scholarly journals Does Free Mean without Value? And Is Free Ever Worth Stealing?

LOGOS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-55
Author(s):  
Alison Baverstock ◽  
Clare Somerville

This paper considers a specific aspect of a practice-as-research project—the Kingston University Big Read. It explores how to achieve optimum attractiveness and perceived value among students and staff for a free book circulated for the purposes of a pre-arrival shared reading scheme. After consideration of the academic literature relating to the distribution of free books and the theft of books, there follows a detailed examination of marketing practice in the publishing industry relating to the dissemination of free and promotional items through collaborative endeavours. The solutions adopted are described, along with the outcomes perceived in the market, and recommendations are made for the future.

2021 ◽  
pp. 263497952110276
Author(s):  
Hemangini Gupta

This essay offers a retrospective account of a multimodal public exhibit at the end of a multi-year research project on speculative urbanism. While the registers of speculation are invariably forward-looking, our research presented us with the central place of memory as a frame through which urban residents in Bengaluru, India, negotiate their present and imagine the possibilities of the future. This essay examines four ways in which we created space for memory in our exhibit, understanding our approach as situating an archive-optic, drawing on approaches of critical fabulation, object perception, and submerged perspectives. I suggest that these forms of engagement are multimodal and that they offer feminist and decolonial ways to unmaster linear narratives and situate our research affectively.


Author(s):  
Lone Koefoed Hansen ◽  
Christopher Gad

This article uses the movie Minority Report (2002) as an entry point for discussing conceptions of surveillance technologies and their preventive capacities. The technological research project Intelligent Surveillance Systems located in Belfast shares a vision with MR: that it is possible to construct surveillance systems that are able to foresee criminal acts and thus to prevent them from happening. We argue that the movie exemplifies that technological development and popular culture share dreams, ideas and visions and that on a very basic level, popular culture informs technological development and vice versa. The article explores this relation and argues that popular culture provides analytic insight on important discussions about surveillance and the (future) capacities of technology.


1992 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Wenzel

This paper discusses the development of a particular spatial display medium, the virtual acoustic display. Although the technology can stand alone, it is envisioned ultimately to be a component of a larger multisensory environment and will no doubt find its greatest utility in that context. A general philosophy of the project has been that the development of advanced computer interfaces should be driven first by an understanding of human perceptual requirements, and secondarily by technological capabilities or constraints. In expanding on this view, the paper addresses why virtual acoustic displays are useful, characterizes the abilities of such displays, reviews some recent approaches to their implementation and application, describes the research project at NASA Ames in some detail, and finally outlines some critical research issues for the future.


Author(s):  
Cecelia Henderson ◽  
Douglas J. Gillan

As automation becomes increasingly common in daily life the importance of understanding how we interact with automated systems increases, especially attribution of blame for accidents involving a human-automation team. The current research project looks at how humans attribute blame in an accident involving a human operator and a robot worker and is based on a previous study (Furlough et al., 2019). Participants will read two scenarios detailing an accident while being shown both the operator and robot. The robot’s appearance is manipulated to imply varying levels of automation, ranging from a simple robot to one with a human appearance. Results showed no significant effects, however, this research still has the potential to contribute to the understanding of interactions between humans and automated systems and could inform design in the future to facilitate a positive working environment with robots and humans.


Author(s):  
Chrysostomos Apostolidis

Worldwide, a growing range of meat alternative products are being developed and introduced in the market, taking advantage of the increasing health and environmental concerns, technological advances, and the overall rising profile of meat-free diets. This chapter reviews market research and academic literature to identify the market drivers and barriers that will affect the future of new meat alternative products, from a business, consumer, and policy perspective. Key barriers discussed include lower perceived quality, increasing competition, unrealistic consumer expectations, and ineffective marketing strategies. On the other hand, raising the profile of meat alternatives, technological advances, and increasing interest from consumers, investors, and policymakers can support the market success of meat alternatives. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the way forward and the strategies and interventions that can lead to a stronger position of meat alternatives in the food market.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3-2019) ◽  
pp. 180-197
Author(s):  
Marianne Kristiansen ◽  
Jørgen Bloch-Poulsen

This is not an ordinary article. It was written in response to some questions that the current and the former IJAR editors-in-chief asked us to reflect on. We did so gratefully, because this was a good opportunity to look back on 25 years of doing AR in organisations. The article describes four challenges of future organisational action research. Firstly, in the future an increasing number of skilled employees will make it necessary to move from co-influence of how to implement goals, to a greater degree of co-determination. Secondly, the article argues there is a need for an increased focus on documenting AR processes. Thirdly, the article calls for more selfcritical reflections on the concrete ways action researchers exercise power. Fourthly, questioning the possibilities of doing AR in organisations will become important in the future, due to socio-economic conditions such as lack of time. The article is based on a four-year research project that we carried out on various American and European approaches to action research in organisations in the 20th century. It includes, too, a description of our different personal ways into AR and some of the AR concepts we developed along the way.


Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
William L. Hargrove ◽  
Josiah M. Heyman

Various sectors of stakeholders (urban, agricultural, policymakers, etc.) are frequently engaged in participatory research projects aimed at improving water resources’ sustainability. However, a process for comprehensive and integrative identification, classification, and engagement of all types of water stakeholders for a region or river basin, especially in a transboundary context, is missing for water resources research projects. Our objective was to develop a systematic approach to identifying and classifying water stakeholders, and engage them in a discussion of water futures, as a foundation for a participatory modeling research project to address the wicked water resource problems of the Middle Rio Grande basin on the U.S./Mexico border. This part of the Rio Grande basin can be characterized as having limited and dwindling supplies of water, increasing demands for water from multiple sectors, and a segmented governance system spanning two U.S. states and two countries. These challenges are being exacerbated by climate change; a transitioning agriculture to more water demanding, high value crops; urbanization; and growing demand for environmental services. Moving forward, a core question for this region is how can water be managed so that the three competing sectors—agricultural, urban, and environmental—can realize a sustainable future in this challenged water system? We identified the major water-using sectors who represent competing demands as including agricultural, municipal, self-supplied industrial users, environmental, and a sector we labeled “social justice”, comprised of individuals who lack access to potable water, or who represent groups who advocate for access to water. We included stakeholders from both the U.S. and Mexico, which is seldom done, who share transboundary water resources in the region. We hosted a series of stakeholder dialogues and obtained results that identified and described their vision for the future of water; challenges to be overcome; and important research questions that could be addressed using participatory modeling approaches. Four broad themes common to multiple sectors emerged: (1) quantity, drought, and scarcity; (2) quality/salinization; (3) urbanization; and (4) conservation and sustainability. Each sector expressed distinctive views regarding the future of water. Agricultural stakeholders, in particular, had strong feelings of ownership of water rights as part of land ownership and a concomitant sense of threat to those water rights emanating from dwindling supplies and competing demands. The contribution of this work is a methodology for identifying, classifying, and engaging all types of stakeholders in the context of a research project, enabling us to compare and contrast views of different types of stakeholders. Heretofore, this has been accomplished in “bits and pieces”, but never comprehensively and holistically.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Altmann

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the rise of strata manager as a newly emergent profession and note their impact on the governance within medium and high density, strata titled housing such as flats, apartments, town-houses and CIDs. Design/methodology/approach – This research presents finding from a small scale, qualitative research project focused on the interaction between the owner committee of management and strata managers. Findings – The introduction mandatory certification is championed by industry bodies. The strata managers considered they already demonstrated valuable attributes desired by committees of management. These differed to the attributes targeted by the new training regime, and the attributes valued by the committees of management. Research limitations/implications – This is a small scale pilot study. A larger study will need to be undertaken to confirm these results. Practical implications – There is a disjunct between the training and what strata managers consider relevant to undertaking their duties. This has significance for the ongoing governance of these properties and industry professionalisation. The resilience of Australia’s densification policies will depend on how learning will translate into better governance outcomes for owners. Social implications – One in three people within Australia’s eastern states lives or owns property within strata titled complex (apartments, flats and townhouse developments). The increasing number of strata managers and professionalisation within their industry has the ability to impact an increasing number of people. Originality/value – The impact of this new profession, and their requirements in terms of expertise has not been fully considered within existing academic literature.


2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1262 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. I. Fisher ◽  
J. H. J. Cribb ◽  
A. J. Peacock

This paper describes a new approach to measuring and monitoring the quality of dialogue between research groups and the wider community about specific scientific matters. It is an adaptation of a proven marketing process for monitoring customer satisfaction: key drivers of community perception are elicited and measured, so that managers can respond to the issues that are most important to the community, rather than relying on their own perceptions. One important benefit of the approach is that the method provides a means of linking an overall score for the community’s perceived value of a research project to an important business driver such as ‘percentage of people very willing to support deployment of the research results’. The method is illustrated by a case study exploring the views of the Australian public about research into genetic manipulation for pest mouse control. For the population surveyed (the community in New South Wales, Australia), some 40% were very willing to support the use of genetic manipulation to manage pest mice. If an increase of 1.5 in the score for the perceived value of a research project (measured on a scale from 1 to 10) were achieved, the prediction is that overall community support for eventual deployment would rise to about 80%. The approach would appear to have a useful role to play in assisting eventual technology adoption.


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