30 March 2012

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Hospitality and Event Management

Beginning publication in 2013, International Journal of Hospitality and Event Management will meet the academic and managerial needs of the fast-growing hospitality and event fields. Specifically, the scope of the journal focuses on studies in lodging, catering, meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions, festivals, weddings, sport and other special events.

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments

Beginning publication in 2013, International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments will look at the use of of social media (social networking sites) for teaching and learning, with emphasis on the potential ways and concerns of using social media in the educational context and implications for designing interactive and collaborative learning environments.

First issue: African Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance

Providing a forum for exploring African research on current and future issues in business and beyond, African Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance brings together interested faculty, professionals, policy makers, accounting, auditing and finance students and others concerned with professional and regulatory matters in the corporate, university, schools of business, government, and financial sectors.

There is a free download of the papers from this first issue

Call for Papers: Adaptive Layered Manufacturing

A special issue of International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as additive fabrication, additive processes, additive techniques, additive layer manufacturing, layer manufacturing and freeform fabrication, is the "process of joining materials to make objects from 3D model data, usually in a layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methodologies" (ASTM International F 2792-09, 2010). Most commercially available additive manufacturing processes utilise uniform layer by layer deposition or lamination. While uniform layer slicing makes the algorithm development, software coding and hardware implementation simpler, it is usually accompanied by lowered surface quality and significant unnecessary build time.

In adaptive layered manufacturing, build layer thickness is automatically adjusted to achieve prototypes with better surface geometry, in shorter fabrication time.

The purpose of this special issue is the publication of research reports and application descriptions in the advancement of adaptive layered manufacturing methods. Hybrid, local and universal adaptive layering algorithm and system development, visualisation, modelling cloud data points, error calculation, hardware design and development, multi-material layering and process optimisation are all areas of interest to this issue.

Suitable topics include but aren’t limited to:
  • Hybrid, local and universal adaptive layering algorithms
  • Adaptive layering software implementation
  • Visualisation, modelling cloud data points
  • Error calculation
  • Development of new technologies utilising adaptive layered manufacturing
  • Multi-material prototyping
  • Adaptive layering optimisation
  • Applications
  • Case studies
Important Dates
Abstract submission:  15 May, 2012 (by email)
Full paper submission of invited articles:  1 November, 2012 (online submission)
Notification of reviews:  15 December, 2012
Revised manuscript submission:  1 February, 2013
Notification of acceptance:  1 March, 2013
Final paper submission:  30 March, 2013

Call for Papers: Meta-Heuristics for Security, Reliability and Trust

A special issue of International Journal of Metaheuristics

The increasing complexity of recent systems and networks has raised new concerns in terms of security, reliability and trust. Indeed, the past few years have seen a significant increase in cyber attacks on the Internet, resulting in degraded confidence and trust in the use of Internet and computer systems.

In light of this, there is an increasing demand for measures to guarantee the privacy, integrity, and availability of resources in distributed systems such as grid and P2P systems. Furthermore, as heterogeneous computing systems such as grid and cloud systems become larger and larger, reliability issues of such systems need to be addressed. For the execution of applications in these systems, it is becoming increasingly important to provide reliable scheduling by evaluating the reliability of resources.

These new problems require dependable systems and networks which can intelligently react to abnormal situations and ensure the security, reliability, quality and trustworthiness of information. In the case of reliable scheduling, two important issues need to be considered: how to evaluate the reliability of a resource, and how to perform reliable scheduling based on the reliability information of a resource. Meta-heuristics provide a way to develop such techniques, algorithms, protocols and tools in different aspects such as authentication, access control, availability, integrity, privacy, confidentiality and non-repudiation as they apply to both networks and systems.

This special issue convenes research in the areas of security, reliability, trust and meta-heuristics. We seek to collect the most recent advances in meta-heuristics (genetic algorithms, ant colony algorithms, particle swarm optimisation, etc.) which are applied to security, reliability and trust.

Both theoretical papers and papers describing practical experiences are welcome.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  •  Security, reliability and trust:
  •  Intrusion detection
  •  Cryptography, cryptanalysis
  •  Security protocols
  •  Quality of services
  •  Trust management
  •  Software validation and verification
  •  Certification of results
  •  Reliable scheduling
  •  Meta-heuristics:
  •  Genetic algorithms
  •  Genetic programming
  •  Evolution strategies
  •  Evolutionary programming
  •  Simulated annealing
  •  Tabu search
  •  Ant colony optimisation
  •  Particle swarm optimisation
Important Dates
Submission deadline:  20 February, 2013 (extended)
First notification:  15 March, 2013
Notification of acceptance:  15 June, 2013
Final version:  15 July, 2013

Special issue: Design research for sustainable behaviour

Journal of Design Research 10(1/2) 2012

Papers from the 14th European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (ERSCP) Conference, held in Delft, the Netherlands, 25-29 October 2010.
  • Models of the user: designers' perspectives on influencing sustainable behaviour
  • Merging a practice-orientated approach with an engineering-driven product development: a case study on home improvement
  • Exploring behavioural psychology to support design for sustainable behaviour research
  • Identifying design opportunities for reduced household resource consumption: exploring practices of thermal comfort
  • Insights into the design, use and implementation of home energy management systems
  • Exploring the use of a game to stimulate energy saving in households
  • Sustainable clothing design: use matters

Special issue: Healthcare, management and marketing

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development 8(2) 2012
  • Latent variables in conjoint measurement – a case of healthcare market in Poland
  • Patient perception of healthcare services in Fiji: analysis of functional and psychological dimensions
  • Quality of healthcare service delivery in public sector hospitals: a case study based on Western Province in Sri Lanka
  • Innovations in primary care management: a Brazilian experience
  • Challenges of performance measurement and management in public healthcare services
  • Healthcare system as a value network
  • Negative competition steering patient flow in a public-private healthcare co-opetition setting – a Finnish case
  • The 4Cs of the Croatian public healthcare system: social marketing challenges at the dawn of EU accession
  • Tendering and decision-making: a case on pharmaceutical products

Special issue: Future perspectives for sustainable agriculture

International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy 8(2/3) 2012
  • Scenario analysis as a foresight tool in agriculture
  • Integrating technology foresight methods with environmental life cycle assessment to promote sustainable agriculture
  • Life cycle assessment of energy crop production with special attention to the establishment of regional biomass utilisation systems
  • Integrated evaluation of biofuel production options in agriculture: an exploration of sustainable policy scenarios
  • Agricultural support as a Pigouvian subsidy for landscape amenity benefits: revisiting European regional convergence
  • Agriculture and sustainable development: policies analysis of the Taihu Economic Circle in China
  • How to approach narratives in foresight studies: qualitative data analysis
  • The use of gravity concepts for agricultural land-use dynamics: a case study on the Algarve
  • The absorption capacity of European funds for rural development in Romania: estimates of the factor influence

