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Implementation Issues (implementation + issues)
Selected AbstractsNew nutrient reference values for Australia and New Zealand: Implementation issues for nutrition professionalsNUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 2 2006Sandra Capra AM [source] A Comparative Study of Modal Parameter Identification Based on Wavelet and Hilbert,Huang TransformsCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2006Banfu Yan Special attention is given to some implementation issues, such as the modal separation and end effect in the WT, the optimal parameter selection of the wavelet function, the new stopping criterion for the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and the end effect in the HHT. The capabilities of these two techniques are compared and assessed by using three examples, namely a numerical simulation for a damped system with two very close modes, an impact test on an experimental model with three well-separated modes, and an ambient vibration test on the Z24-bridge benchmark problem. The results demonstrate that for the system with well-separated modes both methods are applicable when the time,frequency resolutions are sufficiently taken into account, whereas for the system with very close modes, the WT method seems to be more theoretical and effective than HHT from the viewpoint of parameter design. [source] Component-based, problem-solving environments for large-scale scientific computingCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 13-15 2002Chris Johnson Abstract In this paper we discuss three scientific computing problem solving environments: SCIRun, BioPSE, and Uintah. We begin with an overview of the systems, describe their underlying software architectures, discuss implementation issues, and give examples of their use in computational science and engineering applications. We conclude by discussing future research and development plans for the three problem solving environments. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The implementation of international nature conservation agreements in Europe: the case of the NetherlandsENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2001Graham Bennett Nature conservation policy in European countries is increasingly determined by the requirements of a wide range of international agreements. The most important are two EU directives (the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive) and four conventions (the Ramsar Convention, the Bern Convention, the Bonn Convention and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity). The main foci of these instruments are habitats and species that are of international importance or require international cooperation to secure their effective conservation. Despite the importance of these habitats and species, implementation of the instruments has been uneven. The Netherlands provides a interesting example of implementation issues. The legislation necessary to enable the government to legally designate areas that have to be protected under the Birds Directive was only adopted in 1998, 17 years after the deadline fixed by the directive. This legislation has enabled the government to nominate areas for designation under the Birds and Habitats Directive. However, not all the sites that fall under the criteria of the Directives have been included in the list, and the legislation does not include the required provision concerning compensation for areas that are protected under the Habitats Directive and then damaged by activities that are authorized in the public interest. In the case of the Ramsar Convention, the government is planning to increase the number of designated sites, but the total number of sites will still represent inadequately the types of wetland of international importance that are found in the Netherlands. Despite this uneven implementation, the instruments , particularly the EU Directives , are having far-reaching effects on nature conservation in Europe. The most important consequences are that ecological considerations are the sole and absolute criteria for determining whether a site should be protected under the EU Directives and that many areas that until now only enjoyed limited protection under the spatial planning system now have to be legally protected from virtually all forms of damage. However, in practice many development plans take only limited account of the biodiversity conservation requirements implied by international conventions. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment [source] Experiences from the Implementation and Use of Multimedia Synchronization MechanismsEUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Issue 3 2000Theodoros H. Bozios This paper presents experiences from the implementation of Multimedia Synchronization Mechanisms related to the support of the many-to-one inter-media synchronization and describes the proposed Synchronization Architecture and its Design Objectives. The main goal of the communication system in the proposed architecture is to maintain the asynchrony levels between the media streams belonging in a Synchronization Group between the levels specitied by the Multimcdia Application. This is achieved through appropriate Synchronization Primitives related to the management and monitoring of the synchronization. The pilper emphasizes on the implementation issues and problems, and the solutions adopted. concluding to the lirst experiences from the use of the synchronization. [source] PARENTING COORDINATION: IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES1FAMILY COURT REVIEW, Issue 4 20032003 AFCC Task Force on Parenting Coordination, April 30 ABSTRACT The parenting coordinator model ("PC model") has been implemented in many states as an intervention for dealing with high conflict families in domestic relations proceedings before the courts. The PC model has been repeatedly recommended by professionals as an