Digital Commons Network^™

Volatility Spillovers Between Stock Prices And Exchange Rates: Empiral Evidence From Six Apec Economies, Lucia Morales, Mary O'Donnell

Conference papers

This paper set out to examine the volatility linkages between stock returns and exchange rates in a number of East Asian markets. Overall, our main results indicate that since the Asian financial crises, there exists significant scope for investors and portfolio managers to diversify their assets between stocks and currencies in these markets. In particular, the lack of volatility spillovers between stock markets and exchange rates, and between exchange rates and stock markets in all countries, except Taiwan in the post crises period indicates that there is scope for investors to diversify their investments and to benefit from potential gains …

Strategic Partnerships And The Internationalisation Process Of Software Smes, Aileen Kennedy, Kathy Keeney

Conference papers

This research investigates the strategic partnering activities of software SMEs (small to medium sized enterprises), their motivations to engage in strategic partnerships as part of the internationalisation process, the key benefits achieved and the main challenges encountered. A qualitative research methodology focusing on Irish indigenous firms is used. Findings suggest that strategic partnerships were initiated to take advantage of firm synergy, reputation and credibility advantages. Partnerships also served as an important foreign market entry mechanism allowing firms to accelerate sales cycles and reduce risk in overseas markets. Challenges facing firms included partner selection and issues of control. Directions for further …

Process Modelling Support For The Conceptual Modelling Phase Of A Simulation Project, Cathal Heavey, John Ryan

Conference papers

While many developments have taken place around supporting the model coding task of simulation, there are few tools available to assist in the conceptual modelling phase. Several authors have reported the advantages of using process modelling tools in the early phases of a simulation project.

This paper provides an overview of process modelling tools in relation to their support for simulation, categorizing the tools into formal method and descriptive methods. A conclusion from this review is that none of the tools available adequately support the requirements gathering phase of simulation. This is not surprising as none of the process modelling …

Mems Mobile Gis: A Spatially Enabled Fish Habitat Management System, Andrea Rizzini, Keith Gardiner, Michela Bertolotto, James Carswell

Conference papers

Spatially enabled computing can provide assistance to both web-based and mobile users by exploiting positional information and associated contextual knowledge. The Mobile Environmental Management System (MEMS) is a proof of concept prototype that has been developed in order to simplify administrative duties of biologists at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Canada. MEMS aims to deliver contextaware functionality aided by visualization, analysis and manipulation of spatial and attribute datasets. The resulting application delivers a set of functions and services that aids the DFO’s biologists in making everyday management decisions

Child Sexual Abuse: How Young People Tell, Rosaleen Mcelvaney

Conference papers

This paper explores the theme of disclosing sexual abuse experiences in adolescence. As children develop increasing autonomy and independence they also develop cognitive, social and emotional skills which facilitate the process of disclosing personal experiences they have struggled for in some cases many years to maintain secrecy. Decision making skills which enable the young person to consider alternative consequences to their behaviour, multiple outcomes and an appreciation of the diverse perspectives of others enables them to weigh up the relative advantages and disadvantages of disclosure. Increased empathy enables them to appreciate the vulnerability of other children to abuse yet also …

Experimental Investigation On Voip Performance And The Resource Utilization In 802.11b Wlans, Miroslaw Narbutt, Mark Davis

Conference papers

In a shared medium network like the 802.11b WLAN, predicting the quality of VoIP calls from the resource usage of the wireless medium is highly desirable. Analyzing the bandwidth usage at the L2/MAC layer may be especially useful for potential QoS provisioning and call admission schemes. This paper experimentally investigates the relationship between resource utilization in WLANS and the quality of VoIP calls transmitted over wireless medium. Specifically we evaluate how the amount of free bandwidth influences transmission impairments (i.e. delay, loss and jitter) and thus call quality. Resource utilization (under the MAC bandwidth components framework) is calculated by a …

Serious Gordon Using Serious Games To Teach Food Safety In The Kitchen, Brian Mac Namee, Pauline Rooney, Patrick Lindstrom, Andrew Ritchie, Frances Boylan, Greg Burke

Conference papers

This paper will describe the development of Serious Gordon, an interactive digital game developed to tech the basics of kitchen food safety to workers in industries dealing with food. The motivations driving the development of the game will be described as will the development process itself. An initial evaluation of the game, from both a technical and pedagogical point of view, will be presented as will conclusions on the viability of using a commercial game engine for the purpose of developing educational games.

