Distributed ledger technology in supply chains: a transaction cost perspective

With the emergence of distributed ledger technology (DLT), numerous practitioners and researchers have proclaimed its beneficial impact on supply chain transactions in the future. However, the vast majority of DLT initiatives are discontinued after a short period. With the full potential of DLT laying far down the road, especially managers in supply chain management (SCM) seek for short-term cost-saving effects of DLT in order to achieve long-term benefits of DLT in the future. However, the extant research has bypassed grounding long-term as well as short-term effects of DLT on supply chain transaction with empirical data. We address this shortcoming, following an abductive research approach and combining empirical data from a multiple case study design with the corresponding literature. Our study reveals that the effects of DLT on supply chain transactions are two-sided. We found six effects of DLT solutions that have a cost-reducing or cost avoidance impact on supply chain transactions. In addition, we found two effects that change the power distribution between buyers and suppliers in transactions and a single effect that reduces the dependency of supply chain transactions on third parties. While cost-reducing and avoidance as well as dependency-reducing effects are positive effects, the change in power distribution might come with disadvantages. With these findings, the paper provides the first empirical evidence of the impact of DLT on supply chain transactions, which will enable managers to improve their assessment of DLT usage in supply chains.     

Individual differences in children's event memory reports and the narrative elaboration technique.

Children between 7 and 8 years old took pan in a staged event at school and 1 week later were assessed using a short form of the Wechsler Intelligence scale for children (third edition) and measures of metamemory, narrative ability, and socioeconomic status. Two weeks following the event, children either received narrative elaboration training (NET; K.J. Saywitz & L. Snyder, 1996) and were prompted with the four NET cue cards at interview; received verbal prompts corresponding to the cue card categories, but without prior training; or were presented with the cards at interview without prior training. Children given verbal labels as prompts recalled as much information as children who received NET training and cue cards. Measures of intelligence were predictive of amount recalled for cards-only children but not for the other 2 groups, indicating that differences in recall between low- and high-IQ groups were attenuated when recall was supported by NET training or verbal prompting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adoption of travel information in user-generated content on social media: the moderating effect of social presence

Travel patterns have gradually changed from group travel to individual travel. An increasing number of people acquire travel information through various types of media. One of the alternative information sources is social media, which enables users to exchange information among members. However, one of the characteristics of social media is information sharing, not information search, which involves both giving (i.e. posting) and taking (i.e. selective reading, forwarding, replying, linking, and liking) information. Compared to the ‘giving’ side of information-sharing research, less effort has been spent on the ‘taking’ side of information research. Therefore, we investigate travel information adoption in social media as well as how individuals communicate with each other. We use the elaboration likelihood model, which measures the impact of central (e.g. argument quality) and peripheral (e.g. credibility) cues on traveller information-sharing behaviour corresponding with social presence on social media. The results of an empirical analysis of 527 respondents, who were experienced in travel information adoption via social media, were examined. Our findings revealed that argument quality had a positive effect on perceived usefulness and source credibility positively affected perceived usefulness and social relationships. Perceived usefulness had a significant positive effect on social relationships. Both perceived usefulness and social relationships affected travel information adoption. Lastly, the levels of argument quality and source credibility perceived by social media members were found to differ according to the level of social presence.     

高职院校开展“精细化”职业指导的探索

"精细化"意味着职业指导工作必须精致,注重以人为本,"细"化服务,指导方式多元化,跟踪服务全程化,最终实现职业指导工作的效益最大化和最优化。它对于帮助青年大学生找准定位、促进就业和提高就业质量等方面发挥着越来越重要的作用。     

Another look at ‘being there’ experiences in digital media: Exploring connections of telepresence with mental imagery

Substantial multidisciplinary research has established foundational support for the consumer behaviour phenomenon that underlies the experience of telepresence within online social networks and other digital media products that provide hedonistic value. A review of major perspectives in this field provides justification of the important role mental imagery processes play in the phenomenon of telepresence. In line with this, we propose to extend existing approaches to mental imagery to reach the context of user experiences in digital media, and to theoretically connect telepresence with mental imagery. On this basis, and in conjunction with investigations bringing to light processes that intervene in the terrain of mental imagery, we present an integrative conceptual framework concerned with telepresence, and discuss the role of telepresence within a user’s hedonistic usage of digital media products.     

Validation of mass‐transfer model for VIPS process using in situ measurements performed by near‐infrared spectroscopy

Combined experimental and modeling approaches were performed in order to investigate the influence of formulation and process parameters on mass transfers during VIPS process, using the water/N‐methyl‐pyrrolidone (NMP)/poly(ether imide) (PEI) system. The experiments were conducted using a thick polymer solution at increasing polymer concentrations for various operating conditions. The global water intake rate in the bulk solution was determined by gravimetric measurements (global), and insitu measurements were conducted by near‐infrared spectroscopy at three points in the solution. In parallel, a fully predictive model was developed for predicting mass‐transfer phenomena involved during the VIPS process. The comparison between experimental data and numerical predictions exhibited a good agreement for moderate polymer concentration, but for higher polymer concentrations, the model overestimated the nonsolvent‐transfer rate. This result was explained by the aggregation process of the polymer chains due to water intake. The numerical predictions were improved by modifying the average hole‐free volume expression. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 671–686, 2013     

工程项目精细化管理实践与探索

随着我国宏观经济调控政策的逐步深入以及企业成本的不断提高,精细化管理已经成为水电施工企业管理成败的关键所在。为此,水电四局在精细化管理实践中,以提高经济效益为中心,积极创新内部管理机制,构筑科学管理体系,强化合同管理,有效地推进了项目精细化管理,增强了项目的履约能力和盈利能力。     

火力发电厂热控电缆敷设软件的开发与应用

介绍了一种火力发电厂热控电缆敷设软件,简述了软件的开发背景、各项功能、流程及成果.通过实际工程实践,该软件加强设计深度,提高设计精细化,缩短设计时间,在国内同类专业软件中处于领先水平.     

基于"地毯式"的电力企业技术标准差异化梳理方法研析

本文评估了电力企业技术标准内容交叉重复矛盾问题的影响,研究确定标准差异化梳理原则,提出标准差异化梳理方法及流程,实现对标准差异化内容的灵活、快捷的"地毯式"比对,为标准差异化协调工作提供前提基础.研究成果能有效防止标出多门,最大限度地保障电力企业不同专业间技术标准的协调一致,促进标准刚性执行有效落地.     

Quantifying requirements elaboration to improve early software cost estimation

This paper describes an empirical study undertaken to investigate the quantitative aspects of the phenomenon of requirements elaboration which deals with transformation of high-level goals into low-level requirements. Prior knowledge of the magnitude of requirements elaboration is instrumental in developing early estimates of a project’s cost and schedule. This study examines the data on two different types of goals and requirements - capability and level of service (LOS) - of 20 real-client, graduate-student, team projects done at USC. Metrics for data collection and analyses are described along with the utility of results they produce. Besides revealing a marked difference between the elaboration of capability goals and the elaboration of LOS goals, these results provide some initial relationships between the nature of projects and their ratios of elaboration of capability goals into capability or functional requirements.