Domestic Network Research Articles

STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION IN ENSURING ECONOMIC ECURITY OF EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

The purpose of the article is to study the essence and stages of strategic analysis in ensuring economic security. Research methods: the use of system-structural method and the method of generalization allowed to analyze the general trends in the use of methods of strategic analysis. Using the dialectical method of scientific knowledge, as well as methods of analysis, synthesis and abstraction, the content and purpose of the research problem are clarified, its main features and structure, as well as the relationship with systems analysis are determined. Results: these methods of strategic analysis significantly increase the efficiency of forecasting the development of situations in the field of economic security due to the possibility of compiling a SWOT-analysis, PEST-analysis, etc. Discussion: in order to improve the system of strategic analysis, it is necessary to involve certain independent think tanks. Such think tanks should work closely with the authorities and be partially funded by the Government of Ukraine to obtain any necessary analytical information from them. Thus, the key issues of economic security are: the system of forecasting management activities; the process of research and analytical examinations; development of information and analytical products and their distribution; professional activity of specialists, professionals, analysts. Given the above, we conclude that the strategic analysis of public administration in the field of economic security is aimed at providing quality information to public authorities, and its improvement is impossible without studying the methodological principles of its formation. Analytical centers provide a link between government and civil society; represent and protect public interests; evaluate power and its decisions and formulate alternative policy proposals. Analytical centers are involved in the formation of European policy, promote better public understanding of EU regulations and decisions. The establishment of a domestic network of think tanks according to EU standards, which will be actively integrated into Euro-Atlantic networks of think tanks, will help find additional reserves to improve the mechanisms of strategic analysis in the field of economic security and state policy on effective forecasting and analytical support.

Виртуальные инструменты управления рейтинговым продвижением вузов

The article is devoted to the analysis of the results of the participation of Russian universities in the authoritative international Webometrics ranking, the choice of ways to strengthen the positions and increase the number of universities in its top lists. Methodological tools of the research: analysis of statistical sources of information. The paper analyzes the dynamics of the position in the international Webometrics ranking of leading Russian universities and the Russian Federation as a whole in recent years. The directions of promotion of Russian universities-leaders of the Webometrics rating in international and domestic social networks are considered. The study allows us to conclude that there is a close connection between the network activity of universities and the webometric success of the university, as well as the need for more active interaction with the audience, a detailed study of its preferences and improvement of approaches to the formation of the communication policy of the educational institution.

Model-Driven Strategies for Sulfide Control in a Regional Wastewater System Receiving Tannery Effluents in Portugal

Ageing infrastructure are a concern for many wastewater utilities. This is accentuated with the presence of hydrogen sulfide within the sewer headspace, known to induce concrete corrosion, toxicity and odours. Some industrial effluents contain significant sulfide concentrations, however most field studies in the literature refer to domestic networks, or lab/pilot scale sulfide abatement strategies for varied effluents. Hence, the objectives of this work are: (1) To obtain data regarding the evolution of sulfides in a full-scale industrial sewer system in Portugal, receiving wastewater from a number of tanneries; (2) model their fate within the system and (3) experimentally evaluate sulfide precipitation with iron salts. Field work evidenced heavily sulfide loaded effluents, exceeding by far literature values for sewer systems. Modelling was carried out based on the AeroSept+ model, specifically calibrated to this type of effluent. Results showed the model was capable of reproducing the overall levels of sulfide in wastewater and H2S in the sewer headspace, while allowing insights into industrial discharges, originating a set of proposed interventions for sulfide abatement. This may be carried out by iron salts addition, in a ratio of 2.75:1, at existing monitoring stations. This approach was fundamental for an affordable performance assessment, under considerable uncertainty.

