Search

Prefabricated construction (PC) is increasingly promoted in the construction sector for its potential benefits, including reduced resource assumption and improved quality. Accordingly, Lean methods are popularly applied to PC projects for optimizing operational processes and enhancing their performance in line with strategic objectives. A key factor in effectively implementing Lean to improve strategic control is developing specific strategies and planning that consider their complex interactions. Thus, this paper aims to propose a quantitative network-based model by integrating Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) and Matrix Impact Cross-Reference Multiplication Applied to a Classification (MICMAC) under complex network theory to develop a Lean implementation framework for effective strategy formulation. Specifically, 17 Lean implementation strategies for PC in the context of the Chinese prefabrication industry were identified via an extensive literature review and expert interviews. Then, ISM-MICMAC quantitatively identifies the direct and indirect relationships among strategies, while subsequent analysis of Topological Structure Weight (TSW) and Structural Degree Weight (SDW), as complex network parameters, is used to evaluate the importance of each strategy. The findings show that the strategic planning for Lean implementation in PC consists of four levels, i.e., foundation, organizational, technical, and control. Selecting appropriate Lean tools and technologies is crucial for PC implementation, which must be built on a top-level management team and foster a Lean culture. Moreover, it involves building a standardized system of processes and activities, enhancing both internal and external collaboration, and continuously improving processes in response to changes. On one hand, this in-depth network-based analysis offers practical insights for PC stakeholders, particularly in China, on Lean implementation in line with PC performance and strategic control and objectives. On the other hand, the network-based model can be future-implemented globally. Additionally, this study expands the current body of knowledge on Lean in PC by exploring the interrelationships of Lean implementation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to coal and other fossil fuels, renewable energy (RE) sources emit significantly less carbon dioxide (CO2). In this sense, switching to such sources brings many positive effects to the environment through mitigating climate change, so the terms green energy and clean energy, have been derived from these constructive environmental impacts. Given the utmost importance of RE development, the primary objective of this study was to identify and prioritize the effective RE development strategies in Mazandaran Province, Iran, using different methods, including the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis, along with other decision-making techniques. Recruiting a team of 11 industrial and academic experts, the strategies to implement in this region were developed in line with the RE development plans. For this purpose, the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methodologies were utilized within the gray fuzzy environment to manage the existing uncertainties. The Gray-Additive Ratio Assessment System (Gray ARAS) was further applied to rank the main factors at each level. According to the SWOT analysis and the Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) outcomes, among the major factors shaping RE development in Mazandaran Province, Iran, the economic criterion, with the final weight of 0.24, was ranked first; and then the geographical and environmental criteria, having the final weights of 0.23 and 0.19, were put in the second and third places, respectively. In this regard, appropriate location, with the final weight of 0.226, was ranked first; and subsequently pollution reduction and energy production costs, receiving the final weights of 0.103 and 0.094, were the second and third sub-criteria, respectively. As a final point, the validation results based on the Gray-Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (Gray-WASPAS) and ranking obtained through the Gray-ARAS were confirmed.

Prefabricated construction (PC) is increasingly promoted in the construction sector for its potential benefits, including reduced resource assumption and improved quality. Accordingly, Lean methods are popularly applied to PC projects for optimizing operational processes and enhancing their performance in line with strategic objectives. A key factor in effectively implementing Lean to improve strategic control is developing specific strategies and planning that consider their complex interactions. Thus, this paper aims to propose a quantitative network-based model by integrating Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) and Matrix Impact Cross-Reference Multiplication Applied to a Classification (MICMAC) under complex network theory to develop a Lean implementation framework for effective strategy formulation. Specifically, 17 Lean implementation strategies for PC in the context of the Chinese prefabrication industry were identified via an extensive literature review and expert interviews. Then, ISM-MICMAC quantitatively identifies the direct and indirect relationships among strategies, while subsequent analysis of Topological Structure Weight (TSW) and Structural Degree Weight (SDW), as complex network parameters, is used to evaluate the importance of each strategy. The findings show that the strategic planning for Lean implementation in PC consists of four levels, i.e., foundation, organizational, technical, and control. Selecting appropriate Lean tools and technologies is crucial for PC implementation, which must be built on a top-level management team and foster a Lean culture. Moreover, it involves building a standardized system of processes and activities, enhancing both internal and external collaboration, and continuously improving processes in response to changes. On one hand, this in-depth network-based analysis offers practical insights for PC stakeholders, particularly in China, on Lean implementation in line with PC performance and strategic control and objectives. On the other hand, the network-based model can be future-implemented globally. Additionally, this study expands the current body of knowledge on Lean in PC by exploring the interrelationships of Lean implementation strategies.

