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Letter from A.L. Monmerqué de Courmont.
No full textLetter from A.L. Monmerqué de Courmont, possibly Adélaïde Louise de Monmerqué (1767-1835) who had been married to Louis Marie Le Bas de Courmont (1741-1794), dated 10 pluvoise. It is not addressed but was presumably sent to Philippe-Antoine Merlin, as it comprises the verso of one of his requisitions from 1802. In this letter the author requests a day and an hour when she (or he) might meet with the recipient
Understanding key account management
No full textThis document is presented in three parts, i.e. Part 1, ‘The context of ‘Understanding Key Account
Management’, positions the portfolio of work in terms of its contribution to knowledge within the
literature of Key Account Management and its underlying theories, and relative to alternative research
methodologies: Part 2: ‘Understanding Key Account Management’, starting on page 31, gives an account
of the author’s research and knowledge development activities in Key Account Management in
chronological order, to link together the material submitted as the portfolio of work (listed below). Each
part has its own separate list of contents and references. The portfolio of work forms Part 3 of the
document, but only the research reports from 2006-2009 are included here: the other reports, articles and
books are not available electronically or are published with copyright restrictions
Physical Location of Smart Key Activators: A Building Security Penetration Test
No full textPurpose – When security managers choose to deploy a smart lock activation system, the number of units needed and their location needs to be established. This study presents the results of a penetration test involving smart locks in the context of building security. We investigated how the amount of effort an employee has to invest in complying with a security policy (i.e. walk from the office to the smart key activator) influences vulnerability. In particular, the attractiveness of a no-effort alternative (i.e. someone else walking from your office to the key activators to perform a task on your behalf) was evaluated. The contribution of this study relates to showing how experimental psychology can be used to determine the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of physical building security measures.Design/methodology/approach – Twenty-seven different ‘offenders’ visited the offices of 116 employees. Using a script, each offender introduced a problem, provided a solution and asked the employee to hand over their office key.Findings – A total of 58.6% of the employees handed over their keys to a stranger; no difference was found between female and male employees. The likelihood of handing over the keys for employees close to a key activator was similar to that of those who were further away.Research limitations/implications – The results suggest that installing additional key activators is not conducive to reducing the building’s security vulnerability associated with the handing over of keys to strangers.Originality/value – No research seems to have investigated the distribution of smart key activators in the context of a physical penetration test. This research highlights the need to raise awareness of social engineering and of the vulnerabilities introduced via smart locks (and other smart systems).Accepted Author ManuscriptCyber Securit
Key account management in an Arab context
No full textThis study sought to contribute to the literature on key account management (KAM) relationships. In doing so, it aimed to address a number of gaps in the existing literature, particularly a noticeable lack of research into key account management in developing economies, as opposed to developed economies. More specifically, the study sought to examine the dynamics of key account management relationships in an emerging economy in the Arab World. The main research question to address was: How is KAM relationship management applied in an Arab context?
The research utilised 50 cross-sectional semi-structured in-depth interviews to achieve the study’s aim. More specifically, the study was based upon a sample of recipients involved with key accounts from supplier organisations which operated in different sectors and had different ownership – local and foreign. Primary data was gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews primarily with key account managers, and with company directors, marketing and sales managers, and selling/support teams.
In general, the findings revealed that there are informal and formal aspects of KAM relationships in an Arab context that complement each other. These have some similarities and differences with the Western context. In particular, similarities appeared mainly along the formal aspects such as, roles and duties of key account managers (KAMgrs), identification and selection criteria of key accounts, special treatment and activities carried out with key customers; the actors involved including senior managers and support teams; and the resources utilised. However, differences existed in the selection and the recruitment criteria and some competencies that were Arab specific, the degree of involvement of senior managers differ significantly from what is noted in the KAM literature. As for the informal aspect, that is manifested in Wasta and family connections, trust, and personal involvement, which makes the KAM relationship management approach in an Arab context uniquely different and plays a major role in how customers are acquired and retained and the overall management of key customers. Furthermore, evidence shows that there is a tendency to transfer Western KAM practices to the Arab world, with some adaptation to take into consideration the country-specific and contextual factors.
Overall, it is argued, that the study’s findings contribute to existing knowledge in a number of ways. First, they extend our knowledge into key account management in an Arab context and confirm the importance of both the formal and informal aspects in managing KAM relationships. They also add weight to the view that in Arab cultures personal and affective/emotional dimensions of the relational factors are given more importance, compared to the impersonal and calculative aspects that are more emphasised in the West. The findings contribute to existing knowledge regarding KAM segmentation and the importance of the personal profile in an Arab context vis a vis the business profile, and they validate the view that a process of crossvergence of management practices is occurring across borders. The findings, however, challenge the view that KAM can be rolled out unchanged into any international context. They also discover the competencies required for Arab KAMgrs. Finally the findings contribute to existing knowledge by discovering the benefits of Wasta for key account managers
Tides, rotation, and anisotropy : new self-consistent nonspherical models for globular clusters
No full textSpherical models of quasi-relaxed stellar systems provide a successful zeroth-order description of globular clusters. Yet, the great progress made in recent years in the acquisition of detailed information of the
structure of these stellar systems calls for a renewed effort on the side of modeling. In particular, more realistic analytical models would allow to address a number of key issues on both the theoretical and
observational side, such as the effects induced by different tidal environments, the dynamical interplay between internal rotation and two-body relaxation processes, and the physical origin of the deviations from spherical symmetry.
