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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2001

Antonio Corradi, Rebecca Montanari and Cesare Stefanelli

The Internet is an open and global programming environment where applications and services mostly follow the traditional client/server model. The use of new programming paradigms…

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Abstract

The Internet is an open and global programming environment where applications and services mostly follow the traditional client/server model. The use of new programming paradigms based on mobile entities, such as mobile agents (MA), can accelerate the process of diffusion of new applications and services in the areas of e‐commerce, network and systems management, and mobile computing. However, the lack of security is one of the main obstacles to a wide diffusion of MA. On the one hand, mobility increases the potential of security breaches because of the injection of possibly malicious MAs; on the other hand, it introduces the new issue of protecting MAs against integrity and secrecy attacks from their execution environments. This paper discusses the security issues introduced by the MA technology and proposes a security architecture composed of a wide set of services and components, which adequately fulfil the requirements of several application areas. The implementation of the security framework in the secure and open MA system has provided the support for the development of a secure electronic marketplace prototype that demonstrates the effectiveness of adopting the MA technology in the Internet environment.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 September 2022

Melike Şahinol

This paper examines the extent to which 3D printed children's prostheses function as enabling technology. The focus lies on the experiences of children with upper limb body…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper examines the extent to which 3D printed children's prostheses function as enabling technology. The focus lies on the experiences of children with upper limb body differences using 3D printed prostheses in the context of (posthuman) cyborg theories.

Design/methodology/approach

This article is based on several years of field research applying a grounded theory approach. (Health) technology and the body are examined with special regard to the vulnerability of the technology user who is, also, the technology designer. Taking these children's particular vulnerability and sensitivity into account, the method of “cultural probes” was further developed applying distributed socio-(bio-)technical probes, which conceive soma design as the matter of a socio-material world.

Findings

It was shown that the e-NABLE device is not only a socially enabling somatechnic but can itself be limiting, vulnerable and painful for children due to its materiality. The somatechnical construction of children's bodies and identities are presented as heroic figures, which, in part, produces and experiences a corporeal being that is based on and identifies with these heroes and heroines – but may not always be in the interests of children with disabilities. In order to meet these children's needs, the author argues in line with crip technoscience that 3D printed prostheses should be co-developed with (and specifically for) them.

Originality/value

This paper is the first of its kind to consider the daily lives of children with 3D printed prostheses and their experiences as knowers and makers of such. This paper adds to the body of knowledge in the field of crip technoscience and enabling technologies.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon 10.1108/JET-02-2022-0017

Details

Journal of Enabling Technologies, vol. 16 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-6263

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 March 2022

Rodrigo Freese Gonzatto and Frederick M.C. van Amstel

This research theorizes the condition of human beings reduced to being users (and only users) in human-computer interaction (HCI), a condition that favors them becoming objects or…

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Abstract

Purpose

This research theorizes the condition of human beings reduced to being users (and only users) in human-computer interaction (HCI), a condition that favors them becoming objects or targets of commercial dark patterns, racialized profiling algorithms, generalized surveillance, gendered interfaces and heteromation.

Design/methodology/approach

The reconceptualization of the users’ condition is done by confronting HCI theories on users with a dialectical-existential perspective over human ontology. The research is presented as a conceptual paper that includes analyzing and revising those theories to develop a conceptual framework for the user oppression in HCI.

Findings

Most HCI theories contribute to the user oppression with explicit or implicit ontological statements that denies their becoming-more or the possibility of users developing their handiness to the full human potential. Put together, these statements constitute an ideology called userism.

Social implications

HCI needs to acknowledge its role in structuring oppression not just in sexism, racism, classism and ableism, but also the specific relation that pertains to HCI: userism. Similar to other fields, acknowledging oppression is the first step toward liberating from oppression.

Originality/value

The user is an existential condition for HCI theories, yet few theories can explain in depth how this condition affects human development. From the dialectical-existential perspective, the user condition can be dehumanizing. Computers may intensify existing oppressions through esthetic interactions but these interactions can be subverted for liberation.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. 74 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2007

Martyna Śliwa

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the consequences of globalization, in particular the increasing disparity between the wealth of nations and individuals…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the consequences of globalization, in particular the increasing disparity between the wealth of nations and individuals in society. It discusses mechanisms which lead to perpetuation and reinforcement of the situation in which, despite being characterized by inequalities and fragmentation, societies remain by and large cohesive and stable.

Design/methodology/approach

This article engages with the so‐called “Polanyi problem” and with Polanyi's and other authors’ responses to it. In the discussion, the analytical approach is adopted by reference to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in particular his concept of soma.

Findings

Using the metaphor of soma, developed into four interrelated dimensions, illustrations of social and organizational processes, which ensure sustainability of, and cohesion within, a society based on inequality and fragmentation, are indicated. It is argued that the existence of stratified societies, and inequalities of wealth within and between them, is accompanied by phenomena which support and sustain them.

Practical implications

Drawing upon literary fiction can offer valuable insights into issues pertinent to contemporary academic debate.

Originality/value

Engagement with Huxley's work provides an alternative way of contributing to the globalization debate and, in particular, to the literature addressing the so‐called “Polanyi problem”.

Details

Critical perspectives on international business, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-2043

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 December 2019

Erhan Atay and Jane Lai Yee Terpstra-Tong

Taking the deadliest mine accident in Turkey’s history as a case of corporate social irresponsibility (CSI), this study aims to examine the adequacy of Campbell’s (2007) model to…

Abstract

Purpose

Taking the deadliest mine accident in Turkey’s history as a case of corporate social irresponsibility (CSI), this study aims to examine the adequacy of Campbell’s (2007) model to explain firms’ CSI behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors applied a case study research method and collected secondary data in both English and Turkish from multiple sources between 2010 and 2017.

Findings

The authors found seven of the eight propositions in Campbell’s framework applicable. The only condition that did not fit the authors’ case was financial pressure. The authors concluded that top management’s greed and lack of conscience significantly contributed to their gross negligence of safety measures and employee welfare. Their exploitative human resource practices, supported by low employee voice culture, added to the vulnerability of the mining workers.

Research limitations/implications

The authors depended on secondary data in developing and analysing the case. The authors had no primary data collected directly from the participants involved in the accident. Moreover, relying on a single case to challenge an established framework may not achieve the necessary rigour, although an in-depth case study is likely to produce a good story.

Practical implications

To prevent mining accidents from happening, Turkey needs to strengthen all three types of institutions (legal and regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive) related to mining safety. As coal mining is harmful to the environment and public health, regulators and policymakers need to consider their dependence on coal mining as a source of energy and actively seek to adopt other clean energy alternatives.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the under-researched field of CSI by applying a dual economic and institutional perspective and refining it with the authors’ data.

Details

Social Responsibility Journal, vol. 16 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-1117

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2015

Boutheina Gherib, Youcef Baghdadi and Naoufel Kraiem

The purpose of this paper is to consider the method engineering perspective for service-oriented system engineering (SOSE). A number of SOSE methods have been proposed in both…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the method engineering perspective for service-oriented system engineering (SOSE). A number of SOSE methods have been proposed in both academia and industry. Given this, many intuitive, common questions arise. To answer these questions, many comparison frameworks have been developed. Each of which has considered certain methodological perspectives. However, less attention has been given to the method engineering (ME) perspective. The authors argue that this perspective would answer the question “what ME to apply in order to produce SOSE methods that themselves produce quality services at different levels of abstraction and SBAs”. This research question is further decomposed into other questions; the main one is “whether the existing ME do apply to service orientation”. Answering such a question would lead to either developing SOSE methods by using the existing ME or developing a new ME or framework for the specifics of SOSE.

Design/methodology/approach

This work first provides a literature review on ME approaches and techniques; then, it compares a sample of existing SOSE methods with respect to their ME within a comparison framework that comprises a set of relevant properties of a solution that would be provided by an SOSE method, namely, service-oriented architecture (SOA) adoption, quality of services and ME; and finally, it discusses the applicability of the existing ME to SOSE.

Findings

Strengths and weaknesses of the existing methods with respect to the aforementioned criteria, in addition to SOSE methodology open issues, were identified. The comparison has shown that while the existing SOSE methods have proved their success in a specific task, they still present some weaknesses. Therefore, it is better to benefit from the advantages of the existing ME techniques, notable method fragments, even if they need some alteration.

Research limitations/implications

While this work has many open issues related to SOSE methods with respect to ME, it could be further developed in many directions by exploring the open issues. For instance, the generation of a new ME technique and application of this new ME technique to the existing SOSE methods to see to what extent the existing methods may be situational.

Practical implications

This work has practical implications, as it provides a better understanding of different views of SOSE methods, and assists the method engineers in deciding which ME technique is most suitable to their situation.

Social implications

The produced artifact provides a research roadmap toward SOSE ME.

Originality/value

None of the existing comparison frameworks for SOSE methods has considered the criteria such as SOA adoption and ME techniques. Indeed, ME techniques and approaches would allow better reuse of the existing proven fragments of methods.

