Influence Of Available Resources Research Articles

THE INFLUENCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL RESOURCES ON IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLANS IN TANZANIAN’S LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES

The study investigated the influence of organizational resources on implementation of strategic plans (SPs) in Tanzania’s Local Government Authorities. The idea behind was to establish the influence of available resources (financial, human, material and information) on implementation of SPs in LGAs. The underlying theory on this study was resource-based view. The study opted Pragmatism philosophy which hinges on the mixed methods approach (explanatory sequential design), and the study was a cross- sectional, where data were collected at one point in time. The sample size of 204 respondents was drawn from a target population of 860 employees in five randomly selected LGAs in Morogoro region. The findings revealed that, all predictors (financial, human, material and information resources) had a statistically significant positive relationship with the implementation of SPs in LGAs: Whereby, financial resources had (t=2.147, P=0.033<Alpha=0.05); human resources had (t=1.977, P=0.049<Alpha=0.05); material resources had (t=3.822, P=0.000<Alpha=0.05) and information resources had (t=4.783, P=0.000<Alpha=0.05). Also, the value of R2=0.335 indicated that, 33.5% of variation on the execution of SPs was influenced by all predictors in the model, thus other factors not included in the study model contributed 66.5% of implementation process in LGAs. The study recommends that, LGAs should allocate enough funds, quality employees, enough offices and facilities as well as improved ICT infrastructures for the successful implementation of their SPs.

Factors affecting the adoption of destination management systems by stakeholders: Proposal of an explanatory model

Despite Destination Management Systems’ (DMSs) important role in management and promotion of destinations, the research on factors influencing their adoption is scarce. This paper aims to empirically analyse the influence of a comprehensive range of factors on DMS adoption and propose a model. A questionnaire survey was applied to tourism players in a Portuguese region (Centro) without DMSs. Results were subsequently analysed using Principal Component Analyses and multiple linear regressions. The study corroborates the findings of previous research. However, it also provides new insights, revealing a positive influence of available resources and strategic vision of stakeholders on the stakeholders’ willingness to adopt DMSs and a negative impact of alternative web platforms and inexistence of complementary DMSs, on adoption intentions, being proposed the model—DMSs’ Adoption Model (DeMSAM).

The influence of habitat properties on sex determination in cavity-nesting Hymenoptera

Unravelling the relationships between insect population dynamics and habitat properties is often complex. Established theoretical concepts, which predict an influence of available resources on sex determination, have often not been tested with quantitative field data. Cavity-nesting Hymenoptera are suitable to assess the influence of habitat properties on reproductive parameters, as haplodiploidy enables direct responses to local conditions. We hypothesize that with increasing resource availability, the population sex ratio (share of females per site), sex allocation preference per individual offspring (the probability of producing either a male or a female offspring per brood cell) and resource allocation per individual offspring will be favouring towards females. We sampled offspring of Osmia cornuta, Osmia caerulescens and Trypoxylon figulus and their resource provisions using trap nests on 30 study sites in an agricultural landscape in southwest Germany, from March to August 2020. The potential influence of resource availability, landscape variables, temperature, seasonal progression, and nesting opportunities on sex and resource provisions was tested. Population sex ratio was not related to habitat properties. Sex allocation preference in the three species, however, depended on several variables including cavity size and seasonal progression, with pronounced differences amongst species. Individual resource provisioning mainly differed between sexes, as male larvae received less provisions than female larvae. As there was no influence of resource availability, we conclude that the sex ratio of established populations was balanced at the selected study sites by available resources in the landscape. At the individual scale, sex and resource allocation were influenced in species-specific ways. As such, sex determination and resource allocation are essential life history properties of sexually reproducing organisms.

Joint Position and Resource Optimization for Multi-UAV-Aided Relaying Systems

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can enhance the overall performance of terrestrial communication systems due to their high possibility of the line of sight (LoS) links and on-demand deployments. The advantages of the UAV position optimization now attract attentions from researchers to study the cooperation among static UAV relays. In this paper, we study a relaying system, where multiple UAVs establish a cooperative UAV relay network to help some transmitters (Txs) communicate with their corresponding receivers (Rxs) by employing orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA). We maximize the paired Tx-Rxs' minimum rate through solving a non-convex, information causality constraints involved problem by optimizing the UAV relays' locations, nodes' powers, and bandwidth allocations together. An iterative algorithm is proposed by using block coordinate descent (BCD) and successive convex approximation (SCA) methods. Moreover, we also propose a new position initialization method, discuss some special cases of our problem to show some insights for future works, and prove the convergence of our algorithm. Simulations show the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm, some interesting trade-offs about the optimized UAVs' locations, and the influence of available resources.

Influence of available resources on the defect elimination

The paper investigates the influence of resources that we need for maintaining the buildings. The quality and quantity of the maintenance works ensure the level of services that are provided for building users. The solution is based on the system dynamics methodology. The model has been developed where the main input parameters are available resources – components for the maintenance of the building, workers and financial resources. The main output parameter is number of defects and the balance of the financial resources. This parameter includes the costs of the planned maintenance and costs of the repair works. The case study presents the calculation of main parameters. The outputs demonstrate the importance of well-designed budget and adequate hire rate.

Risk Taking with Variable Resources: a Field and a Laboratory Experiment

AbstractBackground: Theoretical predictions and experimental findings concerning the relationship between risk taking and accumulated resources are contradictory. In contrast to laboratory experiments, studies conducted in an ecologically valid environment allow for the evaluation of available resources and the motivational impact of potentially serious consequences for risk taking. Objective: Our aim was to (i) examine the influence of available resources on risk taking in an ecologically valid field experiment; and (ii) to compare “real life” and laboratory experiments assessing risk taking. Method: To reproduce real decisions involving real stakes, the students were asked to choose between exam questions representing different levels of difficulty. Available resources of the students were defined as the amount of points accumulated during the semester. In parallel, the laboratory experiments were conducted to assess risk taking in a laboratory setting. Results: The two experimental setups yielded different results. In the field experiment, risk taking decreased with the available resources, whereas the laboratory experiments suggested an inverse tendency. The influence of contextual effects was only prominent in the field experiment.Conclusion: The results of the field experiment support the variable risk preference model, whereas the risk-sensitivity theory could only be validated in the laboratory setting.

Influence of Organizational Resources on Organizational Effectiveness

The research purpose was to examine the influence of available resources on organizational effectiveness. The research philosophy was positivism, with explanatory and descriptive research design espoused. The population was registered non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with the sample unit as the project managers. A questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis was executed using inferential and descriptive statistics. The descriptive analysis included standard deviation, mean and percentages, whereas inferential analysis included regression analysis and ANOVA. The study concluded that fundraising efforts and how funds are distributed to the various strategic activities and operations influence the level of efficiency in the organization process. Staff empowerment, negatively though, significantly influenced process efficiency. The recommendation is to develop an NGO organizational effectiveness ranking metric to allow the classification of NGOs into categories based on levels of effectiveness in achieving their respective missions and strategies. It was also the aim to carry out an in-depth study of why fundraising efforts in NGOs did not significantly influence stakeholder satisfaction.

SNet: Co-Developing Artificial Retinas and Predictive Internal Models for Real Robots

This paper focuses on a recently developed biologically inspired architecture, here denoted as sensorimotor network (SNet), able to co-develop sensorimotor structures directly from data acquired by a robot interacting with its environment. Such networks learn efficient internal models of the sensorimotor system, developing simultaneously sensor and motor representations as well as predictive models of the sensorimotor relationships adapted to their operating environment. Here, we describe our recent model of sensorimotor development and compare its performance with neural network models in predicting self-induced stimuli. In addition, we illustrate the influence of available resources and environment characteristics in the development of the SNet structures. Finally, an SNet is trained using real data recorded during a quadricopter drone flight.

The Relative Influence of Available Resources During the Residency Match: A National Survey of Canadian Medical Students

Many medical students find choosing a residency challenging. There are several steps involved, including determining one's own priorities, arranging electives, choosing a training program and site, and preparing an in-depth application and a rank order list. Many resources are available to assist students, including the Canadian Resident Matching Service website, program websites, career counselors, career information sessions, mentors, peers, family/friends, and the Canadian Medical Residency Guide. Our study explored the relative impact of these resources on the career decision-making process. We invited medical students in their final year at 12 Canadian medical schools to complete an online survey. Questions included identifying the relative utility of resources in the context of each component of the decision-making process. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The response rate was 71% (1076 of 1518). Overall, mentors, family/friends, and peers had the most impact on students' decision making. Career counselors, websites, and the Canadian Medical Residency Guide had much less impact. Family/friends were most frequently cited as essential to the process; however, family/friends and peers were equal in having some impact. Our findings suggest that students are most influenced by family, friends, and peers, who are not involved in the formal residency selection effort. Appreciating the impact of these influences on students' decision making is important to understanding how they decide on their future careers. The study supports continuation of mentorship programs. Future work could focus on qualitative research to further characterize resource use.

Influence of available resources on medical practitioners’ decision-making process and practice: study of a reference hospital emergency department

Objective To evaluate variations in the observation period in the emergency department (ED) in response to bed availability. Methods A quasi-experimental pre-test post-test study without a control group was conducted in the ED observation ward over 2 1-month periods. During this time the only variable that changed was the number of beds available, which decreased from 20 (pre-test period) to 16 (post-test period). Results The ED attended 7,725 patients: 3,706 patients in pre-test period, 335 of whom were admitted to the observation ward, with an average length of stay of 1,105.4 minutes per patient, and 4,019 patients in post-test period, 570 of whom were admitted to the observation ward, with an average length of stay of 686.1 minutes per patient (p < 0.001). There was no variation in mortality, re-admissions or complaints. Conclusions A reduction in bed availability for observation purposes shortens patient length of stay.