It is necessary for the company to find suitable new growth points when growth hits the ceiling. Technology opportunity discovery is one kind of knowledge based risk mitigation strategy (TOD). Computer-based TOD has the advantage of fast and repeatable analysis, which can be used as a complement and reference to expert decision methods. This research shows an approach to help firms to discover technology opportunities based on their knowledge foundation to obtain a competitive advantage. The proposed method involves (1) identifying the critical technologies by text analysis, measuring the importance of technology in the network and the time of bursts, (2) evaluating the relative technological advantage (RTA) of the firms as knowledge base, (3) Calculating the relatedness between technologies, assessing the development potential of non-RTA technologies from the firm’s current knowledge base and the relatedness between technologies, (4) proposing a technology opportunity analysis framework that integrates the potential and importance for technological development. This article chooses Self-Driving Vehicles (SDV) as a case study to further explain and validate the approach. This approach helps firms understand their current state and growth potential. Such recommendations are based on the knowledge foundation of different firms and therefore are individualised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines Turkey's energy planning in terms of strategic planning, energy policy, electricity production planning, technology selection, and environmental policies. A mixed integer optimization model is proposed for strategic electricity planning in Turkey. A set of energy resources is considered simultaneously in this research, and in addition to cost minimization, different strategic level policies, such as CO2 emission reduction policies, energy resource import/export restriction policies, and renewable energy promotion policies, are also considered. To forecast electricity demand over the planning horizon, a variety of forecasting techniques, including regression methods, exponential smoothing, Winter's method, and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average methods, are used, and the best method is chosen using various error measures. The optimization model constructed for Turkey's Strategic Electricity Planning is obtained for two different planning intervals. The findings indicate that the use of renewable energy generation options, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric alternatives, will increase significantly, while the use of fossil fuels in energy generation will decrease sharply. The findings of this study suggest a gradual increase in investments in renewable energy-based electricity production strategies are required to eventually replace fossil fuel alternatives. This change not only reduces investment, operation, and maintenance costs, but also reduces emissions in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the research is to study the strategic management process in Georgia's hospitals. As part of the quantitative research, a survey of managers of hospitals was conducted using a pre-structured ques- tionnaire. A relatively small number of hospitals attended strategic planning lectures and pieces of training (13%), Only one hospital had a strategic planning committee (4.3%), 87% of hospitals had a documented strategic plan; Strategic planning was primarily engaged by the management board (69.6%), with doctors participating to a lesser extent (30.4%). Only 34.8% of hospitals develop their budget according to the strategic plan. Resources (43.5%), allocation of budget funds (47.8%) and identification of additional financial resources (47.8%) are not made in accordance with the goals of the strategic plan. Most hospitals are less likely to compare the evaluation results of goal achievement indicators with other hospitals (52.2%), and 43.5% report the values of actions taken to accomplish the strategic plan's goals to the hospital. Most of the hospitals rarely do benchmarking of other hospitals' goal-achieving measures (78.3%). Small number of clinics have a strategic management process that, as a consequence, affects their success in the healthcare market. Hospitals develop a strategy plan, but its implementation is poorly monitored and not based on scientific methods. It is reasonable for the state to impose a legal requirement that hospitals produce a written strategic plan. Providing educational training on the strategic management process in hospitals is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the sustainable development of rural areas is relevant for various countries, both developed and developing. The improvement of existing approaches for the assessment and management of rural settlement systems is particularly relevant for Belarus, as a country with agricultural resources. Currently, there is no eligible information model for a rural settlement system in Belarus. The main research aim of this study was to develop the information model for formulation and assessment of the settlement scenarios for solving the issue of sustainable rural development in Belarus. The research methods were based on the complex and interdisciplinary approaches, including the systems approach, factor analysis, comparative analysis, spatial and mathematical modelling, SWOT analysis, and the hierarchy method. The paper proposes the development of the informational model of a rural settlement system at a local planning level, including five main determinants of sustainability, namely social, technological, economic, environmental, and political. The model was approved by the assessment of development scenarios for the Zavalocycy local council as the first-level unit of a planning system. We obtained the development indexes for 14 rural settlements within the obtained assessment criteria. The research results showed the relevance of the informational model for the monitoring of sustainable development at a local planning level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines Turkey’s energy planning in terms of strategic planning, energy policy, electricity production planning, technology selection, and environmental policies. A mixed integer optimization model is proposed for strategic electricity planning in Turkey. A set of energy resources is considered simultaneously in this research, and in addition to cost minimization, different strategic level policies, such as CO2 emission reduction policies, energy resource import/export restriction policies, and renewable energy promotion policies, are also considered. To forecast electricity demand over the planning horizon, a variety of forecasting techniques, including regression methods, exponential smoothing, Winter’s method, and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average methods, are used, and the best method is chosen using various error measures. The optimization model constructed for Turkey’s Strategic Electricity Planning is obtained for two different planning intervals. The findings indicate that the use of renewable energy generation options, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric alternatives, will increase significantly, while the use of fossil fuels in energy generation will decrease sharply. The findings of this study suggest a gradual increase in investments in renewable energy-based electricity production strategies are required to eventually replace fossil fuel alternatives. This change not only reduces investment, operation, and maintenance costs, but also reduces emissions in the long term.

