Search results for: information resource management
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 19445

Search results for: information resource management

18965 Cross- Cultural Cooperation and Innovation: An Exploration of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Europe

Authors: Yongsheng Guo, Shuchao Li

Abstract:

This study explores Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) in Europe and the cross-cultural cooperation between Chinese and European managers. The aim of this research is to shed light on the phenomenon of investments in developed countries from an emerging market and to gain insights into the cooperation process. A grounded theory approach is adopted, and 46 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 case companies in Germany and 13 case companies in the UK. Grounded theory models are developed from primary data and interview quotes are used to support the themes. The interviewees perceived differences between the two parties in cultural traits, management concepts, knowledge structure and resource endowment between the two parties. Chinese and European partners can take advantage of different resources and cooperate in innovative ways to improve corporate performance. Moreover, both parties appreciate different ethical and cultural characteristics and complement each other to develop a combined organizational culture. This study proposes an ethical and cultural diversity theory in international management arguing that a team with diversified values and behaviors may be more excited and motivated. This study suggests that “resource complement” and “cross-cultural cooperation” might be an advantage for international investment. Firms are encouraged to open their minds and cooperate with partners with different resources and cultures. The authorities may review the FDI policies to reduce social and political barriers.

Keywords: cross-culture, FDI, cooperation, innovation, China, Europe

Procedia PDF Downloads 94
18964 Nigeria Rural Water Supply Management: Participatory Process as the Best Option

Authors: E. O. Aluta, C. A. Booth, D. G. Proverbs, T. Appleby

Abstract:

Challenges in the effective management of potable water have attracted global attention in recent years and remain many world regions’ major priorities. Scarcity and unavailability of potable water may potentially escalate poverty, obviate democratic expression of views and militate against inter-sectoral development. These challenges contra-indicate the inherent potentials of the resource. Thus, while creation of poverty may be regarded as a broad-based problem, it is capable of reflecting life-span reduction diseases, the friction of interests manifesting in threats and warfare, the relegation of democratic principles for authoritarian definitions and Human Rights abuse. The challenges may be identified as manifestations of ineffective management of potable water resource and therefore, regarded as major problems in environmental protection. In reaction, some nations have re-examined their laws and policies, while others have developed innovative projects, which seek to ameliorate difficulties of providing sustainable potable water. The problems resonate in Nigeria, where the legal framework supporting the supply and management of potable water has been criticized as ineffective. This has impacted more on rural community members, often regarded as ‘voiceless’. At that level, the participation of non-state actors has been identified as an effective strategy, which can improve water supply. However, there are indications that there is no pragmatic application of this, resulting in over-centralization and top-down management. Thus, this study focuses on how the participatory process may enable the development of participatory water governance framework, for use in Nigeria rural communities. The Rural Advisory Board (RAB) is proposed as a governing body to promote proximal relationships, institute democratisation borne out of participation, while enabling effective accountability and information. The RAB establishes mechanisms for effectiveness, taking into consideration Transparency, Accountability and Participation (TAP), advocated as guiding principles of decision-makers. Other tools, which may be explored in achieving these are, Laws and Policies supporting the water sector, under the direction of the Ministries and Law Courts, which ensure non-violation of laws. Community norms and values, consisting of Nigerian traditional belief system, perceptions, attitude and reality (often undermined in favour of legislations), are relied on to pave the way for enforcement. While the Task Forces consist of community members with specific designation of duties, which ensure compliance and enforceability, a cross-section of community members are assigned duties. Thus, the principle of participation is pragmatically reflected. A review of the literature provided information on the potentials of the participatory process, in potable water governance. Qualitative methodology was explored by using the semi-structured interview as strategy for inquiry. The purposive sampling strategy, consisting of homogeneous, heterogeneous and criterion techniques was applied to enable sampling. The samples, sourced from diverse positions of life, were from the study area of Delta State of Nigeria, involving three local governments of Oshimili South, Uvwie and Warri South. From the findings, there are indications that the application of the participatory process is inhered with empowerment of the rural community members to make legitimate demands for TAP. This includes the obviation of mono-decision making for the supply and management of potable water. This is capable of restructuring the top-down management to a top-down/bottom-up system.

Keywords: participation, participatory process, participatory water governance, rural advisory board

Procedia PDF Downloads 379
18963 Leveraging Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as Agents of Change: An Exploration of Edgar Schein's Culture Work in Organizational Development

Authors: Jeanetta Darno

Abstract:

This paper explores the realm of organizational development through the lens of Edgar Schein's seminal work on culture and change. Specifically, the paper will focus on the strategic implementation of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as powerful interventions for catalyzing culture change within modern workplaces. Edgar Schein's foundational theories on organizational culture and his renowned model of culture work will serve as the theoretical framework to guide the exploration of how ERGs can be harnessed as transformative tools in organizational development initiatives. Through a review of literature combined with content analysis, this paper will explore how ERGs align with Schein's principles, contribute to development, and drive positive cultural shifts toward inclusion and equity. The paper aims to provide practical insights for organizational leaders, HR practitioners, and change agents looking to integrate ERGs effectively into their culture change efforts, thereby advancing the field of organizational development informed by Schein's influential framework. The objective of the paper is to investigate and understand the intersection between Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Edgar Schein's Culture Work within the context of organizational development.