intervention to help families structure, implement, and monitor viable parenting plans and to reduce relitigation rates where high conflict threatens the family adjustment process. This article summarizes current professional literature on the PC model and discusses the PC model as it has been implemented in various states, outlining the implementation issues encountered. This information may serve as a guide for determining the feasibility of establishing the PC model in other jurisdictions, and provides insight into potential impediments and possible resolutions. [source] Implementation of Basel IIFINANCIAL MARKETS, INSTITUTIONS & INSTRUMENTS, Issue 5 2005by Jaime Caruana In this article Jaime Caruana, Governor of the Bank of Spain and Chairman of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, first discusses the current status of the Basel II Accord. Next, he offers his perspective on macroeconomic issues related to the capital framework, focusing especially on pro-cyclicality. Finally, he discusses three important Basel II implementation issues, namely calibration, validation, and cross-border supervision. [source] Imputation aware meta-analysis of genome-wide association studiesGENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 6 2010Noah Zaitlen Abstract Genome-wide association studies have recently identified many new loci associated with human complex diseases. These newly discovered variants typically have weak effects requiring studies with large numbers of individuals to achieve the statistical power necessary to identify them. Likely, there exist even more associated variants, which remain to be found if even larger association studies can be assembled. Meta-analysis provides a straightforward means of increasing study sample sizes without collecting new samples by combining existing data sets. One obstacle to combining studies is that they are often performed on platforms with different marker sets. Current studies overcome this issue by imputing genotypes missing from each of the studies and then performing standard meta-analysis techniques. We show that this approach may result in a loss of power since errors in imputation are not accounted for. We present a new method for performing meta-analysis over imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms, show that it is optimal with respect to power, and discuss practical implementation issues. Through simulation experiments, we show that our imputation aware meta-analysis approach outperforms or matches standard meta-analysis approaches. Genet. Epidemiol. 34: 537,542, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Use of Information Technology by National Unions: An Exploratory AnalysisINDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 1 2002Jack Fiorito Exploratory factor analysis and correlation techniques are applied to survey data to examine national unions' use of information technology (IT). We identify common dimensions in current and planned use of IT forms, its applications, and implementation issues. Finally, relations among these dimensions and selected union characteristics are examined. [source] Non-locking tetrahedral finite element for surgical simulationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 7 2009Grand Roman Joldes Abstract To obtain a very fast solution for finite element models used in surgical simulations, low-order elements, such as the linear tetrahedron or the linear under-integrated hexahedron, must be used. Automatic hexahedral mesh generation for complex geometries remains a challenging problem, and therefore tetrahedral or mixed meshes are often necessary. Unfortunately, the standard formulation of the linear tetrahedral element exhibits volumetric locking in case of almost incompressible materials. In this paper, we extend the average nodal pressure (ANP) tetrahedral element proposed by Bonet and Burton for a better handling of multiple material interfaces. The new formulation can handle multiple materials in a uniform way with better accuracy, while requiring only a small additional computation effort. We discuss some implementation issues and show how easy an existing Total Lagrangian Explicit Dynamics algorithm can be modified in order to support the new element formulation. The performance evaluation of the new element shows the clear improvement in reaction forces and displacements predictions compared with the ANP element in case of models consisting of multiple materials. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Analysis and implementation issues for the numerical approximation of parabolic equations with random coefficientsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 6-7 2009F. Nobile Abstract We consider the problem of numerically approximating statistical moments of the solution of a time-dependent linear parabolic partial differential equation (PDE), whose coefficients and/or forcing terms are spatially correlated random fields. The stochastic coefficients of the PDE are approximated by truncated Karhunen,Loève expansions driven by a finite number of uncorrelated random variables. After approximating the stochastic coefficients, the original stochastic PDE turns into a new deterministic parametric PDE of the same type, the dimension of the parameter set being equal to the number of random variables introduced. After proving that the solution of the parametric PDE problem is analytic with respect to the parameters, we consider global polynomial approximations based on tensor product, total degree or sparse polynomial spaces and constructed by either a Stochastic Galerkin or a Stochastic Collocation approach. We derive convergence rates for the different cases and present numerical results that show how these approaches are a valid alternative to the more traditional Monte Carlo Method for this class of problems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A general non-linear optimization algorithm for lower bound limit analysisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2003Kristian Krabbenhoft Abstract The non-linear programming problem associated with the discrete lower bound limit analysis problem is treated by means of an algorithm where the need to linearize the yield criteria is avoided. The algorithm is an interior point method and is completely general in the sense that no particular finite element discretization or yield criterion is required. As with interior point methods for linear programming the number of iterations is affected only little by the problem size. Some practical implementation issues are discussed with reference to the special structure of the common lower bound load optimization problem, and finally the efficiency and accuracy of the method is demonstrated by means of examples of plate and slab structures obeying different non-linear yield criteria. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Gateway performance for network-controlled WLAN IP mobilityINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 12 2007Moshiur Rahman Abstract ,Always on' broadband-accessed network gateway (GW) control can facilitate inter-WLAN IP mobility, with seamless connectivity. The GW server plays a critical role in the overall WLAN IP (WIP) mobility architecture (IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference, WCNC, Atlanta, GA, 21 March 2004; Int. J. Wireless Inf. Networks 2006; 13(3):173,192). This paper provides a comparison of WIP with cellular IP (CIP) and mobile IP (MIP), and identifies the main requirements for a broadband-accessed network-based GW that supports WIP mobility. The paper then evaluates GW-contributed handoff message processing delay in the WIP architecture through an analytical system model and OPNET simulation model, and provides a comparison of the GW-contributed handoff message processing delays for non-preemptive vs preemptive queuing schemes. Both analytical and simulation results show that WIP handoff message processing delay at the GW has negligible impact on the overall system delay. Finally, this paper presents the simulation results of the fast routing table lookup and forwarding speed on the GW overall performance, which can assist service providers in the challenging implementation issues that they face. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A simple primary care information system featuring feedback to cliniciansINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008Gary Gaumer Abstract A simple information system for primary care clinics was designed to support the USAID funded health system strengthening project in the Suez Governorate in Egypt. This system (FACT,Feedback and Analytic Comparison Tool) was implemented in December 2003 in 14 primary care clinics. The MS Access-based system was designed and prototyped in several months, and was easily and cheaply modified several times after implementation. A total of 128,562 persons have been registered in the system (as of June 2005) and 36,083 visits have been documented. A key feature of FACT is the ease with which clinicians can conduct exploratory research about practice patterns, and variations in them across doctors and the other clinics. This analytic feature enables the clinicians to self-diagnose quality problems and take action accordingly. Several of the clinics have used this feature of FACT to identify important gaps in service use among patients, and have taken steps to remove barriers to promote more appropriate patterns of utilization. The paper reviews the design and implementation issues and early evidence of the system's utility in helping support quality improvement (QI) work in the clinics. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A reconfigurable DCS1800/W-CDMA LNA: Design and implementation issuesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2009Cristian Pavão Moreira Abstract The authors present in this article a dual-standard dual-mode low-noise amplifier (LNA) for DCS1800/W-CDMA-FDD applications. To save die area compared to conventional parallel LNAs, the authors have employed an alternative circuit configuration. It consists of sharing the most die consuming elements (inductances) in both operation standards, enabling a more compact solution. The standard selection is performed through a bias scheme (MOS switches) that allows alternating between the two involved standards. The LNA die area is 1.0 × 1.2 mm2 and it consumes 6.8 mW (3.8 mA under 1.8 V), including bias circuitry. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2009. [source] Robust global stabilization of linear systems with input saturation via gain schedulingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 4 2010Bin Zhou Abstract The problem of robust global stabilization of linear systems subject to input saturation and input-additive uncertainties is revisited in this paper. By taking advantages of the recently developed parametric Lyapunov equation-based low gain feedback design method and an existing dynamic gain scheduling technique, a new gain scheduling controller is proposed to solve the problem. In comparison with the existing ,2 -type gain scheduling controller, which requires the online solution of a state-dependent nonlinear optimization problem and a state-dependent ,2 algebraic Riccati equation (ARE), all the parameters in the proposed controller are determined a priori. In the absence of the input-additive uncertainties, the proposed controller also partially recovers Teel's ,, -type scheduling approach by solving the problem of global stabilization of linear systems with actuator saturation. The ,, -type scheduling approach achieves robustness not only with non-input-additive uncertainties but also requires the closed-form solution to an ,, ARE. Thus, the proposed scheduling method also addresses the implementation issues of the ,, -type scheduling approach in the absence of non-input-additive uncertainties. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A backstepping controller for path-tracking of an underactuated autonomous airshipINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 4 2009José Raul Azinheira Abstract In this paper we propose a nonlinear control approach for the path-tracking of an autonomous underactuated airship. A backstepping controller is designed from the airship nonlinear dynamic model including wind disturbances, and further enhanced to consider actuators saturation. Control implementation issues related to airship underactuation are also addressed, namely control allocation and an attitude reference shaping to obtain a faster error correction with smoother input requests. The results obtained demonstrate the capacity of an underactuated unmanned airship to execute a realistic mission including vertical take-off and landing, stabilization and path-tracking, in the presence of wind disturbances, with a single robust control law. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A combined first-/second-order sliding-mode technique in the control of a jet-propelled vehicleINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 4-5 2008G. Bartolini Abstract This note concerns the design and practical implementation of a position/attitude sliding-mode controller for a surface vessel prototype. The prototype is equipped with a special, recently patented (Italian Patent, 2005), propulsion system based on hydro-jets with adjustable output section. The sliding-mode control design is based on the combination between three instances of a second-order sliding-mode velocity observer (Automatica 1998; 34:379,384) and a simplex-based sliding-mode controller (Int. J. Robust Nonlinear Control 1997; 7(4):321,335). We first describe the structure and the working principle of the prototype. Then, we detail the derivation of the motion observer/controller. Finally, we discuss the major implementation issues and show some experimental results. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] System dynamics modelling for supply-chain management: A case study on a supermarket chain in the UKINTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IN OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2004Y. Ge Abstract This paper presents a system dynamics (SD) approach for the analysis of the demand amplification problem, also known as the bullwhip effect, which has been studied fairly extensively in the literature. The construction of an SD model is reported using a part of a supermarket chain system in the UK as an example. Based on the model, the causes of the dynamic behaviour of the system and the sources of amplification from the downstream to the upstream of the chain are investigated. The impact of information delays, demand forecasting and information sharing on the performance of the multi-echelon supply chain is analysed. Some implementation issues are also addressed based on the simulation analysis. [source] Realizing the Potential of Real Options: Does Theory Meet Practice?JOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 2 2005Alexander Triantis The idea of viewing corporate investment opportunities as "real options" has been around for over 25 years. Real options concepts and techniques now routinely appear in academic research in finance and economics, and have begun to influence scholarly work in virtually every business discipline, including strategy, organizations, management science, operations management, information systems, accounting, and marketing. Real options concepts have also made considerable headway in practice. Corporate managers are more likely to recognize options in their strategic planning process, and have become more proactive in designing flexibility into projects and contracts, frequently using real options vocabulary in their discussions. Thanks in part to the spread of real options thinking, today's strategic planners are more likely than their predecessors to recognize the "option" value of actions like the following: , dividing up large projects into a number of stages; , investing in the acquisition or production of information; , introducing "modularity" in manufacturing and design; , developing competing prototypes for new products; and , investing in overseas markets. But if real options has clearly succeeded as a way of thinking, the application of real options valuation methods has been limited to companies in relatively few industries and has thus failed to live up to expectations created in the mid- to late-1990s. Increased corporate acceptance and implementations of real options valuation techniques will require several changes coming together. On the theory side, we need more realistic models that better reflect differences between financial and real options, simple heuristic methods that can be more easily implemented (but that have been carefully benchmarked against more precise models), and better guidance on implementation issues such as the estimation of discount rates for the "optionless" underlying projects. On the practitioner side, we need user-friendly real options software, more senior-level buy-in, more deliberate diffusion of real options knowledge throughout organizations, better alignment of managerial incentives with long-term shareholder value, and better-designed contracts to correct the misalignment of incentives across the value chain. If these challenges can be met, there will continue to be a steady if gradual diffusion of real options analysis throughout organizations over the next few decades, with real options eventually becoming not only a standard part of corporate strategic planning, but also the primary valuation tool for assessing the expected shareholder effect of large capital investment projects. [source] SOME PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPENSITY SCORE MATCHINGJOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SURVEYS, Issue 1 2008Marco Caliendo Abstract Propensity score matching (PSM) has become a popular approach to estimate causal treatment effects. It is widely applied when evaluating labour market policies, but empirical examples can be found in very diverse fields of study. Once the researcher has decided to use PSM, he is confronted with a lot of questions regarding its implementation. To begin with, a first decision has to be made concerning the estimation of the propensity score. Following that one has to decide which matching algorithm to choose and determine the region of common support. Subsequently, the matching quality has to be assessed and treatment effects and their standard errors have to be estimated. Furthermore, questions like ,what to do if there is choice-based sampling?' or ,when to measure effects?' can be important in empirical studies. Finally, one might also want to test the sensitivity of estimated treatment effects with respect to unobserved heterogeneity or failure of the common support condition. Each implementation step involves a lot of decisions and different approaches can be thought of. The aim of this paper is to discuss these implementation issues and give some guidance to researchers who want to use PSM for evaluation purposes. [source] Magnebike: A magnetic wheeled robot with high mobility for inspecting complex-shaped structuresJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 5 2009Fabien Tâche This paper describes the Magnebike robot, a compact robot with two magnetic wheels in a motorbike arrangement, which is intended for inspecting the inner casing of ferromagnetic pipes with complex-shaped structures. The locomotion concept is based on an adapted magnetic wheel unit integrating two lateral lever arms. These arms allow for slight lifting off the wheel in order to locally decrease the magnetic attraction force when passing concave edges, as well as laterally stabilizing the wheel unit. The robot has the main advantage of being compact (180 × 130 × 220 mm) and mechanically simple: it features only five active degrees of freedom (two driven wheels each equipped with an active lifter stabilizer and one steering unit). The paper presents in detail design and implementation issues that are specific to magnetic wheeled robots. Low-level control functionalities are addressed because they are necessary to control the active system. The paper also focuses on characterizing and analyzing the implemented robot. The high mobility is shown through experimental results: the robot not only can climb vertical walls and follow circumferential paths inside pipe structures but it is also able to pass complex combinations of 90-deg convex and concave ferromagnetic obstacles with almost any inclination regarding gravity. It requires only limited space to maneuver because turning on the spot around the rear wheel is possible. This high mobility enables the robot to access any location in the specified environment. Finally the paper analyzes the maximum payload for different types of environment complexities because this is a key feature for climbing robots and provides a security factor about the risk of falling and slipping. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Strategy for Implementation of IFAC International Education Guideline No. 9: "Prequalification Education, Tests of Professional Competence and Practical Experience of Professional Accountants": A Task Force Report of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER)JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT & ACCOUNTING, Issue 3 2001Belverd E. Needles This paper provides strategies for implementing the recommendations of the International Education Guideline No. 9 (hereafter referred to as Guideline), issued by the International Federation of Accountants. The three principal implementation issues addressed in this paper are as follows. (1) How to instill the characteristics of lifelong learning in future professional accountants through accounting education. (2) How to design and implement a program of accounting education that achieves the objectives of the Guideline. (3) How to develop awareness and encourage adoption of the recommendations of the Guideline by communicating and disseminating information through a series of projects within IFAC's constraints and policies. [source] Irrigation water management policies: Allocation and pricing principles and implementation experienceNATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 2 2004Ariel Dinar Abstract Food security and sustainable development require efficient use of water resources, especially in irrigation. Economic pricing can be an effective tool to achieve more efficient water use, provided it is supported by other policies in implementation. Applying various water pricing and cost recovery arrangements is suggested for efficient allocation. Any adverse impact on farmers' incomes must be addressed and more reliable service must accompany higher prices. Experience from several countries suggests a variety of implementation issues. Essential complements to water pricing are water distribution rules and technological choices at critical nodes in the delivery system that allow farmers flexibility in conserving water in response to higher prices. Among supporting institutions, water users associations seem a higher priority than water markets. [source] PARSEC , the pseudopotential algorithm for real-space electronic structure calculations: recent advances and novel applications to nano-structuresPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 5 2006Leeor Kronik Abstract We describe the formalism, as well as numerical and implementation issues behind PARSEC , the pseudopotential algorithm for real-space electronic structure calculations. Its current capabilities are illustrated via application of PARSEC to numerous problems in nanoscience. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] A Computer Implementation of the Separate Maintenance Model for Complex-system ReliabilityQUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 7 2006M. Tortorella Abstract Reliability modeling and quantitative reliability prediction for all but the simplest system architectures demands intensive computer support for the numerical computations required. Many commercial and academic reliability modeling software packages provide support for the Markov-chain state diagram system reliability model. Other system reliability models, such as those offering non-exponential life and/or repair time distributions, transient analysis, or other special handling, may sometimes be desirable. Users have fewer choices for software supporting these options. This paper describes SUPER, a software package developed at Bell Laboratories, which provides computational support for the separate maintenance model as well as for some other useful system reliability descriptions. SUPER is an acronym for System Used for Prediction and Evaluation of Reliability. The paper also includes a brief tutorial to assist practitioners with system reliability model selection, a review of the models contained in SUPER and their theoretical bases, and implementation issues. SUPER has been used in the telecommunications industry for over 15 years. The paper includes an example from this experience. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The dynamics of factors affecting the adoption of innovationsTHE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 6 2002Eric Waarts An abundance of IT innovations are constantly struggling for market acceptance. Various models have been proposed in the literature in order to aid understanding of the principles behind the adoption of IT innovations, but most of them implicitly assume that the factors explaining adoption decisions do not change over time. This study challenges that assumption and adds to the existing literature by investigating the dynamics of the factors influencing adoption. Our general proposition is that the driving factors in adopting innovations will change as the diffusion of the innovation in the market progresses. A large-scale empirical study was carried out among medium-sized companies in a variety of European countries and industries concerning the adoption of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. The findings strongly indicate that the factors affecting late adoption of ERP differ significantly from the factors explaining early adoption. At early stages of the diffusion process adoption tends to be especially driven by a combination of internal strategic drives and attitudes of the firm together with external forces like industry competition and supplier activities. Later on, the mix of adoption stimulating factors seems to be focusing more on implementation issues such as the scalability of the system, the number of seats and the yearly available budget. The study leads to both new methodological insights and substantive conclusions that also have practical implications. [source] The Policies and Politics of Industrial Upgrading in Thailand during the Thaksin Era (2001,2006)ASIAN POLITICS AND POLICY, Issue 3 2009Laurids S. Lauridsen What happens when developing countries can no longer grow by simply exploiting their existing comparative advantages in natural resources or cheap labor? When entering the 21st century Thailand was confronted with that question, but in comparison with other East Asian countries it was also a laggard in relation to industrial technology development. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra placed industrial upgrading high on the policy agenda. This article combines a policy cycle analysis with a political analysis. It examines the ability and willingness of the Thaksin government to design and implement an adequate and coherent set of industrial upgrading policies with a particular emphasis on implementation issues. It is argued that although many initiatives were taken during the Thaksin era, they did not add up to an adequate and coherent set of industrial upgrading policies. This was partly due to institutional legacies in the bureaucratic system but mainly a result of the logic of politics, including the nature of political coalition-building. [source] The Use of Health Care Policy to Facilitate Evidence-based Knowledge Translation in Emergency MedicineACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2007Charlene B. Irvin MD Health care policy can facilitate emergency medicine knowledge translation (KT). Because of this, the 2007 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference on KT identified a specific theme regarding issues of health care policy and KT. Six months before the Consensus Conference, international experts in the area were invited to communicate on health care policies regarding all areas of KT via e-mail and "Google groups." From this communication, and using available evidence, specific recommendations and research questions were developed. At the Consensus Conference, additional comments were incorporated. This report summarizes the results of this collaborative effort and provides a set of recommendations and accompanying research questions to guide development, implementation, and evaluation of health care policies intended to promote KT in emergency medicine. The recommendations are to 1a) involve appropriate stakeholders in the health care policy process; 1b) collaborate with policy makers when health care policy focus areas are being developed; 2) use previously validated clinical practice guideline development tools; 3) address implementation issues during the development of health care policies; 4) monitor outcomes with performance measures appropriate to different practice environments; and 5) plan periodic reviews to uncover new clinical evidence, new methods to improve KT, and new technologies. To advance the further development of these recommendations, a research agenda is proposed. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||