The strength of domestic production networks: an economic application of the Finn cycling index

There has been an increasing interest in analyzing the structure of domestic and global supply chains/networks in the past decade. Concerns about potential (systemic) risks resulting from overdependence on global supply networks have been magnified during the lockdowns triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in the last year. Strengthening local and/or domestic networks may be an adequate approach to overcome the severe economic implications of this overdependence, but it also rises the question of how one can measure the strength of domestic supply/production networks and design an appropriate structure. The objective of this paper is to propose a method for measurement and to provide a first-cut analysis with this method on a sample of economies. Building on ecological network analysis, we borrow the Finn cycling index from its toolbox and show a ranking of countries with respect to the strength of their domestic production networks based on this index. The results suggest that the countries are very heterogeneous both in terms of the level of cycling index and its sectoral decomposition. Using panel-econometric techniques, we point out the role of the openness and structural asymmetry in shaping this strength, also controlling for other macroeconomic characteristics of the economies. The estimates reveal that openness has a negative, while asymmetry has a positive effect on this index, but other country-specific characteristics also play a role in shaping the systemic operation of national economies as measured by the Finn cycling index.

A Novel Experimental and Approach of Diagnosis, Partial Shading, and Fault Detection for Domestic Purposes Photovoltaic System Using Data Exchange of Adjacent Panels

This paper presents a new detection method of fault and partial shading condition (PSC) in a photovoltaic (PV) domestic network, considering maximum power point tracking (MPPT). The MPPT has been executed by employing a boost converter using particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. The system is composed of two photovoltaic arrays. Each PV array contains three panels connected in series, including distinct MPPT. The PSC detection exploits the neighboring PV system data. This suggested innovative algorithm is proficient in detecting these subjects: (a) fault, (b) partial shading condition, (c) solar panel (d) panel’s relevant bypass diode failure, (d) converter failure alongside specifying the failed semiconductor, and (e) PV disconnection failure. The simulation process has been implemented using MATLAB/Simulink software. To this end, the proposed method was investigated experimentally using two 250 W PV solar set under various PSCs and faults. A data exchange link is used to implement an integrated management system. The Zigbee protocol was also chosen to data exchange of converters. The results validated the applicability and practicality of this algorithm in domestic PV systems.

When Internal Migration Fails: A Case Study of Central American Youth Who Relocate Internally Before Leaving Their Countries

Executive SummaryThis paper examines the experiences of Central American youth who have attempted internal relocation before migrating internationally. Based on interviews and participant observation with Guatemalan, Honduran, and Salvadoran youth migrating through Mexico, this paper shows how youth from the Northern Countries of Central America turn to their domestic networks to escape labor exploitation and gang violence before undertaking international journeys. The paper further demonstrates how those domestic networks lead youth into contexts of poverty and violence similar to those they seek to escape, making their internal relocation a disappointment. The failure of their internal relocation attempts makes them turn to international migrant networks as their next option. This paper sheds light on the underexplored issue of internal migration among Central American youth and that migration's synergy with Central American youths’ migration to the United States. The paper finds that internal relocation is unsuccessful when the internal destination fails to resolve the issues from which youth are attempting to escape. This failure ultimately triggers their departure from their home country.

The geopolitics behind the routes data travel: a case study of Iran

Abstract In November 2019, in the wake of political demonstrations against the regime, Iran managed to selectively cut off most traffic from the global Internet while fully operating its own domestic network. It seemingly confirmed the main hypothesis our research had led us to, based on prior observation of data routing: Iran’s architecture of connectivity enables selective censorship of international traffic. This paper examines, through the case of Iran, how states can leverage the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) as a tool of geopolitical control and what are the trade-offs they face. This question raises a methodological question that we also address: how the analysis of BGP can infer and document these strategies of territorialization of cyberspace. The Internet is a network of networks where each network is an autonomous system. Autonomous systems (ASes) are independent administrative entities controlled by a variety of actors such as governments, companies and universities. Their administrators have to agree and communicate on the path followed by packets travelling across the Internet, which is made possible by BGP. Agreements between ASes are often confidential but BGP requires neighbouring ASes to interact with each other in order to coordinate routing through the constant release of connectivity update messages. These messages announce the availability (or withdrawal) of a sequence of ASes that can be followed to reach an IP address prefix. In our study, we inferred the structure of Iran's connectivity through the capture and analysis of these BGP announcements. We show how the particularities of Iran's BGP and connectivity structure can enable active measures, such as censorship, both internally and externally throughout the network. We argue that Iran has found a way to reconcile a priori conflicting strategic goals: developing a self-sustaining and resilient domestic Internet, but with tight control at its borders. It thus enables the regime to leverage connectivity as a tool of censorship in the face of social instability and as a tool of regional influence in the context of strategic competition.