Keywords: inclusive leadership, culture, equity, employee resource groups, organization development

Procedia PDF Downloads 74
18962 Reference Management Software: Comparative Analysis of RefWorks and Zotero

Authors: Sujit K. Basak

Abstract:

This paper presents a comparison of reference management software between RefWorks and Zotero. The results were drawn by comparing two software and the novelty of this paper is the comparative analysis of software and it has shown that ReftWorks can import more information from the Google Scholar for the researchers. This finding could help to know researchers to use the reference management software.

Keywords: analysis, comparative analysis, reference management software, researchers

Procedia PDF Downloads 535
18961 A Qualitative Approach to Engineering Design Issues, Problems, and Solutions

Authors: M. U. Arshid, M. A. Kamal

Abstract:

The engineering design process is the activities formulation, to help an engineer raising a plan with a specified goal and performance. The engineering design process is a multi-stage course of action including the conceptualization, research, feasibility studies, establishment of design parameters, preliminary and finally the detailed design. It is a progression from the abstract to the concrete; starting with probably abstract ideas about need, and thereafter elaborating detailed specifications of the object that would satisfy the needs, identified. Engineering design issues, problems, and solutions are discussed in this paper using qualitative approach from an information structure perspective. The objective is to identify the problems, to analyze them and propose solutions by integrating; innovation, practical experience, time and resource management, communications skills, isolating the problem in coordination with all stakeholders. Consequently, this would be beneficial for the engineering community to improve the Engineering design practices.

Keywords: engineering design, engineering design issues, innovation, public sector projects

Procedia PDF Downloads 338
18960 The Effect of Knowledge Management in Lean Organization

Authors: Mehrnoosh Askarizadeh

Abstract:

In an ever changeable and globalized world with new economic and global competitors competing for the same customers and resources, is increasing the pressure on organizations' competitiveness. In addition, organizations faces additional challenges due to an ever-growing amount of data and the ever-bigger challenge of analyzing that data and keeping the data secure. Successful companies are characterized by exploiting their intellectual capital in an efficient manner. Thus, the most valuable asset an organization has today has become its employees' knowledge. To enable this, there is a tool that supports easier handling and optimizes the use of knowledge, which is knowledge management. Based on the theoretical framework and careful review as well as analysis of interviews and observations resulted in six essential areas: structure, management, compensation, communication, trust and motivation. The analysis showed that the scientific articles and literature have different perspectives, different definitions and are based on different theories but the essence is that they all finally seems to arrive at the same result and conclusion, although with different viewpoints and perspectives. This is regardless of whether the focus is on management style, rewards or communication they all focus on the individual. The conclusion is that organizational culture affects knowledge management and dissemination of information, because of its direct impact on the individual. The largest and most important underlying factor why we choose to participate in improvement work or share knowledge is our motivation. Motivation is the reason for and the reason behind our actions.

Keywords: lean, lean production, knowledge management, information management, motivation

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18959 The Advancements of Transformer Models in Part-of-Speech Tagging System for Low-Resource Tigrinya Language

Authors: Shamm Kidane, Ibrahim Abdella, Fitsum Gaim, Simon Mulugeta, Sirak Asmerom, Natnael Ambasager, Yoel Ghebrihiwot

Abstract:

The call for natural language processing (NLP) systems for low-resource languages has become more apparent than ever in the past few years, with the arduous challenges still present in preparing such systems. This paper presents an improved dataset version of the Nagaoka Tigrinya Corpus for Parts-of-Speech (POS) classification system in the Tigrinya language. The size of the initial Nagaoka dataset was incremented, totaling the new tagged corpus to 118K tokens, which comprised the 12 basic POS annotations used previously. The additional content was also annotated manually in a stringent manner, followed similar rules to the former dataset and was formatted in CONLL format. The system made use of the novel approach in NLP tasks and use of the monolingually pre-trained TiELECTRA, TiBERT and TiRoBERTa transformer models. The highest achieved score is an impressive weighted F1-score of 94.2%, which surpassed the previous systems by a significant measure. The system will prove useful in the progress of NLP-related tasks for Tigrinya and similarly related low-resource languages with room for cross-referencing higher-resource languages.

