Special issue: "Fault-Tolerant Computer Systems"

International Journal of Critical Computer-Based Systems 4(3) 2013

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 2011 Pacific Rim Conference on Dependable Computing (PRDC 2011).

• Interactive cockpits as critical applications: a model-based and a fault-tolerant approach
• Efficient online memory error assessment and circumvention for Linux with RAMpage
• Towards spatial isolation design in a multi-core real-time kernel targeting safety-critical applications
• Low-power test sets under test-related primary input constraints
• The TTEthernet synchronisation protocols and their formal verification

Call for papers: "Mobile Computing, Wireless Networks and e-Learning"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Convergence Computing.

Over the past two decades, the growth of network technologies has changed the entire world, including the fields of computing and learning. From wired to wireless networks and offline to mobile computing, all of these fields can be seen as rising to prominence. Traditional fixed infrastructure has been replaced by wireless networks, which are widely used in the various fields including learning, computing and communications.

This special issue aims to present the latest advances in mobile computing and wireless networks, and their applications in various fields including e-learning.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Ad hoc networks
• Applications of mobile computing and wireless networks
• Cryptography and cryptanalysis
• e-learning network optimisation
• Intrusion detection
• Mobile ad hoc networks
• Mobile computing
• Mobile computing in higher education
• Modelling and analysis of mobile computing
• Optimisation algorithms
• Pervasive computing
• Quality of services in MANET
• Reliable mobile computing
• Routing in wireless and e-learning networks
• Routing protocols
• Secure mobile computing
• Security in ad hoc networks
• Security protocols
• Soft computing techniques in wireless networks
• Trust management
• Wireless e-learning

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 15 March, 2014

Notification by: 15 May, 2014

Call for papers: "Personalised Web Tasking"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Business Process Integration and Management.

In the continuous quest to improve the experience of users interacting with web systems, researchers and practitioners have identified several prerequisites, such as the transparent automation of repetitive and mundane tasks; the automated customisation of the experience to the user’s platform; and the personalisation of the interaction based on the user’s history, including spatiotemporal and social network context.

The topic of personal web tasking draws inspiring ideas from many diverse communities, including web services, RESTful system design, context-aware computing, sematic web, linked data, HCI, ubiquitous computing, workflow management, and W3C standards such as HTML5 and WebDriver.

This special issue seeks original and unpublished research papers regarding the fundamental principles, state of the art, and critical challenges of automation and personalisation aspects of web tasking, including the concepts, methods, services, architectures, frameworks and tools that can be used to support web tasking.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, models and algorithms for user-centric web task
management; architecture patterns and feedback control for web tasking; integration mechanisms for web task managers; role of resource-oriented architectures and RESTful services as well as hypermedia for implementing web tasking; formal notations for modelling, analysing and enacting web tasks; methods for engineering user-trust into web task management systems; methods to instrument and reengineer existing systems to manage web tasks over long periods of time; dynamical verification and validation of web tasks; and web tasking exemplars.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Conceptualisation:
• Personalised web tasking
• Web task automation
• Asynchronous web tasking
• Delegation and personal web agents
• Self-adaptive web tasking
• Web tasking and the internet of things
• Composition of web tasking
• Personal wallets
• Web tasking and semantic web
• Enablement:
• Web tasking architectures
• Web tasking infrastructures and technologies
• Cloud-based web tasking
• Modelling and representation of web tasks
• RESTful services
• HATEOAS technology for web tasking
• Context management for web tasking
• Web tasking reference architectures
• Web tasking frameworks
• Web tasking reusability
• Requirements:
• Web tasking conflict management
• Security and privacy in the context of web tasking
• User experience of web tasking
• Mult-device interaction of web tasks
• Cognitive support for web tasking
• Accessibility
• Requirements engineering for web tasking
• Life cycle and management and applications:
• Feedback control for web tasking
• Web task management and scheduling
• Web tasking access
• Monetisation in task management
• Web task managers and dashboards
• Compelling applications for smart scenarios in commerce, municipal government, and healthcare
• “Remember the milk (RTM)” application scenarios
• Empirical case studies
• Web tasking as part of socio-technical ecosystems

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 14 March, 2014 (extended)
Reviews sent to authors: 8 April, 2014
Revisions due: 29 April, 2014
Final versions due: 6 May, 2014

Inderscience is media partner for 3rd Derivative Funding and Valuation Forum

Inderscience is a media partner for 3rd Derivative Funding and Valuation Forum (3-5 March 2014, NYC, USA).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Financial Engineering and Risk Management
• International Journal of Financial Markets and Derivatives
• International Journal of Portfolio Analysis and Management

Call for papers: "Emerging Biometric Modalities"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Biometrics.

Biometric human identification has now become a reality and there are many large-scale deployments or applications (e.g. travel documents, law enforcement, access to laptops, etc.) of traditional biometric methods, mainly fingerprints, face recognition, hand geometry, hand veins or irises.

Still, there is ongoing effort in the pursuit of other modalities and methods for identifying humans. Some of them have appeared very recently, but others are no longer in their infancy and allow for promising results (e.g. ear or knuckle/FKP).

Therefore, the goal of this special issue is to collect high-quality papers regarding emerging biometric modalities.

We invite prospective authors to submit papers reporting new modalities, approaches, feature extraction algorithms, applications and results regarding such physiological and behavioural modalities as (but not limited to):

• Ear biometrics (2D, 3D)
• Lip recognition
• Lip prints
• Knuckle (finger-knuckle print) biometrics
• Nails/nail veins
• Soft biometrics
• Odour
• Palmprints
• Footprints
• EEG
• Others

Important Dates

Paper submission: 7 December, 2014

Inderscience is media partner for Well Integrity & Asset Digitalization

Inderscience is a media partner for Well Integrity & Asset Digitalization (15-16 April 2014, Sheraton Brookhollow Hotel, Houston TX, USA).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Computational Systems Engineering
• International Journal of Data Mining, Modelling and Management
• International Journal of Knowledge Engineering and Data Mining
• International Journal of Ocean Systems Management

Inderscience is media partner for Trauma Innovation

Inderscience is a media partner for Trauma Innovation (14-15 January 2014, Royal College of Surgeons, London, UK).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Critical Infrastructures
• International Journal of Emergency Management
• International Journal of Intelligent Defence Support Systems
• International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management

Inderscience is media partner for 7th Unconventional Hydrocarbons Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for 7th Unconventional Hydrocarbons Summit 2014 (29-30 May 2014, Beijing, China).

The journal involved is the International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy.

Call for papers: "Collaboration Technologies and Systems for Disaster Management"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology.

Although disasters differ depending on the nature and context in which they occur, their management faces almost the same and repetitive set of challenges. These challenges are mainly related to inter-organisational relationships and the commitments of multiple stakeholders collaborating under severe time and resource constraints.

