Internal Complexity Research Articles

Unpacking the global apprenticeship agenda: a comparative synthesis of literature from international organisations in the education policy field

ABSTRACT Apprenticeships are experiencing ascendency as a global policy idea, yet their promotion by international organisations remains underexamined. This article presents a comparative synthesis of publications on apprenticeships from the EU, ILO, OECD, UNESCO, and World Bank. Analysis demonstrates that IOs advance a diversity of discourses, apprenticeships acting as a polysemic policy object made malleable to organisational identities and priorities. Nonetheless, IOs’ significant, sustained and often coordinated efforts to promote apprenticeships support the notion of a ‘global apprenticeship agenda’. The internal complexity of this agenda compels more fine-grained theorisation of IOs’ individual and collective policy activity, accounting for variation and contestation.

Monotone complexity measures of multidimensional quantum systems with central potentials

In this work, we explore the (inequality-type) properties of the monotone complexity-like measures of the internal complexity (disorder) of multidimensional non-relativistic electron systems subject to a central potential. Each measure quantifies the combined balance of two spreading facets of the electron density of the system. We show that the hyperspherical symmetry (i.e., the multidimensional spherical symmetry) of the potential allows Cramér–Rao, Fisher–Shannon, and Lopez-Ruiz, Mancini, Calbet–Rényi complexity measures to be expressed in terms of the space dimensionality and the hyperangular quantum numbers of the electron state. Upper bounds, mutual complexity relationships, and complexity-based uncertainty relations of position–momentum type are also found by means of the electronic hyperangular quantum numbers and, at times, the Heisenberg–Kennard relation. We use a methodology that includes a variational approach with a covariance matrix constraint and some algebraic linearization techniques of hyperspherical harmonics and Gegenbauer orthogonal polynomials.

Success Operational Audit and Complexity Internal Control of Digital Machinery Employee Performance Inspectorate

This study aims to determine the Effect of Operational Audit Success and the Complexity of Internal Control of Digital Machines on Employee Performance at the Inspectorate. The data used is primary data in the form of questionnaires distributed to Bandung City Inspectorate employees. The method used in this research is descriptive and verification method. The population in this study were employees of the Bandung City Inspectorate. Sampling as many as 33 respondents. The type of data used in this research is primary data. This study aims to determine the effect of the Success of Operational Audit and the Complexity of Internal Control of Digital Machines on the performance of employees at the Bandung City Inspectorate. This research was conducted using observational data collection techniques, interviews and questionnaires on Bandung City Inspectorate employees who were processed using SEM-PLS. The results of this study indicate that: (1) Operational Audit success affects employee performance, and (2) Machine Internal Control Complexity Digital has an effect on employee performance.

Blockchain implementation and shareholder value: a complex adaptive systems perspective

PurposeBlockchain is a distributed ledger technology that uses cryptography to ensure transmission and access security, which provides solutions to numerous challenges to complex supply networks. The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the impact of blockchain implementation on shareholder value varying from internal and external complexity from the complex adaptive systems (CASs) perspective. It further explores how business diversification, supply chain (SC) concentration and environmental complexity affect the relationship between blockchain implementation and shareholder value.Design/methodology/approachBased on 138 blockchain implementation announcements of listed companies on the Chinese A-share stock market, the authors use event study methodology to evaluate the impact of blockchain implementation on shareholder value.FindingsThe results show that blockchain implementation has a positive impact on shareholder value, and this impact will be moderated by business diversification, SC concentration and environmental complexity. In addition, environmental complexity exerts a moderating effect on SC concentration. In the post hoc analysis, the authors further explore the impact of blockchain implementation on long-term operational performance.Originality/valueThis is the first research empirically examining the effect of blockchain implementation on shareholder value varying from internal and external complexity from the CASs perspective. This paper provides evidence of the different effects of blockchain implementation on short- and long-term performance. It adds to the interdisciplinary research of information systems (IS) and operations management (OM).

