Is sharing caring? Exploring the perceived social and economic sustainability of sharing economy in emerging markets

Sharing economy is a significant socio-economic phenomenon of this century and mobility sharing is one of the most controversial, heavily-debated topic within the domain. Although there are more and more researches done in the field, but limited knowledge is achieved on social and economic sustainability of sharing economy in emerging markets. Motivated by the research gap, this thesis explores the perceived social and economic sustainability of sharing economy within the case of mobility sharing platform in a rapidly developing country, Vietnam. The focus of the study is on examining the social and economic impacts of ridesharing platforms on independent providers, namely the platform drivers in this case. The research is facilitated with interview as the research tool. Platform drivers, drivers from conventional businesses and platform representative make up the interview sample. The findings indicate ridesharing platform changes the drivers’ livelihood both positively and negatively. The economic effects include direct economic gains, increased efficiency, improved trust and safety, creation of dependent self-employment and risky financial decision. Meanwhile, the social consequences comprise of social inclusion, lack of long-term security, hostility from conventional businesses, work-life off balance and concern over threat of monopoly. The results demonstrate the social and economic transformations triggered by sharing economy especially in transportation sector. The study contributes to the ongoing wider discussion about sustainability of sharing economy in general and ridesharing specifically. It also has important managerial implications for ridesharing firms regarding their strategies to retain and attract drivers

Children and The Internet in Ireland: Research and Policy Perspectives

For good or ill, the internet is now very much part of children’s lifestyles today. Indeed, it is hardly possible to approach contemporary childhood – its possibilities and its risks – without understanding the degree to which information and communications technologies (ICTs) are embedded in every aspect of young people’s lives. For policy makers, the fast pace of change in the technology sector represents an additional challenge and effective interventions to protect children as well as promote positive opportunities sometimes struggle to keep up an environment that continues to evolve rapidly. There is also a tension between some of the competing responses that children’s use of the internet evokes: whether children are viewed as ‘digital natives’ or as helpless victims of online threats, there is a difficult balancing act between promoting use of the internet as something positive and beneficial for young people’s futures, whilst seeking to minimize risks they may encounter in an environment that is difficult to regulate

The EU Kids Online project: The importance of large scale cross-national research

Cyberbullying or the use of online or electronic forms of communication to harass, threaten, and otherwise inflict harm has become one of the most talked about negative consequences of young people’s use of Internet technologies. With ever increasing and diversifying online platforms, policymakers have sometimes struggled to find the right balance to support youthful adoption of social media and the need for protection and/or redress when things go wrong. Crucially, policymakers require evidence to support decision making and to target solutions to problems that have sometimes been the subject of heightened public concern and anxiety

Net Children Go Mobile:Initial findings from Ireland

Net Children Go Mobile is a two-year research project funded under the European Commission’s Safer Internet Programme. Seven countries participate: Demark, Italy, Romania, United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal and Belgium. The project uses quantitative and qualitative methodologies to investigate access and use, risks and opportunities of mobile internet use. This report presents the initial findings of the survey of children and young people’s use of mobile internet technologies in Ireland. 500 9-16 year olds were interviewed face-to-face in their homes. The fieldwork was carried out in Ireland by Ipsos MRBI in November and December 2013

Parental Mediation and the Internet: Findings of NET Children Go Mobile for Parents\u27 Mediation Strategies in Ireland: Mediazione dei Genitori e Internet: Risultati di NET Children Go Mobile per le Strategie di Mediazione di Genitori in Irlanda.

Based on data collected from the Net Children Go Mobile project, a cross- national study of children aged 9-16 in seven European countries with a focus on the Irish context, this article examines parental mediation of children’ online ac- tivities. The relationship between children’s digital skills (including internet and smartphone use) and parental mediation is also examined and factors influenc- ing parent mediation are highlighted. Parents implement a range of strategies, favouring strict mediation and rules over active mediation on internet safety, but these were associated with reduced children’s online activities and digital skills. These findings challenge researchers to identify effective strategies that don’t impede children’s freedom to access the online world and avail of online opportunities

Remembering the City: An Augmented Reality Reconstruction of Memory, Power, and Identity in Ho Chi Minh City through Cartography & Architecture

Cartography and architecture are official channels that facilitate remembrance in Ho Chi Minh City. Maps and buildings serve as sites for actors of memory to manipulate the city\u27s narratives and shape its collective identity. Power enables the production of space and knowledge through sites of memory. The ruling regimes of Ho Chi Minh City have leveraged control over the natural environment and the local population to create new forms of materials that propagate their ideologies and ideals for the city. Alterations to the natural and built environments in the city legitimize the authorities\u27 official narratives for its history and future developments. This project explores the context and subtext of urban memory and its formation, using critical augmented reality to visualize the sites of memory. The design of the supplementary augmented reality application takes into consideration the computational theory behind the technology and the development tools for digital historical narratives. In addition, as this study investigates the complicity of science in promoting colonialism, imperialism, nationalism and uninformed nostalgia within the urban setting, it also critiques the use of a new form of technology, augmented reality, in memory formation and other historical processes. Augmented reality offers unprecedented potentials for history and other disciplines thanks to its accessibility and performance; however, the pitfalls of technology require developers and users to remain aware of the implications and assumptions behind each design

Treatment of acidic wastewater from thien ke tin processing factory by sulfate reducing bioreactor: a pilot scale study

A pilot-scale system of a total volume of 6 m3 using sulfate reducing (SR) bioreactor technology was established for the treatment of acidic wastewater from Thien Ke tin processing factory in Tuyen Quang province, Vietnam. In the system, the acidic wastewater with high metal content went first to a collecting tank filled with limestone gravels to increase pH to a value favorable for SRB growth, and at the second step to a SR bioreactor where sulfate reduction occurred to produce sulfide for metal precipitation. To activate the SR bioreactor, a laboratory SRB mixed culture dominated by Desufovibiro, Desulfobulbus and Desulfomicrobium species was added at a cell density of 106 cell/ml so that a full activation was achieved just after a week of incubation. Molasses was added to the SR bioreactor at 0.5 ml/L as substrate for the SRB growth during the operation. The performance of the system was studied under batch and continuous modes. The batch mode showed good results after three day-operation. The pH increased from 2.8 – 3.2 to 7 – 7.2, and a total of 750 mg/L sulfate was reduced to sulfide presumably by the SRB. The produced sulfide efficiently removed metals from the wastewater, such as iron from 143.1 mg/L to 0.3 mg/L, copper from 16.32 mg/L to 0.04 mg/L and manganese from 10.9 mg/L to 0.05 mg/L. The continuous mode with a hydraulic load of 100 l/h and an according retention time of three days showed constitutive contaminant removal. The effluent pH of the system was around 7 within six-day period. The sulfate reduction was active, keeping sulfate concentration in the final effluent as low as 150 mg/L. Accordingly, the three most metal contaminants (iron, copper and manganese) were found at concentrations below the regulated limits. The results showed the possibility of applying SR bioreactor technology for the treatment of AMD is feasible and the use of previously enriched mixed culture of SRB could be a good approach to shorten the activation period of the SR bioreactor

A NOVEL ROLE OF GELSOLIN IN CANCER CELL SURVIVAL THROUGH REGULATION OF FIBRONECTIN

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH