Resource Management Issues Research Articles

Review of drivers and threats to coastal groundwater quality in China

With rapid socio-economic development, China's coastal areas are among the fastest growing and most economically dynamic regions in the world. Under the influence of climate change and human activities, protecting the quality of coastal groundwater has emerged as one of the key environmental and resource management issues for these areas. This paper reviews (for the first time) groundwater quality data for the coastal basins of China, where over 600 million people live, focussing on key inorganic indicators/pollutants; groundwater salinity, nitrate, fluoride, and arsenic. These pollutants present major water quality issues and are also valuable as indicators of wider processes and influences impacting coastal groundwater quality – e.g. saltwater intrusion, agricultural pollution and release of geo-genic contaminants. We discuss the major drivers causing water quality problems in different regions and assess future trajectories and challenges for controlling changes in coastal groundwater quality in China. Multiple processes, including modern and palaeo seawater/brine migration, groundwater pumping for agricultural irrigation, pollution from agrochemical application, rapid development of aquaculture, urban growth, and water transfer projects, may all be responsible (to different degrees) for changes observed in coastal groundwater quality, and associated long-term health and ecological effects. We discuss implications for sustainable coastal aquifer management in China, arguing that groundwater monitoring and contamination control measures require urgent improvement. The evolution and treatment of coastal groundwater quality problems in China will serve as an important warning and example for other countries facing similar pressures, due to climate change, coastal development, and intensification of anthropogenic activity in coming decades.

Job Satisfaction of Self Financing Engineering College Teachers: Before and During COVID 19

Job satisfaction is one of the most widely discussed issue in organizational behaviour and Human Resource Management. In present study the researcher investigated the present level of job satisfaction among the Self Financing Engineering College Teachers: Before And During COVID 19.Job satisfaction is an elusive, even mythical, concept that has been increasingly challenged and refined particularly since the Herzberg, Mauser and Synderman study in 1959. The most important information to have regarding an employee in an institution is a validated measure of his/her level of job satisfaction (Roznowski and Hulin, 1992). A better understanding of job satisfaction and factors associated with it helps top level management in educational institutions guide employees' activities in a desired direction. The morale of employees is a deciding factor in the institution's efficiency (Chaudhary and Banerjee, 2004). The affective component encompasses the good and bad feelings about a job, such as how people feel about their supervisors, co-workers, salaries, fringe benefits, office settings and commute to work. This information can be based on facts, conjecture and rumours. And a person's predisposition to respond in a favourable or unfavourable way to things on a job is the behavioural component. This aspect of an attitude determines the course of action a person chooses.

A comprehensive review of contemporary issues of electronic human resource management (E-HRM)

Information technology (IT) became a vital part of our modern-day activities. In contemporary years, the usage of IT in expediting the human resource management (HRM) activities augmented considerably. E-HRM has the ability to develop managerial competency and influence the role of human resources (HR) as a strategic business partner. E-HRM is essential for firms because of its encouraging effect on staff productivity. Speedy technical modifications revolved E-HRM into a substantial theoretical and professional agenda. This study delivers an exploration into the contemporary level of improvements of the theoretical knowledge connected to E-HRM. Numerous features of E-HRM, specifically descriptions of E-HRM, the academic perceptions around E-HRM, the role of E-HRM, the numerous categories of E-HRM, the requirements for effective E-HRM etc. are scrutinized. It will contribute into HRM literature and regulate the effectiveness of E-HRM and its practices. This research would support the scholars and the practitioners to have the comprehensive portrait of the modern matters linked to E-HRM. The articles concluded by delivering some suggestions for future studies.