Using Strategic Episodes to Examine Internal Complexity in a Large Organization

Using Strategic Episodes to Examine Internal Complexity in a Large Organization

Complexity of increasing knowledge flows: the 2022 Southwest Airlines Scheduling Crisis

The 2022 Southwest Airlines Scheduling Crisis, resulting in approximately 15 000 flight cancellations, demonstrates the challenges of structuring infrastructure systems and their knowledge-making processes for increasingly disruptive conditions. While the point-to-point configuration was the focus of immediate assessments of the failure, it became rapidly evident that the crew-assignment software was unable to operate effectively due to the scale of disruption. The airline failed to recognize environmental shifts associated with internal and external complexity, leaving operations vulnerable to a known potential risk: computer and telecommunications failures due to an extreme weather event resulting in knowledge systems failures. The cascading failures of the crisis emphasize the necessity to invest in adaptive capacity prior to catastrophic events and provide a lesson to other infrastructure managers pursuing resilience in the face of increasingly uncertain environments.

Declarative Sub-Operators for Universal Data Processing

Data processing systems face the challenge of supporting increasingly diverse workloads efficiently. At the same time, they are already bloated with internal complexity, and it is not clear how new hardware can be supported sustainably. In this paper, we aim to resolve these issues by proposing a unified abstraction layer based on declarative sub-operators in addition to relational operators. By exposing this layer to users, they can express their non-relational workloads declaratively with sub-operators. Furthermore, the proposed sub-operators decouple the semantic implementation of operators from the efficient imperative implementation, reducing the implementation complexity for relational operators. Finally, through fine-grained automatic optimizations, the declarative sub-operators allow for automatic morsel-driven parallelism. We demonstrate the benefits not only by providing a specific set of sub-operators but also implementing them in a compiling query engine. With thorough evaluation and analysis, we show that we can support a richer set of workloads while retaining the development complexity low and being competitive in performance even with specialized systems.

Micro-coopetition: conceptualizing and operationalizing coopetitive managerial decision-making over time—a game theoretic approach

The purpose of the paper is to provide a conceptualization and an aligned game-theoretic operationalization of the dynamic coopetitive managerial decision-making process. The proposed two-step sequential game uses existing game theoretical constructs but combines them in a unique way. One of its important positive features is its capacity to make the performance implications of all potential coopetitive decisions in a relationship episode explicit, together with the interplay among them. The lack of such a feature has been recognized as a severe limitation of extant literature, hampering further theoretical and methodological development. The proposed solution gives insights into how moment-by-moment managerial decisions unfold over time and possibly result in disequilibrium states, generating tension. Managerial attributes play a key role in effectively managing such moments, it is suggested. Based on the proposed operationalization, behavioral experiments can be designed through which future empirical research can develop appropriate data sets and test the widely hypothesized roles of these attributes, which can result in more reliable and generalizable research results. Besides the theoretical and empirical value of the proposed conceptualization and operationalization, the paper is of value to decision makers, as it makes the internal complexity of the coopetitive strategizing and its inherent interdependencies explicit, providing practical insights into this complex phenomenon.

An archaeological review of Polynesian adze quarries and sources

ABSTRACTAdze quarries and sources are some of the most visible, unique and well‐preserved Polynesian archaeological sites where stone technology, intensification of production, other aspects of economy, social organisation and ritual practices are anchored together on the landscape. The production and exchange of adzes are associated with complex interaction networks connecting islands and archipelagos up to 4000 km distant making adzes amongst the most widely transferred tools in the Neolithic world. Our review of Polynesian adze quarries and sources demonstrates that site descriptions are uneven hampering regional comparisons based on size, production output and internal complexity. We therefore provide suggestions for future research with the overall goal of making comparisons between these sites more meaningful. We believe it is an exciting time to be studying one of the most important site classes in archaeology not just to know how stone adzes were made, but what we can also learn about the development and variability of complex societies across Polynesia.

Simulation study on the flow-induced vibration and noise in marine centrifugal pumps

Due to the three-dimensional non-axisymmetric shape of the volute, its interaction with the impeller increases the internal flow field complexity and instability of the marine centrifugal pump, representing the main reason for pump body vibration and hydraulic noise. First, the basic principle of fluid machinery noise calculation was explained based on the Lighthill acoustic analogy method and Curle’s theory. Then, the fluid pressure pulsation and flow characteristics of centrifugal pumps were analyzed using the Fluent software, after which the Actran software was used to examine the flow-induced vibration noise properties. The results showed that the clearance size significantly impacted the pump head, while the peak value of the flow-induced vibration response was mainly twice the blade frequency. Although a larger ring clearance increased the structural vibration, it had little impact on the sound pressure level changes in the external sound field. The results provided a new method for the structural optimization and low-noise design of marine centrifugal pumps.

