Terry D. May, Shaun H. Dunning, George A. Dowding and Jason O. Hallstrom
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) will profoundly influence the ubiquitous computing landscape. Their utility derives not from the computational capabilities of any single sensor…
Abstract
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) will profoundly influence the ubiquitous computing landscape. Their utility derives not from the computational capabilities of any single sensor node, but from the emergent capabilities of many communicating sensor nodes. Consequently, the details of communication within and across single hop neighborhoods is a fundamental component of most WSN applications. But these details are often complex, and popular embedded languages for WSNs provide only low‐level communication primitives. We propose that the absence of suitable communication abstractions contributes to the difficulty of developing large‐scale WSN applications. To address this issue, we present the design and implementation of a Remote Procedure Call (RPC) abstraction for nesC and TinyOS, the emerging standard for developing WSN applications. We present the key language extensions, operating system services, and automation tools that enable the proposed abstraction. We illustrate these contributions in the context of a representative case study, and analyze the overhead introduced when using our approach. We use these results to draw conclusions regarding the suitably of our work to resource‐constrained sensor nodes.
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Theresa M. Floyd and Wookje (UJ) Sung
Post-merger integration (PMI) success depends heavily on the social and cultural integration of the two legacy organizations. Given that organizational members work and exchange…
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Post-merger integration (PMI) success depends heavily on the social and cultural integration of the two legacy organizations. Given that organizational members work and exchange information through social relationships, social network analysis can serve as a useful tool to identify key actors, address areas of concern, and measure PMI success. However, few PMI studies have employed a social network perspective or social network analysis. In this chapter, the authors review the current literature on PMI and organizational change, including the few studies that use social networks approach. The authors also identify recent developments in social networks and organizational change research that can improve our understanding of PMI processes and propose promising avenues for future research. Further, the authors identify obstacles for social network research on PMI and provide practical advice for overcoming them.
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Winnifred R. Louis, Donald M. Taylor and Tyson Neil
Two studies in the context of English‐French relations in Québec suggest that individuals who strongly identify with a group derive the individual‐level costs and benefits that…
Abstract
Two studies in the context of English‐French relations in Québec suggest that individuals who strongly identify with a group derive the individual‐level costs and benefits that drive expectancy‐value processes (rational decision‐making) from group‐level costs and benefits. In Study 1, high identifiers linked group‐ and individual‐level outcomes of conflict choices whereas low identifiers did not. Group‐level expectancy‐value processes, in Study 2, mediated the relationship between social identity and perceptions that collective action benefits the individual actor and between social identity and intentions to act. These findings suggest the rational underpinnings of identity‐driven political behavior, a relationship sometimes obscured in intergroup theory that focuses on cognitive processes of self‐stereotyping. But the results also challenge the view that individuals' cost‐benefit analyses are independent of identity processes. The findings suggest the importance of modeling the relationship of group and individual levels of expectancy‐value processes as both hierarchical and contingent on social identity processes.
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Develops an original 12‐step management of technology protocol and applies it to 51 applications which range from Du Pont’s failure in Nylon to the Single Online Trade Exchange…
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Develops an original 12‐step management of technology protocol and applies it to 51 applications which range from Du Pont’s failure in Nylon to the Single Online Trade Exchange for Auto Parts procurement by GM, Ford, Daimler‐Chrysler and Renault‐Nissan. Provides many case studies with regards to the adoption of technology and describes seven chief technology officer characteristics. Discusses common errors when companies invest in technology and considers the probabilities of success. Provides 175 questions and answers to reinforce the concepts introduced. States that this substantial journal is aimed primarily at the present and potential chief technology officer to assist their survival and success in national and international markets.
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Muriel Mignerat and Katty Marmenout
Cultural, social, and psychological perspectives on mergers assume conflict to be an important mediator of post-merger outcomes. Yet, despite a growing literature on the human…
Abstract
Cultural, social, and psychological perspectives on mergers assume conflict to be an important mediator of post-merger outcomes. Yet, despite a growing literature on the human side of mergers, conflict in mergers remains poorly understood.
Based on the disputing perspective and negotiated order theory, a contextual and dynamic approach is presented along with propositions to guide future empirical research in the form of a process model of post-merger order negotiation.
When negotiating the post-merger order, different issues emerge that are embedded in the broader context of the merger.
Adopting this theoretical framework allows us to understand the intergroup dynamics and antagonistic behavior observed in mergers.
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In this chapter, I examine stories that foster care youth tell to legislatures, courts, policymakers, and the public to influence policy decisions. The stories told by these…
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In this chapter, I examine stories that foster care youth tell to legislatures, courts, policymakers, and the public to influence policy decisions. The stories told by these children are analogized to victim truth testimony, analyzed as a therapeutic, procedural, and developmental process, and examined as a catalyst for systemic accountability and change. Youth stories take different forms and appear in different media: testimony in legislatures, courts, research surveys or studies; opinion editorials and interviews in newspapers or blog posts; digital stories on YouTube; and artistic expression. Lawyers often serve as conduits for youth storytelling, translating their clients’ stories to the public. Organized advocacy by youth also informs and animates policy development. One recent example fosters youth organizing to promote “normalcy” in child welfare practices in Florida, and in related federal legislation.
