What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

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Qualitative Research in Information Systems

1. Place animal in induction chamber and anesthetize the mouse and ensure sedation. 2. Once the animal is sedated, move it to a nose cone for hair removal using cream. Only apply cream to the area of the chest that will be utilized for imaging. Once the hair is removed, wipe area with wet gauze to ensure all hair is removed. 3. Move the animal to the imaging platform and tape its paws to the ECG lead plates and insert rectal probe. Body temperature should be maintained at 36-37°C. During imaging, reduce anesthesia to maintain proper heart rate. If the animal shows signs of being awake, use a higher concentration of anesthetic.

人唾液天疱疮抗原的纯化

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The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE: WHY VIOLENCE HAS DECLINED. Steven Pinker, Penguin, New York, NY 2011. ISBN 978-0-670-02295-3.There's been a shooting in a Sikh Temple this morning. A lone gunman entered a Colorado theater and opened fire. Syrians are now engaged in civil war. Faced with daily news stories of death and destruction, it is easy to believe that things are getting worse. Not so, explains Harvard psychologist, Steven Pinker in his new work, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence has Declined.Pinker combines in-depth historical research with rigorous psychological research to argue the case for a decline in global violence. As Pinker aptly points out, many people look at our age as one of unprecedented violence and terror to be viewed with pessimism. Drawing on historical analysis, psychological research and findings from related sciences such as anthropology, sociology, and economics Pinker argues that the data paint a very different picture. In the first chapter, Pinker takes the reader on a quick journey through the history of the world pointing out that the ancient and medieval worlds were very different than the world we live in today. Numerous prehistoric skeletons bear evidence of very violent deaths. Ancient people destroyed entire tribes. Romans carried out violent executions. Medieval Knights led lies of violence and other Europeans meted out horrendous punishments for acts which might not even be judged worthy of condemnation in today's democracies. Finally, the early 20th century saw two World Wars before the long peace ensued. In light of that history, Pinker argues that perhaps we should reconsider our assumptions about our own world.In the first section of the book, Pinker identifies six historical trends which could have led to declines in violence. The first trend he calls the Pacification Process by which people gave up nomadic hunting and gathering lives for lives of agriculture in cities. Competition and anarchy in the prehistoric world made violence necessary for survival. The development of agriculture called for greater cooperation between individuals and the formation of governments to impose order created a world where violence was not always in one's best interest. Statistical analysis supports the idea that the emergence of states lead to a decline in violence. The second trend, the Civilizing Process, is an idea he developed from the work of Norbert Elias. In the late medieval and early modern periods, etiquette and social norms began to be important in social interactions, economics and technology began to advance, and governments began to become more centralized. This trend was also accompanied by a decline in violence. The third trend is the Humanitarian Revolution during which people began to increasingly find practices, such as torture, capital punishment, war and slavery, morally questionable. Empathy, compassion, and peace became important characteristics. The fourth trend is the Long Peace, which stems from the realization that since World War II no two major world powers have gone to war and, in spite of predictions to the contrary, nuclear weapons have never been used. …

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

SUMMARY For more than three decades, Ian Williamson, Stig Enemark, and Jude Wallace have been fascinated by land issues. Five years ago Ian and Stig decided to document their lives’ work in the land-related field. Both have a strong cadastral background with Ian having strength in institutions, particularly in the English speaking world, and Stig bringing knowledge of European systems with a focus on land management. They recognized the need for a strong legal perspective, which was provided by Jude, who has spent a lifetime working as a land policy lawyer. All recognized the need for solid technical support, with the expertise provided by Abbas Rajabifard, who has many years of experience in spatial data infrastructure (SDI) and geographic information systems (GIS). The end result is a book titled “Land administration for Sustainable Development” with all authors taking responsibility for the entire text. After a five year journey the book was published by ESRI Press in early 2010. This paper overviews the philosophy of the authors as they explore the concept of land administration for sustainable development. The result is a practical treatise with a strong and universal theoretical foundation that explores the systems that administer the ways people relate to land. The authors believe their experiences are equally of use to both less developed and developed countries. This global context necessitated a holistic view of land administration as a central component of the land management paradigm. The authors have used this paradigm as the theoretical basis for delivering a holistic approach to LAS in support of sustainable development. While the authors recognize that all countries or jurisdictions are unique and have their own needs, they propose ten principles of land administration that are applicable to all countries. Key themes promoted by the authors include the adoption of a toolbox of best practices for designing LAS with general, professional, and emerging tools that are tailored to specific country needs. Also, there is a focus on using common land administration processes as a key to understanding and improving systems. The authors explore the relationship between land administration and land markets, the central economic driver for most countries. The authors conclude by emphasizing the importance of land administration to the spatial enablement of society, where government uses place or location as the key means of organizing information related to activities ranging from health, transportation, and the environment to immigration, taxation, and defense.

