Search results

The purpose of this paper is to search for the critical-scenarios of autonomous vehicles (AVs) quickly and comprehensively, which is essential for verification and validation (V&V).

The author adopted the index F1 to quantitative critical-scenarios' coverage of the search space and proposed the improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) to enhance exploration ability for higher coverage. Compared with the particle swarm optimization (PSO), there were three improvements. In the initial phase, the Latin hypercube sampling method was introduced for a uniform distribution of particles. In the iteration phase, the neighborhood operator was adapted to explore more modals with the particles divided into groups. In the convergence phase, the convergence judgment and restart strategy were used to explore the search space by avoiding local convergence. Compared with the Monte Carlo method (MC) and PSO, experiments on the artificial function and critical-scenarios search were carried out to verify the efficiency and the application effect of the method.

Results show that IPSO can search for multimodal critical-scenarios comprehensively, with a stricter threshold and fewer samples in the experiment on critical-scenario search, the coverage of IPSO is 14% higher than PSO and 40% higher than MC.

The critical-scenarios' coverage of the search space is firstly quantified by the index F1, and the proposed method has higher search efficiency and coverage for the critical-scenarios search of AVs, which shows application potential for V&V.

This study examines the method of scenario analysis as a means of exposing hidden assumptions which cause misattributions that lead to multicultural conflict and as a way of assessing cross‐cultural understanding. Results from thirty‐five critical incident interviews of technical professionals and semi‐structured scenario questionnaires from graduate business and engineering students are presented. The results provide support for the use of scenarios as a method of exposing hidden assumptions leading to multicultural conflict and as a process which helps participants deal with the conflict. Implications for organizational research and practice are discussed, including the use of scenario analysis as an evaluation and measurement tool for culturally‐related conflict in organizations.

This paper aims to critically engage with the premise of development at the “bottom of the pyramid” through consideration of the current and potential future status of the workers who dismantle end-of-life ships in the breaking yards of “less developed countries”, here with specific reference to the dynamic situation in Bangladesh.

The study applies “critical scenario method” (CSM) to explore different possible and plausible futures for the ship-breaking industry globally and locally.

The paper argues that the status of the workers in the ship-breaking industry of Bangladesh can be conceptualised as firmly set at the “bottom of the pyramid”, and that, for most if not all, this situation cannot be changed within any industry future without wider, radical change to socioeconomic and political structures both in the country and globally.

This paper offers a contribution to the discourse on consumption at the “bottom of the pyramid” as a development process.

The purpose of this paper is to formally introduce the future persona, a futures method to let scenarios come to life. A future persona is a scenario-specific fictional individual living in the future scenario (s)he is meant to depict. The paper provides a formal, systematic and clear step-by-step guide on how to create engaging and effective future personas after a scenario planning exercise.

After having introduced the future persona method, tracing it back to the customer persona method in user centered design (UCD) and differentiating it from previous uses of futures characters in the futures studies literature and in other domains, an example of the creation process of four future personas based on four scenario archetypes of the futures of work is provided, illustrated with pictures and discussed.

Future personas, with their narratives and graphical illustrations, are found to be particularly useful to convey scenarios to a target audience.

Futures personas can be used in a scenario planning exercise to increase the clarity of scenarios in the mind of scenario planners and to let scenarios be known inside an organization.

Future personas can substantially enrich scenarios, increasing their liveliness, playfulness and empathy.

The aim of this work is to propose a logical‐based approach for deriving the critical scenarii from a differential predicate transition Petri nets model and proof tree, to evaluate diagnosis and safety of hybrid systems.

The new approach integrates the Petri net model and linear logic. The design process is twofold: first, it considers the specific translation from Petri net to linear logic, and, second, it studies the relationship between the order of the rule application in the sequent proof and the processes associated with the same reachability problem.

With linear logic and Petri net it is proved that, from a canonical proof tree, a partial order can be derived (based on causality point of view) of transition firing and focusing the search of the parts of the model that are interesting for safety analysis. Each scenario is given by a partial order between the events necessary for the occurrence of the feared event.

This paper deals with safety in design of hybrid systems. For this purpose, it is important to characterize feared behaviours (which are critical) in the early design stage.

The purpose of this paper is to present a personal reflection on the nature of international business (IB) as a field of both academic study and business practice and, specifically, a domain of political action and societal impact.

The author summarizes what he consider to be his personal contributions to the field of IB over the 15 years of Critical Perspectives on International Business’s existence, to underpin a set of critically reflective questions on the nature of IB, and to inform a brief ‘manifesto’ for how the author envisages a meaningful future for IB research.

The argumentation of this paper is directed at supporting IB research and activity that is underpinned by an Aristotelian phronetic perspective – thinking to inform action for the good of society at large.

This paper presents an original perspective from the author, one that appreciates the multitude of perspectives, values and beliefs of the full range of stakeholders who might impact or be impacted by IB activity.

This paper aims to show the impact of service failure and to shed light on the vengeance of consumer in the health-care service.

A qualitative research through a retrospective study based on individual interviews was conducted. As this study is a sensitive topic, projective techniques were used to complement individual interviews, especially with care consumers who are reluctant subjects who prefer methods which preserve confidentiality. Practically, drawing interpretations method was used. The use of these drawings is to encourage reluctant interviewee to discuss on the study’s sensitive theme.

Empirical findings allowed first to approach care service failure in Tunisia that is an emerging post-revolutionary country-owned MENA. In this context, a comparison between the public and private sectors was proposed. Moreover, the results helped to understand service failure’s consequences related to patient’s reaction.

The Ministry of Health in collaboration with managers of public and private medical institutions will have to work on capitalization of knowledge, especially those learned from unsuccessful experiences.

Medical service failure can have multiple sources. The care consumer’s reaction to these failures can sometimes be extreme in form of revenge.

This paper aims to explore the relationship between personality traits (introversion versus extroversion) and knowledge acquisition (KA) techniques.

The major methodology of the current study is survey. Results are based on 152 usable responses provided by experts in different industries including electronic, communication, information technology, computer and biology. The major analytical technique used is Pearson correlation analysis.

According to the results, there are significant relationships between personality traits (i.e. introversion versus extroversion) and KA techniques.

This study was conducted on data from 152 Iranian experts which limits the generalizability of the results. This limitation can be addressed by future studies conducting similar studies on cross-country samples. Further, due to the analytical technique adopted in this study, causality implications cannot be drawn from the results.

This study reveals linkages between personality traits (i.e. introversion versus extroversion) and KA techniques. Results shed light on the KA process for both scholars and practitioners involved in KA programs in the organizations.

Knowledge is a key driver for the competitive success of organizations, but about 90 percent of organizational knowledge is inside employees’ minds with personal essence; therefore, this paper provides valuable vision for managers by exploring knowledge acquisition (KA) techniques and personality type. The purpose of this paper is to examine KA techniques and explore the impact of personality type on the KA process in the aerospace industry.

This paper examines KA techniques through an empirical study involving 83 participants to take part in KA sessions. For exploring techniques, a questionnaire was used, and also the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was used to identify participants’ personality type. The impact of personality type on KA processes was determined by correlation analysis.

Analyses confirmed some association between the type of personality and KA process. In addition, the findings of exploring questionnaire items showed that participants gave the laddering technique the highest rating.

The paper may be of high value to researchers in the field of KA, especially in aerospace industries, because there is very little experimental investigation of KA, and it also provides valuable information and guidelines that hopefully will help researchers to select appropriate KA techniques.