An empirical study of the impacts of integrating business planning and information systems planning

This study reports on a follow-up analysis of a prior study (Teo & King, 1996, Information and Management) of the impact of the integration of information systems planning (ISP) with business planning (BP) on organizational performance. The empirical data are re-analysed using path analysis in order to determine the direct and indirect impacts of BP-ISP integration on intermediate performance measures related to ISP process and output problems, as well as on five perceptual measures of organizational performance. The results empirically substantiate the importance of BP-ISP integration, since higher levels of integration were found to have a significant inverse relationship with the extent of both process and output varieties of ISP problems and a significant positive relationship with each of the five perceptual measures of the extent of IS contributions to overall organization performance.     

Interference effects between modes in open resonators

Interference effects between modes in open-resonators may seriously modify the resonance characteristics. Constructive and destructive interference may take place. For multimode conditions many path lengths exhibit resonance modification.     

The biomechanics of lumbar graded facetectomy under anterior-shear load

In this paper, an anatomically accurate three-dimensional finite-element (FE) model of the human lumbar spine (L2-L3) was used to study the biomechanical effects of graded bilateral and unilateral facetectomies of L3 under anterior shear. The intact L2-L3 FE model was validated under compression, tension, and shear loading and the predicted responses matched well with experimental data. The gross external (translational and coupled) responses, flexibilities, and facet load were delineated for these iatrogenic changes. Results indicted that unilateral facetectomy of greater than 75% and bilateral facetectomy of 75% or more resection markedly alter the translational displacement and flexibilities of the motion segment. This study suggests that fixation or fusion to restore strength and stability of the lumbar spine may be required for surgical intervention of greater than 75% facetectomy.     

Legal Framework for Alternative Dispute Resolution: Examination of the Singapore National Legal System for Arbitration

Effectiveness of any alternative dispute resolution (ADR) method depends on the national legal system to which it is subjected. In Singapore, the increasing growth in the use of ADR methods may be adduced to developments in the Singapore legal environment. This paper reviews the characteristics of the Singapore national legal system for arbitration. It examines how the legal system facilitates effective use of ADR. By its features, the Singapore national legal system ensures parties’ autonomy but deters parties from taking opportunistic advantage of the voluntary nature of ADR. It enables procedural flexibility, and confidentiality of arbitration proceedings. It insulates the arbitration process from intervention from the Singapore courts and from corruption; and it provides maximum judicial support in the arbitral process. Hence, it ensures that disputes can be brought to a conclusion within a reasonable amount of time, at a reasonable cost, as well as preserving business relationships. The Singapore legal system insures the integrity of arbitration and the independence of arbitrators and arbitral institutions by immunity provisions. In addition, the legal system enhances the use of mediation and conciliation in a sequential tier with arbitration by providing a time limit for mediation or conciliation to terminate should they fail to produce a mutually acceptable settlement. In Singapore, the court system is generally known to be efficient; hence, ADR faces the practical challenge of becoming lengthier than court proceedings. The continuing search for and use of expedited arbitration procedures by arbitral institutions such as the Singapore International Arbitration Centre should reduce this challenge. This paper provides useful information on how a national legal system may be designed to support the use of ADR methods and facilitate their effectiveness.     

Empirical Investigation into Factors Affecting Exporting Construction Services in SMEs in Singapore

The Singapore government is encouraging construction enterprises to venture abroad for exporting their services and become global players since the local construction pie is shrinking and the global market is growing. The Building and Construction Authority of Singapore has revamped the contractors registration system with the hope of bringing about merger and acquisition of companies for improving the local contractors’ standing in the global construction scene. To diversify into new markets in a new environment, which is very different from local environment, requires diversification vis-à-vis exporting strategy. This study examines the attitudes and views of contractors, operating in Singapore (excluding foreign contractors), on how the strategic move should be focused for diversification vis-à-vis exporting services. The aim of this study is to establish the survival skills necessary for Singapore’s construction small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to venture abroad. A postal questionnaire survey was conducted and the results show that local construction SMEs who have diversified have reaped the benefits derived from diversification into new markets abroad. The main conclusions are that construction SMEs have to export their services in order to survive and they can enhance their export capabilities by forming a consortium with the help of local government.     