Keywords: Tigrinya POS corpus, TiBERT, TiRoBERTa, conditional random fields

Procedia PDF Downloads 92
18958 Sustainable Project Management: Driving the Construction Industry Towards Sustainable Developmental Goals

Authors: Francis Kwesi Bondinuba, Seidu Abdullah, Mewomo Cecilia, Opoku Alex

Abstract:

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to develop a framework for understanding how sustainable project management contributes to the construction industry's pursuit of sustainable development goals. Study design/methodology/approach: The study employed a theoretical methodology to review existing theories and models that support Sustainable Project Management (SPM) in the construction industry. Additionally, a comprehensive review of current literature on SPM is conducted to provide a thorough understanding of this study. Findings: Sustainable Project Management (SPM) practices, including stakeholder engagement and collaboration, resource efficiency, waste management, risk management, and resilience, play a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the construction industry. Conclusion: Adopting Sustainable Project Management (SPM) practices in the Ghanaian construction industry enhances social inclusivity by engaging communities and creating job opportunities. The adoption of these practices faces significant challenges, including a lack of awareness and understanding, insufficient regulatory frameworks, financial constraints, and a shortage of skilled professionals. Recommendation: There should be a comprehensive approach to project planning and execution that includes stakeholders such as local communities, government bodies, and environmental organisations, the use of green building materials and technologies, and the implementation of effective waste management strategies, all of which will ensure the achievement of SDGs in Ghana's construction industry. Originality/value: This paper adds to the current literature by offering the various theories and models in Sustainable Project Management (SPM) and a detailed review of how Sustainable Project Management (SPM) contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Ghanaian Construction Industry.

Keywords: sustainable development, sustainable development goals, construction industry, ghana, sustainable project management

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18957 Driving Innovation by Enhancing Employee Roles: The Balancing Act of Employee-Driven Innovation

Authors: L. Tirabeni, K. E. Soderquist, P. Pisano

Abstract:

Our purpose is to investigate how the relationship between employees and innovation management processes can drive organizations to successful innovations. This research is deeply related to a new way of thinking about human resources management practices. It’s not simply about improving the employees’ engagement, but rather about a different and more radical commitment: the employee can take on the role traditionally played by the customer, namely to become the first tester of an innovative product or service, the first user/customer and eventually the first investor in the innovation. This new perception of employees could create the basis of a novelty in the innovation process where innovation is taken to a next level when the problems with customer driven innovation on the one hand, and employees driven innovation on the other can be balanced. This research identifies an effective approach to innovation where the employees will participate throughout the whole innovation process, not only in the idea creation but also in the idea definition and development by giving feedback in parallel to that provided by customers and lead-users.

Keywords: employee-driven innovation, engagement, human resource management, innovative companies

Procedia PDF Downloads 405
18956 Solar Power Satellites: Reconsideration Based on Novel Approaches

Authors: Alex Ellery

Abstract:

Solar power satellites (SPS), despite their promise as a clean energy source, have been relegated out of consideration due to their enormous cost and technological challenge. It has been suggested that for solar power satellites to become economically feasible, launch costs must decrease from their current $20,000/kg to < $200/kg. Even with the advent of single-stage-to-orbit launchers which propose launch costs dropping to $2,000/kg, this will not be realized. Yet, the advantages of solar power satellites are many. Here, I present a novel approach to reduce the specific cost of solar power satellites to ~$1/kg by leveraging two enabling technologies – in-situ resource utilization and 3D printing. The power of such technologies will open up enormous possibilities for providing additional options for combating climate change whilst meeting demands for global energy. From the constraints imposed by in-situ resource utilization, a novel approach to solar energy conversion in SPS may be realized.

Keywords: clean energy sources, in-situ resource utilisation, solar power satellites, thermionic emission

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18955 An Animation-Based Resource for Screening Emotional and Behavioural Distress in Children Aged 6 to 12

Authors: Zoe Lynch, Kirsty Zieschank

Abstract:

There are several factors that compromise the utility and wide-spread use of existing emotional and behavioural distress screening instruments. Some of these factors include lengthy administration times, high costs, feasibility issues, and a lack of self-report options for children under 12 years of age. This animation-based resource was developed to overcome as many of these factors as possible. Developed for educators and medical and mental health professionals, this resource offers children a self-guided mechanism for reporting any current emotional and behavioural distress. An avatar assistant, selected by the child, accompanies them through each stage of the screening process, offering further instruction if prompted. Children enter their age and gender before viewing comparative animations conveying common childhood emotional and behavioural difficulties. The child then selects the most relatable animations, along with the frequency with which they experience the depicted emotions. From a perspective of intellectual development, an engaging, animated format means that outcomes will not be constrained by children’s reading, writing, cognitive, or verbal expression abilities. Having been user-tested with children aged 6 to 12, this resource shows promising results as a self-guided screening instrument.

Keywords: animation-based screening instrument, mental health, primary-aged children, self-guided

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18954 Identification of Groundwater Potential Zones Using Geographic Information System and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis: A Case Study in Bagmati River Basin

Authors: Hritik Bhattarai, Vivek Dumre, Ananya Neupane, Poonam Koirala, Anjali Singh

Abstract:

The availability of clean and reliable groundwater is essential for the sustainment of human and environmental health. Groundwater is a crucial resource that contributes significantly to the total annual supply. However, over-exploitation has depleted groundwater availability considerably and led to some land subsidence. Determining the potential zone of groundwater is vital for protecting water quality and managing groundwater systems. Groundwater potential zones are marked with the assistance of Geographic Information System techniques. During the study, a standard methodology was proposed to determine groundwater potential using an integration of GIS and AHP techniques. When choosing the prospective groundwater zone, accurate information was generated to get parameters such as geology, slope, soil, temperature, rainfall, drainage density, and lineament density. However, identifying and mapping potential groundwater zones remains challenging due to aquifer systems' complex and dynamic nature. Then, ArcGIS was incorporated with a weighted overlay, and appropriate ranks were assigned to each parameter group. Through data analysis, MCDA was applied to weigh and prioritize the different parameters based on their relative impact on groundwater potential. There were three probable groundwater zones: low potential, moderate potential, and high potential. Our analysis showed that the central and lower parts of the Bagmati River Basin have the highest potential, i.e., 7.20% of the total area. In contrast, the northern and eastern parts have lower potential. The identified potential zones can be used to guide future groundwater exploration and management strategies in the region.

