Tactical Expertise Research Articles

Cost-effective contract negotiation strategies for international oil & gas projects

Cost-effective contract negotiation is a critical component in managing international oil and gas projects, where financial efficiency and operational reliability are paramount. The complexity of these projects, which often involve cross-border transactions, diverse stakeholders, and fluctuating market conditions, requires a strategic approach to negotiation. This review highlights key strategies for ensuring cost-effective contract negotiations in the sector. First, a focus on risk-sharing mechanisms allows parties to mitigate uncertainties related to oil price volatility, geopolitical risks, and environmental regulations, fostering mutually beneficial agreements. Collaborative negotiation techniques, where stakeholders adopt a partnership mindset, enhance trust and transparency, leading to better long-term outcomes. Emphasizing local content requirements and engaging with local partners can also reduce costs and improve regulatory compliance, ensuring smoother project execution. In addition, adopting a lifecycle cost analysis during negotiations enables stakeholders to account for long-term financial implications, rather than just initial costs, ensuring more sustainable economic outcomes. Contract standardization can further simplify negotiations by reducing ambiguities and accelerating the drafting process, while flexible pricing models allow for adaptability in response to changing market conditions, minimizing potential cost overruns. Technology integration, such as utilizing data analytics and contract management software, provides real-time insights into pricing, resource allocation, and potential legal complications, helping decision-makers to optimize contract terms. Furthermore, dispute resolution clauses should be carefully crafted to prevent costly legal battles, fostering quicker and more efficient resolutions in case of conflicts. Ultimately, cost-effective contract negotiation strategies require a balance of tactical expertise, legal knowledge, and financial foresight, ensuring the profitability and success of international oil and gas projects. These strategies also emphasize the importance of flexibility, collaboration, and risk management in navigating the intricacies of global oil and gas agreements.

Cognitive representations of handball tactic actions in athletes-The function of expertise and age.

The tactical cooperation for the optimal interaction of team members is an essential performance-determining variable in sports games. The underlying cognitive memory structures of cooperative tactical actions have so far been little researched. Therefore, this study investigated the cognitive memory structure of tactical knowledge of handball actions in teams of different expertise and age groups. In the first experiment, tactical mental representation structures (TMRS) of 30 adult handball players of two different level of expertise were investigated. In the second experiment, TMRS of 57 youth handball players from three age levels were investigated. In both experiments the TMRS was measured with the structure dimensional analysis of mental representation (SDA-M) method. The SDA-M commences with a splitting procedure of a given set of concepts and reveals with a cluster analysis the relational structures of the concepts on an individual and a group level. Experiment one revealed that the TMRS differed significantly between skilled either/or less experienced handball players. Skilled handball players showed a hierarchical organized representation that shared more features with the basic tactical structure of the handball game than less experienced players. The second experiment revealed age-related differences of the TMRS between the age groups of the U15, U17 and U19 teams. Further data analysis revealed significant differences of the TMRS between experienced and less experienced handball players and between local and regional competition level players. We conclude that our current findings suggest that tactical expertise is mediated by elaborate cognitive tactical knowledge in memory. Furthermore, our results indicate that tactical knowledge plays a substantial role during tactical skill learning as it differs as function of age, experience, and competition level. From this point of view, team representations of game situations can be seen as a crucial factor for efficient and common interaction in fast-paced team sports.

The Effects of Physiological Demands on Visual Search Behaviours During 2 vs. 1 + GK Game Situations in Football: An in-situ Approach.

We examined the effect of physiological workload on gaze behaviour during defensive performance in 2 vs. 1 +goalkeeper game situations in football. Twenty-two players were assigned to either a high- or low-performing group based on a validated measure of tactical performance. A total of 12 game sequences (trials) were presented under high- and low-workload conditions. At the end of each sequence, participants were asked to indicate their perceived exertion using the Rating Scale of Mental Effort and the Borg Scale. The low- and high-workload conditions were defined when the players achieved 60 and 90% of their maximal heart rate, respectively, as per their performance in the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test. Visual search behaviours were recorded using Tobii Pro eye-movement registration glasses. Players reported higher rates of perceived exertion on the high- compared to low-workload condition. Participants in the low-performing group increased their average fixation duration and decreased the number of fixations and number of fixation locations from the low- to high-workload conditions. The low- and high-performing groups displayed different visual search strategies with regards the areas of interest fixated upon. Participants in the high-performing group focused on the SpaceFrontPlayer, followed by Ball, and AnotherOpponent. The low-performing group spent more time focusing on the SpaceFrontPlayer and SpacePlayer than Ball and AnotherOpponent. It appears that physiological workload and tactical expertise interact in constraining visual search behaviours in football players. Coaches and practitioners should consider ways to manipulate individual and task constraints while attending to the close interplay between physiological workload, visual behaviour, and tactical performance during practise.

