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This article centers on the specific algorithm, devised to help students select the theme of the qualifying paper. The article also reviews the contents of the customs affairs specialists qualifying paper. The method of selecting the theme of the qualifying paper using the mind-map is offered. The Mind-map offers a convenient scheme for a student to select his or her own research advisor, work experience placement, object and subject of the qualifying paper. This article represents an analysis of example of student's qualifying paper on currency control theme choice, lays out the contents of theoretical and practical parts of the qualifying paper named “Institutional analysis of currency control on the territory of the Chelyabinsk region”. Methods of currency control scientific analysis with the aid of statistical methods and graphic techniques are offered.

In this paper, we first outline the Thales EC-supported project INVENVORG, which investigates the effects of the environmental factors on non-treated organic materials, namely bone, woolen textile, parchment, paper and wood. The project planning includes an accelerated ageing study (with exposure to elevated temperatures and relative humidities, light and pollutants) and then a natural ageing study in monitored museums environments, followed by the statistical correlation analysis of the material properties after accelerated and natural ageing with the environmental stresses, in order to determine the real life relative contribution of the various environmental parameters to material ageing. After a literature review concerning the exhaustive research on the accelerated ageing of paper, the experimental design pertaining to paper is presented. Accelerated ageing will be used for the production of artificially aged samples that emulate aged paper in a controlled manner. A preliminary ageing experiment will help determine the most suitable conditions, and will provide data that will be correlated to those produced by natural ageing. Virgin and artificially aged samples will then be exposed for 2 years to closely monitored museums environments. Tearing strength, degree of polymerization determined by viscometry, pH and the color coordinates of the CIEL*a*b* colour system will be determined and used for the statistical analysis.

This paper discusses two of the established tenets in paper conservation that permeate the existing relevant literature and define the conservation practice, in the light of recent findings. The idea that washing and deacidification can only be beneficial and that effects on ink and colours excluded, there are no negative side effects to paper properties, has been openly expressed and supported in many publications. New research and scattered uncommented results in the relevant literature though indicate that aqueous treatments may have a detrimental effect on the mechanical properties of paper, especially tensile strength and folding endurance. It is suggested that according to the principle of minimum intervention, washing and deacidification should be applied to acidic paper, and then followed by consolidation. Another tenet with important implications on conservation and preservation decision making concerns the rate of ageing. Research based exclusively on accelerated ageing tests has shown that ageing is at first a linear process which decelerates after a certain point. Nevertheless, the applicability of this scheme to the natural process of paper ageing has been argued, and another model based on accelerated ageing tests done in closed environments has been proposed which is believed to simulate natural ageing better than the previous one. In the early stages of ageing, both models give similar results, but overall, the linear model dramatically overestimates the useful life of paper. The newer model indicates that natural paper ageing in libraries and archives can be an accelerating process and puts to question the foundations of conservation research and preservation practice.

This paper explores the theoretical review of technological innovation on SME survival by looking at literature review with SME studies. Previous reference on survival is still scarce even it is the key benchmark to measure business performance. It has been demonstrated within the literature that the practice of technological innovation is significantly associated with business performance but its effect towards SME survival is underexplored. SME survival refers to the year of business operation, availability of future plans and diversity of product/service range. According to social scientists and management experts, among the main technological innovations highlighted in literatures are namely sophisticated machines and equipments, fusion of different technologies, gadgets machines and equipments, fusion of different technologies, and gadgets as tools of innovation. By looking at the technological innovation scope by Diaconu (2011) ; social networking, computerized record, online marketing can be categorized under the current technological innovation as these mediums are based on technology and influence the development intensity with new or improved process or products. Apart from this justification, among other approaches, these three mediums are close to the business and its potentials are yet to be optimized. In short, the critical discussion provided in this paper would help to strengthen the body of knowledge on SME studies, besides to act as a reference for research in other countries. Findings from this review shed some lights on the potential of social networking as part of online marketing; as the online customers are greater than the typical offline customers. Also, the effect of online marketing via social media is more powerful and diverse due to its ability to reach customers regardless of geographical locations.

This study was conducted to identify and analyze some significant features that influence students and teachers about computer-based tests (CBT) and paper-and-pencil tests (P&P) at the context of the PAULEX Project. In order to do that, a large experiment has been developed at the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (Polytechnic University of Valencia), Spain, in which several students and professors have answered a validated questionnaire about their usage of technology, feelings and experiences. They also compared their preferences after doing two similar basic tests, CBT and P&P.

d Universiti Malaysia Kelantan Abstract The recognition of training as an important development of human resource in implementing the quality of its human capital needs is no longer a new issue. However, despite several attempts trying to improve the success of training transfer onto the job, majority of the employees attending training had indicated that they had less successfully transferred the knowledge, skills and attitudes they have learnt and even further minimal change in behavior in their job-related performance. In this paper, the qualitative and quantitative investigation was conducted to examine the extent of training transfer knowledge activities (in compiling, gathering, collating and synthesising the employees experience, knowledge, skills and abilities) among executives at selected agribusiness and agro-technology based organizations. Final knowledge on training transfer performance and program were further formulated with feedback from training transfer expert. This paper contributes to the alternate model in favour of innovative and sustainable governance of a holistic agribusiness policy framework.

