Learning with a strategic management simulation game:a case study

The use of simulation games as a pedagogic method is well established though its effective use is context-driven. This study adds to the increasing growing body of empirical evidence of the effectiveness of simulation games but more importantly emphasises why by explaining the instructional design implemented reflecting best practices. This multi-method study finds evidence that student learning was enhanced through the use of simulation games, reflected in the two key themes; simulation games as a catalyst for learning and simulation games as a vehicle for learning. In so doing the research provides one of the few empirically based studies that support simulation games in enhancing learning and, more importantly, contextualizes the enhancement in terms of the instructional design of the curriculum. This research should prove valuable for those with an academic interest in the use of simulation games and management educators who use, or are considering its use. Further, the findings contribute to the academic debate concerning the effective implementation of simulation game-based training in business and management education.

Performance evaluation of adaptive context aware rate selection algorithm (ACARS) for road safety applications in vehicular network

One of the major drawbacks for mobile nodes in wireless networks is power management. Our goal is to evaluate the performance power control scheme to be used to reduce network congestion, improve quality of service and collision avoidance in vehicular network and road safety application. Some of the importance of power control (PC) are improving spatial reuse, and increasing network capacity in mobile wireless communications. In this simulation we have evaluated the performance of existing rate algorithms compared with context Aware Rate selection algorithm (ACARS) and also seen the performance of ACARS and how it can be applied to road safety, improve network control and power management. Result shows that ACARS is able to minimize the total transmit power in the presence of propagation processes and mobility of vehicles, by adapting to the fast varying channels conditions with the Path loss exponent values that was used for that environment which is shown in the network simulation parameter. Our results have shown that ACARS is a very robust algorithm which performs very well with the effect of propagation processes that is prone to every transmitted signal in mobile networks. © 2013 IEEE.

Incorporating Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) practices into the planning context:the conceptual case for lot-scale developments

In recent decades, a number of sustainable strategies and polices have been created to protect and preserve our water environments from the impacts of growing communities. The Australian approach, Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), defined as the integration of urban planning and design with the urban water cycle management, has made considerable advances on design guidelines since 2000. WSUD stormwater management systems (e.g. wetlands, bioretentions, porous pavement etc), also known as Best Management Practices (BMPs) or Low Impact Development (LID), are slowly gaining popularity across Australia, the USA and Europe. There have also been significant improvements in how to model the performance of the WSUD technologies (e.g. MUSIC software). However, the implementation issues of these WSUD practices are mainly related to ongoing institutional capacity. Some of the key problems are associated with a limited awareness of urban planners and designers; in general, they have very little knowledge of these systems and their benefits to the urban environments. At the same time, hydrological engineers should have a better understanding of building codes and master plans. The land use regulations are equally as important as the physical site conditions for determining opportunities and constraints for implementing WSUD techniques. There is a need for procedures that can make a better linkage between urban planners and WSUD engineering practices. Thus, this paper aims to present the development of a general framework for incorporating WSUD technologies into the site planning process. The study was applied to lot-scale in the Melbourne region, Australia. Results show the potential space available for fitting WSUD elements, according to building requirements and different types of housing densities. © 2011 WIT Press.

Performance management and high performance work practices in emerging markets

In this chapter, we discuss performance management systems (PMSs) and high performance work systems (HPWSs) in emerging economies. We start by discussing PMSs, with specific emphasis on PMSs in global organizations. We follow this up with an introduction of HPWSs, and then discuss PMSs and HPWSs in emerging economies. While the list of emerging economies keeps changing, and is rather long, as one might expect, in this chapter we have concentrated on five key emerging economies – China, India, Mexico, South Korea, and Turkey. Performance management is the process through which organizations set goals, determine standards, assign and evaluate work, coach and give feedback, and distribute rewards (Fletcher, 2001). In this connection, organizations all over the world face the challenge of how best to manage performance, including finding ways to motivate employees to sustain high levels of performance. In other words, organizations must develop and implement PMSs that are appropriate for their environment in such a way that high levels of performance can be achieved and sustained over time (DeNisi, Varma and Budhwar, 2008). While all organizations need to address these issues, the way a firm decides to go about addressing these issues is dependent on its location and context. In other words, differences in local norms, culture, law, and technology, make it critical that organizations develop and/or adapt techniques, policies and practices that are appropriate to the setting (see for example, Hofstede, 1993).