Transnational Activism and Domestic Politics: Arms Exports and the Anti-Apartheid Struggle in the UK–South Africa Relations (1959–1994)

ABSTRACT In 1964, the UK government imposed an arms embargo on South Africa, which it maintained until the end of the white minority rule. What explains this embargo? Using mainly archival evidence, this paper demonstrates that domestic political dynamics in the United Kingdom mediated the influence of the transnational anti-apartheid and anti-colonial struggles on the British government. The United Kingdom imposed and maintained this embargo due in part to a domestic advocacy network, whose hub was the Anti-Apartheid Movement. The paper provides a comprehensive explanation of an important issue in British foreign policy, the anti-colonial struggle, and Southern Africa's history. There are theoretical implications for foreign policy analysis concerning the role of advocacy networks, interactions between local and global activism, the role of political parties’ ideology and contestation, the effects on foreign policy of changes in a normative environment, the effects of norm contestation, and normative determinants of sanctions.

Knowledge translation activity of a domestic violence research network: a scoping survey

Introduction: Research networks undertake work collaboratively on complex areas of research. Few studies examine how these networks develop their knowledge translation activity. Focusing on a domestic violence research network (DVRN), the aim of this study was to answer the question: What is the shared understanding of knowledge translation and activity in a domestic violence research network? Methods: A sample of DVRN members undertook an anonymous online survey about their knowledge translation activity. Results: Completed by 49 of a potential 65 DVRN members (75% completion rate), findings suggested members use multiple knowledge translation definitions, and that different stages of the research process engage people with lived-experience and policymakers undertaking lower levels of engagement than practitioners. Innovative engagement mechanisms to communicate research findings were limited, and knowledge translation barriers included budget, time, capacity, limitation of models, organisational emphasis and support. Finally, there was inadequate knowledge translation evaluation. Conclusion: Overcoming knowledge translation barriers is essential to ensure meaningful collaboration particularly with survivors who are often the missing voice of knowledge translation. Future studies could determine what impact, if any, increasing engagement of survivors and policymakers during all stages of the research process has on knowledge translation.

What\u2019s so special about born globals, their entrepreneurs or their business model?

There is near unanimity among international business scholars that it takes more time to expand internationally than domestically. Hence, this is why some are puzzled by born globals (BGs), firms that make large foreign sales at birth or shortly afterwards. Explanations given for this “anomaly” are that BGs have exceptional resources—advanced technologies and a high international orientation on the part of their entrepreneurs, and that they rely on cheaper internationalization strategies like the Internet and networks. What is almost completely overlooked is the role of the BG’s business model (BM). We analyze the time it took for a sample of Italian SMEs to reach BG status (25% foreign over total sales) within a three-year time span. Entering both international entrepreneurship (IE) and BM variables, we find that, among the IE variables, a firm’s technological intensity, the number of years their founders studied abroad and their foreign language fluency, as well as their use of domestic networks, are statistically insignificant. Variables measuring a firm’s focus on a niche BM, on the other hand, are statistically significant, along with the international work experience of the founders, with the niche BM explaining a higher level of variance with greater accuracy.

E&P Notes (May 2021)

E&P Notes (May 2021)

تأثير خصائص السكان في استخدام المياه والمحافظة عليها من التلوث في مدينة عنيزة: دراسة جغرافية