Transient Modeling and Analysis of Pulse-Width Modulated Z-Source Inverter

The newly proposed Z-Source inverter has been proven in the literature to exhibit both steady-state voltage buck and boost capabilities using a unique LC impedance network coupled between the power source and converter circuit. This paper now presents transient modeling and analysis of a voltage-type Z-source inverter. These aspects are found to be challenging and they need to be carefully investigated before attempting to design advanced control algorithms for controlling the Z-source inverter. Through detailed analysis, the paper identifies several phenomena on the dc and ac-sides of the inverter, which would result in the inverter having a non-minimum-phase transient response. The dc-side phenomenon is associated with the Z-source impedance network, which is shown through small-signal and signal-flow-graph analyses to be having a right-half-plane zero in its control-to-output transfer function. Also, the ac-side phenomenon is shown through space vector analysis to depend on the time intervals of inverter states used for reconstructing the desired inverter output voltage. Based on the ac vectorial analysis, a method for improving the inverter transient response is also presented. Last, simulation results obtained using a switching-functional model and experimental results obtained using a laboratory prototype are presented for validating the described theoretical concepts     

Predictive Simulation of Advanced Nano-CMOS Devices Based on kMC Process Simulation

In this paper, accurate and advanced CMOS process and device simulations based on atomistic kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) process simulator are presented. First, the methodology used to predict continuum 2-D/3-D doping profiles from 3-D atomistic distribution that can be directly transferred from process to device simulator is described. Calibration of damage evolution, dopant diffusion and clustering, interaction with interfaces, and the impact of impurities, which are crucial for accurate simulations, will be presented and discussed. Subsequently, comparison with a wide range of electrical-device characteristics showed that experimental results were remarkably well reproduced by the simulations. Finally, we shall demonstrate that device optimization can be achieved based on kMC process simulations, even for novel coimplant processes. This paves the way for the use of kMC in the design of devices and the optimization of device performance in technology computer-aided design for manufacturing.     

Water services industry reforms in Malaysia

Concerted efforts to reform and transform the water industry in Malaysia began in 2006. It was a visionary effort by the federal government to ensure an adequate supply of clean water to the public and industry. A policy and institutional framework was created to re-invent and transform the water services industry into an efficient and sustainable sector that will play a pivotal role as one of the major components of economic growth. Though minor adjustments may be needed during its implementation, the overall policy direction is pragmatic and viable and has started to produce tangible outcomes.     

Minimizing control variation in nonlinear optimal control

In any real system, changing the control signal from one value to another will usually cause wear and tear on the system’s actuators. Thus, when designing a control law, it is important to consider not just predicted system performance, but also the cost associated with changing the control action. This latter cost is almost always ignored in the optimal control literature. In this paper, we consider a class of optimal control problems in which the variation of the control signal is explicitly penalized in the cost function. We develop an effective computational method, based on the control parameterization approach and a novel transformation procedure, for solving this class of optimal control problems. We then apply our method to three example problems in fisheries, train control, and chemical engineering.     

$nhbox{-ZnO}/nhbox{-GaAs}$ Heterostructured White Light-Emitting Diode: Nanoscale Interface Analysis and Electroluminescence Studies

n-ZnO/n-GaAs heterostructured light-emitting diodes have been fabricated by a low-cost ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique. Nanoscale interface analysis was carried out with scanning transmission electron microscopy. An ~ 8.6-nm-thick amorphous GaAsZnInO was found in the n -ZnO/n-GaAs interface. A strong and broad white electroluminescence band centered at ~ 525 nm and a weak near-infrared emission peaked at ~ 815 nm were observed when n-GaAs was positively biased. The 815-nm emission is believed to be related to the interface layer, and the 525-nm emission is assigned to the recombination of electrons from conduction band to deep-level holes in the ZnO layer.