1522 research outputs found
Sort by
Establishment and Maintenance of Trustworthy Composite Services Using Multidimensional Service Attributes
Get PDFService composition is a key concept in Service Oriented Computing. Distributed low level services are assembled in business processes providing enterprise services. The openness, distribution, dynamicity and other characteristics of service compositions and of service environments in general, present challenges to the widespread adoption by industries and end-users. Those characteristics result in di�fficulties in establishing and building trust between different entities. Composition techniques must be able to measure trustworthiness and identify trustworthy component services. Composition techniques also must be able to maintain trustworthiness of composite services against possible dynamic changes in the environment or the services themselves such as changes in demand or service behaviour. This research views trustworthiness as a multidimensional concept that reflects an extensible set of attributes of services with no single aspect, such as identity verification, is su�fficient to ensure trustworthiness. This thesis investigates the state of the art in the related areas and describes the background and context of the work. It details mechanisms for the aggregation and calculation of trustworthiness of composite services based on composition plans and a range of trustworthiness attributes. The thesis also describes prediction techniques for service trustworthiness based on its monitoring. The research describes a framework for measuring security aspects of services and their composition based on protection methods and the exploitability of the service-related resources. Furthermore, it describes methods for determining trustworthiness of component services from that of composite services. Since operational issues are important in maintaining and balancing composite service trustworthiness and profitability, the thesis describes resource management techniques as well as an approach to the optimisation of pricing that contribute to achieving those goals. The overall goal of this research is to provide the techniques for establishing and maintaining trustworthy composite services where sets of component services each with a distinct functionality are offered by multiple component providers. Alternative component services are available for selection for each task in a composition. Those alternative services may have different values of their attributes as well as different patterns of attribute changes over time
The Solo Guitar Music of Carlo Domeniconi: An Exploration of the Diverse Influences
Get PDFCarlo Domeniconi is one of the most recognised performers and composers for classical guitar in the modern era. He has composed over 65 pieces for solo guitar and over 120 in total for the guitar in a range of ensembles. The majority of his music displays his skill for drawing upon a variety of musical influences from regions as disparate as the Far East, India, the Middle East, South America, North America and Western Europe. Although Domeniconi has produced such a large volume of works for the guitar, his most popular piece by far is the Turkish inspired solo work Koyunbaba. It is an important aim of this study to show that many of Domeniconi’s works (and not just the popular Koyunbaba) are worthy of examination as well as deserving of a place on the concert platform. In order to highlight this fact, a selection of these lesser-known works will be the focus of this study. The selected pieces reflect a diverse output displaying a variety of influences and musical styles. These will be examined in order to highlight the compositional techniques that Domeniconi used to incorporate such variety into his music resulting in a notable virtuosic catalogue of concert music for solo guitar
Graduate and Employer Attitudes on the Skill Set Requirements for Professional Accountants: Should Emotional Intelligence be Developed in University Accounting Programs?
Get PDFThis Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) thesis investigated graduate and employer attitudes on the skill set requirements for professional accountants and specifically whether university accounting programs provide the emotional intelligence (EI) skills an accounting graduate needs. Emotional intelligence is the effective awareness, control and management of one's own emotions, and those of other people. Theories of emotional intelligence assert that EI is more important than cognitive ability or technical expertise in predicting managerial success - even in the accounting field. As a result there has been considerable debate about the need for accounting graduates to develop EI skills in their university accounting programs to better prepare them for careers in the accounting profession. While much accounting education research has been noted for its underemployment of theoretical frameworks, this descriptive study used neo-correspondence theory to investigate the attitudes of accounting graduates and accounting employers. Neo-correspondence theory is derived from the correspondence theory of education which emphasizes the connection between higher education student experience and the workplace. While many studies have identified gaps or lack of correspondence between the university accounting curriculum and the accounting workplace, the findings of this study suggest that the gap may not be as big as expected. While employers and graduates acknowledge the importance of certain EI skills (e.g. self-confidence) for the workplace, they do not have expectations that these skills be developed in university. Other EI skills (e.g. service) were considered by employers and graduates to be important but not well developed in accounting graduates through their university accounting programs. The results also reveal that employers consider some EI skills (e.g. teamwork and collaboration) as being important and well developed in accounting graduates. Somewhat surprisingly, however, were the findings around technical skills. While some technical skills (e.g. financial accounting and audit and assurance) are considered well developed in graduates, others such as bookkeeping, integrative thinking and analytical skills are viewed by employers as important but needing more development in university accounting programs. The study has academic and practical contributions. The research provides a broader understanding of the skill set (particularly the EI skills) valued by accounting employers and accounting graduates. The study will inform university accounting educators about the ranked importance of various technical and nontechnical skills (primarily EI skills) according to employer and graduate perspectives. Also, the study produces data about the perceived extent of development of these skills in accounting graduates and their expected development in university. This research study is relevant for the academic community by contributing to the use of the theories of emotional intelligence and neo-correspondence. The emotional intelligence field is still relatively new and neo-correspondence theory has never been used in an emotional intelligence context before. Overall, this research has relevance in the accounting education research field, the professional accounting workplace and in the university accounting classroo
In Good Standing : The Public Value of Reputation Management
