BackgroundThe emerging market of mobile phone technology and its use in the health sector is rapidly expanding and connecting even the most remote areas of world. Distributing diagnostic images over the mobile network for knowledge sharing, feedback or quality control is a logical innovation.ObjectiveTo determine the feasibility of using mobile phones for capturing microscopy images and transferring these to a central database for assessment, feedback and educational purposes.MethodsA feasibility study was carried out in Uganda. Images of microscopy samples were taken using a prototype connector that could fix a variety of mobile phones to a microscope. An Information Technology (IT) platform was set up for data transfer from a mobile phone to a website, including feedback by text messaging to the end user.ResultsClear images were captured using mobile phone cameras of 2 megapixels (MP) up to 5MP. Images were sent by mobile Internet to a website where they were visualized and feedback could be provided to the sender by means of text message.ConclusionThe process of capturing microscopy images on mobile phones, relaying them to a central review website and feeding back to the sender is feasible and of potential benefit in resource poor settings. Even though the system needs further optimization, it became evident from discussions with stakeholders that there is a demand for this type of technology.
Purpose
Despite the scholarly attention for the integration of sustainability within business strategy and processes, little is known about how strategic orientations of companies influence this integration. Drawing on stewardship theory, this paper aims to analyse the influence of strategic orientation of companies on their environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) performance and the moderating effect of three different political models of economy (Rhine, British and American).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper creates a measurement for strategic orientations by using a coding scheme with a five-category evaluation matrix. The main empirical analysis is done by a fixed-effect model with a panel data set covering 179 publicly traded companies over the 2009-2016 period.
Findings
The conclusions of this paper present that – consistent over time – a stronger orientation on stewardship positively associates with higher ESG performance. Additionally, the political model of economy significantly alters the relationship indicating the effect of strategic orientation on ESG performance. The relationship is significantly stronger in the Rhine model and significantly weaker in the British model, when both compared to the American model.
Originality/value
The implications of this paper are vital to understanding corporate strategic orientation and its relationship to actual corporate behaviour and long-term performance. Implementing the elements of focus, motivation, commitment, support and communication linked to a stewardship orientation is fundamental to achieve higher levels of sustainability performance.
o l m i e @ n i s t . gov Absrrorr-In this paper, we investigate the use of Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH) techniques aimed at malifying the Bluetooth frequency hopping sequence in the presence of WLAN direct sequence spread s p trum devices. We examine the conditions E"& as the applicntions, topolog i m and scenarios under which AFH techniques improve performance that is mearuied in terms of packet 10s. T C P delay, and channel efficiency. We also compare the resulu Obtained with AFH lo others obtained using a scheduling technique that eomist in delaying the transmission of a Bluet w t h packet until the medium is "idl?'. Our results show that an obvious performance impmvement With AFH is in terms of delay and throughput.AFH brings the delay down to the Same level than when no interference is pregent. On the other hand, AFH is raUler slow in responding to changes in tho envimnment and the packet loss i s mere significant than with the scheduling. This is probably due lo the limitations imposed by the communication overhead. The main difficulty for AFH is having to dynamically communicate the changes to all slaves in the piconet in order to keep the synchronization.
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how the dynamic capabilities sensing and seizing could support a sustainable (either instrumental or stewardship) strategic orientation in the apparel industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Through qualitative and inductive research design, ten companies from the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, specifically focusing on brands, were researched. Employees in strategic positions were interviewed. Subsequently, thematic analysis was realized to extract findings from both instrumental and stewardship organizations.
Findings
Instrumental organizations focus on increasing their brand, mainly by following market demands. They sense opportunities via a hierarchical organizational structure that allows for incremental innovation based on internal competition. Stewardship organizations believe in a collective approach toward conducting business effectively. While building a “sustainable case for business”, a stewardship-oriented company senses by involving their stakeholders and seeks unorthodox opportunities using a long-term internal compass as a beacon for decision-making.
Originality/value
Key capabilities are revealed that allow businesses and managers to reach higher levels of sustainability in a specific sector: the apparel industry. Especially the capabilities of stewardship-oriented companies and its ambidexterity provide a fertile base for future research at the nexus of organization development and sustainability.
Bluetooth is a radio technology for Wireless Personal Area Networks operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. Since both Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11 devices use the same frequency band and may likely come together in a laptop or may be close together at a desktop, interference may lead to significant performance degradation. The main goal of this paper is to propose solutions to the interference problem consisting of power control adjustments and scheduling policies to be implemented by the Bluetooth device. Simulation results are given for selected scenarios and configurations of interest.
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