When natural resources run out,market knowledge steps in: Lessons on natural resource deployment from a longitudinal study in a resource-scarce region of Ethiopia

With the increasing scarcity of natural resources, the ability to maintain quality standards during resource-scarce times becomes more critical for business performance. Theories on managing resource scarcity cannot be easily tested in contexts where resources are still abundant. This study therefore turns to an emerging market context in which natural resource availability naturally varies strongly between seasons, namely, that of Ethiopian pastoralists who for many generations learned to adapt to natural resource scarcity. Central to our theory is the natural resource deployment capability, which is the ability of a business to make efficient and effective use of available resources to maintain business performance during resource-scarce times. Using three-wave longitudinal data from 120 pastoral family-based livestock businesses, the study shows that when resources are scarce or extremely scarce, market knowledge helps to better deploy the scarce natural resources, leading to higher product quality. The findings imply that businesses with a better understanding of markets have stronger natural resource deployment capability. The lesson for businesses that are confronted with approaching resource scarcity is therefore to strengthen their ability to deploy resources efficiently and effectively by strengthening their market knowledge in which such capability is rooted.     

Using technology to improve the management of development impacts on biodiversity

The mitigation hierarchy (MH) is a prominent tool to help businesses achieve no net loss or net gain outcomes for biodiversity. Technological innovations offer benefits for business biodiversity management, yet the range and continued evolution of technologies creates a complex landscape that can be difficult to navigate. Using literature review, online surveys, and semi-structured interviews, we assess technologies that can improve application of the MH. We identify six categories (mobile survey, fixed survey, remote sensing, blockchain, data analysis, and enabling technologies) with high feasibility and/or relevance to (i) aid direct implementation of mitigation measures and (ii) enhance biodiversity surveys and monitoring, which feed into the design of interventions including avoidance and minimization measures. At the interface between development and biodiversity impacts, opportunities lie in businesses investing in technologies, capitalizing on synergies between technology groups, collaborating with conservation organizations to enhance institutional capacity, and developing practical solutions suited for widespread use.     

GIS技术在环境影响评价中的应用策略

在当今社会经济的不断发展中,人们的环保意识也实现了不断提升,而伴随着科学技术的发展,各种先进技术也开始逐渐应用到了环境保护工作中。其中,GIS技术就是一项典型的环境影响评价技术。通过该技术的应用,可以让环境资源、生态资源、土地资源、林业资源以及农业资源等领域得到良好的影响评价,以此来保障资源与环境之间的可持续发展。基于此,论文对该技术在环境影响评价中的具体应用策略进行分析,希望可以为GIS技术在环境影响评价中的合理应用以及环境影响评价效果的提升提供足够动力。     

Identification of approximately duplicate material records in ERP systems

The quality of master data is crucial for the accurate functioning of the various modules of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. This study addresses specific data problems arising from the generation of approximately duplicate material records in ERP databases. Such problems are mainly due to the firm’s lack of unique and global identifiers for the material records, and to the arbitrary assignment of alternative names for the same material by various users. Traditional duplicate detection methods are ineffective in identifying such approximately duplicate material records because these methods typically rely on string comparisons of each field. To address this problem, a machine learning-based framework is developed to recognise semantic similarity between strings and to further identify and reunify approximately duplicate material records – a process referred to as de-duplication in this article. First, the keywords of the material records are extracted to form vectors of discriminating words. Second, a machine learning method using a probabilistic neural network is applied to determine the semantic similarity between these material records. The approach was evaluated using data from a real case study. The test results indicate that the proposed method outperforms traditional algorithms in identifying approximately duplicate material records.     

The Employee Engagement Scale: Initial Evidence for Construct Validity and Implications for Theory and Practice

Interest in the employee engagement construct has gained increasing attention in recent years. Measurement tools focused on nuanced areas of engagement (i.e., job engagement and organizational engagement) have been offered; however, no measure of employee engagement has been advanced despite persistent calls in the research. We present the development, method, and results of a three‐dimensional employee engagement measurement tool developed for use in the human resource and management fields of study. Across four independent studies, the employee engagement scale (EES) was found to consist of three subfactors (cognitive, emotional, and behavioral) and a higher‐order factor (employee engagement). Across a series of four studies, we explored the factor structure and reliability of the EES (Study 1), then refined the scale, confirmed the factor structure, and examined reliability and both convergent and nomological validity evidence (Study 2). Next (Study 3), we completed a final reduction in scale items and examined additional evidence of reliability and nomological validity as well as evidence of discriminant validity. Finally (Study 4), we tested for evidence of incremental validity. In the implications for theory and practice section, we discuss the importance of an employee engagement measure aligned alongside an agreed‐upon definition and framework. Limitations and future directions for research—such as the need for further psychometric testing and exploring issues of measurement invariance—are discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

基于web services构建电子政务信息资源目录服务模型

为更好地实现分布式环境下的异构政务信息资源间透明性交互与共享,提出了一种基于政务信息资源目录服务的信息资源整合方案。针对目前政务资源整合现状,基于Web服务思想以及政务资源目录组织结构构,建政务资源目录服务模型,并结合信息资源注册及发现过程,对模型各部分组成、功能和构建方法进行了详述,最后对模型特点加以概括。     

ERP实施中的采购业务BPR实践

企业的业务流程重组(BPR)最基本的思想在于充分利用信息系统的潜能以及面向过程的人员与组织管理,对企业业务流程进行根本性的思考和再设计,从而促使经营管理水平得到改善。详细阐述了某矿业集团公司ERP项目实施过程中的采购模式的重建和业务流程再造。     

西部公共资源招标拍卖监管的规制

加入WTO与西部大开发的深入使西部公共资源招标拍卖监管的改革不可避免.面对维护民族经济利益与兼顾WTO规则、"超国民待遇"和"非国民待遇"并存、程序不规范、土地规划科学性不足和腐败滋生等监管中的问题,提出以政府职能转型为监管更新契机,以土地资本和地域空间为监管核心,以城市管理为监管重点,以遏制腐败行为为监管保障.     

基于自由现金流量的企业价值评估方法的探讨

随着资本市场及经济全球化的不断深入发展,企业价值管理及其价值评估日益受到人们的重视,因此企业价值评估的应用空间得到极大扩展。文中以传统的评估技术和方法为基础,通过对企业价值评估的三种主流方法和三个评估指标的比较,最终得出基于自由现金流量的企业价值评估方法是最符合我国企业目前现状的评估方法,对规范我国企业价值评估方法具有一定的实际意义。     

Transport impacts of government employment decentralization in an Australian city – Testing scenarios using transport simulation

Australia's largest cities are more mono-centric than most US cities and may be over-centralising, particularly in terms of office employment. Government worker relocation programs are being employed with policy debate over what should be an ideal urban structure including in terms of travel behaviour. The paper explores research approaches to explore transport impacts of employment decentralization. A review shows the results of: surveys of workers moved to suburban locations; longitudinal analyses of transport and land use changes in city-regions using cross-sectional census or HTS data; comparative analysis of urban structure variables across cities using similar datasets; combinations of longitudinal and comparative research; and, scenario-based modelling approaches. A modelling framework is then developed to appraise the possible transport impacts of decentralization in Brisbane. To test the possibilities further, two decentralization scenarios modelled and compared. Decentralization mostly to middle-suburban locations better addresses jobs-housing balance and maximises proposed new public transport services, producing good transport outcomes. However, decentralization to outer-suburban locations in Brisbane exacerbates the propensity for decentralization to increase travel distances, especially by car.