Impact of workload, co-worker pressure and supervisor pressure on employee presenteeism: Evidence from Sri Lanka

Presenteeism is one of the major contemporary issues in Human Resource Management (HRM) as it negatively impacts on worker productivity and ultimately on organizational productivity and goal achievement. Thus, employee presenteeism which refers to attending work while ill needs to be discouraged. A systematic empirical study was carried out with regards to employee presenteeism owing to little research done, contextual gap and intellectual curiosity of authors. Objectives of the study were; (1) to find the degree of presenteeism of Sri Lankan executive and non-executive employees in Colombo District under study; (2) to find the impact of workload on employee presenteeism; (3) to find the impact of co-worker pressure on employee presenteeism; (4) to find the impact of supervisor pressure on employee presenteeism; (4) to find the overall impact of workload, co-worker pressure and supervisor pressure on employee presenteeism; and (5) to investigate whether there is any significant difference between male and female employees under study in terms of presenteeism. The nature of this study was analytical; time horizon was cross sectional; and the unit of analysis was individual. A theoretical framework was formulated based on some empirical evidences in literature review and logical beliefs of the authors. Three different instruments were developed by the authors to measure the workload, co-worker pressure, and supervisor pressure while Stanford Presenteeism Scale (SPS) was utilized to measure employee presenteeism. Reliability and validity of the instruments are assured. Survey method was utilized and 72 executive and non-executive employees in Colombo district responded to the questionnaire through the sampling technique of convenient sampling technique. Small sample size can be a major limitation of the study and it can be suggested to explore more on the difference between executive and non-executive employees in terms of presenteeism using a larger sample. The empirical findings revealed that the degree of employee presenteeism is between average and high and there is a significant positive impact from workload, co-worker pressure and supervisor pressure on employee presenteeism. Further it was revealed that there is no significant difference between male and female employees under the study in terms of presenteeism.
 Keywords: Co-worker Pressure, Presenteeism, Supervisor Pressure, Workload

A confirmatory factor analysis of the challenges of effective management of construction workforce in South Africa

PurposeThe South African construction industry (SACI) is a huge employer of labour as the industry depends mostly on human resources to carry out its activities. However, the industry has also been noted for its poor workforce management and lack of attention to human resource management (HRM) issues. Therefore, this study aims to assess the challenges facing the effective management of the construction workforce in South Africa with a view to improving HRM activities in the industry and improve overall service delivery through an effectively managed workforce.Design/methodology/approachA pragmatic philosophical view using a mixed-method research design was adopted. The study’s qualitative strand was achieved through a Delphi, whilst the quantitative strand was achieved through a questionnaire survey. In addition, descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean item score, Kruskal-Wallis H-test, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were adopted for data analysis.FindingsWith high reliability, construct validity and model fit indices, the study found that for effective HRM to be attained within construction organisations, careful attention must be given to issues surrounding the nature of the industry, unhealthy working environment, employee-related issues, diversity and working condition in the industry.Originality/valueWhilst several studies have been conducted on HRM, there is a lack of studies on the major challenges facing effective HRM in the SACI. The findings also offer future research studies a good theoretical platform to build upon.

Управление человеческими ресурсами таможенных органов

The article discusses the issues of human resource management of customs authorities: the main methods and forms of the process of selection and placement of personnel of customs authorities. The results of the analysis of the organization of the process of selection and placement of officials and employees of customs authorities on the example of the Samara customs are presented. Practical recommendations for improving the organization and increasing the efficiency of the process of selection and placement of personnel in the customs authorities of the Russian Federation, formed on the basis of the DEA analytical method, are proposed.

Growth, water use, and water use efficiency of Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus radiata plantations compared with natural stands of Roble-Hualo forest in the coastal mountains of central Chile

The water-use of plantations compared to alternative land uses is an important natural resource management issue in central Chile. The need for local data is heightened by a drying trend in the local climate, the potential for planted forests to store carbon and local plans to replace plantations of Pinus radiata D. Don with Eucalyptus globulus Labill. This paper compares the growth and water balance of P. radiata and native forest (Hualo – Nothofagus glauca (Phil.) Krasser) at a low rainfall site (1016 mm) and of P. radiata, E. globulus and native forest (Roble – N. obliqua Mirb.) at a medium rainfall (1395 mm) site.Evapotranspiration of plantations of P. radiata in the north and of P. radiata and E. globulus further south was greater than in the local native forest by about 100 mm per year. This difference in total water use was due to greater transpiration by the plantation species; the sum of interception and soil evaporation was very similar for all forest types. Pinus radiata used more water than native forest throughout the year, owing to a more than two-fold greater stand sapwood area in the P. radiata. The difference between E. globulus and native forest was due to much higher sap flux density in the E. globulus during spring and early summer. Although there was no annual difference between the water use of E. globulus and P. radiata, the much greater transpiration of E. globulus in spring may result in earlier drying of soils and catchments planted with E. globulus than P. radiata species.The annual growth rate of all forest types increased in the years after the end of Chilean mega drought. During the first year of this period, E. globulus produced significantly more wood per unit of water used (3.5 g wood kg−1) than P. radiata (2.1 g kg−1) which was, in turn, more than five times more efficient then the native forest (0.4 g kg−1).