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Land Administration for Sustainable Development

Many countries have spent considerable resources over the past few years debating optimal national spatial data infrastructures. One of the (main) elements of these infrastructures is the national spatial data clearinghouse, which facilitates access to required spatial data and provides complementary services. With this in mind, in April 2000, 2001, 2002 and December 2000, 2001, 2002, a web survey was carried out to assess systematically the developments of these national clearinghouses worldwide. Regarding the development in the number of implementations, it can be considered a worldwide success. However, of concern are the declining trends in use, management and content. One of the main reasons for these negative trends could be the dissatisfaction of the spatial data community with the functional capability of current clearinghouses. The functional capabilities of clearinghouses should likely be changed from a data-oriented to a user and application-oriented focus. This is in accord with the objectives...

Assessing the worldwide developments of national spatial data clearinghouses

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND SDIS- SETTING THE SCENE Building Spatial Data Infrastructures Challenges Facing SDI Development Conclusion References SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURES: CONCEPT, NATURE AND SDI HIERARCHY The Need for Spatial Data Spatial Data Infrastructure SDI Hierarchy Applying Hierarchy Theory on SDIs Relationships among Different SDIs Conclusion References PART TWO:FROM GLOBAL SDI TO LOCAL SDI GLOBAL INITIATIVES Global SCI-GSDI Global Map References REGIONAL SDIS European Umbrella Organization For Geographic Information (EUROGI) Permanent Committee On GIS Infrastructure For Asia And The Pacific (PCGIAP) Permanent Committee On Spatial Data Infrastructure For The Americas (PCIDEA) Comparative Evaluation References SDI DIFFUSION - A REGIONAL CASE STUDY WITH RELEVANCE TO OTHER LEVELS Asia and the Pacific Region and Regional SDI Activities: A Case Study SDI Diffusion Influencing Factors for Regional SDI Diffusion SDI Development Models New Strategies and Future Directions Conclusion and Recommendations References NATIONAL SDI INITIATIVES National SDI - The Ceoncept and Nature Role and Relationships within SDI Hierarchy Generaltional Development of SDIs Recommendations and Future Directions References STATE SDI INITIATIVES The Nature of Spatial Information at a State Level State SDI - Organizational Issues The Operation of State SDI Partnerships in State SDI Evaluation of State SDI Initiatives Other Issues and Future Directions of State SDI References PART THREE: AUSTRALIAN CASE STUDY FROM NATIONAL TO LOCAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE ANZLIC - The Spatial Information Council ASDI Conceptual Model ASDI Implementation Current Issues And Future Directions References STATE SDI DEVELOPMENT: A VICTORIAN PERSPECTIVE State SDI in Victoria Linages to the National Spatial Information Sector Ke State SDI Initiatives Victoria's SDI: Next Steps Conclusion References SDI DEVELOPMENT: ROLES OF LOCAL AND CORPORATE SDIS Local SDI Development at Geelong Corporate SDI in Multi-Level SDI Development- The Case of DNRE Some Patterns of SDI Development Conclusions References SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, THE PLACE FOR SDIS AND THE CASE FOR E-GOVERNANCE The Effect on Government The Role for SDIs The Case for E-Governance Conclusion PART FOUR: SUPPORTING ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL OBJECTIVES SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, THE PLACE FOR SDIs AND THE POTENTIAL OF E-GOVERNANCE Sustainable Development SDIs for Sustainable Development The Potential of E-Governance Conclusions References SDIs AND DECISION SUPPORT Decision Support for Sustainable Development Spatial Decision Support and SDIs Supporting the Decision Evironment The Developing Decision Support Status of SDIs Decision Support in the Future of SDIs References FINANCING SPATIAL DATA DEVELOPMENT: EXAMINING ALTERNATIVE FUNDING MODELS The Economic Issues of SDI Implementation The Concept of SDI Funding Models Alternative Funding Models Customizing the Alternative Funding Models for Emerging Nations Discussion Conclusion References DEVELOPING EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR SDIS Land Administration Systems and the Role of SDIs Evaluation And a Framework for Evaluation Evaluation of SDIs Conclusions References PART FIVE: TECHNICAL DIMENSION ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY DESIGN IN SUPPORT OF SDI OBJECTIVES A Definition of the Spatial Hierarchy Problem Administrative Boundaries within SDI Conclusion References SDI AND LOCATION BASED WIRELESS APPLICATIONS SDI as a Foundation for Location Based Services Augmenting the SDI Model Framework to Facilitate Wireless Applications Case Study Discussion, Recommendations and Future Directions References POSITIONAL FRAMEWORKS FOR SDI SDI and Positional Accuracy Opening the lid on Geodesy Spatial Data Referencing Transforming Between Different Reference Frames Measuring and Recording Positional Accuracy Case Studies Conclusions References PART SIX: FUTURE DIRECTIONS FUTURE DIRECTION FOR SDI DEVELOPMENT Covering the SDI Landscape SDI Development Issues Conclusion References

Developing Spatial Data Infrastructures: From Concept to Reality

https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/26707/117585_Using SDI and Web-based System to Facilitate Disaster Management.pdf

Abbas Rajabifard

Papers

Land Administration for Sustainable Development

Assessing the worldwide developments of national spatial data clearinghouses

Developing Spatial Data Infrastructures: From Concept to Reality

Using SDI and web-based system to facilitate disaster management

Future directions for SDI development