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Wireless sensor networks (WSN) have been widely adopted for various applications due to their properties of pervasive computing. It is necessary to prolong the WSN lifetime; it avails its benefit for a long time. WSN lifetime may vary according to the applications, and in most cases, it is considered as the time to the death of the first node in the module. Clustering has been one of the successful strategies for increasing the effectiveness of the network, as it selects the appropriate cluster head (CH) for communication. However, most clustering protocols are based on probabilistic schemes, which may create two CH for a single cluster group, leading to cause more energy consumption. Hence, it is necessary to build up a clustering strategy with the improved properties for the CH selection. The purpose of this paper is to provide better convergence for large simulation space and to use it for optimizing the communication path of WSN.

This paper plans to develop a new clustering protocol in WSN using fuzzy clustering and an improved meta-heuristic algorithm. The fuzzy clustering approach is adopted for performing the clustering of nodes with respective fuzzy centroid by using the input constraints such as signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), load and residual energy, between the CHs and nodes. After the cluster formation, the combined utility function is used to refine the CH selection. The CH is determined based on computing the combined utility function, in which the node attaining the maximum combined utility function is selected as the CH. After the clustering and CH formation, the optimal communication between the CH and the nodes is induced by a new meta-heuristic algorithm called Fitness updated Crow Search Algorithm (FU-CSA). This optimal communication is accomplished by concerning a multi-objective function with constraints with residual energy and the distance between the nodes. Finally, the simulation results show that the proposed technique enhances the network lifetime and energy efficiency when compared to the state-of-the-art techniques.

The proposed Fuzzy+FU-CSA algorithm has achieved low-cost function values of 48% to Fuzzy+Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), 60% to Fuzzy+Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO), 40% to Fuzzy+Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) and 25% to Fuzzy+CSA, respectively. Thus, the results prove that the proposed Fuzzy+FU-CSA has the optimal performance than the other algorithms, and thus provides a high network lifetime and energy.

For the efficient clustering and the CH selection, a combined utility function was developed by using the network parameters such as energy, load, SINR and distance. The fuzzy clustering uses the constraint inputs such as residual energy, load and SINR for clustering the nodes of WSN. This work had developed an FU-CSA algorithm for the selection of the optimal communication path for the WSN.

This article surveys the literature dealing with theory and applications of life cycle costing (LCC). It deals with the literature published in the last 25 years and provides 667 references.

With global migration, the number of ethnic minority and migrant women receiving maternity health care in dominantly Anglo-European societies has increased significantly but they consistently have among the worst pregnancy and maternal outcomes. This paper aims to analyse gaps in structural (migration-related inequalities) and cultural (responsiveness to ethno-cultural practices) competencies among maternal health practitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ).

Using a semi-structured interview guide, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 maternal health practitioners in NZ. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis framework.

The results highlight significant barriers around language and communication, cultural stereotyping by professionals, ethnic women’s own constraints around family and cultural expectations and their lack of knowledge about reproductive health. In addition, practitioners’ own ethnic differences are inseparable from their approach to structural and cultural competencies; there were instances of ‘over-’ or ‘under-’ reading of culture, practitioner constructions of ideal pregnancies and anti-racism concerns that shaped maternal care practices that were sensitive to, but also marginalised, ethnic migrant women who attended maternity services.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the only study in NZ that examines the impact of complex dynamics of migration and culture on knowledge, beliefs and values of practitioners, in context of their own personal biographies. Identifying strategies to improve the way diversity is practiced in hospital settings can be transformational in improving maternal outcomes for ethnic migrant women in NZ.

This article aims to introduce practical based criteria for effective organizational communication.

The subject scope for this article is corporate communication. The study is based on literature reviews and a qualitative study, entailing the basic principles of the phenomenological approach, with 20 subjects.

Four additional criteria for effective corporate communication surfaced: responsible; professional; concise; and sincere.

The studies reviewed, although in‐depth, apply to a small sample in one metropolitan environment, which makes generalization among different cultures riskier.

Organizational managers may use these findings to reflect on their communication strategies and improve them, where necessary, on the basis of the findings of this study.

