Inderscience news: January 2015

31 January 2015

Inderscience is media partner for European Smart Grid Cyber Security 2015

Inderscience is a media partner for European Smart Grid Cyber Security (9-10 March 2015, London, UK).

The journal involved is the International Journal of Systems, Control and Communications.

More information on the event is available here (PDF)

Call for papers: "Management and Internationalisation of Latin America´s Firms"

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

Latin America (LA) grows faster, attracts more foreign domestic investment (FDI) and is more populous than the European Union and North America. Though its stock of inward FDI matches that of China, top management journals have given little attention to the region, while conferences, journals and specialists on China abound. Even when scholars have examined LA, they have focused more on addressing disciplinary issues than on providing insight about the region’s specific issues.

The purpose of this special issue is therefore to promote research that focuses on the economic, cultural, geographical and/or social conditions specific to LA. We seek papers that test the validity of results obtained in other contexts or that develop or empirically verify new concepts and hypotheses concerning conditions particular to LA.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:

What challenges and opportunities do the relatively low levels of economic and institutional development, as well as high dependence on commodity exports, that predominate in the region confront or offer to companies operating in it?
What managerial and leadership styles are compatible with the scarcity of resources that tend to be significantly greater in LA than in most economically advanced regions? What are characteristics of these styles, and how can they be developed and/or promoted?
What managerial and leadership styles are compatible with features such as orality, informality and flexibility that research indicates characterise LA's cultural cluster? Does speaking about a Latin American way of management make sense? Or is it reasonable to expect one to develop?
Why are negative phenomena such as corruption and the low level of innovation so common, and what measures and experiences have been successful in confronting and mitigating these phenomena?
In what ways and to what extent are the characteristics of the internationalisation of LA firms similar or different to those of other regions? How and why is entrepreneurial orientation related to these characteristics?
Do social, economic and environmental sustainability assume different significance in the context of the region? If so, in what ways should firms seeking to be sustainable act differently in LA than in other locations?
Why have some firms in LA been successful amid international competition despite the adverse circumstances they must negotiate? How do these firms circumvent the liability of origin? Is their performance linked to comparative advantages? What lessons can be learned from their experiences?

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 31 October, 2015

Comments to authors: 31 January, 2016

Revised papers submission: April 30, 2016

Papers submitted earlier than the submission date will be put through the review process on a rolling basis, and their authors may expect to hear back sooner.

Int. J. of Information and Communication Technology to publish expanded papers from IPAC'2015

Extended versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Intelligent Information Processing, Security and Advanced Communication (23-25 November 2015, Algeria) will be published by the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology.

Inderscience is media partner for Social Media in the Utilities Sector 2015

Inderscience is a media partner for Social Media in the Utilities Sector (16-17 April 2015, London, UK).

The journals involved are:

More information on the event is available here (PDF).

30 January 2015

Inderscience is media partner for Smart Water Systems 2015

Inderscience is a media partner for Smart Water Systems (29-30 April 2015, London, UK).

The journal involved is the International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing.

Special issue published: "Strategic Business Issues in the Competitive Global Marketplace"

International Journal of Strategic Business Alliances 3(4) 2014

Successful technology collaborations in automobile industry - strategic implications for firms in developing countries
Modelling EPS of an Indian auto major
Global talent for competitive advantage: getting to the table sooner
Readiness of SMEs in UAE for an accounting standard transition to IFRS for SMEs: an empirical analysis

Call for papers: "Advances in the Machining of Aerospace Materials"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials.

The aerospace industry is driving the use of advanced materials such as titanium alloys, aluminum alloys and composites, and requires large monolithic and hybrid structures. The properties of these materials and their complex architecture make them difficult to machine. Particular problems include rapid tool wear and chatter.

The aim of this special issue is to provide in-depth analysis of machining titanium alloys, nickel alloys, composites and hybrid materials.

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

Machining of titanium, composite and aluminium alloys
Drilling of composite materials and hybrid materials (CFRP, CFRP/Al, CFRP/Ti, etc.)
Trimming of composite materials
Water jet cutting and machining of composites
Machining of super alloys
Non-traditional machining of aerospace materials
Quality of machining
Tool wear
Modelling of machining process

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 15 May, 2015

29 January 2015

Free special issue published: "Advanced Digital Human Models for Product Design"

International Journal of the Digital Human 1(1) 2015

Digital human models
Digital human designers
Digital human experience models for augmented reality mobile wellness devices
Multi-dimensional digital human models for ergonomic analysis based on natural data representations
Dynamic digital human models for ergonomic analysis based on humanoid robotics techniques

Call for papers: "Advanced Mobile Cloud Computing and Internet of Things Systems and Networking"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Embedded Systems.

With a multi-million dollar predicted market value by 2015, and with more than 1 trillion cloud-ready devices expected over the next four years, mobile cloud computing (MCC) and the internet of things (IoT) are considered to be the hottest new technology markets.

MCC and IoT integrate different major technologies such as smart phones, tablets, services, sensors, big data and cloud computing into one platform provided to end users. Many issues are still challenging the rapid growth of MCC and IoT. These challenges are related to networking, cloud services, security, quality and availability of services, user data management, and many other areas. This special issue aims to focus on new ideas and solutions to tackle these challenges.

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

Emerging concepts of IoT
Design methodologies for IoT
Novel services and applications of IoT to facilitate environmental responsibility
Green through IoT
IoT and social benefits/impact
IoT economics
Emerging IoT business models and process changes
Communication systems and network architectures for IoT
IoT and data management
Security and privacy of IoT
Reliability of IoT
Disaster recovery in IoT
Applications of IoT
Emerging applications and interaction paradigms for everyday citizens
Bid data and IoT
Self-organising IoT
Cloud computing and IoT
IoT and sustainable growth
MCC theory
MCC architecture, models, deployments, platforms and designs
MCC challenges, trends and opportunities
MCC services and applications
MCC networking and communication considerations
MCC power efficiency for resources and networking
MCC availability and quality of service
MCC for m-health
MCC and mobile sensing
MCC performance evaluation
MCC services pricing, SLAs and billing
MCC security and privacy management
MCC intrusion detection systems
MCC resource management, optimisation and migration
MCC support for multimedia communication and game computing
MCC support for big data management
MCC and crowdsourcing
MCC data storage, migration and management
MCC software development platforms and enabled new applications

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 30 September, 2015
Notification to authors: 15 November, 2015
Final versions due: 20 December, 2015

28 January 2015

Inderscience is media partner for China International Commercial Vehicle Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for China International Commercial Vehicle Summit (15-17 April 2015, Shanghai, China).

The journals involved is the International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management.

Call for papers: "Software Defined High Performance and Networking Systems"

For a special issue of the International Journal of High Performance Computing and Networking.

Next generation computing systems in general and cloud systems more specifically will require a paradigm shift in how they are constructed and managed. Conventional control and management platforms are facing considerable challenges regarding the flexibility, dependability and security that next generation systems will require.

The cloud computing paradigm has gone part of the way towards alleviating some of the problems associated with resource allocation, utilisation and management (e.g. via elasticity). However, many of the elements of a well-designed cloud environment remain “stiff” and hard to modify and adapt in an integrated fashion. These include underlying networking topologies; many aspects of user control over IaaS, PaaS or SaaS layers when needed; construction of XaaS services; provenance and meta-data collection; and so on.

In many situations the problem may arise because service abstraction is inadequate. Software defined systems (SDS) are systems that have added software components which help abstract actual IT equipment and other layers. One classic example, of course, is hypervisors. Such separation provides a great opportunity for system administrators to more easily construct and manage their systems through flexible software layers.