Keywords: groundwater, geographic information system, analytic hierarchy processes, multi-criteria decision analysis, Bagmati

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18953 Tourism Satellite Account: Approach and Information System Development

Authors: Pappas Theodoros, Mihail Diakomihalis

Abstract:

Measuring the economic impact of tourism in a benchmark economy is a global concern, with previous measurements being partial and not fully integrated. Tourism is a phenomenon that requires individual consumption of visitors and which should be observed and measured to reveal, thus, the overall contribution of tourism to an economy. The Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) is a critical tool for assessing the annual growth of tourism, providing reliable measurements. This article introduces a system of TSA information that encompasses all the works of the TSA, including input, storage, management, and analysis of data, as well as additional future functions and enhances the efficiency of tourism data management and TSA collection utility. The methodology and results presented offer insights into the development and implementation of TSA.

Keywords: tourism satellite account, information system, data-based tourist account, relation database

Procedia PDF Downloads 77
18952 Building Information Management Advantages, Adaptation, and Challenges of Implementation in Kabul Metropolitan Area

Authors: Mohammad Rahim Rahimi, Yuji Hoshino

Abstract:

Building Information Management (BIM) at recent years has widespread consideration on the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC). BIM has been bringing innovation in AEC industry and has the ability to improve the construction industry with high quality, reduction time and budget of project. Meanwhile, BIM support model and process in AEC industry, the process include the project time cycle, estimating, delivery and generally the way of management of project but not limited to those. This research carried the BIM advantages, adaptation and challenges of implementation in Kabul region. Capital Region Independence Development Authority (CRIDA) have responsibilities to implement the development projects in Kabul region. The method of study were considers on advantages and reasons of BIM performance in Afghanistan based on online survey and data. Besides that, five projects were studied, the reason of consideration were many times design revises and changes. Although, most of the projects had problems regard to designing and implementation stage, hence in canal project was discussed in detail with the main reason of problems. Which were many time changes and revises due to the lack of information, planning, and management. In addition, two projects based on BIM utilization in Japan were also discussed. The Shinsuizenji Station and Oita River dam projects. Those are implemented and implementing consequently according to the BIM requirements. The investigation focused on BIM usage, project implementation process. Eventually, the projects were the comparison with CRIDA and BIM utilization in Japan. The comparison will focus on the using of the model and the way of solving the problems based upon on the BIM. In conclusion, that BIM had the capacity to prevent many times design changes and revises. On behalf of achieving those objectives are required to focus on data management and sharing, BIM training and using new technology.

Keywords: construction information management, implementation and adaptation of BIM, project management, developing countries

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18951 Supervisor Controller-Based Colored Petri Nets for Deadlock Control and Machine Failures in Automated Manufacturing Systems

Authors: Husam Kaid, Abdulrahman Al-Ahmari, Zhiwu Li

Abstract:

This paper develops a robust deadlock control technique for shared and unreliable resources in automated manufacturing systems (AMSs) based on structural analysis and colored Petri nets, which consists of three steps. The first step involves using strict minimal siphon control to create a live (deadlock-free) system that does not consider resource failure. The second step uses an approach based on colored Petri net, in which all monitors designed in the first step are merged into a single monitor. The third step addresses the deadlock control problems caused by resource failures. For all resource failures in the Petri net model a common recovery subnet based on colored petri net is proposed. The common recovery subnet is added to the obtained system at the second step to make the system reliable. The proposed approach is evaluated using an AMS from the literature. The results show that the proposed approach can be applied to an unreliable complex Petri net model, has a simpler structure and less computational complexity, and can obtain one common recovery subnet to model all resource failures.

Keywords: automated manufacturing system, colored Petri net, deadlocks, siphon

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18950 Knowledge Management Strategies as a Tool to Change the Organizational Culture

Authors: Doaa Abbas Zaher

Abstract:

For the past two decades demand for knowledge has been increasing. Management of society’s knowledge has far reaching effects to economic growth through increased capacity to complete viable activities. Organizations use information technology to effect organizational change. This is a challenge for the less developed nations whose capacity to integrate knowledge in core functions is limited. This creates organizational problems as there is global competition amongst organizations. Cross-cultural perceptions influence difference knowledge Management. This study provides a cross-cultural analysis on the influence in knowledge culture in Japan and Saudi Arabia to effect change in organizations. Since different countries adopt different knowledge management strategies, this dictates the state of organizational development through enriched organizational culture. The research uses a mixed approach design to collect data from primary and secondary sources. Primary source will use the questionnaires while secondary sources uses case analysis from books, articles, reports, and journals. The study will take a period of three years to come up with a complete paper.

