Showing papers on "Resource management published in 2000"

Rediscovery of traditional ecological knowledge as adaptive management

Abstract: Indigenous groups offer alternative knowledge and perspectives based on their own locally developed practices of resource use. We surveyed the international literature to focus on the role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in monitoring, responding to, and managing ecosystem processes and functions, with special attention to ecological resilience. Case studies revealed that there exists a diversity of local or traditional practices for ecosystem management. These include multiple species management, resource rotation, succession management, landscape patchiness management, and other ways of responding to and managing pulses and ecological surprises. Social mechanisms behind these traditional practices include a number of adaptations for the generation, accumulation, and transmission of knowledge; the use of local institutions to provide leaders/stewards and rules for social regulation; mechanisms for cultural internalization of traditional practices; and the development of appropriate world views and cultural values. Some traditional knowledge and management systems were characterized by the use of local ecological knowledge to interpret and respond to feedbacks from the environment to guide the direction of resource management. These traditional systems had certain similarities to adaptive management with its emphasis on feedback learning, and its treatment of uncertainty and unpredictability intrinsic to all ecosystems.

Halting Degradation of Natural Resources: Is There a Role for Rural Communities?

Abstract: This wide-ranging book, based on a report to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, bridges the gap between the enormous amount of empirical literature documenting efforts at managing local-level resources and the quickly growing body of theoretical knowledge dealing with natural resource management By building a unifying framework, the authors aim to better define the conditions of success or failure of various forms of resource management at the village level Contrary to a common view according to which mismanagement of such resources is to be ascribed to direct users falling prey to the Tragedy of the Commons', they convincingly argue that there are other important potential explanations, such as lack of awareness about ecological effects of human activities, poverty and heavy discounting of future income streams, uncertainty over future property rights and prices of natural products, and availability of more attractive income opportunities Moreover, even when mismanagement practices obviously result from strategic interactions among users, many anthropological writings have pointed at crucial aspects that are bypassed by the characterization in terms of the classical Prisoner's Dilemma Among these aspects, problems of leadership, co-ordination, and heterogeneity are given special emphasis in this book The theoretical analysis specifies the various economic conditions (such as the extent of resource scarcity and market penetration, the size of user communities, and the nature of different parties' interests in the resource) and social considerations (such as the state of interpersonal communication, the frequency of interactions, the type of leadership, and the extent of mutual trust) under which these problems can possibly be overcome by local user groups Stress is then laid on the global context within which user groups operate, including the nature and the forms of state intervention and the effects of increasing market integration To date, this context has generally been uncongenial to community-based resource management; therefore, the authors recommend that, whenever a co-management approach is feasible, the concrete institutional form adopted is tailored to the specific features of local cultures

Nimrod/G: an architecture for a resource management and scheduling system in a global computational grid

Abstract: The availability of powerful microprocessors and high-speed networks as commodity components has enabled high-performance computing on distributed systems (wide-area cluster computing). In this environment, as the resources are usually distributed geographically at various levels (department, enterprise or worldwide), there is a great challenge in integrating, coordinating and presenting them as a single resource to the user, thus forming a computational grid. Another challenge comes from the distributed ownership of resources, with each resource having its own access policy, cost and mechanism. The proposed Nimrod/G grid-enabled resource management and scheduling system builds on our earlier work on Nimrod (D. Abramson et al., 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000) and follows a modular and component-based architecture enabling extensibility, portability, ease of development, and interoperability of independently developed components. It uses the GUSTO (GlobUS TOolkit) services and can be easily extended to operate with any other emerging grid middleware services. It focuses on the management and scheduling of computations over dynamic resources scattered geographically across the Internet at department, enterprise or global levels, with particular emphasis on developing scheduling schemes based on the concept of computational economy for a real testbed, namely the Globus testbed (GUSTO).

Interpersonal and Interaction Influences on Informal Resource Exchanges Between R&D Researchers Across Organizational Boundaries

Abstract: Though key to fostering innovation, interpersonal exchanges of resources between R&D scientists across organizational boundaries can represent intellectual capital leaks. A grounded theoretical fra...

