Showing papers on "Resource management published in 1997"

Technical and strategic human resource management effectiveness as determinants of firm performance

Abstract: We evaluated the impact of human resource (HR) managers' capabilities on HR management effectiveness and the latter's impact on corporate financial performance. For 293 U.S. firms, effectiveness was associated with capabilities and attributes of HR staff. We also found relationships between HR management effectiveness and productivity, cash flow, and market value. Findings were consistent across market and accounting measures of performance and with corrections for biases.

A resource allocation model for QoS management

Abstract: Quality of service (QoS) has been receiving wide attention in many research communities including networking, multimedia systems, real-time systems and distributed systems. In large distributed systems such as those used in defense systems, on-demand service and inter-networked systems, applications contending for system resources must satisfy timing, reliability and security constraints as well as application-specific quality requirements. Allocating sufficient resources to different applications in order to satisfy various requirements is a fundamental problem in these situations. A basic yet flexible model for performance-driven resource allocations can therefore be useful in making appropriate tradeoffs. We present an analytical model for QoS management in systems which must satisfy application needs along multiple dimensions such as timeliness, reliable delivery schemes, cryptographic security and data quality. We refer to this model as Q-RAM (QoS-based Resource Allocation Model). The model assumes a system with multiple concurrent applications, each of which can operate at different levels of quality based on the system resources available to it. The goal of the model is to be able to allocate resources to the various applications such that the overall system utility is maximized under the constraint that each application can meet its minimum needs. We identify resource profiles of applications which allow such decisions to be made efficiently and in real-time. We also identify application utility functions along different dimensions which are composable to form unique application requirement profiles. We use a video-conferencing system to illustrate the model.

Interorganizational links and innovation: the case of hospital services

Abstract: Interorganizational links—cooperative relationships among distinct but related organizations—are believed to enhance innovative processes in organizations. We conceptualize various types of interor...

Distinguishing between watersheds and ecoregions

Abstract: In an effort to adopt more holistic ecosystem approaches to resource assessment and management, many state and federal agencies have begun using watershed or ecoregion frameworks. Although few would question the need to make this move from dealing with problems and issues on a case by case or point-type basis to broader regional contexts, misunderstanding of each of the frameworks has resulted in inconsistency in their use and ultimate effectiveness. The focus of this paper is on the clarification of both frameworks. We stress that the issue is not whether to use watersheds (or basins or hydrologic units) or ecoregions for needs such as developing ecosystem management and non-point source pollution strategies or structuring water quality regulatory programs, but how to correctly use the frameworks together. Definitions, uses, and misuses of each of the frameworks are discussed as well as ways watersheds and ecoregions can be and have been used together effectively to meet resource management needs.

A pragmatic approach to modeling for wildlife management

Abstract: I contrast 2 views of modeling: the model as a representation of truth and the model as a problem-solving tool. Examples are given of how, in the latter case, the objective drives the design of small, simple models that focus relentlessly on the problem to be solved. A number of applications for small, focused models are offered. I stress the need for wildlife professionals to develop the skills for constructing and using such models on a regular basis; I end with ideas about how to create a modeling culture in conservation and resource management organizations.

Resource and environmental management.

Abstract: Preface 1. Change, complexity, uncertainty and conflict 2. Turbulence and planning 3. Looking to the future 4. Sustainability 5. Ecosystem approach 6. Learning organizations and adaptive management 7. Assessing alternatives 8. Partnerships and stakeholders 9. Local knowledge systems 10. Gender and development 11. Alternative dispute resolution 12. Implementation 13. Monitoring and assessment 14. Managing for environmental justice

Theory in Practice: Applying Participatory Democracy Theory to Public Land Planning

Abstract: / Application of participatory democracy theory to public participation in public land planning, while widely advocated, has not been closely examined. A case study is used here to explicate the application of participatory democracy concepts to public participation in public land planning and decision making. In this case, a Bureau of Land Management resource area manager decided to make a significant shift from the traditional public involvement process to a more participatory method-coordinated resource management (CRM). This case was assessed using document analysis, direct observation of CRM meetings, questionnaires, and interviews of key participants. These sources were used to examine the CRM case using participatory democracy concepts of efficacy, access and representation, continuous participation throughout planning, information exchange and learning, and decision-making authority. The case study suggests that social deliberation in itself does not ensure successful collaboration and that establishing rules of operation and decision making within the group is critical. Furthermore, conflicts between the concept of shared decision-making authority and the public land management agencies' accountability to Congress, the President, and the courts need further consideration.KEY WORDS: Case study; Coordinated resource management; Public participation; Administrative discretion; Representation; Consensus; Collaboration