A New Individual Tree Species Classification Method Based on the ResU-Net Model

Individual tree species (ITS) classification is one of the key issues in forest resource management. Compared with traditional classification methods, deep learning networks may yield ITS classification results with higher accuracy. In this research, the U-Net and ResNet networks were combined to form a Res-UNet network by changing the structure of the convolutional layer to the residual structure in ResNet based on the framework of the U-Net model. In addition, a second Res-UNet network named Res-UNet2 was further constructed to explore the effect of the stacking of residual structures on network performance. The Res-UNet2 model structure is similar to that of the Res-UNet model, but the convolutional layer in the U-Net model is created with a double-layer residual structure. The two networks proposed in this work were used to classify ITSs in WorldView-3 images of the Huangshan Mountains, Anhui Province, China, acquired in March 2019. The resulting ITS map was compared with the classification results obtained with U-Net and ResNet. The total classification accuracy of the ResU-Net network reached 94.29% and was higher than that generated by the U-Net and ResNet models, verifying that the ResU-Net model can more accurately classify ITSs. The Res-UNet2 model performed poorly compared to Res-UNet, indicating that stacking the residual modules in ResNet does not achieve an accuracy improvement.

Addressing Cetacean–Fishery Interactions to Inform a Deep-Sea Ecosystem-Based Management in the Gulf of Taranto (Northern Ionian Sea, Central Mediterranean Sea)

Understanding of cetaceans’ trophic role and the quantification of their impacts on the food web is a critical task, especially when data on their prey are linked to deep-sea ecosystems, which are often exposed to excessive exploitation of fishery resources due to poor management. This aspect represents one of the major issues in marine resource management, and trade-offs are needed to simultaneously support the conservation of cetaceans and their irreplaceable ecological role, together with sustainable fishing yield. In that regard, food web models can represent useful tools to support decision-making processes according to an ecosystem-based management (EBM) approach. This study provides a focus on the feeding activity occurrence and the trophic interactions between odontocetes and the fishery in the marine food web of the Gulf of Taranto (Northern Ionian Sea, Central Mediterranean Sea), by zooming in on cetaceans’ prey of commercial interest. In particular, the quantification of trophic impacts is estimated using a food web mass-balance model that integrates information on the bathymetric displacement of both cetaceans’ prey and fishing activity. The results are discussed from a management perspective to guide future research and knowledge enhancement activities as well as support the implementation of an EBM approach.

The improvement of method for the multi-criteria evaluation of the effectiveness of the control of the structure and parameters of interference protection of special-purpose radio communication systems

Military radio communication systems are the basis of special purpose control systems and the object of the enemy’s primary influence. Therefore, the issue of increasing the noise immunity of military radio communication systems is important and needs further research. Thus, the object of the research was chosen to be a military radio communication system. Maintaining a given level of noise immunity for military radio systems is one of the key issues in radio resource management, the effective management of which allows the use of the entire suitable frequency range for the transmission (reception) of electromagnetic energy by radio electronic devices. A number of works have been devoted to the ways search for increasing the noise immunity of military radio communication systems. One such way is to develop new (improve existing) approaches for assessing the effectiveness of military radio interference management. This work solves the problem of improving the method of multicriteria management effectiveness evaluation of the structure and parameters of the military radio systems noise protection. The scientific problem is solved by the devices of multicriteria estimation of the of noise protection level of the military radio communication system, graphic display of the executed and not executed tasks, the aggregation scheme of formation of the integrated estimation of noise protection. The research used scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, also the theory provisions of signal-code structures and the provisions of the complex technical systems theory. The peculiarity of the proposed improvement of the methodology is the multi-criteria assessment of the noise immunity level of the military radio communication system in the conditions of radio electronic conflict. The proposed technique allows: – to evaluate the effectiveness of noise protection management; – to substantiate the optimal configuration of the military radio communication system in solving the problems of noise protection management in the conditions of radio electronic conflict; – to identify the ways to increase noise immunity at the stage of operational management of the military radio communication system in the conditions of electronic conflict. The results of the research should be used in assessing the effectiveness of management of noise protection of military radio communication systems and determining the optimal structure and parameters of military radio systems.