Details

International Journal of Web Information Systems, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-0084

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 October 2016

Cigdem Kaya, Nihal Kartaltepe Behram and Göksel Ataman

Drawing from the institutional logics and organizational disaster literature, this paper aims to illustrate that the replacement of logics can be problematic in a high-risk…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing from the institutional logics and organizational disaster literature, this paper aims to illustrate that the replacement of logics can be problematic in a high-risk industry such as coal mining by adding an institutional perspective to the understanding of disasters.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper investigated the field of coal mining in Turkey historically from archival data resources. A comprehensive, qualitative inquiry of a single-case study was then conducted.

Findings

The findings suggest that a shift from social welfare logic to business logic in the coal-mining industry can lead to coal-mining disasters, resulting from changing practices through an increase in the number of private enterprises through royalty contracts, the use of an increased labor force instead of mechanical methods and systems and the maximization of profit by underestimating the effects of taking almost no occupational safety measures.

Practical implications

The connection between institutional logics and organizational disasters could lead institutional actors to question their understanding of institutional logics.

Originality/value

This paper provides original research evidence for the relationship between industrial disasters and institutional logics.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 39 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 April 2012

Ján Vaščák

Conventional rule‐based systems are insufficient for description of complex dynamic systems requiring nontrivial decision procedures. Fuzzy cognitive maps seem to be convenient to…

Abstract

Purpose

Conventional rule‐based systems are insufficient for description of complex dynamic systems requiring nontrivial decision procedures. Fuzzy cognitive maps seem to be convenient to overcome these limitations. However, they lack ability of self‐learning and therefore some adaptation approaches are needed. The purpose of this paper is both to show the use of fuzzy cognitive maps for such systems and to present migration algorithms as convenient adaptation means.

Design/methodology/approach

Some problems of a complex dynamic system description by knowledge‐based means are discussed. Fuzzy cognitive maps are presented as a possible way to solve these problems followed by description of migration algorithms as their adaptation means. Their use is clarified on an example of the so‐called parking problem based on path planning using a graph search algorithm and a traffic simulation system.

Findings

After series of simulations the reality of the proposed system and selected methods with their modifications was proved. It has shown the robustness of the presented solution under circumstances of uncertainty, too.

Research limitations/implications

The paper points to stability investigation of the proposed approach introducing uncertainties into the traffic simulation system to take into account, e.g. unexpected events. Further, a possibility of developing a linguistic information retrieval system is mentioned.

Practical implications

The proposed approach can find various implementations not only in planning tasks but also in robotic navigation and multi‐agent applications in general. In addition, it suggests possibilities of knowledge‐based systems, directly using human‐like approaches, to areas of decision making under uncertainties and contradictories.

Originality/value

An new modification of migration algorithms for adaptation of parameters for fuzzy cognitive maps is introduced and compared to other known self‐learning methods. Further, the concept of a traffic simulation system for path planning is presented.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 41 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Case study
Publication date: 28 September 2015

Soma Arora

Marketing strategy, strategic innovation.

Abstract

Subject area

Marketing strategy, strategic innovation.

Study level/applicability

Strategic brand management or marketing strategy courses at MBA level.

Case overview

It seemed likely that a company with the highest number of product variants would consider product innovation to be its key source of sustenance in a crowded marketplace. Especially so, when the local and global competition was hotting up to a new launch every week. In the case of Micromax, a mobile handset maker from India tried to drive home the point that sustainability in emerging markets did not lie in inventing a new technology like Apple or Nokia or Sony did, albeit accompanied with a premium price tag. For the emerging markets, it was important to optimize the offering for the consumers. Strategic optimization could result from bridging the gaps in performance, infrastructure and organization design, which came naturally to this marketing-savvy mobile maker. Any company could make a cost-effective phone, but few could position, brand and sell it the way Micromax did. Shubhodip Pal, Head of Marketing at Micromax Informatics Pvt Ltd, India, pondered the marketing strategy which could pave the way into maintaining the company's national leadership position while creating a roadmap for its global foray. For Micromax, marketing strategy innovation, and not product innovation, would fulfil the goal of long-term growth in India and overseas markets.

Expected learning outcomes

The students studying this case are expected to learn: marketing strategy in emerging markets such as India, marketing strategy as the critical success factor for upcoming Indian companies rather than product innovation and doing business in emerging markets.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Details

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, vol. 5 no. 5
Type: Case Study
ISSN: 2045-0621

Keywords

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