Special issue: From disciplinarity to interdisciplinarity and beyond in higher education on climate change

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development 6(1) 2012

Papers relating to the Lived experience of climate change: e-learning and virtual mobility (LECHe) European project.
  • An assessment of flaws and conflicts in climate change communication
  • Understanding political processes in climate change negotiations by means of an interdisciplinary curriculum in higher education
  • The essential role of expertise on natural resources in climate change Master's education
  • The lived experience of climate change: expanding the knowledge base through collaborative Master's curriculum in the European Union
  • Competences for climate change education in a virtual mobility setting
  • The challenge of widening citizen participation in climate change education: developing open educational resources on the lived experiences of climate change
  • Enhancing online climate change education: distance and conventional university collaboration for a Master's curriculum

Special issue: 4D medical imaging and 4D radiation therapyInternational Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology

International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology 8(2/3) 2012
  • Comparison of two techniques for target motion evaluation based on 4DCT images
  • 4D radiation therapy for prostate cancer
  • Image-Guided Adaptive Radiation Therapy with anatomic imaging and dose verification in head and neck cancer using kV CBCT
  • A 4DRT simulation study using a synthetic 3.5D CT image with motion-free target of lung cancer based on 4DCT
  • Automatic tumour delineation in whole body PET/CT images
  • Rigid and non-rigid medical image registration methods
  • Comparison of the sensitivities of two 4DCT techniques: RPM and bellows system
  • Development of a 4D dosimetry simulation system in radiotherapy
  • Hybrid deformable image registration using a closed-form Free Form Deformation approach
  • A feasibility study of image registration using volumetrically classified, motion-free bony landmarks in thoracic 4DCT images for image-guided patient setup
  • A phantom-based evaluation of a real-time tracking micro MLC delivery

Special issue: Energy management and resources: Part two

International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy 8(1) 2012

Further papers from the InternationalConference on Thermal Energy and Environment (INCOTEE 2011) held Tamil Nadu, India, 24–26 March 2011.

See also International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy 7(5/6) 2011
  • Solar tunnel drier with thermal storage for drying of copra
  • An experimental investigation of a solar/wind 4 kW micro generation system and T-1000 1.2 kW PEM fuel cell
  • Energy conservation in aluminium foundries by waste heat recovery from solidifying molten metal
  • Thermal characteristics in latent heat energy storage system using paraffin wax
  • Development of an energy efficient curtain flame ignition system for sintering of iron ore fines
  • Performance evaluation of parabolic dish type solar collector for industrial heating application
  • Performance enhancement of GT-ST power plant with inlet air cooling using lithium bromide/water vapour absorption refrigeration system

Special issue: Numerical analysis and scientific computing

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology 43(2) 2-12
  • Investigating the shock-capturing properties of some composite numerical schemes for the 1-D linear advection equation
  • Solving the nonlinear complementarity problem via an aggregate homotopy method
  • Mesh density and mesh orientation dependence of FE model submitted to low-frequency vibration
  • The optimal design of sheet metal forming processes: application to the clinching of thin sheets
  • Inversion techniques and reciprocal formulae
  • Numerical simulation of Saint-Venant equations with turbulence using radial basis functions: application to Lake Bouregreg
  • On the expected penalty function for a risk model perturbed by diffusion
  • Automatic building extraction based on improved watershed segmentation, mutual information match and snake model
  • HPGRID: a new resource management architecture with its topological properties for massively parallel systems
  • Identification method of independent module for dynamic fault tree with interdependent basic events and repeated events
  • High performance power flow algorithm for symmetrical distribution networks with unbalanced loading

Special issue: Degenerate and singular parabolic and elliptic equations

International Journal of Dynamical Systems and Differential Equations 4(1/2) 2012
  • On uniqueness techniques for degenerate convection-diffusion problems
  • On uniform global attractors for a class of non-autonomous degenerate parabolic equations
  • Complete quenching for a degenerate parabolic problem with a localised nonlinear source
  • A note on spatial uniformation for Fisher-KPP type equations with a concentration dependent diffusion
  • A note on entropy solutions for degenerate parabolic equations with L1 ∩ Lp data
  • Superdiffusive blow-up with advection
  • Weak solutions for some nonlinear elliptic problem with variable exponent and measure data
  • Infinite-time gradient blow-up in a degenerate parabolic equation
  • Quenching behaviour for nonlinear degenerate parabolic problems
  • Existence and nonexistence of ground state solutions for quasilinear elliptic equations with a convection term

26 March 2012

Call for Papers: Rare Earths and Other Critical Metals

A special issue of Interdisciplinary Environmental Review

As the world seeks to move to a low carbon economy in order to reverse climate change and jump-start the global economy, an awareness of the importance of a number of critical metals is rapidly growing. Rare earths are among the most vital elements in the development not only of green technologies such as hybrid cars, wind turbines, solar panels and efficient lighting, but also for defence applications, computers, new TVs, smart phones, etc.

Over the past few years, China's sharp reduction of export quotas for rare earths has brought to light supply problems with other critical materials as well. China's effective monopoly of extraction and processing, along with its ability to offer a complete supply chain, has given rise to widespread international governmental actions, further scientific research, investment for resource diversification, and a series of growing geopolitical tensions.

One consequence has been that there is now considerable investment in finding substitutions and in the development of efficient recycling and reuse techniques to address the resource scarcity and resource nationalism that has begun to emerge in response to China's monopoly.

This examination of the material issues in green technology addresses questions of innovation, supply and demand, as well as the developing geopolitical context; its goal is to help delineate one key obstacle in transitioning to a low carbon future.

These issues attract a wide audience in the economy, mining, international affairs, industry, engineering, and environmental studies programmes and policy think tanks.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Rare earths
  • Renewable energy technologies
  • Battery technology
  • Efficient lighting
  • Resource scarcity
  • Geopolitical implications of green growth
  • Substitution of critical materials
Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts:  30 September, 2012*
Notification to authors:  30 October, 2012
Final versions due:  30 November, 2012
* Because of the vital importance of the theme to the natural environment, public and commercial policy and the many disciplines it touches we would like to urge you to submit as early as possible.

Call for Papers: Bayesian Inference in Economics

A special issue of International Journal of Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Optimisation

Bayesian methods have become increasingly popular in all fields of economics and econometrics, including macro- and micro-economics, industrial organisation, trade, development, labour, financial economics, and others.

Their success has been made possible by recent advances in simulation-based inference that have enabled the analysis of richer and more realistic models, many of which are difficult to analyse by other techniques. Building upon these advances will require continued development of new estimation approaches and improvement of existing ones, coupled with careful implementation in empirical problems that illustrate their practical appeal.

