The adaptation of anthropomorphism and archetypes for marketing artificial intelligence

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: This paper aims to present an exploration of possible associations between the Jungian archetypes frequently used in marketing and three well-known products based on artificial intelligence (AI), namely, Sophia, Alexa and Articoolo. Design/methodology/approach: The study conducted emotionalist interviews to gather thick data from 11 participants on how they conceptualize these AI-based products. In the absence of any existing relevant hypotheses, this paper attempts to build theory using a case study approach and qualitative analysis of interview narratives. Findings: Despite the human attributes ascribed to these products, participants were principally concerned with their purpose, efficiency and the degree of trust which they felt could be accorded to the product. Anthropomorphism emerged as significant with participants making some associations with common archetypes traditionally exploited in marketing and this suggests a possible means of enhancing consumer trust in AI products. Originality/value: Little research has been conducted on the marketing of AI and this study presents a timely identification of some potentially significant issues. As AI is intended to mimic some aspects of human intelligence, the role of the archetype in creating a personality to enhance trust may prove crucial in securing consumer confidence

“Simple rules” as an approach to corporate selection of CSR strategies

Purpose: This paper aims to adopt the “simple rules” approach developed by Sull and Eisenhardt (2016) and apply it to explain how corporate social responsibility (CSR) manifests in myriad ways depending on the particular socio-economic and geopolitical context. Design/methodology/approach: It illustrates the implicit principle of “simple rules” through the case of a major petroleum company in the United Arab Emirates (Emirates National Oil Company [ENOC]) using content analysis to trace its interpretation and practice of CSR as transmitted via its social media platforms and stakeholder response. Findings: ENOC’s CSR is primarily associated with two government objectives. One relates to human resource initiatives, most especially to the development of local talent in response to the government’s priority of reducing the country’s excessive reliance on expatriate labor. The second is that of preserving local heritage which is reflected in the prominence of local religious values in its posts. The prioritization of these two key themes is a manifestation of how, from the vast range of activities that can be considered as constituting CSR, an individual company chooses those that serve local and immediate intentions. Social implications: A tight scoping of CSR within cherished national objectives appears to enhance the co-creation of shared value between company and stakeholders. Originality/value: This study’s contribution does not so much problematize the many classifications and theories developed to account for diverse conceptualizations and implementations of CSR; rather, it proposes a “simple rules” approach as a parallel and potentially efficient, economical means to explain diversity within CSR interpretation and execution according to the specific geopolitical and socio-economic context in which it is implemented. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

Ken Loach, 'Family life' and socialist realism: some historical and theoretical aspects

This article considers some historical and theoretical aspects of Ken Loach’s 1971 film about mental illness, Family Life. Historically, it explores the film’s influences, particularly that of the 1960s ‘anti-psychiatrist’ and counter-cultural figure, R.D. Laing. In this respect, the article specifies a contemporaneous critique of Family Life in Peter Sedgwick’s (1972) hostile review for Socialist Worker. In light of this critique, the article then reconsiders, theoretically, Loach’s strategies of socialist-realist representation in Family Life, particularly as they relate to: 1) mental illness and institutional psychiatry; and 2) the distinction drawn by Raymond Williams between artistic and political forms of representation

Pedagogy of the Privileged: Elite Universities and Dialectical Contradictions in the UK

This paper considers the role and function of Left academics within ‘elite’ (i.e. Russell Group) universities within the UK. Deploying Marxist theory and critical realism, it analyses the ‘dialectical contradictions’ experienced in such a role and reflects upon productive strategies for resisting the hegemony of neo-liberalism within those milieu

Women, self-harm, and the moral code of the prison

Discriminatory attitudes directed at women who nonfatally self-harm have been documented in psychiatric wards and medical settings, especially in Accident and Emergency departments. Such attitudes constitute a “moral code,” which surrounds the act of self-harm and subjects it to negative comparison to accidents, physical illness, and completed suicide. What is less clear, however, are the characteristics of that moral code which governs self-harm in prisons, despite the fact that high rates of self-harm in women’s prisons are well known. Reporting the findings of a research project in one English prison, this article identifies the characteristics of that “moral code” and the way it affects the experiences of women in prison

