1- Introduction

2- Literature review

3- Research design and methodology

4- Findings and discussion

5- Conclusions

References

Abstract

Much of the research on big data analytics has been centered on technical or system development. Research has been carried out on the usage of big data analytics to understand customer relationships and experience, amongst others. Still, there is a lack of research in the retail industry considering big data management, examining the impact on customer satisfaction and organizational performance in the retail sector. Retailers explore analytics to gain a unified picture of their customers and operations across the store or online channels and make strategic decisions contributing to the growth of the retail industry. Thereof, this study has been conducted by majorly focusing on the Singapore retail industry to clarify the feasibility of big data management analytics. Quantitative research method was employed involving 500 participants from the retail industry of Singapore. The results of the study stated that amongst the different big data analytics utilized within the retail industry of Singapore, social media analytics had been majorly answered by the participants. Future researchers can study about the upcoming retail trends in Singapore and how the effects of big data analysis changed in the past few years and deal with the unexpected future recessions in the retail industry within Singapore.

Introduction

Several organizations suffer to maintain large sets of data and the related nontraditional data structures. Different factors of expanding data management skills of an organization and enhancing the portfolios in terms of data management software are also implemented for big data management. Such measures help in increasingly automating the operations of the organization, and the outcome of such processes is the big data management (BDM). The big data should be permanently placed within the data management system of organizations (Russom, 2011). The ability to access, analyze, and manage enormous data volumes besides the fast evolution of information architecture is increasingly critical for retailers who intend to improve business and performance efficiency. Although the key to success is suitable customer experience, operational efficiency, loyalty, and customer retention, the demand of anticipation is significant for the proficient management of inventory, cash, and overall profitability. While retailers grow and extend in the diverse market, the data type that is commonly managed has become more complex. However, the analysis of such complex data leads to a comprehensive understanding of the product’s path to profitability (Ernst and Young, 2014).

1- INTRODUCTION

2- METHODS

3- RESULTS

4- DISCUSSION

5- CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Abstract

Background: Routine use of pre‐participation electrocardiograms (ECGs) has been used by the Singapore Armed Forces, targeting early detection of significant cardiac diseases. We aim to describe the impact of demographic and anthropometric factors on ECG variables and establish a set of electrocardiographic reference ranges spe‐ cific to a young male multiethnic Southeast Asian cohort. Methods and results: Between November 1, 2009, and December 31, 2014, 144,346 young male conscripts underwent pre‐participation screening that included a 12‐ lead ECG, demographic and anthropometric measurements. The Chinese population had the longest PR interval (146.7 ± 19.7 vs. 145.21 ± 19.2 in Malays vs. 141.2 ± 18.8 ms in Indians), QRS duration (94.5 ± 9.8 vs. 92.6 ± 9.7 in Malays vs. 92.5 ± 9.4 ms in Indians) and QTcB interval (408.3 ± 21.3 vs. 403.5 ± 21.6 in Malays vs. 401.2 ± 21.4 ms in Indians) (all p < 0.001). Body mass index (BMI) >25 kg/m2 and body fat >25% were independently associated with lower prevalence of increased QRS voltage on ECG. Systolic blood pressure of >140 mmHg or diastolic blood pres‐ sure of >90 mmHg independently increased the prevalence of increased QRS voltage on ECG.
Conclusions: Electrocardiographic parameters vary across different ethnicities and in comparison with international norms. In our population, diagnosis of increased QRS voltage by ECG is less prevalent with obesity and increased body fat. Further analysis of gold standard measurements for the diagnosis of LVH in our population is ongoing, to improve the accuracy of the ECG screening process.