The special issue will highlight new theoretical and applied research in Bayesian modelling and estimation.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  •  Estimation techniques and refinements, simulation, computation
  •  Markov chain Monte Carlo ( MCMC ) simulation
  •  Adaptive samplers
  •  Importance samplers
  •  Parallel computing
  •  Development of new econometric models
  •  Cross-sectional, time series and panel data models
  •  Missing data, sample selection, treatment models
  •  Latent variable models
  •  Hierarchical modelling
  •  Nonparametric and semiparametric models
  •  Simulated likelihood estimation by Bayesian techniques
  •  Applications of Bayesian techniques and models in any field of economics
  •  Model comparison and model evaluation.
Important Dates
Full paper submission deadline:  1 December, 2012
Completion of peer review:  1 February, 2013

Call for papers: Computational Optimisation and Engineering Applications

A special issue of International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology

Computational optimisation techniques are widely used to address complex real-world problems in the fields of process engineering, telecommunication and network engineering, control engineering, system engineering, industrial engineering, operations research and economics.

Due to the nature of these problems, the selection of best solutions from a set of available alternatives is required in many cases. With the rapid development of computer and networking technology in recent years, many complex real-world problems can now be solved using a combination of increased computational power and advanced optimisation techniques.

The scope of this special issue covers a broad spectrum of areas with multi-disciplinary interests in optimisation concepts, techniques and applications. In particular, this issue welcomes original work on identifying new research challenges and developing new models and algorithms.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to the following:
  • Mobile/wireless network optimisation
  • Computer and network security optimisation
  • Computing job and/or resource scheduling and optimisaion in computer networking, grid/cloud computing, and parallel/cluster computing
  • Application of grid/cloud optimisation techniques for bioinformatics
  • Optimisation methods for protein folding
  • Production planning, scheduling and optimisaiton
  • Process modelling, control and optimal design
  • Optimisation techniques for graph drawing and VLSI
  • Artificial intelligence and operations research
  • Heuristics, e.g. genetic algorithms, simulated annealing and/or tabu search
  • Mathematical programming and constraint programming
  • Optimisation and decision-making support
  • Supply chain and logistics
  • Software and/or system engineering
  • Digital and/or flexible manufacturing
  • CAD, CAM, CIM
Important Dates
Manuscript due date: 28 June, 2012
Notification of acceptance: 28 September, 2012

Submission of final manuscript: 28 October, 2012

Special issue: Micromachining and nanofinishing

International Journal of Precision Technology 3(1) 2012

Papers from the 3rd International and 24th All India Manufacturing Technology Design and Research Conference (AIMTDR) held in Visakhapattanam, India, 13 -15 December 2010.
  • Effects of the condition of the tubular electrode on hole size and shape in micro deep hole electrical discharge machining
  • Optimisation of Nd:YAG laser micro-turning process using response surface methodology
  • Effects of electrolyte composition and temperature on precision finishing of spur gears by pulse electrochemical honing (PECH)
  • Study of edge radius effects in mechanical micro-machining
  • An approach for identification of mode in micro grooving of sintered alumina
  • Study on surface quality and accuracy of hard turned axial feed rollers of honing machine
  • Experimental study and empirical modelling of magnetic abrasive finishing on ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic materials


Special issue: Emotion and embodiment in research

International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion 4(3/4) 2011
  • Gendered incorporations: critically embodied reflections on the gender divide in organisation studies
  • Decidedly visceral moments: emotion, embodiment and the social bond in ethnographic fieldwork
  • The embodied dimension of creativity in academic knowledge work
  • Emotions in organisational research in nursing homes
  • The role of emotion management in the legitimation performance of researchers
  • Creating a healthy work environment for nursing practice and education: Leadership impact on nursing and healthcare work environment
  • Researching emotions and the emotions of researching: the strange case of Alexithymia in reflexive research
PhD papers
  • Dilemmas as researchers: an honest account
  • Walking between the worlds: from shamanic practice to academic practice in one giant leap
  • International research students' emotional experiences in researching education in their home contexts

Special issue: Exploration and exploitation of data in bioinformatics

International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications 8(1/2) 2012

Papers presented at the 7th Annual Biotechnology andBioinformatics Symposium (BIOT-2010) held in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA, 14-15 October 2010.
  • A new algorithm for quantifying binding site pattern similarity with applications for Next Generation Sequencing
  • An effective graph-based clustering technique to identify coherent patterns from gene expression data
  • Large margin classifiers and Random Forests for integrated biological prediction
  • Combining gene expression and interaction network data to improve kidney lesion score prediction
  • Detecting molecular selection on single amino acid replacements
  • Computational analysis of adaptive antigenic mutations of the human influenza hemagglutinin for vaccine strain selection
  • Evolution of bacterial ribosomal protein L1
  • Application of nanotechnology in cancer: a review
  • New encoded single-indicator sequences based on physico-chemical parameters for efficient exon identification
  • Discovering best candidates for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) by in-silico techniques and tools

23 March 2012

Call for Papers: What are the Contributions and Implications of Complexity Theory to the Study and Practice of Management of Educational Institutions?

A special issue of International Journal of Complexity in Leadership and Management

This special issue aims at contributing to the debate about the changing character of management in educational institutions worldwide. Complexity theory is a relatively new approach to human organisations, which derives from multidisciplinary developments in science to investigate the dynamics of change and the emergence of new patterns of behaviour in human organisations.

Much has been written about the changing nature of management in educational institutions worldwide, promoted by market-oriented policy level reforms. The challenges faced by schools and universities at the beginning of the 21st century can have many dimensions. How do we prepare students for a world of uncertainty and constant change? How do educational leaders operate in contexts of unpredictability and increasing demands from different stakeholders? What are the dynamics of organisational environments from which learning, creativity and innovation can emerge? What is the relation between management and such environments?

The overall contribution aimed for by this issue in relation to the practice of management can be expressed as the addressing of the question: how can our educational institutions at different levels be managed in adaptive ways in a complex world struggling for sustainability?

Subject topics include but are not limited to:
  • New theoretical perspectives of leadership and management of schools at different levels and higher education institutions
  • Ontological and epistemological implications of complexity theory to the study of organisational aspects of educational institutions
  • Learning and the emergence of innovative practices in education
  • Leadership development and training in educational institutions
  • Qualitative research of complexity in management and leadership in the education sector
Important Date
Submission deadline: 1 July, 2014

Call for papers: BikeNet: Theory, Technology and Application

A special issue of International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing

BikeNet is a mobile sensing system for cyclists which uses a number of sensors embedded into a cyclist’s bicycle to collect quantitative data about the cyclist’s rides. Researchers need to design practical distributed and centralised algorithms and to introduce novel theoretical models or evaluation methodologies to address various kinds of research problems originating from BikeNet.

Although there are a large number of developed network protocols for wireless sensor networks and ad hoc networks, the unique characteristics of BikeNet – such as limited bandwidth capacity, small size and high mobility – lead to considerable challenges in their design.

