Developing a frame of reference for ex-ante IT/IS investment evaluation

Investment appraisal techniques are an integral part of many traditional capital budgeting processes. However, the adoption of Information Systems (IS) and the development of resulting infrastructures are being increasingly viewed on the basis of consumption. Consequently, decision-makers are now moving away from the confines of rigid capital budgeting processes, which have traditionally compared IS with non-IS-related investments. With this in mind, the authors seek to dissect investment appraisal from the broader capital budgeting process to allow a deeper understanding of the mechanics involved with IS justification. This analysis presents conflicting perspectives surrounding the scope and sensitivity of traditional appraisal methods. In contributing to this debate, the authors present taxonomies of IS benefit types and associated natures, and discuss the resulting implications of using traditional appraisal techniques during the IS planning and decision-making process. A frame of reference that can be used to navigate through the variety of appraisal methods available to decision-makers is presented and discussed. Taxonomies of appraisal techniques that are classified by their respective characteristics are also presented. Perspectives surrounding the degree of involvement that financial appraisal should play during decision making and the limitations surrounding investment appraisal techniques are identifie

Agricultural Cooperatives in Japan: An Institutional Approach

How can we explain the reason why cooperatives have evolved so differently? This article argues that the institutional framework gives a decisive influence in organizational evolution and the historic path has been taken by interaction between institutions and organizations. The Japanese agricultural cooperatives are analyzed from institutional perspectives. They were created at the end of the 19th century under overwhelming European influence but evolved as a quite different model under the strong impacts of industrial policies and institutions. They developed as multi-purpose cooperatives bearing triple natures as state agency, pressure group and cooperative per se. The new economy is shifting public policy from protectionist to procompetition and the resulting institutional changes are posing challenges to cooperatives. Their future depends on their willingness to innovate themselves by adjusting to the new environment while applying cooperative advantages.Agribusiness,

Panpsychism, Panprotopsychism, and Neutral Monism

This chapter provides an introduction to panpsychism, panprotopsychism, and neutral monism to an interdisciplinary audience

Towards a synthesized critique of neoliberal biodiversity conservation

During the last three decades, the arena of biodiversity conservation has largely aligned itself with the globally dominant political ideology of neoliberalism and associated governmentalities. Schemes such as payments for ecological services are promoted to reach the multiple ‘wins’ so desired: improved biodiversity conservation, economic development, (international) cooperation and poverty alleviation, amongst others. While critical scholarship with respect to understanding the linkages between neoliberalism, capitalism and the environment has a long tradition, a synthesized critique of neoliberal conservation - the ideology (and related practices) that the salvation of nature requires capitalist expansion - remains lacking. This paper aims to provide such a critique. We commence with the assertion that there has been a conflation between ‘economics’ and neoliberal ideology in conservation thinking and implementation. As a result, we argue, it becomes easier to distinguish the main problems that neoliberal win-win models pose for biodiversity conservation. These are framed around three points: the stimulation of contradictions; appropriation and misrepresentation and the disciplining of dissent. Inspired by Bruno Latour’s recent ‘compositionist manifesto’, the conclusion outlines some ideas for moving beyond critique

Inhabiting - landscapes and natures

About the book: The Handbook of Cultural Geography presents a state of the art assessment of the key questions informing cultural geography. Emphasizing the intellectual diversity of the discipline, the Handbook presents a comprehensive statement of the relationship between the cultural imagination and the geographical imagination while also looking at resonances between cultural geography and other disciplines. The work is cross-referenced throughout and presents a completely integrated overview of cultural geography. This will be an essential reference for any inquiry into how culture is spatially constituted and, equally, how geography is culturally constructed

Turing Test, Chinese Room Argument, Symbol Grounding Problem. Meanings in Artificial Agents

The Turing Test (TT), the Chinese Room Argument (CRA), and the Symbol Grounding Problem (SGP) are about the question “can machines think?”. We propose to look at that question through the capability for Artificial Agents (AAs) to generate meaningful information like humans. We present TT, CRA and SGP as being about generation of human-like meanings and analyse the possibility for AAs to generate such meanings. We use for that the existing Meaning Generator System (MGS) where a system submitted to a constraint generates a meaning in order to satisfy its constraint. Such system approach allows comparing meaning generation in animals, humans and AAs. The comparison shows that in order to design AAs capable of generating human-like meanings, we need the possibility to transfer human constraints to AAs. That requirement raises concerns coming from the unknown natures of life and human consciousness which are at the root of human constraints. Corresponding implications for the TT, the CRA and the SGP are highlighted. The usage of the MGS shows that designing AAs capable of thinking and feeling like humans needs an understanding about the natures of life and human mind that we do not have today. Following an evolutionary approach, we propose as a first entry point an investigation about extending life to AAs in order to design AAs carrying a “stay alive” constraint.\ud Ethical concerns are raised from the relations between human constraints and human values.\ud Continuations are proposed

Understanding the city through its semiotic spatialities

The city is a complex sociocultural phenomenon where space and timeare simultaneously parts of itself and parts of its conceptualisation. In the paper I draw out three general perspectives where the city is characterised by different spatialities and temporalities. The urban space can thus be a space of rhythms and practices, an objectified dimension of the settlement, and a symbolic form in interpretations and creations of cities. The city can be understood as a semiotic whole by considering varying semiotic natures of the urban space

The Paradigms of Teaching English across Cultures: EFL Teachers’ Perspectives

The present study aimed at qualitatively probing into EFL teachers’ perspectives on the paradigms of teaching English across cultures (TEAC). Five EFL teachers were purposively involved as the participants. The data were garnered from in-depth interview. This study revealed a variety of perspectives addressing TEAC paradigms. All EFL teachers showed their supporting perspectives on TEAC paradigms. They accepted the natures of English as the world lingua franca, mutual intelligibility and comprehensibility in English communication, intercultural communicative competence as the framework of English communication, supporting students to be intercultural English users, and bilingual as well as intercultural English users as EFL learning models. Their perspectives on TEAC paradigms likely indicated that they would hold these paradigms while teaching English in the classrooms. Further studies are expected to delve into the practices of TEAC so that the data could be of great references for other Indonesian EFL teachers to apply TEAC in the classrooms. Keywords: English, Culture, Teaching English across culture

Maximus the Confessor and a Deeper Actualization of the Apostolic Dimensions of Pentecostal Movements

Excerpt: ...I propose to explore one expression of this more ancient and eastern tradition, as found in the cosmic vision of Maximus the Confessor. After a brief sketch of his life and times and his relationship to the larger orthodox tradition I will attempt to lay out some of the chief features of both his theological and cosmological framework and his ascetic way of practice in community. I will conclude by suggesting that both this framework and way of practice can indeed help resource healing of humankind’s relationship with one another and the other realms of the creation and that an appropriation of aspects of this stream of the Christian tradition in the coming decades can help global Pentecostal movements influence societies toward greater social and ecological health