Assessing Automated Administration

To fulfill their responsibilities, governments rely on administrators and employees who, simply because they are human, are prone to individual and group decision-making errors. These errors have at times produced both major tragedies and minor inefficiencies. One potential strategy for overcoming cognitive limitations and group fallibilities is to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) tools that allow for the automation of governmental tasks, thereby reducing reliance on human decision-making. Yet as much as AI tools show promise for improving public administration, automation itself can fail or can generate controversy. Public administrators face the question of when exactly they should use automation. This paper considers the justifications for governmental reliance on AI along with the legal concerns raised by such reliance. Comparing AI-driven automation with a status quo that relies on human decision-making, the paper provides public administrators with guidance for making decisions about AI use. After explaining why prevailing legal doctrines present no intrinsic obstacle to governmental use of AI, the paper presents considerations for administrators to use in choosing when and how to automate existing processes. It recommends that administrators ask whether their contemplated uses meet the preconditions for the deployment of AI tools and whether these tools are in fact likely to outperform the status quo. In moving forward, administrators should also consider the possibility that a contemplated AI use will generate public or legal controversy, and then plan accordingly. The promise and legality of automated administration ultimately depends on making responsible decisions about when and how to deploy this technology

An Analysis of Food Waste in Ontario's Domestic Fresh Strawberry Supply Chain

Food waste is increasingly being characterized as a prominent global problem. Along with the significant environmental and financial impacts associated with food waste, perhaps more troubling is the phenomenon's global persistence in spite of worldwide hunger. Despite growing recognition of the issue, however, research on food waste has remained limited and effective reduction strategies have not been achieved. This paper contributes to the development of a comprehensive body of food waste research, conducted as a case study on food waste within Ontario's domestic fresh strawberry supply chain for the years 2008 to 2012, inclusive. It presents quantitative and qualitative analyses of the occurrence and perceived causes of food waste, based on informationPsynthesis from a review of comparable food waste studies and surveys administered to supply chain actors. The recent removal of Ontario's grading standards also provides a unique opportunity to assess historical assumptions concerning government grading standards as key mediators of waste generation. The results indicate that 56% of edible strawberries grown in Ontario, by volume, are wasted through the course of the supply chain. The percentage estimates of strawberries wasted at each stage are: 15% during agricultural production; 11% during postPharvest handling and distribution; 9% during retail; and 35% during consumption. From a comparative standpoint, consumers are most contributive to waste, while retailers are least. The causes of food waste have been categorized into several areas: biophysical factors, technical factors, issues of mismanagement, regulatory factors, behavioural factors, and the dynamics of supplierPretailer relationships. In particular, increasing importP reliance and the dominance of food retailers are each of significant influence. Incremental strategies for food waste reduction and prevention are here presented in terms of the efficiencyPsubstitutionPredesign (ESR) framework. Overall, strategies addressing food waste are considered to be part of a more general transformative movement towards a food system that is ecologically sustainable, healthPoriented, and equitable

Radical Trust Works: An Investigation of Digital Visitor Generated Content and Visitor Engagement in Museum Spaces

Visitor generated content projects are becoming increasingly significant in the development and delivery of engaging visitor experiences in museums in the UK, but the rationale behind them and the impact they are having on not only visitor engagement but also museum practice are not always clear. There is a requirement to understand and articulate the impact of digital visitor co-creation in the museum environment and to discuss the challenges of implementing digital innovation projects in museums and the implications this has on institutional change. This thesis presents an investigation into the potential of digital visitor generated content applications in museum spaces to foster visitor engagement. The study emphasises that in order to develop engaging digital visitor generated content applications, museums must radically trust their visitors. As part of this research two digital visitor generated content systems were designed, tested, implemented and evaluated in three museums in the UK; the Grant Museum of Zoology, UCL, the Imperial War Museum, London and the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester. This thesis discusses the process of inception to evaluation of these applications and considers their impact on visitor engagement and goes on to investigate the challenges they bring to implementing digital innovation in a museum environment. Two key issues came out of the research into digital visitor generated content; the importance of radical trust and the fact that post moderation with digital visitor generated content does work. Additionally this thesis identified a number of challenges about the way that digital innovation projects are conducted and how they could be overcome, and finally some recommendations are offered for museums seeking to undertake digital innovation projects in the future

The State of Adaptation in the United States: An Overview

Over the past two decades the adaptation landscape has changed dramatically. From its early days as a vague theoretical concept, which was often viewed as a threat to advocating for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, it has developed into a widely, albeit not universally, recognized governmental mandate to reduce societal vulnerability to climate change. While it is important to appreciate the progress that we are making on this issue, it is impossible to ignore the urgent need to do more. Smart investment can be made by reflecting on what is already underway in order to determine where to build on existing efforts and where to innovate new approaches to fill the gaps in the path forward. In this report we provide illustrative examples of the variety of work on climate change adaptation that is underway in the United States. This is by no means an exhaustive survey of the field; however it does provide insight into the dominant focus of work to date, the resultant gaps, and the opportunities available for advancing this essential aspect of sustainability. We focus on four areas of activity -- agriculture, natural resources, human communities, and policy. The general trends relevant to these sectors can be applied more broadly to other sectors and countries. Adaptation can be thought of as a cycle of activities that ultimately -- if successful -- reduces vulnerability to climate change. This process starts with identifying the impacts of climate change to determine the types of problems climate change might pose. This includes all of the research on the causes and the global, regional, and local manifestations of climate change, often referred to as impacts assessments

Climate Change Impact Assessment for Surface Transportation in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska

WA-RD 772.

Postmodernism in therapy: meanings and concerns

This dissertation project seeks to confront confusion and criticism that has accompanied postmodernism\u27s introduction into the field of therapy by identifying separate characteristics found in the professional literature and by asking three contributors to respond to criticism;The first article examines common ideas and characteristics attributed to postmodernism as found in family therapy literature. Toward that end, thirty-one articles from seven journals were examined to identify these meanings. This research found six general categories within which comments about postmodernism were expressed. Within the core category, twenty-six separate characteristics were identified;The second article addresses published criticism that postmodernism promotes an attitude of \u27anything goes.\u27 Speaking to this criticism are three notable contributors, Harlene Anderson, Kenneth Gergen, and Michael Mahoney. These respondents were also asked to distinguish between postmodernism and related concepts and speculate on why criticism of postmodernism continues. Among the results that the research yielded, it was found that these respondents neither utilize nor encourage postmodernist ideas or characteristics towards the promotion of an attitude of \u27anything goes.\u2

Computer-assisted learning : its uses and application in maritime education and training

This paper is concerned with the use of personal computers in Maritime Education and Training. It examines how CAL can help optimise the learning outcomes. A brief look is taken at traditional maritime training methods used in Maritime institutes. A comparison is made with training methods employed in the aviation industry with the view to find out what lessons, if any, the maritime industry can learn from there. The definition of Computer-Assisted Learning and the role it can play in a skill-based training environment are considered. The capabilities and limitations of CAL are investigated. The general considerations in implementing CAL in an institution and the selection of software for use in training are examined. The principles of good quality software are examined, taking into account that at present most of the educational software available if ofthe commercial “off-the-shelf’ which might not be exactly suitable for classroom use. Two maritime software programs, Officer of the Watch and Navi-Trainer, are analysed . The methods for collecting data on the appropriateness of a particular software in meeting specific instructional objectives are investigated. The paper concludes that CAL is suitable as a part-task training tool in Maritime Education and Training. It can be used for pre-simulator periods or in concert with other training methods. However, its value is reliant on proper plaiming, implementation, execution and usage