Social Impact in Product Design: An Exploration of Current Industry Practices

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew T. Pack ◽  
Emma Rose Phipps ◽  
Christopher A. Mattson ◽  
Eric C. Dahlin
Keyword(s):  
Product Design ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Design Engineers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Actual Use ◽  
Evaluative Processes ◽  
Predictive Processes

Though academic research for identifying and considering the social impact of products is emerging, the actual use of these processes in industry is undeclared in the literature. The gap between academic research and the industry adoption of these theories and methodologies can have real consequences. This paper explores current practices in industry that design engineers use to consider the social impact of products during the customer use stage. 30 people from nineteen different companies were interviewed to discover what disconnects exist between academia and industry when considering a product’s social impact. Although social impact assessments (SIA) and social life cycle assessments (SLCA) are two of the most common evaluative processes discussed in the literature, not a single company interviewed used either of these processes despite affirming that they do consider social impact in product design. Predictive processes were discussed by the respondents that tended to be developed within the company and often related to government regulations.

Social Impact in Product Design, An Exploration of Current Industry Practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 142 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew T. Pack ◽  
Emma Rose Phipps ◽  
Christopher A. Mattson ◽  
Eric C. Dahlin
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Government Regulations ◽  
Design Engineers ◽  
The Social

Abstract Though academic research for identifying and considering the social impact of products is emerging, additional insights can be gained from engineers who design products every day. This paper explores current practices in industries used by design engineers to consider the social impact of products. Forty-six individuals from 34 different companies were interviewed to discover what disconnects exist between academia and industry when considering a product’s social impact. These interviews were also used to discover how social impact might be considered in a design setting moving forward. This is not a study to find “the state of the art,” but considers the average engineering professional’s work to design products in various industries. Social impact assessments (SIA) and social life cycle assessments (SLCA) are two of the most common processes discussed in the literature to evaluate social impact, both generally and in products. Interestingly, these processes did not arise in any discussion in interviews, despite respondents affirming that they do consider social impact in the product design. Processes used to predict social impact, rather than simply evaluate, were discussed by the respondents. These tended to be developed within the company and often related to industry imposed government regulations. To build on this study, the findings herein should be further validated for executives, managers, and engineers. A study specific to these roles should be designed to understand the disconnect better. Additionally, processes should be developed to assist engineers in considering the social impact of their products. Work should also be done to help educate engineers and their leaders on the value of considering the social impact in product design.

scholarly journals Co-Design of Social Impact Domains with the Huntington’s Disease Community

Disabilities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-131
Author(s):  
Natasha Layton ◽  
Natasha Brusco ◽  
Tammy Gardner ◽  
Libby Callaway
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
The Social

Background: For people living with or affected by Huntington’s Disease (HD) to experience a good quality of life, tailored support is required to meet physical, cognitive-behavioral, psychological, and social support needs. Substantial service and knowledge gaps regarding HD exist across support providers and service systems. Measuring unmet needs and what quality of life looks like is a fundamental step required to determine the social impact of service investment and provision. The objectives of this study were to validate and map a draft set of HD Social Impact Domains (HD-SID) against existing national and international outcome frameworks; and evaluate and finalize the HD-SID set using a co-design approach with people with lived experience of, and expertise in, HD. Methods: This research used a qualitative co-design process, with 39 participants across four stakeholder groups (people who were HD gene-positive, gene-negative family members, academics, peak organizations, and service providers) to: (i) map and verify the social life areas impacted by HD; (ii) undertake a rigorous three-phased, qualitative process to critically evaluate the draft HD-SID; and (iii) seek feedback on and endorsement of the HD-SID through this co-design process, with a final set of HD-SID identified. Results: Endorsed HD-SID comprised risks and safety (including housing stability, and economic sustainability) and social inclusion (including health and symptom management, physical wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, and building resilient relationships). Conclusions: Effective measurement of the impacts and outcomes for people with HD is informed by both extant measures and an understanding of the specific population needs. This qualitative co-design research demonstrates that HD-SID resonate with the HD community.

scholarly journals Social Impact of IVF (After COVID-19 Pandemic and New Normal)

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Dunya Ahmed ◽  
Mohamed Buheji ◽  
Noor Albakri
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Social Stability ◽  
Family Stability ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Fertility Ratio ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family ◽  
Impact On Family