Human resource management in emerging markets:an introduction

The shifting of global economic power from mature, established markets to emerging markets (EMs) is a fundamental feature of the new realities in the global political economy. Due to a combination of reasons (such as scarcity of reliable information on management systems of EMs, the growing contribution of human resource management (HRM) towards organisational performance, amongst others), the understanding about the dynamics of management of HRM in the EMs context and the need for proactive efforts by key stakeholders (e.g., multinational and local firms, policy makers and institutions such as trade unions) to develop appropriate HRM practice and policy for EMs has now become more critical than ever. It is more so given the phenomenal significance of the EMs predicted for the future of the global economy. For example, Antoine van Agtmael predicts that: in about 25 years the combined gross national product (GNP) of emergent markets will overtake that of currently mature economies causing a major shift in the centre of gravity of the global economy away from the developed to emerging economies. (van Agtmael 2007: 10–11) Despite the present (late 2013 and early 2014) slowdown in the contribution of EMs towards the global industrial growth (e.g., Das, 2013; Reuters, 2014), EMs are predicted to produce 70 per cent of world GDP growth and a further ten years later, their equity market capitalisation is expected to reach US$ 80 trillion, 1.2 times more than the developed world (see Goldman Sachs, 2010).

Future trends in human resource management in emerging markets

In many ways the emerging markets represent something of a new frontier for academics and practitioners alike, or as one author puts it, ‘a significant topic of interest for a multitude of constituencies’ (Alkire, 2014: 334). The very term itself ‘emerging markets’ is something of a portmanteau one built on a series of layered insights garnered from several academic fields and multiple levels of analysis. Originally coined as a term in the 1980s, albeit with several earlier linked terminologies, this is an evolving and diverse literature. Inherent in its diversity lies a whole series of opportunities, encompassing the purely theoretical through to the methodological and the analytical. Capturing the essence of this in his Editorial in the inaugural edition of The International Journal of Emerging Markets, Akbar (2006) noted that from an academic perspective the emerging markets as a context for the creation and execution of a sustainable research agenda represent ‘a heterogeneous group of economies and societies’ and an ‘important testing ground for our existing theories, models and concepts of business and management’ affording those who focus on them as a research location the opportunity for ‘the development of new theoretical contributions in the field’. In this volume, we have sought to bring some systematics to this evolving literature dedicated to charting HRM in these emerging markets.

Social media in emergency management:Twitter as a tool for communicating risks to the public

One of the main challenges of emergency management lies in communicating risks to the public. On some occasions, risk communicators might seek to increase awareness over emerging risks, while on others the aim might be to avoid escalation of public reactions. Social media accounts offer an opportunity to rapidly distribute critical information and in doing so to mitigate the impact of emergencies by influencing public reactions. This article draws on theories of risk and emergency communication in order to consider the impact of Twitter as a tool for communicating risks to the public. We analyse 10,020 Twitter messages posted by the official accounts of UK local government authorities (councils) in the context of two major emergencies: the heavy snow of December 2010 and the riots of August 2011. Twitter was used in a variety of ways to communicate and manage associated risks including messages to provide official updates, encourage protective behaviour, increase awareness and guide public attention to mitigating actions. We discuss the importance of social media as means of increasing confidence in emergency management institutions.

Perceptions and experiences of the implementation, management, use and optimisation of electronic prescribing systems in hospital settings:protocol for a systematic review of qualitative studies

Introduction: There is increasing evidence that electronic prescribing (ePrescribing) or computerised provider/physician order entry (CPOE) systems can improve the quality and safety of healthcare services. However, it has also become clear that their implementation is not straightforward and may create unintended or undesired consequences once in use. In this context, qualitative approaches have been particularly useful and their interpretative synthesis could make an important and timely contribution to the field. This review will aim to identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative studies on ePrescribing/CPOE in hospital settings, with or without clinical decision support. Methods and analysis: Data sources will include the following bibliographic databases: MEDLINE, MEDLINE In Process, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Social Policy and Practice via Ovid, CINAHL via EBSCO, The Cochrane Library (CDSR, DARE and CENTRAL databases), Nursing and Allied Health Sources, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts via ProQuest and SCOPUS. In addition, other sources will be searched for ongoing studies (ClinicalTrials.gov) and grey literature: Healthcare Management Information Consortium, Conference Proceedings Citation Index (Web of Science) and Sociological abstracts. Studies will be independently screened for eligibility by 2 reviewers. Qualitative studies, either standalone or in the context of mixed-methods designs, reporting the perspectives of any actors involved in the implementation, management and use of ePrescribing/CPOE systems in hospital-based care settings will be included. Data extraction will be conducted by 2 reviewers using a piloted form. Quality appraisal will be based on criteria from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist and Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. Studies will not be excluded based on quality assessment. A postsynthesis sensitivity analysis will be undertaken. Data analysis will follow the thematic synthesis method. Ethics and dissemination: The study does not require ethical approval as primary data will not be collected. The results of the study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant conferences.