Strategies for implementing knowledge management: role of human resources management

Abstract: The successful implementation of new technologies is dependent on many factors including the efficient management of human resources. Furthermore, recent research indicates that intellectual assets and resources can be utilised much more efficiently and effectively if organisations apply knowledge management techniques for leveraging their human resources and enhancing their personnel management. The human resources departments are well positioned to ensure the success of knowledge management programs, which are directed at capturing, using and re‐using employees’ knowledge. Through human resources management a culture that encourages the free flow of knowledge for meeting organisational goals can be created. The strategic role of the human resources department in identifying strategic and knowledge gaps using knowledge mapping is discussed in this paper. In addition, the drivers and implementation strategies for knowledge management programs are proposed.

Human Resource Management Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Unanswered Questions and Future Research Perspectives:

Abstract: A qualitative assessment is used to identify and describe the “gaps” between concerns entrepreneurs have about human resource management issues in growing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Real-Time Systems

Abstract: From the Publisher: Real-Time Systems is both a valuable reference for professionals and an advanced text for Computer Science and Computer Engineering students. Real world real-time applications based on research and practice State-of-the-art algorithms and methods for validation Methods for end-to-end scheduling and resource management More than 100 illustrations to enhance understanding Comprehensive treatment of the technology known as RMA (rate-monotonic analysis) methods A supplemental Companion Website www.prenhall.com/liu

Resource management in a clustered computer system

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are provided for managing resources in a computing cluster. The managed resources include cluster nodes themselves, as well as sharable resources such as memory buffers and bandwidth credits that may be used by one or more nodes. Resource management includes detecting failures and possible failures by node software, node hardware, interconnects, and system area network switches and taking steps to compensate for failures and prevent problems such as uncoordinated access to a shared disk. Resource management also includes reallocating sharable resources in response to node failure, demands by application programs, or other events. Specific examples provided include failure detection by remote memory probes, emergency communication through a shared disk, and sharable resource allocation with minimal locking.

A quality of service architecture that combines resource reservation and application adaptation

Abstract: Reservation and adaptation are two well-known and effective techniques for enhancing the end-to-end performance of network applications. However, both techniques also have limitations, particularly when dealing with high-bandwidth, dynamic flows: fixed-capability reservations tend to be wasteful of resources and hinder graceful degradation in the face of congestion, while adaptive techniques fail when congestion becomes excessive. We propose an approach to quality of service (QoS) that overcomes these difficulties by combining features of reservations and adaptation. In this approach, a combination of online control interfaces for resource management, a sensor permitting online monitoring, and decision procedures embedded in resources enable a rich variety of dynamic feedback interactions between applications and resources. We describe a QoS architecture, GARA, that has been extended to support these mechanisms, and use three examples of application-level adaptive strategies to show how this framework can permit applications to adapt both their resource requests and behavior in response to online sensor information.

Nimrod/G: An Architecture of a Resource Management and Scheduling System in a Global Computational Grid

Abstract: The availability of powerful microprocessors and high-speed networks as commodity components has enabled high performance computing on distributed systems (wide-area cluster computing). In this environment, as the resources are usually distributed geographically at various levels (department, enterprise, or worldwide) there is a great challenge in integrating, coordinating and presenting them as a single resource to the user; thus forming a computational grid. Another challenge comes from the distributed ownership of resources with each resource having its own access policy, cost, and mechanism. The proposed Nimrod/G grid-enabled resource management and scheduling system builds on our earlier work on Nimrod and follows a modular and component-based architecture enabling extensibility, portability, ease of development, and interoperability of independently developed components. It uses the Globus toolkit services and can be easily extended to operate with any other emerging grid middleware services. It focuses on the management and scheduling of computations over dynamic resources scattered geographically across the Internet at department, enterprise, or global level with particular emphasis on developing scheduling schemes based on the concept of computational economy for a real test bed, namely, the Globus testbed (GUSTO).