The special issue is intended to disseminate high-quality research in BikeNet, and to push theoretical and practical research forward for a deeper understanding of the fundamental algorithms, modelling, and analysis techniques for BikeNet. Authors are invited to submit papers presenting new research related to the theory or practice of BikeNet, including algorithms, modelling, technology and application. All submissions must describe original research, and must not be published or currently under review for another workshop, conference or journal.

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the Workshop on Performance Evaluation of Wireless Networks (PEWiN-2012), but we also strongly encourage researchers unable to participate in the workshop to submit papers for this call.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Algorithms, theory and applications for BikeNet, including mobile ad hoc networks, wireless sensor networks, and any kind of multi-hop wireless networks used in BikeNet
  • Theoretical graph and geometric models for BikeNet
  • Complexity analysis of algorithms for BikeNet environments
  • Routing algorithms and strategies in BikeNet
  • Power optimisation strategies in BikeNet
  • Throughput, capacity, and delay analysis in BikeNet
  • Data and resource management in BikeNet
  • Clustering and cooperative strategies in BikeNet
  • Coverage and survivability problems in BikeNet
  • Information theory and network coding for BikeNet
  • Security, privacy and cryptographic protocols theory for BikeNet
Important Dates
Deadline for submission: 31 January 2013
Acceptance notification (1st round): 31 April, 2013
Revision submission: 31 June, 2013

Final notification of acceptance: 31 August, 2013

Call for Papers: Innovative Mobile and Internet Technologies

A special issue of International Journal of Internet Protocol Technology

The Internet has dramatically changed our society in many areas, including politics, business, culture, how we socialise and the way we live. In recent years, the convergence of mobile and Internet technologies such as 3G/4G-LTE/WiFi networks and satellite networks has brought about many emerging mobile and Internet technologies (MIT), including protocols, mechanisms, services, systems, security and applications.

These innovative MITs are important for the development of the future Internet and have been commonly regarded as a hot research topic by academia, industry and government as well as policy makers.

This special issue is intended to foster the dissemination of state-of-the-art research in the area of MIT that can fulfill the anytime-anywhere access dream. Original research articles are solicited in all aspects of innovative mobile and Internet technologies, including emerging trends and applications, theoretical studies and experimental prototypes.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Mobility management architecture for wireless networks
  • Mobile computing applications/systems and protocols for the future Internet
  • Context-aware mobile services and applications for mobile networks and the Internet
  • Performance analysis and testbeds for mobile networks and the Internet
  • Application and service issues for mobile networks and the Internet
  • Social aspects and networking in mobile networks and the Internet
  • Systems and protocols in underwater, satellite and deep-space networks
  • Security, trust and privacy in MIT
Important Dates
Manuscript due: 20 April, 2013
Notification of acceptance/rejection/revision: 31 July, 2013
Revised manuscript due: 31 October, 2013

Call for Papers: Looking

A special issue of International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy

Organisations are obsessed with looking ahead, forecasting, envisioning, strategising. Organisations keep looking ahead into their fantasised futures. Perspectivism, project work, future scenarios, framing, and also diagrams, statistical analysis; they all involve the senses of the eyes to get a better grip on developments in organisations.

 The angel in Paul Klee's painting, which Benjamin calls the Angel of History, has on the contrary his back to the future. The angel looks at the present. The financial crisis confirmed the artist's insight: a lot could have been learned if the financial institutions had looked at history instead of gazing at the fantasy of unlimited future profit.

 Looking is never a neutral activity. The struggle for vision raises high stakes - economic, strategic, moral and political. Not looking or looking in the wrong direction can be devastating, but so too can misplaced vision, the wrong kind of looking. For looks themselves can be deceiving.

 Looking objectifies. The subject of the gaze consumes the object it perceives. Looking constitutes images as objects. The male gaze calls forth and reifies particular versions of gender; the colonial gaze demands the exotic and the subaltern; the capitalist gaze sees commodities and calculations. When gaze is refined and extended through formal organisations it produces a fixed system of subjects and objects.

 Contrary to vision, which is something you generally 'have', looking, like organising, is a verb. Looking is an act. You actively look, even if you don't look for something in particular. This is why being looked at also becomes important: the act of looking implies - or creates - categories and divisions. When looking becomes formalised as an organisational practice it necessarily creates contrasts and comparison. We become objects caught up in the gaze of others. Unlike hearing, looking operates with a clearly defined field, a space of organising and ordering, of points of reference and focus, but also of blindspots, places for hiding and limits.

 Compared to touch and taste, which involve direct contact between the perceiving and perceived, looking may be said to operate with and reproduce distance. We can look at something from a distance: sometimes, in fact, being too close may be a hindrance to the sight. There is also a difference between looking-at, from a shorter or longer distance, and looking-into, in which case the spectator might go from being a passive observer to being a more actively involved participant.

 This call for papers invites contributions that interrogate 'looking' in an organisational context. How can we question the visual sense in order to find a ground for critical analysis of contemporary developments in organisations? What are the contours and limits of perceptual spaces driven by vision? How do they objectify, reify, categorise and classify? Is it possible to escape regimes of gaze, to make oneself invisible or imperceptible?

 The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the Aesthetics & Organization Workshop on the senses, co-organised by the University for Humanistics at Utrecht, Essex Business School at the University of Essex and the Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy at Copenhagen Business School. But we also strongly encourage researchers unable to participate in the workshop to submit papers for this call.

The following list should inspire contributors, but doesn’t exhaust the theme:
  • The visual and non-visual in organisational life
  • The imagery in/of organisations
  • The visual arts and organisations
  • Visual narratives
  • The visual organisation
  • Looking/understanding
  • Looking/observing/inspecting
  • Enlightenment, seeing with knowledge
  • Image/imaginary/imagination
  • Fantastic/fantasia
  • Looking/wandering
  • Blind, blinded, blindness
Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 1 May, 2012
Notification to Authors: 1 August, 2012

Final Versions Due: 1 October, 2012

First issue: International Journal of Technology Policy and Law

Emphasising current and emerging social, political and economic issues, International Journal of Technology Policy and Law encourages papers representing synergy between theory and practice to help policy makers and executives govern and manage technologies and their relations with society, policies and law.

There is a free download of the papers from this first issue.

