Posthumanist perspectives on transhumanist marketing: More than human genes, more than market promotion

Transhumanism advocates enhancement of current human capacities with new technologies, in pursuit of human improvement and perfection, and thereby creates lucrative marketing opportunities. We use the broader concept of posthumanism, which includes this, but also all the other ways in which humans are enhanced by non-humans. However, our study is not about posthumanism, but about how a posthumanist critique can enhance our analyses and diagnoses. We consider not just technology, but also other species such as our microbiome, in an effort to critically examine transhumanist marketing, and develop analytic tools to better understand it. The limitations are highlighted with an extended example of the marketing of health information in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Transhumanist marketing is distinguished between “ends”, promoting products, and “means”, as ways to facilitate marketing. We offer a typology of motivations for consumption of transhumanist goods and services.  Il transumanismo sostiene l’incremento delle attuali capacità umane attraverso le nuove tecnologie, alla ricerca del miglioramento e del perfezionamento umani, quindi crea opportunità di marketing redditizie. In questo saggio facciamo ricoroso al concetto più ampio di postumanismo, che include il transumanismo ma anche tutti gli altri modi in cui gli umani possono essere perfezionati dai non umani. Tuttavia, il saggio non riguarda il postumanismo in sé, ma il modo in cui una critica postumanista può far avanzare le nostre analisi e diagnosi. Consideriamo non solo la tecnologia, ma anche altre specie come il nostro microbioma, nel tentativo di esaminare criticamente il marketing transumanista e sviluppare strumenti analitici per comprenderlo meglio. I suoi limiti sono evidenziati attraverso l’esempio del marketing delle informazioni sanitarie in risposta alla pandemia da Covid-19. Il marketing transumanista può essere distinto tra "fini" – vale a dire la promozione di prodotti – e "mezzi", intesi come modi per facilitare il marketing. Il saggio propone una tipologia delle motivazioni che inducono al consumo di beni e servizi transumanisti.Il transumanismo sostiene l’incremento delle attuali capacità umane attraverso le nuove tecnologie, alla ricerca del miglioramento e del perfezionamento umani, quindi crea opportunità di marketing redditizie. In questo saggio facciamo ricoroso al concetto più ampio di postumanismo, che include il transumanismo ma anche tutti gli altri modi in cui gli umani possono essere perfezionati dai non umani. Tuttavia, il saggio non riguarda il postumanismo in sé, ma il modo in cui una critica postumanista può far avanzare le nostre analisi e diagnosi. Consideriamo non solo la tecnologia, ma anche altre specie come il nostro microbioma, nel tentativo di esaminare criticamente il marketing transumanista e sviluppare strumenti analitici per comprenderlo meglio. I suoi limiti sono evidenziati attraverso l’esempio del marketing delle informazioni sanitarie in risposta alla pandemia da Covid-19. Il marketing transumanista può essere distinto tra "fini" – vale a dire la promozione di prodotti – e "mezzi", intesi come modi per facilitare il marketing. Il saggio propone una tipologia delle motivazioni che inducono al consumo di beni e servizi transumanisti.Il transumanismo sostiene l’incremento delle attuali capacità umane attraverso le nuove tecnologie, alla ricerca del miglioramento e del perfezionamento umani, quindi crea opportunità di marketing redditizie. In questo saggio facciamo ricoroso al concetto più ampio di postumanismo, che include il transumanismo ma anche tutti gli altri modi in cui gli umani possono essere perfezionati dai non umani. Tuttavia, il saggio non riguarda il postumanismo in sé, ma il modo in cui una critica postumanista può far avanzare le nostre analisi e diagnosi. Consideriamo non solo la tecnologia, ma anche altre specie come il nostro microbioma, nel tentativo di esaminare criticamente il marketing transumanista e sviluppare strumenti analitici per comprenderlo meglio. I suoi limiti sono evidenziati attraverso l’esempio del marketing delle informazioni sanitarie in risposta alla pandemia da Covid-19. Il marketing transumanista può essere distinto tra “fini” – vale a dire la promozione di prodotti – e “mezzi”, intesi come modi per facilitare il marketing. Il saggio propone una tipologia delle motivazioni che inducono al consumo di beni e servizi transumanisti.  Il transumanismo sostiene l’incremento delle attuali capacità umane attraverso le nuove tecnologie, alla ricerca del miglioramento e del perfezionamento umani, quindi crea opportunità di marketing redditizie. In questo saggio facciamo ricoroso al concetto più ampio di postumanismo, che include il transumanismo ma anche tutti gli altri modi in cui gli umani possono essere perfezionati dai non umani. Tuttavia, il saggio non riguarda il postumanismo in sé, ma il modo in cui una critica postumanista può far avanzare le nostre analisi e diagnosi. Consideriamo non solo la tecnologia, ma anche altre specie come il nostro microbioma, nel tentativo di esaminare criticamente il marketing transumanista e sviluppare strumenti analitici per comprenderlo meglio. I suoi limiti sono evidenziati attraverso l’esempio del marketing delle informazioni sanitarie in risposta alla pandemia da Covid-19. Il marketing transumanista può essere distinto tra "fini" – vale a dire la promozione di prodotti – e "mezzi", intesi come modi per facilitare il marketing. Il saggio propone una tipologia delle motivazioni che inducono al consumo di beni e servizi transumanisti

