The Search for “Nasty” but “Safe” Interrogation Methods

2021 ◽  
pp. 35-56
Author(s):  
William L. d'Ambruoso
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Algerian War ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
Over Time

This chapter presents the book’s main theoretical argument, with examples from the French-Algerian War and other cases, followed by the empirical strategy. First, the antitorture norm can, paradoxically, encourage its own violation by convincing those who believe that those not bound by norms and laws have an advantage in international politics. This is called the Cheaters Win explanation. Torturers prefer their methods because they believe security requires brutality. Second, the norm’s lack of specificity allows practitioners to portray their behavior as something short of torture and redefine torture to exclude their behavior. In sum, torturers believe their interrogation methods are nasty enough to work but still permissibly mild, or mild-sounding. The emphasis on the importance of subtle beliefs best matches in-depth case studies, which are chosen to capture torture’s recurrence over time and demonstrate the explanation’s range across various actors and settings.

Linking Identity Politics and Foreign Policy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisel Hintz
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Identity Politics ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Process Tracing ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Inside Out ◽  
Domestic Level ◽  
Over Time

This chapter provides clear definitions of the concepts the book uses and the theory of inside-out identity contestation it develops. The chapter defines competing identity proposals as suggested understandings of the national self that prescribe and proscribe specific behaviors and red lines as particularly intolerable points of contention among supporters of various proposals. It then argues that identity hegemony is the goal of these supporters, and contestation is the process by which the contours of identity debates change over time in supporters’ efforts to achieve hegemony. The chapter briefly reviews relevant literature to carve out space for the book’s theoretical argument: when supporters of a proposal are blocked at the domestic level, they take their fight “outside” through the use of international institutional conditionality, transnational activist networks, and/or diasporic politics. The chapter also discusses the methodology of intertextual analysis and process tracing employed in the study.

Software-driven Security Attacks: From Vulnerability Sources to Durable Hardware Defenses

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-38
Author(s):  
Lauren Biernacki ◽  
Mark Gallagher ◽  
Zhixing Xu ◽  
Misiker Tadesse Aga ◽  
Austin Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Gain Control ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Security Attacks ◽  
Specific Point ◽  
Security Vulnerabilities ◽  
Significant Challenge ◽  
Hardware Realization ◽  
Over Time

There is an increasing body of work in the area of hardware defenses for software-driven security attacks. A significant challenge in developing these defenses is that the space of security vulnerabilities and exploits is large and not fully understood. This results in specific point defenses that aim to patch particular vulnerabilities. While these defenses are valuable, they are often blindsided by fresh attacks that exploit new vulnerabilities. This article aims to address this issue by suggesting ways to make future defenses more durable based on an organization of security vulnerabilities as they arise throughout the program life cycle. We classify these vulnerability sources through programming, compilation, and hardware realization, and we show how each source introduces unintended states and transitions into the implementation. Further, we show how security exploits gain control by moving the implementation to an unintended state using knowledge of these sources and how defenses work to prevent these transitions. This framework of analyzing vulnerability sources, exploits, and defenses provides insights into developing durable defenses that could defend against broader categories of exploits. We present illustrative case studies of four important attack genealogies—showing how they fit into the presented framework and how the sophistication of the exploits and defenses have evolved over time, providing us insights for the future.

Practical Applications of Bed Scour Calculations: Two Case Studies

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leif M. Burge ◽  
Laurence Chaput-Desrochers ◽  
Richard Guthrie
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Flood Frequency ◽  
Flood Frequency Analysis ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
Pool Depth ◽  
Regional Flood Frequency Analysis ◽  
Channel Degradation ◽  
Design Depth ◽  
Bed Scour ◽  
Over Time

Pipelines can be exposed at water crossings where rivers lower the channel bed. Channel bed scour may cause damage to linear infrastructure such as pipelines by exposing the pipe to the flow of water and sediment. Accurate estimation of depth of scour is therefore critical in limiting damage to infrastructure. Channel bed scour has three main components: (1) general scour, (2) bed degradation, and (3) pool depth. General scour is the temporary lowering of the channel bed during a flood event. Channel bed degradation is the systematic lowering of a channel bed over time. Pool depth is depth of pools below the general bed elevation and includes the relocation of pools that result from river dynamics. Channel degradation is assessed in the field using indicators of channel incision such as channel bed armoring and bank characteristics, through the analysis of long profiles and sediment transport modelling. Pool depth is assessed using long profiles and channel movement over time. The catastrophic nature of bed lowering due to general scour requires a different assessment. A design depth of cover is based on analysis of depth of scour for a given return period (eg. 100-years). There are three main steps to predict general scour: (1) regional flood frequency analysis, (2) estimation of hydraulic variables, and (3) scour depth modelling. Typically, four scour models are employed: Lacey (1930), Blench (1969), Neill (1973), and Zeller (1981), with the average or maximum value used for design depth. We provide herein case studies for potential scour for pipeline water crossings at the Little Smoky River and Joachim Creek, AB. Using the four models above, and an analysis of channel degradation and pool depth, the recommended minimum depth of cover of 0.75 m and 0.142 m, respectively, were prescribed. Variability between scour models is large. The general scour model results varied from 0.45 m and 0.75 m for the Little Smoky River and 0.16 m to 0.51 m for Joachim Creek. While these models are more than 30 years old and do not adequately account for factors such as sediment mobility, they nevertheless do provide usable answers and should form part of the usual toolbox in water crossing scour calculations.