Introduction: The human brain has evolved under the constraint of survival in complex dynamic situations. It makes fast and reliable decisions based on internal representations of the environment. Whereas neural mechanisms involved in the internal representation of space are becoming known, entire spatiotemporal cognition remains a challenge. Growing experimental evidence suggests that brain mechanisms devoted to spatial cognition may also participate in spatiotemporal information processing. Objectives: The time compaction hypothesis postulates that the brain represents both static and dynamic situations as purely static maps. Such an internal reduction of the external complexity allows humans to process time-changing situations in real-time efficiently. According to time compaction, there may be a deep inner similarity between the representation of conventional static and dynamic visual stimuli. Here, we test the hypothesis and report the first experimental evidence of time compaction in humans. Methods: We engaged human subjects in a discrimination-learning task consisting in the classification of static and dynamic visual stimuli. When there was a hidden correspondence between static and dynamic stimuli due to time compaction, the learning performance was expected to be modulated. We studied such a modulation experimentally and by a computational model. Results: The collected data validated the predicted learning modulation and confirmed that time compaction is a salient cognitive strategy adopted by the human brain to process time-changing situations. Mathematical modelling supported the finding. We also revealed that men are more prone to exploit time compaction in accordance with the context of the hypothesis as a cognitive basis for survival. Conclusions: The static internal representation of dynamic situations is a human cognitive mechanism involved in decision-making and strategy planning to cope with time-changing environments. The finding opens a new venue to understand how humans efficiently interact with our dynamic world and thrive in nature.

Copyright of Revista da Micro e Pequena Empresa is the property of Faculdade Campo Limpo Paulista and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The propose of this paper is to present some Techniques those can be use as tool for Program and Project Portfolio Prioritization according the aspects of the solution to be build and external facts that can be perceived. After that, any Project Management Methodology – such as PMBoK© [1], PRINCE2® [2] and ZOPP [3] – can be applied to control the tasks which have to be done. Beyond this propose, also this article introduces a new Technique as an extended version of Matriz RAB - Rapidez, Autonomia e Benefício (RAB Matrix - Rapidity, Autonomy and Benefit) [4] which will be called as "Matriz RAB2/E - Rapidez, Autonomia e Benefício / Estendida" ("RAB2/E Matrix - Rapidity, Autonomy and Benefit / Extended").

