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1 – 6 of 6Stéphanie Giamporcaro and George Kuk
This study aims to make a distinction between actualized and claimed affordances of blockchain by examining how a specified user group interprets and translates the actualized…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to make a distinction between actualized and claimed affordances of blockchain by examining how a specified user group interprets and translates the actualized affordances from a known use context into their existing practices. This allows us to develop and advance the concept of affordances-in-practice as an enactment of action possibilities through practices in a specified use context.
Design/methodology/approach
We focus on the field of sustainable investment (SI) and its relation to emerging blockchain technologies in the pursuit of sustainable development goals (SDGs). We used a field study involving 29 interviews with SI practitioners and blockchain entrepreneurs in South Africa, supplemented with an analysis of 91 practitioner and industry documents.
Findings
Our findings show that when there is a lack of actual use cases in the field of SI, the claimed affordances of blockchain are subject to a sensemaking process, which considers how action possibilities can be enacted and transformed through practices and how institutional constraints and socio-cognitive barriers can determine the available action possibilities.
Research limitations/implications
A notable limitation relates to the relative novelty and emerging status of blockchain. As affordances are based on available information and experience, this leaves room for claimed affordances. We discuss the implications of the interplay of the actualized and claimed affordances in blockchain applications in the field of SI.
Practical implications
We discuss the practical implications of addressing claimed affordances and field opacity in the SI field.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine blockchain affordances for good in the context of achieving SDGs through SI. Our affordances-in-practice framework holds theoretical promise to pinpoint and explain how practices can shape action possibilities despite having difficulties in evaluating the underlying technological potentialities.
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Patricia Maccagno, Verónica Andrea Goñi, Candela Abril Panuccio, Marcela Alejandra Alvarez, Yesica Daniela Diaz and Camila Galvaliz
The purpose of this study is to explore the incorporation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) at the National University of Moreno (Universidad Nacional de Moreno, UNM, in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the incorporation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) at the National University of Moreno (Universidad Nacional de Moreno, UNM, in Spanish), focusing on teaching and research activities, encountering difficulties from primary and secondary information sources, to integrate the SDGs, and contribute with actions for their incorporation into teaching and learning processes and research, in a newly established university.
Design/methodology/approach
To describe the implementation of the SDGs, an empirical study was conducted using a mixed methodology for data collection. Data collected from the survey were combined with information from the UNM project database for the period 2017–2022. Non-parametric methods were used to analyse both sets of data.
Findings
This study provides an initial overview of SDG implementation at UNM, allowing the identification of constraints and challenges to scale up contributions to the SDGs at UNM, as well as the generation of relevant action lines in the interaction with university's authorities.
Research limitations/implications
Conducting studies through questionnaires has limitations, similar to other cases analysed. To increase the validity of the data, prior consultations were carried out. In addition, the database of research projects was used to identify the application of the SDGs in research. However, an approximation of the current situation could be obtained.
Practical implications
Particular importance was given to the challenges encountered during the data analysis phase in relation to capacity building needs. This enabled a set of actions to be defined to bring the SDGs closer to the UNM.
Originality/value
Although the paper used methodologies already proposed by other authors, such as survey collection, its value lies in demonstrating the possibility of using them to analyse whether the SDGs are integrated into teaching and research activities in a recently founded university, where the SDGs are integrated into its principles. The analysis also complements the survey results with information from project databases, which has not yet been analysed in the literature. Based on the results, activities are designed so that the SDGs could begin to guide teaching and research activities.
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Muddesar Iqbal, Sohail Sarwar, Muhammad Safyan and Moustafa Nasralla
The purpose of this study is to present a systematic and comprehensive review of personalized, adaptive and semantic e-learning systems.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to present a systematic and comprehensive review of personalized, adaptive and semantic e-learning systems.
Design/methodology/approach
Preferred reporting items of systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines have been used for a thorough insight into associated aspects of e-learning that complement the e-learning pedagogies and processes. The aspects of e-learning systems have been reviewed comprehensively such as personalization and adaptivity, e-learning and semantics, learner profiling and learner categorization, which are handy in intelligent content recommendations for learners.
Findings
The adoption of semantic Web based technologies would complement the learner’s performance in terms of learning outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
The evaluation of the proposed framework depends upon the yearly batch of learners and recording is a cumbersome/tedious process.
Social implications
E-Learning systems may have diverse and positive impact on society including democratized learning and inclusivity regardless of socio-economic or geographic status.
Originality/value
A preliminary framework of an ontology-based e-learning system has been proposed at a modular level of granularity for implementation, along with evaluation metrics followed by a future roadmap.
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Thiago Dias Monteiro, Otavio Próspero Sanchez and Gustavo Hermínio Salati Marcondes de Moraes
The current scenario shows increased adoption of off-chain voting applications in decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to avoid complexity and costs for user engagement…
Abstract
Purpose
The current scenario shows increased adoption of off-chain voting applications in decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to avoid complexity and costs for user engagement in their governance. This paper aims to comprehend the trends and patterns within the DAO community with off-chain voting systems and blockchain usage.
Design/methodology/approach
This exploratory study uses a two-pronged quantitative approach, combining descriptive statistical analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. Input data from different DAO proposals and votes were analyzed.
Findings
Results indicate that the 179 DAOs analyzed account for 26,538 proposals and 1,268,474 followers of the entire Snapshot base in January 2023, showing high concentration in engagement. The preferred social media communication channels are Twitter and GitHub, showing a decrease of Ethereum as a main chain, with Polygon and Binance Smart Chain already accounting for 22%. Basic voting can lead to greater user involvement in the voting process.