Globalization, Institutions, and Ethnic Inequality

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Nils-Christian Bormann ◽  
Yannick I. Pengl ◽  
Lars-Erik Cederman ◽  
Nils B. Weidmann
Keyword(s):  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Trade Openness ◽  
Economic Globalization ◽  
Domestic Institutions ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
Ethnic Inequality ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
State Apparatus ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Recent research has shown that inequality between ethnic groups is strongly driven by politics, where powerful groups and elites channel the state's resources toward their constituencies. Most of the existing literature assumes that these politically induced inequalities are static and rarely change over time. We challenge this claim and argue that economic globalization and domestic institutions interact in shaping inequality between groups. In weakly institutionalized states, gains from trade primarily accrue to political insiders and their co-ethnics. By contrast, politically excluded groups gain ground where a capable and meritocratic state apparatus governs trade liberalization. Using nighttime luminosity data from 1992 to 2012 and a global sample of ethnic groups, we show that the gap between politically marginalized groups and their included counterparts has narrowed over time while economic globalization progressed at a steady pace. Our quantitative analysis and four qualitative case narratives show, however, that increasing trade openness is associated with economic gains accruing to excluded groups in only institutionally strong states, as predicted by our theoretical argument. In contrast, the economic gap between ethnopolitical insiders and outsiders remains constant or even widens in weakly institutionalized countries.

Sustainability-oriented strategy and Sustainable Development Goals

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscila Borin de Oliveira Claro ◽  
Nathalia Ramajo Esteves
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
Negative Externalities ◽  
Global Compact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Over Time

PurposeSustainability-oriented strategies involve considering all possible environmental, social and economic factors that impact stakeholders and sustainable development. They could be a crucial contribution of the private sector to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study’s objective is twofolded. First, the authors want to discover if enterprises doing business in Brazil are contemplating the SDGs in their strategies. Second, the authors want to identify the external and internal factors that motivate them.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data through an online survey with employees from Global Compact signatories in Brazil. From a list of 335 for-profit enterprises, the authors got back 132 answers. The sample comprises Brazilian enterprises that only operate in the Brazilian market, Brazilian multinational enterprises (MNEs) and foreign multinationals operating in Brazilian and international markets. For this study, the MNEs’ group comprises Brazilian multinationals and foreign multinationals (MNEs). To characterize the sample and identify the motivating factors, the authors conducted a descriptive analysis. To compare the domestic and MNEs’ mean differences regarding the factors that influenced their strategies and the SDGs, the authors performed Mann–Whitney's U-test.FindingsThe results of the study show that enterprises are addressing the SDGs in their strategies. All internal and external driving factors are similar for domestic and MNEs, except for the value chain's negative externalities. MNEs are more prone to consider their negative externalities, which is a positive trend. Finally, results suggest that both groups of enterprises consider the 17 goals in their strategies, contrary to the theoretical argument that multinationals suffer more pressure because of their broad geographic scope.Research limitations/implicationsThe database of the study involves data collected through a self-response survey. Thus, the authors cannot discuss the effectiveness of real SDGs' strategies once enterprises' discourse on sustainability does not always correspond with practices. Therefore, the authors suggest that researchers address the results of implemented strategies on the SDGs over time to check for improvements and new developments.Practical implicationsThe authors suggest frequent materiality assessment of domestic enterprises' supply chain and articulation of explicit purposes around the selected SDGs, including setting key performance indicators (KPIs) and monitoring progress.Social implicationsThe authors believe that enterprises and decision makers should recognize their essential role to bend the curve on SDGs and shift their behavior toward strategic choices that could contribute to their positive performance over time, without contributing to environmental degradation and socioeconomic chaos.Originality/valuePublication on how enterprises address the SDGs in Brazil is relatively scarce. This study provides some answers to that by focusing on the factors influencing sustainability-oriented strategies on the SDGs. Besides, most previous studies consider a small sample of enterprises and are industry specific or focus on the effects of the SDGs in public policy. The sample of this study is diverse and represents 42% of the for-profit signatories of the Global Compact in Brazil.

scholarly journals Collaborative method to maintain business process models updated

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 461-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuno Castela ◽  
Paulo Dias ◽  
Marielba Zacarias ◽  
José Tribolet
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Business Process ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Organizational Environment ◽  
Business Process Model ◽  
Business Process Models ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Over Time

Business process models are often forgotten after their creation and its representation is not usually updated. This appears to be negative as processes evolve over time. This paper discusses the issue of business process models maintenance through the definition of a collaborative method that creates interaction contexts enabling business actors to discuss about business processes, sharing business knowledge. The collaboration method extends the discussion about existing process representations to all stakeholders promoting their update. This collaborative method contributes to improve business process models, allowing updates based in change proposals and discussions, using a groupware tool that was developed. Four case studies were developed in real organizational environment. We came to the conclusion that the defined method and the developed tool can help organizations to maintain a business process model updated based on the inputs and consequent discussions taken by the organizational actors who participate in the processes.

Management Commitments that Maximize Business Impact from IT

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Quaadgras ◽  
Peter Weill ◽  
Jeanne W Ross
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Publicly Traded ◽  
Business Impact ◽  
It Value ◽  
It Capabilities ◽  
Small Set ◽  
Over Time

As digitization becomes pervasive, many organizations struggle to drive value from the growing number of IT-related opportunities. We show how the drivers of IT value creation can be framed as firm-wide commitments to a set of IT capabilities. On the basis of 20 published case studies, we identify a small set of IT decisions that organizations must make to use IT to successfully enhance their impact. We group these decisions into a framework of four commitments. Making these commitments helps organizations reinforce what really matters over time, which in turn helps focus the attention of their employees. We demonstrate, via a survey of 210 publicly traded firms, that firms which are more effective in making these four commitments have higher business impact from IT, which in turn correlates with higher financial performance. We suggest the construct of commitment is a step toward unifying the IT value literature and creating an overarching concept that brings together many of the important management practices identified in previous work.

The Relationships between Cultural Institutions and Companies

2014 ◽  
pp. 126-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Siano ◽  
Mario Siglioccolo ◽  
Carmela Tuccillo ◽  
Francesca Conte
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Corporate Philanthropy ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Cultural Institutions ◽  
Managerial Skills ◽  
Volunteer Program ◽  
Cause Related Marketing ◽  
Joint Consideration ◽  
Cultural Sector ◽  
Over Time

This chapter investigates the possible relationships between cultural institutions (museums, theatres, libraries etc.) and companies, which have been increasingly occurring in the last years. While cultural institutions have been progressively needing to acquire financial resources and managerial skills to survive and valorise their activities, at the same time companies are trying new ways to differentiate their image, by means of associating it with the cultural sector. The adoption of a descriptive-normative approach enables the identification of many kinds of collaboration (patronage and corporate philanthropy, volunteer program and payroll giving, cause related marketing, cultural sponsorship, co-branding, licensing and merchandising, electronic relationships, and finally, partnership), distinguished according to the intensity and duration over time. For each relationship, mutual benefits and disadvantages are described in detail, even with the support of real case studies. This joint consideration of the various possible relationships aims to provide an overall view of the issue considered, which differentiates this contribution from the literature so far produced.

Introduction to the case studies

2020 ◽  
pp. 75-82
Author(s):  
Frank Schimmelfennig ◽  
Thomas Winzen ◽  
Tobias Lenz ◽  
Jofre Rocabert ◽  
Loriana Crasnic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Case Selection ◽  
World Regions ◽  
Historical Periods ◽  
Over Time

This chapter introduces the case studies. It describes the rationale for studying cases, our case selection, and the structure of the case study chapters. The case studies offer an opportunity to examine the conditions under which international organizations establish international parliamentary institutions (IPIs) in more detail, take into account alternative configurations of conditions for IPI establishment, and trace the processes of strategic democratic legitimation. In addition, the cases include some of the rare cases of empowerment, in which IPIs increase their authority over time. The case selection aims at a diverse set of cases representing positive and negative cases of IPI establishment, a variety of world regions and historical periods, and stark variation across the conditions of parliamentarization.

Confession, conscience, and selfhood on trial

2018 ◽  
pp. 124-177
Author(s):  
Laura Kounine
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
The Self ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Linear Pattern ◽  
Moral Question ◽  
Modern Self ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Individual Self ◽  
Over Time

This chapter deals with the role of the self and conscience in defending oneself against the charge of witchcraft. To add depth to intellectual concepts—and teleologies—of the self, we must understand how the individual self was understood, felt, and experienced. Particularly for the crime of witchcraft, the crux of the trial was premised on the moral question of what kind of person would commit such a crime. Those on trial for witchcraft in the Lutheran duchy of Württemberg invoked the idioms of ‘mind’, ‘conscience’, ‘heart’, or ‘self’ in constructing their defence. Through four case studies, ranging from 1565 to 1678, this chapter examines the different ways in which people could conceptualize their person, and shows that change over time in the ‘development’ of the modern self was not a uniform or directly linear pattern.

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