Get PDFReputation, per se, is assessed externally by way of perceptions held by stakeholders and, in the main, quantitative approaches are used in academic research. Endogenous management of reputation in public sector settings, which is the subject matter of this particular study, is a perspective and context which has not received much scholarly attention to date. Reputation management is intertwined with the value system of an organisation and, in the public domain, involves trade-offs within a complicated authorising environment. In this study an interpretative analysis has been rationalised in terms of understanding the meanings ascribed by public servants themselves, to organisational reputation imperatives, and how subscription to a public value ideal might impact on their reputation management efforts. The sample frame involves overlapping research settings consisting of two newly emerging agencies, one the result of a merger, and the other, a shared services centre. The interdependence and simultaneous multi-level management of shared reputations in such public sector settings is evident from data generated through talk, text and context. Differing underlying institutional logics as well as competing agency discourses have been revealed. Analysing such discourses has surfaced disparities of approach and emphasis in reputation managment. The findings confirm that the inherent complexity and layered accountabilities, characteristic of public sector organisations, can compromise reputation mangement efforts. These findings are integrated with existing literature to develop a new conceptual framework for public sector reputation management that accounts for interaction between legitimacy, reputation, governance and performance. The contribution of this research is that the outcome of such interaction is conceptualized specifically in relation to public value theory. Although this study is limited to Irish public sector organisations, implications for public management practice generally arise from a shared international context of economic recession with an associated reputational crisis in public institutions
The Development of Novel Dermal Translocation, High Potency Drug Delivery Systems
No full textTransdermal drug delivery is the administration of a therapeutic drug into the skin. However, as the skin is a very effective barrier against dehydration and the passage of microbes and chemicals, drug delivery through the skin is very challenging. Transdermal drug delivery is constantly evolving with an estimated worth of $32 billion by 2015 (Paudel et al. (2010)). There are many limitations to the permeation of a drug through the skin. One large area of topically applied drug application is in the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC). This cancer is the number one diagnosed cancer in both men and women in Ireland followed by prostate and breast cancers respectively. The treatment of NMSC requires a targeted drug delivery approach with the concentration of drug within the epidermis and dermis critical in successfully treatment and clearance. The current leading therapy is Aldara™, a 5 % imiquimod oil and water emulsion cream. Due to high dose application there are many undesirable side effects which can lead to patient irritation/pain and non-completion of the treatment. This study compared the current treatment to novel polymeric transdermal patches and microneedles. In-vitro studies carried out in this research on Aldara™ using full thickness human skin demonstrated poor permeation of the drug over 24 h with only 4.9 ± 1.1 % of the applied dose permeating the skin. Novel lower dosage polymeric patches were fabricated using five polymers, two of which demonstrated potential following release analysis through artificial membranes. Utilising the polymers used in the fabrication of transdermal patches (PVA and PVP) polymeric microneedles were produced. The microneedles were fabricated with 5 % of the drug loading of Aldara™. In-vitro analysis through full thickness human skin was carried out on the novel patches and the microneedles. The novel PVP patches and microneedle arrays demonstrated similar retention within the epidermis and increased retention in the dermis compared to Aldara™. These drug delivery devices with their combination of lower dose, reduced waste and targeted delivery holds significant advantages for the patient care and have commercial potential for the treatment of NMSC. Keywords: Transdermal, imiquimod, polymeric patches, drug delivery, microneedles, skin permeatio
The effectiveness of the IT manager in the Institutes of Technology in Ireland
Get PDFSince the wide scale adoption of computers into all facets of business in the late eighties the spread of information and communications technology (ICT) has been relentless. The person charged with ensuring the efficient running of ICT in the Institute of Technology (IoT) sector in Ireland is the IT Manager (ITM). This study concentrates on the effectiveness of IT management in the sector by identifying from the literature the contributory factors to good IT management and comparing these factors with the practice of ITMs in the sector. The findings indicate a sector which is conservative in its approach to the introduction of new technologies and where the demands placed on the ITMs in the sector and the expectations of the role leave room for improvement if ITMs are to operate at optimum levels of effectiveness. All IT Managers, currently working in an Institute of Technology, were contacted to answer surveys based on ITM leadership. This was followed up with face-to-face interviews with all ITMs at their own workplaces to discuss various aspects of IT management including the scope of the role of an ITM, challenges faced, issues critical to success and most appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of the ITMs within each organisation. The aim of the study is to measure the current effectiveness of IT management in the sector and to propose a more general instrument to determine IT management effectiveness
Dynamic Capabilities for Managing Service Innovation: Towards a Conceptual Framework
Get PDFDespite widespread acknowledgement of the importance of service innovations and the capabilities that enable them, there is a paucity of management frameworks that provide practical guidance to firms (Gryszkiewicz et al., 2013). Literature is often vague, fragmented, or employs diverse approaches and definitions, which has resulted in significant confusion and extensive knowledge gaps (Walsh et al., 2009; den Hertog et al., 2010).
Drawing from relevant research this paper delineates service innovation capability as a higher order, multi-dimensional construct and proposes a unified framework for its management consisting of four dynamic capabilities. This conceptual model enhances collective understanding of the discipline and directs the attention of firms to behaviours most critical to the continuous creation of service innovations
Finding The Red Thread’: The Role of the Learning Space in Transformative Learning in Executive Education
No full textA four-year action research approach was used to investigate the nature of the TLE in executive education and its relation to a learning space that can provide opportunities for transformative learning to occur. The theme emerged from conversations, interviews and work as a facilitator and academic responsible in a business school in Scandinavia.
The project aimed at consolidating and enhancing the leader development programme (LDP) of an EMBA programme. It was within this organisation project that students explicitly referred to i) a lack of clarity in respect of throughlines within the modular masters programme that was causing frustration in their learning experience; and ii) the distinctive characteristics of the LDP learning space as being instrumental in its impact on their overall leader development and EMBA learning experience.
Key words: : transformative learning, leader development, habit of mind, praxis, ‘inner’ teaching-learning environment, throughlines, congruence, action research, executive MBA
After Fulbright, Then What? The Journey Continues . . . . .
No full textThis poster will explore the benefits to individuals that follow a Fulbright Award. This proposal only provides a personal example. Before the conference, the authors will have collected some cases and findings that can be summarized and shared