Research limitations/implications
This study complements the traditional governance theory perspective and advances in the emerging literature on DAOs and blockchain with an empirical analysis.
Practical implications
As blockchain technology gains increasing adoption, comprehending trends and patterns within the DAO community becomes pivotal in identifying opportunities and challenges for innovation and improvement.
Social implications
Findings can facilitate the development of improved governance models and decision-making processes for DAOs, leading to a more robust and sustainable ecosystem.
Originality/value
This study presents a broader IT-based governance foresight via blockchain while providing an understanding of the voting process, technology features and governance mechanisms for social community engagement and decision-making in DAOs.
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Carla Canelas, Felix Meier zu Selhausen and Erik Stam
Female smallholder farmers in low-income countries face barriers to accessing capital and commodity markets. While agricultural cooperatives provide services that contribute to…
Abstract
Purpose
Female smallholder farmers in low-income countries face barriers to accessing capital and commodity markets. While agricultural cooperatives provide services that contribute to the income and productivity of small-scale producers, evidence of cooperatives' social and economic empowerment of female smallholders remains limited. We apply Sen's capability approach to female entrepreneurs' socioeconomic empowerment to examine whether women's participation in a coffee and microfinance cooperative from rural western Uganda benefits their social and economic position within their household. First, we study the relationship between women's cooperative participation and their household coffee sales and savings. Second, we investigate the link between women's cooperative participation and their intra-household decision-making and whether the inclusion of the husband in his wife's cooperative strengthens or lowers women's decision-making power.
Design/methodology/approach
We carry out a case study of a hybrid coffee and microfinance cooperative that promotes social innovation through the integration and empowerment of female smallholders in rural Uganda. Using a cross-sectional survey of 411 married female cooperative members from 26 randomly selected self-help groups of Bukonzo Joint Cooperative and 196 female non-members from the identical area, employing propensity score matching, this paper investigates the benefits of women's participation in a coffee and microfinance cooperative in the Rwenzori Mountains of western Uganda. We present and discuss the results of our case study within an extensive literature on the role of institutions in collective action for women's empowerment.
Findings
Our findings provide new empirical evidence on female smallholders' participation in mixed cooperatives. Our results indicate that women's participation in microfinance-producer cooperatives appears to be a conditional blessing: even though membership is linked to increased women's intra-household decision-making and raised household savings and income from coffee sales, a wife with a husband in the same cooperative self-help group is associated with diminished women's household decision-making power.
Research limitations/implications
The focus of this study is on female coffee smallholders in an agricultural cooperative in rural western Uganda. In particular, we focus on a case study of one major coffee cooperative. Our cross-sectional survey does not allow us to infer causal interpretations. Also, the survey does not include variables that allow us to measure other dimensions of women's empowerment beyond decision-making over household expenditures and women's financial performance related to savings and income from coffee cultivation.
Practical implications
Our empirical results indicate that female smallholders' cooperative membership is associated with higher incomes and coffee sales. However, husband co-participation in their wives' cooperative group diminishes wives' decision-making, which suggests that including husbands and other family members in the same cooperative group may not be perceived as an attractive route to empowerment for female smallholders. For these reasons, an intervention that encourages the cooperation of both spouses and that is sensitive to context-specific gender inequalities, may be more successful at stimulating social change toward household gender equality than interventions that focus on women's autonomous spheres only.
Originality/value
While the literature thus far has focused on microfinance's potential for women's empowerment, evidence on agricultural cooperatives' affecting women's social and economic position is limited. First, our findings provide novel empirical evidence on the empowering effects of women's participation in a self-help group-based coffee cooperative in rural Uganda. Second, our data allows us to explore the role of husbands' participation in their wives' cooperative and SGH. We embed our hypotheses and empirical results in a rich discussion of female entrepreneurship, microfinance and cooperative literature.
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Piotr Staszkiewicz, Jarosław Horobiowski, Anna Szelągowska and Agnieszka Maryla Strzelecka
The study aims to identify the practical borders of AI legal personality and accountability in human-centric services.
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to identify the practical borders of AI legal personality and accountability in human-centric services.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a framework tailored for AI studies, this research analyses structured interview data collected from auditors based in Poland.
Findings
The study identified new constructs to complement the taxonomy of arguments for AI legal personality: cognitive strain, consciousness, cyborg paradox, reasoning replicability, relativism, AI misuse, excessive human effort and substitution.
Research limitations/implications
The insights presented herein are primarily derived from the perspectives of Polish auditors. There is a need for further exploration into the viewpoints of other key stakeholders, such as lawyers, judges and policymakers, across various global contexts.
Practical implications
The findings of this study hold significant potential to guide the formulation of regulatory frameworks tailored to AI applications in human-centric services. The proposed sui generis AI personality institution offers a dynamic and adaptable alternative to conventional legal personality models.
Social implications
The outcomes of this research contribute to the ongoing public discourse on AI’s societal impact. It encourages a balanced assessment of the potential advantages and challenges associated with granting legal personality to AI systems.
Originality/value
This paper advocates for establishing a sui generis AI personality institution alongside a joint accountability model. This dual framework addresses the current uncertainties surrounding human, general AI and super AI characteristics and facilitates the joint accountability of responsible AI entities and their ultimate beneficiaries.
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