Solid waste always produce negative impacts to the environment, thus effective solutions must be implemented. However, most people are not concerned of the importance of recycling. At the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) which has already launched the sustainable campus programme in 2007, the initiative to managing the solid waste and conducting the recycling programs were advocated through the Zero Waste Campus Initiative (ZWCI), where the team are committed to do the awareness, practices and enforcement regarding solid waste management in UKM. It would be undesirable if these initiatives to educate the majority of the community of UKM were not put into practice. To solve this problem, a study has been conducted to determine an effective method of recycling management at UKM in providing quality service that encouraged UKM's community to recycle. The effectiveness of recycling programs is influenced by a number of factors such as proper service facilities and good management system. Paper recycling boxes in each office which is one of recycling component that play important role to educate UKM staff and awareness of importance recycling system in waste management campus. This paper discusses the efforts carried out at UKM to create an operational system and implement efficient recycling management by improving the current management system.

This paper aims to examine the relationship between users’ characteristics towards adopting the LLMTG. These relations were found correlated in its intention to adopt this type of glass in building structures. Despite the indication provided by numerous empirical studies, the organizations that adopt the LLMTG will gain more competitive advantage and improvement. It is strongly believed that this attempt would contribute both to knowledge of the diffusion of innovation and to implications for practice by assisting the industry to understand the important factors when adopting innovation. Rich data will be collected using questionnaire among managers from all industrial in Malaysia.

Current studies agree on the need of training university students in various competences. Among them, writing stands out as an essential competence. This study analyzes the abstract produced by Spanish PhD candidates in the context of an academic writing workshop. These abstracts were rewritten as a result of peers’ and supervisors’ reviews. The purpose is to analyze the construction of this type of text in relation to its content categories. The results attest a series of challenges faced by students and help teachers in the design of their teaching instruction.

Eucalyptus forest area and total production of eucalyptus oil on Buru Island are the largest in Indonesia. The revenue of eucalyptus oil industry in Buru decreased in the last 5 years and is still managed conventionally. The increasing production capacity and value added is necessary, because eucalyptus oil is the leading commodity in Buru. Therefore, the development of agro-processing eucalyptus oil is one solution to the economic development in Buru. This research which is done through: determining the factors that influence the development of agro-processing eucalyptus oil; clustering potential development of agro-processing; and the preparation of the development of agro-processing of eucalyptus oil. The result of this research, there are 6 development clusters and 2 phases of the roadmap, namely: establishment of new industrial cluster, optimization of raw materials cluster, and the increasing of production capacity efficiently cluster (Factor-Driven); raw material efficiency cluster, industrial activity maintenance cluster, and product differentiation cluster (Capital-Driven).

Handicrafts, essentially, are activities resulting from the wish to satisfy the basic needs of humans; which can be built by very simple tools and appliances, uses easily obtainable materials or leftovers as raw materials, demands intense effort and creation power. Moreover, handicrafts are work fields, which merge features of being functional, aesthetical, and economical, and mostly are free tune activities that can also be main activities. IIandicrafts matter in country development and promotion. Therefore the education given about handicrafts becomes prominent. Private and public institutions conduct handicrafts educations. In this research, the education given by profession acquirement courses organized by Ankara Kecioren Municipality branch's of his action (wire breaking, five needles lace knitting, decorative wood adornments, needle lace, stone dolls and tragacanth dolls, jeweler design, felt making, leather processing, paper marbling (ebru in Turkish), ornamentation, calligraphy, ceramic glaze, patchwork etc.), the produces obtained from courses will be categorized and presented with photographs. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.

Forecasts indicate that it is not possible to reduce total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transport to fulfill the target of two degrees global warming with technology means alone. It is possible to reduce GHG-emissions for all modes but still rail will be the most efficient mode by 2050. Rail has a modest market share in the European Union (EU) in comparison with ‘best practice’ rail systems in the world. There is a big potential if the rail system is developed with new high speed rail and freight corridors as well as an upgraded conventional network and intermodal systems. This paper presents an estimation of the effects of a partial mode shift to rail transport applying world's ‘best practice’ by the year 2050. It is shown that such a mode shift to rail can reduce EU transport GHG emissions over land by about 20%, compared with a baseline scenario. In combination with low-carbon electricity production a reduction of about 30% may be achieved. A developed rail system can thus substantially contribute to the EU target of reducing GHG emissions in the transport sector by 60% below 1990 levels. To enable such a mode shift and to manage the demand for capacity, there is a need for investments. This will also maintain and increase mobility for passengers and freight transport.

The differences in communicating methods between teachers who have learned to study in paper based context and students who are more familiar with screen based context can cause problems in classrooms. This paper discusses issues and concerns in interacting with students who grew up surrounded by multimedia and digital devices, in other words, screenagers, in classrooms. Based on the recent projects and research findings, four key themes are discussed regarding interacting through personal learning devices, communicating with the students in the way they do using social media, appropriate amount of exposure when using audiovisual resources, and possible side effects of using personal learning devices. Finally, teachers’ roles and responsibilities in dealing with screenagers are discussed, and suggestion for using teaching models and teacher training are provided.

The Resource-based View (RBV) of the firm is a strategic management theory that is widely used by managers in project management. The RBV has to date been a promising theory that examines how resources can drive competitive advantage, especially project management (PM) capabilities that have been customized to a specific organizational environment and developed over time. However, Despite the advantages offered by the RBV to practitioners and scholars alike, the theory has been under attack by opponents claiming that there is an overenthusiasm for what the theory can deliver, especially concerning a lack of criteria for generalizability and definitional ailments. This position paper will give an overview of the supporters and opponents of the application of the RBV in PM practice and research. The position of the authors of this paper, which is in favour of the continued application of the theory to PM contexts, will be detailed and supported by conceptual and empirical findings from the literature. This paper will end with future research recommendations that will highlight research that can be done to curb criticisms of the theory and enhance and rejuvenate its use in practice.

The paper examines the potential of flipped classroom applying in foreign language teaching. The authors look back at the history of emerging of the method, analyse its advantages over other traditional approaches. Among the advantages it should be mentioned time extension between the teacher and the student; increase of responsibility and self-reliance of the latter; personified approach to each learner; teacher's capability to create authorized mini lectures, taking into account the peculiarities of vocationally-orientated teaching, as well as age peculiarities and other features of each learning group; possibility for each student to work according to his/her personal pace, using time more effectively relative to the students and the teacher; increasing creativity and critical thinking; potential for permanent data archiving; positive transformation of teacher/students’ role relations when a student becomes a protagonist and creator of his/her own knowledge, at the same time the teacher becomes the guide and councilor; advancement of the learner's motivation; improvement of the atmosphere in the classroom that becomes more friendly and comfortable; chance for better concentration in the classroom. The paper describes flipped classroom method in graphics and proposes some practical examples of its application.

Strategic planning in higher education has become one of the most important factors of today's education system. State of the Republic of Turkey, which is aware of importance of this trend in the world, made the preparation and implementation of five-year strategic plans mandatory for higher education institutions. However, when examining the strategic plans made by universities in Turkey in general, it draws attention that strategy development techniques are not used in development processes. Strategies at different levels in universities are not taken in consideration, and strategies are not determined by high participation and not formed and implemented in a conscious way. Marmara University has developed a different and unique approach by considering these facts when doing researches to develop strategies to be effective in the next five-year period. In this notification, it is aimed to reveal strategical approach developed exclusive to universities in 2017-2021 strategic plan of Marmara University, and strategy development process model formed for the purpose of being internalized of strategy in institution. In this respect, in study; it is mentioned how participation of academic and administrative personnel is provided, in which way it is focused on creating value for all stakeholders, how internal and external environment analysis are made with which scientific research projects and how corporate learning is supported in every stage of the process. This paper tries to highlight a case from Marmara University's strategy development process indicating how strategic plan on “the paper” can be changed into internalized strategy creating change, momentum and dynamism trough the both implementation of a new approach to strategy and strategy development process.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the forms of economic challenges for the joint venture infrastructure projects. Economic challenges are divided into internal and external challenges. The methodology applied is quantitative approach. The outcome of the research indicates that the critical internal economic challenge is vague financial documentation and the external economic challenge was legal conditions. Thus, this paper encouraged the joint venture company to implement the post counteractive act plan as an innovative business tactic to continue the joint venture's survival to augment the quality of life among contractors that execute joint venture on the other.

The aim of this paper is to suggest a specific teaching approach which employs a critical thinking model, as well as to show the possibilities for structuring professional knowledge and enhancing learning efficiency. Entering the world of global competition, the emphasis is on the need to prepare students to be communicative, collaborative, creative, innovative, to think critically and analytically, and to be able to effectively solve real-world problems. With higher-order thinking skills, which are essential for absorbing knowledge as well as for work performance, students will become effective communicators, critical and dynamic thinkers, competent problem solvers and career experts. By utilizing innovative pedagogy to support teaching and learning goals, students will be more likely to achieve their full potential and have their voices heard. The paper focuses on critical thinking for undergraduate ESP engineering students. Those students need strong critical thinking skills which are essential to get to the root of problems and find reasonable solutions. A model of critical thinking is designed to help those students to develop their thinking skills and prepare for a global, complex society.

This paper discusses the necessity to include translation practices into a compulsory language course intended for PhD students, which entailed thorough reviewing and overhauling programs and syllabi currently in use in tertiary technical education in Russia. The methods applied involve (1) student and teacher survey to identify the needs of program graduates and (2) a correlation analysis to examine the content of FL courses within technical PhD programs. The paper also proposes reallocation of contact hours, which should provide ameliorative interference to allow universities to get closer to the objectives set.