This study aims to analyse the different IVF services and its possible impact on family and social life, after the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors selected the Kingdom of Bahrain as a context for the research and explored the IVF influence on the ‘family stability’ and the ‘social stability’. The framework proposed shows the importance of future foresight of IVF transformation in both the area of life and livelihood.The study used a quantitative method to understand the type of demands on the supplied IVF services, and where the capacity could be raised in the new normal. The paper concludes that IVF could be a source for family stability and as one of the means of controlling the rising of psychosocial phenomena in the future. The other implication of this study calls for monitoring the rapid increases of dependency ratio, as fertility ratio drops, and how IVF services should be planned as part of a national policy; especially with the repeated emergency crisis.

scholarly journals Dialog Pemikiran Tentang Norma Riba, Bunga Bank, Dan Bagi Hasil di Kalangan Ulama

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-264
Author(s):  
Hisam Ahyani ◽  
Dian Permana ◽  
Agus Yosep Abduloh
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Profit Sharing ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Interest Rate ◽  
Mutual Tolerance ◽  
The Impact

This research found that the Norma of Riba in Islamic Economics is a khilafiyah problem as well as the law of Bank Interest, in principle, mutual tolerance and mutual respect and respect for inter-opinions must be put forward. This is because each group of ulama has devoted their energy to seeking the law of the problem, and in the end their opinion remains different. Profit sharing norms in Islamic economics are an innovative step in an Islamic economy that is not only in accordance with people's behavior, but more than that profit sharing is a social balance step in obtaining economic opportunities. Thus, the profit sharing system can be seen as a more effective measure to prevent conflict between the rich and the poor from occurring in social life. The impact of Bank Interest (Riba) on the Country's Economy, among others, has an impact on several sectors including the Economic Impact. The higher the interest rate, the higher the price to be set on an item. Social Impact, the social impact of society related to Riba in terms of unfair income. Impact of Company Resilience, only companies that have resilience will survive

scholarly journals Social Impact Analysis of Products under a Holistic Approach: A Case Study in the Meat Product Supply Chain

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12163
Author(s):  
Juan Aranda ◽  
David Zambrana-Vásquez ◽  
Felipe Del-Busto ◽  
Fernando Círez
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle Impact Assessment ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
The Social ◽  
Life Cycle Impact

Social impact assessment of products can be approached through different methodologies that need to be adapted to the particularities and features of the studied subject. Thus, the Social Life Cycle Assessment methodology can be used to assess different innovative practices of product manufacturing, under a circular economy approach, by identifying potential positive as well as negative impacts along products’ life cycle. This paper presents the results of the Social Life Cycle Impact Assessment of a reference product from the Spanish meat industry using existing and new innovative methods of social impact analysis. Worker discrimination, health and safety for workers, consumers and local community were identified as the social aspects with relevant significance into the business or for the influence on customer’s perception of the products studied. Therefore, results can represent a reference scenario for the future assessment of innovative solutions in the Spanish meet sector. Despite the scarce use of Social Life Cycle Impact Assessment, this case study is a good example of how this innovative kind of assessment can be helpful for companies to identify their weak and strong social performance areas and design strategies to improve in Social Responsibility Management.

scholarly journals The Social Impact Toward A North Carolina Man As Seen In Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-199
Author(s):  
Siti Marda Yuliana
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
The Novel ◽  
High Class ◽  
Love Story ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Difference

The problem in this study is social impact from North Carolina citizen for the main character’s life. In the novel, Noah’s life is influenced by his social life, especially his love story with Allie. They are separated because of the difference of social class and people’s view about them who come from different status. From the result of this study found that, 1) social impact from people around to the main character in The Notebook novel, that is separating social class into three types, low class, middle class and high class, 2) social impact also influenced by the environment , which is North Carolina has beautiful view and make the people love their hometown by writing the poem, but in other side, environment makes space between people and their social status, 3) social impact is influenced by North Carolina citizen’s view who separate people based on the social class, and it makes the interaction between low class and high class is very limited, especially in relationship and marriage.    

scholarly journals Hindu Society Perception of Catur Varṇa in Bali

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Ida Bagus Subrahmaniam Saitya ◽  
Ida Bagus Putu Adnyana
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Bias ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Professional Group ◽  
The Body ◽  
Community Life ◽  
Form Of Life ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social ◽  
Hindu Community

