3,963 research outputs found

    UMSL Bulletin 2023-2024

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    The 2023-2024 Bulletin and Course Catalog for the University of Missouri St. Louis.https://irl.umsl.edu/bulletin/1088/thumbnail.jp

    Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Philosophy

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    This book is a collection of all the papers published in the special issue “Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Philosophy,” Journal of Philosophy of Life, Vol.13, No.1, 2023, pp.1-146. The authors discuss a variety of topics such as science fiction and space ethics, the philosophy of artificial intelligence, the ethics of autonomous agents, and virtuous robots. Through their discussions, readers are able to think deeply about the essence of modern technology and the future of humanity. All papers were invited and completed in spring 2020, though because of the Covid-19 pandemic and other problems, the publication was delayed until this year. I apologize to the authors and potential readers for the delay. I hope that readers will enjoy these arguments on digital technology and its relationship with philosophy. *** Contents*** Introduction : Descartes and Artificial Intelligence; Masahiro Morioka*** Isaac Asimov and the Current State of Space Science Fiction : In the Light of Space Ethics; Shin-ichiro Inaba*** Artificial Intelligence and Contemporary Philosophy : Heidegger, Jonas, and Slime Mold; Masahiro Morioka*** Implications of Automating Science : The Possibility of Artificial Creativity and the Future of Science; Makoto Kureha*** Why Autonomous Agents Should Not Be Built for War; István Zoltán Zárdai*** Wheat and Pepper : Interactions Between Technology and Humans; Minao Kukita*** Clockwork Courage : A Defense of Virtuous Robots; Shimpei Okamoto*** Reconstructing Agency from Choice; Yuko Murakami*** Gushing Prose : Will Machines Ever be Able to Translate as Badly as Humans?; Rossa Ó Muireartaigh**

    An Exploration of Academy Deans' Responsibilities in Five U15 Research-Intensive Universities in Canada: Ambiguities and Managerialism in the Academe - A Mixed Methods Research

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    This study examined the responsibilities of academic deans within five U15 research-intensive universities in Canada as they operate in an increasingly complex environment. The academic deans who are sometimes flaunted as Chief Executive Officers, were found to be consummate academics who transitioned from their academic discipline into administration as middle managers. Academic deans have a dual responsibility in that they are accountable to the senior leadership of their university while being advocates for their colleges. Significantly, the responsibilities of these academic middle managers are central to the achievement of their universities’ strategic objectives. However, the position of the deanship is described by researchers as complex, and the very nature of the duality of the role engenders ambiguities. The ambiguities and complexities of academic deans’ responsibilities are said to be influenced by public sector reforms disguised as managerialism. Some practices espoused by managerialism appear to be integral to universities’ strategies globally, whether as an ideology or through processes and practices. Universities in Canada are also adopting various strategies which are said to be driven by managerialism (Brownlee, 2015). Symptomatic of managerialism are various changes in university governance, including the professionalization of the roles of middle managers, now referred to as chief executive officers in some institutions, and the implementation of marketing techniques (Brownlee, 2015; Kolsaker, 2008; Olssen, 2002). Additionally, and as indicated in the literature, reflective of managerialism are the demands for accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness which are achieved through practices such as increased competition, a focus on marketization, and engagement of private-public partnerships. According to the literature, the practices espoused by managerialism in higher education institutions (Meek et al., 2020; Seale & Cross, 2016) have shifted the responsibilities of academic deans to a type of management that is reflective of corporate-style management practices and evidenced by various corporate terminologies. Given the tenets of managerialism, the argument obtains that some principles of this ideology are translated into practices and have contributed to the evolved roles of academic deans. They now engage in business-like practices, the processes of their institutions’ strategic planning initiatives, establishing public-private partnerships, and marketization, among others. The changes have impacted how academic deans interpret, understand, and enact their roles, which are oftentimes imbued with role conflict and ambiguity due to competing demands and unclear expectations by various constituents (Arntzen, 2016; Boyko & Jones, 2010; Hoyle & Wallace, 2005). With the evolved responsibilities of academic mid-level managers, more specifically academic deans who are at the centre of this study, there is evidence of job enlargement as well as increased complexities in their roles. As such, in examining academic deans’ responsibilities, this study gathered information on academic deans lived experiences and perceptions of the presence of managerialism in their institutions and how their responsibilities reflect practices akin to managerialism. That is, responsibilities that mirror management techniques usually employed by the private sector or corporate organizations. The study further examined academic deans’ perceptions of role conflict and role ambiguity and how their perceived self-efficacy and tolerance-intolerance of ambiguity influence how they navigate the complexities of their roles. The study’s findings were limited to the perceptions of the participants who indicated that some of their responsibilities are reflective of practices such as budgeting and fund development; strategic planning; advancement/fundraising/establishing donor relationships; advertising/marketization and human resource management, among others. According to the narratives provided by the academic deans in this study, they found themselves ill-prepared for important corporate-like responsibilities, which they indicated generally do not coalesce with their academic disciplines. Further, the findings revealed that the practices that characterize the responsibilities of these middle-level managers/chief executive officers are delineated by varying degrees of uncertainties and ambiguities which are defined by role conflict and role ambiguity. However, the academic deans in the study demonstrated that having a sense of self-efficacy and a high tolerance for ambiguity had been valuable in helping them to navigate the complexities of their roles as they engaged the corporate-like management imperatives of their responsibilities. The research was grounded in the constructivist paradigm through a qualitatively dominant cross-over (Frels & Onwuegbuzie, 2013) mixed-methods research design. This process captured the subjective experiences of academic deans to gain an in-depth understanding of the practices of academic deans as they carry out their functions in an ambiguous environment characterized by managerialism (Arntzen, 2016; Ayers, 2012; Bess, 2006). Data were collected to address the research questions using a mixed methods sequential design over two phases. Phase one of this study focused on gathering quantitative data from surveys through SurveyMonkey. Phase two concentrated on the qualitative method of collecting data by way of reviewing position descriptions of academic deans, policy documents governing deans, and elite interviews with deans. The study has implications for further research initiatives, research-into-practice, and contribution to theory. Implications for future research include comparative research with larger sample sizes across U15 research-intensive and non-research-intensive universities to garner a more comprehensive understanding of academic deans’ perceptions of managerialism, role conflict, and role ambiguity. The study findings have potential implications for institutions’ policies governing academic deans’ recruitment and professional development of academics, including the establishment of management career pathways and succession planning initiatives

    Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Corporate Governance and Investment Decision-Making in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Nigeria

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    Adopting Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) has been relatively slow due to corporate governance issues and a limited understanding of investment decision-making processes. This study aims to enhance the performance of REITs by developing a Corporate Governance Scoring Framework and improving the investment decision-making process. A mixed-method research strategy was employed to gather data on investment decisionmaking processes and corporate governance in the UK, SA, and Nigeria from 2014-2019. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured telephone interviews with key decision-makers in the three regimes and analysed using content and discourse analysis techniques. Quantitative data was obtained from the annual financial reports of listed REITs during the study period and analysed using OLS, fixed effects, and random effect models. The Integrated Corporate Governance Index (ICGI), a self-scoring framework, was used to measure the quality of corporate governance strength. The qualitative analysis identified four stages in the investment decision-making process: strategy, search, analysis and adjustment, and consultation or decision and review. The interviews revealed that the board, remuneration, and fee proxies were relevant factors across all three regimes, with audit and ownership also significant in the developing regimes of SA and Nigeria. The board's reputation, experience, and management role were highlighted as crucial during the decision-making process. Performance factors such as 'Operational Stability,' 'Tenant Quality,' 'Experience,' and metrics including 'Rental Income,' 'Dividend Payment,' and 'Yield' were identified. The quantitative analysis demonstrated that adherence to corporate governance codes was highest in the UK, followed by SA and Nigeria. Regression analysis results showed that a higher ICGI score improved return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) in the UK but not in SA and Nigeria. The index did not significantly impact firm value in the UK and pooled country analysis, but it led to better firm valuation in SA. In the Nigeria REIT regime, the ICGI harmed firm valuation. The study concluded that adherence to country-level corporate governance was more predictive of operational performance than firm valuation. In summary, this study contributes to the existing knowledge by providing insights into the investment decision-making processes of REITs and the importance of corporate governance in improving their performance. The developed Corporate Governance Scoring Framework offers a valuable tool for evaluating the quality of corporate governance in REITs, but further refinement is necessary to keep up with evolving policies

    Verfassungsblatt: 2023/6

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    Surveillance Graphs: Vulgarity and Cloud Orthodoxy in Linked Data Infrastructures

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    Information is power, and that power has been largely enclosed by a handful of information conglomerates. The logic of the surveillance-driven information economy demands systems for handling mass quantities of heterogeneous data, increasingly in the form of knowledge graphs. An archaeology of knowledge graphs and their mutation from the liberatory aspirations of the semantic web gives us an underexplored lens to understand contemporary information systems. I explore how the ideology of cloud systems steers two projects from the NIH and NSF intended to build information infrastructures for the public good to inevitable corporate capture, facilitating the development of a new kind of multilayered public/private surveillance system in the process. I argue that understanding technologies like large language models as interfaces to knowledge graphs is critical to understand their role in a larger project of informational enclosure and concentration of power. I draw from multiple histories of liberatory information technologies to develop Vulgar Linked Data as an alternative to the Cloud Orthodoxy, resisting the colonial urge for universality in favor of vernacular expression in peer to peer systems

    Graduate Catalog of Studies, 2022-2023

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    2023-2024 Lynn University Academic Catalog

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    The 2023-2024 Academic Catalog initially published as a web-only document. The Department of Marketing and Communication created a PDF version, which is available for download here.https://spiral.lynn.edu/accatalogs/1052/thumbnail.jp

    A review of renewable off-grid mini-grids in Sub-Saharan Africa

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    Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is home to 75% of the world’s unelectrified population, and approximately 500 million of these live in rural areas. Off-grid mini-grids are being deployed on a large scale to address the region’s electrification inequalities. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the research on the off-grid renewable mini-grids in SSA. The study covers the current status of the level of deployment of off-grid mini-grids. It also reviews multi-criteria decision-making models for optimizing engineering, economics, and management interests in mini-grid siting and design in SSA. The statuses of financing, policy, and tariffs for mini-grids in SSA are also studied. Finally, the current status of energy justice research in respect of mini-grids in SSA is reviewed. The study shows the important role of decentralized renewable technologies in the electrification of SSA’s rural population. Within a decade since 2010, the rural electrification rate of SSA has increased from 17% to 28%, and 11 million mini-grid connections are currently operational. Despite these gains, the literature points to several injustices related to the present model by which SSA’s renewable mini-grids are funded, deployed, and operated. Hence, several recommendations are provided for the effective application of the energy justice framework (EJF) for just and equitable mini-grids in SSA
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