Challenges in the Cloud Computing Model of Resource Management Issues Such as Service Level Agreements and Services Models

Cloud computing has recently emerged as a new model for hosting and delivering services over the internet. Cloud computing has many advantages, such as the ability to increase capacity or add capabilities without the need to invest in new infrastructure. It can also fulfil technological requirements in a fast and automated manner. In recent years, cloud computing has changed the IT industry; in fact, it is one of the industry's fastest growing phenomena. However, as more information about people and businesses becomes available in the cloud, concerns about the safety of this environment will increase. In addition, some challenges to the use of this service exist. This paper presents the results of a survey about cloud computing and outlines the main concepts of the technology along with examples of appropriate usage. It also discusses resource management issues such as service level agreements and highlights the challenges faced by users when choosing cloud computing services.

Spatio-temporal controls of C–N–P dynamics across headwater catchments of a temperate agricultural region from public data analysis

Abstract. Characterizing and understanding spatial variability in water quality for a variety of chemical elements is an issue for present and future water resource management. However, most studies of spatial variability in water quality focus on a single element and rarely consider headwater catchments. Moreover, they assess few catchments and focus on annual means without considering seasonal variations. To overcome these limitations, we studied spatial variability and seasonal variation in dissolved C, N, and P concentrations at the scale of an intensively farmed region of France (Brittany). We analysed 185 headwater catchments (from 5–179 km2) for which 10-year time series of monthly concentrations and daily stream flow were available from public databases. We calculated interannual loads, concentration percentiles, and seasonal metrics for each element to assess their spatial patterns and correlations. We then performed rank correlation analyses between water quality, human pressures, and soil and climate features. Results show that nitrate (NO3) concentrations increased with increasing agricultural pressures and base flow contribution; dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations decreased with increasing rainfall, base flow contribution, and topography; and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations showed weaker positive correlations with diffuse and point sources, rainfall and topography. An opposite pattern was found between DOC and NO3: spatially, between their median concentrations, and temporally, according to their seasonal cycles. In addition, the quality of annual maximum NO3 concentration was in phase with maximum flow when the base flow index was low, but this synchrony disappeared when flow flashiness was lower. These DOC–NO3 seasonal cycle types were related to the mixing of flow paths combined with the spatial variability of their respective sources and to local biogeochemical processes. The annual maximum SRP concentration occurred during the low-flow period in nearly all catchments. This likely resulted from the dominance of P point sources. The approach shows that despite the relatively low frequency of public water quality data, such databases can provide consistent pictures of the spatio-temporal variability of water quality and of its drivers as soon as they contain a large number of catchments to compare and a sufficient length of concentration time series.

Blockchain-Enabled Access Management System for Edge Computing

In the post-cloud era, edge computing is a new computing paradigm with data processed at the edge of the network, which can process the data close to the end-user in real time and offload the cloud task intelligently. Meanwhile, the decentralization, tamper-proof and anonymity of blockchain technology can provide a new trusted computing environment for edge computing. However, it does raise considerable concerns of security, privacy, fault-tolerance and so on. For example, identity authentication and access control rely on third parties, heterogeneous devices and different vendors in IoT, leading to security and privacy risks, etc. How to combine the advantages of the two has become the highlight of academic research, especially the issue of secure resource management. Comprehensive security and privacy involve all aspects of platform, data, application and access control. In. this paper, the architecture and behavior of an Access Management System (AMS) in a proof of concept (PoC) prototype are proposed with a Color Petri Net (CPN) model. The two domains of blockchain and edge computing are organically connected by interfaces and interactions. The simulation of operation, activity and role association proves the feasibility and effectiveness of the AMS. The instances of platform business access control, data access control, database services, IOT hub service are run on Advantech WISE-PaaS through User Account and Authentication (UAA). Finally, fine-grained and distributed access control can be realized with the help of a blockchain attribute. Namely, smart contracts are used to register, broadcast, and revoke access authorization, as well as to create specific transactions to define access control policies.

