Regulation, pollution and heterogeneity in Japanese steam power generation companies

In this paper, the random stochastic frontier model is used to estimate the technical efficiency of Japanese steam power generation companies taking into regulation and pollution. The companies are ranked according to their productivity for the period 1976-2003 and homogenous and heterogeneous variables in the cost function are disentangled. Policy implication is derived.

On the design of power buffer and its applications

A power electronics-based buffer is examined in which through control of its PWM converters, the buffer-load combination is driven to operate under either constant power or constant impedance modes. A battery, incorporated within the buffer, provides the energy storage facility to facilitate the necessary power flow control. Real power demand from upstream supply is regulated under fault condition, and the possibility of voltage or network instability is reduced. The proposed buffer is also applied to a wind farm. It is shown that the buffer stabilizes the power contribution from the farm. Based on a battery cost-benefit analysis, a method is developed to determine the optimal level of the power supplied from the wind farm and the corresponding capacity of the battery storage system.

Reflections on issues of power in packaged software selection

The adoption of packaged software is becoming increasingly common in a variety of organizations and much of the packaged software literature presents this as a straightforward, linear process based on rationalistic evaluation. This paper applies the framework of power relations developed by Markus and Bjørn-­‐Anderson (1987) to a longitudinal study concerning the adoption of a customer relationship management package in a small organization. This is used to highlight both overt and covert power issues within the selection and procurement of the product and illustrate the interplay of power between senior management, IT managers, IT vendors and consultants, and end-­‐users. The paper contributes to the growing body of literature on packaged software and also to our understanding of how power is deeply embedded within the surrounding processes.

Gambling & gaming : power relations in dispute resolution

Who, ultimately, has power? Is it the senior executive with his finger on the off switch, is it the users themselves who make the decision to participate and contribute financially, or is it those who report on the actions of the company with the ability to reach large numbers of existing and potential players? In both the gambling and gaming industries, power is up for grabs. This work undertakes to consider how norms are formed in online gaming communities; that is, how the developers and players negotiate amongst themselves both how the game will operate. Also considered is how to resolve disputes that arise, and what power and limitations each side has when they need to make an impact – from developers switching off the server, to players quitting en-mass or causing disruption within the environment (using the recent example of Eve Online). Outside of the direct sphere of the game however a third party lurks – commentators. These may take the form of well established review sites, community forums or, in the case of the gambling industry, dispute resolution services but their power stake is clear – by publicising and interpreting the acts of both developers and players, they are in a position to influence whether current players stick with a company, whether new players join a company and how the company is perceived in the wider community.

Investigations of dielectric monitoring on an energised transformer oil–paper insulation system

Frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS) is being used to assess the insulation condition of oil–paper power transformers. However, it has to date only been implemented on de-energised transformers, which requires the transformers to be shut down for an extended period and may cause significant costs. To solve this issue, a newly improved monitoring method based on the FDS principle is proposed to implement the dielectric measurement on energised transformers. Moreover, a chirp waveform excitation and its novel processing method are introduced. Compared with the conventional FDS results, dielectric results from the energised insulation system have higher tanδ values because of the increased losses. To further understand the insulation ageing process, the effects of the geometric capacitance are removed from the measured imaginary admittance of the insulation system to enhance the ageing signature. The resulting imaginary admittance is then shown to correlate well with the central time constant in return voltage measurements results. The proposed methods address the issues on techniques used on energised transformers and provide a clue for on-line FDS diagnostic application.

Union power in retail: Contrasting cases in Australia and New Zealand

Retail employees are the prototypical vulnerable, low-paid employees, and for that reason unionism and its benefits, such as collective bargaining, provide important social protection. However, the reasons that make employees vulnerable also reduce union power though that is not to say that retail unions lack agency. This article analyses the power resources and their deployment in the respective retail unions in Australia and New Zealand. The two unions’ strategies are quite different, and provide interesting contrasts in approaches and ideology. The implications for theory are that ideology matters with respect to union strategy (and should be attended to more thoroughly in studies of union renewal) and – as others have also argued – the wider institutional context has a very significant influence on outcomes for unions and their members. The implication for practice, therefore, is that both workplace and extra-workplace strategies in the political and other arenas remain central for the low-paid.

Simulation study for analysis of online dielectric measurement problems on transformer insulation system

Determining the condition as well as the remaining life of an insulation system is essential for the reliable operation of large oil-filled power transformers. Frequency-domain spectroscopy (FDS) is one of the diagnostic techniques used to identify the dielectric status of a transformer. Currently, this technique can only be implemented on a de-energized transformer. This paper presents an initial investigation into a novel online monitoring method based on FDS dielectric measurements for transformers. The proposed technique specifically aims to address the real operational constraints of online testing. This is achieved by designing an online testing model extending the basic “extended Debye” linear dielectric model and taking unique noise issues only experienced during online measurements into account via simulations. Approaches to signal denoising and potential problems expected to be encountered during online measurements will also be discussed. Using fixed-frequency sinusoidal excitation waveforms will result in a long measurement times. The use of alternatives such as a chirp has been investigated using simulations. The results presented in the paper predict that reliable measurements should be possible during online testing.

Effacing power

A solo exhibiton of painting, photography, collage and fabric sculpture works that continues Wyman's interest in exploring feminist strategies for negotiating individual and collective identities,equallity and social activism. She explores the idea that the clothed body is often the first point of protest and demonstrates how masks and disguises provide collective power and protection in conflict zones.

Doppler and Pathloss Characterization for Vehicle-to-Vehicle communications at 5.8 GHz

Due to significant increase in vehicular accident and traffic congestions, vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication based on the intelligent transport system (ITS) was introduced. However, to carry out efficient design and implementation of a reliable vehicular communication systems,a deep knowledge of the propagation channel characteristics in different environments is crucial, in particular the Doppler and pathloss parameters. Therefore, this paper presents an empirical V2V channel characterization and measurement performed under realistic urban, suburban and highway driving conditions in Brisbane, Australia. Based on Lin Cheng statistical Doppler Model (LCDM), values for the RMS Doppler spread and coherence time due to time selective nature of V2V channels were presented. Also, based on Log-distance power law model, values for the mean pathloss exponent and the standard deviation of shadowing were reported for urban, suburban and highway environments. The V2V channel parameters can be useful to system designers for the purpose of evaluating, simulating and developing new protocols and systems.

Power and paradigms : the Dutch response to pressures for shareholder value

In recent years, research aimed at identifying and relating the antecedents and consequences of diffusing organizational practices/ideas has turned its attention to debating the international adoption and implementation of the Anglo-American model of corporate governance, i.e., a shareholder-value-orientation (SVO). While financial economists characterize the adoption of an SVO as necessary and performance-enhancing, behavioral scientists have disputed such claims, invoking institutional contingencies in the appropriateness of an SVO. Our study seeks to provide some resolution to the debate by developing an overarching socio-political perspective that links the antecedents and consequences of the adoption of the contested practice of SVO. We test our framework using extensive longitudinal data from 1992-2006 from the largest listed corporations in the Netherlands, and we find a negative relationship between SVO adoption and subsequent firm performance, although this effect is attenuated when accompanied by greater SVO-alignment among major owners and a firm’s visible commitment to an SVO. This study extends prior research on the diffusion of contested organizational practices that has taken a socio-political perspective by offering an original contingency perspective that addresses how and why the misaligned preferences of corporate owners will affect (i) a company’s inclination to espouse an SVO, and (ii) the performance consequences of such misalignment.This study suggests when board members are considering the adoption of new ideas/practices (e.g., SVO), they should consider the contextual fitness of the idea/practice with the firm’s owners and their interests.