The article analyzes different approaches and practical aspects of the strategy format. The aim of the study is to understand the formats of existing strategies of enterprises. On this basis, it is revealed which of them are more often used in practice, what kind of ready-made strategy has, how it relates to the recommendations of the theory. Among the theory of strategy, three groups of approaches identified: strategy as a goal, strategy as an action and their mix. On their basis, the strategies of the largest Russian companies consider in detail. They made it possible to identify the specific features of the strategic structure. It includes duration, type, target orientation, publicity. The largest Russian companies form the strategy in accordance with the recommendations of the modern theory of strategic planning. Usually, the strategy is presented as public, with a limited validity period, detailed by areas of activity. It is with the direction sets of strategic decisions or vectors of development in this area.

The article discusses issues related to the system of strategic planning and improvement of regional economies with the influence of intangible factors on the development of the territorial economy.

The important aim of this research is to recognize the role of SWOT analysis on strategy planning that was used by the Samsung mobile company. As well SWOT Analysis is an independent variable and strategy planning is a dependent variable. This project has divided in to two basic parts theoretical and analytical. The theoretical part was focused on the theoretical knowledge relevant to the analysis of market strategy planning. The practical describes the current marketing strategy of the Samsung mobile company. Furthermore, the ways are depending on the number of issues by reviewing books and journals, also tracking down the information of the Samsung company as a global brand. The consequences show that accurate information which can be got managers through the analyses of the SWOT, marketing mix and the company strategy planning, the common conclusion is that SWOT analysis has the importance impacts on making strategic plan for a long time. This research has determined a very positive recommendation Samsung sustains remarkable investigation, enterprise and industrial or electronic competences however, it occurs to have disappear it is edge or level in advertising. This organization may require renovating its smartphone marketing and maybe restructure or redesign efforts and in order to maintain sharing or market portion critical grounds compare to country such as U.S. innovative experiences for example, Samsung remuneration will be somber if this company wants to conserve its position as a manufacturing leader. Samsung will also need to learn to deal with destructive Chinese opponents and Apple’s standing in terms of progresses.

Currently, the sustainable development of rural areas is relevant for various countries, both developed and developing. The improvement of existing approaches for the assessment and management of rural settlement systems is particularly relevant for Belarus, as a country with agricultural resources. Currently, there is no eligible information model for a rural settlement system in Belarus. The main research aim of this study was to develop the information model for formulation and assessment of the settlement scenarios for solving the issue of sustainable rural development in Belarus. The research methods were based on the complex and interdisciplinary approaches, including the systems approach, factor analysis, comparative analysis, spatial and mathematical modelling, SWOT analysis, and the hierarchy method. The paper proposes the development of the informational model of a rural settlement system at a local planning level, including five main determinants of sustainability, namely social, technological, economic, environmental, and political. The model was approved by the assessment of development scenarios for the Zavalocycy local council as the first-level unit of a planning system. We obtained the development indexes for 14 rural settlements within the obtained assessment criteria. The research results showed the relevance of the informational model for the monitoring of sustainable development at a local planning level.

The human brain has evolved under the constraint of survival in complex dynamic situations. It makes fast and reliable decisions based on internal representations of the environment. Whereas neural mechanisms involved in the internal representation of space are becoming known, entire spatiotemporal cognition remains a challenge. Growing experimental evidence suggests that brain mechanisms devoted to spatial cognition may also participate in spatiotemporal information processing. The time compaction hypothesis postulates that the brain represents both static and dynamic situations as purely static maps. Such an internal reduction of the external complexity allows humans to process time-changing situations in real-time efficiently. According to time compaction, there may be a deep inner similarity between the representation of conventional static and dynamic visual stimuli. Here, we test the hypothesis and report the first experimental evidence of time compaction in humans. We engaged human subjects in a discrimination-learning task consisting in the classification of static and dynamic visual stimuli. When there was a hidden correspondence between static and dynamic stimuli due to time compaction, the learning performance was expected to be modulated. We studied such a modulation experimentally and by a computational model. The collected data validated the predicted learning modulation and confirmed that time compaction is a salient cognitive strategy adopted by the human brain to process time-changing situations. Mathematical modelling supported the finding. We also revealed that men are more prone to exploit time compaction in accordance with the context of the hypothesis as a cognitive basis for survival. The static internal representation of dynamic situations is a human cognitive mechanism involved in decision-making and strategy planning to cope with time-changing environments. The finding opens a new venue to understand how humans efficiently interact with our dynamic world and thrive in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic planning topics take on greater importance, for example, in situations where an organization is affected by management not taking into account elements of future vision. That is why it is always recommended to keep in mind the most relevant topics of strategic management, its principles and general recommendations, which can guide from a "novice" manager to an experienced manager. This article presents a set of reflections on the most common topics in strategic planning, from the point of view of the main authors and specialists on the subject. With this work it is proposed to answer the most typical questions that can be generated in the process of strategic planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploitation of new value propositions enabled by disruptive digital technologies--also known as digital transformations--influences the configuration of people, processes, and technology in a firm and must be considered in the enterprise's strategy. Strategy planning, i.e., the process that determines strategy, is facilitated by enterprise architecture (EA). Hence, strategic plans are reflected in EA documents called artifacts. Our research identified fifteen EA artifacts that facilitate digital transformations' strategy planning process through a systematic literature review. Furthermore, a multiple case study in the financial services sector was carried out to verify our theoretical findings. The case organizations show a fragmented implementation of EA artifacts, with each organization having established its own, almost unique, way of using them. Only four of the theoretically conceptualized artifacts were found in all organizations. Moreover, two EA artifacts used in all case organizations were not included in our theoretical conceptualization. In combination with the empirical research, the systematic literature review leads to an improved understanding of EA artifacts and their use in the strategy planning process for digital transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After more than two decades of the emergence of CORE banking systems in Iran, their inefficiency and lack of accountability to the needs of the banks have become evident. Hence, modernization of CORE banking systems is one of the most serious concerns of the banks' managers. All the customers of the banks can access the services of these systems through online and 7*24 channels such as ATMs, PoS and / or Internet. Even the slightest interruption in the provision of these services can because banks face serious crises; therefore, choosing the right strategy for modernization is of utmost importance. The researcher could identify internal and external factors affecting modernization by distributing a questionnaire among banks' senior managers and experts. Afterwards, we used another questionnaire to identify internal and external factors affecting the target bank. Having formed the matrixes of IFE and EFE and completed the questionnaire, the related strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were identified. Strategies were explained based on SWOT method, then the selected strategies were ranked by weighting of the indices with the help of AHP method using QSPM method. Finally, the strategy with the highest rank was determined as the most appropriate strategy for modernization in the target bank.

• Proposed a novel approach, DQ-HGAN, integrating intention and emotion recognition with strategy generation to improve emotional support conversation systems. • Constructed an intention lexicon and emotion classifier to capture the user's subtle emotional expressions and track their status. • Designed an attention-based heterogeneous graph network to interact with the user's intention, emotion, and historical dialogues for selecting the optimal support strategy. • Utilized reinforcement learning methods, specifically the deep Q-Network algorithm, to dynamically adjust strategies and provide the most effective support response. • Outperformed state-of-the-art models significantly in both automatic and human evaluations, demonstrating the effectiveness of DQ-HGAN for personalized and effective emotional support conversation generation. Emotional Support Conversation (ESC) is widely applied in the fields of intelligent companionship, particularly in psychological health support and customer service. However, there are two significant challenges that require be addressed: dynamically modeling the user's state, encompassing the individual's intention and emotion, and effectively integrating these factors to select the most suitable support strategy. In this paper, a Heterogeneous Graph Attention Network Based Deep Q-learning for Emotional Support Conversation Generation (DQ-HGAN) is proposed to solve these problems. To capture the interaction relationships between user intention, emotion, and historical dialogues more effectively, a heterogeneous graph attention network is constructed based on an intention lexicon and emotion classifier. And a DQN-based algorithm is adopted to direct the response generation, which can learn the optimal response strategy more intelligently than traditional rule-based or heuristic methods. Extensive experiments on the real-world dataset ESConv show that DQ-HGAN outperforms competitive baselines significantly in both automatic and human evaluations. Our codes are available at https://github.com/wumingyao/DQ-HGAN.git. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses issues related to the system of strategic planning and improvement of regional economies with the influence of intangible factors on the development of the territorial economy.

Background: South African mining organisations are facing numerous challenges: decreasing commodity prices, policy uncertainty, rising input costs and increasing stakeholder expectations. To successfully address these challenges, each mining organisation needs to respond in a unified, aligned way. Objectives: This study determined the degree of perceived organisational alignment among managers within South-African-based mining organisations and uncovered the key enablers of organisational alignment. Method: Data were collected from 286 managers from a selection of all the major South African mining commodity sectors on their perceptions of the degree of organisational alignment, as well as on the enablers of organisational alignment. Applying structural equation modelling, 5 of the 11 organisational alignment enabling factors indicated a unique influence of practical importance on perceived organisational alignment. Three data-model fit tests confirmed the pattern of variances and covariance in the data. Results: This study not only presented a concept of perceived organisational alignment and associated enabling factors but also provided a wide range of recommendations on how each of the enabling factors can be leveraged in order to improve perceived organisational alignment. Conclusion: Taking a largely sociological perspective of organisational functioning within the South African mining industry’s fast-changing internal and external stakeholder environment, this study contributed to the discipline of strategy planning and execution in general and in particular to the subject area of organisational alignment.

This paper aims to propose a new kind of patent roadmaps, including a roadmapping method and application directions. The patent roadmap is used to analyze patent competition and develop a patent strategy. In the patent roadmap, patent analysis, patent maps and a generic technology roadmap are used. By using these three methods in combination, two concepts, patent information and patent strategies, are linked. Further, the patent roadmap provides theoretical and informational support for companies, allowing them to learn about the current patent competition situation, and perform corresponding patent layout planning. Compared to previous research on technology and patent roadmaps, this study illustrates the patent competition situation in some industries, and provides a new method for patent strategy planning and its applications. In a case study, this paper presents the patent roadmap of the high-speed railway track (HSRT) industry, specifying the whole roadmapping process and an application in patent planning. Finally, conclusions are drawn that, in applications, the proposed patent roadmap not only plays an important role in helping companies to find new technology opportunities, avoiding duplicate R&D investments, preventing patent infringement risks, and so on, but also has important significance for guiding the overall industry development. • A patent roadmap (PR) for patent strategy planning is proposed. • The concept of the PR is further developed to describe its characteristics. • The new roadmapping method is based on the Derwent Innovation Index and Citespace. • A case study illustrates how to plan a patent strategy based on the proposed PR. • The patent competition status in a specific industry is revealed by roadmapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Method that supports the overall process of planning, structuring and validating a business strategy. • Integration of qualitative with quantitative tools, making the strategy process robust and holistic. • Tools that consider the subjectivity of the process of construction of strategy maps. • Fuzzy DEMATEL and linear programming to support the design of a strategy map. • Method to explain efficiently, functionally, and easily the route map of a strategy. Abstract Strategy literature has mainly focused on conceptual tools to support stages of the planning and structuring of the strategy within the context of a Balanced Scorecard (BSC). Recently, quantitative tools based on multi-criteria decision-making methods (MCDM) have received more attention; however, studies still have limitations. Such is the case of Fuzzy DEMATEL, which has been proposed in the literature, but not integrated within the whole process of strategy formulation. In addition, studies have presented weaknesses by not considering, for instance, the logical structure of a strategy map. Hence, the main objective of this study is to propose the development of a method that supports the overall process of planning, structuring and validating a business unit strategy while overcoming the limitations of previous works, considering the subjectivity of decision-making in the construction of strategy maps. To fulfil these purposes, this study proposes an extension of the work of Lopez-Ospina et al. (2017) entitled "A method for designing strategy maps using DEMATEL and linear programming", by integrating fuzzy logic and traditional, conceptual and qualitative tools to support the diagnosis and strategy design. The significant contributions of this work is that it overcomes limitations of previous methods by providing: (1) a logic structure of strategy maps; (2) integration of subjectivity within the overall formulation process of the strategy; (3) selection of the most important relationships between strategy objectives to explain efficiently, functionally, and easily the route map of a strategy; and (4) integration of traditional qualitative tools with quantitative tools, making the process robust and holistic. The proposed method was applied to an Official Banking business unit of a Colombian bank, where expert judgment for strategy formulation helps to test the effect of the methodological design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract For decades, the hydrogen economy (HE) has been considered an option in Taiwan's national sustainable energy plan, but its development is currently in a dilemmatic situation. This problem is not only hindering the progress of Taiwan's sustainable energy policy but also preventing the energy companies from setting competitive business strategies. This study investigates the key factors affecting the strategy planning for Taiwan's HE development, through a proposed technology foresight based research framework that extends from the introduction of T rends, U ncertainty factors to that of sketching S trategies (named TUS). The TUS inducts literature and specialist's expertise to perform data divergence, information convergence, and factors analysis with the use of Delphi and Theoretical Triangulation. The study result concludes eight key trends, seven key uncertainty factors, and sets six strategies for Taiwan. Furthermore, the demonstrated TUS practice and research findings provide considerable reference beneficial to the extension of future studies associated with HE. Highlights • Analysis of factors affecting the development of Taiwan's hydrogen economy. • Use of Technology Foresight, Delphi and Theoretical Triangulation methods. • Suggestions of initiatives and signposts to set actionable strategies for Taiwan. • Trends and uncertainty factors that are valuable references for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is to find out the solution for improvement of the construction industry in Cambodia and in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The problem and the factors causing the problems were identified. Two major problems were (i) Organization's vision and its skill, and (ii) Knowledge and motivation towards AEC. These problems causing by three major groups of factors that is (i) Soft infrastructure, (ii) Construction investment policy, and (iii) Construction organization management. There are 14 factors from that main topic causing factors were taken for the recommendation from concerned government, private stakeholders, and literate review of how to improve for the overall solution for an improvement of construction industry of Cambodian in the AEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having a strategy for the defense industry of any country is vital because of its complexity, cost and being time consuming. The way of planning and formulation of technology development policies and the existence of a comprehensive template and plan in this regard is one of the major issues in the defense industry. Managers and planners in this field are asked questions about how to analyze the internal and environmental conditions of the industry, how to assess the impact of future developments, and How to design and implement strategic planning steps. The purpose of this research is to identify and analyze the factors affecting the capabilities of defense industries and how to use them to take advantage of opportunities and control the impact of future threats through the development of effective strategies for the development of future defense technology. This research identifies the factors influencing the growth and development of technology by conducting extensive library studies, analyzing the achievements of national security policies and exploiting existing research, and by conducting a survey of experienced experts and planners of the defense industry in Delphi, extracts effective factors on the internal capability of defense industries and identify environmental factors affecting the development of defense technology and determine their significance. Then by using the SWOT analysis, the competitive, adaptive and defensive strategies affecting the growth and development of future defense technology were explained and the position of the defense industry was analyzed in order to employ the most effective strategies.

Fuel and energy complex (FEC) is one of the main elements of the economy of any territory over which intertwine the interests of all economic entities. To ensure economic growth of the region should ensure that internal balance of energy resources, which should be developed with account of regional specifics of economic growth and energy security. The study examined the status of this equilibrium, indicating fuel and energy balance of the region (TEB). The aim of the research is the development of the fuel and energy balance, which will allow to determine exactly how many and what resources are not enough to ensure the regional development strategy and what resources need to be brought in. In the energy balances as the focus of displays all issues of regional development, so thermopile is necessary as a mechanism of analysis of current issues, economic development, and in the forward-looking version — as a tool future vision for the fuel and energy complex, energy threats and ways of overcoming them. The variety of relationships in the energy sector with other sectors and aspects of society lead to the fact that the development of the fuel and energy balance of the region have to go beyond the actual energy sector, involving the analysis of other sectors of economy, as well as systems such as banking, budgetary, legislative, tax. Due to the complexity of the discussed problems, the obvious is the need to develop appropriate forecast-analytical system, allowing regional authorities to implement evidence-based predictions of the consequences of management decisions. Multivariant scenario study on development of fuel and energy complex and separately industry, to use the methods of project-based management, harmonized application of state regulation of strategic and market mechanisms on the operational directions of development of fuel and energy complex and separately industry in the economy of the region.

Copyright of Transformations in Business & Economics is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)