A Study of the Mechanical Properties of Naturally-Inspired Tubular Structures Designed for Lightweight Applications

Inspired by the macro/microstructures of starfish and beetle elytra, a series of bio-inspired structures (BSs) with improved comprehensive mechanical performance were proposed and fabricated. In the BS design, the principle of the branching structure of starfish was borrowed and each arm was endowed with calcified exoskeletons that can bend autonomously, enabling the starfish to move flexibly and adapt to changing shapes. At the same time, inspiration was taken from the concave-convex structure design principle of beetle elytra to enhance the internal complexity and mechanical performance of the BS. By increasing the number of polygons inside the thin-walled tubes, the performance of the BS in torsion and three-point bending was effectively improved. To evaluate the mechanical properties of the BS, finite element models were constructed using ANSYS and verified through experimental measurements. Universal testing machines and electronic torsion testers controlled by a microcomputer were used to study the compression, bending, and torsion properties of the BS. The results indicated that the differences in maximum compressive load-bearing capacity between each BS were small, and their lightweight compression values (LWN-C) remained unchanged, around 310 N/g. Increasing the number of polygons inside the thin-walled tubes effectively improved the performance of the BS in torsion and three-point bending. Moreover, the crashworthiness behaviors of the bio-inspired lightweight tube were also studied using a drop hammer impact tester. These findings have significant implications for the development of bio-inspired designs, particularly in the fields of machine arms, vehicle shafts, and bumpers, where lightweight yet high-strength structures are highly desirable.

Measuring the urban sprawl based on economic-dominated perspective: the case of 31 municipalities and provincial capitals

ABSTRACT Accurate measurement of urban sprawl is vital for urban planning and management. Urban planning-induced internal structure complexity affects the extent of urban sprawl. In addition, urban sprawl is closely linked to economic development. The study attempts to explore the impact of urban sprawl from an economic-dominated perspective. Thus a City-Ring road-County (CRC) scale framework based on top-down administrative divisions for urban sprawl measurement is proposed: 1) the single-index measurement based on economic activity is applied to calculate urban sprawl; 2) the spatiotemporal pattern of urban sprawl is investigated through a case study in 31 economy-dominated provincial capital cities across China from 2005 to 2015; 3) the impact of economy and land on urban sprawl is explored using correlation analysis. The results indicate that the degree of urban sprawl at the city scale shows an “inverted U-shaped” curve from 2005 to 2015, which represents that the phenomenon of urban sprawl was most severe in 2010. It finds that urban sprawl was more severe in the east and central regions relative to the provincial capitals in the western region, with the situation being most severe in the northeast region. Regions that have been transformed from suburban to urban built-up areas need to be given priority attention by the local government, including population movement, land layout, and fiscal policy, to meet the criteria of the urbanization process. Through correlation analysis, we also found that urban sprawl was influenced by the industry structure and the form of built-up area. The outcome of the study suggests that the data scale is sufficiently small in granularity to provide geographic boundaries for systematic analysis of urban sprawl in multiple administrative regions. Thus, the study helps provide a reference for differential planning policy formulation by governments at diverse economic levels.

The versatile classifier və¹³ in Zauzou

Abstract This article presents a frequently used versatile classifier və¹³ in the endangered Ngwi language Zauzou. After investigating seven morphosyntactic contexts in which və¹³ may occur, this classifier exhibits considerable syntactic and semantic overlaps with ordinary classifiers and the inanimate plural quantifier in this language. və¹³ is used as the only classifier for unclassified nouns (i.e., some abstract and count nouns) and an alternative classifier for nearly all kinds of ordinary sortal or mensural classifiers for inanimates, especially when the canonical classifier is not known to the speaker. It shares a wide range of distributions with ordinary numeral classifiers and the plural quantifier and parallels these two classes of determiners in marking various referential values in different noun phrases. However, və¹³ is semantically special in that it may classify nouns of various semantic classes, including abstract and mass nouns, and is underspecified in number. It is compatible with singular, plural and mass interpretations. The final quantity in the reference must be determined in the context. Moreover, və¹³ is a lexical item involved in marking partitives, the function that is not found in ordinary classifiers and the plural quantifier. This study is a systematic description of an under-studied type of versatile classifier, highlighting the internal complexity of a classifier system in Tibeto-Burman languages.