Software defined systems include software defined networking (SDN), software defined storage, software defined servers (virtualisation), software defined datacentres (SDD), software defined security (SDSec) and software defined clouds (SDCloud), to name a few. Individual solutions and seamless integration of these abstractions remains in many respects a challenge. The special Issue will focus on new ideas and solutions to tackle such challenges.

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

Software defined systems support for cloud computing
Software defined networking (SDN)

SDN concepts, architecture and APIs
Network virtualisation
SDN and OpenFlow protocol

Software defined storage

Storage automation and abstraction
Policy-driven storage provisioning

Software defined servers

Virtualisation
VM migration techniques and challenges

Software defined datacentres

Facility control integration
Large scale sensor system management

Software defined security or security policies automation
Self-management systems
Autonomic computing techniques
Software defined system scalability
Software defined system optimisation
Software tools and frameworks to support SDS
Software defined systems challenges and opportunities
Software defined systems surveys

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 10 September, 2015
Notification to authors: 25 October, 2015
Final versions due: 1 December, 2015

First issue: International Journal of the Digital Human (free sample issue available)

With the growing use of ICT, use of digital humans is spreading, raising many research questions in disciplines from engineering to design, including computer and medical sciences. It additionally involves an impact on society. The International Journal of the Digital Human publishes original research in all fields of the digital human such as modelling, simulation, anatomy, physiology visualisation, animation, product/workplace design, biomechanics, biomedical engineering and interaction with humans. It considers application-oriented and theoretical papers, literature reviews, papers on methodology and procedures, and experimental research results.

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

27 January 2015

Inderscience is media partner for 9th Annual Offshore Production Technology Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for the 9th Annual Offshore Production Technology Summit (1-2 June 2015, London, UK).

The journals involved are:

Special issue published: "The Role of Social Network Sites in Human Behaviour"

International Journal of Web Based Communities 11(1) 2015

An empirical analysis evaluating trust in social networking
Ways of formation of effective students' collaboration skills based upon the usage of WBT
Use of social networking sites for knowledge exchange
Social media monitoring and understanding: an integrated mixed methods approach for the analysis of social media
The use of Twitter to promote e-participation: connecting government and people
Social tribe culture case study: geocaching game

Special issue published: "Medical Signal and Image Processing"

International Journal of Signal and Imaging Systems Engineering 8(1/2) 2015

Paradoxical sleep stages detection using somnographic EOG signal for obese and no-obese patients
Automatic classification of slow-wave sleep and REM-sleep stages using somnographic ECG signal: some preliminary results for obese and no-obese patients
Robust mass classification-based local binary pattern variance and shape descriptors
Different approaches of analysing EEG signals for seizure detection
Decision tree classifiers for mass classification
Tamper detection of electrocardiographic signal using watermarked bio-hash code in wireless cardiology
A variant approach for human forensic identification using dental radiographs with skeleton and contour
Beat detection algorithm for ECG and arterial blood pressure waveforms using empirical mode decomposition: a unified approach
Prediction of game performance in Australian football using heart rate variability measures

Additional papers

An extensive research on robust digital image watermarking techniques: a review
Design and optimisation of a zeroth order resonant antenna along with experimental verification for wireless applications
A novel steganography technique by mapping words with LSB array
Three-stage hybrid system for speech signal enhancement

Start-up advice for biotech SMEs

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the biotechnology industry must use scientific and corporate boards strategically if they are to become truly international companies. That’s the message from Canadian researchers in the current issue of the International Journal of Technoentrepreneurship.

Sophie Veilleux and Marie-Josée Roy of the Faculty of Business Administration, at Université Laval, in Quebec, explain how such companies are faced with many complex decisions to make in their start-up phase. Internationalisation and alliances are essential to development given the nature of the products such firms generate. The team has surveyed 22 biotech SMEs to evaluate their attitudes and behaviour with regard to developing and accessing complementary skills through corporate and scientific boards.

The team found that the companies studied do use boards to gain knowledge and expertise to which they would not otherwise have access if they were “going it alone”. The members of such boards are recruited for a diversity of skills in functional, executive, international, and scientific areas. And, there is some, albeit limited, gender equity with almost two-thirds of the companies having at least one female board member; as opposed to a little over half of companies in general.

However, there is a downside. Some respondents to the survey point out that some board members are too passive, the venture capital representatives, in particular. Moreover, maintaining a directorial board and a scientific advisory board is quite onerous and if the company is using the SAB in particular as a cosmetic enhancement, they may well be losing out to competitors who tap a putatively rich seam of knowledge available to them.

Companies need to address the issues around boards carefully and recognise the potential trade-offs and consequences associated with decisions regarding both the managerial and the scientific advisory board, the team says. “Establishing a shared vision and understanding of these responsibilities is critical to manage expectations and ensure constructive relationships,” they suggest.

Veilleux, S. and Roy, M-J. (2015) ‘Strategic use of corporate and scientific boards in the internationalisation of biotech firms’, Int. J. Technoentrepreneurship, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp.67–93.

Start-up advice for biotech SMEs is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

via Science Spot » Inderscience http://ift.tt/1yXZkOm

26 January 2015

Inderscience is media partner for 9th Annual Global Refining and Petrochemical Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for 9th Annual Global Refining and Petrochemical Summit (20-22 April 2015, The Hague, Netherlands).

The journals involved are:

Special issue published: "Cloud Computing and Web Services"

International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering 10(1/2) 2015

A semantic framework to support resource discovery in future cloud markets
A dataflow optimisation mechanism for service-oriented cloud workflow
A utility-based approach for customised cloud service selection
Towards quicker discovery and selection of web services considering required degree of match through indexing and decomposition of non-functional constraints
Ensuring sustainability of web services dependent processes
Designing software architecture with service components using design structure matrix
Adaptive user interface for universal remote controller
Web services with goal-oriented architecture design and practice
Management of virtual machine images in heterogeneous clouds
Flowfield dependent variation method for one-dimensional stationary and moving boundary problems
Optimum integration weight for decision fusion audio-visual speech recognition
Vector mutable smart bee algorithm for engineering optimisation
Collaborative filtering recommendation based on conditional probability and weight adjusting
A study on disk index design for large scale de-duplication storage systems
A multiprocessor-on-a-programmable-chip reconfigurable system for matrix operations with power-grid case studies
Analysis of availability and reliability of k-out-of-n: F model with fuzzy rates
Robust road lanes and traffic signs recognition for driver assistance system
Cooperative fuzzy games on augmenting systems
Neuro-fuzzy-based hybrid controller for stable temperature of liquid in heat exchanger

Special issue published: "Biometric Recognition: an Application to Computer Vision"

International Journal of Computational Intelligence Studies 3(4) 2014

Extended versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Advanced Computing, Networking, and Informatics 2013.

A speaker invariant speech recognition technique using HFCC features in isolated Hindi words
Rotational invariant fingerprint matching using local directional descriptors
A novel approach on cluster-based indexing technique for level-1 and level-2 fingerprint features
Residual vector quantisation-based iris image compression
An efficient approach for feature extraction and classification of microarray cancer data

Jovian microprobe swarm

A swarm of tiny probes each with a different sensor could be fired into the clouds of Jupiter and grab data as they fall before burning up in the gas giant planet’s atmosphere. The probes would last an estimated 15 minutes according to planetary scientists writing in the International Journal Space Science and Engineering. Transmitting 20 megabits of data over fifteen minutes would be sufficient to allows scientists to get a picture of a large part of the atmosphere of the planet.