The Use Of Task Based Mood-Induction Procedures To Generate High Quality Emotional Assets, Brian Vaughan, Charlie Cullen, Spyros Kousidis, Yi Wang, Ciaran Mcdonnell, Dermot Campbell

Conference papers

Detecting emotion in speech is important in advancing human-computer interaction, especially in the area of speech synthesis. This poster details experimental procedures based on Mood Induction Procedure 4, using performance related tasks to engender natural emotional responses in participants. These tasks are aided or hindered by the researcher to illicit the desired emotional response. These responses will then be recorded and their emotional content graded to form the basis of an emotional speech corpus. This corpus will then be used to develop a rule-set for basic emotional dimensions in speech.

Experimental Investigation Of The Effects Of Background Traffic Loads On Streamed Video Over 802.11b Wlans, Tanmoy Debnath, Nicola Cranley, Mark Davis

Conference papers

Video is a frame based media and video streaming is often described as “bursty” which has a large impact on the Quality of Service of the video streaming application over WLAN networks. In this paper the impact of background load on the performance of streaming MPEG-4 video with a video server located on the wired network streaming to wireless client is analysed. We experimentally investigate the performance for both uplink and downlink loads. The performance is measured in terms of the key parameters of bit rate, loss rate and mean delay since these are the primary factors that affect the …

Experimental Analysis Of An 802.11b Wireless Mesh Network, Brian Keegan, Karol Kowalik, Mark Davis

Conference papers

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) are a type of radio-based network which require minimal configuration and infrastructure. They can be built using relatively low cost radio and computing platforms. In this paper we attempt to analyze the performance of a simple WNM using various packet sizes as well as a multi-hop WMN.

The International Protean Career: Considerations For Human Resource Management, Marian Crowley-Henry

Conference papers

This paper presents some career patterns from a research undertaking which qualitatively sampled highly educated Western foreign residents in the South of France. In the data collection, their individual career stories were relayed to the researcher from in-depth exploratory interviews. The very personal and individual nature of these careers is underlined in the research findings. The aim of this paper is to share some of the broader findings from the study, which invoke discussion on the wider concerns for career management within the HRM discipline in the future.

Performance Of A Variable Speed Double-Fed Induction Generator Wind Turbine During Network Voltage Unbalance Conditions, Joseph Kearney, Michael Conlon

Conference papers

The issues of the negative performance of DFIG’s due to supply network voltage unbalance are outlined in this paper. The paper shows the effects that voltage unbalance can have on a DFIG, using the power simulation program DigSilent. The results from simulations show that voltage unbalance affects the both the induction generator and the rotor converter, due to the high unbalanced currents generated. The ability to modify the control strategy of a DFIG to compensate for voltage unbalance is outlined and a proposal to build a test-rig suitable to implement such a system is suggested.

The Effects Of Background Traffic On The End-To-End Delay For Video Streaming Applications Over Ieee 802.11b Wlan Networks, Nicola Cranley, Mark Davis

Conference papers

The bursty nature of video streaming applications is due to the frame-based structure of video and this has an important impact on the resource requirements of the WLAN, affecting its ability to provide Quality of Service (QoS) particularly under heavily loaded conditions. In this paper we analyse this bursty behaviour in depth. We show how each video frame is queued at the AP causing the packet delay to vary in a sawtooth manner that is related to the frame rate, the number of packets per video frame, and the packet size. We infer the maximum background traffic load that can …

Outsourcing In Ireland: A Literature Review, Survey And Case Study Perspective, Edward Sweeney, Aoife O'Riordan

Conference papers

This paper investigates what is happening in Ireland at the moment regards outsourcing. It
looks into the literature review and the survey conducted. The research took place over a period
of two years, initially as a literature review, and then the survey was conducted through the
mediums of e-mail and the postal service. The survey analysis found that Ireland was the most
likely place for Irish companies to outsource to, and that nearly 40 percent of the companies that
have been surveyed have started on their latest outsourcing initiative since 2004. This indicates
that outsourcing is still important on the …

Technology Influences On Small Logistics Providers: A Case Study Analysis, Pietro Evangelista, Alan Mckinnon, Edward Sweeney

