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Cross-Business Synergies : A Typology of Cross-Business Synergies and a Mid-range Theory of Continuous Growth Synergy Realization
Sebastian Knoll investigates what cross-business synergies actually are and how they are realized successfully. In a first step, a theory-based typology of cross-business synergies is developed and two new types of synergies are conceptualized: (1) Growth synergies, i.e. profitable growth advantages from recombining complementary operative resources across businesses, and (2) corporate management synergies, i.e. performance advantages from leveraging corporate management capabilities across businesses. In a second step, the author focuses on growth synergies and inducts a framework for their continuous realization from a longitudinal in-depth single case study. He suggests that the successful realization of growth synergies is associated with a selective focus on specific growth opportunities, decentralized cross-business collaboration that motivates productive business unit self-interest, and a corporate management approach that guides and balances this self-interest in an evolutionary fashion.
Critical Points for the Organisation of Test Performance Studies in Microbiology : Plant Pathogens as a Case Study
This book in the field of plant pest detection shows a constant demand in development and improvement of fast and reliable detection tools, especially for high-priority pests. This open access book describes and summarizes the whole process of the organization of test performance study (TPS) for these tools. The outcome of TPS, obtained through the evaluation of the performance of one or more diagnostic tests by several laboratories on defined samples, is the finding of the best performing test/s for particular pest and for specific uses.
Conservation in the 21st century : Gorillas as a case study
this book is essential reading for primatologists, biologists, and conservationists searching for both a current assessment of the gorilla’s conservation status and, importantly, for ideas and tools that show promise of halting or reversing population declines and putting us on a path to achieving a stable, long-term co-existence of human and wildlife populations.
Conceptual Modeling of Information Systems
When designing an information system, conceptual modeling is the activity that elicits and describes the general knowledge the system needs to know. This description, called the conceptual schema, is necessary in order to develop an information system.textbook explains in detail the principles of conceptual modeling independently from particular methods and languages and shows how to apply them in real-world projects. It covers all aspects of the engineering process from structural modeling over behavioral modeling to meta-modeling, and completes the presentation with an extensive case study based on the osCommerce system, an online store-management software program freely available under the GNU General Public License. His presentation is based on well-known industry standards like UML and OCL as a particular conceptual modeling language, yet also delivers the basics of the formal logical language background.
Co-creation for responsible research and innovation : Experimenting with design methods and tools
This book summarizes research being pursued within the SISCODE (Society in Innovation and Science through CO-DEsign) project, funded by the EU under the H2020 programme, the goal of which is to set up an analytical, reflective and learning framework to explore the transformations in initiatives and policies emerging from the interaction between citizens and stakeholders. The book provides a critical analysis of the co-design processes activated in 10 co-creation labs addressing societal challenges across Europe. Each lab as a case study of real-life experimentation is described through its journey, starting from the purpose on the ground of the experimentation and the challenge addressed.
Marketing effectiveness and accountability in SMEs : A multimethodological approach
Sheds light on marketing effectiveness and accountability marketing in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Using a multi-method investigation, it includes a knowledge inquiry of marketing knowledge and customer knowledge, a qualitative inquiry utilizing semi structured interviews and thematic data analysis, a quantitative analysis utilizing survey and structural equations modelling, and a case study that employs both narrative (storytelling) data analysis and an accountability audit with a techno marketing SME.
Managing Diversity in Intergovernmental Organisations
Intensifying worldwide environmental changes as well as political, cultural, religious, and economic crises have made intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) important instruments in international and global cooperation. In order to cope with their diverse stakeholders, it is more imperative than ever for intergovernmental organisations to engage in personnel policy on an international scale. Successful diversity management is an essential prerequisite for organisational performance, conflict management, and dynamics of IGOs. Björn A. Peters examines the challenges of diversity and managing diversity in IGOs on the basis of the Mekong River Commission case study.
Managing change for sustainable development at higher education in Syria : The case of Arab International University
The aim of this research is to examine sustainability development initiatives in the field of higher education in Syria. The research examines the extent to which the Arab International university is engaged in sustainability practices within the three concepts of sustainability: environmental, economic and social, and examines the implementation of change management approaches on three main dimensions: university strategy, campus green management and integrating sustainability in faculty curriculum.