For this special Issue we are particularly interested in original work on the current state of research and development in collaboration technologies and systems for disaster management. This includes the whole cycle of detection, prevention, readiness, response, and recovery from disasters.

Typically, responding to a disaster or crisis requires multiple distributed agencies, task groups and individuals to be involved in making collaborative decisions and taking coordinated actions. Thus, contributions that improve information technology support for collaboration in disaster management and emergency responses are solicited.

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at theInternational Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Disaster Management(ICT-DM'2014), but we also strongly encourage researchers unable to participate in the conference to submit articles for this call.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Collaborative information system architectures, frameworks and technologies
• Human-computer intelligent interaction
• Pervasive middleware/systems for emergency management
• Emergency communication systems
• Wireless networks and sensors networks for emergency management
• Wireless protocols for emergency management
• QoS in critical communications
• Interactive communication media/content
• Distributed/cooperative media
• Collaborative decision making under stress, time pressure and limited resources
• Internet/web-based systems/products
• Service-oriented architectures for collaboration
• Cloud computing for disaster management
• Ontology-based approaches for collaboration
• Contextual and situation-based collaboration
• Security and privacy concerns in information sharing
• Social media and networks for participation and collaboration
• Modelling and simulation of collaboration
• Information infrastructure and electronic governance
• Public transportation and traffic management
• Geospatial information technology and geo-collaboration
• Web mapping and geographic information systems (GIS)
• Visualisation and visual analytics

Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 28 November, 2014
Notification to authors: 28 January, 2015
Final versions due: 29 March, 2015

Special issue published: "Security and Privacy of e-Government Applications and Services"

International Journal of Electronic Governance 6(2) 2013

• Employing privacy policies and preferences in modern e-government environments
• Secure e-government services across EU
• E-governance public key infrastructure (PKI) model
• Secure electronic identification (eID) in the intersection of politics and technology
• Are security and privacy equally important in influencing citizens to use e-consultation?
• News and Briefs

Int. J. of Business and Globalisation to publish expanded papers from 3rd International Forum on Indigenous Management Practices

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 3rd International Forum on Indigenous Management Practices
(16-19 March 2014, National University of Laos, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic) will be published by the International Journal of Business and Globalisation.

Special issue published: "Game Theory Applications in Inventory Research"

International Journal of Inventory Research 2(1/2) 2013

• Game theoretical models of two-level supply chain with a strategic consumer
• Game theoretic analysis of an inventory problem with substitution, stochastic demand, and uncertain supply
• Economic manufacturing quantities of components in supply chains
• Game theoretic analysis of a multi-period fashion supply chain with a risk averse retailer
• Dynamic inventory control game for perishable products with concurrent probabilistic demands from two-fare classes
• A two-period dynamic game for a substitutable product inventory control problem
• Cost allocation in a full truckload shipment consolidation game

Call for papers: "The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) – Celebrating 20 Years of Economic Integration"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Technology and Globalisation.

The aim of this special issue is to contribute to the stock of knowledge on economic integration by demonstrating what COMESA has achieved, the development challenges being addressed, and the ways forward on the basis of development practices in the region and around the world.

The issue’s articles will be interdisciplinary, will be relevant to and promote development practice, and will come from various research areas including trade and economics, science and technology, entrepreneurship and law.

The issue is expected to benefit a wide readership including government policy makers and implementers, practitioners and opinion leaders in regional integration, academic and research institutions, the private sector, and civil society organisations.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Industrial and market integration
• Science and technology
• Innovation
• Infrastructure
• Agriculture

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 15 February, 2014

Notification to authors: 15 April, 2014

Final versions due: 15 May, 2014

Call for papers: "Telemedicine in India"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Telemedicine and Clinical Practices.

Telemedicine in India has reached a remarkable level globally. Reaching the unreachable in India is made possible through telemedicine. In each and every medical specialty, there are centers which excel in telemedicine. It is the need of the hour.

The aim of this special issue is to consolidate the vast array of activities that are taking place in India in this field of service to mankind, including those in centres which have now gained worldwide recognition. The issue is our earnest attempt to consolidate these telemedicine activities and to also present an amalgamation of medicine, engineering and telecommunication.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Technology in telemedicine
• Microwaves in telemedicine
• Medical specialties in telemedicine
• Telemedicine standards
• Future perspective
• Recent advances
• Software for telemedicine
• Corporations in telemedicine
• Telemedicine education
• Telemedicine for paramedics

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 15 July, 2014

Special issue published: "Model-Based Control in Automotive Powertrains – Part I"

International Journal of Powertrains 2(4) 2013

• Fuel air ratio control of spark ignition engine using delayed feedback approach
• Multi-cylinder spark-assisted homogeneous charge compression ignition engine balancing control
• Model-based calibration for the control variables of an Atkinson cycle engine
• Model based rail pressure control of GDI engine
• Periodic time-varying model-based predictive control with input constraints for air-fuel ratio control in IC engines

Empowering people with disabilities in the green industries

People with disabilities represent a talented and creative section of the workforce in most areas of employment. A study to be published in the International Journal of Green Economics, suggests that as the so-called “green economy” grows, so education and training opportunities should be tailored to people with disabilities as well as those without.

Susanne Bruyère and David Filiberto of the Employment and Disability Institute, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, explain how the environmental and ecological focus of many areas of employment has increased during the last few years. Green products and services represent emerging fields and growth markets and a largely untapped realm within which people with disabilities are yet to be fully engaged, they suggest. The potential for inclusion of a huge number of people often excluded from growth areas represents a great opportunity for participation that will be beneficial to those people, employers, the economic and, ultimately, the environment.

As the USA and other nations slowly emerge from the recession that started in 2009 and has battered economies in waves ever since, the pressing environmental issue of climate change continues to represent a significant threat to the future wellbeing and quality of life for millions, if not billions, of people, in coming decades. As such, re-growth and addressing climate concerns have become major driving forces for development in many nations. The new jobs that emerge from the green economy represent important opportunities for many people in science, engineering, design, architecture, construction, power production, public awareness of the relevant issues and in many other areas.

The pair has surveyed the employment landscape with a particular emphasis on green jobs and have found that mutual benefits accrue to both employers and people with disabilities if disability considerations are introduced into mainstream public policy. “People with disabilities can be powerful allies in the revitalisation and economic development of their communities as the green jobs employment sector grows,” Bruyère and Filiberto assert.

Their work advocates four important considerations for workforce development professionals as they seek to support green job training programmes. First, they must apply rigorous standards for funding green industry training providers. Secondly, they must establish and make available a thorough inventory and clearinghouse of existing training programmes in the green jobs area to address gaps. Thirdly, they should develop and support high-quality partnerships with green industry employers that include hiring agreements and access to career advancement. Finally, they should construct tools and training manuals that provide programme funders, counsellors, and jobseekers with disabilities better information on labour market demand in the emerging green industry as it evolves.

