Selfhood and the Metaphysics of Altruism.

Ph.D. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017

Smart Cities for a Sustainable Social Inclusion Strategy – A Comparative Study between Italy and Malaysia

Background: Recent data from several studies and surveys confirm that our society has entered the digital transformation era. The crucial role of this digital trend is becoming increasingly more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, a bunch of technologies, such as artificial intelligence, have the potential to change the present enhancing people’s power to act, to live and to promote equal citizen participation. In this scenario, Smart Cities with its smart technology innovative components are challenging for excluded people. Method: The general objective of this article is to identify and understand the dimensions that must be taken into account to promote the digital participation/inclusion of people with ID. The model is based on a qualitative analysis of people’s perceptions related to how Smart Cities can promote social Inclusion. Results: The challenges associated with social inclusion were identified in the social, economic and political as well as cultural dimensions of the countries investigated: Italy and Malaysia. The results constitute a first step to shape and understand how smart cities can promote social inclusion in different contexts. Conclusion: The outcomes of our research suggest that, starting from standard technologies, smart cities in different countries need tailored solutions. The results reveal that the Smart City strategy is, in general, and in terms of social Inclusion, in particular, a local phenomenon changing in each country. This outcome has important implications for practitioners and future scholarly research alike. The current study contributes to both social inclusion and smart city literature in many ways

Effects of supply chain transparency, alignment, adaptability, and agility on blockchain adoption in supply chain among SMEs

This study aims to investigate the extent to which the contributions of blockchain technology to supply chain parameters influence blockchain adoption among SMEs. Drawing on contingency theory, the study investigates the moderating effect of market turbulence. The data were collected from 204 SMEs in Malaysia\u27s manufacturing sector and analysed using the partial least squares technique. The results showed that the intention of SMEs’ managers to adopt blockchain is influenced by the contributions of blockchain to supply chain transparency and agility. Supply chain transparency, alignment, adaptability, and agility are interrelated. Market turbulence moderates positively the association between agility and intention to adopt blockchain. This study extends the literature by decomposing the concept of relative advantages and investigating the influences of blockchain benefits on blockchain adoption. The moderating effect of market turbulence indicates that the influence of blockchain on agility is more important for SMEs operating in a turbulent environment than the SMEs in a stable market. The findings help the policymakers and blockchain vendors in developing effective plans and strategies to speed up the adoption of blockchain among SMEs. Furthermore, the results give confidence to the managers and owners of SMEs that blockchain can be a valuable competitive advantage source

Big data analytics and firm performance: a systematic review

The literature on big data analytics and firm performance is still fragmented and lacking in attempts to integrate the current studies' results. This study aims to provide a systematic review of contributions related to big data analytics and firm performance. The authors assess papers listed in the Web of Science index. This study identifies the factors that may influence the adoption of big data analytics in various parts of an organization and categorizes the diverse types of performance that big data analytics can address. Directions for future research are developed from the results. This systematic review proposes to create avenues for both conceptual and empirical research streams by emphasizing the importance of big data analytics in improving firm performance. In addition, this review offers both scholars and practitioners an increased understanding of the link between big data analytics and firm performance

Rubber Clay Nanocomposites

The use of nanofillers allows the development of nanocomposites with improved properties and novel applications. The technological goal is possible due to the new compounding method that allows a particle dispersion in the nanometer scale increasing the specific surface area.Fil: Cova Sánchez, Mariajose. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial - Caucho; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; ArgentinaFil: Bacigalupe, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial - Caucho; ArgentinaFil: Escobar, Mariano Martin. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial - Caucho; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Mansilla, Marcela Angela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial - Caucho; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Sustainable supply chain management towards disruption and organizational ambidexterity:A data driven analysis

Balancing sustainability and disruption of supply chains requires organizational ambidexterity. Sustainable supply chains prioritize efficiency and economies of scale and may not have sufficient redundancy to withstand disruptive events. There is a developing body of literature that attempts to reconcile these two aspects. This study gives a data-driven literature review of sustainable supply chain management trends toward ambidexterity and disruption. The critical review reveals temporal trends and geographic distribution of literature. A hybrid of data-driven analysis approach based on content and bibliometric analyses, fuzzy Delphi method, entropy weight method, and fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory is used on 273 keywords and 22 indicators obtained based on the experts’ evaluation. The most important indicators are identified as supply chain agility, supply chain coordination, supply chain finance, supply chain flexibility, supply chain resilience, and sustainability. The regions show different tendencies compared with others. Asia and Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa are the regions needs improvement, while Europe and North America show distinct apprehensions on supply chain network design. The main contribution of this review is the identification of the knowledge frontier, which then leads to a discussion of prospects for future studies and practical industry implementation

