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The physical server transition to virtualized infrastructure server have encountered crucial problems such as server consolidation, virtual machine (VM) performance, workload density, total cost of ownership (TCO), and return on investments (ROIs). In order to solve the problems mentioned above, the purpose of this paper is to perform the analysis of virtualized cloud server together with shared storage as well as the estimation of consolidation ratio and TCO/ROI in server virtualization.

This paper introduces five distinct virtualized cloud computing servers (VCCSs), and provides the appropriate assessment to five well-known hypervisors built in VCCSs. The methodology the authors proposed in this paper will gives people an insight into the problem of physical server transition to virtualized infrastructure server.

As a matter of fact, VM performance seems almost to achieve the same level, but the estimation of VM density and TCO/ROI are totally different among hypervisors. As a result, the authors have the recommendation to choose the hypervisor ESX server if you need a scheme with higher ROI and lower TCO. Alternatively, Proxmox VE would be the second choice if you like to save the initial investment at first and own a pretty well management interface at console.

In the performance analysis, instead of ESX 5.0, the authors adopted ESXi 5.0 that is free software, its function is limited, and does not have the full functionality of ESX server, such as: distributed resource scheduling, high availability, consolidated backup, fault tolerance, and disaster recovery. Moreover, this paper do not discuss the security problem on VCCS which is related to access control and cryptograph in VMs to be explored in the further work.

In the process of virtualizing the network, ESX/ESXi has restrictions on the brand of the physical network card, only certain network cards can be detected by the VM. For instance: Intel and Broadcom network cards. The newer versions of ESXi 5.0.0 and above now support parts of Realtek series (Realtek 8186, Realtek 8169, and Realtek 8111E).

How to precisely assess the hypervisor for server/desktop virtualization is also of hard question needed to deal with it crisply before deploying new IT with VCCS on site. The authors have utilized the VMware calculator and developed an approach to server/desktop consolidation, virtualization performance, VM density, TCO, and ROIs. As a result, in this paper the authors conducted a comprehensive approach to analyze five well-known hypervisors and will give the recommendation for IT manager to choose a right solution for server virtualization.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer preferences towards innovative rice products, and cross-cultural determinants of customers’ perceived value and loyalty.

A self-administered survey was designed to obtain participants’ perceptions about Thai rice, and preferences towards innovative Thai rice products. A total of 937 surveys were distributed and 908 valid surveys were returned, yielding a 96.7 per cent overall response rate. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assure the reliability and validity of the measures used in the survey instrument. Structural equation modelling was employed to assess the five hypothesised relationships between the four elements of the marketing mix, customer perceived value, and post-purchase behaviour, and to compare the path coefficients across the two cultural groups.

The findings reported herein show that eastern and western customers’ perceptions of marketing mix variables positively impact their perceptions of value, in turn, enhancing their loyalty to Thai rice. A successful marketing strategy should meet changing customer needs through adopting new products, services and unique marketing mix bundles. Such strategies should be tailored to the differing needs across cultures, and can address issues arising from changing competitive and environmental landscapes.

The first limitation concerns the scope of the study. Specifically, the authors only conducted surveys during a two-month time period in 2018; the sampling sites were limited to several shopping malls in Bangkok; and the authors surveyed a high proportion of young, single, educated participants. The second limitation pertains to the selection and adaptation of constructs and their observed variables (such as the 4P indicators). Most of the observed variables were selected based on a literature review and the opinions of the scholars who participated in this study.

These results should be beneficial to members of the international rice industry, Thai rice exporters, the Thai government and to academics. Long-term success will be supported by focused attention on target segments and launch of innovative rice products that match differing preferences across nationalities.

Understanding consumers’ perspectives and preferences are critical to appropriate positioning and marketing of value-added Thai rice products. This study represents one of the first attempts to integrate marketing mix decisions, customers’ perceived value and loyalty within a Thai rice purchase behaviour context across eastern and western customers.

Define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) and define, measure, analyze, design and verify (DMADV) are two Six Sigma methodologies that improve quality in a process or product. In general, if the product design improvement in reliability cannot satisfy the failure‐free performance of Six Sigma, the DMADV process is used to create or redesign new product designs. However, the original function may be affected, and the product development cycle time may be enhanced due to a redesigned process. This paper aims to propose a new procedure to combine the reliability parameter and critical to quality (CTQ) to improve a product's reliability and to reduce the number of engineering changes without redesigning.

The study influences the failure parameter to find out the mean time to failure (MTTF) tree and utilizes the DMAIC process for improvement. It is important to maintain the function while improving time. This study looks at a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) case.

The CCFL case uses the DMAIC process finds that important root cause improvement can increase MTTF twofold.

The paper provides useful information on product reliability improvement using the DMAIC process.

In the era of digitalisation, blockchain has the potential to fundamentally change the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry's workflow, trust and procurement environments. However, few studies have investigated blockchain adoption barriers in the AEC industry in detail. Therefore, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of these barriers and their interdependent relationships in the context of the AEC industry.