“The green economy and job creation: inclusion of people with disabilities in the USA” in Int. J. Green Economics, 2013, 7, 257-275

Empowering people with disabilities in the green industries is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

via Science Spot http://sciencespot.co.uk/empowering-people-with-disabilities-in-the-green-industries.html

Call for papers: "Risk Management in Construction Project Management"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Collaborative Enterprise.

Problems arising in construction projects are complicated and usually involve massive uncertainties and subjectivities. Compared with many other industries, the construction industry is subject to more risks due to the unique features of construction activities, such as protracted time span of projects, complicated processes, abominable environments, huge financial investments and dynamic organisational structures.

 

In other words, construction projects are initiated in volatile environments, resulting in circumstances of high uncertainty and risk, which are compounded by demanding time and budget constraints. So, managing risks in construction projects is very essential to completing the desired projects on time with minimum cost and highest quality.

 

Trying to eliminate all risks in construction projects is impossible. Thus, there is a need for a formal risk management process to manage all types of risks. Risk management is a formal and orderly process of systematically identifying, analysing and responding to risks throughout the lifecycle of a project to obtain the optimum degree of risk elimination, mitigation and/or control.

 

This special issue focuses on identifying, assessing and managing risks in construction projects in order to achieve project objectives, at least in terms of time, cost, quality, safety and environmental sustainability, during the project’s life cycle.

 

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Risk identification and assessment in construction projects
• Risk management techniques
• Managing risks in the global construction industry
• Construction engineering
• Construction project life cycle
• Construction risk analysis and evaluation
• Risks in engineering projects
• Construction project management
• Risk impacts in the building and construction industry
• Risks in construction scheduling
• Case studies in risk management and other related issues

Important Dates

Full article submission: 1 April, 2014

Review results back to authors: 1 June, 2014

Revised article submission: 1 July, 2014

Final accepted articles submission: 1 September, 2014

Inderscience is media partner for 11th Asia Gas Conference

Inderscience is a media partner for 11th Asia Gas Conference (29-30 May 2014, Beijing, China).

The journal involved is the International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy.

Call for papers: "Product Development in Collaborative and Integrated Environment"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Collaborative Enterprise.

With the recent advances in computing and internet technologies, an integrated and collaborative environment, based on the corresponding functions of concurrent engineering and internet-based collaborative engineering, is imperative for companies to facilitate and accelerate the product realisation processes. Topics such as concurrent and collaborative engineering, feature-based design and manufacturing, evolutionary computational techniques and computer-aided process planning are important strategies and empowering technologies for developing an integrative environment, facilitating modern product design and development.

Thus, a collaborative environment appears to be a toolbox of key-enabling skills and facilities providing the most competent management of complex product development process. It relates to the capabilities of designing, developing and implementing integrated solutions for complex product development linked to economic, staff, knowledge, information, equipment, energy and materials issues.

This special issue focuses on a collaborative and integrated environment for enhancing synergies in collaborative environments in order to tackle multipolar real life product development problems.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• Concurrent engineering
• CAD/CAM
• Collaborative engineering
• Distributed engineering
• Design for sustainability
• Managing product variety
• Variability management
• Product lifecycle management
• Virtual reality for collaborative design
• Digital manufacturing
• Decision-making processes
• Case studies and other related issues

Important Dates

Full article submission: 1 August, 2014
Review results back to the authors: 1 October, 2014
Revised article based on reviews: 1 November, 2014
Final copy of accepted articles: 1 December, 2014

Inderscience is media partner for 13th Clean Coal Forum

Inderscience is a media partner for 13th Clean Coal Forum 2014 (12-13 June 2014, Beijing, China).

The journal involved is the International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology.

Call for papers: "Organization Management Through Value for the Customer"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Business Performance Management.

This special issue will present theoretical and practical aspects of the management of value for customers both in B2B and B2C markets. Each article will cover core concepts (theories) and research results expanding the current knowledge on organisation management through value for customers.

Building up the competitive and financial position of a company nowadays requires particular focus on the value delivered to customers. This approach means shaping the company’s strategy along with its organisational structure to aim at creating, communicating and delivering value to customers. Despite the rising significance attributed to value for customers, there are only a few coherent and widely accepted concepts explaining its meaning, the ways of creating and delivering it to customers, or the way companies perceive it. According to the paradigm of consumer behaviour rationality recognized in economics, the sources of this value have been traced to product usability, physical attributes and price.

Recently however, what has been observed is not merely focusing attention on the product itself as the only source of value for the customer, but also on the consumption process. Consumption, as a kind of experience for a customer and the emotions and feelings arising as its result, is being recognised as the main source of value. For a particular experience to leave a customer impressed, it needs to have a vital meaning for them, that is, it needs to positively influence their emotions. This experience and the emotions generated drive customers to buy offers because of not only the physical features or cost level, but of the symbolic meaning as well.

Directing a company’s actions to create satisfying experiences stems from the fact that a consumer looks for values that are not only useful, but also hedonistic, aesthetic and spiritual. Thus it is assumed that value for customer results not only from the product itself and accompanying additional services, but also from work, competence, personnel motivation, service quality and the supplier’s image. These activities lead to a certain emotional state in the consumer connected with security, trust, credibility, reliability, guarantee of flexibility and continuity of cooperation. Technology and employees knowledge also play an important part, hugely influencing customer time management efficiency.

Literature on the subject is increasingly stressing the fact that a customer alone is the source of value for a customer. This fact results from the development of so-called interactive forms of market communication and the more and more important presumption process of a company’s offer. All actions aimed at creation and delivery of value to customers must be the effect of the company strategy, painstakingly planned and consciously realised in the long term.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Providing value for the customer as a source of competitive and financial advantage of contemporary companies
• Value for customer management (defining, creating, communicating and delivering value to customer)
• Value for customer as the basis for the formulation, modification and implementation of corporate strategy
• Innovations as a source of value for the customer
• Experiential marketing as a source of value for the customer
• The role of human capital in the process of creating value for the customer
• Co-creation as a source of value for the customer
• Creating value for customer in the value chain
• Corporate social responsibility vs. value for the customer
• Sources of value for the customer in the market of goods and services
• Relations with stakeholders vs. value for the customer
• Creating value for the customer on the internet
• The risk of creating value for the customer
• Financial consequences of implementing the concept value for the customer
• Value for the customer vs. value for the company

Important Dates

Submission of Abstracts: 15 March, 2014
Submission of Manuscripts: 15 May, 2014

Notification to Authors: 15 August, 2014

Final Versions Due: 15 November, 2014

Inderscience is media partner for Deepwater China Convention

Inderscience is a media partner for the 9th Deepwater China Convention 2014 (24-25 April 2014, Shenzhen, China).

The journal involved is the International Journal of Ocean Systems Management.

Call for papers: "Performance Management in Asian Public Sector Organisations"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Business Performance Management.