Making Ammonia : Fritz Haber, Walther Nernst, and the Nature of Scientific Discovery
This book discusses the progress of science and the transfer of scientific knowledge to technological application. It also identifies the factors necessary to achieve this progress. Based on a case study of the physical chemist Fritz Haber's discovery of ammonia synthesis between 1903 and 1909, the book places Haber's work in historical and scientific (physicochemical) context. The scientific developments of the preceding century are framed in a way that emphasizes the confluence of knowledge needed for Haber's success. Against this background, Haber's work is presented in detail along with the indispensable contributions of his colleague, the physical chemist, Walter Nernst, and their assistants. The detailed accounts of scientific advancement remind us of the physical basis on which our scientific theories and ideas are built. Without this reminder we often forget how complex, and how beautiful achievements in science can be.
Limits to the European Union’s Normative Power in a Post-conflict Society : EULEX and Peacebuilding in Kosovo
Investigates the EU’s peacebuilding activities in that country, in the light of the normative power theory in the post-conflict setting and peacebuilding theory. Ten years after the massive engagement of the EU in the country torn by war, the authors critically assess the effects of the EU projecting its normative power – the enforcement of its standards, ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – through the EULEX mission, taking into consideration also the local aspects, so far neglected in this field of research. Inspecting thoroughly the EULEX activities in the police, customs and judiciary sector.This open access book offers a comprehensive assessment of the EULEX mission, based on two Horizon2020 research projects: IECEU - Improving the Effectiveness of Capabilities in EU Conflict Prevention, and KOSNORTH – The European Union and its Normative Power in a Post-conflict Society: A Case Study of Northern Kosovo (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship).
Library and information sciences : Trends and research
Introduces the opportunities and challenges faced by the library and information literacy profession and discusses the key role of librarians in the future of information literacy education. Next, it covers trends in LIS education by examining the vision of the iSchool movement and detailing its practice in Syracuse University. The book then covers issues in information seeking and retrieval by showing how visual data mining technology can be used to detect the relationship and pattern between terms on the Q&A of a social media site. It also includes a case study regarding tracing information seeking behavior and usage on a multimedia website.
Language Choice in a Nation Under Transition : English Language Spread in Cambodia
This book examines language choice in contemporary Cambodia, and uses the case study to explore and evaluate competing explanations for the spread of English globally. the multiple contexts in which Cambodians make individual and institutional language policy choices are considered. Chapters 2 and 3 examine the economic and political contexts for language choice, as Cambodia has transitioned from a planned economy and communism to a market economy and democracy. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 examine the assistance context for language choice; the bilateral, multilateral, and nongovernmental development agencies that have recently begun to work in Cambodia demand certain language skills of Cambodian employees and government counterparts, and support the learning of these languages in both nonformal and formal education.
Katzung's basic and clinical pharmacology
The most comprehensive and authoritative pharmacology text --updated with new content and USMLE-style questions Presented in full-color and packed with hundreds of illustrations, Basic and Clinical Pharmacology is the wide-ranging, engaging guide students have counted on for decades. To be as clinically relevant as possible, the book includes sections that specifically address the clinical choice and use of drugs in patients and the monitoring of their effects, along with case studies that introduce clinical problems. Each chapter opens with a case study, covers drug groups and prototypes, and closes with summary tables and diagrams that encapsulate important information. Updated to reflect the latest research, this sixteenth edition features a new chapter on cannabinoids, USMLE-style questions, new drug tables, and more. Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, Sixteenth Edition features: * 330 full-color illustrations * NEW: 100 drug tables * NEW: 50 USMLE-style questions * NEW: Chapter on cannabinoids * A strong emphasis on drug groups and prototypes * Case studies and chapter-ending summary tables * Organization that reflects the syllabi of pharmacology courses * Descriptions of important new drugs
Italian Institutional Reforms : A Public Choice Perspective
Using a public choice perspective, this book explains the evolution and political and economic impact of recent changes to the Italian institutional framework. Because these changes are so numerous and broad, their implementation serves as a case study for other Western governments. Particular attention is paid to the introduction of the EURO, the reform of voting from proportional to majoritarian rule, the impact of corporatism, constraints imposed by the Maastricht Treaty, and the switch from a highly centralized government to a federal organization.
