Abstract: When choosing marketing strategies for international markets, one of the factors that should be considered is the cultural differences that exist among consumers in different countries. If the branding strategy has to be contextual and in tune with the culture, then the brand positioning variables has to interact, adapt and respond to the cultural variables in which the brand is operating. This study provides an overview of the relevance of culture in the development of an effective branding strategy in the international business environment. Hence, the main objective of this study is to provide a managerial framework for developing strategies for cross cultural brand management. The framework is useful because it incorporates the variables that are important in the competitiveness of fast food enterprises irrespective of their size. It provides practical, proactive and result oriented analysis that will help fast food firms augment their strategies in the international fast food markets. The proposed framework will enable managers understand the intricacies involved in branding in the global fast food industry and decrease the use of 'trial and error' when entering into unfamiliar markets.
Abstract: Col is a classic combinatorial game played on graphs
and to solve a general instance is a PSPACE-complete problem.
However, winning strategies can be found for some specific graph
instances. In this paper, the solution of Col on complete k-ary trees
is presented.
Abstract: This article discusses the concept of student ownership of knowledge and seeks to determine how to move students from knowledge acquisition to knowledge application and ultimately to knowledge generation in a virtual setting. Instructional strategies for fostering student engagement in a virtual environment are critical to the learner-s strategic ownership of the knowledge. A number of relevant theories that focus on learning, affect, needs and adult concerns are presented to provide a basis for exploring the transfer of knowledge from teacher to learner. A model under development is presented that combines the dimensions of knowledge approach, the teacher-student relationship with regards to knowledge authority and teaching approach to demonstrate the recursive and scaffolded design for creation of virtual learning environments.
Abstract: This article stands in the context of rural communities
in Brazil, where, like many others emerging countries, the
overwhelming increasing markets and the overcrowded cities are
leaving behind informal settlements based on obsolete agricultural
economies and techniques. The pilot project for the community of
Goiabeira reflects the attempt to imagine a development model that
privileges the actual improvement of living conditions, the education
and training, the social inclusion and participation of the dwellers of
rural communities. Through the inclusion of operative public space,
the aim is for them to become self-sustaining, encouraging the use of
local resources for appropriate architectural, ecological and energy
technologies and devices, that are efficient, affordable and foster
community participation, in the respect of the surrounding
environment.
Abstract: Pairwise testing, which requires that every
combination of valid values of each pair of system factors be covered
by at lease one test case, plays an important role in software testing
since many faults are caused by unexpected 2-way interactions among
system factors. Although meta-heuristic strategies like simulated
annealing can generally discover smaller pairwise test suite, they may
cost more time to perform search, compared with greedy algorithms.
We propose a new method, improved Extremal Optimization (EO)
based on the Bak-Sneppen (BS) model of biological evolution, for
constructing pairwise test suites and define fitness function according
to the requirement of improved EO. Experimental results show that
improved EO gives similar size of resulting pairwise test suite and
yields an 85% reduction in solution time over SA.
Abstract: While the form of crises may change, their essence
remains the same (such as a cycle of abundant liquidity, rapid credit
growth, and a low-inflation environment followed by an asset-price
bubble). The current market turbulence began in mid-2000s when the
US economy shifted to imbalanced both internal and external
macroeconomic positions. We see two key causes of these problems
– loose US monetary policy in early 2000s and US government
guarantees issued on the securities by government-sponsored
enterprises what was further fueled by financial innovations such as
structured credit products. We have discovered both negative and
positive lessons deriving from this crisis and divided the negative
lessons into three groups: financial products and valuation, processes
and business models, and strategic issues. Moreover, we address key
risk management lessons and exit strategies derived from the current
crisis and recommend policies that should help diminish the negative
impact of future potential crises.
Abstract: High quality requirements analysis is one of the most
crucial activities to ensure the success of a software project, so that
requirements verification for software system becomes more and more
important in Requirements Engineering (RE) and it is one of the most
helpful strategies for improving the quality of software system.
Related works show that requirement elicitation and analysis can be
facilitated by ontological approaches and semantic web technologies.
In this paper, we proposed a hybrid method which aims to verify
requirements with structural and formal semantics to detect
interactions. The proposed method is twofold: one is for modeling
requirements with the semantic web language OWL, to construct a
semantic context; the other is a set of interaction detection rules which
are derived from scenario-based analysis and represented with
semantic web rule language (SWRL). SWRL based rules are working
with rule engines like Jess to reason in semantic context for
requirements thus to detect interactions. The benefits of the proposed
method lie in three aspects: the method (i) provides systematic steps
for modeling requirements with an ontological approach, (ii) offers
synergy of requirements elicitation and domain engineering for
knowledge sharing, and (3)the proposed rules can systematically assist
in requirements interaction detection.
