Boundary spanning in a digital world: the case of blockchain

Blockchain is a relatively new technology that is often described as “creating trust” or “removing intermediaries.” In this paper, we posit that blockchain is a new form of digitally enabled boundary spanning that allows co-ownership models for the companies in question. Where companies have traditionally employed humans to act as interfaces to the external world, new digital technologies enable a digitized approach to many corporate operations that require interaction toward the external market and environment within which firms must operate. Blockchain is a special subset of digital technologies in this regard, enabling companies to co-operate to control parts of the market and to internalize transaction costs that until now have been a market function: using blockchain companies effectively create a new transaction boundary that means boundary spanning activities can be deeply embedded in core business functions, rather than kept as peripheral actions. This digitally enabled boundary spanning is a key attribute of the emerging digital economy. Understanding its implications is of critical importance for economics, business, and social science literature

Modelling and simulation of operation and maintenance strategy for offshore wind farms based on multiagent system

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Maintenance of offshore wind turbines is a complex and costly undertaking which acts as a barrier to the development of this source of energy. Factors such as the size of the turbines, the size of the wind farms, their distance from the coast and meteorological conditions make it difficult for the stakeholders to select the optimal maintenance strategy. With the objective of reducing costs and duration of such operations it is important that new maintenance techniques are investigated. In this paper we propose a hybrid model of maintenance that is based on multi-agent systems; this allows for the modelling of systems with dynamic interactions between multiple parts. A multi-criteria decision algorithm has been developed to allow analysis and selection of different maintenance strategies. A cost model that includes maintenance action cost, energy loss and installation of monitoring system cost has been presented. For the purposes of this research we have developed a simulator using NetLogo software and have provided experimental results. The results show that employing the proposed hybrid maintenance strategy could increase wind farm productivity and reduce maintenance cost.Acknowledgement is made to European Union for the support of this research through the European Program INTERREG IVA France-Channel-UK by funding project entitled MER Innovate

On the sui generis value capture of new digital technologies: the case of AI

Digital technologies are emerging at a fast rate, with applications ranging from farming to recruitment. Much of the research on these technologies has concerned optimization and applications, with less focus on the regulation and governance of these systems and how they might bring about foundational and theoretical shifts. Indeed, much of the literature is concerned with forwarding technical approaches, and the potential opportunities and harms, without offering theoretical or philosophical perspectives; few have asked what a digital thing is, what the ontological nature and state of phenomena produced and expressed by digital things are, and if there are distinctions between the conceptions of digital and non-digital technologies. We forward this discussion by investigating the question of what value is being expressed by an algorithm, which we conceptualize in terms of a digital asset, which we define as a valued digital thing that is derived from a particular digital technology