INTRODUCTION

The role of routine electrocardiography (ECG) in pre‐participation screening remains contentious (Baggish, 2015; Maron et al., 2014; Mont et al., 2017; Yeo and Sharma, 2016). Early detection of preex‐ isting cardiac conditions that predispose individuals to sudden cardiac death remains key to creating a safe training environment for vigorous physical exertion. This is even more vital in a country like Singapore where conscription is mandatory for all able‐bodied Singaporean males in determining fitness for participation in military training. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has used the routine use of ECGs as part of its cardiovascular screening system since 2008 (Ng et al., 2012). This was based on an Italian pre‐participation car‐ diovascular screening system proposed by Corrado et al. (Corrado et al., 2005). ECG screening is, however, influenced by a myriad of factors including demographics, anthropometrics and level of phys‐ ical fitness. Different groups of authors have established that pop‐ ulation‐specific reference ranges exist among distinct population groups (Chen et al., 1989; Dewhurst et al., 2014; Katibi et al., 2013; Khumrin et al., 2015; Macfarlane et al., 2015, 2010; Mason et al., 2007; Palhares et al., 2017; Rijnbeek et al., 2014; Wu et al., 2003; Zhou et al., 2009). This underscores the fundamental principle that effective ECG screening needs to be based on population‐specific reference ranges, with an eventual view to developing population‐ specific screening criteria to optimize pre‐participation screening. We aim to describe the impact of demographic and anthropo‐ metric factors on ECG variables and establish a novel set of electro‐ cardiographic reference ranges specific to a population‐wide young male multiethnic Southeast Asian cohort.

1- Introduction

2- Context and theoretical background

3- Methodology

4- Overview findings and discussion

5- Conclusions and next steps

References

Abstract

This study examines the impact of cultural differences on the creation of social capital in technology transfer processes. The aim is to understand the influence of culture on relationships, particularly the structural, relational and cognitive dimensions of social capital created in relationships associated with university-industry links, specifically technology transfer (TT). The research builds on a culture-moderated social capital perspective; observing that the characteristics and usefulness of social capital are determined by cultural practices prevailing in social structures. The influence of culture on social capital in case studies of six American and ten Asian technology transfer offices and organizations involved in technology transfer has been investigated. Using university research technology transfer and commercialization as the centerpiece of the empirical work, we examine basic Hofstede’s cultural characteristics and the way they influence TT practices in two different culture types. Our findings suggest cultures can influence creation and utilization of social capital in university-industry links. Culture can influence not only relationships with external stakeholders in technology transfer (industry, governmental bodies) but also internal relationships and management styles in TT offices (influences on organizational culture). We propose that the awareness of cultural characteristics and influences is important not only in cross-cultural technology transfer but also domestic operations. Using this awareness to build trust lies at the heart of interactions with internal and external stakeholders. The research results should be useful for entrepreneurs, universities and technology transfer officers in order to better understand the nature, and role, of culture-moderated social capital in technology transfer and to support effective processes for scientific research commercialization.

Introduction

A very competitive environment and dynamic changes in the global economy have led private and public sector institutions to unite their efforts to foster the diffusion of knowledge within innovation systems. Scholarly interest in university–industry relationships for technology development and commercialization arose from a belief that collaborative research by academia with industry can be a powerful source of innovation (Mansfield, 1998). Some researchers have argued that the importance of linkages between universities and industry bodies helps ensure the survival of both parties in the competitive marketplace and that it acts as an engine of economic growth (Siegel et al., 2004). Morlacchi and Martin (2009) argue that the innovative capacity of a nation is dependant not only on individual actors of the innovation system (companies, universities, government), but more importantly on the links between such players. Carlsson and Fridh (2002) argue that technology transfer from universities to industry needs to be understood in its broader context. The success in disseminating research results for the public good depends not only on the nature of the interface between the university and the business community, but also on the receptivity in the surrounding community as well as the culture, organization, and incentives within the universities themselves. Particularly the national culture system can be more, or less, contributory to the development of social capital (Lin, 2007; Nakhaie, 2005; Sanders and Nee, 1996) and culture variations may affect the characteristics of social capital (Portes, 1998). For example norms, are considered as one of major sources of social capital (Coleman, 1988; Portes, 1998). Norms are culturally constructed (Hofstede, 1980). Also networks have been perceived as ‘primarily cultural phenomena’ (Curran et al., 1993: 77). This study supports a culture-moderated social capital perspective, i.e. that the characteristics and usefulness of social capital are determined by cultural practice prevailing in social structures (Lin, 2007). We investigate social capital in a cultural context via two extreme cultural types. On the basis of Hofstede’s (1997) cultural dimensions model, Griffith et al. (2000) identified two extreme cultural types: Type I (individualistic, low uncertainty avoidance, and low long-term orientation) and Type II (collectivistic, strong uncertainty avoidance, and high long-term orientation).

