Internet Predictions

More than a dozen leading experts give their opinions on where the Internet is headed and where it will be in the next decade in terms of technology, policy, and applications. They cover topics ranging from the Internet of Things to climate change to the digital storage of the future. A summary of the articles is available in the Web extras section

Exploring the Influence of Industry 4.0 Technology on Buyer-supplier Relationships (Supplier Transparency) and Supply Chain Agility

Constantly evolving technologies enable supply chains around the world to thrive and become progressively more sophisticated and responsive. Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies connect supply chain networks like never before. Still, anecdotal evidence suggests that few firms have implemented such technologies enterprise-wide. Therefore, to investigate the value created from the implementation of such technology, the focus of this study was on buyer-supplier relationships (BSR) and firm supply chain agility (FSCA) in the context of I4.0 technologies. Using mixed methodologies within a single-case study, we set out to answer the research question: Does I4.0 technology influence buyer-supplier relationships and firm supply chain agility, and if so, how? In this exploratory research, data was collected and analyzed in two phases through the use of focus groups and individual interviews (qualitative) and surveys (quantitative) of a single buying firm and its suppliers. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of I4.0 technology in order to better understand the value of I4.0 adoption. Secondary goals of this study included learning more about information exchange within BSRs (supplier transparency) and FSCA. By maintaining matched dyads during data collection, we gleaned richer insights into perceptions within supply chain relationships. The results from the quantitative analysis in this study reveal that the I4.0 technology had little to no effect on the perceived supplier transparency and FSCA, despite the perceptions expressed in the qualitative phase. However, we found that supplier transparency explains a large portion of the variation in FSCA. This relationship between supplier transparency and FSCA is the most significant contribution of this study and presents opportunities for further research

Into the digital void?

This article examines the impact of digitalisation, AI and robotics in the workplace

The Contemporary Encyclopedic Novel

This dissertation will define the contemporary American encyclopedic novel and the significant role that irony plays in shaping meaning. The dissertation constructs a model of the encyclopedic novel based upon the history of the encyclopedia – from Denis Diderot\u27s Enlightenment influenced Encyclopédie – and Northrop Frye\u27s conception of the encyclopedic form. It claims (1) that the contemporary encyclopedic novel continues in the cycle of modal progression toward mythic integration that Frye proposes in Anatomy of Criticism; and (2) that the encyclopedic novel utilizes different forms of irony to challenge authoritative discourse and elevate marginal discourse. The first chapter defines the encyclopedic novel by examining the history of the encyclopedia and existing criticism on the encyclopedic text in literature. It draws on theorists such as Denis Diderot and Richard Yeo to define an “encyclopedic project” that adopts a dialogic rhetorical style and seeks to democratize access to information. This chapter also defines the encyclopedic novel as a generic form that combines other forms into a unified whole and utilizes irony as a tool for integration. The second and third chapters form a thematic pairing that shows the self-reflexive progression of the encyclopedic novel from individualistic to humanistic focus. The second chapter argues that Thomas Pynchon\u27s Gravity\u27s Rainbow is an “anarchistic encyclopedic novel” that promotes associational thinking – in the form of paranoia, open forms, and horizontal transmission of knowledge. Gravity\u27s Rainbow adopts a disintegrative irony to empower the oppressed individual against industry-state collusion in the post-WWII era. The third chapter argues that David Foster Wallace\u27s Infinite Jest seeks to reinvent irony as an integrative force and redirect Pynchon\u27s individualistic anarchism toward an inclusive humanism. The fourth chapter demonstrates a break from both of the preceding chapter and argues that Leon Forrest\u27s Divine Days adopts a syndetic model of composition that further works to incorporate forms and integrate irony. Using Northrop Frye\u27s “interpenetration,” I argue that Divine Days integrates competing traditions and discourses by demonstrating their mutual-necessity. In the concluding chapter, I examine “meta-encyclopedic” by Jorge Luis Borges and Roberto Bolaño as an extension of the dissertation