Conclusion : on multiple levels of analysis, context, contingency and capital

In this concluding chapter, we bring together the threads and reflections on the chapters contained in this text and show how they relate to multi-level issues. The book has focused on the world of Human Resource Management (HRM) and the systems and practices it must put in place to foster innovation. Many of the contributions argue that in order to bring innovation about, organisations have to think carefully about the way in which they will integrate what is, in practice, organisationally relevant — but socially distributed — knowledge. They need to build a series of knowledge-intensive activities and networks, both within their own boundaries and across other important external inter-relationships. In so doing, they help to co-ordinate important information structures. They have, in effect, to find ways of enabling people to collaborate with each other at lower cost, by reducing both the costs of their co-ordination and the levels of unproductive search activity. They have to engineer these behaviours by reducing the risks for people that might be associated with incorrect ideas and help individuals, teams and business units to advance incomplete ideas that are so often difficult to codify. In short, a range of intangible assets must flow more rapidly throughout the organisation and an appropriate balance must be found between the rewards and incentives associated with creativity, novelty and innovation, versus the risks that innovation may also bring.

On the peculiar relevance of a fundamental dilemma of minimum-wage regulation in post-socialism – apropos of an international investigation

To the extent minimum-wage regulation is effective in fighting against excessive earnings handicaps of those at the lower end-tail of earnings distribution, it may have the side-effect of worsening their employment prospects. A demand-and-supply interpretation of data on the relative employment rate and earnings position of the least educated in the EU27 suggests that the resulting dilemma might be particularly relevant for minimum-wage policies in post-socialist countries.

A magyar minimálbér-szabályozás és hatása a foglalkoztatásra, különösen 2000-től napjainkig (Minimum-wage regulation in Hungary and its impact on employment, with particular respect to the 2000’s)

Noha az 1990-es évek első felében felbomlott az akadémiai közgazdászok sok évtizeden át örök érvényűnek hitt közmegegyezése a minimálbér szükségképpen negatív foglalkoztatási hatásáról, a túlságosan magas minimálbért minden közgazdász foglalkoztatáscsökkentő hatásúnak jósolja. Tanulmányunkban a magyar minimálbér-szabályozást e hatás szempontjából vizsgáljuk és értékeljük. / === / Although the long-held view of an unambiguously negative employment effect of a binding minimum wage was challenged by empirical findings in the early 1990’s, it is unanimously predicted that if the minimum wage is set too high it will bring about adverse employment effects. Accordingly, our study starts from an evaluation of the magnitude of the Hungarian minimum wage, i.e., of how it relates to minimum wage rates elsewhere, and of how it has developed through time. Next we inspect the main features that characterize the Hungarian system of minimum wage regulation. Theoretical views on the potential employment effect of minimum wage regulation are then surveyed and contrasted to empirical findings. The study concludes by policy recommendations. To sum up the main strand of arguments, we try to demonstrate that even though Hungary’s minimum wage, if assessed by its ratio to average and/or median full-time earnings, does not appear particularly high by international standards, it might rightly be regarded as unreasonably high in light of Hungary’s excessively low relative rate of employment among the least schooled. This diagnose should become particularly evident once one takes into account that, in sharp contrast to established rules elsewhere, a significantly higher wage floor is in effect for those with lower secondary schooling. Abolition of this legally guaranteed premium over the minimum wage as well as more moderation in minimum wage adjustments are thus highly recommended.

A desztináció menedzsment szerepe a desztinációs versenyképességben – Hazai és dán tapasztalatok tükrében = The role of destination management in the destinations’ competitiveness – Hungarian and Danish experiences

A desztináció menedzsment valamennyi desztinációs versenyképesség modell középponti eleme, és „csodaszerként” jelenik meg, különösen azokban az országokban, amelyek a desztináció menedzsment eszközrendszerét a közelmúltban vezették be, annak érdekében, hogy a desztinációk lépést tudjanak tartani a versenytársaikkal, mint ahogyan ez hazánkban is történt. Jelen tanulmány alapját a témában írt PhD Értekezésem (Sziva, I. (2010)) adja, amelynek fókuszában a desztinációs versenyképesség értelmezése, az ex ante oldali tényezők feltárása állt. A téziskutatás során feltárt tényezők, és a Bírálóim konstruktív fejlesztési javaslatai a téma továbbkutatására ösztönöztek. Mindezért tartottam elengedhetetlennek, hogy a tézisemben összefoglalt hazai és osztrák kutatások legfontosabb eredményeit további nemzetközi színtéren, ezúttal Dániában vizsgáljam, jelen esetben a fókuszt a desztináció menedzsment tényezőire, és annak kiemelt kontextusaira helyezve. Jelen tanulmány legfontosabb célja az, hogy egyrészt összefoglalást adjon a desztináció menedzsment szerepéről a desztinációs versenyképesség elméleti megközelítéseit tekintve. Továbbá, hogy a hazai tapasztalatok összevetésre kerüljenek a szakértői interjúk során megismert dán tapasztalatokkal és további kutatási irányok kerüljenek meghatározásra. Ezúton szeretném megköszönni dániai kutatásom interjú-alanyainak részvételét és a Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem TÁMOP 4.2.1.B-09/1/KMR-2010-0005 projekt keretében nyújtott támogatását! _________ Destination management is the central element of the model concerning destinations’ competitiveness, and appears as „wonder medicine”, particularly in those countries, where the tools of destination management was introduced in the near past, as it happened in Hungary. The baseline of this study is given by my PhD Dissertation (Sziva, I. (2010)), which was focusing on interpretation and the ex ante factors of destinations’ competitiveness. The factors identified during my thesis research, and the constructive recommendations of my Reviewer gave the motivation for further analysis. That is why was it important to make further researchers based on the results identified in the Hungarian and Austrian cases of my thesis research, and add further international, this time Danish context to the research, by focusing on destination management among the factors of competitiveness. The aim of the article is to give a summary about the theoretical approach of destination management and compare the Hungarian experiences with that of the results of the Danish research based on experts’ interviews. Hereby I would like to thank my interviewees their participation, and the support of Corvinus University Budapest in the framework of TÁMOP 4.2.1.B-09/1/KMR-2010-0005 project.

Islamist movements at crossroads: the choice between ideology and context-driven approach to politics. Case study on the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

The aim of the paper is to analyse the ongoing transformation process within the Islamist movements using the example of the moderate Islamic Action Front party in Jordan. The dilemma of participation in the 2010 general elections raised tensions between the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan and its political wing, the Islamic Action Front, and between doves and hawks of the same organizations. Internal debate on the future has started recently among different groups within the Islamist movement in Jordan. The research is based on the author‘s recent field experience in Jordan (April–July 2010, Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship at the American Centre of Oriental Research, Amman, Jordan). The author also conducted research in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Egypt, where several interviews were carried out with leading and lower level Islamist politicians. The dynamic changes within Islamic Action Front Party in Jordan and its relation with the regime has been used as reference point. The main question of the research was aa how the changing political and regional context shapes decisions of the Islamist with special attention to the acceptance of democratic values and human rights, political participation, and the meanings of Islamic values in the 21st century, possible cooperation with secular parties/movements/the regime.

Innovációmenedzsment és innovációs stratégiák – a vállalati tudás szerepe az innovációs folyamatokban (Innovation management and innovation strategies – the role of corporate knowledge in innovative processes)

A szerzők kutatásának célja, hogy az innovációmenedzsment és az innovációs stratégiák összefüggéseiben rávilágítsanak a magyarországi vállalatokat jellemző stratégiai irányokra és azonosítsák a vállalati tudás szerepét az innovációs folyamatokban. Az induktív logikán alapuló, kvalitatív interjúkra építkező módszertan segítségével történt az adatok gyűjtése és elemzése. Kutatási eredményeik alapján megállapítható, hogy a magyar vállalatok többsége tisztában van az innováció stratégiai jelentőségével és a tudás innovációfokozó erejével. Azonban a bizonytalan szabályozási környezet, a negatív piaci hangulat, a finanszírozási forrásokhoz való hozzáférés és a globális verseny megnehezítik a hazai KKV-k innovációs törekvéseit. Ugyanakkor a multinacionális vállalatok élen járnak mind a technológiai, mind pedig a nem technológiai innovációk terén is. A nem technológiai innováció területén komoly fejlődési lehetőségek körvonalazódhatnak a magyar KKV-k számára is, hiszen ezek kevésbé költségesek és időigényesek, és a belső erőforrásokat felhasználva a szervezeti tudásbázisra is épülhetnek. ____ The aim of the authors’ research is to highlight the characteristic strategic directions of Hungarian companies and identify the role of corporate knowledge in the innovative processes in the context of innovation management and innovative strategies. The collection and analysis of data were helped by a methodology which is based on inductive logic and qualitative interviews. The diagnosis, based on there search results,was that the majority of Hungarian companies are aware of the strategic importance of innovation and the innovation enhancing power of knowledge.

Systemic country differences in the European innovation performance - Does institutional context matter?

The so-called "High Performance Working System" (HPWS) and the lean production are representing the theoretical and methodological foundations of this paper. In this relation it is worth making distinction between various theoretical streams of the HPWS. The first theoretical stream in the literature is focusing on the diffusion of the Japanese-style management and organizational practices both in the US and in the Europe. The second theoretical strand comprises the approach of sociology of work and dealing with the learning/innovation capabilities of the new forms of work organization. Finally, the third theoretical approach is addressing on the types of knowledge and learning process and their relations with the innovation capabilities of the firm. The authors’ analysis is based on the international comparison, both in regional and in cross country comparison. For regional comparison the share of ICT clusters in Europe, USA and the rest of the world was assessed. For the purpose of the cross-country comparison in the EU, the innovation performance measured by the index Innovation Union Scoreboard (IUS) was used in both the before and after the financial crisis.