Tourism contributes enormously towards the economic development of host countries. Globally, many developing countries rely largely on tourists’ spending which accounts for significant contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of those countries. According to Ashley et al. (2007) tourism contributes almost 40% of GDP in developing economies and approximately 70% of GDP in case of very small island economies. However, with reference to developed and more diversified economies, tourism accounts for 2% to 12% share in GDP. Moreover, according to most recent report by World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) approximately 1.2 billion tourists travelled internationally in 2015; thus, tourism industry contributed US$ 7.2 trillion i.e. 9.8% of world’s GDP and generated 284 million jobs i.e. 9.5% of total employment opportunities globally (WTTC, 2016a). These figures reflect the substantial role of tourism in global economy. Tourism influences the economy of host countries in multiple ways; through employment generation, infrastructure establishment, tourism-related value chain development and through other socio-economic impacts on the lives of domestic population Tang & Abosedra, 2014; Tang & Tan, 2013; Apergis & Tang, 2013; Ashley et al., 2007). However, the other side of the picture is quite dismal and gloomy. On one hand, tourism industry serves as a catalyst for economic growth of tourism led economies; whereas, the flip side of coin illustrates that there are numerous hazardous effects of rapidly increasing tourism. Some of those hazards are economic (uneven development, income inequality, geopolitical risks, rising costs of materials); whereas, others are environmental (extreme weather conditions and climate change, emission of greenhouse gases, water and other ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 3 resources scarcity, excess consumption of energy) and social (child labour and forced labour, human trafficking and sex tourism, culture and heritage protection) in nature (Mowforth& Munt, 2016; WTTC, 2015). It is immensely apprehended that positive aspects of tourism would be overshadowed by the aforementioned negative aspects if serious efforts are not made towards promoting socio-economically viable and environmentally sustainable tourism worldwide. Tourism has been attributed as an environmentally damaging industry on account of the greenhouse gas discharges related with tourist mobility (Highamet al., (2016). Wang et al. (2018) expounds that being one of the key CO2 emitter, industrial sector has drawn substantial attention of the global community regarding efficient energy usage and CO2 reduction policies.

Currently, health is one of the important things needed by everyone. This is evidenced by the increasing number of private hospitals or clinics being established. In Indonesia, several international standard hospitals with various advanced facilities have been established. However, the services provided by Indonesian hospitals are lacking as compared to the services provided by the hospitals abroad. In connection with this, there is an interesting phenomenon in recent years in which a large number of Indonesian patients seek medical treatment abroad. Approximately 30-40 percent of foreign patients at any one time in Singapore are Indonesian (International Medical Travel Journal, 2008). The quality of hospital care is an important aspect that affects the intention of a patient to have medical treatment in his or her home country or to choose a hospital abroad. We are interested in studying the patients’ perception of service quality provided by the hospitals in Singapore. This study aims to discover the patient’s understanding ofservice quality in hospitals in Singapore. 2. Literature review Service quality is defined as the overall evaluation of the performance of a service entity (Cronin and Taylor, 1992). Even though the evaluation has been described as the difference between customer’s expectation and perception of a service, some researchers have argued that it is better to measure service quality solely on perception (see Dagger, Sweeny and Johnson, 2007). This argument should also make a firmer difference between perceived service quality and customer satisfaction since the latter is usually defined as the difference between customer expectation and perception of product performance. The application of service quality model in health care or hospital has been widely conducted (e.g. Vandamme and Leunis, 1993; Rashid and Jussof, 20009; Rose, Uli, Abdul and Ng, 2004). Researchers have been trying to adapt the service quality model to the specific needs of hospital industry. There are two challenges faced by the esearcher in hospital service quality. Firstly, patients do not use the technical aspect of service as the measurement of service quality because most patients do not understand or do not have access to the information to evaluate the technical aspect (Tucker and Adams, 2001). Secondly, the relationship between patients’ satisfaction and quality is still undecided (Tucker and Adams, 2001). Therefore, Tucker and Adams (2001) are integrating the concept of satisfaction and service quality into an integrative model. The researchers have been proposing their models of service quality in hospital. Most of them are based on the RATER dimensions proposed by PZB (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry 1985, 1988). Lim and Tang (2000) add the dimension of “accessibility and affordability” to 5 dimensions of “reliability”, “assurance”, “tangibles”, “empathy”, and “responsiveness”. Tucker and Adams (2001) add “caring”, “communication” and “outcome”. Andaleeb (1998) and Hasin et al. (1998) add “cost”. On the other hand, Tomes and Ng (2001), develop 7 dimensions: “empathy”, “understanding of illness”, “relationship of mutual respect”, “dignity”, “food”, “physical environment” and “religious needs” based on their study on a different perspective, which is The Patients’ Charter. Developing the model from the previous studies, Rose et al. (2004) develop the dimensions of “technical”, “interpersonal”, “amenities/ environment”, “access/ waiting time”, “costs”, “outcomes” and “religious needs”. The other more notable study by Dagger et al. (2008) divide service quality into 5 dimensions which are more comprehensive, each with some sub-dimensions, they are “interpersonal (interaction and relationship)”, “technical (outcome and expertise)”, “environmental quality (atmosphere and tangibles)”, and “administrative quality (timeliness, operation, and support)”.

The wholesale electricity market of Singapore, as Asia’s first liberalized electricity market, is constantly aiming to provide reliable and secure energy supply, and promote effective competition [1]. A recent important change in the market is the introduction of a demand response (DR) program which is scheduled for implementation in 2016. The newly introduced DR program is intended to reduce the wholesale electricity price when it is high by allowing the consumers to voluntarily reduce their energy demand. The final determination paper on this topic was issued in 2013 by the Energy Market Authority (EMA), the system operator of Singapore’s electricity market [2]. In December 2015, the Energy Market Company (EMC), the independent market operator of Singapore’s wholesale electricity market, publicized the modification of the market rules for implementation of the DR program [3]. This DR program is the first initiative in Singapore to allow consumers actively manage their demand in response to market prices. Singapore’s current wholesale market is a real-time market (spot market) consisting of a half-hourly auction of energy and ancillary services. During each auction period, generation companies provide energy and ancillary service offers which vary depending on the demand forecast and their willingness to enter the market for the upcoming dispatch period [1]. The trade of energy among the market participants, e.g. generation companies and load providers, is governed by a market clearing model (MCM). The MCM considers the offers from generators and clears the market by providing the market participants (1) the dispatch schedule which corresponds to the leasttotal cost of energy supply,

مقاله سال 2016

In the lastfew decades, scholars in global public relations (PR) have called for more research and education in multicultural communication (Macnamara, 2004; Sriramesh, 2003). This charge has become more urgent today given the increasing number of multinational organizations operating in an ever internationalizing economy that are endlessly “globalizing”, “glocalizing” or “grobalization” (Chaney &Martin, 2014, p. 3)to remain competitive. The need to understandmulticulturalism in our field is further accentuated by large scale human migrations across the globe that has resulted in multicultural communities even within many previously ethnically homogenous countries (Koenig, 2015). Essentially, being culturally competent to communicate effectively with culturally diverse publics both intra- and inter-countries has never been more critical.

According to Vercic, Grunig and Grunig (1996), culture is one of the five environmental factors that impact the formation of PR planning in a country. Sriramesh (2003) extended the observation by arguing the need for the American education system to deliver multicultural PR education with an emphasis on multiculturalism if it hopes to adequately equip and train aspiring PR professionals in today’s globalized business environments. Macnamara (2004) supported that observation and argued that “nowhere is research more important than in multicultural and cross-cultural communication” (p. 1). While honoring the vital works that have been done to highlight the importance of multiculturalism, one also needs to question the operationalization of this cultural construct. This is because while many scholars, particularly in the field of social psychology, have demonstrated and provided empirical evidence to support the operationalization of two other cultural constructs, i.e., individualism and collectivism (Hofstede & Hofstede, 2001; Triandis, 2007), few have attempted to do the same for multiculturalism. As such, unless researchers understand how multiculturalism is applied in PR practice, multiculturalism will remain an academic construct.

