Search results for "network theory"
showing 10 items of 47 documents
The effect of fish life-history structures on the topologies of aquatic food webs
2021
Biological organisms can vastly change their ecological functionality due to changes in body size and diet across their life. Consequently, it has been increasingly recognized that to attain sufficient biological realism, food webs may need to include life-history structures. The objective of the work is to study theoretically whether and how the inclusion of life-history structures affects the food web topology. Topological research was done by applying network theory metrics for three different food web types with two different sizes that were generated by using the niche-model. The dynamical modeling was performed by using an allometric trophic network modeling approach. The different ty…
Intermediate units and competence creation in the multinational firm: a network approach
2019
Multinational Corporations (MNCs) as economic and social actors have an enormous impact on the global economy. They have been acknowledged as the forefront of the technological and organizational developments (Lundan, 2018) while also presented as resource spoilers in other contexts (Narula, 2018). Currently, the economic environment MNCs face is determined by the fragmentation of the global production. Mainly, this is due to technological advances, the rise of emerging economies and liberalization policies (Narula, 2014) which have facilitated cross-border coordination of transactions (Kano, 2017). As a consequence, the MNC is assisting to the subsequent dispersion of its activities which …
The journalOsteuropaas a forum for Russian–German academic dialogue
2014
This article focuses on the interdisciplinary, monthly academic journal Osteuropa as a mediator between Russian and German academic discourses, and as a tool for bringing Russian perspectives closer to German intellectual audiences. The historical overview provided in this paper shall show the actors involved in the development of the journal since its founding at the beginning of the twentieth century. The actor–network theory and the Bourdieusian concepts of field and habitus will be deployed to reveal the academic networks Osteuropa is involved in and the role of the actors in them. Osteuropa's Russian collaborative partners and joint publication projects are presented in the paper. The …
Alexithymia and personality traits of patients with inflammatory bowel disease
2017
AbstractPsychological factors, specific lifestyles and environmental stressors may influence etiopathogenesis and evolution of chronic diseases. We investigate the association between Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) and psychological dimensions such as personality traits, defence mechanisms, and Alexithymia, i.e. deficits of emotional awareness with inability to give a name to emotional states. We analyzed a survey of 100 patients with IBD and a control group of 66 healthy individuals. The survey involved filling out clinical and anamnestic forms and administering five psychological tests. These were then analyzed by using a network representation of the system by considering it a…
From witnessing to recording – material objects and the epistemic configuration of science classes
2012
Drawing on concepts developed in actor-network theory and postphenomenology this article shows how material objects in the science classroom become part of epistemic configurations and thus co-shape science education. An ethnographic study on epistemic objects in science education is the basis for the analysis of two of these objects: experimental arrangements and the blackboard. While experimental arrangements configure students as witnesses of the fascinating otherness of material objects, the blackboard enacts students as recorders of semiotic representations. In the interplay of these socio-material enactments scientific knowledge receives its authority in the classroom. The perspective…
E-Government's Role in Shifting the Paradigm of Performance in the Public Sector
2015
The emergence of e-government changed the world of the Public Administration (PA) and the discipline of Public Management dramatically. Through the presentation of a case- study of the municipality of Palermo, this article attempts to discuss the renewed need for assessing performance of e-government services in a local government and to disclose the main critical issues in accomplishing this evaluation. Palermo is experiencing the implementation of a second- generation e-government project that is embodied in the realization of a web portal. The conceptualization of a framework to assess the performance of the digital services appears to be crucial in order to improve the system and to avo…
Dominant and emerging approaches in the study of higher education policy change
2012
The purpose of the article is to analyse recent literature on higher education policy change. Based on the review, three different approaches are distinguished: structural, actor and agency. In the structural approach the dynamic of policy change originates in well-established structures. The actor approach focuses on either individual or institutional actors as the drivers of policy change. The agency approach understands higher education policy change as an interactive process between various actors and domains within transient structures. We will also present two emerging, alternative approaches: actor-network theory, which takes interaction as a starting point and proposes that no organ…
Explaining the internationalization of ibusiness firms
2015
Information and communication technologies have given rise to a new type of firm, the ibusiness firm. These firms offer a platform that allows users to interact with each other and generate value through user co-creation of content. Because of this, ibusiness firms face different challenges when they internationalize compared with traditional firms, even those online. In this article we extend existing internationalization theory to encompass this new type of organization. We theorize that because ibusiness firms produce value through the creation and coordination of a network of users, these firms tend to suffer greater liabilities of outsidership when expanding abroad and therefore concen…
Applying complexity science to air traffic management
2015
Versión aceptada obtenida del archivo digital en línea WestminsterResearch de la Universidad de Westminster. Complexity science is the multidisciplinary study of complex systems. Its marked network orientation lends itself well to transport contexts. Key features of complexity science are introduced and defined, with a specific focus on the application to air traffic management. An overview of complex network theory is presented, with examples of its corresponding metrics and multiple scales. Complexity science is starting to make important contributions to performance assessment and system design: selected, applied air traffic management case studies are explored. The important contexts of…
How to Distribute a Cake before Cutting It into Pieces
2000
This article analyses social networks by looking at the standard making processes. As a framework for analysis, actor network theory is chosen. Standards are of particular interest for actor network theory for they provide mechanisms to align interests of multiple social groups organized in networks that have a joint incentive in working with the standards and /or associated technologies. These social groups include scientific communities, government institutions and social movements (industrial groups, companies, and consumers) that are interested in regulating and innovating with new technologies. Standards provide the mechanisms to inscribe subsequent behaviors that are expected to becom…