External tides, internal rotation and anisotropy in the velocity space are therefore the physical ingredients that should be added to the traditional paradigm in order to achieve a proper understanding of the internal dynamics of globular clusters. In this contribution, I will describe a recently presented family of triaxial models that incorporate in a self-consistent way the tidal effects of the host galaxy. I will then introduce two new families of axisymmetric rotating models, studied in collaboration with G. Bertin. The first one is an extension of the well-known family of King models to the case of axisymmetric equilibria flattened by
solid-body rotation, while the second family is characterized by differential rotation, designed to be rigid in the center and to vanish in the outer parts, where the imposed truncation in phase space becomes effective.
Preliminary results of an extensive survey of N-body simulations carried out in collaboration with E.
Vesperini and S. McMillan to explore the dynamical stability and the long-term evolution of these models will also be presented along with the comparison with observational data for selected Galactic globular clusters
RRS Charles Darwin Cruise 141, 01 Jun-11 Jul 2002. Satellite Calibration and Interior Physics of the Indian Ocean: SCIPIO
No full textRRS Charles Darwin Cruise 141, SCIPIO (Satellite Calibration and Interior Physics of the Indian Ocean) provided a multidisciplinary survey of the Mascarene Ridge system in the western Indian Ocean. The principal objectives were to (a) study the flow of water masses through the Ridge system, together with their decadal-timescale variability, (b) assess the energy fluxes and mixing arising from internal waves, (c) collect in situ data for the calibration of sea-surface temperature and ocean colour sensors on the ENVISAT satellite, (d) investigate the biogeochemical properties of the water masses, and (e) measure the heat fluxes and winds, and the airflow disturbance around the ship. The survey comprised three sections parallel with the Ridge near 64°, 60° and 57° E, joined by two other sections at 8° and 20°S. The sections comprised CTD, LADCP, and biogeochemistry (nutrients, phytoplankton, zooplankton, biogenic gases, CFC tracers and light levels) stations to full ocean depth, at typical spacings of about 60-80 nm. At several of these the CTD and LADCP were cycled continuously for a semidiurnal tidal cycle to study the internal waves, and the smaller 12-bottle CTD frame was used throughout (usually with 6 bottles) in order to reduce mixing effects from the trailing wake. Underway measurements were made with the shipboard ADCP, TSG, radiosondes, XBTs, and of surface meteorology, skin surface temperature, and zooplankton. The ship's EM12 swath bathymetry system was operated continuously, and used to study certain key areas in detail. In addition, MMP (a cycling CTD) and bottom-mounted ADCP moorings were successfully laid and recovered near 8°S, 60°E, and a first deployment of the ARGODOT turbulence probe was made near 20°S, 57.5°E
Molecular mechanisms responsible for the anti-inflammatory and protective effect of high-density lipoprotein on the endothelium
No full textIn addition to their role in reverse cholesterol transport, high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) exert several beneficial effects, including the prevention and correction of endothelial dysfunction. HDLs promote endothelium proliferation and diminish endothelial apoptosis; they play a key role in vasorelaxation by increasing the release of nitric oxide and prostacyclin through the induction of the expression and the activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and the coupling of cyclo-oxygenase 2 and prostacyclin synthase. In addition, HDLs affect coagulation, fibrinolysis, platelet adhesion, adhesion molecules and protease expression, and exert antioxidant activity. These effects are achieved at the gene expression level and are dependent on the activation of several intracellular signalling pathways, including PI3K/Akt, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2, protein kinase C, and p38MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase). The complexity of the signalling pathways modulated by HDL reflects the different effects of the components of this class of lipoproteins such as apolipoproteins or lipids on endothelial cell gene expression and the subsequent observed modulation of endothelial function. The in vivo relevance of these findings to endothelial recovery during physiological or pathological conditions remain to be addressed; nevertheless, the results of clinical studies with synthetic HDL, apolipoprotein A-I mimetics and drugs selectively affecting HDL plasma levels and biological functions that are becoming available support the importance of the correction of endothelial function by HD
No Hoboken is an island: A testcase for the Dutch approach against flood risk by sea level rise, storm surge and stormwater in the American situation
No full textThe city of Hoboken, New Jersey, suffers from flood risk by sea level rise, storm surge and storm water. Due to its position it is well connected to the metropolitan network, but also cut off from its direct surroundings. This has led to both spatial and social segregation. This project uses the Dutch approach towards flood risk, where water has become a key element in spatial planning, to combine these two problem fields in order for them to benefit each other. Along the coast a superlevee protects the city and provides new space for living, working and recreation, while it connects at the backside of the city. At the backside edge a large water storage area has been implemented. At key locations connections are made with the surrounding area. Here new development and qualitative public space coincide.Delta InterventionsUrbanismArchitecture and The Built Environmen
Safe and Dynamic Rijnmond-Drechtsteden: Rebalance the Natural Processes and Human Interventions Through Integrated Flood Risk Management
No full textThe project explores the way of close collaboration in the field of flood risk management and spatial development. This results in strategies for the Rijnmond-Drechtsteden region on 4 levels, and a key intervention for Numansdorp.MSc track Urbanism: Delta interventions graduation studio.Architecture, Urbanism and Building SciencesArchitectur
S.L.I.M., a small linear interdependent model of eight EU-member states, the USA and Japan
No full textInternational Economics;EU
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