Performance management in Asian public sector organisations (APSOs) today is a challenge for executives and HR managers because of their bureaucratic and hierarchical structure, with centralised chains of command.

This special issue is devoted to the implementation of performance management and appraisal systems in public sector organisations, particularly in Asia.

Case studies on performance-related issues and challenges in public sector organisations will be published in the issue.

The special issue is expected to be of benefit to HR managers, business students, business researchers and faculties, and NGOs and administrators of public sector organisations.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Performance management systems
• Appraisal processes
• Performance evaluation techniques
• Performance development
• Performance-related challenges
• Human resource audits
• Human resource measurement
• Annual confidential reports
• Performance improvement tactics

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 30 September, 2014

Special issue published: "Whole Body Interaction"

International Journal of Arts and Technology 6(4) 2013

• Supporting intense physical interaction in technology-enhanced therapeutic play
• Re-sensitising the body: interactive art and the Feldenkrais method
• Dance interaction with physical model visuals based on movement qualities
• Balancing justice: comparing whole body and controller-based interaction for an abstract domain

Call for papers: "Enabling Autonomous Vehicles and Safety Applications Through Vehicular Communications and Networking"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems.

Over the past decade, due to technological advances, vehicular communications and networking have become more than just an active research topic and have started to appear in commercially available products. Electronic toll collection, vehicle fleet management and remote diagnostics are just a few applications that are enabled by communications and which have become part of our daily driving experience.

Recently, due to the introduction of new communication technologies (LTE/802.11ac/visible light communications/millimeter wave communications), new vehicle powertrain technologies (hybrid/full electric) and the popularity of smartphones and tablets, vehicles, infrastructure and users are now more connected than ever. This tight integration generates more contextual information that can be shared in a timely manner to enable a new generation of vehicular applications.

The goal of this special issue is to present:

1. new applications enabled by various forms of communications and networking between vehicles, infrastructure and users; and
2. the latest advances in communication/networking technologies – across the network protocol stack – to support these new applications.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Novel applications enabled by vehicular communications and networking:
• Towards fully autonomous vehicles through vehicular networks
• Platooning, cooperative merging, cooperative cruise control
• Vehicle safety applications
• Applications for transportation efficiency improvement
• Communications-enabled fleet management
• Transition to new vehicle drivetrain types: electric, hydrogen, etc.
• Applications to improve energy efficiency of vehicles and transportation infrastructure
• Applications enabled by in-vehicle or mobile devices
• Communication technology advancements:
• Field trials, pilots and experimental studies
• Large-scale and parallel simulation of vehicular networks
• Vehicle-to-X communications (e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians, vehicle-to-portable, vehicle-to-sign, etc.)
• Vehicular visible light communications (V2LC)
• The role of cellular systems in vehicle safety and autonomous driving
• Interplay between short-range (DSRC) and long-range (cellular) vehicular communications for enabling vehicle safety and autonomous driving
• Intra-vehicle communications
• Channel modelling, antennas and radio resource management
• MAC and routing protocols for vehicular networks
• Network and QoS management for vehicular networks
• Security and privacy of vehicular networks

Important Dates

Submission of full paper before: 1 May, 2014

Inderscience is media partner for the Trading Show West Coast 2014

Inderscience is a media partner for The Trading Show West Coast 2014 (25-26 February 2014, Marines Club, San Francisco, CA, USA).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Behavioural Accounting and Finance
• International Journal of Financial Engineering and Risk Management
• International Journal of Financial Markets and Derivatives
• International Journal of Financial Services Management
• International Journal of High Performance Computing and Networking
• International Journal of Portfolio Analysis and Management

Inderscience journals to publish expanded papers from iCICS2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 5th IEEE International Conference on Information and Communication Systems (1-3 April 2014, Irbid, Jordan) will be published by the following journals:

• International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering
• International Journal of Information and Communication Technology

Call for papers: "Trust and Gratuity in Economics"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Happiness and Development.

This special issue will focus on recent theoretical developments in trust, rationality, we-thinking and cooperation in a competitive market economy. It will include empirical studies and experimental research on the topic.

 

Economics has exerted an ‘imperialism’ of sorts among the social sciences for a long time, based on the use of the mechanism of rationality of the homo oeconomicus, i.e. of self-interested motives to action. The position of economics, however, is now changing under the influence of more research into human reason and rationality.

 

This is giving rise to entire new fields of research in terms of the logic of human interaction. Inquiries into trust, for example, lead to the unearthing of new forms of collective rationality. More generally, it turns out that gifts and gratuity are far from being the opposite of economically rational behaviour. Contrary to that, any economically productive action implies gift and gratuity.

 

This special issue is a pioneering endeavour to focus on and develop some of the more recent advances in the economics of interpersonal relations.

 

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Economics of interpersonal relations
• Relational goods
• Reciprocity
• Paradoxes of trust
• We rationality
• Communitas vs immunitas
• Fraternity
• Gift and exchange
• Competition and cooperation
• Mutual assistance and exchange

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 8 June, 2014

Feedback to authors: 31 July, 2014

Final decisions: 31 August, 2014

Special issue published: "Indian Management: Wisdom from Indian Philosophy and Literature"

International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets 6(1) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Management in the New World Order.

• Management of emotions: a study using Patanjali's Yoga Sutra
• Indian mythological principles for management of present day organisations: some observations
• The Yagna Spirit - new age business dynamism
• Chanakya - the oriental doctrine creator, the modern management 'guru': an examination of the context
• From 'management by materialism' to 'management by spiritual wisdom'
• Indian literature: a gateway to modern management principles and practices

Int. J. of Arts and Technology to publish expanded papers from Fourth International Conference on Arts and Technology

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Fourth International Conference on Arts and Technology (6-8 November 2014, Istanbul, Turkey) will be published by the International Journal of Arts and Technology.

Call for papers: "Towards Efficient and High-Quality Shipping Management"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics.

Shipping is an international service industry and plays an important role in economic development. Around 80 per cent of global trade by volume is carried by sea. However, the current business environment in shipping services is dynamic and remains complex and unpredictable. Complex elements include the mismatch between demand and supply, rising operating costs, safety and security issues, compliance with international conventions and regulations, financial crisis influence and environmental sustainability requirements. These developments require businesses to understand contemporary issues of shipping and logistics services and explore their underlying interconnections.

This present operating environment amplifies the need for new services from the shipping and logistics sector. Overcoming increasingly multifaceted challenges requires comprehensive skills and knowledge from a range of management domains include shipping finance, fleet management, maritime insurance, risk management, legal services, terminal operations, arbitration, information technology, customer relationship management, and so on.

Shipping businesses have already extended from basic shipping service activities to all-round shipping management and operations. Contemporary value-added services involve cargo consolidation, multi-modal transportation, warehousing, re-packing, labelling, customs clearance, inventory management and distribution activities. In an internationally competitive environment, it is important to work through strategic networks to provide efficient and high-quality service to meet market demands.