ESP (English for Specific Purposes) is prevailing in China nowadays, but with the traditional teaching model, its development has been blocked by the limitation of the traditional teaching. Researchers are exploring the new model for English teaching, they combine ESP with MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) and ⿿Flipped Classroom⿿(a reversal of traditional teaching) theoretically instead of practically. With the theory of constructivism, the paper focuses especially on the implementation of the new model. The new model is taken into practice with the combination of ESP, MOOC and ⿿Flipped classroom⿿. According to Tyler, the father of the curriculum theory, the paper shows the new model in four parts: Purpose, content, teaching organization and teaching evaluation. The new model has been implemented for a term, the author collects students objective and subjective feedback and makes the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the effects of the new model with the software SPSS. The paper makes the conclusion of three advantages of the new model and gives suggestions to the education of English in the future.

This paper aims to examine the influence of business intelligence on organizational agility through Partial mediating variable Empowerment. The statistical population of the study is consisted of Tehran Construction Engineering Organization (TCEO) and ETKA Organization Industries co. 102 questionnaires have been distributed among managers and stakeholders of information systems and these have been analyzed via SPSS and Smart PLS software. Within this paper the Popovic business intelligence questionnaire (2012), Sharifi& Zhang Organizational Agility and Spreitzer Empowerment have been used. The hypothesis of study is: Business Intelligence has direct and indirect influence through empowerment on organizational agility. Secondary hypothesis seek to examine the impact of business intelligence on organizational agility, business intelligence on empowerment and examining the impact of empowerment on organizational agility. Research studies imply the confirmation of study primary and secondary hypothesis.

For the evaluation of performance at the national level are used the different indicators in comparison with business level. The paper is focused on evaluation of indicators of national health systems’ performance at the level WHO “better health”. The aim of paper is to define the specifics of selected health systems in European Union, analyze and evaluate the selected indicators of performance of these systems which are used by WHO, compare the results of the analysis in these health systems and determine the position of the Czech health system in the set of indicators “better health” in comparison with other countries. The indicators are evaluated in the time series.

There seems to be a common understanding that the Norwegian construction industry faces challenges concerning the presence of delays and defects in the handover process. However, little research has been found regarding countermeasures to avoid these problems. This paper forms a part of a research project on handover processes in Norwegian construction projects, initiated by the municipality of Trondheim. It is supposed to work as a pilot study for further research, and examines: 1) Consequences of delays and defects, 2) the causes of them and 3) potential countermeasures that can be implemented. The case studied was the expansion of a shopping centre in Norway, a complex project, both structurally and organisationally. In addition to a literature review and a documentation study, nine semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted. All of the interviews were case-specific, with client, contractor and user representatives respectively. The consequences of delays and defects were severe and resulted in additional costs, lower quality on the final product and psychological strain for the involved actors. Short construction period, diffuse contractual relationships, lack of quality assurance and a high degree of alteration work are found to constitute the most crucial causes. On the basis of the observed challenges different countermeasures are suggested. Building commissioning, realistic project plans, control on deliveries and independent control are recommended as countermeasures. The findings indicate a great potential for improvement by keeping the control throughout the whole project. Further experiments are needed to substantiate the recommendations of this paper.

This paper addresses intercultural competence to carry-out projects in North-Africa with success, taking the example of Algeria and Morocco. There are only few publications related to project management in North Africa and even less related to intercultural competence. The paper makes a modest attempt to help close this knowledge gap. The case study approach taken offers a trans-disciplinary approach to a vast subject and facilitates the transition from an academic /model-driven approach to the day-to-day practical challenges of the project manager's profession in a North African context. The objective of the paper is to underline the importance of intercultural competence to create a non-for profit project management organisations in Algeria and Morocco. The paper refers to existing models and examines behavioural elements of the intercultural competence by giving tangible examples collected in the field. Finally the paper comes up with recommendations to be considered before and during project start, in order to manage projects successfully.

This paper will explore the possibilities of reactivating the disused site of Coryton Oil Refinery in Thurrock, UK as a cultural heritage site through analysis of its relationship with landscape, people and their interrelated processes. The oil refinery was closed in 2012, leaving behind an impressive 586 acres of industrial as well as cultural history. The tangible and intangible factors effected by the industrial sites, as well as people's perceptions and awareness towards industrial heritage as places of production, collective and personal memory and place identity will be investigated in this research paper.