Abstract: Buildings and associated construction methods have a significant impact on the environment. As construction activity increases in Kuwait, there is a need to create design and construction strategies which will minimize the environmental impact of new buildings. Green construction is a design philosophy intended to improve the sustainability of construction by the minimization of resource depletion and CO2 emissions throughout the life cycle of buildings. This paper presents and discusses the results of a survey that was conducted in Kuwait, with the objective of investigating the awareness of developers and other stakeholders regarding their understanding and use of green construction strategies. The results of the survey demonstrate that whilst there seems to be a reasonable level of awareness amongst the stakeholders, this awareness is not currently well reflected in the design and construction practices actually being applied. It is therefore concluded is there is a pressing need for intervention from Government in order that the use of sustainable green design and construction strategies becomes the norm in Kuwait.
Abstract: Coverage is one of the main research interests in wireless sensor networks (WSN), it is used to determine the quality of service (QoS) of the networks. Therefore this paper aims to review the common strategies use in solving coverage problem in WSN. The strategies studied are used during deployment phase where the coverage is calculated based on the placement of the sensors on the region of interest (ROI). The strategies reviewed are categorized into three groups based on the approaches used, namely; force based, grid based or computational geometry based approach.
Abstract: The CMLP building was developed to be a model for
sustainability with strategies to reduce water, energy and pollution,
and to provide a healthy environment for the building occupants. The
aim of this paper is to investigate the environmental effects of energy
used by this building. A LCA (life cycle analysis) was led to measure
the real environmental effects produced by the use of energy. The
impact categories most affected by the energy use were found to be
the human health effects, as well as ecotoxicity. Natural gas
extraction, uranium milling for nuclear energy production, and the
blasting for mining and infrastructure construction are the processes
contributing the most to emissions in the human health effect. Data
comparing LCA results of CMLP building with a conventional
building results showed that energy used by the CMLP building has
less damage for the environment and human health than a
conventional building.
Abstract: In the era of great competition, understanding and satisfying
customers- requirements are the critical tasks for a company
to make a profits. Customer relationship management (CRM) thus
becomes an important business issue at present. With the help of
the data mining techniques, the manager can explore and analyze
from a large quantity of data to discover meaningful patterns and
rules. Among all methods, well-known association rule is most
commonly seen. This paper is based on Apriori algorithm and uses
genetic algorithms combining a data mining method to discover fuzzy
classification rules. The mined results can be applied in CRM to
help decision marker make correct business decisions for marketing
strategies.
Abstract: This study is about an application of King Bhumibol
Adulyadej’s “Learn Wisely” (LW) concept in instructional design
and management process at the Faculty of Education, Suan Sunahdha
Rajabhat University. The concept suggests four strategies for true
learning. Related literature and significant LW methods in teaching
and learning are also reviewed and then applied in designing a
pedagogy learning module. The design has been implemented in
three classrooms with a total of 115 sophomore student teachers.
After one consecutive semester of managing and adjusting the
process by instructors and experts using collected data from minutes,
assessment of learning management, satisfaction and learning
achievement of the students, it is found that the effective SSRU
model of LW instructional method comprises of five steps.
Abstract: Recently, Genetic Algorithms (GA) and Differential
Evolution (DE) algorithm technique have attracted considerable
attention among various modern heuristic optimization techniques.
Since the two approaches are supposed to find a solution to a given
objective function but employ different strategies and computational
effort, it is appropriate to compare their performance. This paper
presents the application and performance comparison of DE and GA
optimization techniques, for flexible ac transmission system
(FACTS)-based controller design. The design objective is to enhance
the power system stability. The design problem of the FACTS-based
controller is formulated as an optimization problem and both the PSO
and GA optimization techniques are employed to search for optimal
controller parameters. The performance of both optimization
techniques has been compared. Further, the optimized controllers are
tested on a weekly connected power system subjected to different
disturbances, and their performance is compared with the
conventional power system stabilizer (CPSS). The eigenvalue
analysis and non-linear simulation results are presented and
compared to show the effectiveness of both the techniques in
designing a FACTS-based controller, to enhance power system
stability.
Abstract: Most, if not all, public hospitals in Thailand have encountered a common problem regarding the increasing demand for medical services. The increasing number of patients causes so much strain on the hospital-s services, over-crowded, overloaded working hours, staff fatigue, medical error and long waiting time. This research studied the characteristics of operational processes of the medical care services at the medicine department in a large public university hospital. The research focuses on details regarding methods, procedures, processes, resources, and time management in overall processes. The simulation model is used as a tool to analyze the impact of various improvement strategies.
Abstract: Until recently, energy security and climate change
were considered separate issues to be dealt with by policymakers.
The two issues are now converging, challenging the security and
climate communities to develop a better understanding of how to deal
with both issues simultaneously. Although Egypt is not a major
contributor to the world's total GHG emissions, it is particularly
vulnerable to the potential effects of global climate change such as
rising sea levels and changed patterns of rainfall in the Nile Basin.