استهدفت هذه الدراسة تحديد الخواص الطبيعية والكيميائية والبكتيرية لمياه الشرب في الشبكة العامة والخزانات الأرضية والشبكة المنزلية الداخلية ومقارنتها بخواص مياه الشرب الطبيعية والكيميائية الواردة في المواصفات القياسية السعودية. إضافة إلى دراسة تباين هذه الخصائص بين الشبكة العامة، والخزانات، الشبكة الداخلية لأحياء مدينة عنيزة التي شملتها الدراسة وهي القادسية، السليمانية، الملك خالد، وسط المدينة، المطار، المنتزه، مليحة، السلام وكذلك الكشف عن أهم المتغيرات التي تؤثر سلبيا وايجابيا عل خواص مياه الشرب. وأظهرت الدراسة مطابقة خواص مياه الشرب الطبيعية والكيميائية في الشبكة العامة لخواص مياه الشرب في المواصفات القياسية السعودية، في حين أظهرت الدراسة أن هناك تباينا بين خواص مياه الشرب في الشبكة العامة وخواص مياه الشرب في الخزانات الأرضية والشبكة المنزلية الداخلية، وتبين أيضا أن هناك تباينا مكانيا في خواص مياه الشرب بين الأحياء المدروسة التي شملتها الدراسة. وأثبتت الدراسة أن عمر الشبكة العامة الرئيسية قد تسبب في تباين قيم الأملاح الكلية الذائبة، الكلوريدات، العسر الكلي، الكالسيوم في مياه الشبكة. ولم تؤثر المسافة الفاصلة بين خزان الضخ الرئيس والمنزل على التباين في قيم معظم العناصر باستثناء الكبريتات وكذلك أظهرت النتائج ارتفاع قيم الأس الهيدروجيني لمياه الشرب في الأحياء التي توجد بها شبكة الصرف الصحي أكثر من الأحياء التي تفتقر إليها. وقد تبين ايضا أن تكرارية تنظيف الخزان والمسافة الفاصلة بين الخزان وخزان الصرف الصحي تعد من أهم المتغيرات التي تؤثر على خواص مياه الشرب في الخزانات المنزلية حيث أثرت على التباين في قيم الأملاح الكلية الذائبة، الكلوريدات، الكبريتات، العسر الكلي، الكالسيوم، التوصيل الكهربائي، في حين أثر نوع شبكة المياه المنزلية الداخلية على التباين في قيم الأملاح الكلية الذائبة، الكلوريدات، الكبريتات، التوصيل الكهربائي في مياه تلك الشبكة. كما أشارت الدراسة إلى التأثير الايجابي لارتفاع الدخل الشهري لصاحب المنزل وملكية المسكن فقد أدى ذلك إلى الاهتمام بنظافة الخزانات الارضية وبالتالي جودة مياه الشرب فيها.

Preliminary lessons from COVID-19 disruptions of small-scale fishery supply chains.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation measures have disrupted global systems that support the health, food and nutrition security, and livelihoods of billions of people. These disruptions have likewise affected the small-scale fishery (SSF) sector, disrupting SSF supply chains and exposing weaknesses in the global seafood distribution system. To inform future development of adaptive capacity and resilience in the sector, it is important to understand how supply chain actors are responding in the face of a macroeconomic shock. Comparing across seven SSF case studies in four countries, we explore how actors are responding to COVID-19 disruptions, identify constraints to adaptive responses, and describe patterns of disruption and response across cases. In all cases examined, actors shifted focus to local and regional distribution channels and particularly drew on flexibility, organization, and learning to re-purpose pre-existing networks and use technology to their advantage. Key constraints to reaching domestic consumers included domestic restrictions on movement and labor, reduced spending power amongst domestic consumers, and lack of existing distribution channels. In addition, the lack of recognition of SSFs as essential food-producers and inequities in access to technology hampered efforts to continue local seafood supply. We suggest that the initial impacts from COVID-19 highlight the risks in of over-reliance on global trade networks. The SSFs that were able to change strategies most successfully had local organizations and connections in place that they leveraged in innovative ways. As such, supporting local and domestic networks and flexible organizations within the supply chain may help build resilience in the face of future macroeconomic shocks. Importantly, bolstering financial wellbeing and security within the domestic market both before and during such large-scale disruptions is crucial for supporting ongoing supply chain operations and continued food provision during macroeconomic crises.