Conference papers

ICT has triggered many changes in the logistics service industry. New technology is reshaping the organisation and structure of this industry as ICT impacts significantly on the operations of 3PLs. Within this process, while large 3PLs are gaining substantial benefits from technology usage, the nature of changes resulting from ICT usage in small 3PLs remains unclear. This is critical particularly for those markets populated by a high number of small 3PLs such as the Italian logistics industry. From the research point of view, there is still a gap in the literature where the role of technological capability in small 3PLs …

Outsourcing In Ireland: A Literature Review And Survey Perspective To Construct An Outsourcing Roadmap, Aoife O'Riordan, Edward Sweeney

Conference papers

This paper investigates what is happening in Ireland at the moment regards outsourcing. It looks into the literature review and the survey conducted. The research took place over a period of two years, initially as a literature review, and then the survey was conducted through the mediums of e-mail and the postal service. The survey analysis found that Ireland was the most likely place for Irish companies to outsource to, and that nearly 40 percent of the companies that have been surveyed have started on their latest outsourcing initiative since 2004. This indicates that outsourcing is still important on the …

The Application Of Learning Skills In An Engineering Programme, Leslie Shoemaker

Conference papers

At the Dublin Institute of Technology, an engineering programme in the School of Control Systems and Electrical Engineering has successfully incorporated a study skills module into the core curriculum. The module, titled Academic Development and Key Skills, is part of the first year of the programme and has a two-fold purpose. Primarily the goal is to assist the students with the transition from second level education to third level by teaching them a more competent learning style. This, in turn, helps to create a positive impact with respect to the retention of this student group within the programme. The second …

Moving A Part-Time Engineering Course To A Student-Centred Paradigm, Kevin Kelly

Conference papers

This paper is a further reflection on two conference papers presented at the World Conference for Continuing Engineering Education (WCCEE) in Vienna in April 2006 and National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway Conference: The Challenge of Diversity: Teaching, Support and Student Learning , June 2006. Both conference papers dealt with different aspects of my experiences of the theoretical and pedagogical changes required in re-design and delivery of a part-time engineering programme for the continuing education development of electrical engineers in the workforce.

Economic, Environmental And Social Performance Of The Irish Tourism Sector: Towards Sustainability, Kevin Griffin, John Carty

Conference papers

Ireland is promoted a clean, green tourism destination, famous for it’s landscape, environment, natural habitats and biodiversity. However, is this image still realistic and is it an image that can be sustained as Ireland develops post 2006? This question is examined through the course of this paper and relevant tourism policies are drawn on to illustrate this issue further.

Over the past decade, Irish tourism has performed quite well and has made a strong contribution to the national economy[1]. An efficient government sector, a competitive air and maritime transport sector, a strong partnership between public and private sector, …

Study Of Same-Lane And Inter-Lane Gvw Correlation, Colin C. Caprani, Bernard Enright, E. J. O'Brien

Conference papers

Extensive work has been done over the last two decades on the simulation of traffic loading on bridges. The methodology used is to generate a number of years of simulated traffic and to use extreme value statistics to predict more accurately the characteristic loading for a given bridge. The parameters and probability distributions used in the Monte Carlo simulation must be based on observed sample traffic data. Some previous studies have made unsubstantiated assumptions regarding correlation between the Gross Vehicle Weights (GVW) of trucks in the same lane, or between trucks in adjacent, same direction lanes. For this paper, an …

Exploring The Discourses Of Small Enterprise Proprietors, Brendan O'Rourke, Martyn Pitt

Conference papers

Over the last three decades the discourses of strategy and enterprise have developed significantly in the context of large corporate organizations and increasingly within and for the public sector. The discourses of strategy and enterprise have developed in relationship with each other and are generative of various attributes and dilemmas for the identity of the strategist/entrepreneur. This study looks at how these important discourses are deployed by small enterprise proprietors in periodical publishing in Ireland as they construct their business identities with one of the authors. Interview data from one proprietor is subjected to a discourse analysis drawing particularly on …

Finding The Distribution Of Bridge Lifetime Load Effect By Predictive Likelihood, Colin C. Caprani, E. J. O'Brien

Conference papers

To assess the safety of an existing bridge, the loads to which it may be subject in its lifetime are required. Statistical analysis is used to extrapolate a sample of load effect values from the simulation period to the required design period. Complex statistical methods are often used and the end result is usually a single value of characteristic load effect. Such a deterministic result is at odds with the underlying stochastic nature of the problem. In this paper, predictive likelihood is shown to be a method by which the distribution of the lifetime extreme load effect may be determined. …