Recreation Impacts and Management in Wilderness: A State-of-Knowledge Review

Abstract: This paper reviews the body of literature on recreation resource impacts and their management in the United States, with a primary focus on research within designated wildernesses during the past 15 years since the previous review (Cole 1987b). Recreation impacts have become a salient issue among wilderness scientists, managers and advocates alike. Studies of recreation impacts, referred to as recreation ecology, have expanded and diversified. Research has shifted its focus more towards questions driven by wilderness and park planning frameworks such the Limits of Acceptable Change and the Visitor Experience and Resource Protection. This paper begins by providing an overview of recreation impacts and their significance in wilderness, followed by a review of research approaches and methods. Major findings from recent studies are summarized. The contribution of this knowledge base to management decisionmaking and practices is examined. The paper concludes with a discussion of major knowledge gaps and suggested areas for future research. The passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964 and the creation of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) marked a milestone in nature conservation in the United States. The system has expanded from 54 units and 9 million acres at its inception to 624 wilderness areas and 104 million acres by 1998 (Landres and Meyer 1998). The Wilderness Act recognizes the value of wilderness recreation and specifies that unconfined and undeveloped recreational opportunities are to be provided in wilderness areas as a legitimate type of use. Results from recent recreation trends studies show that wilderness visitation has experienced impressive growth during the past three decades (Cole 1996). Hiking, overnight camping, wildlife viewing, horseback riding and nature study remain popular activities, and participation in more specialized activities, such as caving and rock climbing, is increasing. In-depth discussion of wilderness recreational use and user trends is provided in another state-of-knowledge review (Watson, this volume). Continued growth in recreational use in wilderness has tremendous environmental, economic and social implications. This paper focuses on the environmental challenges wilderness managers face in addressing a large and expanding number of recreationists and their associated impacts. Sustaining current use and accommodating future growth in wilderness visitation while achieving an appropriate balance with resource protection presents a considerable challenge. Scope and Definitions ___________ Several definitions and limitations are provided here to clarify this discussion. The term impact is used to denote any undesirable visitor-related biophysical change of the wilderness resource. Social impacts are excluded from this review. The scope of this paper is generally limited to studies conducted in wildernesses designated by Congress. However, research studies from similar backcountry areas outside the NWPS are occasionally included for comparison. Active research in recreation impacts exists in other countries such as Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, but this body of international literature deserves a separate review. Finally, this paper limits its scope to recreation impacts generated from within wilderness boundaries, although recreational use and development outside wilderness boundaries can pose an external threat to the integrity of wilderness resources (Cole and Landres 1996). The Field of Recreation Ecology ___ Negative impacts on wilderness are an inevitable consequence of recreation. Even the most thoughtful visitors would leave footprints and unintentionally disturb wildlife. As recreation is a legitimate use in wilderness areas, the issue for managers is at what level do resource impacts become unacceptable based on wilderness management goals and mandates. Recreation activities can cause impact to all resource elements in a wilderness ecosystem. Soil, vegetation, wildlife and water are four primary components that are affected (Table 1). Because various ecological components are interrelated, recreation impact on a single ecological element can eventually result in effects on multiple components (Hammitt and Cole 1998). The scientific study of recreation impacts, also referred to as recreation ecology, is a research response to the knowledge gaps and information needs about evergrowing visitor impacts in wilderness as well as other protected areas. Recreation ecology can be defined as the field of study that examines, assesses and monitors visitor impacts, typically to protected natural areas, and their relationships to influential factors (Hammitt and Cole 1998; Liddle 1997; Marion 1998). Such knowledge can help managers identify and evaluate resource impacts, facilitating understanding of causes and

Moral Ecological Rationality, Institutions and the Management of Common Property Resources

Abstract: This article considers theories of collective action in relation to the management of communal water resources in Nkayi District, Zimbabwe. Taking a critical view of institutional explanations of common property resource management, it illustrates how the addition of social theory can enrich such approaches. The prevalence of rational choice premises in defining the problem of collective action and the persuasiveness of institutionalism in apparently offering solutions to it is questioned. The article rejects simple evolutionary theorizing about institutions in favour of an embedded approach that allows for complexity, for the social and historical location of collective action and for an examination of the interface between agent and structure. It is argued here that collective management of water supplies does exist but that it is more partial, changeable and evolving and less attributable to single factors than suggested in much of the literature.