Перспективы развития международного аэропорта имени Нурсултана Назарбаева (г. Нур-Султан, Республика Казахстан) в качестве пассажирского транзитного хаба авиакомпании «Air Astana»

Цель: целью проводимого исследования является представление модели развития аэропорта имени Нурсултана Назарбаева (г. Нур- Султан, Республика Казахстан) в качестве пассажирского транзитного хаба авиакомпании «Air Astana». Обсуждение: на основании данных пассажиропотока аэропорта г. Нур–Султан за период с 2004 по 2019 г. было установлено, что пассажиропоток вырос более чем в 10 раз (с 500 тыс. до 5 млн пассажиров), в то время как крупнейший аэропорт Республики Казахстан, аэропорт г. Алматы продемонстрировал рост пассажиропотока более чем в 4 раза за аналогичный период (с 1,5 млн до 6,4 млн пассажиров). В период с 2014 по 2016 г. была проведена комплексная модернизация аэропорта имени Нурсултана Назарбаева, допустимая пропускная способность аэропорта возросла до 8,2 млн пассажиров в год. Аэропорт расширяет сотрудничество с национальными и зарубежными авиакомпаниями, открывая новые внутренние и международные направления. Рынок авиаперевозок Республики Казахстан демонстрирует высокие показатели роста. Результаты: результатом проводимого исследования является построение модели развития направлений маршрутной сети авиакомпании «Air Astana» на базе аэропорта имени Нурсултана Назарбаева. На основании анализа действующей внутренней и международной маршрутной сети национальных и зарубежных авиакомпаний была представлена модель перспективного развития международных направлений. Авиакомпания «Air Astana» осуществляет расширение и обновление парка воздушных судов, приобретая узко- и широкофюзеляжные лайнеры, способные выполнять перелеты на расстоянии от 6000 до 12000 км. Построение пассажирского транзитного хаба на базе аэропорта имени Нурсултана Назарбаева позволит авиакомпании «Air Astana» увеличить пассажиропоток и стать ведущей авиакомпанией региона, выполняющей регулярные авиарейсы по европейским и азиатским направлениям.

Relational embeddedness in home-based network and dynamic capabilities: evidence from Chinese MNCs

PurposePrior studies have argued that multinational firms with dynamic capabilities can reconfigure and upgrade their internal and external resources and adapt to an ever-changing competitive global environment. The impact of home country networks exerting on multinational corporations’ (MNCs) dynamic capabilities has been rarely discussed in extant research. This paper aims to explore how two types of home country networks’ relational embeddedness (from domestic firms and foreign firms) affect Chinese MNCs’ dynamic capabilities.Design/methodology/approachSeveral hypotheses were tested by analyzing the survey data from 204 multinational companies in china.FindingsThe results reveal the impact mechanism of the home country network on dynamic capabilities. Embeddedness in domestic networks positively affects embeddedness in the foreign network; embeddedness in foreign firms exerts positive effects on the three dimensions of MNC’s dynamic capabilities. Additionally, the effect of domestic firms’ relational embeddedness on resource reconfiguring capability is mediated by foreign firms’ embeddedness. Consequently, this study provides a theoretical introduction for MNCs from emerging economies.Practical implicationsThis study has several managerial implications for emerging MNCs’ international operations. For MNCs from emerging economies, close cooperation with domestic firms helps firms to develop a close relationship with foreign firms; meanwhile, developing a close relationship with foreign firms can obtain spillover about technology and management experience better, improving dynamic capability. Specifically, domestic embeddedness, through foreign embeddedness, can extend the impact to focal firms in developing resource reconfiguring capability.Originality/valueThis study provides an alternate view of how home country networks influence the dynamic capabilities of Chinese MNCs and outlines its impact mechanism. Therefore, the study contributes both to the international business literature and social network literature.

Physical Internet: First results and next challenges

Physical Internet: First results and next challenges

Connecting (to) Cuba: Transnational Digital Flows between Havana and the Cuban Diaspora

For several years Cuba's paquete has attracted international attention for its ability to procure and circulate much foreign digital content, with many supposing that this content is imported to Havana from the nearby diasporic center of Miami. This article explores how the island's domestic networks of digital media sharing are in fact also exported to the Cuban diaspora as an object both for public exhibition and for personal consumption. Cubans in the diaspora import el paquete as a means of connecting with their homeland and with media that invoke nostalgia for them, but also as a way of maintaining a variety of choice that they once enjoyed in Cuba but that, because of US copyright restrictions, remains prohibitively expensive for them to access in the diaspora. Meanwhile, others in the Cuban diasporic community are seeking ways of inserting targeted advertising for Miami businesses into el paquete, in the hope of drumming up further business via relatives and remittances. This article thus argues that quite apart from being an isolated or unconnected island, Cuba is in fact highly interconnected with multiple transnational communities, and that by tracking el paquete and flows of digital media, we see the island as central in connecting these otherwise-disparate digital communities.