This paper presents some of the results of a broader research project on how formative assessment affects the development of specific and generic competences in teacher training subjects at higher education level. The paper describes and discusses the impact of participatory and non-participatory assessment techniques on the attainment of learning outcomes in four different subjects. The sample was comprised of students (n=118) on teacher training bachelor's degrees at the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia. Data were gathered on the lecturers’ activities in each subject and on the students’ final grades. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to assess the effect of formative assessment on students’ final grades for a subject. Statistical analysis shows that students who took subjects that were assessed by participatory techniques had a significantly (p

Historic cities of developing countries’, architectural heritage need conservation. Public participation (PP) of high school students’ can be an effective tool. Aim of this paper is to share an experience in a historical neighbourhood, Yeldegirmeni, Istanbul. Yeldegirmeni was examined by final year students in “Analysis of Historical Buildings” course in Yeditepe University, Architecture Department. Results of the course were shared with high school students/teachers. These works which try to document and safeguard local cultural heritage, will be investigated in this paper. The paper presents findings of the course's presentations, workshops, exhibitions; discusses future scenarios of PP for architectural heritage conservation.

Modern classrooms see many innovative practices in facilitation. Most facilitators prefer using presentations animated videos and multimedia to better explain their content. Campuses are Wi-Fi enabled and students use tablets, laptops and smartphones to capture the essence of a lecture. However the one area where technological innovation is still lagging behind, in an academic setup, is in assessment. This paper looks at the perception of students to the use of clicker technology as a form of paperless assessment. Clicker technology was introduced as a tool for conducting formative and summative assessments to a first year electrical engineering subject, Digital Systems 1. The paper first elaborates on the significance, types and the methods of academic assessments. It then discusses the pros and cons of assessments using clicker technology. Thirdly it sheds light on the research methodology used in acquiring data for this research. Finally the results are analyzed which among others show that that 71% students enjoyed using clickers in class for formative assessments while only 52% appreciated its use in summative assessments. One of the reasons touted for this decrease is student anxiety. The key recommendation from this research is to increase the use of these assessment techniques within a formative assessment environment so as to familiarize students to eventually use it with confidence in summative assessments.

Concurrent engineering and performance measurement are both manufacturing industry concepts that have coexisted and complemented each other for the manufacturing industry success. Construction industry has integrated manufacturing philosophies but still waits for the success manufacturing industry enjoyed. With the help from the literature, the paper looks into the status of performance measurements in construction. The literature review generated more questions than answers. It reflected that the existing construction industry structure needs overhauling. Finally, the paper presents six questions with the help of literature evaluation for future research to start a focused debate on measuring the success of concurrent construction.

This paper explores the need for global professional standards in the project cost management field. A range of global standards and guides have been developed for the project management profession as a whole but there have not been any developed specifically for project cost management (other than as a subset of project management standards). It will be argued that project cost management (be it Quantity Surveying, Cost Engineering, Project Controls or cost management carried out by Project Managers) is a specialist technical field that requires its own specific standards. The paper will examine the various national and regional professional standards that have been developed for the Quantity Surveying, Cost Engineering and Project Controls professions by various countries and professional associations around the world. It then examines the issues surrounding the lack of global standards for these professions and explores the benefits of developing over-arching strategies to produce global standards/programs. The paper then describes current initiatives to develop these specific global standards. This will include the International Construction Measurement Standard (ICMS) that is in the early stages of development. The research methodology underpinning this study comprises a review of professional standards around the world and interviews with practitioners and members of professional cost management associations within the International Cost Engineering Council (ICEC). The paper concludes with a range of recommendations and strategies to help address these issues.

This paper examines the handover process in Norwegian construction industry, focusing on commercial buildings. Improving handover processes reduces the number of conflicts, increases user value, improves indoor climate along with securing overall building performance, both in closing construction phases as well as throughout the building lifetime. As little research is found on the subject, a collective project was initiated by the municipality of Trondheim. This case study is limited to a single, environmentally certified, office building in Norway. The paper aims to determine main delay and defect causes. Finally, some countermeasures are identified. A literature review along with a document study was performed. Seven semi-structured, case specific interviews were conducted in addition to a pilot study consisting of three interviews on the same topic. The case respondents are project managers from contractor and client with extensive experience from the Norwegian construction industry. Several causes in contractor-client interfaces were identified. Among the most critical were late changes and decision-making, lacking understanding of limitations and potential in design-build contracts, conflicting interpretation of specification of work along with complex technical installations. Possible countermeasures are found to be strict decision planning, sufficient time buffers, early reconciliation of client expectations together with sufficiently detailed specification of work and significant specialist knowledge in complex technical coordination. This paper investigates a little scrutinized part of Norwegian construction projects in an effort to better commercial building performance and profitability. Future research on multiple construction projects would help confirm or disprove findings and the identified countermeasures.

Communicative city can be seen as interface to achieve urban development strategies. This paper focuses on the importance of increasing public awareness as agents of development through the development of communicative city elements where the community becomes more involved in city development process along with the increase and development of technological innovations, without forgetting the local cultural base. This paper focuses on the study of literature and related studies, and then analyze that before the agenda of the technopolis, or the development of cities based technology as the soul of development into growth centers that are innovative, it is necessary to create a conducive atmosphere in stakeholders interest at the municipal level, including the urban community itself to learn and innovate in a way to participate in urban development. Communication in the context of planning as the key to the creation of a coordination based on the development of science as a basis for competitiveness in sustainable city. Results of this paper show that the four keys of a communicative city have a big role to understand the concept of technopolis, and furthermore to make technopolis as the spirit of its development. The four keys of the comminicative city are; to develop condusive communication system between citizens, encouraging community participation, technology support (not limited to information and communication technology), and optimizing processes and procedures of city planning itself.