Enterprise resource planning: introduction

Abstract: Enterprise resource planning systems are configurable information systems packages that integrate information and information-based processes within and across functional areas in an organization. The current generation of ERP systems also provides reference models or process templates that claim to embody the current best business practices.

Co-management of natural resources: organizing, negotiating and learning-by-doing

Abstract: Is it possible to go beyond what the State declares to be the best way to manage natural resources? If yes, how? This publication attempst to answer these questions, by providing a practical manual for project officers, community members, government staff, NGO staff and others interested in participatory approaches to managing natural resources. It offers guidelines, checklists, concepts, ideas and a range of methods and tools to facilitate a co-management process. By making these available, it is hoped that a variety of social actors will be assisted as they strive to figure out "how best to manage natural resources".

Enterprise resource planning: the emerging organizational value systems

Abstract: Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a set of applications that automate finance and human resource departments and help manufacturers handle jobs such as order processing and production scheduling. This paper attempts to provide an overview of an ERP system along with the real experiences of its implementation. Reports results of a survey of several ERP companies and considers factors such as future trends in ERP including developments such as Web‐based procurement applications and outsourcing of ERP applications. Suggests some challenges for ERP, such as the need to ensure global compatibility and flexibility.

Cluster reserves: a mechanism for resource management in cluster-based network servers

Abstract: In network (e.g., Web) servers, it is often desirable to isolate the performance of different classes of requests from each other. That is, one seeks to achieve that a certain minimal proportion of server resources are available for a class of requests, independent of the load imposed by other requests. Recent work demonstrates how to achieve this performance isolation in servers consisting of a single, centralized node; however, achieving performance isolation in a distributed, cluster based server remains a problem.This paper introduces a new abstraction, the cluster reserve, which represents a resource principal in a cluster based network server. We present a design and evaluate a prototype implementation that extends existing techniques for performance isolation on a single node server to cluster based servers.In our design, the dynamic cluster-wide resource management problem is formulated as a constrained optimization problem, with the resource allocations on individual machines as independent variables, and the desired cluster-wide resource allocations as constraints. Periodically collected resource usages serve as further inputs to the problem.Experimental results show that cluster reserves are effective in providing performance isolation in cluster based servers. We demonstrate that, in a number of different scenarios, cluster reserves are effective in ensuring performance isolation while enabling high utilization of the server resources.

Pricing for QoS-enabled networks: A survey

Abstract: A complete solution to the problem of providing adequate quality of service (QoS) to heterogeneous users must take into account the issue of pricing. By adopting an appropriate pricing policy and by setting prices carefully, a service provider will be able to offer the necessary incentives for each user to choose the service that best matches his⁄her needs, thereby discouraging over-allocation of resources and maximizing revenue and⁄or social welfare. In this article, we survey some of the recent research in the literature dealing with service pricing in multi-service networks. All of the work surveyed here addresses the relationship between prices and traffic management functions such as congestion control, resource provisioning, and call admission control. We summarize proposed pricing policies for the Internet and for ATM networks, as well as some studies of pricing for general QoS-enabled networks.

Material Flow Analysis: A tool to support environmental policy decision making. Case-studies on the city of Vienna and the Swiss lowlands

Abstract: This paper discusses the use of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) as a tool to support policy decision making in the field of resource and environmental management. In terms of policy, MFA can be used for early recognition, priority setting, to analyse and improve the effectiveness of measures and to design efficient material management strategies in view of sustainability. MFA has a high potential to be implemented as a guiding tool at the regional level, for example as part of a regional environmental management and audit system or as a part of the Local Agenda 21 process. Material management based on MFA is complementary to traditional environmental and resource management strategies, which have tended to focus heavily on specific environmental compartments, and measure the concentration of substances in various media. MFA, in contrast, provides an overview of the total system by linking the anthroposphere (that part of the biosphere in which humans' activities take place) with the environment. This system ...

Property rights, collective action and technologies for natural resource management

Abstract: Degradation of natural resources has become a global problem, with serious impact on the livelihood of millions of poor people. Many promising technologies (including resource management practices) are available to address these problems, but often they are not adopted. Why is this? Although many factors can be identified, lack of secure property rights and collective action deserve greater attention from policymakers and technology developers.