Vulnerability locked in. On the need to engage the outside of the adaptation box

“Vulnerable populations” are experiencing a (re)emphasis in climate change adaptation research and practice even though the concept has long been contested. Adaptation planning is increasingly expected to restore past inequalities and address systemic injustices. Yet, we know little about the role local environmental agencies, bureaucrats, and policy practitioners (can) play in addressing “vulnerable populations”. Drawing from qualitative empirical research in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States, and Jinhua, Zhejiang in China, the local problem recognition about “vulnerable populations” and adaptation decision-making was examined. The findings reveal severe limitations in the way “vulnerable populations” are approached, with certain groups being politically contested and being considered difficult to be prioritized. In both cases, accidental forms of adaptation stand out, which mainly focus on blue-green infrastructure interventions and neighborhood revitalization programs, some of which recreated “vulnerable populations”. The findings hint to vulnerability being more deeply rooted in external conditions to the individual, which requires different policy interventions. The article presents a novel understanding by conceptualizing “vulnerable populations” as an instance of vulnerable political institutions. There’s a need to explore the nature of our political systems, how much inequality we allow and which redistribution mechanisms the state has for addressing interdependent dimensions of inequality. To make “vulnerable populations” finally a front and center concern begs us to radically engage the outside of the conventional adaptation box. Inequality studies offers synergies with adaptation justice discourses and different policy instruments that address the root causes of vulnerability

Privacy in a Digitized Workplace: Towards an Understanding of Employee Privacy Concerns

When employees are required to work remotely, the digitization of the workplace becomes imperative to organizations. The introduction of digital workplaces leads to challenges and potentially negative consequences for employee privacy. Research did not yet shed light on the issue of employee privacy concerns. Therefore, the goal of this study is to evaluate the concept of privacy concerns in the context of the digitized workplace. Within the scope of this study, we conducted 33 semi-structured interviews with employees in order to gain insights into their Workplace Privacy Concerns (WPCs). Based on an iterative thematic analysis approach, we identified eight dimensions of WPCs: Six of these dimensions are adapted from the consumer context, two further dimensions represent concerns exclusive to the workplace context. This study serves as a starting point towards an understanding of WPCs and future research on the digitized workplace

How the introduction of the COVID-19 tracing apps affects future tracking technology adoption

Purpose Studies on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tracing apps have mostly focused on how to optimize adoption and continuous use, but did not consider potential long-term effects of their introduction. This study aims to analyse whether the characteristics of the recent introduction of tracing apps may negatively impact individuals' attitudes and intentions to adopt future tracking technology. Design/methodology/approach In an online experiment across three countries (Australia, Germany, UK), the authors measured how perceived benefits of COVID-19 tracing apps as well as specific government and campaign-related factors affect privacy concerns, attitude towards future tracking apps and intention to adopt. The authors manipulated the type of provider (governmental vs private) and the type of beneficiaries of the future tracking technology app (the individual alone or also the public) as determinants of adoption. Findings The authors find that privacy concerns towards the COVID-19 tracing apps negatively impact attitude and intention to adopt future tracking apps. Future adoption is more likely if the app is provided by the government, whereas additional benefits to the public do not positively stimulate adoption. Second, the study analyzed different factors, including perceptions on governments and the app introduction, as well as perceived benefits. Originality/value Taking the introduction of COVID-19 apps in different countries as a basis, the authors link both perceived benefits and contextual factors to privacy concerns, attitudes towards and intention to adopt the related technology in the future. The authors hereby clarify the responsibility of governmental actors who conduct large-scale technology introductions for the future diffusion of related technologies

DIGITAL WORK VERSUS PRIVACY? A CONCEPTUAL MODEL ON EMPLOYEE PRIVACY CHALLENGES

Digital work is closely tied to the generation of employee data. In turn, increasing workplace digitalization leads to rising privacy challenges and corresponding employee privacy concerns. Understanding the role of privacy in digital workplaces is essential to enable digital work. On the one hand, the effects of employee privacy concerns are widely studied in research. On the other hand, little is known about what specific privacy challenges lead to employee privacy concerns in the first place. We interviewed 66 employees on their perceptions of privacy in digital workplaces. On this basis, this study proposes a conceptual model of privacy challenges that depicts mechanisms of digital work that influence employees’ privacy perceptions. Our findings underline the need to understand the emergence of employee privacy challenges to facilitate the changing nature of work

A Synthesized Perspective on Privacy and Transparency in the Digital Workplace

The pandemic crisis has made the digitalization of workplaces imperative for many organizations. Besides reorganizing work, rapid advances in technologies also enhance organizational efficiency and enable remote work. Having to work completely digitally imposes unprecedented transparency on employees. A major consequence of the transparent workplace is the emergence of employees’ privacy concerns. Even though the concepts of transparency and privacy are closely related, there is a research gap regarding the relationship between the two. Based on a conceptual approach and a systematic literature review, we postulate a synthesis of transparency and privacy in the digital workplace, and outline directions for future research. We discuss what makes the relationship between the two constructs double-edged by introducing the privacy-transparency paradox. This study therefore adds to the literature on privacy and transparency in the digital workplace and forms the basis for further studies

Open Repair Versus Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair in Multiple-Injured Patients: Observations From a Level-1 Trauma Center

Background: Blunt trauma of the thoracic aorta is a rare but potentially life-threatening entity. Intimal tears are a domain of non-operative management, whereas all other types of lesions should be repaired urgently. There is now a clear trend favoring minimally invasive stent grafting over open surgical repair. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to retrospectively evaluate the mortality and morbidity with either treatment option. Therefore, a retrospective observational study was performed to compare two different treatment methods at two different time periods at one trauma center. Patients and Methods: Between 1977 and 2012, all severely injured patients referred to our level 1 trauma center were screened for blunt aortic injuries. We compared baseline characteristics, 30-day and overall mortality, morbidity, duration of intensive care treatment, procedure time, and transfusion of packed red blood between patients who underwent open surgical or stent repair. Results: During the observation period, 45 blunt aortic injuries were recorded. The average Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 41.8 (range 29 - 68). Twenty-five patients underwent Open Repair (OR), and another 20 patients were scheduled to emergency stent grafting. The 30-day mortality in the surgical and stent groups were 5/25 (20%) and 2/20 (10%), respectively. The average time for open surgery was 151 minutes; the mean time for stent grafting was 67 minutes (P = 0.001). Postoperative stay on the intensive care unit was between one and 59 days (median 10) in group one and between four and 50 days in group two (median 26)(P = 0.03). Patients undergoing OR required transfusion of 6.0 units of packed red cells in median; patients undergoing stent grafting required a median of 2.0 units of packed red cells (P < 0.001). In the stent grafting group, 30-day mortality was 10% (2/20). Conclusions: Due to more sophisticated diagnostic tools and surgical approaches, mortality and morbidity of blunt aortic injuries were significantly reduced over the years compared to thoracic endovascular aortic repair and OR over two different time periods