Orbiting and flyby probes have provided astronomers with a lot of information about the “surface” of the outer planets and the moons that orbit those planets. However, probing deep within their atmospheres requires penetrating the dense clouds to obtain meaningful data. Spacecraft weighing more than 300 kilograms fall too slowly, which has the net effect of reducing how much data they transmit because the relay needs to be further away.

Much smaller probes, made possible by the miniaturization of electronics, cameras and other instruments, would survive the fall through Jupiter’s atmosphere for much longer without a parachute, according to John Moores of the Centre for Research in the Earth and Space Sciences (CRESS), at York University, Toronto, and colleagues there and at the University of Toronto. “Our concept shows that for a small enough probe, you can strip off the parachute and still get enough time in the atmosphere to take meaningful data while keeping the relay close and the data rate high,” Moores explains.

Tiny satellites that weigh less than one kilogram, known as micro, nano and cube satellites, are already used in Earth orbit for a wide range of applications. There are limitations to how much solar power such small satellites can gather and regulations preclude the use of plutonium-powered thermoelectric generators. Micro satellites also require substantial infrastructure to gather their data signals. The team suggests that the presence of the European Space Agency (ESA) JUICE orbiter in the Jovian system set to begin in 2030 might facilitate a tandem mission that carried micro satellites to the planet. The mission platform has been named SMARA for SMAll Reconnaissance of Atmospheres and gets its name from the wind-borne fruit of the maple tree, the samara.

The SMARA mission may help address various aspects of planetary science. For instance, given that more than two-thirds of the total mass of the solar system, not including the Sun, forms Jupiter, its study is important for understanding the nature of the solar nebula from which our sun and all its planets formed. Additionally, Jupiter is under constant bombardment from small bodies, such as asteroids, and again, understanding its atmosphere would shed new light on the nature of these. The planet’s atmosphere may even represent a historical record of impacts again providing information about the composition of the solar system.

Additionally, Jupiter’s is the deepest of all the planetary atmospheres in the solar system and so offers an exciting laboratory for understanding flow dynamics, cloud microphysics and radiative transfer under conditions that are very different from those we see on Earth and the other terrestrial planets.

Also, Jupiter is the closest of the gas giants but there are now known to be many more similar planets orbiting other stars. Studying our nearest gas giant neighbor in close-up detail might allow us to understand the gas giants of distant stars with greater clarity. NASA’s robotic Galileo probe, which orbited Jupiter in 1995, had no camera, so the swarm of microprobes would represent a first look at Jupiter with resolution greater than 15 kilometers per pixel.

Moores, J.E., Carroll, K.A., DeSouza, I., Sathiyanathan, K., Stoute, B., Shan, J., Lee, R.S. and Quine, B. (2014) ‘The small reconnaissance of atmospheres mission platform concept, part 1: motivations and outline for a swarm of scientific microprobes to the clouds of Jupiter in 2030‘, Int. J. Space Science and Engineering, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp.327-344.

Jovian microprobe swarm is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

via Science Spot » Inderscience http://ift.tt/1GXRKbS

25 January 2015

Inderscience is media partner for 8th Annual Global Pipe Tech Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for the 8th Annual Global Pipe Tech Summit (11-12 May 2015, Budapest, Hungary).

The journals involved are:

Inderscience is media partner for Pipe Tech Americas Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for Pipe Tech Americas Summit (22-23 April 2015, San Antonio, USA).

The journals involved are:

24 January 2015

Inderscience is media partner for 8th Annual Gas Transport and Storage Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for the 8th Annual Gas Transport and Storage Summit (23-24 March 2015, Munich, Germany).

The journals involved are:

Call for papers: "Nanomanufacturing in Energy"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Nanomanufacturing.

Nanomanufacturing will provide our power industry with new, more precise, less expensive, more energy-efficient and more flexible ways of making products. Like steam engines, electricity and transistors, nanotechnology is a powerful enabling technology, with disruptive impacts in many aspects of our daily lives. It can provide our manufacturing base with new production methods and enable products that themselves are more energy-efficient than are comparable products of today. Increasing energy conversion efficiency reduces carbon dioxide emissions per unit of output, thereby directly supporting global climate change mitigation.

There have been rapid developments in recent years in the nanomanufacturing of energy devices, such as new nanostructured materials, new manufacturing techniques and new types of devices for energy harvesting and storage. Nanoprinting techniques and flexible devices for energy are examples of recent achievements in this rapid;y developing field.

This special issue will bring together researchers in the field of nanomanufacturing from various sectors including basic sciences, applied development research and industrial research. Its focus is on new manufacturing technologies and new devices for energy harvesting and storage.

We invite manuscripts that are methodologically rigorous and conceptually correct, and which offer new insights into current issues in nanomanufacturing in energy.

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

Nanostructured materials for renewable energy
Nanomanufacturing techniques for energy
Selfpowered nanosystems
Nanoprinting techniques
Flexible devices for energy
Solar photovoltaic devices
Nanogenerators
Nanostructured energy storage

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 28 June, 2015

Inderscience is media partner for 6th Annual European Smart Grids Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for 6th Annual European Smart Grids Summit (19-20 February 2015, Nice, France).

The journals involved are:

23 January 2015

Inderscience is media partner for 5th Annual American Mining Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for the 5th Annual American Mining Summit (8-9 June 2015, Denver, USA).

The journals involved are:

Call for papers: "Intelligent Applications for Business Productivity"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Services, Economics and Management.

The emergence of ICT paradigms has provided and enabled users with various avenues for facilitating their business activities. This has not only resulted in an increase in collaboration, but has also increased the ways by which such collaborations can be achieved.

However, to ensure the main objectives or aims of such business collaborations are achieved, it is important to develop applications that underpin the technology, platforms and architecture of such paradigms and utilise them in their domains. Given the importance of such applications, it is not surprising to see an upsurge of research activity in this area by various businesses developing applications to improve productivity.

The objective of this special issue is to present such theoretical and empirical advancements and their application in the real business environment to increase business productivity. Authors can share their experiences and present original ideas on multidisciplinary perspectives on transformations and innovations in applications for improving business productivity.

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

Semantic web and conceptual knowledge representation
Linked data analytics
Cyber physical systems (CPS)
Managerial, operational and technological implications of cloud computing
Application of business intelligence techniques in CPS and cloud computing
Logistics informatics
Supply chain informatics
Asset management in big logistics data
Asset data provenance

Important Dates

Manuscript due: 15 February, 2016

Special issue published: "Emerging Technologies in Water and Pollution Control"

International Journal of Environmental Engineering 6(4) 2014

Effect of blending ratio on the formation of bromoform and bromate in blended water samples disinfected with chlorine or ozone
Consumer perception of water quality, abundance, and cost: comparison of drinking water source, attitudes, and preference
Influence of AgYzeolite on the photocatalyticoxidation of pirimicarb
Impact of barrages on downstream air entrained in water and on upstream river water quality
Optimal design of multi-stage bioreactors performing wastewater treatment using the MATLAB optimisation function (fmincon)
Copper cementation on iron using copper sulphate solution with different organic solvents
Adsorptive removal of a textile cationic dye from water using tartaric acid modified Bassia longifolia dried leaf mulch
Water scarcity and solar desalination systems in the Eastern Mediterranean region: a case of Northern Cyprus
Hydrobiology and productivity of Kuntbhyog Lake, (District Mandi, Himachal Pradesh), India

Inderscience is media partner for 10th Annual Global LNG Tech Summit

Inderscience is a media partner for the 10th Annual Global LNG Tech Summit (28-30 September 2015, Barcelona, Spain).

The journals involved are:

22 January 2015

Inderscience is media partner for Global Automotive Lightweight Materials Europe 2015

Inderscience is a media partner for Global Automotive Lightweight Materials Europe 2015 (29-30 April 2015, London, UK).