The aim of this paper is to provide a real example of a production factory transformation from a standard production best-cost country plant to a word class plant applying the lean principles, avoiding waste and optimizing plant organization structure for the new role. The case study of this paper is based on a Romanian Automotive Company and the main purpose is to provide an example of the optimization potential of the west automotive technology applied using local strengths and creative thinking.

There is an increasing growth of customers and regulators requesting enterprises to adopt the Environmental Management Practices (EMP) over the last 15 years and because of this, researchers and practitioners are becoming more interested in this area of study. This paper proposed an integrated model that combines the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Technology-Organization-Environment Model (TOE), two theories that are most often used in environment and innovation studies. In this paper, a model is created to show the relationship between TOE model, TPB theory and EMP implementation. With 205 valid questionnaires from the Federation of Malaysian Freight Forwarders (FMFF), the author tested the model on SPSS and AMOS. It was found that the environmental factor was the most influential factor affecting the adoption of EMP followed by organizational and technological factors. The entire TOE dimension and TPB theory greatly determines the company's adaptation of EMP. Finally, this study presents some suggestions to make EMP adaptation easier.

Creating quality and sustainable urban environments has always been a challenge for urban planners and designers. The modern perception of urban planning is directed towards promoting pedestrian movement and, at the same time, limiting the excessive use of automobiles. For understanding how pedestrian movement is generated in relation to the urban layouts and for predicting this movement in public spaces, GIS database, statistical methods as well as space syntax approaches are used and tested in the case of the Municipality of Athens. In particular, this paper attempts to: (a) interpret and predict densities of pedestrian movement though the effective study of configuration characteristics and syntactic properties of urban space; (b) identify inconsistencies and limitation in the prediction of pedestrian movement; (c) propose a methodological framework to overcome these limitations. Correlation analysis is also performed between the results of axial and segment analysis to establish the syntactic analysis that better simulates the pedestrian movement. This paper is part of a wider research that intents to interpret the characteristics of the public space in order to create, through more holistic approaches, a methodological framework for decision-making analysis towards sustainable urban planning.

During the last decades, strategic planning has spread across Italy so that, nowadays, a quite large number of cities have their own plan. This paper aims to provide an insight into the role of the financial evaluation in supporting strategic planning, under the methodological framework of the Feasibility Study. By discussing the case study of the Strategic Plan of Palermo, the paper highlights strengths and weaknesses of action projects and their dependence both on exogenous and endogenous factors. The paper concludes by stressing the role of financial evaluation as a means to identify weaknesses able to affect the project implementation, as well as to highlight the conditions to be exploited in order to improve the success probability for strategic projects.

This paper presents the results of the utilization and analysis of the key performance indicators (KPI's) in large transport companies, applying the model of the specially developed client application for managing the performance in the transport company. Transportation is one of the most important and vital sectors of the Romanian economy. The technological advancement and the use of indicators and management principles improves the moving load, delivery speed, service quality, operation costs, the usage of facilities and energy saving; the authors develop indicators for this sector to identify its current state, and predict its future. Transportation takes a crucial part in the manipulation of logistics. Reviewing the current conditions, a strong system needs a clear use of indicators, proper transportation instruments and techniques to link the procedures. The objective of this paper is thus to define the role of indicators in transportation in reference to further improvement. The study was undertaken to identify the situation of freight transport companies from Romania, to find its problems and to discover new solutions for improving the utilization of the fleets, improving average daily trips and increasing the transport capacity.

This paper provides an overview of performance measurement implementation by Local Authorities in Sarawak. It discusses the importance of performance measurement and identifies the factors for achieving excellent performance among local authorities. The paper also raises the need to develop a measurement model for assessing the performance of local authorities and offers some suggestions to improve performance. It also discusses the philosophy of Government Transformation Program (GTP) towards achieving a fully-developed nation through excellent service delivery.

An Electronic-Control-Unit embedded within a car environment is constantly under attack of a continuous flow of modifications of specifications throughout the development life cycle until and beyond Start-of-Production. Root cause for modifications are for instance simply software or hardware errors, improvement for robust design or requirement changes to satisfy the forth-coming demands of the market to ensure later commercial success. Thus the pursuit for best in class products and self-preservation drives the need for modifications and effective methods to review all the side effects of changes before delivery. This paper focuses on the issue to tailor an automotive specific mechanism to guide the requirement change through all the stages determined by a typical automotive development until the settled feature meets the customer. The ability to control the requirement modification involves effective and reproducible procedures to deliver the so-called Request-for-Change (RfC, i.e. [1]) as specified. The Change-Management (CM) process should support all stakeholders with information such as the RfC transition status (i.e. reject, planned, implemented) and impact reports to the initial agreed objectives fixed by contract, which are product features, budget, schedule and quality. The research will not be limited, but focus the investigation of impacts of RfC during the early phase of the project, which are the Concept-Validation and Debugging-Phase. The second part of this paper will undertake the construction of risk management models, utilizing the RfC documentations and impact analysis information produced by the CM process. The research will lead to the understanding of the impact caused by a single RfC, and eventually summarizing the total risk faced by the project at any desired instance within the product life cycle. Finally the research will suggest a visualization model, which cultivates the data of continuous flow of requirement changes into early-warning system and fever curve of the project or a particular project milestone.