Comparison of operating costs of reinforced concrete bridges and overpasses with different static schemes

The article considers two options for the design of an overpass with a beam-cut and a beam-continuous static scheme. An inspection of the technical condition of beam-cut reinforced concrete bridges in operation in Tashkent built in 1970-90 was conducted. Estimating the maintenance costs of overpasses with different static schemes operating for the last 50 years shows that the continuous reinforced concrete option drastically reduces the cost of repair work in operation. This, in turn, has a cumulative effect on the development of the bridge-building industry in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The predicted operating costs of overpasses with different static schemes during operation for 50 years showed that in a continuous reinforced concrete option, 435,803,803 soums are saved annually. The most important thing is that the proposed solution dramatically reduces the cost of repair work. This, in turn, has a cumulative effect on the development of the bridge-building industry in the Republic of Uzbekistan

A glimpse of the genetics of young-onset Parkinson's disease in Central Asia

Background: Knowledge of the genetic background of many human diseases is currently lacking from genetically undiscovered regions, including Central Asia. Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian country where the genetic studies of Parkinson's disease (PD) have been emerging since it had become a member of the International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium. Here we report on the results of whole‐exome sequencing (WES) in 50 young‐onset PD (YOPD) cases from Kazakhstan. / Methodology: WES was performed on 50 unrelated individuals with YOPD from Kazakhstan. Exome data were screened for novel/ultra‐rare deleterious variants in known and candidate PD genes. Copy number variants and small indels were also called. / Results: Only three cases (6%) were found to be positive for known PD genes including two unrelated familial PD cases with LRRK2 p.(Arg1441Cys) and one case with a homozygous pathogenic PRKN p.(Arg84Trp) variant. Four cases had novel and ultra‐rare variants of uncertain significance in LRRK2, DNAJC13, and VPS35. Novel deleterious variants were found in candidate Mendelian PD genes including CSMD1, TNR, EIF4G1, and ATP13A3. Eight cases harbored the East Asian‐specific LRRK2 p.(Ala419Val) variant. Conclusions The low diagnostic yield in our study might imply that a significant proportion of YOPD cases in Central Asia remains unresolved. Therefore, a better understanding of the genetic architecture of PD among populations of Central Asian ancestry and the pathogenicity of numerous rare variants should be further investigated. WES is a valuable technique for large‐scale YOPD genetic studies in Central Asia

Validation of the Kazakh version of the movement disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale

Background and Purpose: The International Movement Disorder Society revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) is widely used in the assessment of the severity of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to validate the Kazakh version of the MDS-UPDRS, explore its dimensionality, and compare it to the original English version. Methods: The validation was conducted in three phases: first, the English version of the MDS-UPDRS was translated into Kazakh and thereafter back-translated into English by two independent teams; second, the Kazakh version underwent a cognitive pretesting; third, the Kazakh version was tested in 360 native Kazakh-speaking PD patients. Both confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were performed to validate the scale. We calculated the comparative fit index (CFI) for confirmatory factor analysis and used unweighted least squares for exploratory factor analysis. Results: The CFI was higher than 0.90 for all parts of the scale, thereby meeting the pre-set threshold for the official designation of a validated translation. Exploratory factor analysis also showed that the Kazakh MDS-UPDRS has the analogous factors structure in each part as the English version. Conclusions: The Kazakh MDS-UPDRS had a consistent overall structure as the English MDS-UPDRS, and it was designated as the official Kazakh MDS-UPDRS, which can reliably be used in the Kazakh-speaking populations. Presently, Kazakhstan stands as the sole country in both Central Asia and Transcaucasia with an MDS-approved translated version of the MDS-UPDRS. We expect that other Central Asian and Transcaucasian countries will embark on the MDS Translation Program for MDS-UPDRS in the near future