The journals involved are:

21 January 2015

Special issue published: "Product Development in Collaborative and Integrated Environment"

International Journal of Collaborative Enterprise 4(4) 2014

Derivation of agile SOA requirements using collaborative QFD
The role of knowledge in the new product development process through the perspective of business model
An empirical study to analyse consumer decision-making and their purchase intention towards products promoted via Internet marketing
Fuzzy QFD integrated CAD/CAE and DFE framework: enabler of sustainable product design practices
Bug triage in open source systems: a review
Cooperative NURBS surface modelling framework using partial control algorithm and concurrent protocol

New Editor for the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics

Prof. William Ebomoyi from Chicago State University in the USA has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics.

Smart phone attachment

Are you emotionally attached to your smart phone? That was the question scientists in the UK and Iceland hoped to answer.

Gísli Thorsteinsson of the University of Iceland in Reykjavik and Tom Page of Loughborough University explain how the emergence of devices such as the Apple iPhone in January 2007 gave users a computer in their pocket. The gadget not only allowed them to make phone calls and send text messages as previous phones had, but also gave users immediate access to social media and social network systems, such as Facebook and Twitter, allowed them to access their email quickly and seamlessly, provided access to the web, video clips, music files and a whole eco system of phone-based software, apps, all via a slick touch screen interface. Today, there are myriad brands and smart phone models all competing for market share.

As such, understanding how users become reliant on their smart phone for particular tasks, how they invest time and money in these gadgets and perhaps even how their relationship with these all-in-one pocket computer-communicators is important to the manufacturers hoping to beat rivals to sell more of their brand. Today, it is considered the norm for people to repeatedly and distractedly to check their phones, not for missed calls, but for the countless notifications that social sites, apps and other software spit out at them via that touch screen.

In some circles, teenagers, journalists, business users and other professionals, it is even considered something of a social faux pas, a sign of being inept not to have a constant connection with the outside world via one’s smart phone regardless of the circumstances one finds oneself at any given time.

There has been much discussion in the popular media of the pros and cons of the smart phone, irrespective of whether a person uses an iPhone, an HTC model, a Samsung, a Blackberry, a Windows phone or any other of the countless devices on the market, and whether we as a society are becoming over-reliant, dependent even, on these always-on devices. Thorsteinsson and Page wanted to know whether this attachment to one’s smart phone has a serious emotional element.

Through a questionnaire given to 205 smart phone users in the age range 16 to 64 years from the UK, Hong Kong, China, Canada, Australia, Peru and the USA and through a case study the team has drawn a preliminary conclusion. They found that people do indeed grow emotionally attached to their smart phone, or at least, the connectivity and the technology that the device facilitates (Obviously, a lost or stolen phone can be replaced with the same model and a data backup restored to the replacement; the same cannot be said of a lost pet dog, for instance).

It is the ease with which smart phone can be used, the need to keep them close, the ability to pour out one’s life into the apps and networks to which it connects and the customisation and personalisation options of a smart phone that bring emotional baggage to ownership, the team suggests.

“Smart phones are creating a huge ripple in the pond of human behaviour and it is important that, as smart phones develop, we continue to study the way they affect behaviour, emotions and emotional attachments,” the team concludes.

Thorsteinsson, G. And Page, T. (2014) ‘User attachment to smartphones and design guidelines’, Int. J. Mobile Learning and Organisation, Vol. 8, Nos. 3/4, pp.201–215.

Smart phone attachment is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

via Science Spot » Inderscience http://ift.tt/15xaVsq

19 January 2015

Special issue published: "Manufacturing Operations Management and Optimisation"

International Journal of Engineering Management and Economics 4(3/4) 2014

Includes extended versions of selected papers presented at the 23rd International Conference on Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (FAIM).

Schedule performance measurement based on statistical process control charts
Optimisation of construction resources using lean construction technique
A multi-agent approach for dynamic production and distribution scheduling
A critical analysis of maintenance training regimes for an industrialised economy
Effective relationships of factors in a manual assembly line environment
A planning model at a broad level incorporating the effect of technology selection decisions

Call for papers: "Modelling and Analysis Tools for Digital Manufacturing"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing.

Advancement in the design and application of digital manufacturing is an indication of the next industrial revolution. Digital manufacturing (DM) uses additive manufacturing (AM) and fabrication technologies to produce complex and high-value products.

The broad impacts of AM are significant. Engineering tools such as simulation, FEA, dynamic systems modelling and control systems are just some of the tools used in DM technology.

The aim of this special issue is the publication of recent articles related to the advancement of AM and its impact on DM.

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

Optimum planning of powder and recycled powder usage
Materials simulation modelling for prediction of properties and performance
Integrated additive and subtractive process planning
AM process modelling and dynamic systems analysis
AM parameter predictions and impact analysis
Process control using sensors and closed-loop systems

Important Dates

Full paper submission: 30 March, 2015

Notification of review results: 31 May, 2015

Revised manuscript submission: 1 July, 2015

Final accepted paper submission: 31 August, 2015

How to write a research paper

For everyone, death and taxes are inevitable, for researchers there’s a third item on the agenda: publishing. Almost every academic in every discipline must publish to survive, but not every academic enjoys writing or can write a decent paper…enough said. Now, Michael Derntl of RWTH Aachen University, Germany, has, ironically enough, surveyed the literature and compiled some good practice guidelines on paper writing and publishing.

Derntl explains that for most journals, the “hourglass” is the most accepted format for an academic paper: Title, Abstract, Introduction, Body, Discussion/Conclusion, References. There are several key points he outlines in title creation. The title should:

identify the main issue of the paper
begin with the subject of the paper
be accurate, unambiguous, specific and complete
not contain unfamiliar abbreviations
be attractive

Next, the abstract, of which there are two main types: the informative abstract, which essentially provides the “executive summary” of the whole paper and the indicative abstract, which is not technically an abstract but simply outlines the content structure of the paper. An abstract should answer the following questions from a prospective reader:

Motivation: Why do we care about the problem and the results?
Problem: What problem is being solved?
Solution: What was done to solve the problem?
Results: What is the answer to the problem?
Implications: What implications does the answer imply?

The next layer is the introduction, which should not simply restate the abstract as many do. It should lead the reader from a perhaps general position into an understanding of the context of the specialist area and particular topic with which the paper deals. Specifically, it should address three important concerns so that the paper can be read as a standalone document without the reader being required to head for the library or click out to the references:

Establish a territory: bring out the importance of the subject and/or make general statements about the subject and/or present an overview on current research on the subject
Establish a niche: oppose an existing assumption or reveal a research gap or formulate a research question or problem or continue a tradition
Occupy the niche: sketch the intent of the own work and/or outline important characteristics of the own work; outline important results; and give a brief outlook on the structure of the paper

The main body of a paper should define the work that was done and can be one of or a combination of four main types:

The empirical paper: describes the material and data used for the study, the methods used to answer the research questions, and the results obtained. It should be written so that others can attempt to reproduce the experiment

The case study: describes the application of existing methods, theory or tools and reflects on experience and relevance to others in the same or related fields
The methodology paper: describes a new method and so serves as a “how to” for the specified target readership
The theory paper: describes principles, concepts or models on which work in the field (empirical, experience, methodology) is based and provides the context against a backdrop of related frameworks and theories

Just two more sections and you’re done. First, the discussion, which should include:

A presentation of background information as well as recapitulation of the research aims of the study
A brief summary of the results
A comparison of results with previously published work
Conclusions or hypotheses drawn from the results, with summary of evidence for each conclusion
Proposed follow-up research questions and outlook on further work

And, finally, the references, which must adhere to the target journal’s housestyle regardless of one’s preferred housestyle. It should go without saying that the references should cite the prior art, any methodology relied on in the current paper, reviews and conflicting papers where pertinent.