Social learning diffusion and influential stakeholders identification in socio-hydrological environments

In this paper, six critical topics in social learning (SL) definition and applications are discussed: 1- Clarification of the SL definition; 2- The role of SL in the management of shared water resources; 3- The definition of “learning” in SL; 4- The quantification of SL; 5- The relation of SL with outputs of Social Networks Analysis (SNA) and stakeholder Analysis (SA); 6- Identifying and ranking of key stakeholders (i.e., influencers) for SL diffusion. After defining SL, we present SL's role using a well-known game theory problem. We have addressed the term “learning” in SL using an existing method, namely reinforcement learning. We present a new approach for quantifying SL within a hydrological environment and finding key stakeholders for the SL diffusion. For the first time, we consider a combination of SL, SA, and SNA to propose a comprehensive social-based approach to investigate SL diffusion. The western part of Tehran city, which is suffering from some water and environmental issues such as overexploitation of groundwater and land subsidence, is the case study of this paper. The results show a significant relationship between SL and the outputs of SNA. The suggested method for identifying key stakeholders has been able to identify key stakeholders in terms of various water resources management issues in the study area. The results can be used for developing effective policies towards sustainable management of water and environmental resources in the studied socio-hydrological system.

An international tool to measure perceived stressors in intensive care units: the PS-ICU scale

BackgroundThe intensive care unit is increasingly recognized as a stressful environment for healthcare professionals. This context has an impact on the health of these professionals but also on the quality of their personal and professional life. However, there is currently no validated scale to measure specific stressors perceived by healthcare professionals in intensive care. The aim of this study was to construct and validate in three languages a perceived stressors scale more specific to intensive care units (ICU).ResultsWe conducted a three-phase study between 2016 and 2019: (1) identification of stressors based on the verbatim of 165 nurses and physicians from 4 countries (Canada, France, Italy, and Spain). We identified 99 stressors, including those common to most healthcare professions (called generic), as well as stressors more specific to ICU professionals (called specific); (2) item elaboration and selection by a panel of interdisciplinary experts to build a provisional 99-item version of the scale. This version was pre-tested with 70 professionals in the 4 countries and enabled us to select 50 relevant items; (3) test of the validity of the scale in 497 ICU healthcare professionals. Factor analyses identified six dimensions: lack of fit with families and organizational functioning; patient- and family-related emotional load; complex/at risk situations and skill-related issues; workload and human resource management issues; difficulties related to team working; and suboptimal care situations. Correlations of the PS-ICU scale with a generic stressors measure (i.e., the Job Content Questionnaire) tested its convergent validity, while its correlations with the Maslach Burnout Inventory-HSS examined its concurrent validity. We also assessed the test–retest reliability of PS-ICU with intraclass correlation coefficients.ConclusionsThe perceived stressors in intensive care units (PS-ICU) scale have good psychometric properties in all countries. It includes six broad dimensions covering generic or specific stressors to ICU, and thus, enables the identification of work situations that are likely to generate high levels of stress at the individual and unit levels. For future studies, this tool will enable the implementation of targeted corrective actions on which intervention research can be based. It also enables national and international comparisons of stressors’ impact.

A Literature Review of Hybrid System Dynamics and Agent-Based Modeling in a Produced Water Management Context

This paper explores the possibility and plausibility of developing a hybrid simulation method combining agent-based (AB) and system dynamics (SD) modeling to address the case study of produced water management (PWM). In southeastern New Mexico, the oil and gas industry generates large volumes of produced water, while at the same time, freshwater resources are scarce. Single-method models are unable to capture the dynamic impacts of PWM on the water budget at both the local and regional levels, hence the need for a more complex hybrid approach. We used the literature, information characterizing produced water in New Mexico, and our preliminary interviews with subject matter experts to develop this framework. We then conducted a systematic literature review to summarize state-of-the-art of hybrid modeling methodologies and techniques. Our research revealed that there is a small but growing volume of hybrid modeling research that could provide some foundational support for modelers interested in hybrid modeling approaches for complex natural resource management issues. We categorized these efforts into four classes based on their approaches to hybrid modeling. It appears that, among these classes, PWM requires the most sophisticated approach, indicating that PWM modelers will need to face serious challenges and break new ground in this realm.

Learning by doing: collaborative conceptual modelling as a path forward in ecosystem-based management

AbstractManagers, stakeholders, and scientists recognize the need for collaborative, transparent, integrated approaches to complex resource management issues, and frameworks to address these complex issues are developing. Through the course of 2019, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council developed a conceptual model of ecosystem linkages and risks for summer flounder, a species of recreational and commercial fisheries importance. The proximal aim of the model was to develop a list of integrated management questions that could be refined and addressed through a future quantitative management strategy evaluation. As such, this conceptual model served as a scoping tool. However, the true value of the conceptual model lays elsewhere: familiarizing resource managers historically focused on single-species management with the potential utility of an ecosystem approach to management. This paper details the goals and development of the conceptual model and situates this process in the broader context of best practices for collaborative open science and scientific reproducibility. Further, it highlights a successful path by which the shift towards ecosystem-based management can be actuated.

Rival-Model Penalized Self-Organizing Map enforced DDoS attack prevention mechanism for software defined network-based cloud computing environment

Reliability, and safety are considered as the indispensable twins during the adoption of the cloud computing environment since their breaches lead to catastrophic issues in poor resource management and unreliable service quality. To be specific, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is determined as the most vulnerable threat in the cloud space as it lowers the ability of the predominant resources’ for preventing their optimal utilization. The advent of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is estimated to wide open the feasibility in preventing DDoS attacks in the cloud space. In this paper, a Rival-Model Penalized Self-Organizing Map (RMP-SOM) enforced DDoS Attack Prevention Mechanism is proposed for the remarkable prevention of DDoS attack by utilizing the potential characteristics of SDN that focuses on the possibility of facilitating network global perspective, effective investigation of network traffic, and an enhanced process of rule updating. This proposed RMPSOM-SDNDM scheme utilizes the benefits of the constant rate in order to ensure priority to the closest neuron and its neighborhood rather than its farthest rival neuron for facilitating better detection accuracy. The simulation results of the proposed RMPSOM approach confirmed a phenomenal sensitivity, specificity and accuracy rate during the process of detecting DDoS attacks in the cloud space on par with the baseline DDoS mitigation schemes considered from the literature.

Trendsetters of HRM: a systematic review of how professional service firms manage people

PurposeHuman resource management in professional service firms (PSF) is one of the most important instruments for promoting sustainable competitive advantage. Despite the major growth of scholars' interest in human resource management (HRM) issues in PSF, the body of knowledge in this field remains highly fragmented and diversified. The purpose of this paper is to systematize key evidence on the use of HRM practices in PSF.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a systematic literature review of 90 peer-reviewed journal papers.FindingsThe review revealed typical ability-, motivation- and opportunity-enhancing practices used by PSF and outlined how these HRM practices may differ among various PSF.Originality/valueThe paper provides scholars with an updated and comprehensive research landscape and development process in this important field, thereby contributing to greater research interest and enthusiasm for future research.

The Policy Framework of Natural Resource Management in Oil-Dependence Countries

A variety of critical empirical studies are interested in and focused on complex issues related to natural resource management and resource curse, whilst less can be found combining diverse factors that affect the dynamics of this curse and mitigate it. The case study of Norway is used as the benchmark policy framework in oil-rich countries to invest oil revenues and set correct fiscal policies. In this study, an analytical framework was structured to evaluate the coherence of resource management with sustainability as a starting point, contributing to further assessments of how the adaptation of such policies is incorporated in resource management to mitigate the resource curse. The analysis also suggests that oil-rich countries can learn from Norway’s experience to mitigate this resource curse and utilize oil revenues in the interest of the country. In addition, the analysis helps in effective management and the protection of ecological resources as these are becoming an increasingly important strategic part of natural wealth. This study aimed to provide an overarching framework designed to help conceptualize key issues of natural resource management and the resource curse in oil-rich countries and understand the challenges facing those countries in managing the natural resources.