Making Space For Home... The Second Home, Deirdre Quinn, Nigel Morgan, Annette Pritchard

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

Dit Speech Corpus, Dermot Campbell, Yi Wang, John D. Kelleher, Marty Meinardi, Bunny Richardson

Conference papers

DIT’s nascent speech corpus will allow a body of spoken material to be searched for features of informal native speech via a normalised transcription. Once located, the original sound files can be played at normal speed or slowed down in order to better study the recorded speech. The DIT speech corpus treats speed of delivery as a key element in producing the elisions, assimilation, reductions and co-articulations characteristic of native-to-native dialogues. Lack of training in dealing with this spoken register can lead to lack of preparation for the world of real speech and even to a degree of social exclusion. …

An Experimental Analysis Of The Call Capacity Of Ieee 802.11b Wireless Local Area Networks For Voip Telephony, Brian Keegan, Mark Davis

Conference papers

In this paper we present the results from an experimental study of the call capacity of an IEEE 802.11b network when using VoIP telephony. Experiments include increasing the number of VoIP users in a wireless test-bed and increasing the level of background traffic until network saturation occurs. The experiments allow us to perform an analysis of the access point (AP) buffer dynamics. Results show that the network is capable of supporting up to 16 VoIP stations (STAs). Due to the operation of the IEEE 802.11 medium access control (MAC) mechanism, the AP acts as a bottleneck for all traffic destined …

Gauging Voip Call Quality From 802.11 Wlan Resource Usage, Miroslaw Narbutt, Mark Davis

Conference papers

In this paper we experimentally study the relationship between resource utilization in the wireless LAN and the quality of VoIP calls transmitted over the wireless medium. Specifically we evaluate how its overall capacity is shared between three basic MAC bandwidth components (load, access and free) as the number of VoIP calls increases and how it influences transmission impairments (delay, loss and jitter) and thus call quality. Resource utilization (under the MAC bandwidth components framework) is calculated by a WLAN probe application that passively “sniffs” packets at the L2/MAC layer of the wireless medium and analyses their headers and temporal characteristics. …

The Impact Of Tcp Sliding Window On The Performance Of Ieee 802.11 Wlans, Enrique Roques Gomez, Mark Davis

Conference papers

In this paper the TCP sliding window mechanism is experimentally investigated as one of the possible causes of the unfairness often observed as IEEE802.11 wireless LANs. We show how by appropriately sizing the sliding window it is possible to re-introduce fairness into the operation of the WLAN.

Effect Of Free Bandwidth On Voip Performance In 802.11b Wlan Networks, Miroslaw Narbutt, Mark Davis

Conference papers

In this paper we experimentally study the relationship between bandwidth utilization in the wireless LAN and the quality of VoIP calls transmitted over the wireless medium. Specifically we evaluate how the amount of free bandwidth decreases as the number of calls increases and how this influences transmission impairments (i.e. delay, loss and jitter) and thus degrades call quality. We show that the amount of free bandwidth is a good indicator for predicting VoIP call quality.

Expanding Diversity For Mature Part-Time Craftspersons, Kevin Kelly

Conference papers

This paper, originally presented at the World Conference for Continuing Engineering Education (WCCEE) in Vienna in April 20006, examines how the Engineering Faculty in the Dublin Institute of Technology is coping with change on its part-time accredited engineering programmes as it widens access and moves to constructivist learning approaches on one new degree programme. A comparison is made between this programme and a more traditional academic programme. This move though largely successful, has led to some unexpected results.

No Buts! - Researching Children's Consumption, An Exploration Of Conversation And Discourse Analytic Techniques, Olivia Freeman

Conference papers

Contemporary discussion of social research with children revolves around three trends (i) an emphasis on researching children’s ‘experiences’ rather than their ‘perspectives’, (ii) an emphasis on researching ‘with’ children rather than ‘on’ children or ‘for’ children and (iii) a conceptualisation of children as ‘social beings’ not ‘social becomings’. This paper poses questions about how qualitative data is analysed and posits a two-pronged CA/DA (conversation analysis/ discourse analysis) approach as a potential means to enhance richness in qualitative research in the area of children’s consumption phenomena. Drawing on a number of illustrations from an ongoing research project this paper seeks to …