As a footnote to the references reference, one must also take into account the need for footnotes and follow the journal’s housestyle as to whether these are to be avoided, interspersed in the body text or aggregated with the references. And, speaking of housestyle, the overall hourglass structure of a paper must be adjusted to conform with the target journal’s instructions to authors too and, again, the classic cliché of “know your audience” must be followed in the actual writing of the paper, avoiding ambiguity, sticking to grammatical and spelling conventions and aiming to be concise rather than verbose.

The open access source from Derntl can be found here: Derntl, M. (2014) ‘Basics of research paper writing and publishing’, Int. J. Technology Enhanced Learning, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp.105–123.

Special issue published: "Application of Contemporary Non-Destructive Testing in Engineering"

International Journal of Microstructure and Materials Properties 9(3/4/5) 2015

Extended versions of papers presented at the 12th International Conference of the Slovenian Society for Non-Destructive Testing.

Defect detection of curved thin shell based on ultrasonic transducer array
Ultrasonic examination of LP steam turbine shrunk-on discs: method (designed through modelling), process and tools, data capture, analysis and post processing)
Resonant ultrasonic imaging of defects for advanced non-linear and thermosonic applications
Oxide thickness measurements: a suitable tool for remaining life evaluation in power plants
Thermal expansion coefficient of particulate composites defined by the particle contiguity
Innovative concept and application of EC probe for inspection of friction stir welds
Use of acoustic emission testing in injection moulding process
Laser ultrasonic guided wave methods for defect detection and materials characterisation
Micromagnetic and electromagnetic NDT for lifetime management by monitoring ageing of structural materials
Real time acoustic emission methodology in effective tribology testing
Mathematical modelling of GMAW process using sound pressure measurements
Reliability of ultrasonic detection of embedded defects in glass fibre reinforced composite
Defect characterisation in ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic aircraft plate materials using an electromagnetic acoustic transducer
Recent advances on non-destructive evaluation of concrete compression strength
The applicability of welding force for spot weld quality assurance
Diagnostics of damage development of bearings and gears by acoustic emission method

18 January 2015

Call for papers: "Environment, Health and Business Management: Linking Efficiency and Effectiveness to Viable Sustainability"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Environment and Health.

In developed countries, during the last few years, policy makers and scholars have shown increasing interest in knowing how firms actually perceive “sustainability” and decide about sustainability-oriented strategies.

Firms have become more and more involved in eco-efficiency strategies focused on reducing energy and resource consumption, minimising waste generation, etc. Over the next years the true challenge for firms and their managers will be linking efficiency and effectiveness to viable sustainability. For these reasons, corporate aims and managerial decision-making processes should not be ignored in the effort to promote a sustainable economy.

The aim of this special issue is to offer to policy makers and academics deeper insights into understanding corporate environmental behaviour.

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

Sustainable and responsible business
Eco-innovation
Eco-design
Eco-industries
SMEs and the environment
Corporate sustainability and social responsibility (CSSR), economic performance and value creation
CSSR performance measurement
Sustainability and the service science-based perspectives
The viable systems approach (VSA) to sustainability
Managing business sustainability: the role of core capabilities
Technology, production and sustainability
Green value chains and sustainable competitive advantage
Green value chains: the role of supply chain management and logistic operators
Greenwashing or the dark side of CSSR
Health, HRM and CSSR: promoting organisational wellness
Designing sustainable organisations: the human factor

Important Dates

Submission of abstract for evaluation (via email): 15 February, 2015

Notification to authors of abstract acceptance: 15 March, 2015

Submission of invited full papers (online): 15 July, 2015

Notification to authors of full paper acceptance: 30 September, 2015

Final versions due: 30 November, 2015

17 January 2015

Call for papers: "Contemporary Issues in Accounting and Finance in an Emerging Economy – The Case of Ghana"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Management Practice.

This special issue seeks to publish papers pertaining to accounting and finance in a wide field of applications in Ghana. The content is expected to demonstrate the breadth of issues relating to challenges that the application of accounting and finance theories in Ghana encounters.

Due to the rebasing and revision of Ghana’s national accounts, the country became a lower middle-income country which resulted in the tax revenue-to-GDP ratio being reduced from 22 percent to 13.1 percent in 2010. More so, annual inflow of capital from crude oil and natural gas production into the Ghanaian economy began from the first quarter of 2011 when Ghana started producing crude oil and natural gas in commercial quantities. In the first and second financial quarters of 2013, Ghana produced 115,000-200,000 barrels of crude oil and 140-200 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

Statistics show that in 2011 Ghana led the world as the fastest growing economy, with 20% growth and the largest per capita income (PCI) in West Africa and 21st largest in the African continent. Ghana enjoyed continuous reduction of inflation during 2007 and 2010 and by July 2010 the inflation rate was at 9.46%. However, in 2013 the local currency suffered 17 per cent depreciation leading to an increase in the general prices of imported goods and services.

Academic institutions in emerging economies in general have not established appropriate mechanisms to link with government departments and agencies; they therefore do not comprehend the role of accounting, finance and economic research in their countries. These institutions overall cannot see that research will contribute to sustainable economic development. The literature in accounting, finance and sustainable economic development in developing countries is at its embryonic stage and one of the principal purposes of this special issue is to focus on the pragmatics of informing management action/practice, the translation of existing theories into forms relevant, digestible and amenable to practical action, and the development of new insights by examining leading-edge managerial practices to enhance organisational performance.

This issue encourages those researching in the specific areas of accounting, finance and economics implementation to bring together empirical evidence garnered throughout the Ghanaian communities. It aims to provide a venue for academics and practitioners from Ghana to advance the debate of the role of accounting, finance and economic development in Ghana. Empirical papers in relation to these topics are welcome.

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

Environmental accounting and management reporting for oil and gas
Performance management and measurement of emerging network organisations and the issues of control, rewards, recognition and management
Tax-induced earnings management
Market-to-market accounting rules and earnings management during mergers and acquisition
IFRS, market behaviour, corporate financing and investment decision
Asset pricing
Bank assurance, banking crises, investment banking, central banks
Corporate governance, operational risk control and financial performance
Microfinance, SME and informal sector finance

Important Dates

1-2 page abstract submission (by email): 2 March, 2015

Submission of manuscripts (online): 4 May, 2015

Notification to authors: 18 June, 2015

Second round of reviews: 13 July, 2015

Final versions due: 24 August, 2015

16 January 2015

Call for papers: "Complexity, Design Thinking and Values-based Leadership"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Complexity in Leadership and Management.

Current management theory and practice accepts that our linear and deterministic ways of thinking about managerial problems might create more problems than they solve. In the field of strategy studies, for instance, one can observe a growing interest in learning, facilitating organisational becoming, and focussing on balancing reliability with exploration in organising. Management theorists are keenly observing developments surrounding complexity and chaos theory in science, and are attempting to apply emerging theories to managerial problems.

The idea that many simple, non-linear deterministic systems can behave in an apparently unpredictable and chaotic manner was first introduced by the great French mathematician Henri Poincaré. Other early pioneering work in the field of chaotic dynamics is found in mathematical literature by scientists such as, among others, Birkhoff, Levenson and Kolmogorov. More recently, several Noble prizes have been awarded in this field of research, for instance to Prigogine and Kauffman.