The domestic geopolitics of racial capitalism

In this paper, we analyze the racialized burden of toxicity in the US as a case study of what we call “domestic geopolitics.” Drawing on the case studies of Badin, North Carolina, and Flint, Michigan, we argue that maintaining life in conditions of racialized toxicity is not only a matter of survival, but also a geopolitical praxis. We propose the term domestic geopolitics to describe a reconceived feminist geopolitics integrating an analysis of Black geographies as a domestic form of colonialism, with an expanded understanding of domesticity as political work. We develop the domestic geopolitics framework based on the dual meaning of domestic: the inward facing geopolitics of racialization and the resistance embodied in domestic labors of maintaining life, home, and community. Drawing on Black feminist scholars, we describe three categories of social reproductive labor in conditions of racialized toxicity: the labor of keeping wake, the labor of tactical expertise, and the labor of revolutionary mothering. We argue that Black survival struggles exemplify a domestic geopolitics of everyday warfare against racial capitalism’s onslaught.

A Systematic Review of Collective Tactical Behaviours in Football Using Positional Data.

Performance analysis research in association football has recently cusped a paradigmatic shift in the way tactical behaviours are studied. Based on insights from system complexity research, a growing number of studies now analyse tactical behaviours in football based on the collective movements of team players. The aim of this systematic review is to provide a summary of empirical research on collective tactical behaviours in football, with a particular focus on organising the methods used and their key findings. A systematic search of relevant English-language articles was performed on one database (Web of Science Core Collection) and one search engine (PubMed), based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines. The keywords 'football' and 'soccer' were each paired with all possible combinations of the following keywords: 'collective movement behaviour', 'collective behaviour', 'tactical behaviour', 'interpersonal coordination', 'space', 'Voronoi', 'synchronisation', 'tactical analysis', 'constraints', 'ecological dynamics', and 'dynamic positioning'. Empirical studies that were related to tactical analyses of footballers' positional data were sought for inclusion and analysis. Full-text articles of 77 studies were reviewed. A total of 27 tactical variables were identified, which were subsequently organised into 6 categories. In addition to conventional methods of linear analysis, 11 methods of nonlinear analysis were also used, which can be organised into measures of predictability (4 methods) and synchronisation (7 methods). The key findings of the reviewed studies were organised into two themes: levels of analysis, and levels of expertise. Some trends in key findings revealed the following collective behaviours as possible indicators of better tactical expertise: higher movement regularity; wider dispersion in youth players and shorter readjustment delay between teammates and opponents. Characteristic behaviours were also observed as an effect of playing position, numerical inequality, and task constraints. Future research should focus on contextualising positional data, incorporating the needs of coaching staff, to better bridge the research-practice gap.

The Translation of Sport Science Research to the Field: A Current Opinion and Overview on the Perceptions of Practitioners, Researchers and Coaches.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the collated integration of practitioner expertise, athlete values and research evidence aimed to optimise the decision-making process surrounding sport performance. Despite the academic interest afforded to sport science research, our knowledge of how this research is applied in elite sport settings is limited. This current opinion examines the existing evidence of the translation of sport science research into the field, with a tailored focus on the current perceptions of practitioners, researchers and coaches. Recent studies show that practitioners and researchers report they ascertain sport science knowledge differently, with coaches preferring personal interactions compared with coaching courses or scientific journals. The limited peer-reviewed research shows that coaches perceive their knowledge is greater in fields such as tactical/technical areas, rather than physical fitness or general conditioning. This likely explains coaches' greater perceived value in research dedicated to technical and tactical expertise, as well as mental training and skill acquisition. Practitioners place a large emphasis on the need for research in physical fitness areas, which is likely due to their occupational focus. There are many perceived barriers of sport science research application, including funding, time, coach/player/staff 'buy in' and research questions that may not apply to the setting. We contend that researchers and practitioners may benefit in producing research, ascertaining knowledge and disseminating findings in alternative methods that better align with coaches' needs. In addition, educational strategies that focus on real-world context and promote social interaction between coaches, practitioners, organisational personnel and researchers would likely benefit all stakeholders.

Exploring how playing football with different age groups affects tactical behaviour and physical performance.