The role of e-procurement in purchasing management

This exposition summarises research published in several academic articles, in order to meet the requirements of PhD by publication. The focus of the work is on the role of electronic procurement in management of the purchasing function. From the late 1990s a number of independent e-procurement mechanisms were launched which offered potential benefits such as increased order accuracy, transaction efficiency and greater integration between trading partners. At the outset of this programme of research, e-procurement was therefore an emerging phenomenon with little academic research and presented an opportunity to investigate a largely unexplored area. Edmondson and McManus (2007) suggest that for nascent, as opposed to mature areas of research, where few formal constructs or measures exist, an exploratory, qualitative approach is required. This research followed such an approach through the use of case studies, involving observation, participation and interviews with key organisational actors. Each paper makes use of several cases in order to compare and contrast results from different organisations and to draw conclusions from multi-case analysis. The published articles focus on the impact of core applications within e-procurement, including online reverse auctions, electronic marketplaces, online catalogue sites, and buying systems covering the ‘requisition to pay’ cycle. The findings from the papers address a number of core themes in purchasing management. In considering buyer-supplier relationships, it was observed that such dyads are driven by traditional buyer negotiation factors such as segmentation, power and price and that use of eprocurement applications tended to enforce such traditional behaviours. In relation to the potential for integration, the study found that integration between firms was barely affected, as the concept of integration was neither an objective nor a business case driver for e-procurement adoption. This situation reflects the finding that procurement managers pursue functional targets rather than supply chain-level objectives. However, other significant effects from e-procurement adoption were noted such as the tendency by buyers to reduce supplier numbers and a move to re-engineer the procurement function in buying firms, through automating transactional processes. The research finds that e-procurement does not have a deterministic impact on purchasing management, and that it acts as an enabler to more effective management of the function though the way its different mechanisms are deployed. The exposition establishes that e-procurement is used in relation to supply conditions which are characterised by both ‘markets’ and ‘hierarchies’, but that it is the predefined purchasing strategy of the firm, rather than available technology solutions, which determines when markets and hierarchies are used. Additionally, an original model is introduced, focusing on developing an e-procurement policy which can support strategic purchasing goals. This model extrapolates findings from stages in the research, and marries together elements from various papers and frameworks therein, to produce some guidelines for adoption of this technology

Informality within government agencies tasked with controlling informal economic practices

The trend to dualism in the study of in/formality means that we usually neglect informality within government, usually seen as the locus of formality, but in practice usually relying on informal practices to get things done. This commentary uses archival documents on colonial Hong Kong to challenge this duality.The trend to dualism in the study of in/formality means that we usually neglect informality within government, usually seen as the locus of formality, but in practice usually relying on informal practices to get things done. This commentary uses archival documents on colonial Hong Kong to challenge this duality

Customs control over illicit international trade: The impact of different forms of illegality

This article examines a process central to the anthropological understanding of the state, how smuggling persists despite diverting a large portion of the revenues critical to the operation of state organizations. Developing the author’s prior typology of basic reasons why illegal practices persist, the article argues that there are five distinct types of smuggling, related to factors such as the social legitimacy of the activity. Legitimacy appears to make control much more difficult, but the availability of profits is also a key factor that can operate in the absence of social legitimacy, and which can contribute to the corruption of state officials. The result of intensified enforcement crackdowns also differs between the types, affecting the nature of the organization of smuggling practices. I conclude that the exploration of diversity among smuggling practices demonstrates the advantages of avoiding a treatment of illegality in general terms, and to pluralize the concept to understand the diverse motivations and forms that illegal practices can take.L'articolo si concentra su un processo fondamentale per la comprensione antropologica dello stato, cioè la maniera in cui il contrabbando persiste nonostante il dirottamento di una grande quantità di ricavi utili al funzionamento dell'organizzazione statale. Sviluppando una precedente tipologia centrata sulle ragioni fondamentali della persistenza delle pratiche illegali, l'articolo sostiene l'esistenza di cinque tipi distinti di contrabbando, relativi a fattori legati tra l'altro alla legittimazione sociale. La legittimità sociale di certe pratiche illegali rende il loro controllo particolarmente difficile, ma la facilità di ricavare profitti rappresenta comunque un fattore chiave che può operare in assenza di legittimazione sociale e può contribuire alla corruzione dei funzionari statali. Anche l'aumento della repressione produce risultati in relazione alla tipologia proposta, incidendo sulla dimensione organizzativa delle pratiche di contrabbando. Concludo sostenendo che lo studio della diversità delle pratiche di contrabbando dimostra l'utilità di evitare di affrontare l'illegalità in termini generali, pluralizzando il concetto per comprendere le motivazioni e le diverse forme che le pratiche illegali posso assumere