Around the world, research centres and groups are created that aim to explore a different way of doing business; a more meaningful way – a way based on the realisation of value as a driver for management and organising. Such a contemporary view needs to be based within a new paradigm: a more systemic view of business that starts with a thorough reflection on values and purpose. The knowledge worker productivity dilemma identified by Peter Drucker, Roger Martin and others is an indication of a pragmatic need for a new paradigm for managing and organising.

For this special issue we invite contributions that aim to broaden the scope of business management to management by values, in order to prepare the leadership/stewardship/custodianship component for providing values-based leadership.

Management by values is synonymous with managing for sustainable performance. Indeed, sustainable performance is exclusively based on the realisation of socially or societally relevant values. It concentrates on the realisation of real value added for the customer, the citizen and the stakeholder, and does not limit its focus to the shareholder only.

Dolan et al. (2006) suggest that the following four interconnected trends are heightening organisational complexity and uncertainty, and contributing to situations where the mainstream approach reaches its limits:

The need for quality and customer orientation
The need for professional autonomy and responsibility
The need for “bosses” to evolve into leaders/facilitators
The need for “flatter” and more agile organisational structures

Quality and customer orientation are confronted with the issue that, in today’s markets, value added has become an issue for continuation (or call it survival). A highly developed customer expectation can be met only by either value adding products or services (i.e. through something which competitors do not offer), or by a price breaking offering (which of course, in the long run, is not viable for the company). The question to consider is a simple question that in practice does not seem so simple to answer: what is the value added of your company? What are the market, the economy and society be missing if your product or service would no longer be there (e.g. if it went bankrupt)? Are companies able to state their value added to society and if they are not able to state it, how could they manage the company to realise those values? If they would not have them, why do they exist in the first place from an economics point of view (other than for making an individual profit)?

Moving from good to excellent needs in particular a corporate focus on business model innovation, no doubt the most exciting and necessary activity of an excellent company.

“Shareholder value only” belongs to the mainstream managerial paradigm that is increasingly called into question. With less and less time to lose, people cannot afford the luxury of continuing to think in a paradigm that hardly questions the “negative” side effect of its own ontology, let alone its impact on all living species, including ourselves and nature. The framework of a short-term business view, ignoring the devastating impact of our consumerism on our own environment and our own wellbeing, is no longer tenable.

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

The ontology of complexity and values
The paradigm of business model innovation
Values as a corporate driver
Values and sustainable performance
Authentic leadership
Stewardship in management
Transformational leadership in a complex world
Design thinking for business model innovation
Case studies addressing the applications of complexity thinking in values-based leadership and business model innovation are equally welcome

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 30 September, 2015

15 January 2015

January Research Picks Extra

Libraries in the mix

What can librarians and other information scientists learning from music DJs? Dan Norton, Mel Woods and Shaleph O’Neill Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, at the University of Dundee, UK think they have the answer. The team suggests that the computer interface and interaction skills used by a top DJ (disc jokecy) include curation of digital collections (music archives), categorisation of entries (individual tracks), selection and dissemination to an audience (mixing) and archiving of new material are closely related to their counterpart in more conventional information science. They believe that librarians and others in charge of digital collections might learn useful techniques from such DJs, for instance, allowing informative, educational and entertaining links and threads within an archive to be exposed and played out for the audience of readers and researchers.

Norton, D., Woods, M. and O’Neill, S. (2014) ‘Mixing the library – information interaction and the disc jockey’, Int. J. Arts and Technology, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp.391–396

Research in concert

In playing music non-verbal communication is a critical component allowing performers to respond to each other and in the case of an orchestra to take cues and guidance from the conductor. As an example of a social group that has adopted non-verbal communication at a high level, the orchestra is thus a perfect example of a hierarchical social system in which to test theories of this type of communication. A collaboration between Swiss and Italian researchers has focused on the conductor, and two parts of a standard concert orchestra the first and second violin sections and investigated head movements among the individuals. The team suggests that head movements can act as an indicator of just how attentive the instrumentalists are to the conductor depending on the particular piece or movement that is being played. With the basics in place, the team hopes that devices such as “Google Glass”, worn like spectacles by the performers, might allow them to glean even more information. Such research might build up a bigger picture of non-verbal communication in this orchestral environment that may then translate to other arenas, such as a stockmarket trading floor, the classroom or a political rally or demonstration, forinstance.

Gnecco, G., Glowinski, D., Camurri, A. and Sanguineti, M. (2014) `On the detection of the level of attention in an orchestra through head movements´, Int. J. Arts and Technology, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp.316-338.

What a drag

In a car, aerodynamic drag causes various problems, increased noise and discomfort for driver and passenger, instability and a greater risk of having an accident, and, of course, greater fuel consumption. But, what about having all the side windows open, does that make a big difference to fuel consumption. Researchers at the International Islamic University Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur have used a 3D simulation and a scale model vehicle in a wind tunnel to test a property of moving cars with all windows closed and all windows open. They have found that the simulation and the test data marry well for a car travelling at a typical speed of 60 kilometres per hour and show a big difference in aerodynamic drag. For the car with all of its windows closed, the drag coefficient is 0.1754. If all of the windows are open, the drag is more than 6% higher at 0.1865. If drag correlates directly with fuel efficiency, then one might expect efficiency to fall by more than 6% if all the windows are open. The effect is more marked at higher speeds. For modern air-conditioning systems the effect on fuel efficiency is very small once the interior of the car is at the desired temperature when driving at higher speeds. The choice is obvious if you want to drive further for less money…

Mohamed Ali, J.S., Kashif, S.M., Shaik Dawood, M.S.I. and Omar, A.A. (2014) ‘Study on the effect of window opening on the drag characteristics of a car’, Int. J. Vehicle Systems Modelling and Testing, Vol. 9, Nos. 3/4, pp.311–320

You’re having a laugh

Online advertising is ubiquitous, a source of profit for some and a source of annoyance for others. Now, researchers in the US have investigated the effects of humour in banner advertising on websites and how this alters consumer perception of brands and their tendency to buy the product being advertised even if they were not actively shopping at the time they saw the advertisement. Consumers form preliminary attitudes toward the banner and the advertised brand based on the favourability of peripheral cues when exposed to banner ads involuntarily, says Igor Makienko of the Department of Managerial Sciences at the University of Nevada Reno. “Humour represents a strong executional cue and is the perfect attention-grabbing tool with a low-involved audience, in general, humourous banner advertising is likely to be more effective in an online environment than non-humourous banner advertising,” his study suggests.

Makienko I., (2014) ‘Perception of humour banner advertising: a conceptual framework‘, Int. J. of Internet Marketing and Advertising, Vol. 8, No.3, pp.181-198

14 January 2015

Inderscience is media partner for Digital Marketing Strategies for Automotive OEMs and Retailers

Inderscience is a media partner for Digital Marketing Strategies for Automotive OEMs and Retailers (25-26 February 2015, London, UK).

The journals involved are:

Call for papers: "Institutional Role, the Market for Corporate Control and Firm Performance"

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

Best Paper Award [of US$200] provided by the Guest Editors, who will judge the papers for the Award.

This special issue will focus on the promising research theme of emerging markets; or more specifically, institutional role, the market for corporate control and firm performance.

This theme is motivated by various theoretical underpinnings explored in economics, international business, strategic management and accounting literature. A common argument is that developed countries have better legal, economic and accounting practices while developing countries have not. Indeed, a country that is characterised by a liberalising environment usually attracts a higher flow of investments from the rest of the world due to better investor governance and capital protection measures (Bris and Cabolis, 2008; Lucas, 1990). In turn, a friendly, superior institutional environment not only improves economic performance but also determines the market for corporate control activities such as mergers, acquisitions, takeovers and joint ventures (North, 1990).