Special issue: Bio-image informatics

 International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design 5(1) 2012
  • Research on segmentation of dorsal diencephalon and ventral midbrain of zebrafish embryo based on active contour model
  • Entropy based unsupervised Feature Selection in digital mammogram image using rough set theoryl
  • Axonal transport analysis using Multitemporal Association Tracking
  • Fast leukocyte image segmentation using shadowed sets
  • Improving segmentation of 3D touching cell nuclei using flow tracking on surface meshes
  • Morphological analysis of zebrafish embryo tails

Special issue: Review of online marketing applications

International Journal of Technology Marketing 6(4) 2011

Papers from the 4th Euromed Conference held in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece, 20-21 October 2011.
  • Factors affecting Greek internet users' intentions to adopt online shopping: the perspective of an extended technology acceptance model
  • The involvement process through social media in 2010 UK elections: is it a real Facebook-based participation?
  • Marketing communication metrics for social media
  • Social media marketing as an entrepreneurial learning process
  • Identifying future research opportunities in online consumer reviews: the case study of 'TripAdvisor'
  • Financing innovation: venture capital investments in biotechnology firms

Special issue: Collaborative modelling

International Journal of Organisational Design and Engineering 2(1) 2012
  • Introduction
  • A dialogue game for analysing group model building: framing collaborative modelling and its facilitation
  • Group model building: a collaborative modelling methodology applied to critical infrastructure protection
  • Collaborative maintenance of business process models
  • Modelling and facilitating RFID-based collaborative logistics processes
  • Improving the quality of business process models through separation of generation tasks in collaborative modelling

19 March 2012

Call for Papers: Settling the Mountains: the Role of Eco-Cultural Tourism and Socio-Ecology

A special issue of International Journal of Tourism Anthropology

This special issue focuses on the direct role of eco-cultural tourism (i.e. mountain tourism) as a potential contributor to household income, under socio-ecological inter-impacting relations and constraints. Since the second half of the twentieth century, mass eco-cultural tourism has been the core potential income provider in rural and remote areas.

The rival tourism economy forces socio-economic transitions and socio-ecological changes. Globally, mountain ranges fall under different development settings, as all undergo transitions and changes under similar aspects and different environmental capacities. This is an indigenous (local community) response to commercialisation and the modern mountain economy.

Mountain tourism as a local alternative and option influences the micro-value of natural landscapes (e.g. ecolodges and trekking trails networks), while physically and/or functionally reshaping cultural landscapes (e.g. farmsteads/orchards as a seasonal agro-tourism facilities). The mountain tourism economy provides local markets with a potential competitive advantage for a variety of local products and services.

We invite submissions addressing mountainous eco-cultural tourism and socio-ecology in theory and practice. Specialists/authors in (but not limited to) human and physical geography; landscape; ecology; environmental management and economy; tourism and heritage studies; anthropology; and sociology are encouraged to contribute.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Eco-cultural tourism physical planning and networks
  • Reuse and revival of cultural heritage and landscapes, including experimental archaeology
  • Nature reserve regulations and policies
  • Sustainable and unsustainable practice(s)/experience(s)
  • Indigenous people and mountain tourism
  • New markets for mountain products and/or services
  • Corporative governance and decision making
  • Quantitative limitations of environmental and ecological capacity(ies)
  • Geo-based land use distribution patterns
  • Social incentives for population 'counter depopulation' and inflow migration 'rural mobility'
  • Interdisciplinary predictive models
Important Dates
Deadline for submission of manuscripts: 1 November, 2012
Notification of unconditional/conditional acceptance/rejection to authors: 1 February, 2013
Final acceptance of manuscript: 1 April, 2013

Call for Papers: Tourism and Community: Development, Relationship, Impacts and Management

A special issue of International Journal of Tourism Anthropology

Destination communities are commonly among the most affected but the least empowered among tourism stakeholders. The relationship between tourism and communities is multi-dimensional, encompassing economic, social, cultural, ecological and political forces. It is believed that community participation in tourism can ensure community benefits, empower the locals and promote community development. Thus, the need for community participation in tourism is well-recognised. Proper planning and management are needed to facilitate the sustainable development of both tourism and the community.

This special issue invites papers on issues concerning tourism and community. Both empirical and conceptual studies are welcome.

The issue will be international in scope and a wide variety of papers involving theoretical research, empirical research, case research and analytical models focusing on the key issues of the theme of the issue will be considered for publication.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Relationships between tourism and community
  • Tourism impacts on destination communities
  • Community participation in tourism in different societal contexts
  • Roles of different tourism stakeholders in community participation
  • Planning and management for community participation in tourism
  • Assessment of community participation in tourism
  • Community development and sustainable tourism
Important Dates
Deadline for submission of manuscripts: 1 October, 2012
Notification of acceptance/rejection to authors: 1 January, 2013
Submission of revised manuscript: 1 April, 2013
Final acceptance of manuscript: 1 June, 2013

Special issue: Sustainable supply chain design and practice – Part 1

International Journal of Agile Systems and Management 5(1) 2012
  • Green manufacturing practices in the fashion supply chain: lessons from Italian case studies
  • Engaging small firms in sustainable supply chains: responsible sourcing practices in the UK construction industry
  • Building robust supply chains by reducing vulnerability and improving resilience
  • Conceptualising risk distribution for supply chain sustainability


18 March 2012

Call for Papers: Intelligent Techniques in Real Environments

A special issue of International Journal of Computational Intelligence Studies

Recently there has been growing interest in knowledge discovery and data mining, machine learning and the combination of a wide range of artificial intelligence methods and techniques and their applications in different domains such business, communication, transportation, healthcare, education, the World Wide Web, and so on.

Knowledge discovery and data mining (KDD) is an interdisciplinary area focusing upon methodologies for extracting useful knowledge from a wide diversity of data. The ongoing rapid growth of online data (usually complex data including text documents, time-series, multimedia objects) due to the Internet and the extensive use of databases has influenced an enormous and emergent need for developing and using KDD methodologies.

The challenge of extracting knowledge from data draws upon research in other important domains and fields such as statistics, databases, pattern recognition, machine learning, data visualisation, optimisation and high-performance computing.

Also, we are facing a remarkable paradigm shift in networked computing, in which humans are not only consumers of data and software, but have also become providers of services and content as well as metadata in various forms, e.g. opinions, recommendations, ratings, tags, etc. As a consequence, large amounts of information are generated from the interaction between people mediated by information technologies, as well as between users and applications.

Consequently, an increase in interest from researchers in analysing, discovering and understanding new patterns of human behaviours has resulted from the usage of new information technologies. It can be observed in enhanced applications in various areas of the economy, marketing, education, business, healthcare, entertainment, etc.

The aim of this special issue is to contribute to the analysis of the main advancements of different methods and technologies including classical artificial intelligence, computational intelligence and multi-agent systems. Special focus will be given to the analysis, discovery, and understanding of complex data, as well as to their application for the development of better systems.