Taxonomy for QoS specifications

Abstract: It is becoming increasingly commonplace for multiple applications with different quality of service (QoS) requirements to share the resources of a distributed system. Within this environment, the resource management algorithms must take into account the QoS desired by applications and the ability of the system resources to provide it. We present a taxonomy for specifying QoS for the different components of a distributed system, from the applications down to the resources. We specify QoS as a combination of metrics and policies. QoS metrics are used to specify performance parameters, security requirements and the relative importance of the work in the system. We define three types of QoS performance parameters: timeliness, precision, and accuracy. QoS policies capture application-specific policies that govern how an application is treated by the resource manager. Examples of such policies are management policies and the levels of service. We explore each of these components of the QoS taxonomy in detail.

Is scientific inquiry incompatible with government information control

Abstract: Government-administered science in Canada, and its potential for bureaucratic and political interference, merits examination in the wake of the biological and socioeconomic catastrophes associated ...

Radio resource management in future wireless networks: requirements and limitations

Abstract: Comparing market estimates for wireless personal communication and considering proposals for wideband multimedia services with the existing spectrum allocations for these types of systems show that spectrum resource management remains an important topic in the near and distant future. In this article the authors start by presenting a quite general formulation of the radio resource management problem where the three key allocation decisions are concerned with waveforms ("channels"), access ports (or base stations), and, finally, with transmitter power. Some approaches to these problems found in the literature are reviewed. In particular, the principles of random channel allocation schemes, as found in frequency-hopping or direct-sequence CDMA systems, are compared with deterministic dynamic channel allocation schemes. The article closes by giving an outlook of some of the key problems in resource management in future wireless multimedia systems.

Archaeology and geographical information systems : a European perspective

Abstract: A view from across the water: the North American experience in archaeological GIS GIS and archeological resource management - a European agenda To be or not to be: will an object-space-time GIS/AIS become a reality or end up an archaeological entity? Beyond GIS Perceiving time and space in an isostatically rising region Cumulative Viewshed Analysis: a GIS-based method for investigating intervisibility, and its archaeological application The impact of GIS in archaeology: a personal perspective Another way to deal with maps in archaeological GIS.

Implementing a Performance Forecasting System for Metacomputing The Network Weather Service

Abstract: In this paper we describe the design and implementation of a system called the Network Weather Service (NWS) that takes periodic measurements of deliverable resource performance from distributed networked resources, and uses numerical models to dynamically generate forecasts of future performance levels. These performance forecasts, along with measures of performance fluctuation (e.g the mean square prediction error) and forecast lifetime that the NWS generates, are made available to schedulers and other resource management mechanisms at runtime so that they may determine the quality-of-service that will be available from each resource. We describe the architecture of the NWS and implementations that we have developed and are currently deploying for the Legion [13] and Globus/Nexus [7] metacomputing infrastructures. We also detail NWS forecasts of resource performance using both the Legion and Globus/Nexus implementations. Our results show that simple forecasting techniques substantially outperform measurements of current conditions (commonly used to gauge resource availability and load) in terms of prediction accuracy. In addition, the techniques we have employed are almost as accurate as substantially more complex modeling methods. We compare our techniques to a sophisticated time-series analysis system in terms of forecasting accuracy and computational complexity.

Policy dimensions of human resource management in the tourism and hospitality industries

Abstract: Develops the view that human resource management is a central strategic and operational concern within the tourism and hospitality industries, with implications for quality and market positioning of tourism at local, regional and national levels. Suggests that all stakeholders, be they public or private sector, visitor or host community, would benefit from a close integration of human resource, labour market and education policies. Presents two studies which substantiate this view: one which generally examines policies for human resource development, and another which addresses the policy issues involved.

Bayesian decision analysis for environmental and resource management

Abstract: During the last two decades, much of the theoretical and practical advances in Bayesian decision analysis have been closely linked to the adaptation of emerging new computational — usually Artificial Intelligence — techniques and to progress in computer software, respectively. This paper documents and discusses experience on the use of two recent network model approaches, influence diagrams and belief networks, and relates those approaches to decision trees. They both allow probabilistic, Bayesian studies with classical decision analytic concepts such as risk attitude analysis, value of information and control, multi-attribute analysis, and various structural analyses. The theory of influence diagrams dates back to the early 1980s, and a variety of commercial software are on market. Belief network is a more recent concept that is under process of finding its way to applications. Illustration on environmental and resource management is provided with examples on freshwater and fisheries studies.