AI-aided power electronic converters automatic online real-time efficiency optimization method

Energy losses during the conversion and supply of electric power are considered a significant issue and cannot be estimated. Improvement in the efficiency of energy conversion systems is highly restricted because of their internal nonlinearity and complexity. Thus, inspired by the successful utilization of robotic chemists, we demonstrate a pioneering concept of artificial intelligence (AI)-aided automatic online real-time optimization of a power electronics converter using a dual active bridge (DAB) converter as an example. An optimal modulation strategy was obtained through repeated automatic exploration experiments on a practical DAB converter platform. Specifically, the DAB experimental platform operated autonomously around the clock for approximately 71 h. It performed 120,000 consecutive experiments (12,000 episodes) within a six-variable experimental space driven by a deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm. The proposed AI-aided automatic online real-time optimization method achieved significantly improved efficiency of power conversion and supply. Consequently, zero carbon emissions may be obtained in the future.

Characterising the internal structural complexity of the Southern North Sea Zechstein Supergroup Evaporites

AbstractThe internal structure and architecture of evaporite sequences is often overlooked, with attention frequently concentrating on the external geometries that salt bodies form. The availability of extensive 3D seismic data affords the opportunity to interpret the internal structures within these evaporite sequences and comprehensively characterise the different structural facies over large areas. This paper concentrates on the Zechstein Supergroup evaporite deposits within the Southern North Sea of the United Kingdom's Continental Shelf. This analysis of the internal structural complexity and stratigraphic heterogeneity utilises 26,000 km2 of 3D seismic data together with over 96 wells from the Southern North Sea. Characterisation of the different structural facies present was undertaken alongside mapping their spatial distribution to understand the relationship they have with one another and the structural evolution that may have been taken. This work has (1) characterised and mapped six different internal structural facies present within the Zechstein with increasing levels of deformation; (2) shown the internal lithological heterogeneity is indicative of variations in the vertical strength profile of layered evaporite sequences; (3) discontinuous high‐amplitude reflections within the Zechstein are as a result of the geometries being too steeply dipping for the seismic data to image; and (4) the ability to possibly predict the internal heterogeneity of areas of poorly imaged salt, such as within large diapiric salt structures, from surrounding structural facies. These findings suggest that there is significant internal complexity even within areas of the basin with minor mobilisation to the external salt geometry.

Deep PCA-Based Incipient Fault Diagnosis and Diagnosability Analysis of High-Speed Railway Traction System via FNR Enhancement

In recent years, the data-driven based FDD (Fault Detection and Diagnosis) of high-speed train electric traction systems has made rapid progress, as the safe operation of traction system is closely related to the reliability and stability of high-speed trains. The internal complexity and external complexity of the environment mean that fault diagnosis of high-speed train traction system faces great challenges. In this paper, a wavelet transform-based FNR (Fault to Noise Ratio) enhancement is realised to highlight incipient fault information and a Deep PCA (Principal Component Analysis)-based diagnosability analysis framework is proposed. First, a scheme for FNR enhancement-based fault data preprocessing with selection of the intelligent decomposition levels and optimal noise threshold is proposed. Second, fault information enhancement technology based on continuous wavelet transform is proposed from the perspective of energy. Further, a Deep-PCA based incipient fault detectability and isolatability analysis are provided via geometric descriptions. Finally, experiments on the TDCS-FIB (Traction Drive Control System–Fault Injection Benchmark) platform fully demonstrate the effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper.