The paper's value lies in the four additional criteria found as a result of reflections from members of the corporate workforce, after having been exposed to a course on organizational communication, and therefore, existing criteria in literature. The additional criteria may be considered important for corporate workers, and should therefore not be ignored by managers.

The paper validates a framework using the media synchronicity theory (MST) to study the effect of Social Media Use at Work (SMUW) on the performance “Work Performance” (WP) of the employee. For this, the study initially observed the effect of SMUW on shared vision (SV), network ties (NT), and trust (TRUST) on the knowledge transfer (KT) and the effect of all (SV, NT, TRUST and KT) on the WP of the employees.

A survey method was used to collect responses from 157 employees working at middle and lower-level managerial positions in the chemical companies of India. The data analysis uses variance-based, partial least square SEM, which has established a relationship between the constructs.

The results found a significant effect of SMUW on the WP of the employees. It was observed that the SV and TRUST can be significantly improved with the help of SMUW, contributing to the KT and simultaneously affecting the WP of the employees.

The study has examined the positive and significant effect of SMUW on the employees' SV, NT and TRUST. Improving SV, NT and trust (dimension of social capital) through social media allows employees to transfer more knowledge. An increase in KT among the employees further positively affected the individual and group performance within the organization. SV positively affected the employee's WP, but NT and trust negatively affected the WP. The research thus provides useful insight to the managers for effective use of social media in the workplace.

The study used MST to understand the effect of the use of social media in the workplace. The study is kind of first in the Indian context which has examined the effect of employees at managerial level in chemical companies, and thus contributes to the existing literature on social networks/social media from the organizational context.

Team cohesion and other team processes are inherently dynamic mechanisms that contribute to team effectiveness. Unfortunately, extant research has typically treated team cohesion and other processes as static, and failed to capture how these processes change over time and the implications of these changes. In this chapter, we discuss the characteristics of team process dynamics and highlight the importance of temporal considerations when measuring team cohesion. We introduce innovative research methods that can be applied to assess and monitor team cohesion and other process dynamics. Finally, we discuss future directions for the research and practical applications of these new methods to enhance our understanding of the dynamics of team cohesion and other processes.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimal allocation of authority within “chain” organizations and to show when partial centralization becomes dominant in the sense of organizational performance.

This paper takes an incomplete contract approach and uses an information transmission framework to investigate the optimal governance structure, in which non-contractible decisions must be adapted to local operating conditions, and also coordinated with the upstream and downstream divisions. We also use simulation analysis to numerically show the theoretical mapping between the underlying parameters (i.e. coordination need) and the dominant organizational structures.

Partial decentralization will arise as the optimal governance structure only when the information in the middle branch is relatively concentrated or dispersive, so as to exploit the underlying information structure in the “chain” organizations. Specifically, when information is highly concentrated, direct control of the middle branch can improve coordination within firms. When the information is highly dispersive, to delegate authority to the middle branch only can improve communication.

This paper characterizes the optimal governance structure in “chain” organizations. The findings may give some enlightenment on real authority driven by ex ante asymmetric information structures and have implications on asymmetric delegation within firms.

The authors explore several aspects of communications theory to identify their relevance to managing a project-based productivity improvement intervention. The literature on communication accommodation theory, groupthink and trust appear to have important implications for improvements. The purpose of this paper is to develop a research methodology used in conducting empirical data collection in the field to test the developed conceptual framework. The authors emphasize the importance of management theory to project-based interventions. The focus of this work is summarized by the research question: “what facets of communication impact on the success of a project-based improvement intervention?”.

Following a focused literature review, learnings from specific research were used to identify a series of propositions. The scope of the work was established to limit the range of issues under review. Next, a conceptual framework was designed that allowed a case study to be tested with regard to validity of the propositions. Further testing will be undertaken in a single company.

There is clear evidence showing the relevance of effective communication when executing an intervention to seek performance improvement. In particular, understanding the need of stakeholders’ is paramount that allows the design of a communications strategy. Each phase in a project-based intervention requires different styles of communication. There is also a need to have varying degrees of trust. Total unchallenged trust invariably leads to groupthink that hinders critical decision making.

The work contributes to the understanding of the application of communication theory to project-based interventions – that invariably aim at performance improvement initiatives. While currently the work is in the early stages of research, it does nevertheless show some useful early findings. Clearly further work is needed in international projects in the context of multi-cultural teams and external stakeholders.