Keywords: knowledge management, organizational culture, information, society knowledge

Procedia PDF Downloads 351
18949 Data Analysis Tool for Predicting Water Scarcity in Industry

Authors: Tassadit Issaadi Hamitouche, Nicolas Gillard, Jean Petit, Valerie Lavaste, Celine Mayousse

Abstract:

Water is a fundamental resource for the industry. It is taken from the environment either from municipal distribution networks or from various natural water sources such as the sea, ocean, rivers, aquifers, etc. Once used, water is discharged into the environment, reprocessed at the plant or treatment plants. These withdrawals and discharges have a direct impact on natural water resources. These impacts can apply to the quantity of water available, the quality of the water used, or to impacts that are more complex to measure and less direct, such as the health of the population downstream from the watercourse, for example. Based on the analysis of data (meteorological, river characteristics, physicochemical substances), we wish to predict water stress episodes and anticipate prefectoral decrees, which can impact the performance of plants and propose improvement solutions, help industrialists in their choice of location for a new plant, visualize possible interactions between companies to optimize exchanges and encourage the pooling of water treatment solutions, and set up circular economies around the issue of water. The development of a system for the collection, processing, and use of data related to water resources requires the functional constraints specific to the latter to be made explicit. Thus the system will have to be able to store a large amount of data from sensors (which is the main type of data in plants and their environment). In addition, manufacturers need to have 'near-real-time' processing of information in order to be able to make the best decisions (to be rapidly notified of an event that would have a significant impact on water resources). Finally, the visualization of data must be adapted to its temporal and geographical dimensions. In this study, we set up an infrastructure centered on the TICK application stack (for Telegraf, InfluxDB, Chronograf, and Kapacitor), which is a set of loosely coupled but tightly integrated open source projects designed to manage huge amounts of time-stamped information. The software architecture is coupled with the cross-industry standard process for data mining (CRISP-DM) data mining methodology. The robust architecture and the methodology used have demonstrated their effectiveness on the study case of learning the level of a river with a 7-day horizon. The management of water and the activities within the plants -which depend on this resource- should be considerably improved thanks, on the one hand, to the learning that allows the anticipation of periods of water stress, and on the other hand, to the information system that is able to warn decision-makers with alerts created from the formalization of prefectoral decrees.

Keywords: data mining, industry, machine Learning, shortage, water resources

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18948 Oil and Development: The Case of Kuwait

Authors: Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Albahar

Abstract:

This paper aims to answer the question of: is oil as a natural resource with all the wealth that it brings an economic burden? And how can resource curse be mitigated in such oil dependent nations? The case of Kuwait will be used as an example. The paper begins with an introduction of the resource curse and the Kuwaiti economy in general. Then there is an attempt to see that does the curse exist in the case for Kuwait. Furthermore, in the analysis section, an exploration on how the economy is dependent on oil and how oil is more of a burden if there is mismanagement is conducted. Later on, in answering on how to mitigate the problem of a resource curse, the case of Norway is explored. In concluding the paper, the results do show that oil rentals affects the Kuwaiti economy via 2 main channels, these are government spending that are mainly financed via oil rentals and exportation of oil based products. The surprising result was that government spending had a negative impact on GDP (gross domestic product) growth when oil rentals where instrumented on government expenditure, this is due to the issue of rent seeking in which government spending in Kuwait is financing things such as stimulus packages and raising the nominal wages. Yet, when comparing the magnitude of both oil exportation and government spending, the latter has a stronger effect on the GDP (gross domestic product) growth than the former. A resource curse doesn’t seem to exist in the case of Kuwait however, the characteristics of a curse do show in the form of rent seeking in the political sphere, the disruption of the traditional sectors like that of pearl trade and fishing markets. Yet, a curse doesn’t show due to the fact that the currency of the nation is very stable and hasn’t experienced any appreciation because of the fixed exchange rate system. Moreover, even if we can’t say that a curse exists, it is clear to see that the Kuwaiti economy is heading towards one. Whether or not it faces a resource curse will be based on how judicious the nation will be in exploiting their sovereign wealth fund and implementing diversification strategies to be less oil dependent like the vision “New Kuwait-2035” which has been underway since 2017.

Keywords: economic development, Kuwait, oil curse, dutch disease

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18947 Coupling of Reticular and Fuzzy Set Modelling in the Analysis of the Action Chains from Socio-Ecosystem, Case of the Renewable Natural Resources Management in Madagascar

Authors: Thierry Ganomanana, Dominique Hervé, Solo Randriamahaleo

Abstract:

Management of Malagasy renewable natural re-sources allows, in the case of forest, the mobilization of several actors with norms and/or territory. The interaction in this socio-ecosystem is represented by a graph of two different relationships in which most of action chains, from individual activities under the continuous of forest dynamic and discrete interventions by institutional, are also studied. The fuzzy set theory is adapted to graduate the elements of the set Illegal Activities in the space of sanction’s institution by his severity and in the space of degradation of forest by his extent.