Component-Based Digital Movie Production : Reference Model of an Integrated Production System
The ongoing digitization process affects all areas of the media industry. Within the scientific discussion, movie production is little observed although it currently faces crucial structural developments. The change to digital production processes allows new ways of cooperation and coordination in the project networks. Marcus Pankow examines the specifics of the movie production industry and its value-creating processes, reflecting the digitization and its impact on the information systems strategy. An empirical case study analysis forms the basis for the development of a reference model for a company-wide application system to support the entire movie production process. Following the concept of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), he encapsulates established applications in services and integrates them on one platform.
Complex System Maintenance Handbook
Complex System Maintenance Handbook is the first book to integrate this vast literature with chapters written by internationally-renowned active researchers and experienced practitioners focussing on different aspects of maintenance. Each chapter reviews the literature dealing with a particular aspect of maintenance, reports on developments and trends in a particular industry sector, or presents a case study.
Cells and Robots : Modeling and Control of Large-Size Agent Populations
Cells and Robots is an outcome of the multidisciplinary research extending over Biology, Robotics and Hybrid Systems Theory. It is inspired by modeling reactive behavior of the immune system cell population, where each cell is considered as an independent agent. In our modeling approach, there is no difference if the cells are naturally or artificially created agents, such as robots. This appears even more evident when we introduce a case study concerning a large-size robotic population scenario. Under this scenario, we also formulate the optimal control of maximizing the probability of robotic presence in a given region and discuss the application of the Minimum Principle for partial differential equations to this problem. Simultaneous consideration of cell and robotic populations is of mutual benefit for Biology and Robotics, as well as for the general understanding of multi-agent system dynamics.The text of this monograph is based on the PhD thesis of the first author. The work was a runner-up for the fifth edition of the Georges Giralt Award for the best European PhD thesis in Robotics, annually awarded by the European Robotics Research Network (EURON).
Capillary Forces in Microassembly : Modeling, Simulation, Experiments, and Case Study
Capillary Forces in Microassembly discusses the use of capillary forces as a gripping principle in microscale assembly. Clearly written and well-organized, this text brings together physical concepts at the microscale with practical applications in micromanipulation. Throughout this work, the reader will find a review of the existing gripping principles, elements to model capillary forces as well as descriptions of the simulation and experimental test bench developed to study the design parameters. Using well-known concepts from surface science (such as surface tension, capillary effects, wettability, and contact angles) as inputs to mechanical models, the amount of effort required to handle micro-components is predicted. These developments are then applied in a case study concerning the pick and place of balls in a watch ball bearing.
Bordieuan Field Theory as an Instrument for Military Operational Analysis
This book uses Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory as a lens through which to examine military operations. Novel in its approach, this innovative text provides a better, more nuanced understanding of the modern ‘battlespace’, particularly in instances of prolonged low-intensity conflict. Formed in two parts, this book primarily explores the scope of Bourdien theory before secondly providing a detailed case study of the Yugoslavian succession war of 1990-1992. Gunneriusson suggests that although theories do not necessarily provide answers, they do help us ask better questions. This volume suggests news lines of interdisciplinary investigation that will be of interest to members of armed forces, practitioners from NGOs, and policymakers.
Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements in Arid Environments
Global warming has worsened the water resource crisis in many arid zones worldwide, from Africa to Asia, affecting millions of people and putting them at risk of hunger. Effective management of arid zone resources, including understanding the risks of toxic trace and heavy elements to humans, coupled with the need to produce more food to feed the world’s growing population, has thus become increasingly important. This very timely book, the only one of its kind on the market, fills the gap of our knowledge of trace elements in these regions. This book begins by introducing the nature and properties of arid zone soil, followed by an updated overview and comprehensive coverage of the major aspects of the trace elements and heavy metals of most concern in the world’s arid and semi-arid soils. These aspects include: - content and distribution - solution chemistry - solid-phase chemistry - selective sequential dissolution techniques - transfer fluxes - bioavailability - pollution and remediation In order to illustrate the themes, a comprehensive and focused case study on transfer fluxes of trace elements in Israeli arid soils is presented. Finally it closes with the global perspectives on anthropogenic interferences in the natural trace elements’ distribution.