With many interventions failing to meet their planned objectives there is a need to isolate possible reasons and to rectify or mitigate the causes. Project management and change management training should include a comprehensive understanding of management theories. This research will contribute to this knowledge base.

Project-based activities are used in most walks of life; the need for excellent management is therefore important. Invariably interventions involve considerable capital investment and their success advances productivity of nations. Understanding and integrating communication theories to their management, therefore, has significant social benefits.

The importance of communications is identified in the project management literature and adjunct disciplines. Professional associations and leading bodies in performance and project management, while emphasizing the need for excellent communication, have not adequately addressed underpinning theories. There is little research focusing on communication accommodation theory, groupthink and risk in the context of project management. The authors’ have not been able to identify any research on an integrated framework that combines these theories with managing a project-based performance improvement intervention.

This study aims to present a novel system for detection and prevention of black hole and wormhole attacks in wireless sensor network (WSN) based on deep learning model. Here, different phases are included such as assigning the nodes, data collection, detecting black hole and wormhole attacks and preventing black hole and wormhole attacks by optimal path communication. Initially, a set of nodes is assumed for carrying out the communication in WSN. Further, the black hole attacks are detected by the Bait process, and wormhole attacks are detected by the round trip time (RTT) validation process. The data collection procedure is done with the Bait and RTT validation process with attribute information. The gathered data attributes are given for the training in which long short-term memory (LSTM) is used that includes the attack details. This is used for attack detection process. Once they are detected, those attacks are removed from the network using the optimal path selection process. Here, the optimal shortest path is determined by the improvement in the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) that is called as fitness rate-based whale optimization algorithm (FR-WOA). This shortest path communication is carried out based on the multi-objective function using energy, distance, delay and packet delivery ratio as constraints.

This paper implements a detection and prevention of attacks model based on FR-WOA algorithm for the prevention of attacks in the WSNs. With this, this paper aims to accomplish the desired optimization of multi-objective functions.

From the analysis, it is found that the accuracy of the optimized LSTM is better than conventional LSTM. The energy consumption of the proposed FR-WOA with 35 nodes is 7.14% superior to WOA and FireFly, 5.7% superior to grey wolf optimization and 10.3% superior to particle swarm optimization.

This paper develops the FR-WOA with optimized LSTM detecting and preventing black hole and wormhole attacks from WSN. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work that uses FR-WOA with optimized LSTM detecting and preventing black hole and wormhole attacks from WSN.

Science of systems requires a specific and constructive mathematical model and language, which describe jointly such systemic categories as adaptation, self‐organization, complexity, evolution, and bring the applied tools for building a system model for each specific object of a diverse nature. This formalism should be connected directly with a world of information and computer applications of systemic model, developed for a particular object. The considered information systems theory (IST) is aimed at building a bridge between the mathematical systemic formalism and information technologies to develop a constructive systemic model of revealing information regularities and specific information code for each object.

To fulfill this goal and the considered systems' definition, the IST joins two main concepts: unified information description of interacted flows, initiated by the sources of different nature, with common information language and systems modeling methodology, applied to distinct interdisciplinary objects; general system's information formalism for building the model, which allows expressing mathematically the system's regularities and main systemic mechanisms.

The formalism of informational macrodynamics (IMD), based of the minimax variational principle, reveals the system model's main layers: microlevel stochastics, macrolevel dynamics, hierarchical dynamic network (IN) of information structures, its minimal logic, and optimal code of communication language, generated by the IN hierarchy, dynamics, and geometry. The system's complex dynamics originate information geometry and evolution with the functional information mechanisms of ordering, cooperation, mutation, stability, diversity, adaptation, self‐organization, and the double helix's genetic code.

The developed IMD's theoretical computer‐based methodology and the software has been applied to such areas as technology, communications, computer science, intelligent processes, biology, economy, management, and other nonphysical and physical subjects.

The IMD's macrodynamics of uncertainties connect randomness and regularities, stochastic and determinism, reversibility and irreversibility, symmetry and asymmetry, stability and instability, structurization and stochastization, order and disorder, as a result of micro‐macrolevel's interactions for an open system, when the external environment can change the model's structure.