Keywords: fuzzy set, graph, institution, renewable resource, system

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18946 Application of Medical Information System for Image-Based Second Opinion Consultations–Georgian Experience

Authors: Kldiashvili Ekaterina, Burduli Archil, Ghortlishvili Gocha

Abstract:

Introduction – Medical information system (MIS) is at the heart of information technology (IT) implementation policies in healthcare systems around the world. Different architecture and application models of MIS are developed. Despite of obvious advantages and benefits, application of MIS in everyday practice is slow. Objective - On the background of analysis of the existing models of MIS in Georgia has been created a multi-user web-based approach. This presentation will present the architecture of the system and its application for image based second opinion consultations. Methods – The MIS has been created with .Net technology and SQL database architecture. It realizes local (intranet) and remote (internet) access to the system and management of databases. The MIS is fully operational approach, which is successfully used for medical data registration and management as well as for creation, editing and maintenance of the electronic medical records (EMR). Five hundred Georgian language electronic medical records from the cervical screening activity illustrated by images were selected for second opinion consultations. Results – The primary goal of the MIS is patient management. However, the system can be successfully applied for image based second opinion consultations. Discussion – The ideal of healthcare in the information age must be to create a situation where healthcare professionals spend more time creating knowledge from medical information and less time managing medical information. The application of easily available and adaptable technology and improvement of the infrastructure conditions is the basis for eHealth applications. Conclusion - The MIS is perspective and actual technology solution. It can be successfully and effectively used for image based second opinion consultations.

Keywords: digital images, medical information system, second opinion consultations, electronic medical record

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18945 Benefits of Construction Management Implications and Processes by Projects Managers on Project Completion

Authors: Mamoon Mousa Atout

Abstract:

Projects managers in construction industry usually face a difficult organizational environment especially if the project is unique. The organization lacks the processes to practice construction management correctly, and the executive’s technical managers who have lack of experience in playing their role and responsibilities correctly. Project managers need to adopt best practices that allow them to do things effectively to make sure that the project can be delivered without any delay even though the executive’s technical managers should follow a certain process to avoid any factor might cause any delay during the project life cycle. The purpose of the paper is to examine the awareness level of projects managers about construction management processes, tools, techniques and implications to complete projects on time. The outcome and the results of the study are prepared based on the designed questionnaires and interviews conducted with many project managers. The method used in this paper is a quantitative study. A survey with a sample of 100 respondents was prepared and distributed in a construction company in Dubai, which includes nine questions to examine the level of their awareness. This research will also identify the necessary benefits of processes of construction management that has to be adopted by projects managers to mitigate the maximum potential problems which might cause any delay to the project life cycle.

Keywords: construction management, project objectives, resource planing and scheduling, project completion

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18944 Parasitological Study and Its Role in Fisheries Management and Stock Assessment of Boops boops (Lineauses, 1758) along the Tunisian Coast

Authors: I. Chebbi, L. Boudaya, L. Neifar

Abstract:

The bogue, Boops boops is an economically important fishery resource and commonly captured in the Mediterranean, and its diversity in parasites has been used as a tool to differentiate between stocks along with Tunisia since it is widely acceptable in fisheries management. In this study, a total of 90 fish are investigated from three localities off Tunisia, including Kelibia, Mahdia, and Zarzis. Fifteen species of parasites totaling 1270 individuals were harvested from B. boops, whereas ten parasites were used as biological tags. Based on Mahalanobis distance, each parasite species shows a great importance in the discrimination between groups. Tetraphyllidea larvae are the most influential parasites in determining the position of samples belonging to Kelibia. Monogenean species and Hysterothylacium sp. are the most important species for determining the position of samples from Mahdia. Specimens from Zarzis are characterized by the absence of the four Monogenean species and the Tetraphyllidea larvae. Parasites allocate B. boops population correctly to their origin communities with an accuracy of 83.3%. These results were corroborated by the discriminant analyses, highlighted the presence of three stocks, and improved that the parasitological method can be considered as a reliable key to provide imperative information for discriminating among B. boops stocks in Tunisian waters.

Keywords: biological marker, Boops boops, parasite, population structure

Procedia PDF Downloads 127
18943 Green Supply Chain Management and Corporate Performance: The Mediation Mechanism of Information Sharing among Firms

Authors: Seigo Matsuno, Yasuo Uchida, Shozo Tokinaga

Abstract:

This paper proposes and empirically tests a model of the relationships between green supply chain management (GSCM) activities and corporate performance. From the literature review, we identified five constructs, namely, environmental commitment, supplier collaboration, supplier assessment, information sharing among suppliers, and business process improvement. These explanatory variables are used to form a structural model explaining the environmental and economic performance. The model was analyzed using the data from a survey of a sample of manufacturing firms in Japan. The results suggest that the degree of supplier collaboration has an influence on the environmental performance directly. While, the impact of supplier assessment on the environmental performance is mediated by the information sharing and/or business process improvement. And the environmental performance has a positive relationship on the economic performance. Academic and managerial implications of our findings are discussed.