Canadian Natural Resource and Environmental Policy: Political Economy and Public Policy

Abstract: Figures and Tables Preface Acknowledgments Part 1: Introduction 1 Canadian Natural Resource and Environmental Policy: Issues and Approaches Part 2: The Context(s) of Canadian Natural Resource and Environmental Policy 2 The Socioeconomic Context: Canadian Resource Industries and the Postwar Canadian Political Economy 3 The Institutional Context: The Canadian Constitution, Aboriginal Rights, and International Agreements Affecting Resources and the Environment Part 3: Analyzing Natural Resource and Environmental Policy 4 The Resource and Environmental Policy Process: An Analytical Framework Part 4: The Canadian Natural Resource and Environmental Policy Process 5 Agenda Setting: The Role of the Public in Resource and Environmental Policy Formation 6 Policy Formulation: Identifying the Canadian Resource and Environmental Policy Subsystem 7 Decision Making: The Politics of Canadian Resource and Environmental Policy 8 Policy Implementation: The Administration of Canadian Resource and Environmental Policy 9 Policy Evaluation: The Political, Administrative, and Judicial Assessment of Canadian Resource and Environmental Policy 10 Conclusion: The Future of the Canadian Resource and Environmental Policy Paradigm Notes Bibliography Index

Managing in the Public Sector

Abstract: Using the book effectively understanding the public sector: the public sector environment what has changed in the public sector competition and the contract culture the competent manager in the public sector: resource management staffing issues resource management finance issues resource management systems issues resource management customer issues broader issues and the public sector: the strategic perspective performance criteria and the Citizens Charter comparisons and lessons from bringing it all together: the future implications for public sector managers. Appendix A - action planning. Appendix B - guidance notes on management portfolio preparation. Appendix C - annotated bibliography.

Concepts for Resource Reservation in Advance

Abstract: Resource management offers Quality-of-Service reliability for time-critical continuous-media applications. Currently, existing resource management systems in the Internet and ATM domain only provide means to reserve resources starting with the reservation attempt and lasting for an unspecified duration. However, for several applications such as video conferencing, the ability to reserve the required resources in advance is of great advantage. This paper outlines a new model for resource reservation in advance. We identify and discuss issues to be resolved for allowing resource reservation in advance. We show how the resource reservation in advance scheme can be embedded in a general architecture and describe the design and implementation of a resource management system providing reservation in advance functionality.

Remote resource management system for automatically downloading required files from application server depending on contents of selected files on requesting computer

Abstract: A remote resource management system for maintaining resources shared in a distributed computing system, which downloads only such resources that are the most suitable for an application requested by a user. When a user selects an application at a terminal computer, an application server computer providing the selected application will determine the most suitable resources for the selected application by consulting a resource linkage manager disposed therein. The application server transfers information advising the suitable resources, together with a download agent, to the terminal computer. In the terminal computer, the download agent determines whether the resources should be newly downloaded or not, referring to local resource management information that describes what resources exist in the terminal computer. If downloading is necessary, the resource management system locates the necessary resource files by using a downloadable resource management directory in a resource server computer. The resource files are downloaded from downloadable resource storage in the resource server computer, and installed into the terminal computer system according to a specified installation mode. When the installation is finished, the download agent will be unloaded, and the application runs with the downloaded resources.

Spatial and Temporal Specialization in Forest Ecosystem Management Under Sole Ownership

Abstract: “Ecosystem management” complicates forest management considerably. In this paper we extend the economic analysis of forestry to capture both the temporal and the spatial dimensions, allowing optimization of timber harvest decisions throughout an ecosystem. Dynamic programming simulations illustrate the implications for the simplest ecosystem, consisting of two forest management units. Results indicate that explicit recognition of ecological interactions, even between identical forest stands, may prescribe specialization through time and across space. Such spatial and temporal specialization leverages opportunities to provide ecosystem goods that may be foregone through reliance on “rules of thumb” derived from models that focus on the single stand. Key nerds: ecological economics, forest management, Hartman, ecosystem management economics Present-day ecosystem management represents a structural shift in the philosophy of resource management. Public forest management and policy objectives have developed from initial interest in commercial products to broad mandates for multiple-use, multiresource management (Behan), as managers balance the consumptive needs of society with a desire to maintain biological diversity and functions of ecosystems (Swallow). Ecosystem management complicates policy decisions considerably. Existing economic models of forest management are inadequate because they fail to account for the spatial relationships that determine many ecosystem functions. The traditional forest management approach is primarily based on the stand-level harvest models of Faustmann as ex

Societies and nature in the Sahel

Abstract: This book explores the links between environment and social systems in the Sahel, integrating ecological, demographic, economic, technical, social and cultural factors. Examining the conditions for land occupation and natural resource use, it offers a conceptual and practical approach to social organization and environmental management.