Thus, potential authors are invited to submit contributions related to theoretical aspects but also related to applications of a wide range of intelligent techniques in real environments.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Knowledge discovery and data mining
  • Reasoning and semantics
  • Intelligent image processing
  • Collective intelligence
  • Evolution, adaptation
  • Intelligent agents
  • Artificial social systems
  • Expert systems/decision support systems
  • Service-oriented architectures
  • Computational architectures
  • Collaborative environments
  • Web intelligence and semantic web
  • Complex systems
  • Ambient intelligence
  • Learning systems and tools
Important Dates
Paper submission: 30 August, 2012
Review results/author notification: 15 December, 2012
Final paper submission: 15 February, 2013

Special issue: Recent advances in biomaterials science

International Journal of Nano and Biomaterials  3(4) 2012

Papers from the 4th International Conference on Biomaterials,Tissue Engineering and Medical Devices (BiomMedD'2010) held in Sinaia, Romania, 23–25 September 2010
  • Triiodophenyl acrylate-based microbeads find important use in the medical field
  • Nanocomposite materials with antimicrobial activity based on chitosan
  • Bioactive compounds obtained by immobilisation of serine protease inhibitors
  • Characterisation of surface organisation and morphology of some new experimental dental resin-based composites
  • A study on the feasibility of wrist pulse determination using electrical impedance measurement
  • Failure causes in hip resurfacing arthroplasty – retrieval analysis
  • Microscopic studies regarding the causes of micro-fractures in an aesthetic dental bridge

Special issue: Modelling, simulation and optimisation for industrial systems

International Journal of Advanced Operations Management 4(1/2) 2012
  • Deterministic machine scheduling with release times and sequence-dependent setups using random-insertion heuristics
  • A new formulation of the two-dimensional cutting-stock problem with consideration of demand planning
  • Mathematical model and solution approach for carriers' collaborative transportation planning in less than truckload transportation
  • Decision support systems for air traffic controllers based on the analysis of their decision-making processes
  • Simulation-based optimisation of inspection stations allocation in multi-product manufacturing systems
  • Perturbation analysis-based optimisation for a failure-prone manufacturing system with constant delivery time and stochastic demand

16 March 2012

Call for Papers: Transformations and Innovations in Business Service Models and Modelling

A special issue of International Journal of Services, Economics and Management

At large, the term “services” is associated with Web services and the like. However, there is a much vaster layer to be considered within the remarkable growth of the service sector, which has come to dominate business activity in most advanced economies over recent decades (Communications of the ACM July 2006, Vol. 49, No. 7).

Globalisation, increasing automation, the growth of the Internet, and the dynamic componentisation of business are driving the reconfiguration of services and service value networks at a scale and pace never before seen in history. The opportunity to innovate in services; to realise business and societal value from knowledge about service; and to research, develop and deliver new information services and business services has never been greater. The challenges are related to both the multidisciplinary nature of services that combine business, technology and social-organisational aspects/issues, and the demand for the innovation.

Thus, this special issue intends to provide an international forum for researchers and industry contributors to share their experiences and present original ideas on multidisciplinary perspectives on transformations and innovations in business models for services delivery, as well as in business service models and modelling.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Service transformations (move from a product-dominant to a service-dominant perspective)
  • Creation of global service organisations and capabilities
  • Service operations optimisation
  • Economic value models and networks
  • Service innovations and strategies
  • Service design methodologies and patterns
  • Requirements orientation towards services
  • Services sustainability
  • Service delivery and management
  • Service sectors/branches/industries
  • Emerging business services and service architectures
Important Dates
Manuscript due: 1 June, 2012
Notification of acceptance: 15 August, 2012
Revised paper due: 1 October, 2012
Final notification: 15 October, 2012
Submission of final revised paper: 30 October, 2012

Newly announced title: International Journal of Applied Pattern Recognition

Beginning publication in 2013,  International Journal of Applied Pattern Recognition will present original research on the theoretical, experimental and applied aspects of pattern analysis, extraction, classification and clustering. The journal focuses on areas such as feature selection, feature extraction, large data problems, online learning, classifiers and perception models.

Special issue: Public affairs and health informatics research

International Journal of Public Policy 8 (1-3) 2012
  • Why healthcare became so expensive in China? The transformation of healthcare financing during Chinese economic development
  • Nursing home research in Jinan, China: a focus group approach
  • Factors influencing Chinese long-term care
  • The challenges measuring the effectiveness of a statewide Medicaid long-term care managed care programme: the Florida experience
  • A decomposition of income-related inequality in EQ-5D: a South Korea study
  • Recommendations for the design of an integrated informatics policy in Costa Rica
  • Provider perceptions of electronic medical records and e-prescribing and their integration into safety net clinics
  • Organisational factors associated with adoption of comprehensive and basic electronic-record systems in US hospitals
  • Planning for pharmacy information systems among US hospitals
  • Mining medical claims data with exploratory to confirmatory statistical methods
  • Health consumer susceptibility to medical care fraud: an exploratory analysis
  • Comparison of technical efficiency of South Korean and Vietnamese public hospitals in 2006-2009
  • Failed alternative development programs: an implementation analysis of coca supply-reduction programs in Bolivia
  • Factors affecting job satisfaction among public servants: a South Korean case

Special issue: Integrating learning behaviour with change contexts: Part 2

International Journal of Learning and Change 6(1/2) 2012

 Part 1 is in International Journal of Learning and Change 5(3/4) 2011
  • Social intelligence and top management team: an exploratory study of external knowledge acquisition for strategic change in global IT service providers in India
  • From training to learning in enterprise resource planning systems
  • In pursuit of the individual in the field of knowledge management
  • Adopting organisation learning theory in the classroom: advancing learning through the use of blogging and self-reflection
  • The BGR contingency model for leading change
  • The influence of complexity and uncertainty on self-directed team learning
  • Learning for the frontline: how fire-fighters integrate learnt behaviours with difficult contexts


Special issue: Intelligent control in distributed power generation systems and networks

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology 43(1) 2012
  • Direct Nyquist array design of PID controllers for boiler-turbine units based on gain and phase margins
  • Copula estimation of distribution algorithms based on exchangeable Archimedean copula
  • Projection ray intersecting location-based multicolour pseudo-random coded projected active vision method
  • New delay-dependent stabilisation criterion for a class of networked control systems
  • The crack edge enhancement of straddle-type monorail track beam surface based on non-subsampled contourlet transform
  • Inspection of surface defects in copper strip using multivariate statistical approach and SVM
  • Location for high impedance fault and polluted insulator in transmission line-based non-linear frequency analysis
  • An improved multi-objective ant colony algorithm for building life cycle energy consumption optimisation
  • Application of interval type-2 fuzzy neural networks to predict short-term traffic flow

Special issue: Semantic web services and interoperability

International Journal of Web Science 1(3) 2012

Papers from 3rd International Conference on Web and Information Technologies (ICWIT’2010) held in Marrakech, Morocco, 16–19 June 2010.