Keywords: corporate performance, empirical study, green supply chain management, path modeling

Procedia PDF Downloads 389
18942 Reactive And Concurrency-Based Image Resource Management Module for IOS Applications

Authors: Shubham V. Kamdi

Abstract:

This paper aims to serve as an introduction to image resource caching techniques for iOS mobile applications. It will explain how developers can break down multiple image-downloading tasks concurrently using state-of-the-art iOS frameworks, namely Swift Concurrency and Combine. We will explain how developers can leverage SwiftUI to develop reactive view components and use declarative coding patterns. Developers will learn to bypass existing built image caching systems by curating the procedure to implement a swift-based LRU cache system. The paper will provide a full architectural overview of a system, helping readers understand how mobile applications are designed professionally. It will also cover technical discussion, helping readers understand the low-level details of threads and how they can switch between them, as well as the importance of the main and background threads for requesting HTTP services via mobile applications.

Keywords: Main thread, background thread, reactive view components, declarative coding

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18941 Scope of Implmenting Building Information Modeling in (Aec) Industry Firms in India

Authors: Padmini Raman

Abstract:

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is facing enormous technological and institutional changes and challenges including the information technology and appropriate application of sustainable practices. The engineer and architect must be able to handle with a rapid pace of technological change. BIM is a unique process of producing and managing a building by exploring a digital module before the actual project is constructed and later during its construction, facility operation and maintenance. BIM has been Adopted by construction contractors and architects in the western country mostly in US and UK to improve the planning and management of construction projects. In India, BIM is a basic stage of adoption only, several issues about data acquisition and management comes during the design formation and planning of a construction project due to the complexity, ambiguity, and fragmented nature of the Indian construction industry. This paper tells about the view a strategy for India’s AEC firms to successfully implement BIM in their current working processes. By surveying and collecting data about problems faced by these architectural firms, it will be analysed how to avoid those situations from rising and, thus, introducing BIM Capabilities in such firms in the most effective way. while this application is widely accepted throughout the industry in many countries for managing project information for cost control and facilities management.

Keywords: AEC industry, building information module, Indian industry, new technology, BIM implementation in India

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18940 Sustainable Manufacturing Industries and Energy-Water Nexus Approach

Authors: Shahbaz Abbas, Lin Han Chiang Hsieh

Abstract:

The significant population growth and climate change issues have contributed to the natural resources depletion and their sustainability in the future. Manufacturing industries have a substantial impact on every country’s economy, but the sustainability of the industrial resources is challenging, and the policymakers have been developing the possible solutions to manage the sustainability of industrial resources such as raw material, energy, water, and industrial supply chain. In order to address these challenges, nexus approach is one of the optimization and modelling techniques in the recent sustainable environmental research. The interactions between the nexus components acknowledge that all components are dependent upon each other, and they are interrelated; therefore, their sustainability is also associated with each other. In addition, the nexus concept does not only provide the resources sustainability but also environmental sustainability can be achieved through nexus approach by utilizing the industrial waste as a resource for the industrial processes. Based on energy-water nexus, this study has developed a resource-energy-water for the sugar industry to understand the interactions between sugarcane, energy, and water towards the sustainable sugar industry. In particular, the focus of the research is the Taiwanese sugar industry; however, the same approach can be adapted worldwide to optimize the sustainability of sugar industries. It has been concluded that there are significant interactions between sugarcane, energy consumption, and water consumption in the sugar industry to manage the scarcity of resources in the future. The interactions between sugarcane and energy also deliver a mechanism to reuse the sugar industrial waste as a source of energy, consequently validating industrial and environmental sustainability. The desired outcomes from the nexus can be achieved with the modifications in the policy and regulations of Taiwanese industrial sector.

Keywords: energy-water nexus, environmental sustainability, industrial sustainability, natural resource management

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18939 A Machine Learning Approach for Efficient Resource Management in Construction Projects

Authors: Soheila Sadeghi

Abstract:

Construction projects are complex and often subject to significant cost overruns due to the multifaceted nature of the activities involved. Accurate cost estimation is crucial for effective budget planning and resource allocation. Traditional methods for predicting overruns often rely on expert judgment or analysis of historical data, which can be time-consuming, subjective, and may fail to consider important factors. However, with the increasing availability of data from construction projects, machine learning techniques can be leveraged to improve the accuracy of overrun predictions. This study applied machine learning algorithms to enhance the prediction of cost overruns in a case study of a construction project. The methodology involved the development and evaluation of two machine learning models: Random Forest and Neural Networks. Random Forest can handle high-dimensional data, capture complex relationships, and provide feature importance estimates. Neural Networks, particularly Deep Neural Networks (DNNs), are capable of automatically learning and modeling complex, non-linear relationships between input features and the target variable. These models can adapt to new data, reduce human bias, and uncover hidden patterns in the dataset. The findings of this study demonstrate that both Random Forest and Neural Networks can significantly improve the accuracy of cost overrun predictions compared to traditional methods. The Random Forest model also identified key cost drivers and risk factors, such as changes in the scope of work and delays in material delivery, which can inform better project risk management. However, the study acknowledges several limitations. First, the findings are based on a single construction project, which may limit the generalizability of the results to other projects or contexts. Second, the dataset, although comprehensive, may not capture all relevant factors influencing cost overruns, such as external economic conditions or political factors. Third, the study focuses primarily on cost overruns, while schedule overruns are not explicitly addressed. Future research should explore the application of machine learning techniques to a broader range of projects, incorporate additional data sources, and investigate the prediction of both cost and schedule overruns simultaneously.

