444 research outputs found
Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns
Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse
What Makes Complex Systems Complex?
This paper explores some of the factors that make complex systems complex. We first examine the history of complex systems. It was Aristotleâs insight that how elements are joined together helps determine the properties of the resulting whole. We find (a) that scientific reductionism does not provide a sufficient explanation; (b) that to understand complex systems, one must identify and trace energy flows; and (c) that disproportionate causality, including global tipping points, are all around us. Disproportionate causality results from the wide availability of energy stores. We discuss three categories of emergent phenomenaâstatic, dynamic, and
adaptiveâand recommend retiring the term emergent, except perhaps as a synonym for creative. Finally, we find that virtually all communication is stigmergic
Mobility as a service-hype or the future of transportation?
While digitalization reshapes the traditional transportation industry boundaries, it is important to understand how technologies and different industry players begin to interact and where and how the new opportunities emerge. In this study, I examine Mobility as a Service (MaaS) â a current phenomenon and an emerging business model in the Finnish transportation industry that has gained significant interest on the global transportation markets. The overarching empirical purpose of this work is to understand the ongoing development process in Finland - especially in the Helsinki metropolitan area where the concept of MaaS is most developed. To address the research problem, the following research question is asked: How is the new business model, Mobility as a Service, developed in Finland?
In order to answer the identified research question, I used the case study methodology and collected empirical data through nine semi-structured interviews and recently-published media articles about MaaS. Thematic coding was used as the central data analysis method as it helped me identify the common patterns in my data and group them under the bigger themes. For the purpose of primary research, literature on business models, networked business models and business model development were examined and integrated to the empirical findings of this study.
My research concludes that MaaS is not a traditional emerging business model but rather a networked business model that is co-created in a network of actors. It emerges at the intersection of several concepts and ideas, multiple business models and technologies. Its core characteristics are: customization and personalization, an all in one mobility market platform, resource sharing and replacement of the private car.
The development process of a networked business model is continuous and iterative by nature. The process begins with tens of independent firm specific business models evolving to the networked business model. Moreover, this research proposes that before becoming a fully functioning networked business model, the emerging model takes form of an opportunistic business model, during which introduction and testing of the emerging service happens. In addition to continuous iteration, involvement of new business network participants facilitates learning and identification of shared opportunities. Thus, this research proposes that the number of business model iterations and continuous involvements of new network participants are the core drivers of development
Creationism and evolution
In Tower of Babel, Robert Pennock wrote that
âdefenders of evolution would help their case
immeasurably if they would reassure their
audience that morality, purpose, and meaning are
not lost by accepting the truth of evolution.â We
first consider the thesis that the creationistsâ
movement exploits moral concerns to spread its
ideas against the theory of evolution. We analyze
their arguments and possible reasons why they are
easily accepted. Creationists usually employ two
contradictive strategies to expose the purported
moral degradation that comes with accepting the
theory of evolution. On the one hand they claim
that evolutionary theory is immoral. On the other
hand creationists think of evolutionary theory as
amoral. Both objections come naturally in a
monotheistic view. But we can find similar
conclusions about the supposed moral aspects of
evolution in non-religiously inspired discussions.
Meanwhile, the creationism-evolution debate
mainly focuses â understandably â on what
constitutes good science. We consider the need for
moral reassurance and analyze reassuring
arguments from philosophers. Philosophers may
stress that science does not prescribe and is
therefore not immoral, but this reaction opens the
door for the objection of amorality that evolution
â as a naturalistic world view at least â
supposedly endorses. We consider that the topic of
morality and its relation to the acceptance of
evolution may need more empirical research
Recommender Systems
The ongoing rapid expansion of the Internet greatly increases the necessity
of effective recommender systems for filtering the abundant information.