Optimal Management of a Renewable and Replaceable Resource: The Case of Coastal Groundwater

Abstract: The nonrenewable-with-backstop model of resource management is extended to cover renewables and applied to the case of coastal groundwater. In the optimal management trajectory, efficiency price exceeds extraction cost by the sum of scarcity rent and “drawdown” cost, the latter remaining large even after the backstop price is reached. In the case of rising demand, optimal management may call for a stage of conservation followed by a stage of drawdown.

Multiple uses of common pool resources in semi-arid west africa: a survey of existing practices and options for sustainable resource management

Abstract: Common pool resources such as rangeland, forests, fallow fields and ponds provide an array of social and economic benefits for a wide variety of users in semi-arid west Africa. However, poor definition and enforcement of the institutional arrangements governing the use of these resources sometimes lead to social conflicts and resource degradation. This paper examines why institutional arrangements are at times weak, and suggests what action can be taken.

Acceptance of scientific management by natural resource dependent communities

Abstract: We explore the reaction of two resource dependent communities, west Texas ranchers and Gulf Coast oyster fishers, to scientific resource management. We examine the criteria these two social groups use to judge scientific claims, and by extension, scientific resource management. Although scientists rely on factors internal to the scientific enterprise (e.g., methodological rigor), natural resource dependent communities such as ranchers and fishers may rely on factors external to the scientific process. Such factors include the histori- cal relationship the community has had with the managing agency, the extent to which scientific explana- tions match local experience, the conceptual fit between managers' and communities' views of the appropri- ate relationship between humans and nature, and the resources available to the community to argue against regulation. We conclude that (1) agencies should explore the possibility of including the experiential knowl- edge of natural resource users where applicable and (2) agencies should recognize that communication skills can be as important as scientific skills in reaching management goals.

Decentralization and coordination of water resource management

Abstract: 1. Introduction and Overview D.D. Parker, Y. Tsur. Part I: Regional Water Constraints: Middle East, California, Florida, and Australia. 2. The Israel Water Economy: An Overview D. Yaron. 3. The Jordan River Basin: Beyond National Concerns J. Kindler. 4. Water Resources in Turkey: Availability, Use, and Management E.H. Cakmak. 5. California's Water Resources and Institutions D.D. Parker. 6. Decentralized Water Allocation in Florida W.G. Boggess. 7. Australia's Water Situation: Resource Allocation and Management in a Maturing System J.J. Pigram. Part II: Economic Modeling of Decentralized Water Management Policies. A: Political Economy of Water Allocation. 8. The Political Economy of Domestic Water Allocation: The Cases of Israel and Jordan R.E. Just, et al. 9. Transboundary Water Agreements and Development Assistance G.B. Frisvold, M.F. Caswell. 10. Informational Imperfections in Water Resource Systems and the Political Economy of Water Supply and Pricing in Israel P. Zusman. 11. The Strategic Interdependence of a Shared Water Aquifer: A General Equilibrium Analysis T. Roe, Xinshen Diao. B: Water Institutions: Transition to Markets and Other Decentralized Allocation Mechanisms. 12. Designing Institutions for Water Management J. Roumasset. 13. Employing Market Mechanisms to Encourage Efficient Use of Water in the Middle East N. Becker, et al. 14. Efficient Management of Water in Agriculture D. Zilberman, et al. 15. Deriving Short-Run, Multistage Demand Curves and Simulating Market Prices for Reservoir Water Under Weather Uncertainty N. Dudley, B. Scott. 16. Water Institutions, Incentives, and Markets K.W. Easter, G. Feder. C: Incorporating Uncertainty in Resource Management Models. 17. On Event Uncertainty and Renewable Resource Management Y. Tsur, A. Zemel. 18. Quantifying Tradeoffs Between In-Stream and Off-Stream Uses Under Weather Uncertainty N. Dudley, B. Scott. 19. An Ex Ante Approach to Modeling Investment in New Technology A.P. Thurow, et al. 20. The Economics of Conjunctive Ground and Surface Water Irrigation Systems: Basic Principles and Empirical Evidence from Southern California Y. Tsur. Part III: Case Studies. 21. Peace and Prospects for International Water Projects in the Jordan-Yarmouk River Basin R.E. Just, et al. 22. Modeling the Impacts of Reducing Agricultural Water Supplies: Lessons from California's Bay/Delta Problem D. Sunding, et al. 23. Water and Conflict in the Twenty-First Century: The Middle East and California P.H. Gleick. 24. Decentralized Mechanisms and Institutions for Managing Water Resources: Reflections on Experiences from Australia W. Musgrave. Index.