Search results

Multi-hop wireless networks remain an important research frontier ofwireless communications. Multi-hop wireless networks are rapidlydeployable to extend the coverage of the Internet, which can be aneconomical alternative to building new base stations. Multi-hopwireless networks are particularly useful for first responders fordisaster relief, and military operations in battlefields. In thisthesis, we study power scheduling issues for multi-hop wirelessnetworks. Power scheduling, also known as medium access controlconsisting of link scheduling, power control and source beamforming,fundamentally governs the capacity of multi-hop wireless networks.In the first part of this thesis, the achievable network throughputof large-scale multi-hop wireless networks is evaluated under apower scheduling scheme called opportunistic synchronous arraymethod (O-SAM). Under O-SAM, a large network is partitioned intomany small subnets, and within each subnet, the link with bestchannel gain is scheduled for transmission. We examine the impact oftraffic load, network topology and multiple antennas on theachievable network throughput. Compared with slotted ALOHA, thethroughput of O-SAM is significantly higher. In addition to O-SAM, adistributed synchronous array method (D-SAM) is proposed, and itsperformance is also evaluated.In the second part of this thesis, we focus on the power schedulingproblem for multi-input multi-output (MIMO) relay networks. Ageneralized water filling (GWF) theorem is established for link ratemaximization with multiple power constraints. The corresponding GWFalgorithm is a fast solution to an important class of convexoptimization problems. The GWF algorithm is a useful building blockfor joint source and relay optimization for a multiuser MIMO relaynetwork. We study the power scheduling problems for both uplink anddown- link cases of the multiuser MIMO relay network. A number ofcomputational strategies are proposed to maximize the sum ratesubject to power constraints or to minimize the sum power subject torate constraints.

AbstractThis article examines the transformation of the fundraising strategies of the United Way of Taiwan (UWT) from organizational change theory and resource dependency theory. At the same time, it considers the state and significance of nonprofit intermediary organizations in Taiwan that are engaged in charity fundraising and redistribution. The study focuses on the following questions: in order to reasonably distribute social donations among the poor and disadvantaged, how should the UWT effectively raise social resources? What adjustments to its developmental and fundraising strategies should the organization make in response to changes in the external environment? In a Taiwanese charitable donation market that has grown to roughly 50 billion yuan per year, how can the UWT compete or cooperate with other NPOs to increase its fundraising space? The study found that due to considerations of its institutional environment, the UWT focused on attaining legality and legitimacy during its formation. It also found that the change and growth segments of the organizational life cycle were visible in the UWT's shifts in governance, in personnel, and in its overall development. At the same time, changes made to the UWT's fundraising strategy demonstrated the organization's control over resource dependency. Lastly, the study finds that in terms of fundraising strategy, the UWT faces the several challenges of expanding its resource network from the Taiwan's North to its Middle and South, limiting its dependence on corporate resources, expanding its access to volunteer resources, social services groups and governments, and maintaining its collaborative partnerships.

Purpose
Using insights from the supply chain resilience perspective and the international business literature, this study aims to investigate the determinants of firms' decisions to reshore manufacturing under the high levels of uncertainty brought about by the ongoing US–China trade war and COVID-19 pandemic.


Design/methodology/approach
The proposed conceptual framework is tested using survey data collected from 702 Taiwanese firms with manufacturing in China. The firms were drawn from a database compiled by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs.


Findings
The results show that two supply chain factors (tariffs and supply chain completeness) and two non-location-bound factors (labor cost and material cost) are critical determinants of the decision to reshore under uncertainty.


Originality/value
This research elucidates and empirically validates several factors that influence the reshoring decision in uncertain environments. The findings provide valuable theoretical, practical and strategic insights into how firms should manage their value chains in the post-COVID-19 era.

PurposeOn the basis of a survey conducted in 2010,the purpose of this paper is to discuss the latest developments of social enterprises in Hong Kong and Taiwan by analysing the typology and nature of social enterprises in these two regions, their operating context, and their perceived social impacts. The institutional context and governmental policies appear to have had a great influence on the development of social enterprise in both these Chinese communities.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through a survey conducted in both Hong Kong and Taiwan in 2010. A total of 116 completed questionnaires (return rate: 27.2 per cent) in Taiwan and 45 completed questionnaires (return rate 53.0 per cent) in Hong Kong were received.FindingsSocial enterprises in Hong Kong and Taiwan are in a "growth stage", and they are becoming more diversified in both regions. Solving the problem of unemployment and alleviating poverty appear to be two major reasons pursued by NPOs when they set up a social enterprise. In addition, the analysis also revealed that the significance of social enterprises for helping marginal groups is increasingly recognised and that self‐reliance is very much emphasised in both regions. Beside these similarities, there are also great differences between social enterprises in the two regions, be it in terms of respective importance, institutional context, marketing strategies or government policies.Originality/valueBy tracking the growth and development of social enterprises in Hong Kong and Taiwan from 2006 to 2010, this paper attempts to analyse the similarities and diversities of social enterprises in these two Chinese communities. It also attempts to shed light on the impacts of the institutional context and the governmental policies on shaping the future development of social enterprises.

AbstractThis article examines the key features of the UK's spatial productivity relationships and discusses some of the key questions currently being articulated or debated as they relate to potential devolution-related discussions. The paper demonstrates that the local productivity challenges facing UK regions are nationwide in nature rather than local, and systemic rather than specific. In particular, the scale-productivity relationships across cities and regions which are evident in almost all other OECD countries are largely absent in the UK. Instead, previous prosperity is the dominant marker of current local prosperity, suggesting that cumulative causation processes define the UK regional and urban economic landscape rather than scale relations. This article explains these features in a manner which is accessible to a wide audience, in order to provide greater clarity regarding the fundamental economic problems to be addressed and also the underlying objectives which the Levelling Up agenda needs to achieve.