This special issue will discuss solutions for the shipping and transport logistics industry from a broad spectrum of service management areas so as to be effective under dynamic operating environments.

It will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the International Forum on Shipping, Ports and Airports (IFSPA 2014), but we also strongly encourage researchers who are unable to participate in the conference to submit papers for this call.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Shipping market and demand analysis
• Customer relationship management in shipping and transport logistics
• Services quality assessment in shipping and transport logistics
• Intermodal transport
• Freight forwarding services
• Ship chartering services
• Port and terminal operations
• Shipping finance
• Maritime insurance and risk
• Maritime safety and security
• Marketing strategies in shipping and logistics
• Strategic alliance in shipping operations
• Shipping innovation and development
• Maritime information and technology
• Sustainability and corporate social responsibility in shipping management
• Shipping and logistics policy

Important Dates
Submission deadline: 31 July, 2014

Special issue published: "Future Active Safety Technology"

International Journal of Vehicle Safety 7(1) 2014

• Collision-mitigation level of collision-avoidance braking system
• Accident analysis on intersection right turning by using driving simulator
• Study on a longitudinal control and guidance system for lane change assistance
• Study of safety driving assistant system using audio-visual alert
• Study of advanced stability control on winding and slippery road
• Decision-making on when to brake and when to steer to avoid a collision

Call for papers: "Recent Advances in Serious Games"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Computational Vision and Robotics.

Serious games are a very popular research area because the game market continues to grow rapidly, and if games are applied to purposes other than just fun, the potential is enormous. Serious games can help to get rid of prejudices that games are just a waste time. In serious games, a fusion of a variety of functional areas such as engineering, arts, education, medicine and sports is very important.

This special issue will provide a forum for researchers, industry professionals and academics to present research exploring recent challenges and advances in serious games.

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at theSerious Games & Social Connect Community Conference and the International Symposium on Simulation & Serious Games 2014, but we also strongly encourage researchers unable to participate in these events to submit articles for this call.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Learning pedagogy, methodologies and assessment:
• Relearning via games
• Learning analytics
• Evaluation of game-based learning
• Serious games applications:
• Banking and finance
• Community engagement
• Education curriculum design and development
• Government agencies
• Healthcare and wellness
• Human resource training and development
• Patient rehabilitation and physiotherapy
• Senior citizens
• Game designs, studies and theories:
• Game and gamer psychology
• Game storyboarding
• Game addiction and prevention methods
• Game gender, age and violence issues
• Gaming and prevention of ageing diseases
• Games for family bonding
• Social and collaborative games
• Computer games, multimedia:
• Game simulations and dynamic models
• Interactive simulations
• Tools and systems for games and virtual reality
• Intelligent agents and gamebots
• Gaming – hardware and accessories
• Graphics and visualisation
• Texture and shader programming
• Stereographics in real time
• Cinematography
• Audio techniques for racing games
• Interactive dynamic response for games
• Mapping the mental space of game genres
• Cultural and media studies on computer games
• Experiential spatiality in games
• Game development contract outsourcing
• Project funding and financing
• Social/humanities aspects of games
• Mobile and multiuser games
• Learning to play or learning through play
• Game security
• Games and intellectual property rights
• Laws, regulations, certifications and policies for gaming
• Censorship of video games content
• Artificial intelligence in the context of gaming
• Art, design and new media
• Education, training and edutainment technologies
• Human factors of games
• 3D geometric models

Important Dates
Submission deadline: 27 July, 2014 (extended)

Int. J. of Computational Science and Engineering to publish expanded papers from CASE-2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 2nd International workshop on Cloud Computing Applications and SEcurity (1-3 April 2014, Irbid, Jordan) will be published by the International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering.

Special issue published: "Surfaces and Their Measurement - Part 2"

International Journal of Precision Technology 3(4) 2013

• Surfaces and surface metrology
• Engineering applications of surface topography
• Design and machining of Fresnel solar concentrator surfaces
• Unconstrained plastic flow at surfaces in sliding and cutting
• Certification, self-calibration and uncertainty in optical surface testing
• Uncertainty estimation of 2.5-D roughness parameters obtained by mechanical probing

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics

The International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics establishes an international state-of-the-art knowledge platform bringing together agricultural management functions and informatics modules to establish effective communication channels. These channels are important for sustainable and effective decision making in agriculture, food and the environment which in turn contribute to productivity, competitiveness and sustainable development. IJSAMI highlights new strategies, tools, techniques and technologies essential for developing sustainable agricultural management and information and communications technologies.

Call for papers: "Work Innovation in Emerging Economies"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Work Innovation.

It is claimed that the only future and sustainable source of value creation, leadership and competitive advantage for organisations is the design and implementation of new forms of work structures based on networks, mobility, virtuality and communities (Keen and Williams, 2012). In this perspective, new work models based on competence, trust, communication, collaboration and coordination are promoted (Martinez and Corrales, 2011).

In this context, the consideration of emerging economies is of particular interest. Again, the mainstream literature in management presents emerging economies as offering an opportunity platform and value engine because their domestic markets are growing fast, creating opportunities for setting up extended value chains, incorporating know-how. Also, their human capital, with high skills and technical capabilities, is available, and the wages are highly competitive (Karandikar and Nidamarthi, 2006).

Companies need to develop and build presence in emerging economies to better understand markets and customers, to deliver value on competitive terms, and to incorporate competent resources not available at a single location (Nicholas, Pick and Roztocki, 2010; Zhang, Gregory and Shi, 2008). New opportunities require 21st century organisations, cooperating across national, economic and social boundaries to compete in the global economy (Lewis, Pajwa, Pervan et al., 2007).

In this special issue, we tend to (a) identify effective work innovation strategies, designs, processes, platforms and programmes that distinguish new forms of work that are demonstrably effective for emerging economies,and (b) produce a critique of such visions of work innovation in the specific context of emerging economies. In sum, we seek papers that are able to contribute answers to the performative question: “How does work innovation help emerging economies build a more effective organisation that adds to the enterprise’s ability to exploit real innovation?”

Additional considerations that the editors view as positive additions to the formal requirements are:

• Original work by work innovation researchers that shares new approaches, theoretical groundings and methodologies.
• Style and attractive presentation; the goal for the issue is to have influence in work innovation communities, e.g. on researchers, work innovation professionals, human capital executives and educators.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Forms of work innovation that should be considered may be as diverse as organisational design, communication skills and international/global collaboration processes
• Value creation from networked organisations, communities of practice and global virtual teams
• Critical success factors and business cases when implementing work innovation frameworks
• Critics on work innovation in emerging economies must draw on labour or process theory, etc.

