on the number of
employees, were used as the basis of the
study. The results indicated that the national
culture characteristics have a negative impact
on adopting and supporting TQM
implementation. This paper introduces a key
dimension (Wasta) hasnât been studied in the
TQM literature and focuses on its impact on
TQM implementation
Tables of Cumulative Distribution Functions for Symmetric Stable Distributions
The paper tabulates the cumulative distribution functions of standardized symmetrical stable laws with exponent α = 0.6 (0.1) 2.0, the standardization being such that the special values α = 1.0, α = 2.0 correspond, without further adjustment, to the standard Cauchy and Normal cases as usually defined. The tables were computed by numerical inversion of the characteristic functions
Incorporating the learning derived from part-time employment into undergraduate programmes: experiences from a business school
Students undertaking employment during term time is a growing phenomenon, and whilst there is an awareness that a large proportion of our undergraduates have part-time jobs, the type and extent of this work and the learning experiences gained is less clear. The purpose of this article is to outline research undertaken to determine the potential for students to gain academic credit for their learning from part-time, term-time work. This had involved an exploration of the incidence and the nature of this part-time work, the skills developed, learning derived and the students' ability to reflect upon this learning.
An exploratory approach was used, quantitative research providing the numerical data of the level of participation in term-time employment, with qualitative exploration to gain insight into the students' ability to understand, articulate and reflect upon the learning that is taking place within work and gain an insight into participants' ideas, views and motivations. The research provides substantial evidence of the engagement in part-time work and demonstrates a clear overview of the development of personal and social competencies along with key skills and job-specific knowledge. This has led to the validation and introduction of an intermediate-level Work Based Learning module within the University of Huddersfield Business School, available as an alternative to a current core module, and which was to be evaluated during the course of the academic year 2007/2008