For other papers see International Journal of Reasoning-based Intelligent Systems 3(3/4) 2011
  • Data mediation towards semantic web service interoperability
  • A framework for reengineering web applications towards semantic web services
  • A user-centric Mashuped SOA
  • Development of context-aware web services using the MDA approach
  • A new approach to discover the complex mappings between ontologies
  • An adaptive teaching strategy model in e-learning using learners' preference: LearnFit framework

12 March 2012

Call for Papers: Risk and Global Warming

A special issue of International Journal of Global Warming

Risks and global warming have attracted a great deal of concern from both the academic and practical worlds. Managing risks facing the environment is essential to maintaining sustainable development and tackling global warming.

Recent advances in technology and policy seem to allow renewable energy to play major roles in meeting global energy demands while reducing CO2 emissions. Renewable energy technologies are being rapidly commercialised and greater emission reductions can be achieved. As a key global warming mitigation strategy, low-carbon economies are being examined by various nations.

This special issue aims to develop various risk analysis policies and tools and their applications to global warming-related issues, including risk in energy production and consumption, and risk in low-carbon environments.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Energy risk management, trading, finance and environment
  • Carbon emission market risk
  • Risk and clean technologies
  • Climate change and health issues
  • Climate change uncertainty modelling and simulations
  • Energy policies and strategies
  • Waste management
  • Water and water issues
  • Hurricanes and catastrophic events
  • Energy security in low-carbon environment
  • Energy efficiency under uncertainty
  • Energy, environment and risk
  • Managing energy price risk
  • Energy product development risks
  • Environmental and energy credit risk management
  • Energy technology risk assessment
  • Electricity market risk
  • Renewable and non-renewable energy risks
  • Other issues related to risk and global warming
Important Dates
Submission deadline: 30 September, 2012
First-round reviews: 30 January, 2013
Final version: 20 March, 2013

11 March 2012

Call for Papers: Noise, Vibration and Reliability in Vehicle Systems

A special issue of International Journal of Vehicle Noise and Vibration

Noise and vibration of motor vehicles are increasingly important for the automotive industry and are concerns for both vehicle manufacturers and component suppliers. Elimination of unwanted noise and vibration heard and felt in vehicles has become an increasingly important vehicle design consideration as new sustainable power train technologies such as electric power train or hybrid power train technologies develop.

Automotive applications tend to require the high volume manufacture of parts and systems at low cost with high performance and high reliability, even in harsh environments. To replace conventional systems or introduce new capabilities into automobiles, new systems based on new materials and structures, and new technologies, it is necessary to add functionality, performance and adaptability without decreasing reliability, while marginally increasing cost and weight.

However, to advantageously exploit the capabilities of new materials, structures and technologies in vehicle systems requires multidisciplinary approaches to design and optimisation, where improved controllability, maintainability and extendibility are key goals. These issues are expected to be well-addressed by concurrent investigations. We welcome papers that can demonstrate innovative solutions for noise, vibration and reliability in vehicle systems.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Vehicle powertrain system noise and vibration investigation and refinement
  • International vehicle combustion engine noise and vibration investigation and refinement
  • Vehicle chassis and suspension system noise and vibration investigation and refinement
  • Vehicle HVAC system noise and vibration investigation and refinement
  • Vehicle body structure noise and vibration investigation and refinement
  • Vehicle exterior noise investigation and refinement
Important Date
Manuscript submission deadline: 15 May, 2012

Special issue: Exploring the link between CSR and competitiveness

International Journal of Technology Management 58(1/2) 2012

Papers from an international conference Exploring the link between competitiveness and Corporate Social Responsibility held in Pisa, Italy,  29 April 2010.
  • SME corporate social responsibility and competitiveness: a literature reviewThe relationship between sustainable business management and competitiveness: research trends and challenge
  • Eco-innovation and competitiveness in industrial clusters
  • A horizontal approach to implementing corporate social responsibility in international supply chains
  • CSR, innovation strategy and supply chain management: toward an integrated perspective
  • Fair Business as a corporate responsibility and competitiveness factor? Fashion design company Globe Hope as an example
  • Corporate social responsibility and SME's competitiveness
  • The diffusion of CSR initiatives among SMEs in industrial clusters: some findings from Italian experiences

5 March 2012

Media partnership - Solid Waste Management Forum

Inderscience is a media partner for the 2nd Annual Solid Waste Management Forum, to be held in Amsterdam, 22-24 May 2012.

First issue: African Journal of Economic and Sustainable Development

Aiming to develop a deeper appreciation of past, current and future African issues to provide guidance and potential solutions, African Journal of Economic and Sustainable Development publishes material on economic development that serves African nations in research, development, decision-/policy-making and education.

There is a free download of the papers from this first issue.

Special issue: Adaptation and clustering in mobile networks

International Journal of Mobile Network Design and Innovation 4(1) 2012
  • Grid-based clustering with dual cluster heads to alleviate energy hole problem for non-uniform node distribution in wireless sensor networks
  • Cluster-based optimisation of load and energy aware routing in MANET
  • Performance evaluation of multi-service UMTS core networks with clustering and neural modelling
  • Performance evaluation of anycast-based micro-mobility management
  • Consensus-based cooperative communications for clustered mobile wireless sensor-actuator networks
  • Power aware stability-based routing protocol for hybrid ad hoc networks

Special issue: Advances in air traffic management and regional connectivity

International Journal of Aviation Management 1(3) 2012

Papers from the 2010 Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) Conference  held in Porto, Portugal, 6-9 July 2010.
  • Reinforcement learning agents to tactical air traffic flow management
  • Advanced air traffic management technologies: the ADS-B impact over ATM concepts. The case for Portugal
  • RNAV and RNP AR approach systems: the case for Pico Island airport
  • Developing a new urban planning regime for privatised airports: the Australian experience
  • Small aircraft as a means of transport in Spain


Special issue: Virtual project management

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations 10(2) 2012
  • Virtual project management: introduction
  • Stakeholder collaboration and engagement in virtual projects
  • The effect of team characteristics and communication environment to the virtual team performance
  • Appraisal and rewards systems for virtual project management teams and the challenges for human resource management
  • Virtual team leadership and implementation in the US Air Force
  • Group cohesion, personality and leadership effect on networked marketing staff performance
  • Virtual teams challenging human and technical Web 2.0 dimensions

Special issue: Intelligent data analysis and related topics

International Journal of Knowledge Engineering and Soft Data Paradigms 3(2) 2012

Includes papers from the Third International Conference on Intelligent Decision Technologies (IDT 2011), held in Piraeus, Greece, 20–22 July 2011.
  • Extraction of the contents in the web texts by content-density distribution
  • Hierarchical clustering algorithm with combined criteria for large and complex similarity data
  • Dissimilarity criteria in hierarchical clustering for interval-valued functional data
  • Transform of visual analogue scale data and their clustering
Additional Papers
  • Implementation of various data processing and evaluation techniques on ICDDR,B surveillance data to generate optimal decision tree for patients classification
  • Alternative fuzzy c-lines and local principal component extraction