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 15 November, 2014

Inderscience is media partner for Turkey Oil & Gas 2014 Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for Turkey Oil & Gas 2014 Summit (18-19 February 2014, Istanbul).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Arab Culture, Management and Sustainable Development
• International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy
• International Journal of Exergy
• International Journal of Global Energy Issues
• International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology
• International Journal of Petroleum Engineering
• International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management

Call for papers: "Evolving Real Estate Management: Retrospect and Prospect"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business.

Small and medium-sized firms have always played a key role in the real estate industry, whose value chain includes several activities ranging, for example, from construction to asset, property and facility management.

 

As far as the globalisation process is concerned, real estate management is, to date, undoubtedly fundamental, as further evidenced by the latest prospective economic trends. Still, from the research perspective, this management appears as a black box in many aspects.

 

This is why, in this special issue, we welcome either theoretical or empirical contributions aimed at exploring the peculiarities and challenges affecting evolving real estate firms to date. In particular, our goal is to collect articles which can provide both scholars and practitioners with valuable food for thought about different facets, such as: real estate firms’ corporate governance and strategy; management and operations; marketing and innovation; accountability and finance.

 

Both theoretical and research papers are welcomed.

 

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Real estate firms' corporate governance and strategy
• Real estate firms' human resource management
• Real estate firms' knowledge management
• Real estate firms' corporate social responsibility
• Real estate firms' accountability and finance
• Real estate firms' corporate restructuring
• Real estate firms' supply chain management
• Real estate firms' marketing and innovation
• Real estate firms' internationalisation
• Real estate firms' networks

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 31 March, 2014

Special issue published: "Marx and Marxism: Still Relevant After the Crisis"

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education 4(3) 2013

• Financial capitalism trapped in an 'impossible' profit rate. The infeasibility of a 'usual' profit rate, considering fictitious capital, and its redistributive, ecological, and political implications
• The shift from contradiction to redundancy in the critique of the labour theory of value
• Towards a Marxian critique of inflation targeting
• Teaching political economy and Marxism at an introductory level: a view from Greece
• The economy of death: production, reproduction, and the matter of ontological difference
• Marxist political economy and global warming

Call for papers: "Management and Policy for Frugal Innovation"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy.

Frugal innovation is the ability to generate considerably more business and social value while significantly reducing the use of scarce resources. It’s about solving the paradox of “doing more with less”. It is a game-changing strategy for an “Age of Austerity” in which firms are being compelled by cost-conscious and eco-aware consumers, employees and governments to create offerings that are simultaneously affordable, sustainable and of high quality.

Even more than a strategy, frugal innovation is a whole new mindset – a flexible approach that perceives resource constraints not as a debilitating challenge but as a growth opportunity (Navi Radjou and Jaideep Prabhu, 2013).

To better understand the essence of frugal innovation, this special issue aims to collect a set of high-quality papers investigating management of frugal innovation and its demand for better innovation policy.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Drivers of frugal or jugaad innovation
• Mindset and frugal innovation between western and eastern countries
• The innovation process of frugal products and services
• The technology trajectory of frugal innovation
• Foresight and forecast methods for frugal innovation
• Corporate strategy and frugal innovation
• Frugal innovation and anti-poverty
• Cases of frugal innovation in developing countries and its reverse innovations in developed countries
• Innovation policy shifts for frugal innovation

Important Dates

Submission deadline for full papers: 31 December, 2015

Inderscience is media partner for HSE Med 2014 Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for the HSE Med 2014 Summit (21-22 January 2014, Florence, Italy).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Arab Culture, Management and Sustainable Development
• International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy
• International Journal of Exergy
• International Journal of Global Energy Issues
• International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology
• International Journal of Petroleum Engineering
• International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management

Special issue published: "Structural Health Monitoring, a Lifecycle Resource: New Physical Principles, Sensors, Instrumentation and Applications"

International Journal of Lifecycle Performance Engineering 1(3) 2013

• Long-gauge fibre optic sensors: performance comparison and applications
• Novel optical fibre Bragg grating sensors' deployment on anchorage behaviour monitoring of fibre-reinforced polymer rod
• Features of monitoring of technical conditions of engineering structures with use of single-fibre multimode interferometers
• Adaptive interferometers for sensor applications

Additional Papers

• Life cycle cost analysis of conventional whitetopping v/s rigid pavement and flexible pavement
• Identification of weak non-linearities in cables of cable-stayed footbridges

Int. J. of Information and Communication Technology to publish expanded papers from ICICS2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 5th IEEE International Conference on Information and Communication Systems (1-3 April 2014, Irbid, Jordan) will be published by the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology.

Call for papers: "Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Cases in Latin America"

For a special issue of the Latin American Journal of Management for Sustainable Development.

No doubt the textile industry – encompassing the production of clothing, fabrics, threads, fibres and related products – is significant to the global economy. However, from the corporate sustainability perspective (which means the phased internalisation of environmental and social responsibilities into the core business strategy to allow a company to deliver benefits to present and coming generations of shareholders, employees and other stakeholders), this industry often operates to the detriment of environmental and social factors.

The textile industry uses large quantities of water and energy (two of the most pressing issues worldwide), in addition to generating waste, effluents and pollution. Both the manufacturing and consumption of textile products are significant sources of environmental damage. As to social aspects, non-qualified jobs have been lost in regions that mostly rely on these industries. Another serious and still unresolved problem is the increasing flexibility textile industry companies need. Faced with fierce international competition, these companies find it more and more difficult to ensure job tenure. There is also the clandestine work proliferating in both developing and developed countries. Child labour continues to be a fact in this sector despite the growing trend to reverse it thanks to growing pressure from various agencies.

It is clear that the relation between fashion and consumption contrasts with sustainability objectives. Since this comparison is obvious, it is frequently ignored. When buying garments almost as an addiction, the use of resources is accelerated thus increasing environmental impact and waste generation. We feel each purchase as a new experience we have never felt before.

Even though fashion is inherent to our culture and is important for our relations, for our looks and for our identity, the mismanagement of moral and environmental issues by the sector has social and ecological costs. Fashion, in its worst form, generates personal insecurity, over-consumption and uniformity resulting from globalisation (the term McFashion was coined in allusion to the fast food restaurant chain, referring to the fact that it is possible to find the same garment in Tokyo, London, Buenos Aires or New York City).

Fashion also plays a part in serious health conditions such as bulimia, anorexia and high stress levels related to the need to continuously reformulate our identity with every new trend. Not only do fashion pressures take a toll on individuals and increase both consumption and waste disposal, but fashion trends have also mixed up sustainability issues and concepts, leading to misunderstandings.