Climate change is a major threat to sustainable growth and
development in Egypt, and the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals. Egypt-s capacity to respond to the challenges of
climate instability will be expanded by improving overall resilience,
integrating climate change goals into sustainable development
strategies, increasing the use of modern energy systems with reduced
carbon intensity, and strengthening international initiatives. This
study seeks to establish a framework for considering the complex and
evolving links between energy security and climate change,
applicable to Egypt.
Abstract: In this paper our aim is to explore the construction of schoolgirl femininities, drawing on the results of an ethnographic study conducted in a high school in Ankara, Turkey. In this case study which tries to explore the complexities of gender discourses, we were initially motivated by the questions that have been put forward by critical and feminist literature on education which emphasize the necessarily conflicting and partial nature of both reproduction and resistance and the importance of gendered power relations in the school context. Drawing on this paradigm our research tries to address to a more specific question: how are multiple schoolgirl femininities constructed within the context of gendered school culture, and especially in relation to hegemonic masculinity? Our study reveals that the general framework of multiple femininities is engendered by a tension between two inter-related positions. The first one is different strategies of accommodation and resistance to the gender-related problems of education. The second one is the school experience of girls which is conditioned by their differential position vis-à-vis the masculine resistance culture that is dominant in the school.
Abstract: The present energy situation and the concerns
about global warming has stimulated active research interest
in non-petroleum, carbon free compounds and non-polluting
fuels, particularly for transportation, power generation, and
agricultural sectors. Environmental concerns and limited
amount of petroleum fuels have caused interests in the
development of alternative fuels for internal combustion (IC)
engines. The petroleum crude reserves however, are declining
and consumption of transport fuels particularly in the
developing countries is increasing at high rates. Severe
shortage of liquid fuels derived from petroleum may be faced
in the second half of this century. Recently more and more
stringent environmental regulations being enacted in the USA
and Europe have led to the research and development
activities on clean alternative fuels. Among the gaseous fuels
hydrogen is considered to be one of the clean alternative fuel.
Hydrogen is an interesting candidate for future internal
combustion engine based power trains. In this experimental
investigation, the performance and combustion analysis were
carried out on a direct injection (DI) diesel engine using
hydrogen with diesel following the TMI(Time Manifold
Injection) technique at different injection timings of 10
degree,45 degree and 80 degree ATDC using an electronic
control unit (ECU) and injection durations were controlled.
Further, the tests have been carried out at a constant speed of
1500rpm at different load conditions and it can be observed
that brake thermal efficiency increases with increase in load
conditions with a maximum gain of 15% at full load
conditions during all injection strategies of hydrogen. It was
also observed that with the increase in hydrogen energy share
BSEC started reducing and it reduced to a maximum of 9% as
compared to baseline diesel at 10deg ATDC injection during
maximum injection proving the exceptional combustion
properties of hydrogen.
Abstract: The goal of this research is discovering the
determinants of the success or failure of external cooperation in small
and medium enterprises (SMEs). For this, a survey was given to 190
SMEs that experienced external cooperation within the last 3 years. A
logistic regression model was used to derive organizational or strategic
characteristics that significantly influence whether external
collaboration of domestic SMEs is successful or not. Results suggest
that research and development (R&D) features in general
characteristics (both idea creation and discovering market
opportunities) that focused on and emphasized indirected-market
stakeholders (such as complementary companies and affiliates) and
strategies in innovative strategic characteristics raise the probability of
successful external cooperation. This can be used meaningfully to
build a policy or strategy for inducing successful external cooperation
or to understand the innovation of SMEs.
Abstract: The creation of a sustainable future depends on the knowledge and involvement of the people, as well as an understanding of the consequences of individual actions. Construction industry has long been associated with the detrimental effects to our mother earth. In Malaysia, the government, professional bodies and private companies are beginning to take heed in the necessity to reduce this environmental problem without restraining the need for development. This paper focuses on the actions undertaken by the Malaysian government, non-government organizations and construction players in promoting sustainability in construction. To ensure that those concerted efforts are not only skin deep in its impact, a survey was conducted to investigate the awareness of the developers regarding this issue and whether those developers has absorb the concept of sustainable construction in their current practices. The survey revealed that although the developers are aware of the rising issues on sustainability, little efforts are generated from them in implementing it. More effort is necessary to boost this application and further stimulate actions and strategies towards a sustainable built environment.
Abstract: In Iran, due to abundance of energy resources, energy consumption is extraordinarily higher than international standards and transportation sector is considered to be one of the major consumers of energy. Moreover, air pollution in urban areas as a result of high dependence on private vehicle and lower standards of vehicles, high subsidies spent on fuel and time waste due to traffic congestion in urban areas all have led to speculations on new strategies and policies in order to control energy consumption in transportation sector. These strategies and policies will be introduced in this paper and their consequences will be analyzed with consideration to socio-economic factors affecting the urban society of Iran. Besides, the intention is to suggest and analyze new approaches such as broader application of public transportation system, demand management in transport sector, replacement of deteriorated vehicles, quality improvement in car manufacture and introduction of substitute fuels.