Keywords: resource allocation, machine learning, optimization, data-driven decision-making, project management

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18938 Data Integrity between Ministry of Education and Private Schools in the United Arab Emirates

Authors: Rima Shishakly, Mervyn Misajon

Abstract:

Education is similar to other businesses and industries. Achieving data integrity is essential in order to attain a significant supporting for all the stakeholders in the educational sector. Efficient data collect, flow, processing, storing and retrieving are vital in order to deliver successful solutions to the different stakeholders. Ministry of Education (MOE) in United Arab Emirates (UAE) has adopted ‘Education 2020’ a series of five-year plans designed to introduce advanced education management information systems. As part of this program, in 2010 MOE implemented Student Information Systems (SIS) to manage and monitor the students’ data and information flow between MOE and international private schools in UAE. This paper is going to discuss data integrity concerns between MOE, and private schools. The paper will clarify the data integrity issues and will indicate the challenges that face private schools in UAE.

Keywords: education management information systems (EMIS), student information system (SIS), United Arab Emirates (UAE), ministry of education (MOE), (KHDA) the knowledge and human development authority, Abu Dhabi educational counsel (ADEC)

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18937 Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Cities: Using Wastewater and Urban Wetlands as Resource

Authors: Hussnain Mukhtar, Yu-Pin Lin

Abstract:

This paper deals with the concept of ecologically engineered system for sustainable agriculture production with the view of sustainable cities development. Sustainable cities offer numerous eco-services to its inhabitants, and where, among other issues, wastewater nutrients can be considered to be a valuable resource to be used for a sustainable enhancement of urban agriculture in wetlands. Existing cities can be transferred from being only consumer of food and other agriculture product into important resource conserving and sustainable generators of these products. The review provides the food production capacity through introduction of wastewater into urban wetlands, potential for nutrient recovery and ecological engineering intervention to reduce the risk of food contamination by pathogens. Finally, we discuss the potential nutrients accumulating in our cities, as an important aspect of sustainable urban development.

Keywords: ecological engineering, nutrient recovery, pathogens, urban agriculture, wetlands

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18936 Use of Thrombolytics for Acute Myocardial Infarctions in Resource-Limited Settings, Globally: A Systematic Literature Review

Authors: Sara Zelman, Courtney Meyer, Hiren Patel, Lisa Philpotts, Sue Lahey, Thomas Burke

Abstract:

Background: As the global burden of disease shifts from infectious diseases to noncommunicable diseases, there is growing urgency to provide treatment for time-sensitive illnesses, such as ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarctions (STEMIs). The standard of care for STEMIs in developed countries is Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). However, this is inaccessible in resource-limited settings. Before the discovery of PCI, Streptokinase (STK) and other thrombolytic drugs were first-line treatments for STEMIs. STK has been recognized as a cost-effective and safe treatment for STEMIs; however, in settings which lack access to PCI, it has not become the established second-line therapy. A systematic literature review was conducted to geographically map the use of STK for STEMIs in resource-limited settings. Methods: Our literature review group searched the databases Cinhal, Embase, Ovid, Pubmed, Web of Science, and WHO’s Index Medicus. The search terms included ‘thrombolytics’ AND ‘myocardial infarction’ AND ‘resource-limited’ and were restricted to human studies and papers written in English. A considerable number of studies came from Latin America; however, these studies were not written in English and were excluded. The initial search yielded 3,487 articles, which was reduced to 3,196 papers after titles were screened. Three medical professionals then screened abstracts, from which 291 articles were selected for full-text review and 94 papers were chosen for final inclusion. These articles were then analyzed and mapped geographically. Results: This systematic literature review revealed that STK has been used for the treatment of STEMIs in 33 resource-limited countries, with 18 of 94 studies taking place in India. Furthermore, 13 studies occurred in Pakistan, followed by Iran (6), Sri Lanka (5), Brazil (4), China (4), and South Africa (4). Conclusion: Our systematic review revealed that STK has been used for the treatment of STEMIs in 33 resource-limited countries, with the highest utilization occurring in India. This demonstrates that even though STK has high utility for STEMI treatment in resource-limited settings, it still has not become the standard of care. Future research should investigate the barriers preventing the establishment of STK use as second-line treatment after PCI.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease, global health, resource-limited setting, ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, Streptokinase

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