Based on a review of the literature, industry reports and expert feedback, 11 barriers towards adopting the blockchain were identified. Then, the authors investigated the interdependencies amongst the factors by adopting a two-stage integrated interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method.

The findings show that the lack of information technology infrastructure (BC4) and legal and regulatory uncertainty (BC11) are the most prominent barriers towards blockchain adoption in the AEC industry.

The research contributes in providing a clearer understanding of related barriers and potential solutions for practitioners in this area. Subsequently, the identification of adoption barriers can enable an important knowledge foundation and suggest possible solutions for adopting blockchain techniques successfully and effectively in the AEC industry.

The study lays an essential research foundation for the effective adoption and use of blockchain in the AEC industry.

Online service brand communities (OBCs) are an essential services marketing channel and relationship marketing tool, in which social capital (SC) is a critical success factor. Underpinned in social identity and social exchange theories, this paper aims to explore the effects of SC on customer brand engagement (CBE), considering the roles of collective psychological ownership (CPO), customer citizenship behaviour (CCB) and perceived community support (PCS).

The research model was tested using survey data from 256 participants; 137 from the Xiaomi Community and 119 from the Huawei Fan Club. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling analysis was used.

SC drives CBE. CPO and CCB are important mediators, whilst PCS is an important moderator.

Brand marketers need to foster SC in OBCs to achieve the maximum level of customer engagement. The authors provide recommendations as to how to build structural, relational and cognitive SC, as well as CPO, CCB and PCS. In short, brand marketers need to foster an interactive, empowering and supportive environment.

The authors further service research around the humanisation of technology. Specifically, OBCs are social spaces for brands and customers, and a key enabler of relationship marketing principles, such as CBE. The authors test the roles of structural, cognitive and relational SC in engagement in OBCs, through CPO and CCB. This holistic picture of engagement in OBCs is an important foundation for future service research.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a data framework to support the incremental aggregation of, and an effective data refresh model to maintain the data consistency in, an aggregated centralized database.

It is based on a case study of enterprise distributed databases aggregation for Taiwan's National Immunization Information System (NIIS). Selective data replication aggregated the distributed databases to the central database. The data refresh model assumed heterogeneous aggregation activity within the distributed database systems. The algorithm of the data refresh model followed a lazy replication scheme but update transactions were only allowed on the distributed databases.

It was found that the approach to implement the data refreshment for the aggregation of heterogeneous distributed databases can be more effectively achieved through the design of a refresh algorithm and standardization of message exchange between distributed and central databases.

The transaction records are stored and transferred in standardized XML format. It is more time‐consuming in record transformation and interpretation but it does have higher transportability and compatibility over different platforms in data refreshment with equal performance. The distributed database designer should manage these issues as well assure the quality.

The data system model presented in this paper may be applied to other similar implementations because its approach is not restricted to a specific database management system and it uses standardized XML message for transaction exchange.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of human resource management (HRM) practices on organizational performance.

A total of 300 employees from a public university comprising of both academicians and support staff responded to the survey. The survey questionnaire had 46 items covering selected HRM practices and university performance.

The study has found that human resource practices: recruitment, training, performance appraisal, career planning, employee participation, job definition and compensation have a significant relationship with university performance.

The results come from a cross-sectional study which was done at the convenience of the researcher. The results may not be generalized across the country. The application of the results to other universities must be done with maximum care.

If the university is to increase its performance to higher levels, it should emphasize more on job definition, training and employee participation. Some improvement needs to be done on the other HRM practices-recruitment, performance appraisal, career planning and compensation in order to increase their effectiveness on the university performance.

Most studies on impact of HRM practices on firm performance have focussed on private sectors in Malaysia. In other countries, the studies have focussed only on academicians as a sample. This study has attempted to add to the body of knowledge on the impact of HRM practices on university performance in Malaysia combining both the academicians and administration staff.

The ‘managed stock’ market in Taiwan is neglected by the authorities and general investors. In this paper, we explore the link between financial trait and stock price changes in this special market.

Overall, we analyze and discuss managerial implications for institutional investors, general investors and the authorities as well.

This research probes into the execution of small and medium‐sized enterprises’ value creativities by a difference analysis with different classifications, different capital, different turnover, different employees, and different established years. This study develop a questionnaire about value creativity with five dimensions and thirty‐five items according to “Valuation” by McKinsey and Company, Inc. and Copeland et al., such as: “Aspiration and target,” “Portfolio management,” “Organization design,” “Process management,” and “Business and individual performance management.” The results are as follows: (1) Most small and medium‐ sized enterprises (SMEs) have executed value creativities; (2) There is a difference in the execution of value creativities between the livelihood industry and the chemical industry; the execution of value creativities by livelihood industry is better than the chemical industry; (3) For value creativities of the execution of different capital and turnover for SMEs, bigger entities are better than smaller ones; (4) For the value creativities of the execution of different numbers of staff in SMEs, those with more staff are better than those with fewer staff; (5) For the value creativities of the execution of different established years for SMEs, those established longer are better than those established shorter.