The pandemic impact on franchising

Mid-March 2020 made adjustments in all areas of our normal lives. All spheres of the world economy suffer from huge losses. This results in inevitable changes that should be made quickly and appropriate measures requiring their immediate implementation. Absolutely all countries suffer from COVID-19 pandemic consequences and its devastating impact on all areas of the national economy. The franchising field is not the exception. According to statistics, the largest number of franchises of the service sector, which is the most one suffering from the introduction of strict quarantine measures. The lack of permission for full-fledged work, as in the pre-quarantine period, left some networks without any revenue at all. This was the impetus for changing the formats of franchises, if possible, or for their complete closure. After all, not all franchisors could pay royalties at low earnings, and some even had to face their complete absence. Therefore, closing for some formats was the best solution. Those who managed to preserve the format, with possible changes, faced a new reality, where it was necessary to take into account not only the interests of consumers, but also the new quarantine rules. That is why the analysis of franchising during the pandemic is very important. The work of franchising during COVID-19 pandemic, quarantine and post-quarantine measures are analyzed in this paper. Their direct influence on the work organization is analyzed as well. Analysis of the potential entrepreneurs readiness to buy franchise in comparison with the purchase of ready-made business model and starting your own business from scratch is carried out. The main world directions where it is important to open and develop franchise networks to be relevant and in demand are identified. It is considered how domestic networks respond to the quarantine measures, which anti-crisis means are used for their enterprises, which new formats are set up on the basis of the main enterprises. The loyalty of some franchisors and their anti-crisis measures for the franchisee are also investigated. The loyalty of some owners makes it possible to maintain their network in economically difficult times.

PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF GROUNDWATER TABLE RISING IN AJDABIYA, NORTHEAST LIBYA

The rising groundwater levels in Ajdabiya city have been considered one of the critical issues that the city suffered for years, where it is attributed to a lot of undesirable environmental and physical effects. Deterioration of infrastructure facilities led to health and economic consequences in different areas. The study aims to identify the causes of effects and feasible strategies to mitigate them. There are many causes that led to rising the groundwater level such as the leakage of domestic water pipeline and sewage network. It noted an absence of a rainwater drainage network and the adoption of only surface water for daily life usages. Furthermore, never ever the groundwater has been not exploited, which led to upward seepage more and more. Ten groundwater samples have been collected to conduct specific criteria which proved the mixing between the groundwater and sewage. Many projects can be adapted to maintain the groundwater upward seepage and manage the water supplies in the area using the conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water to optimize the water demand. The most important is avoiding all pollutants whether surface or/and subsurface by maintaining the sewage network and drainages. For a more comprehensive image, it is recommended to adopt geotechnical tools before suggesting the management plan

Toward the Physical Internet—Logistics Service Modularity and Design Implications

The Physical Internet (PI) is a modularization of logistics services: standardized protocols, full interoperability and standardized packaging, PI‐containers, and encapsulated freight. The PI‐containers are a core component of the PI; however, previous PI studies have not addressed those containers’ repositioning, despite its importance and effect on the PI network efficiency. In this paper, we analyze how the PI‐containers’ design and characteristics will determine the containers’ flows in a domestic network context. The flows are studied strategically using a linear programming model minimizing flow imbalances between hubs and simulating the effect of PI‐container compatibility. The model is tested using inter‐regional freight data from Sweden, and the results are framed using modularity theory. Our analysis reveals that PI‐container compatibility in terms of forward and reverse flows determines whether PI presents increased or decreased empty runs compared with the existing conventional logistics system. Departing from modularization theory, we discuss our results, emphasizing not only the importance of keeping synergistic specificity low but also how the characteristics will affect the urgency of technology use. Our implications are important to supply chain managers and policymakers for the future research on the Physical Internet, PI‐container repositioning and routing, and packaging design.