Against this background, sustainability in these sectors has been gaining special attention over the last years. This special issue – although it is focused on case studies of companies or brands that operate in Latin America - intends to explore as many different dimensions of the issue as possible.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Sustainability and business management in textile companies and fashion - Do global sustainability-related challenges relate to business strategies and practices that contribute to a sustainable world and, at the same time, create company value?
• Value chain management - Does value chain management promote cutting down environmental impacts while taking account of social need?
• Use of materials - Are the impacts related to textile fibre extraction analysed?
• Sustainable production processes - How does raw material turning into finished fabrics and other end products impact on labour conditions, use of energy, water and other resources?
• Sustainable fashion:
• Is there a strong and enriching relationship between consumer and product?
• Are garments that spark debate, that call for a deep sense of ‘meaning,’ or that require the “finishing” touch of a skilful and creative user made?
• Are garments that inspire confidence and ability, that promote versatility, ingenuity, customisation and individual participation designed?
• Fashion, needs, and consumption:
• What would the conditions necessary for fashion/sustainability coexistence be?
• What is consumption like?
• Which is the consequence of ever-changing fashion trends?
• Does fashion play a role that will help us both identify the causes of sustainability issues and create new expectations?
• Use of textiles and garments - As to the design phase, what information would be necessary for the textile industry, in general, and fashion, in particular, to contribute to a reduced impact of the product use phase?
• Textiles and fashion in the disposition phase - After the product end use, how may waste be disposed of?
• Local development in textiles and fashion - Are ‘inclusive businesses’ a valid alternative to promote a positive social impact?
• Textiles, innovation and design possibilities - Would a bottom-up approach in innovation processes be useful for textiles and fashion?

The above list is not exclusive; other contributions on relevant topics will also be considered. This project aims at developing a comprehensive understanding of the topic through case studies on good or bad practices.

Important Dates

Full paper submission (online): 15 September, 2014 (extended)
Revised paper submission: 15 November, 2014
Final paper acceptance: 16 January, 2015

How far does online privacy stretch?

In November, Julie Culp, a school counselor in Tennessee created a selfie as part of a lesson plan to teach her fifth grade students about how quickly a photo they upload might spread around the internet via social media and other platforms. The aim being to demonstrate that even if you think a photo is tucked away in a private part of the Internet it can easily escape and spread to users you may not wish to share that photo with. Culp’s snapshot has been shared and liked hundreds of thousands of times and perhaps by now (following massive media interest) seen by millions of people.


Such anecdotes involving how a piece of information in the form of a photo, a video clip or app can go “viral” are common fodder for the technology pundits in the media. However, interesting and entertaining as such phenomena are it is also important to have more controlled research into the nature of Internet virality. Writing in the International Journal of Communication Networks and Distributed Systems, Lotfi ben Othmane and Harold Weffers of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, at Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands, working with Pelin Angin and Bharat Bhargava of the Department of Computer Science, at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, explain how they have developed a mathematical model for how the degree of privacy associated with a given piece of information changes over time as it is disseminated through online social networks.

The researchers point out that as many people share private information with their friends and relatives via online social networks (OSNs) they assume that the reach of any given “share” is limited. However, network analysis suggests that almost any shared information will eventually reach all users of the network because these systems exhibit “small-world” behaviour. By definition: a small-world network is a graph of interconnected nodes wherein each node is connected to the others via a small number of steps even if the nodes are not near neighbors. This is the root of the much-vaunted six-degrees of separation phenomenon in which we (the network’s nodes) are all seemingly connected to each other through at most six or so connections whether you live in Arizona or Ankara, Zanzibar or Zagreb.

However, any more than a superficial look at an online network, such as Facebook or Twitter, reveals that the strength of connections between the nodes, the users, of such systems and how many connections there are to and from each user, can affects the rate at which a given piece of information will flow through the network. If CNN or the BBC shares a piece of information with its “followers” that information is likely to spread rapidly throughout the network especially in comparison with a piece of information originally shared by a humble technology blog, such as Sciencetext. Moreover, for individuals sharing information there is a saturation point at which privacy does not vanish entirely, there are some nodes or users that may never see your embarrassing update, but it will nevertheless reach the majority of users at some point in time.

A moral of an earlier tale, as I’ve said time and time again might be: “If you don’t want it on the Internet, don’t put it on the Internet”. Of course, things have changed in Google StreetView, NSA world, post-Snowden, but there is some hope, mathematically speaking that even if you reveal all online there will be someone, somewhere who never gets to see your information. As with Ms Culp’s photo, there are probably a few less than well-connected users, somewhere…maybe in Arizona maybe in Zagreb who are yet to see her smiling face and her viral message!

Othmane L.B., Weffers H., Angin P. & Bhargava B. (2013). A time-evolution model for the privacy degree of information disseminated in online social networks, International Journal of Communication Networks and Distributed Systems, 11 (4) 412. DOI: 10.1504/IJCNDS.2013.057719

How far does online privacy stretch? is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

via Science Spot http://sciencespot.co.uk/how-far-does-online-privacy-stretch.html

Special issue published: "Design and Control of Complex Systems"

International Journal of Systems, Control and Communications 5(3/4) 2013

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Complex Systems (ICCS’12).

• Application of adaptive controllers to a DC-motor
• Centralised controller for manufacturing systems through liveness extraction approach
• Control scheme and power maximisation of permanent magnet synchronous generator wind farm connected to the electric network
• Time-frequency analysis of a noised ECG signals using empirical mode decomposition and Choi-Williams techniques
• Use of non-linear microstructure evolution to minimise radiation-induced damage
• Modelling and control of a multimodal transportation system using hybrid Petri nets with fuzzy logic
• Multi-scale similarity entropy as a complexity descriptor to discriminate healthy to distress foetus
• Risk management for multi-agent resource allocation under incomplete information
• Fault tolerant control for two collaborative systems using an updating adaptive output regulation scheme and intelligent reconfiguration algorithm
• Multi-controller approach to uncertain discrete-time-delay systems

Call for papers: "Innovation in Engineering and Management"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets.

Innovations in engineering and management are the collection of processes that govern the creation, dissemination and utilisation of knowledge. The theme of this special issue has been selected to examine the present scenario and future prospects of developments in the field and also to provide theoretical and practical information to academicians, industry professionals and policy makers.

This issue will contain contributions from academicians and scholars engaged in the inter-disciplinary field of management and engineering. It will provide information that will prove useful in policy and decision making, in improving teaching and learning practices, and in enhancing research capabilities and technological development in various spheres of advance studies.

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the International Conclave on Innovations in Engineering and Management (ICIEM2013), but we also strongly encourage researchers unable to participate in the conference to submit articles for this call.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Industry-specific sectors
• Foreign direct investment
• Indian economy
• Stock markets
• Mobile banking
• Manufacturing systems
• Consumer decision making
• Green products
• Rural agricultural

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 30 June, 2014

Comments to authors: 31 August, 2014

Revised papers accepted: 30 November, 2014

Int. Journal of Banking, Accounting and Finance publishes Anniversary Issue (free to readers)

The International Journal of Banking, Accounting and Finance celebrates its 5th year of publication with a special issue consisting of high-quality articles from well-known authors. This issue has been made the journal's free sample issue, and all of its articles (listed below) can be downloaded at no cost.