Pierre Bourdieu on capitals, the state and forced resettlement: A review essay

Pierre Bourdieu distinguished two main ways to teach sociology, by either teaching the principles and formal procedures, or by revealing examples of these formal procedures at work, and preferred to harness both together. This essay attempts to adopt this approach to consider three of his books recently translated to English, using my own research on forms of capital, the state and resettlement to engage with his arguments. I suggest that the utilization of Bourdieu’s powerful ideas are limited in areas like social capital and resettlement research by some inconsistencies and lack of definitional clarity..Pierre Bourdieu distingueva due modi principali di insegnare la sociologia: o insegnando i principi e le procedure formali, o rivelando esempi di queste procedure formali all’opera, e preferiva avvalersi di entrambi insieme. Questo saggio cerca di adottare questo approccio per considerare tre dei suoi libri recentemente tradotti in inglese, utilizzando le mie ricerche sulle forme del capitale, sullo Stato e sul reinsediamento per confrontarmi con le sue argomentazioni. Suggerisco che l’utilizzo delle potenti idee di Bourdieu è limitato in aree come il capitale sociale e la ricerca sul reinsediamento da alcune incoerenze e dalla mancanza di chiarezza definitoria

Profit, prestige and the liberal arts in the “neoliberal” academy: Observations from Canada

I argue that the Canadian academy, at least, is not neoliberal in the sense of acting as a profit-seeking corporation. Rather it serves the agenda of the corporate sector while operating under what is better seen as a symbolic economy of prestige and status.I argue that the Canadian academy, at least, is not neoliberal in the sense of acting as a profit-seeking corporation. Rather it serves the agenda of the corporate sector while operating under what is better seen as a symbolic economy of prestige and status

Neoliberal wrongdoing, or same as it ever was? A review essay

Review article of James G. Carrier, ed., Economy, crime and wrong in a neoliberal era, New York, Berghahn, 2018, pp. 276.Nota critica di James G. Carrier, ed., Economy, crime and wrong in a neoliberal era, New York, Berghahn, 2018, pp. 276

Occupational complexity and lifetime cognitive abilities

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between complexity of main lifetime occupation and cognitive performance in later life. METHODS: Occupational complexity ratings for data, people, and things were collected from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles for 1,066 individuals (men = 534, women = 532) in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. IQ data were available from mean age 11 years. Cognitive ability data across the domains of general ability, processing speed, and memory were available at mean age 70 years. RESULTS: General linear model analyses indicated that complexity of work with people and data were associated with better cognitive performance at age 70, after including age 11 IQ, years of education, and social deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings are supportive of the differential preservation hypotheses that more stimulating environments preserve cognitive ability in later life, although the continued effects into old age are still debated. Studies that have early-life cognitive ability measures are rare, and the current study offers interesting prospects for future research that may further the understanding of successful aging

The Limits of Social Capital: An Examination of Immigrants\u27 Housing Challenges in Calgary

A common explanation of immigrants\u27 under-representation among the homeless population in Canada is that kinship and community networks act as a buffer to absolute homelessness. There are indications that immigrant homelessness is, however, increasing, suggesting that the buffering capacity of social networks reaches a limit. Further, evidence of precarious housing situations indicates that we should approach this form of housing provision with some caution. This paper draws on a larger study of housing difficulties among immigrants in Calgary to address the ways in which social capital serves a buffering role, and under what conditions it loses its ability to prevent absolute homelessness

Flight Data Analysis of HyShot 2

The development of scramjet propulsion for alternative launch and payload delivery capabilities has comprised largely of ground experiments for the last 40 years. With the goal of validating the use of short duration ground test facilities, the University of Queensland, supported by a large international contingency, devised a ballistic re-entry vehicle experiment called HyShot to achieve supersonic combustion in flight above Mach 7.5. It consisted of a double wedge intake and two back-to-back constant area combustors; one supplied with hydrogen fuel at an equivalence ratio of 0.33 and the other un-fueled. Following a first launch failure on October 30th 2001, the University of Queensland conducted a successful second launch on July 30th, 2002. Post-flight data analysis of the second launch confirmed the presence of supersonic combustion during the approximately 3 second test window at altitudes between 35 and 29 km. Reasonable correlation between flight and some pre-flight shock tunnel tests was observed