Special issue: Innovative computing in computer networks and applications

International Journal of Innovative Computing and Applications 4(1) 2012

Papers from the 1st International Conference on Information Computing and Applications (ICICA 2010), held in Tangshan, China, 15-18 October 2010.
  • Quasi-parallel network applications in real-time distribution management system
  • Comparison of some optimisation techniques for numerical schemes discretising equations with advection terms
  • Towards optimisation of the management of resources in the CloudSim simulator
  • Indoor pedestrian displacement estimation using Smart phone inertial sensors
  • A novel approach for QoS guided metascheduler for hypercubic P2P grid system
  • LDPC coding proposal for pulsed-OFDM modulation for WPAN systems using UWB communication in indoor propagation channels
  • Mathematical model for designing the traffic circle control

1 March 2012

Call for Papers: Knowledge and Intelligence in Distributed Systems

A special issue of International Journal of Bio-Inspired Computation

Distributed systems are currently facing new challenges of adapting and reusing research results in the area of intelligent systems. Intelligent systems are using methods and technology derived from knowledge-based and computational intelligence. Distributed computing develops methods and technology to build systems that are composed of collaborating components.

This special issue welcomes submissions of original papers introducing research results on all aspects covering the roles of knowledge and intelligence in distributed systems, ranging from concepts and theoretical developments to advanced technologies and innovative applications.

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the IDC'2011 symposium, but we also strongly encourage researchers unable to participate in the symposium to submit papers for this call.

Paper acceptance and publication will be judged on the basis of quality, relevance to the symposium’s themes, clarity of presentation, originality, accuracy of results and proposed solutions.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Hybrid systems involving software agents and human actors
  • Intelligent integration of data and processes
  • Intelligent cloud infrastructures
  • Autonomic and adaptive distributed computing
  • Intelligent service-oriented distributed systems
  • Self-organising and adaptive distributed systems
  • Emerging behaviours in complex distributed systems
  • Knowledge integration and fusion from distributed sources
  • Data mining and knowledge discovery in distributed settings
  • Semantic and knowledge grids
  • Ontologies and meta-data for description of heterogeneous resources and services
  • Intelligence in mobile and ubiquitous computing
  • Intelligence in peer-to-peer systems
  • Intelligence in distributed multimedia systems
  • Intelligent distributed problem solving and decision making
  • Intelligent distributed applications in e-business/e-commerce, e-learning, e-health, e-science, e-government and crisis management
Important Dates
Submission: 31 May, 2012
First notification: 2 July, 2012
Submission of revisions: 31 July, 2012
Final decision: 31 August, 2012
Submission of final papers: 31 October, 2012

Call for Papers: System Modelling for the Development of Sustainable Supply Chain Systems

A special issue of International Journal of Services and Operations Management

The topic of sustainable supply chain management has become an increasingly popular research area in recent years because sustainability issues have received growing attention. Today, the new challenges faced by companies are how to manage the supply chain while considering problems of rapid climate changes, address the negative impact of the financial crisis and prices, deal with the growing public interest in ecology (e.g. green logistics), and ensure environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.

Consumer awareness regarding green products must be anticipated by effective supply chain management that considers consumers’ growing demand for transparency and increasing awareness of the conditions under which products are manufactured and distributed.

There are numerous definitions of the terms ‘sustainable’ and ‘supply chain’. For the purposes of this special issue, we have chosen to use the following simplistic, but practical, definitions. Supply chain (SC) is the flow of materials, information and funds between different parties or organisational functions. Supply chain management (SCM) is the design, planning, execution, control and monitoring of supply chain activities with the objectives of creating value, building a competitive infrastructure, leveraging worldwide logistics, synchronising supply with demand, and measuring performance globally.

Sustainability interfaces with economics through the social and ecological consequences of economic activity. Sustainability is a social stimulus that entails international and national law, urban planning and transport, local and individual lifestyles, and ethical consumerism. Sustainable supply chain management (s-SCM) is an approach to managing raw materials and services from suppliers to manufacturer/service providers to customers and back with improvement of the social, environmental and economic impacts explicitly considered.

Sustainability issues have attracted many researchers in the context of supply chain management. Some problems have always been associated with decision making at strategic and tactical levels and involve many people. The main aim of this special issue is to advance our theoretical and empirical understanding of models and methods for the development of sustainable supply chain systems in different industries. Theoretical, methodological and/or empirical research papers are welcome.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Supply chain policy and strategy
  • Third party logistics
  • Product development in supply chain management
  • Multi-criteria decision making in supply chain management
  • Managing demand and aggregate planning
  • Inventory management
  • Transportation and distribution strategy
  • Performance measurement systems
  • Risk assessment and mitigation
  • System dynamic applications for sustainable supply chains
  • Soft computing-based models
  • Information systems for supply chain management
Important Dates
Manuscript submission: 1 August, 2012
Notification of initial decision: 1 December, 2012
Submission of revised manuscript: 1 February, 2013
Notification of final acceptance: 1 March, 2013
Submission of final revised paper: 1 April, 2013

Special issue: Neural networks and fuzzy logic for modelling and control of mechatronic systems

International Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control 15(3) 2012
  • Longitudinal brake control of hybrid electric bus using adaptive fuzzy sliding mode control
  • Artificial neural networks inverse control of 5 degrees of freedom bearingless induction motor
  • Simulation based expert system to predict the deep drawing behaviour of tailor welded blanks
  • Improved intelligent identification of uncertainty bounds: design, model validation and stability analysis
  • Vibration-based fault diagnosis of a rotor bearing system using artificial neural network and support vector machine
  • Fuzzy two-term controllers with multi-fuzzy sets: mathematical models and analysis
  • Machine vibration prediction using ANFIS and wavelet packet decomposition

Special issue: Integrated manufacturing and service systems

International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering 10(3) 2012
  • A planning optimisation framework for construction and demolition waste management
  • Optimal retailer's ordering policies under two-stage partial trade credit financing in a supply chain
  • Multi-party multi-period supply chain coordination
  • The dynamic demand game: a Markov state fictitious play approach to a two-echelon supply chain problem under demand uncertainty
  • Servitisation strategies and sourcing decisions for product services: an exploratory study
Additional Paper
  • Maintenance policy selection: a review towards building proper selection model

Special issue: Business process improvement from a Chinese perspective

International Journal of Enterprise Network Management 5(1) 2012
  • Exploring important factors affecting implementation of restaurant information system into traditional Chinese restaurant
  • A case study of using 7S framework to improve business process for call centre reforming
  • Process architecture and process modelling in the Egyptian industry: the case of Incom
  • The study on the challenges and strategies of Taiwanese enterprises in China during 2007-2008: a text mining analysis
  • Critical factors of strategic procurement in textile and apparel sourcing companies in Hong Kong: an empirical study
  • Sustainability assessment of supply chains with engineering services focus