The paper underlines the role of the agrarian landscapes, expression of cultural values and ecological protection of human activities, in the context of “Citta Metropolitane” planning. It aims to examine the significant contribution of cultural and natural resources to the development of complementary activities in the primary sector allowing an economic return for the community, as well as an equilibrated structure of the rural territory. Going through specific example related to the context of the Reggio Calabria “Provincia” and its main crops, the paper highlight the need of a method to promote the agricultural landscapes, having particular care to material signs documenting their evolution in relation to the production system. In conclusion, the paper points out the “agricultural landscape resource” role within the integrated plan of the Reggio Calabria “Citta Metropolitana” and its potential to support the expansion of economic activities.

This paper is based on the analysis of the wide use of active and interactive teaching methods in Russian higher education practice (580 situations). The contents of various types of problems related to the choice of these methods as well as the differentiation of knowledge and skills, that are not enough for the successful application of each group of methods, are described. The paper represents interpretation of the results obtained in studying of the use of active and interactive methods for solving educational, professionally oriented and communicative developmental tasks by lecturers. The relationship of didactic tools selection and its dependence on specialization of teaching (Humanities and Sciences), scientific pedagogical experience, age and commitment to professional development is revealed.

This paper is part of a larger research into the conditions and challenges of mainstream or opportunistic adaptation of climate change adaptation in Bangkok in which adaptation measures are implemented in an integrative way with autonomous urban redevelopment projects. When compared to the application of stand-alone measures, mainstream adaptation will require a longer implementation period as it pace of implementation is depended on the so called adaptation opportunities arisen from the redevelopment needs and moments. Consequently, the integration of adaptation into the autonomous redevelopments is a transformation process of continuous adaptation. This paper explores the potential role amphibious architecture, design and construction can play in the transformation challenge of Bangkok to become a flood resilient city on the longer term. It will focus on a typical neighbourhood, more importantly infrastructure, building, and public spaces. A typical outcome of this process would be a master plan detailing the improvement strategies. The chosen neighborhood will be analyzed in three steps, explained in the following. First we introduce and characterize the urban structure in terms of flood hazard, exposure and sensitivity. Then we provide a few adaptation measures into the real condition. Finally, approximate when and where these measures can be applied in the future that able to be upgraded to assess the spatial and temporal adaptation opportunities included in terms of different detail of scaling effects such as architecture and urban infrastructure.

This paper focused on studying the interrelationships between household's energy use and their lifestyle in electric-only multi dwellings of Higashida, Kitakyushu, Japan. Questionnaires survey concerning the house, family, and equipment characteristics of the residents were distributed in 2012. In the same period, the annual electricity use data base was collected from smart meters. In this paper, the result can be described as follows: 1) People consumed the most electricity of a year in the winter season, almost two times larger than summer season. 2) Four groups of household were classified by hierarchical cluster analysis based on the family attributes and lifestyles pattern, then the comparison analysis on electricity use were compared and discussed. 3) Based on multi regression analysis results, we found that the ownership number of air conditioning, clothes dryer, refrigerator, IH, floor area, family size, and education background of the householder are related with annual electricity use.

In this paper, the combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) systems used in a new university campus, which is located in Changchun (in the severe cold zone of northeast of china), is evaluated. According to the simulation results, this paper analyzes the energy consumption of a conventional system and the CCHP systems. Furthermore, the environmental issues are assessed using the proposed emission model. In addition, in order to evaluate some benefits for energy-saving, emission reduction and economical aspects, a sensitivity analysis is carried out by comparing the power generation capacity of CCHP and the price of electricity and gas.

This paper presents the results of a study conducted with several major actors from the French financial industry, which aimed at developing a process for developing responsible innovations by deploying a design thinking method. We begin by presenting the context for the study which includes a brief description of our approach for understanding and exploring the issues raised by responsible innovation in a practical context. Secondly, the design thinking method is introduced as a potentially suitable approach for addressing wicked problems and thus, the integration of responsible innovation. The paper will conclude with a presentation of the process for developing responsible products and services which was developed throughout the study. The main purpose of the paper is thus to demonstrate that integrating responsibility in innovation does not have to become a constraint if it is incorporated as a tool for stimulating the creative capacity of innovation teams.