These long-term organisation strategies have significant impact on various aspects of firm performance, including accounting performance, marketing, operational excellence and human capital. Extant studies have found that corporate acquisitions destroy firms' values while benefitting the target firm shareholders, and that this will apply more when a firm participates in cross-border deals (Chapman, 2003; Erel et al., 2012; Martynova and Renneboog, 2008).

Unfortunately the impact of institutional environment on the market for mergers and acquisitions (negotiation and post-merger stages) is missing in the current literature. In a modest way, recent studies have drawn attention to economic nationalism and political environment in cross-border acquisitions and internationalisation processes representing both developed and emerging markets (Hassan and Ghauri, 2014; Ketkar, 2012; Lebedev et al., 2014; Reddy et al., 2014a, b; Scott-Kennel, 2013; Wan and Wong, 2009; Witt and Lewin, 2007; Zhang and He, 2014). They suggested that institutional characteristics such as legal framework, judicial system and political and cultural factors have serious impact on deal completion, especially in the international setting.

Motivated by these factors, this special issue aims to study the relationship between institutional role and the accounting performance of firms participating in local and foreign deals. Studies that conduct critical analysis, comparative observation, empirical testing and longitudinal case investigations relating to the aforementioned theme are particularly welcome. Importantly, further research must establish a coherent relation between empirical findings and extant theories. For example, do clashes between two owners in an international joint venture firm or disagreement between acquirer and target employees in the post-merger phase adversely affect overall performance of the firm?
Likewise, do changes in the ruling political party and new government formations favour the market for corporate control deals? Do stock returns around market announcements win over expectations?

Submissions researching the role of public administration and judicial systems in merger and acquisition legal processes and other institutional-related subjects are welcome. In particular, how does corruption and political interference in the host country influence the market for inbound acquisition transactions? How does a bilateral trade agreement between the host and home country affect direct international investments and acquisitions? Are friendly relations, equal economic status, similar cultural attributes and sharing the same continent really an issue in border-crossing investments? Do we have a better strategic business model for making an entry into emerging nations while overcoming institutional barriers? Overall, papers should reflect firm participation/performance with regard to corporate control deals.

References:

Bris, A., & Cabolis, C. (2008). The value of investor protection: firm evidence from cross-border mergers. Review of Financial Studies, 21(2), 605-648.

Chapman, K. (2003). Cross-border mergers/acquisitions: a review and research agenda. Journal of Economic Geography, 3(3), 309-334.

Erel, I., Liao, R. C., & Weisbach, M. S. (2012). Determinants of cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Journal of Finance, 67(3), 1045-1082.

Hassan, I., & Ghauri, P. N. (2014). Mergers and acquisitions failures. International Business and Management, 30, 57-74.

Ketkar, S. (2012). Institutional development, economic liberalisation and firm internationalisation. International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 9(4), 412-430.

Lebedev, S., Peng, M. W., Xie, E., & Stevens, C. E. (2014). Mergers and acquisitions in and out of emerging economies. Journal of World Business, In press.

Lucas, R. E. (1990). Why doesn't capital flow from rich to poor countries. American Economic Review, 80(2), 92-96.

Martynova, M., & Renneboog, L. (2008). A century of corporate takeovers: What have we learned and where do we stand? Journal of Banking & Finance, 32(10), 2148-2177.

North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, Institutional Change, and Economic Performance. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.

Reddy, K. S., Nangia, V. K., & Agrawal, R. (2014a). The 2007-2008 global financial crisis, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions: A 26-nation exploratory study. Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, 6(3), 257-281.

Reddy, K. S., Nangia, V. K., & Agrawal, R. (2014b). Farmers Fox theory: Does a country's weak regulatory system benefit both the acquirer and the target firm? Evidence from Vodafone-Hutchison deal. International Strategic Management Review, 2(1), 56-67.

Scott-Kennel, J. (2013). Models of internationalisation: the New Zealand experience. International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 10(2), 105-136.

Wan, K. -M., & Wong, K. -F. (2009). Economic impact of political barriers to cross-border acquisitions: an empirical study of CNOOC's unsuccessful takeover of Unocal. Journal of Corporate Finance, 15(4), 447-468.

Witt, M. A., & Lewin, A. Y. (2007). Outward foreign direct investment as escape response to home country institutional constraints. Journal of International Business Studies, 38(4), 579-594.

Zhang, J., & He, X. (2014). Economic nationalism and foreign acquisition completion: The case of China. International Business Review, 23(1), 212-227.

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

Institutions, culture, markets for corporate control and firm performance
Institution and public administrations' role in corporate control transactions
General elections, new government formation and market for corporate control
Cross-border capital flows and greenfield investments
Foreign acquisitions, firm performance and industry competitiveness
Role of institutional and political factors that affect international direct investments
International expansion, firm performance and value creation
Cross-border participation, alliances, networks and firm performance
Cross-border mergers, acquisitions and firm performance
International equity joint ventures and corporate performance
International political issues and their effect on overseas investment proposals
Private equity investments, acquisitions and diversification
Internationalisation through acquisition routes and firm performance
Institutional environment and speed in the internationalisation process
Diversification, corporate governance and firm performance
Industry-specific studies, e.g. banking, telecommunications
Country-specific studies, e.g. single or cross-country
Case studies, e.g. single or multiple case analysis
Policy-related papers that adhere to the market for corporate control

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 30 September, 2015

Inderscience journals to publish expanded papers from International Conference for Critical Accounting

Extended versions of papers presented at the 2015 International Conference for Critical Accounting (ICCA 2015) (9-10 April 2015, New York, USA) will be published by the following journals:

More information is available here.

13 January 2015

Call for papers: "Economics and the Novel"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education.

Novels often illuminate broad socio-economic issues. Think of The Grapes of Wrath, Hard Times, A Tale of Two Cities, The Great Gatsby, The Jungle, etc. Given that economics is about provisioning and that fiction often depicts economic conditions and socio-economic issues, we feel that the intersection of fiction and economics should be more expansive. We find it encouraging that economists from a variety of perspectives are beginning to look at novels to inform both their thinking and pedagogy.

This special issue papers on all aspects of the intersection between the novel and economics. Is there common ground? Are there significant obstacles precluding a dialogue? In addition to the western classics mentioned above, what works of fiction from the developing world are of interest? How can our students benefit from reading novels? How can economists benefit from novels? And how can novelists benefit from a knowledge of pluralist economics?

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

What is the common ground between novels and economics? What are the obstacles to a fruitful dialogue?
Literary fiction as economic models and economic models as literary fiction: similarities and differences
Using the novel to better understand economic conditions and broad socioeconomic trends
How can the novel help promote pluralism?
How can fiction help revitalise and reconceptualise economics?
Can knowledge of pluralist economics make for better fiction?
Economic insights from novels: what novels can tell us that models cannot
Economic analysis of specific novels
Economic analysis of specific novelists
How specific novels and novelists can help us understand a specific time, place and economic issue
Economic analysis of literary genre
Economic analysis of novels of historical specific time frames
Economic analysis of contemporary novels: western world
Economic analysis of novels: developing world
Use of literary fiction in classroom in economic pedagogy: field reports and data
Use of literary fiction in interdisciplinary classes with economic content: field reports and data

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 30 June, 2015

Referee reports to authors: 1 August, 2015

Final versions due: 15 November, 2015

Special issue published: "Various Investigations on Dielectric Materials"

International Journal of Materials Engineering Innovation 5(4) 2014

Extended versions of papers presented at the Fourth International Meeting on Dielectric Materials (IMDM’4).