• Sovereign default risk assessment
• Systemic risk from real estate and macro-prudential regulation
• Finance, growth and fragility: the role of government
• Hold-up in multiple banking: evidence from SME lending
• Do emerging markets provide currency diversification benefits?
• Interest rate caps and implicit collusion: the case of payday lending
• The effects of stock splits on the bid-ask spread of syndicated loans
• Does overvaluation of bidder stock drive acquisitions? The case of public and private targets
• The value of reputational capital and risk in banking and finance

Special issue published: "Information, Communication and Energy Systems and Technologies - Part I"

International Journal of Reasoning-based Intelligent Systems 5(3) 2013

Expanded version of papers presented at Information, Communication and Energy Systems and Technologies (ICEST 2012).

• Complex filters for the subtraction procedure for power-line interference removal from ECG
• Automated multichannel broadband spectrum analysis of fibre-optic grating sensors
• Investigation of mixture of Gaussians method for background subtraction in traffic surveillance
• Multiserver loss queueing system Polya/G/n/0 with peaked input flow
• Spray deposition of PVDF layers with application in MEMS pressure sensors
• Some integral characteristics of MRC receiver in Nakagami-m fading environment
• Design and prototyping of radiation- and area-efficient monolithic integrated antennas
• Text skew detection using log-polar transformation
• TLM modelling of receiving dipole antenna impact on shielding effectiveness of enclosure
• An approach to optimisation of the links' load in the MPLS domain
• Performance comparison of dual SC systems using different decision algorithms in the presence of interference

Int. J. of Computational Economics and Econometrics to publish expanded papers from IWcee14

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Workshop on Computational Economics and Econometrics (26-27 June, 2014, Rome, Italy) will be published by the International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics.

Corporate social responsibilty for the better

While the motives of multinational businesses that engage in so-called corporate social responsibility may well be open to questions from the sceptical, their efforts can, nevertheless, lead to positive effects in terms of ethical, health and environmental concerns that arise from their commercial endeavours. That is the conclusion of Henry Hillman of the Bristol Law School, England, writing in the journal IJLSE.

He has carried out a case study of a well-known company in the context of its products and services. He has also looked at its approach to ethical considerations in the face of globalization and the increased connectedness of consumer and commerce through the likes of twitter, Facebook and other online sharing methods. Consumers can learn about the behaviour of a company and judge it in an instant and share their opinions – positive or negative – with many people, sometimes millions, almost in an instant. This is a phenomenon with which the modern company must familiarise itself. Indeed, consumers, the media and non-governmental organisations can exert pressure on companies via entirely novel routes that were not accessible in the days of a handwritten letter or phone call that might eventually reach an anonymous secretary at company headquarters. “Increasingly connected populations can facilitate wide reaching reactions to the behaviour of multi-national corporations via the internet,” Hillman points out.

He discusses the basic economic responsibilities of a multinational, a point of increasing concern internationally as multibillion-dollar companies duck and dive the tax regimes of the countries in which they purportedly operate. He refers to the responsibility of a company to its employees, their health and wellbeing and to the wider environment. These first areas might be deemed core to ethical behaviour. In addition there is a much wider remit in which a company might have a vested interest in direct involvement with society. Of course, countless companies have their charitable wing, their minimum employee benefits, their emissions limits on pollution and such. But, how many are truly responsible to society and the environment at the global level beyond their legal obligations and the focus of marketing and public relations?

Hillman concedes that it is difficult to define corporate social responsibility, although many researchers have tried in the past and many observers might suggest that it is obvious – lower pollution, reduce the company carbon footprint, ensure employees are happy and healthy, please your customers with high-quality inexpensive products of value and pay your taxes. But, companies must balance their books, keep their shareholders happy and all the while staying on the right side of pertinent regulations and the law. Many make proclamations regarding their ethical stance as well as putting positive ethical initiatives in place.

Many companies set environmental targets, others have targets thrust upon them. Some offer up assistance in times of trouble or for specific medical initiatives. The effects can be positive regardless of whether we view them with cynicism. Today, they must also attempt to please all of the tweeters, all of the time. But, if they are doing something positive for health, the environment, employee conditions and paying their fiscal dues, then that should have benefits globally whether we are sceptical of the motives or not.

Hillman H. (2013). Showing they care, but about what? Does corporate social responsibility show companies have a nice side or that they are merely adapting to suit their environment?, International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry, 6 (1/2/3) 156. DOI: 10.1504/IJLSE.2013.057757

Corporate social responsibilty for the better is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

via Science Spot http://sciencespot.co.uk/5041.html

Special issue published: "User Innovation and the Role of Creative Consumers"

International Journal of Technology Marketing 9(1) 2014

• Lead users, suppliers, and experts: the exploration and exploitation trade-off in product development
• Consumer creativity and the world's biggest brand
• On becoming creative consumers - user roles in living labs networks
• Advice from creative consumers: a study of online hotel reviews
• It is emergent: five propositions on the relationship between creative consumers and technology 
• Generation-C: creative consumers in a world of intellectual property rights

Special issue published: "Nanotechnology Research in Taiwan"

International Journal of Nanotechnology 10(10/11) 2013

• Gold nanoparticle-based platforms as cancer-targeted molecules delivery systems
• The doxorubicin-entrapped lipoparticles: preparation, characterisation, and efficacy of cellular uptake in human Caco-2 cell
• The preparation and characteristic of poly(lactide co-glycolide) microspheres as novel antigen delivery systems
• Application of refractable nanocomposite on cell based therapy in central nervous system
• Combination of high efficiency nano-silver and alginate for wound infection control
• Synthesis and characterisation of superparamagnetic Fe3O4-SiO2 nanoparticles and modification by grafting with chitosan
• Magnetic nanoparticles for imaging technology
• Surface properties of nano-structural silicon-doped carbon films for biomedical applications
• Tea tree oil-containing chitosan/polycaprolactone electrospun nonwoven mats: a systematic study of its anti-bacterial properties in vitro
• Using atomic force microscope to investigate the influence of UVB radiation on cell behaviour and elasticity of dermal fibroblasts
• Development of fabrication technique in nano-scale resveratrol by collagen
• Improving drug loading efficiency and delivery performance of micro- and nanoparticle preparations through optimising formulation variables
• Structural formation of inclusion complex nanoparticles from α-cyclodextrin and polysebacic acid

Inderscience is media partner for Counter Terror Expo

Inderscience is a media partner for Counter Terror Expo (29-30 April 2014, Olympia, London, UK).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Critical Infrastructures
• International Journal of Emergency Management
• International Journal of Intelligent Defence Support Systems
• International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management

Inderscience is media partner for Forensics Europe Expo

Inderscience is a media partner for Forensics Europe Expo (29-30 April 2014, Olympia, London, UK.)

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Biometrics
• International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics
• International Journal of Forensic Engineering
• International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry