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Examines how the hierarchical organization is withering away, and with it the function of a sizeable chunk of the workforce ‐ the middle manager. Given the current demographic situation and recent organizational restructuring, the shrinking of middle management positions, and the linear focus of promotional programmes is increasingly at odds with reality. The stark reality of limited promotional opportunities is now forcing individuals in the workplace to rethink their career plans and strategy. Some forecasts suggest there will be one job for every 20 qualified executives by the year 2000. Most middle managers will have reached their last plateau in the corporate hierarchy. Examines why the hierarchical organization is out and why the horizontal organization is in vogue and the impact on career plateauing and career development strategy of the horizontal organization. By understanding the phenomenon of career plateauing as influenced by flattened organizations, an individual can begin to look at career strategies to improve his/her career opportunities within or outside the organization. Offers insights to determine if one’s career has reached a “dead‐end” and what course(s) of action can be taken, by both the individual and the organization.

The COVID-19 pandemic has engendered changes in previously unimaginable timeframes, leading to new ways of working, which can quickly become the “ordinary” way of working. Many traditional workplace and educational practices and environments, however, are disadvantageous to people with disability and consequently are under-represented in the workforce and higher education.

Contributing factors include exclusionary societal and employer attitudes and inaccessible built environments including lack of attention to paths of travel, amenities, acoustics, lighting and temperature. Social exclusion resulting from lack of access to meaningful work is also problematic. COVID-19 has accelerated the incidence of working and studying from home, but the home environment of many people with disability may not be suitable in terms of space, privacy, technology access and connection to the wider community.

However, remote and flexible working arrangements may hold opportunities for enhancing work participation of people with disabilities. Instigating systemic conditions that will empower people with disability to take full advantage of ordinary working trajectories is key. As the current global experiment in modified work and study practices has shown, structural, organisational and design norms need to change. The future of work and study is almost certainly more work and study from home. An expanded understanding of people with disabilities lived experience of the built environment encompassing opportunities for work, study and socialisation from home and the neighbourhood would more closely align with the UNCRPD's emphasis on full citizenship.

This paper examines what is currently missing in the development of a distributed work and study place continuum that includes traditional workplaces and campuses, local neighbourhood hubs and homes.

The purpose of this paper is to study the corrosion of carbon steel without coating and when protected using three different hybrid coatings, i.e. a bi‐component polyurethane with nano‐particles of SiO₂ with and without sacrificial anode particles, and a mono‐component polyurethane with SiO₂ particles.

In this investigation three different nano‐structured coatings are developed and applied to steel substrates and then tested for their corrosion resistance (defined as “R_n”), under a very aggressive medium (pH=1.5) in a dynamic system (loop reactor). Their performance is evaluated using an electrochemical noise (EN) resistance technique. The electrodes are connected to a potentiostat and measurements are recorded as per the EN technique over a 2,048 s duration at 0, 24, and 48 h intervals. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are obtained before and after the corrosion trials to characterize the control and the different coating systems.

The results show that a bicomponent coating, made up of alkyd resin and silica nanoparticles demonstrated the best performance, whereas the coating formed by SiO₂ nanoparticles and polyurethane resin showed relatively low corrosion resistance. The inclusion of zinc nanoparticles in a third coating as sacrificial nano‐anodes led to segregation and resulted in moderate corrosion resistance. These results are confirmed by SEM observations.

The results obtained in this paper provide an insight to the understanding of the anticorrosion properties of three different hybrid coatings in a dynamic system (loop reactor).

The purpose of this paper is to report a study of microbiological influenced corrosion (MIC) of copper due to bacteria strains isolated from potable water pipes and oxidation lagoons using electrochemical noise (EN) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Bacteria strains isolated from copper surfaces of potable water pipes and from oxidation lagoons were identified, based on the 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. Corrosion studies were undertaken over a period of six weeks, placing copper electrodes inside an LB culture media with and without bacteria. The corrosion resistance was obtained using EN analysis. In all the cases, the corrosion type was identified. SEM images of the copper electrodes were taken to evaluate the surface condition.

The bacteria strains identified were: Pantoea agglomerans, Alcaligenes faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Brucellaceae bacterium, Enterobacter cloacae, Delftia tsuruhatensis, and Pseudochrobactrum asaccharolyticum. EN analysis gave noise resistance values in the range 1,036‐5,040 Ωcm² for the control samples and in the range of 2,336‐22,573 Ωcm² for samples that had been inoculated with bacteria. It was found that a decrease in the rate of corrosion took place due to the development of a biofilm by the microorganisms on the copper surface. SEM images corroborated the presence of the biofilm on the copper electrodes.

The isolated bacteria strain reduced the rate of corrosion on the copper electrodes, as shown by the SEM images and EN analysis results, due to the formation of a biofilm that can act as an anticorrosive coating.

Even though MIC is a known phenomenon, it has not been reported that isolated bacteria strains can reduce corrosion on the surface of copper potable water pipes and in oxidation lagoons.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) determined that entities classified as shadow banking are of a credit nature because they are capable of affecting the financial system through the entry and exit of capital. This study aims at measuring the impact of shadow banking in the systemic risk in Chile. A sample of 91 institutions (Run) belonging to the mutual funds was used, with a series showing a continuous behaviour between 2004 and 2018.

The measurement is carried out using the conditional value at risk (CoVaR) methodology, which analyses the behaviour of an institution in a regular state against the same institution in a state of stress.

The results obtained reflect that liquidity mismatches do not have a relevant effect on the systemic risk, while the 2008 crisis does contribute to its decline.

There are less number of literature studies that apply statistical models regarding shadow banking, at least at a quantitative level, so this research is a beginning for other studies, supporting future authors in their new research as a basis.

El Consejo de Estabilidad Financiera determinó que las entidades clasificadas como Shadow Banking son de carácter crediticio debido a que son capaces de afectar al sistema financiero mediante la entrada y salida de capitales. Este estudio tiene como objetivo medir el impacto del Shadow Banking en el Riesgo Sistémico de Chile. Para esto se utilizó una muestra de 91 instituciones (Run) pertenecientes a los Fondos Mutuos, con series que muestran un comportamiento continuo entre 2004 y 2018.

La medición se lleva a cabo mediante la metodología CoVaR, la cual analiza la conducta de una institución en estado normal versus la misma institución en estado de estrés.

Los resultados obtenidos reflejan que los desajustes de liquidez no tienen un efecto relevante en el Riesgo Sistémico, mientras que la crisis del 2008 si contribuye a la disminución de este.

Existe muy poca literatura que aplica modelos estadísticos respecto al Shadow Banking, al menos a nivel cuantitativo, por lo que esta investigación es un inicio para otros estudios, apoyando como base a futuros autores en sus nuevas investigaciones.

This conversation presents the reflections from six international disaster scholars on how disaster capitalism manifested in very different ways in different countries, including Japan, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, India and South Africa, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue.

This paper is based on the conversations that took place on Disasters: Deconstructed Podcast livestream on the September 15, 2020.

The prominent themes in this conversation include profiteering, oppression and the politics of disasters.

The conversation contributes to the ongoing discussions around disaster capitalism and disaster risk creation.

This paper is about data, information, knowledge and judgment; their definitions and their parallel cognitive dimensionalities; and it is about their implications in innovation. This paper aims to discuss and illustrate the implications of this cognitive framework on innovation science and on the ability to innovate. To that end, the authors use a progression of examples and cases to identify and discuss new challenges and predicaments in innovation.

The authors discuss how the development of Chemistry, as a science, inspires this work. But the authors have purposely eschewed examples from mathematics or the natural sciences. Instead, the authors study business examples because they are more readily understood. However, the implications they reveal, on innovation, are no less significant. The explosive volume, complexity and requirements – for data, information, knowledge and intelligence in business – are arguably more messy, demanding and difficult. They are sociotechnical problems of unprecedented scale and qualitative change.

The authors frame their conclusion as the mega-nano hypothesis, which asserts that problems, at this new scale and qualitative difference, cannot be solved with conventional thinking and tired mental models. They obstruct the ability to innovate and impede creative thinking about theory.

The mega-nano hypothesis is consistent with historical trajectories in scientific development. Namely, when there are mega or nano changes of scale and frame-breaking phenomena, a new science is required to address the new and unprecedented problems that emerge.

The current depletion of fossil fuels and environmental degradation are requiring greater energy efficiency in buildings, particularly in the residential sector. However, environmental improvement actions for dwellings are usually based on general considerations, without identifying the most appropriate measurements to be taken in each case, or reviewing their application with stakeholders. This article puts forward a strategy to propose effective and feasible modifications in the design or refurbishment of single-family homes to reduce energy use while maintaining indoor comfort. The improvements proposed are based on dynamic energy simulations of individual models adapted to local realities that can be carried out by regular professionals. The process includes the review of studies and information on the geographic area, and compilation of the constructive features and occupancy data of each house to create a proper energy behaviour model. Possible improvements to the building are then simulated separately in each model and the results recorded. Subsequently, a budgetary analysis of these alternatives according to construction costs and financial projections is carried out in order to identify retrofit packages and consult the opinions of residents and builders. The application of this strategy is demonstrated in the study of several houses in Concepción, Chile, where different sets of measures have been identified to achieve high reductions in energy demand while having low cost and being highly appreciated by the participants. This provides a methodology for developing and validating effective solutions for the environmental improvement of existing dwellings and new housing projects.