Possible behaviours of TE modes in a left-handed slab waveguide
Electrical characterisation of Schottky diodes based on SiC with different contact surfaces
Electrical behaviour and analytical modelling of I-V and C-V characteristics of Schottky barrier diode based on nitrided InP(100)
Dielectric relaxation kinetics at higher temperature mode in cellulose
Experimental study of opening arcs in air of AgNi contacts
Ferroelectric thin films working at microwave frequency for reconfigurable devices on silicon Simulating electromagnetic field inside cavities charged with dielectric materials

Call for papers: "The Role of Digital Culture for Companies Evolution: Emerging Perspectives"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Digital Culture and Electronic Tourism.

The promotion of the digital culture is coming from a rapid changing of consumer and company needs in a complex environment in which knowledge is a strategic asset in obtaining competitive advantages and value creation in the long term.

The aim of the special issue is to discover the role and impact of digital culture and technology adoption on different types of contemporary companies on the international level, especially for the entertainment and tourist industries. It addresses emerging perspectives coming from the past and the present experiences of digital and technological culture in the light of the promotion of intangible assets and innovation processes.

The issue welcomes contributes on digital culture, information technology, digital innovation, emerging innovation models, the entertainment and tourist industries, with also management and evaluation perspectives.

We wish to inspire scholars with an interest in topics such digital cultural and innovation to consider submitting their work to this special issue. We welcome both theoretical work and empirical research using quantitative or qualitative methods. All articles should demonstrate relevance to the understanding of innovation and its implications for contemporary private and public companies. Readers of this special issue are technically savvy, scientifically demanding and drawn to practical, relevant phenomena.

Selected and enhanced papers from the Euromed conference 2015 will be included in the issue, along with accepted papers submitted from authors unable to attend the conference.

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

Digital culture
Digital technology
Digital innovation
Innovation
Entertainment industry
Tourism industry
Innovation (economic) evaluation
Innovation management

Important Dates
Submission of Manuscripts: 15 February, 2016
Notification to Authors: 30 April, 2016
Final Versions Due: 15 July, 2016

12 January 2015

Inderscience journals to publish expanded papers from Tunisian Society for Financial Studies Conference

Extended versions of papers presented at the Tunisian Society for Financial Studies 2015 Conference (10-12 December 2015, Sousse, Tunisia) will be published by the following journals:

Call for papers: "Digital Human Crowd Modelling and Simulation"

For a special issue of the International Journal of the Digital Human.

Digital human crowd modelling, in particular crowd dynamics modelling, is important to both be aware of and be well versed in, in many different applications: e.g., architectural design, civil planning and event management. The general principles and theory can be used, for example, to efficiently use and control spaces and traffic flow during both normal and emergency situations. Furthermore, they can also be used to reduce injuries and loss of life, due to unforeseen circumstances.

The goal of this special issue is to present a comprehensive multi-disciplinary view of digital human crowd modelling and simulation, in particular human behaviour and human interaction modelling and simulation. The emphasis of the issue is on high quality modelling and simulation, for different applications, which presents many algorithmic and technical challenges. Manuscripts should contain appropriate and interesting theoretical, experimental, and application self-views and comparative-views of novel digital human crowd models, with associated simulations.

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

Empirical analyses of crowd dynamics situations
Modelling and simulation of crowd transportation and evacuation situations
Crowd behaviours, as complex systems
Collective behaviours and individualities
Inter-agent communication methods
Emotional and personality modelling and simulation
Facility design for crowd management situations

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 1 November, 2015

11 January 2015

Special issue published: "Lean Six Sigma Developments in Manufacturing Applications"

International Journal of Lean Enterprise Research 1(2) 2014

Includes extended versions of papers presented at the 23rd International Conference on Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (FAIM 2013).

Performance measurement for efficient lean management: theory and case study
Lean implementation: an evaluation from the implementers' perspective
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis of lean implementation frameworks
Critical success factors for Lean tools and ERP systems implementation in manufacturing SMEs
Specific strategies for successful lean product development implementation

10 January 2015

Special issue published: "Green Growth and Sustainability: New Challenges for an Economics of Quality"

International Journal of Sustainable Development 18(1/2) 2015

Sustainable development footprint: a framework for assessing sustainable development risks and opportunities in time and space
Possible causes inhibiting the sustainable development of Chinese companies: a preliminary study
Rethinking the green recovery through renewable energy expansion
Spatial distribution of economic activities and transboundary pollutions
Nuclear waste storage and environmental intergenerational externalities
Escaping the resource curse in regional development: a case study on the allocation of oil royalties

9 January 2015

Call for papers: "Next Generation Infrastructure: From Complex Technological Artefacts to Agents of Social Change"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Complexity in Applied Science and Technology.

This special issue is aimed at the rapidly expanding international research community seeking to understand the complex interactions between infrastructure, the population it serves and the physical and economic environments in which it functions, as well as the technological transitions on which it depends. Infrastructure systems are the fabric of modern societies, deeply embedded as they are in their spatial, social and economic structures. Our current challenge is to turn them into enablers rather than inhibitors of long-term sustainable development. This challenge is concerned with all types of infrastructure (such as transport, energy, water, waste, telecommunications, housing, social infrastructure and green infrastructure) and the web of interdependencies and interconnections that collectively make up the physical, economic and social systems of cities and regions, and which in many ways dictate our lifestyles.

In many countries, infrastructure is benefiting from innovation in technologies (from smart metering to intelligent transport systems) and processes (from local renewable energy generation to congestion charging). Despite undeniable advances, much remains to be said about equity or resilience issues associated with these innovative solutions. For example, smart technologies have leapt ahead, often leaving many customers behind. Potential synergies and trade-offs between various utility sectors are still poorly understood. In many parts of the world, infrastructure has also proven to be vulnerable to climate change, weather and other extremes. New thinking about how to design, manage, organise and deliver infrastructure projects is required to improve performance, drive innovation, promote collaboration, encourage sustainable lifestyles, capture lessons and deliver more successful outcomes than are currently being achieved.

We invite original contributions stemming from a “complex systems” perspective that extends beyond the traditional disciplinary and sectoral perspectives in academic research on infrastructure. These multi-disciplinary contributions are sought to explore how the future of our infrastructure systems will not only be determined by new technologies, reshaping physical networks and services, but also by new institutions that will decide whether and how new technologies and services are adopted. In particular, relevant contributions will aim at enhancing our understanding of how effective service delivery co-evolves with planning and management processes, as well as socio-demographic transitions. In other words, we seek contributions aiming to answer the question of how to design complex infrastructure systems as agents of change rather than engineering artefacts.

Given the extreme relevance and complexity of the topic, this issue aims to bring together multi-disciplinary contributions from the following research fields: economics, engineering, human geography, information science, public policy, sociology and urbanism. Senior managers, policy makers, practitioners and the wider community of scholars are the targeted audience. Considering the need for a holistic approach, theoretical and applied research-oriented papers, as well as case-based or general framework contributions, are all welcome, so long as the content can be understood by the target audience and the scope is adequately broad.

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

Advanced analytics, knowledge management and smart data capture for infrastructure systems, including model-based systems engineering and machine learning methods
Modelling and simulation for integrated infrastructure planning and management, including agent-based modelling, operation research and system dynamics modelling.
Using community feedback for better infrastructure design, procurement and operation, including geo-social intelligence, participatory modelling and collective design
Economic assessment and prioritisation of infrastructure, including cost benefit analysis and value-based assessment
Innovative governance arrangements for better delivery, management and replacement of infrastructure systems, including various forms of public-private partnerships
Service benchmarking of infrastructure systems, including operations management and performance benchmarking
Sustainability and resilience of infrastructure systems, including asset life cycle assessment, risk analysis and technological transition modelling

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 15 June, 2015