En ideell organisations arbete med läxhjälp

Sveriges skolor har i takt med samhällsutvecklingen genomgått reformer som har skapat en allt ökat decentralisering. Vidare präglas skolan av en problematik gällande likvärdighet i utbildningen för dess elever. På senare år har det samtidigt uppkommit en allt större marknad för både privata, offentliga och ideella läxhjälpverksamheter i Sverige. Dessa läxhjälpverksamheter står utanför den ordinarie skolverksamheten och dess riktlinjer men verkar ändå inom skolans kontext. Denna examensuppsats kommer vi att undersöka ideella läxhjälp verksamheter roll i förhållande till skolan, och hur den eventuella samverkan ser ut mellan dessa. Eftersom att det idag finns en begränsad forskning kring ämnet är syftet med studien att bidra med en ökad insikt kring situationen utifrån en specifik ideell läxhjälpverksamhet som bland annat verkar inom Malmö stad. Detta kommer att göras genom ett kvalitativt angreppssätt med semistrukturerade intervjuer i fokus. Materialet analyseras och sammanfattas sedan utifrån teorier gällande samverkan. Resultatet visar att en tydlighet i samverkan och dess riktlinjer mellan läxhjälpverksamher och skolan är viktig för att tydliggöra de roller och ansvar som finns. Det finns idag en viss otydlighet i samverkan utifrån kontakten mellan skolan och läxhjälpen. Vidare finns det en tydlighet hos läxhjälpverksamheten att dennes roll fungerar som ett komplement till skolan och ska verka stödjande för eleverna. Problematiken ligger dock i om skolan som har huvudansvaret för elevernas kunskapsutveckling allt mer förlitar sig på att andra typer av verksamheter kan väga upp för bristerna i skolan.Sweden's schools have undergone reforms that have led to increased decentralization, in line with the social development. Furthermore, the school is characterized by an issue of equivalence in the education of its students. In recent years there has also been a growing market for both private, public and non-profit homework operations in Sweden. These homework activities are out of the ordinary school activity and its guidelines, but still work within the context of the school. In this study we are going to investigate non-profit homework activities in relation to the school, and how the possible interaction looks like. Because there is limited research on the subject today, the purpose of the study is to contribute to an increased insight into the situation based on a specific ideal homework assistance that works, among other things, in the city of Malmö. This will be done through a qualitative approach with semistructured interviews in focus. The material is then analyzed and summarized based on theories of collaboration. The result shows that clarity in cooperation and its guidelines between homework assistants and school is important in order to clarify the roles and responsibilities that exist. There is currently some uncertainty in cooperation from the contact between school and homework. Furthermore, there is a clear sense of homework assistance that its role serves as a complement to the school and will provide support for the students. However, the problem is whether the school which has the main responsibility for students' knowledge development is increasingly relied on that other types of activities may weigh up for the shortcomings in school

Entrepreneurial ecosystems: a systematic review

Purpose: The literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems is fragmented, and yet, no studies have paid attention to integrating the available studies. The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic review of contributions related to entrepreneurial ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach: This literature review evaluates studies that are covered in the Web of Science index. Findings: In addition to the recent state of research (covering industries, geographical scopes, methodologies, etc.), this study provides an extension of Isenberg’s (2011) model of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Research limitations/implications: A new avenue arises for both conceptual and empirical research by emphasizing crowdsourcing as a contributing element for the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Future studies can evaluate the effectiveness of different types of crowdsourcing profoundly to make sure whether creating a promising ecosystem all types of crowdsourcing have a similar value or impact. Practical implications: For public policy and local decision-makers, both collaboration opportunities and interaction interfaces between the stakeholders of the entrepreneurial need to be reconsidered in the design of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Social implications: Higher degrees of collaboration, information exchange and innovation are likely to yield favorable entrepreneurship environments. Originality/value: Novelty of this study arises from integrating crowdsourcing theory in the systematic review of entrepreneurial ecosystems

Active Rear Wing

The purpose of this project was to design and fabricate an articulated aerodynamic device for actively modifying the aerodynamics of a car to provide braking, add downforce and retract when not in use. This would allow the user to take advantage of the downforce a rear wing provides during high performance driving without the additional drag caused by conventional rear wings during normal driving. Lightweight construction, including composite layups, was used to reduce weight. Mechanical control systems were used to actuate the system simply and easily. The active rear wing ended up being a success. The control system allows the user to easily adjust the height of the rear wing and depressing the brake pedal causes the wing\u27s angle to change to function as an air brake. The custom built carbon-kevlar foam core wing was a success, giving us a lightweight, strong, efficient wing for our system. Finally, the frame tying everything together was a success and is more than strong enough to withstand all force it would encounter