The study aimed to compare footballers’ performances when playing with teammates and opponents from the same age group with performances when playing with teammates and opponents of different age groups. Three football matches were played: i) under-15 (U15) players played with each other; ii) under-17 (U17) players played with each other; and iii) players under the age of 15 and 17 played with each other in two equivalent mixed age teams. The players’ physical performance was measured using the distances covered at different speed categories and tactical behaviour was assessed using several positioning-derived variables. The results showed that, when playing in the mixed age condition, the U15 players increased the distance covered in sprinting intensity (18.1%; ±21.1%) and the U17 players increased the distance covered in jogging zones (6.8%; ±6.5%). The intra-team movement synchronization in longitudinal and lateral displacements was higher when U15 players confronted peers of the same age, in the first half (-13.4%; ±2.0%, -20.3%; ±5.7% respectively), and when U17 players confronting the mixed group, in both halves (-16.9%; ±2.5%, 9.8%; ±4.0% and 7.9%; ±5.7%, 10.6% ±4.4%, respectively). The differences between age groups and the mixed condition may be connected with the level of players’ tactical expertise and adaptive positioning according to the dynamic environmental information. In general, these results suggest that mixing the age groups may be useful to promote a wider range of training session stimuli in these young football players.

Tactical expertise assessment in youth football using representative tasks.

Specific football drills improve the development of technical/tactical and physical variables in players. Based on this principle, in recent years it has been possible to observe in daily training a growing volume of small-sided and conditioned games. These games are smaller and modified forms of formal games that augment players’ perception of specific tactics. Despite this approach, the assessment of players’ knowledge and tactical execution has not been well documented, due mainly to the difficulty in measuring tactical behavior. For that reason, this study aims to provide a narrative review about the tactical assessment of football training by using representative tasks to measure the tactical expertise of youth football players during small-sided and conditioned games. This study gives an overview of the ecological approach to training and the principles used for representative task design, providing relevant contribution and direction for future research into the assessment of tactical expertise in youth football.

Central Asian States: Matching Military Means to Strategic Ends

Over the past two decades of independent history, the Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) have developed pragmatic and largely non-ideological national security strategies rooted in their perceptions and prioritization of the complex regional realities. The states' attempts to match their military and security services capabilities to handle a variety of external and internal security challenges highlights the fact that the Central Asian states regard these capabilities as critical elements of hard power. At the same time, while often utilized to help quell various sources of domestic instability, all Central Asian militaries have lacked up-to-date operational experience. A review of their tactical proficiency in dealing with internal conflicts shows that although Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have contained socio-political unrest better than Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, all the states struggled to reform and adapt their armed forces to successfully deliver on their doctrinal obligations. This is because they have remained largely outside of contemporary international military interventions such as Operation Iraqi Freedom, the International Security Assistance Force or Kosovo Forces.This paper outlines the national security objectives of the Central Asian states and analyzes available information on the size, funding, combat readiness and the overall performance of the militaries in recent domestic conflicts. In attempting to effectively respond to the security challenges envisioned in the respective national defense strategies and doctrines, all Central Asian militaries have often struggled with fundamental operational issues and acted in similarly heavy-handed fashion. The continuous balancing of Russian, U.S. and Chinese regional security agendas aided by reform and modernization of the armed services are important to ensuring the Central Asian militaries' successes in fulfilling their current doctrinal obligations. An examination of the great magnitude of challenges faced by the Kyrgyz and Tajik militaries reveals a particularly compelling explanation for their strategic reliance on Russia in the event of a state emergency.The collective Central Asian military experience of handling recent internal instabilities suggests that as long as a military establishment is capable of containing security challenges in a relatively short period of time and without causing politically unacceptable casualties, it is unlikely to undergo major structural changes. Provided these states' stability is maintained and a restive area resumes government control, a combination of significant operational setbacks, lack of tactical expertise and human rights abuses is not bound to cause a sweeping reformation of the armed forces and security services. At the same time, internalization of the sum of all the operational experiences and lessons learned can be expected to influence national geopolitical choices insofar as prompting a country to seek allies most willing to assist it with meeting its key security and military modernization needs. For players outside the region such as the United States and Europe, a rationale for maintaining the current level of regional engagements in Central Asia becomes an almost Clausewitzian derivative of their broader geopolitical strategies. While far from harboring any Great Game type of ambitions, continued Western involvement in Central Asia, including in the realm of security cooperation, helps the West gain additional avenues of cooperation with China, possess at least moderate influence over Russian ambitions in the latter's near abroad and, in the case of robust security cooperation with Tajikistan, secure a potential engagement opportunity with Iran.Regional Threats and ChallengesAs identified by contemporary Uzbek political expert Shavkat Arifhanov, at a broad regional level all Central Asian states look at their military and security structures in the context of the following threats and concerns: border security focused on post-ISAF Afghanistan and prevention of the flow of terrorists, narcotics and weapons from Afghanistan into the region (as a source of instability, post-ISAF Afghanistan has the least relevance for Kazakhstan); containing the threat of homegrown and externally-supported religious extremists; preventing escalation of interregional tensions in the potential conflict zone of the Fergana valley (for Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) and responding to domestic, social and ethnic unrest caused by increasing unemployment and deteriorating living conditions. …