The nature of institutions in a process approach

Motivation: The importance of institutions, understood as common social norms (process approach), is undeniable. As they affect all processes occurring in the economy, it seems crucial to gain a thorough knowledge of their nature. Understanding how institutions work, how they function and how they change would allow for a better explanation of many socio-economic processes occurring in production, exchange and consumption.Aim: The main purpose of this article is to conceptualize institutions in the process approach and to identify the most important features that characterize them. The paper is theoretical and interdisciplinary in nature.Results: The result of the analysis carried out in this article is the identification of the following characteristics of institutions in the process approach: universality, heterogeneity (originality), endogeneity, variability over time (spontaneous and constituted), dependence on the past (historicity), immateriality and direct non-observability. The study also allowed to identify the following features of the institutional system: internal complexity and internal interdependence, which can take the form of relationships of substitutability, complementarity or mutual exclusion.

How do predecessor CEOs on boards affect succession performance?

PurposeCorporate governance scholars have long been interested in understanding the impact of former chief executive officers (CEOs) who do not fully leave office but rather remain as board members. Departing from the inconclusive findings of retaining Janus-faced predecessor CEOs on boards, this study revisits the concept of retaining predecessor CEOs on boards (RPCB) and its influence on successors and firm performance under certain conditions.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzes a sample of 461 Taiwanese firms from 2015 to 2019, adopting the ordinary least squares regression method to examine the correlation between RPCB and firm performance. It specifically analyzes the moderating effects of the complexity of firms' internal and external environments in this context.FindingsThe empirical results show that there is no direct relationship between RPCB and post-succession performance, indicating that this association is shaped by contextual factors. Indeed, the influence of predecessors is more pronounced in situations of high internal and external complexities such that the value of RPCB is situation specific.Originality/valueThis study is the first to generate the resource-based view theory to recognize that the relationship between predecessors on boards and financial consequences is moderated by contextual factors. The authors are the first to extend extant research by considering internal and external complexity in the context of succession and RPCB. In such situations, successors' need for regular mentoring is heightened and the benefits of prior CEO knowledge and resources are more substantial.

Philanthropic Foundations and Transnational Activist Networks: Ford and the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights

AbstractFoundations provide key funds for nongovernmental organizations. We know little about what they do for transnational activism or the mechanisms via which they seek/achieve influence. We carve a middle ground between those who see donors as supporting actors in transnational advocacy networks (TANs) and those who think they distort activism through impersonal market forces. Our negotiation-oriented approach looks at the micro-dynamics of donor–grantee relations. We argue that influence is a function of donors’ organizational characteristics. Only some, especially foundations, have the vision/means to shape grantees. However, internal complexity can cause coordination problems, complicating influence. Additionally, if many donors exist, recipients’ leverage increases. It does so too if their expertise is in short supply. Using archival evidence, we reconstruct how Ford tried to shape the Inter-American Human Rights Institute, a pillar of the region's human rights regime, and the factors conditioning success. For Ford, the Institute could play a role in a fledging TAN, but only if it downplayed its emphasis on research and directly engaged activists. Coupled with analyses of USAID’s relationship with the Institute and Ford's relationship with Americas Watch, we shed light on the activities of an important class of donor and illuminate foundations’ role in the development of TANs.

The Tachrift Project: sedimentary architecture of turbidite channel- levée deposits (Tachrift Turbidite System, Taza-Guercif Basin, Tortonian, NE Morocco)

Turbidite channel-levée complexes have been the focus of extensive research from a number of modern and ancient deep-water turbidite systems over more than fifty years. Although high-resolution 3D seismic studies have recently yielded unprecedented imaging of these deposits, the internal facies complexity of a channel-levée complex remains elusive. To fill this gap, extensive well-exposed outcrops are particularly important, as they provide information on fine-scale facies heterogeneity.This contribution reports on the ongoing ‘Tachrift’ Project, which aims to explore 9 superimposed channel-levée complexes belonging to the Tachrift turbidite system (late Tortonian- early Messinian) of the Taza–Guercif Basin (NE Morocco). Arid climate and deep incision by ephemeral streams make for world-class, extensive, unexplored outcrops spread over an area of ~ 16 km2. Preliminary results provide valuable insights into facies and geometry of channel-fills and correlative levées over a ~150 m-thick and ~4 km wide transect largely oblique to palaeoflow, which may contribute to improving existing models of turbidite channel belt sedimentary heterogeneity and stratigraphic evolution, applied to understand the composition of subsurface analogues.