A review of international human resource management : integration, interrogation, imitation

International human resource management (IHRM) represents an important dimension of international management. Over the past three decades, there has been considerable growth in research and practice in IHRM. While there have been extensive developments in this field, numerous scholars have identified aspects requiring review and revision. Hence, this paper reviews and interrogates the progress in IHRM's theoretical development. The review leads to the conclusion that research in IHRM has tended to emphasize integration over other forms of progress. In response, and in provocation, imitation rather than integration is suggested as an approach for the development of future theoretical and conceptual directions in IHRM.

Dynamic knowledge integration in socio-technical networks: an interpretive study of intranet use for knowledge integration

A major challenge facing firms competing in electronic business markets is the dynamic integration of knowledge within and beyond the firm, enabled by internet-based infrastructure and emergent fluid socio-technical networks. This paper explores how social actors dynamically employ intranets to integrate formal and informal knowledge within evolving socio-technical networks that emerge, permeate and extend beyond the organisational boundary. The paper presents two case studies that illustrate how static intranets can be useful for dynamically integrating knowledge when they are interwoven with other knowledge channels such as e-mail through which flows the informal knowledge needed to make sense of and situate formal organisational knowledge. The findings suggest that businesses should carefully examine how employees integrate intranets with other channels in their work, and the shaping of knowledge outcomes that flows from such use. There are practical implications for the proper skilling of thepeople who share and integrate knowledge in this way. The paper also provides a framework for dynamic knowledge integration in socio-technical networks, which can help underpin future research in this area.

System of systems approach to threat detection and integration of heterogeneous independently operable systems

This paper presents a system of systems approach to threat detection through integration of heterogeneous independently operable systems. The approach is presented on a realistic situation where a human-controlled base robot, swarm robot(s), and sensors work together to obtain a decision about a possible threat in the environment. The base robot is remotely operated by a human using a haptic control system. The swarm robot(s) are autonomous and can accept directives from the base robot. Finally, sensors directly communicate with (report to) the base robot. In this scenario, heterogeneous systems and human interact in a system of systems architecture. With the inclusion of human expert and sensor verification of swarm robots, the system can successfully perform the threat detection and reduce the false alarms. Finally, a system of systems simulation framework including a base robot, a swarm robot, and two sensors is presented in addition to an experimental evaluation of the proposed SoS architecture

Methodological issues in design-construction integration

A major contributory factor to poor project performance in the construction industry is known to be the lack of integration and coordination between the different disciplines involved in various stages of the procurement process. Attempts by researchers to address this problem have met with limited success, as they have focused mainly on adapting integration techniques originally developed for use in the manufacturing industry. There is therefore a need to develop a detailed understanding of the fundamental sciences that underpin the problem of integrating the procurement process across the construction project life cycle. Presents and discusses a research model for addressing major methodological issues in the analysis of design/construction relationships.

Late Paleozoic depositional history of the Tarim basin, northwest China: an integration of biostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic constraints

This study provides the first detailed lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic constraints for improving stratigraphic resolution for hydrocarbon prospecting and exploration in the Tarim basin. A total of 49 stratigraphic units (38 formations and 11 members), ranging in age from the latest Devonian to Permian, are reviewed or redefined in terms of nomenclatures, lithology, age constraints, and lateral distributions based on the detailed field works or newly published data. Of these, the Piqiang Formation (new formation) is proposed to include the reefal carbonates of Asselian-Sakmarian age from the northern Tarim. The subsurface upper Paleozoic stratigraphic framework of the desert areas of the basin is also established for the first time. The high-resolution, basinwide stratigraphic correlations reveal that the sedimentation of the basin in the late Paleozoic was extremely uneven. Of these, the Famennian to Changhsingian successions are completely recorded in the south-western margin areas of the basin. Here, five eustatic sedimentary cycles are well recognizable, suggesting the sedimentation was more eustatically controlled and little affected by local tectonism. The late Paleozoic successions of both Kalpin and Taklimakan regions are commonly interrupted by major hiatuses at various horizons, suggesting that the sedimentation was apparently modified by local tectonism. Of these, the northward movement of the Tarim block and its subsequent collision with the Yili microcontinent (part of the Kazakhstan plate) may be principally accountable for the discrepancy in the sedimentation of the various regions in the basin in the late Paleozoic.

Agents and data mining: mutual enhancement by integration

This paper tells a story of synergism of two cutting edge technologies — agents and data mining. By integrating these two technologies, the power for each of them is enhanced. Integrating agents into data mining systems, or constructing data mining systems from agent perspectives, the flexibility of data mining systems can be greatly improved. New data mining techniques can add to the systems dynamically in the form of agents, while the out-of-date ones can also be deleted from systems at run-time. Equipping agents with data mining capabilities, the agents are much smarter and more adaptable. In this way, the performance of these agent systems can be improved. A new way to integrate these two techniques –ontology-based integration is also discussed. Case studies will be given to demonstrate such mutual enhancement.