Extensive research for recommender systems is conducted by a broad range of
communities including social and computer scientists, physicists, and
interdisciplinary researchers. Despite substantial theoretical and practical
achievements, unification and comparison of different approaches are lacking,
which impedes further advances. In this article, we review recent developments
in recommender systems and discuss the major challenges. We compare and
evaluate available algorithms and examine their roles in the future
developments. In addition to algorithms, physical aspects are described to
illustrate macroscopic behavior of recommender systems. Potential impacts and
future directions are discussed. We emphasize that recommendation has a great
scientific depth and combines diverse research fields which makes it of
interests for physicists as well as interdisciplinary researchers.Comment: 97 pages, 20 figures (To appear in Physics Reports
Islamic Economics: A Survey of the Literature
A central thesis of this paper is that social science is the study of human experience, and hence strongly conditioned by history. Modern Western political, economic and social structures have emerged as a consequence of the repudiation of religion, and are based on secular principles. Many of these are inimical to Islamic principles, and cannot be adapted to an Islamic society. Muslim societies achieved freedom from colonial rule in the first half of the twentieth century and sought to construct institutions in conformity with Islam. The development of Islamic economics is part of this process of transition away from Western colonial institutions. This paper focuses on the contrasts between Western economic theories and Islamic approaches to organization of economic affairs. Neoclassical theory is centered around the acquisitive instinct of humans, and makes competition the driving force of economic analysis. Islamic approaches foster cooperation and encourage generosity as the fundamental principle for handling economic affairs. Human beings have potential for good and evil, and are free to choose between the two; their behavior is not subject to mathematical laws postulated by neoclassical economic theory. The main message of Islam is that we must strive to achieve the potential for good both at the individual and at the social level. Behavior in the economic realm is also governed by this goal. Islamic law (Shariâah) provides the framework for all activity within an Islamic society. In the economic domain, Islamic law regulates both methods by which money may be earned and also the ways it may be spent. Acquisition of wealth is permissible only in ways which are just to all parties concerned; exploitation, arbitrary taxation, and individual profit resulting in social harm is not permissible in Islamic law. This puts numerous restrictions on business practices utilized to make profits. For example, polluting the environment, or selling products which lead to moral corruption would not be permissible in Islamic law. Wealth which has been acquired becomes private property, which is both a trust and a test according to Islamic concepts. The âtrustâ aspect means that property must be used in ways beneficial to the individual and society. The âtestâ aspect means that those who have more than they need should take care of those who are in need. Ways in which acquired wealth can be spent is also subject to Islamic law. People are expected to strive to be self-sufficient and not ask from others. Thus striving to acquire wealth and spending it on personal and family needs is encouraged by Islamic law. Islam does not preach austerity and encourages a comfortable standard of living. At the same time, it strongly discourages spending on idle desires, luxuries, and ostentation. There is also a strong encouragement to spend what is beyond ones needs on social welfare. These fundamental principles for acquiring wealth, using property (acquired wealth), and spending it impact on all realms of economic activity. Since these are substantially different from Western ideas in all three areas, there are substantial contrasts between Western economic institutions and Islamic ones. The paper traces out these differences in many realms of economic activity. The primary objective of an Islamic state is to provide justice, and Islamic public finance is concerned with tracing the concrete implications of this abstraction in the economic realm. Western financial institutions have the acquisition and multiplication of wealth as their prime objective. Since acquisition of wealth can only be a means to an end, these institutions require modification in an Islamic society. Similarly, Islamic imperatives for social welfare require construction of certain uniquely Islamic types of institutions which do not have counterparts in the West. The paper discusses these issues in some detail.Islamic Economics, Neoclassical Economics
Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2022
This open access book presents the proceedings of the International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT)âs 29th Annual International eTourism Conference, which assembles the latest research presented at the ENTER2022 conference, which will be held on January 11â14, 2022. The book provides an extensive overview of how information and communication technologies can be used to develop tourism and hospitality. It covers the latest research on various topics within the field, including augmented and virtual reality, website development, social media use, e-learning, big data, analytics, and recommendation systems. The readers will gain insights and ideas on how information and communication technologies can be used in tourism and hospitality. Academics working in the eTourism field, as well as students and practitioners, will find up-to-date information on the status of research
College Studentsâ Perceptions of the Desert Canyons of the Colorado Plateau
This study investigates eight college studentsâ perceptions of their experiences during an accredited outdoor education course entitled Technical Canyoneering. The course took place in four separate desert canyons of the Colorado Plateau, two in Arches National Park, and two on nearby Bureau of Land Management public space. Utilizing the data collection process of photo-elicitation, the participantsâ time spent in the canyon settings was described in order to gain an understanding of their experiences, with particular attention paid to analyzing what perceptions those students ascribed to those experiences. The intent was threefold. First, the study makes understanding at how college students perceive the wilderness environment of the course. Secondly, the study demonstrated the beliefs, values, and commitments that are fostered and/or furthered secondary to the studentsâ perceptions of the place. Thirdly, the study attempted to explicate the value of the desert canyons of the Colorado Plateau and. more broadly, âwildernessâ settings as educational venues. The qualitative methodology of educational criticism and connoisseurship guided the study
- âŠ