<p><em>The social life of the Hindu community in Bali cannot be separated from the ins and outs of work which then reflects the profession of the people who claim it. Professions in the social life of society will give birth to something called the professional group. This professional group will then have a social impact in the form of life strata in society. There is a separation between one profession and another, which then gives birth to a concept of ideas called the Catur Varṇa. In recent years there has been a widespread dualism of perspectives on the meaning of this Catur Varṇa concept. Some of them stated that this concept was a tradition passed down from generation to generation and there were also those who stated that this concept was an idea to organize the social life of Balinese people. The Catur Varṇa concept itself can be understood through literature which gives birth to a reality and facts. The concept of Catur Varṇa has been degraded due to the cognitive bias of the Balinese Hindu community in Bali in embodying the meaning of this concept. So that this concept does not give birth to social life that is more organized but instead creates a social problem that causes inequality in the body of community life. This inequality must be corrected immediately so that it does not become a tradition that has increasingly worsened the atmosphere of social life in Bali. Because today the concept of Catur Varṇa is consciously shifting meaning into a new concept that we have previously called the term Catur Wangsa.</em></p>

scholarly journals Utilization of Social Networks among Saudi EFL Learners: Trends and Uses

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (35) ◽  
pp. 464
Author(s):  
Mubarak Alkhatnai
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Social Life ◽  
New Technology ◽  
King Saud University ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Social ◽  
Actual Use

The aim of this paper is to investigate the use of social networking sites among learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Saudi institutions of higher education. The actual study was conducted at the King Saud University (KSU). Reports on the extent to which the students are familiar with social media and the manner in which they utilize the technology were obtained. The research also examines the perception of students regarding the use social networking sites in their learning. The percentage of students using the social media and their frequency of visiting the sites also form part of the discussion of this paper. This is in an attempt to draw a clear picture of how the utilization of this new technology is emerging in Saudi higher education. The findings are discussed in light of students’ actual use and their perceived beliefs about the use of such technologies in their learning and social life.

scholarly journals Financial Modelling Strategies for Social Life Cycle Assessment: A Project Appraisal of Biodiesel Production and Sustainability in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaman Sajid ◽  
Nicholas Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Social Impacts ◽  
Biodiesel Production ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
The Social

Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) is a rapidly evolving social impact assessment tool that allows users to identify the social impacts of products along with their life cycles. In recent years, S-LCA methodologies have been increasingly applied to energy systems and resources with notable success yet with limited reliability and even less flexibility or geographic specificity. In response, this study develops a novel assessment tool, named the GreenZee model, to reflect the social impacts of products and their sustainability using local currency units. The model is developed through evaluating both qualitative and quantitative inputs that capture the perceived monetary value of social impacts. To demonstrate the operationalization of the model, we explore a hypothetical case study of the biodiesel industry in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada. Results indicate that biodiesel production in NL would have positive socio-cultural impacts, high cultural values, and would create employment opportunities for locals. Overall, the GreenZee model provides users with a relatively simple approach to translate a variety of qualitative and quantitative social impact inputs (as importance levels) into meaningful and understandable financial outputs (as strength levels). We argue that building and testing models such as the GreenZee are crucial to supporting more flexible approaches to life cycle assessments that need to address increasingly complex social categories, cultural values, and geographic specificity.

scholarly journals A sociology of the Covid-19 pandemic: A commentary and research agenda for sociologists

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 726-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul R Ward
Keyword(s):  
Social Theory ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Jean Paul ◽  
The Social ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Shed Light

During the early part of 2020, there has been an abundance of critically important research on Covid-19 from medical, epidemiological and virological disciplines. There is now an urgent need for sociologists to engage theoretically and empirically on the social impact of issues related to Covid-19. As we have moved further into 2020, governments around the world have imposed different types of restrictions on social life, in order to quell the spread of Covid-19 and ‘flatten the curve’. These have included imposing various degrees of social isolation and restrictions on things like social gatherings, travel, sport and leisure activities, and going to work/school/university. This commentary explores the ways in which different branches of social theory can shed light on the implications of Covid-19 restrictions for social life ‘as we know it’. The broad fields of social theory in the commentary cover concepts such as risk, trust, fear, uncertainty and happiness. The process of developing the social theory driven research agenda contained within this commentary took a rather unusual route – it started by re-reading Jean-Paul Sartre’s ideas on existentialism, which led to me painting a visual sociology of Covid-19 (an image of my painting is provided), and ultimately to this piece.

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