Lamenting the limitations of multiculturalism research in Western-centric cultures, Shome (2012) argued that AngloAmerican engagements with multiculturalism tended to be “nation-bound” (p. 144) in the sense that the comprehension of multiculturalism is focused on getting marginalized or immigrant groups of different ethnicity to be acculturated to Western culture. The practice of multiculturalism is often informed by reasoning and logic embedded in Western liberal definitions of what constitute freedom, rights and democracy. Hence, for as long as multiculturalism is studied through these lenses, it cannot adequately understand multiculturalism which requires the ability to “address relations of cultural otherness that are produced by the complexities of transnationalism” (p. 144).

مقاله سال 2016

One key challenge faced by Newly Industrialized Economies (NIEs) is the evolution of an appropriate strategy to sustain longterm economic growth. Singapore’s economic prosperity in the last four decades is attributed to her success in transitioning from a growth strategy reliant on sourcing technology from foreign Multi-National Companies (MNCs) to one that is more balanced with increasing emphasis on indigenous innovation capability (Wong and Singh, 2008). In January 2003, the Singapore government launched a multi-agency initiative named “Growing Enterprises with Technology Upgrade” or in short “GET-Up”, to stimulate technology transfer from public to private sector, so as to nurture indigenous innovations in local industry. Concerted effort was from four government agencies, i.e. Agency for Science, Technology And Research (A*STAR), Economic Development Board (EDB), Standards, Productivity & Innovation Board Singapore (SPRING) and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore. The initiative is a new integrated approach that utilizes skills and human resource transfer, supplemented by a practical technology roadmapping programme, and provision of technical advisors when needed to assist the technology upgrading of small and medium enterprises.

As a provider of information, government disseminates an array of scientific knowledge through government owned laboratories, technical publications, journals and computer based services (Spann et al., 1995). Following the US government in taking a cooperative technology paradigm, many governments made legislative changes so that universities and government laboratories can play a stronger role in developing technology for use in the private sector (Bozeman, 2000). Technology transfer offices were established in most research offices and universities (Siegel and Phan, 2005). The last decade witnessed an increased number of studies pertaining to university-industry technology transfer (see Bozeman (2000) and Teixeiria and Mota (2012)). But there is scarce literature about technology transfer between public research institutes and private sector. Although public research institutes and universities share important features, the two differ on various perspectives. For example, public research institutes are closer to industrial technology development and have lesser focus on basic research unlike universities. Moreover, interdisciplinary versities. Thus, technology transfer from research institutes could be less constraining than that from universities, which warrants careful examination and our study addresses this important gap. Second, most of the studies on technology transfer focus on established firms (incumbents or R&D intensive firms). Even the majority of the Open Innovation (OI) literature that examines how firms use both internal and external ideas to advance their technology have focused primarily on MNCs (e.g. Mortara and Minshall, 2011). It is only recently that OI researchers began to study open innovation activities in SMEs (Van de Vrande et al., 2009; Lee, et al., 2010; Minshall et al., 2013). Our study on GET-Up has a special focus on how SMEs source technology from public research institutes, which is an important addition to not only the technology transfer literature, but also the open innovation literature.

As GET-Up’s primary focus is movement of scientists and engineers, the centrepiece of the scheme is T-Up – a researcher secondment program through which SMEs can access the sizeable pool of high-quality and experienced researchers at the well-established public research institutes. Secondment here refers to the research staff of a public research institute being “loaned” to work on a full-time basis in an SME for up to two years; the secondee’s salary will be paid mainly by a government grant and only partially by the SME; on completion, the secondee will return to the public research institute unless he/she is retained by the SME on mutual agreement. In this paper, we present a mixed-methods study of T-Up as an innovative approach to transfer public sector knowledge and intellectual properties to industry, and we also show that it is an effective mode for SMEs to source technologies from external parties (Chesbrough et al., 2006; Bozeman, 2000).