European Values for Ethics in Digital Technology

Digital Ethics deals with the impact of digital Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on our societies and the environment at large. It covers a wide spectrum of societal and ethical impacts including issues such as data governance, privacy and personal data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), algorithmic decision-making and pervasive technologies. Importantly, it is not only about hardware and software, but it also concerns systems, how people and organizations and society and technology interact. In addition, with Digital Ethics comes the added variable of assessing the ethical implications of artefacts which may not yet exist, or artefacts which may have impacts we cannot predict. The Ethics4EU Project is an Erasmus+ transnational project that explores issues around teaching Digital Ethics in Computer Science. This research report on European Values for Ethics in Technology is the first Intellectual Output of the Ethics4EU project and it is presented in two parts: Part 1 used a semi-systematic literature review methodology to discuss and present the origins of Digital Ethics, recent views from EU working groups on Digital Ethics, geographical perceptions of Digital Ethics and a summary overview of pertinent Digital Ethics topics and challenges for an increasingly interconnected ICT world. These topics include data ethics, including data management and practices, AI Ethics including ethical concerns when building AI systems, automated decision making and AI policy, ethics for pervasive computing including topics such as surveillance, privacy and smart technologies, social media ethics including topics such as balancing free speech and access to accurate information and the relationship between Digital Ethics, digital regulations and digital governance with a specific focus on the GDPR legislation. Part 2 presents the results of focus groups conducted with three key groups of stakeholders – academics, industry specialists and citizens. The analysis captures their insights with regard to ethical concerns they have about new technologies, the skills or training future computer professionals should have to protect themselves in the online world and who should be responsible for teaching Digital Ethics. We analyse the similarities between the topics uncovered in the literature review and those highlighted by the focus group participants

The Symbiosis of Creativity and Wellness: A Personal Journey

The Symbiosis of Creativity and Wellness project explored how holistic personal wellness practices nurture creativity, and conversely, how creativity fosters personal wellness. The project specifically explored wellness from the standpoint of sleep and circadian rhythms, somaticism and movement, nutrition and hydration, meditation and mindfulness, as well as connection and support. By immersing in research-based wellness practices and building a customized approach to personal wellness, this project not only facilitated measurable personal wellness improvements over the six-week period, but also highlighted more profound insights within the relationship between creativity and wellness. Overall this work resulted in significant lifestyle changes, a more holistic and balanced approach to priorities and time management, and insights towards personal, familial and vocational goals. The experience deepened personal skills in creative thinking, Creative Problem Solving, affective thinking, intuition and mindfulness, as well as forged additional steps on a path towards self-actualization and transformational leadership

WSU Research News, Fall 2015

A twenty page newsletter of the WSU Research News. The WSU Research News was published monthly beginning in June of 1968 and issued by the Office of Research Development. This newsletter was created to provide information to the WSU faculty about the availability of outside funds for research and educational programs, new developments that may affect availability of funds, and general information on research and educational activities at Wright State University.https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/wsu_research_news/1213/thumbnail.jp

Taylor Magazine (Summer 1991)

The Summer 1991 edition of Taylor Magazine, published by Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.https://pillars.taylor.edu/tu_magazines/1076/thumbnail.jp

Whence Comes Black Art?: The Construction and Application of “Black Motivation”

George Schuyler, in his tragically misguided 1926 essay for The Nation magazine, “The Negro-Art Hokum,” suggests that the only difference between Blacks and Whites is the color of skin, and that both races experience the same social, psychological and educational forces in America. He blatantly disregards American racism and inequality, and in his attempt to put forth his advocacy of color-blindness he merely projects and perpetuates the most racist of ideals within our country. Schuyler views the concept of Black Art very narrowly and insists on the impossibility of such an idea because of the supposed Americanness of the art. His essay initiated debate with many during the Harlem Renaissance—including celebrated writer Langston Hughes—and his view of colorblindness in America continues to live on even today. Schuyler inquires, “In the homes of black and white Americans of the same cultural and economic level one finds similar furniture, literature, and conversation. How, then, can the black American be expected to produce art and literature dissimilar to that of the white American?” (663). This type of thinking wholly disregards the fact that despite the cultural and economic level of the individuals, the literature and conversation in the homes of Black Artists are going to be significantly different from White artists in the country. No matter the similarity of social or socioeconomic class of the two groups, the experiences and thus the sociology will differ fundamentally because of their respective racial groups. Schuyler’s statement—as does much of his essay—unfairly groups all people together with no special attention to those who actually produce the art. I will argue that certain psychological and sociological characteristics of African Americans coupled with the ego-oriented system of American education create an experience specific to the race, and one that is therefore noteworthy