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The PMI Risk Framework (PRF) is introduced as a guide to classifying and identifying risks which can be the source of post-merger integration (PMI) failure — commonly referred to…
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The PMI Risk Framework (PRF) is introduced as a guide to classifying and identifying risks which can be the source of post-merger integration (PMI) failure — commonly referred to as “culture clash.” To provide managers with actionably insight, PRF dissects PMI risk into specific relationship-oriented phenomena, critical to outcomes and which should be addressed during PMI. This framework is a conceptual and theory-grounded integration of numerous perspectives, such as organizational psychology, group dynamics, social networks, transformational change, and nonlinear dynamics. These concepts are unified and can be acted upon by integration managers. Literary resources for further exploration into the underlying aspects of the framework are provided. The PRF places emphasis on critical facets of PMI, particularly those which are relational in nature, pose an exceptionally high degree of risk, and are recurrent sources of PMI failure. The chapter delves into relationship-oriented points of failure that managers face when overseeing PMI by introducing a relationship-based, PMI risk framework. Managers are often not fully cognizant of these risks, thus fail to manage them judiciously. These risks do not naturally abide by common scholarly classifications and cross disciplinary boundaries; they do not go unrecognized by scholars, but until the introduction of PRF the risks have not been assimilated into a unifying framework. This chapter presents a model of PMI risk by differentiating and specifying numerous types of underlying human-relationship-oriented risks, rather than considering PMI cultural conflict as a monolithic construct.
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Renee R. Anspach and Sydney A. Halpern
Let us return to Nancy Cruzan's story. Hopeful that Nancy would eventually recover, her parents, Lester and Joyce Cruzan, agreed to have doctors insert a feeding tube to deliver…
Abstract
Let us return to Nancy Cruzan's story. Hopeful that Nancy would eventually recover, her parents, Lester and Joyce Cruzan, agreed to have doctors insert a feeding tube to deliver artificial hydration and nutrition – a decision they would one day regret. Although the Cruzans visited frequently, Nancy was unable to respond to their attention. After four years had elapsed, the Cruzans concluded that Nancy would never regain consciousness and should be allowed to die.
The transcript is of one from a number of interviews with disaster risk reduction (DRR) “pioneers” carried out in 2022 as a part of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk…
Abstract
Purpose
The transcript is of one from a number of interviews with disaster risk reduction (DRR) “pioneers” carried out in 2022 as a part of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) project to record the history of the field. It aims to enable one of the “pioneers” to explain his role in the emergence of disaster studies and provide critical commentary on what he considers is wrong with current DRR approaches.
Design/methodology/approach
Terry Cannon was interviewed to explain the beginnings of his involvement in disasters research and to comment on his views on progress in the field of disaster risk reduction since his early work in the 1980s. The transcript and video were developed in the context of the UNDRR project on the history of DRR.
Findings
The interview provides an account of the origins of the book “At Risk” and why it was considered necessary. This is put into the context of how the field of DRR has emerged since the 1980s. It elicits opinions on what he considers the gaps in both his early work (especially in the book “At Risk” of which he was a co-author) and in the field of DRR recently.
Originality/value
It provides historical context on how early disaster research developed the alternative framework of “social construction” of disasters, in opposition to the idea that they are “natural”. It challenges some of the approaches that have emerged as DRR and has been institutionalised, including its increasing difficulty in supporting the ideas of social construction.
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Louise F. Pendry, Avril J. Mewse and Carole B. Burgoyne
The present research aims to investigate parental attitudes towards using either cloth or disposable nappies, to better understand whether and how pro‐cloth initiatives might…
Abstract
Purpose
The present research aims to investigate parental attitudes towards using either cloth or disposable nappies, to better understand whether and how pro‐cloth initiatives might impact parental decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
Focus groups were conducted with both cloth and disposable nappy users to gain a better understanding of the factors that underlie their choice. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Findings
The paper finds that parents using disposable nappies believed they were marketed as offering a popular, efficient, healthy, good value system. They acknowledged the environmental impact but rationalised this by referring to the equivocal nature of these consequences, and the ability to off‐set this by engaging in other pro‐environment behaviours. Parents choosing cloth nappies did so initially because they were more environment‐friendly and cost‐effective and disposables were disliked. Once using cloth, parents noted additional benefits: performance, fashion, formation of bonds with other users, and getting a buzz out of using them. This reinforced their reasons for continued use.
Practical implications
Cloth nappies are unlikely to gain mass appeal, but findings suggest a bigger take up if parents are better informed, and subsidies are provided to reduce set‐up and laundering costs to tackle the “ease of use” barrier. The positive aspects of cloth nappies should be better promoted.
Social implications
Marketing initiatives need to buy into the current “designer parents” trend and play to the aspirational, fashionable aspects of cloth nappies.
Originality/value
This paper, the first to report on parental attitudes and decisions regarding both nappy types, could inform public policy and marketing decisions.