The paper provides integrated theoretical analysis of such phenomena as non-formal learning and Google-based Web 3.0 tools for education within a wide social context of the Higher education goals in the new millennium. The research goal is to explore university students’ perceptions on Web 3.0-based non-formal learning with regard to the students’ future performance on the labor market. The paper provides empirical analysis and interpretation of statistical data that reveal challenges that students might face when being involved in non-formal learning with Google-based Web 3.0 tools use, benefits that students might gain from being involved in the mode of learning under study. The research findings also prove that non-formal learning with Google-based Web 3.0 tools use is expected to contribute to the development of cross-curricular generic competences.

Modern development trends of knowledge-intensive industries determine the necessary reduction of time of the market waiting for technological novelties, which is achievable due to promotion of knowledge and innovations in an educational environment of large centers of higher vocational education formed in a new way. An efficient mechanism of solution for this task must become innovation educational projects at universities integrated with academic research. The paper deals with the prospects of using GIS-technologies and remote sensing ones as the main directions of implementing the innovation project in the sphere of environmental education. The main directions of perfecting the system of environmental education are grounded. In order to ensure the development of innovative thinking in future professionals, it is suggested to implement an integrated system of teaching, knowledge generation, project and innovative work of bachelors and master's degree students, their participation at the market of knowledge-intensive enterprises. The innovative approach to management of scientific and academic activity of the university is considered based on cluster organization of its activity. The paper suggests new models and technologies in the system of teaching that rely on the obtained experience of implementation of environmental education tasks and integration of modern technologies into it.

The paper considers the role of interactive forms of teaching, the project method in particular, in the implementing action and student-centered approach in the formation of socio-cultural and professional competences. The project method appears as a pedagogical technique, which is based not on integration of actual knowledge, but its application and acquisition of new knowledge and skills, including self-education. This determines the obvious advantage of this method in the study of disciplines, containing creative component, in the field of advertising in particular. Moreover, the most important advantages of the project method are the following: ensuring a high level of cognitive interest and students’ motivation, integration of theoretical knowledge into practice, development of the individuality, development and realization of students’ creative abilities. The paper concludes by presenting professional competencies, developed within project method.

Purpose. Recent two decades of consumer research shifted from the paradigm of classical rational consumer who is making decision in a clearly prescribed sequence using accountable indicators for the assessment of alternatives and decision towards the paradigm of consumer whose decisions are irrational and affected by a number of contextual factors. One field of studies of consumer irrationality deal with consumer heuristics (Kahneman and Tversky, 2000; Ariely, 2010), that is, mental shortcuts made on the basis of selectively collected and weighted information pieces to ease the decision. Another wide field of studies is ambient marketing (part of sensory marketing) that researches how various ambient scent related conditions might influence consumer emotions and behaviour (Olahut and Plaias, 2013). However, no attempts have been made to relate these two fields to test whether ambient scent changes heuristic related decision making and behaviour. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to identify the relationship of ambient scents’ type and intensiveness with decision making heuristics. Methodology. Factorial 2x2 experimental design with control group was performed. Ambient scent type (vanilla vs. peppermint) and intensiveness (8 (1mg) vs. 16 sprays (2mg) of scent concentrate in the same room) were manipulated as between subject variables. Risk averse vs. risk seeking behavior, effect of anchoring heuristics and affect (risk and benefit) heuristics were tracked as dependent variables. Respondents were drawn from homogeneous students’ sample and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Results. Evidence suggests that there are effect of ambient scent on decision making heuristics, thus fulfilling the missing gap to relate ambient environment to decision making heuristics. However, not all heuristics were affected by experimental conditions. Subjects were bidding significantly lower amounts under low anchor conditions, when vanilla scent was around (if compared to peppermint and control group). Affect risk was perceived as lower in peppermint ambient scent conditions, if compared to control group. Intensity of ambient scent also had influence on affect risk: subjects perceived less risks under high scent intensity conditions. The theoretical contribution. Although there are a number of research on various heuristics effect on decision making, as well as a vast research in ambient scent effect field, the paper is among pioneering works that combine two types of non-cognitive factors on decision making, and test the results. Practical implications . By manipulating environmental scenting conditions, marketers may reduce or increase consumers risk perception and as a consequence influence their purchase decisions. Marketers could use peppermint scent in high intensiveness in the situations where they want consumers to undertake higher risks (expensive purchases, gambling, insurance), since stakes were higher under peppermint condition. Keywords: ambient scent type, ambient scent intensiveness, heuristics, risk averse-risk seeking, anchoring, affect. Paper type : Research paper.

The aim of this article is to present and compare the methods of smart specialization identification on the example of Polish regions. In the paper the systematic literature review was conducted in order to identify the methods of smart specialization design. The article presents: (i) the idea of smart specialization strategy in regions, (ii) the presentation of chosen methodological approaches to identify smart specialization at the regional level (iii) the comparison analysis of methods of smart specialization identification in Polish regions. As far as smart specialization is a new idea on European Union, the paper gives a complex overview of methodological approaches to smart specialization identification. The results shown in this paper can be useful in future assessment of the influence of smart specialization on the development of regions.