Companion or Substitution? Automation and Digitisation 
in the Workplace

Author(s):  
Samantha Joy Cinco

The production process is no longer purely limited to human workers. Automation and digitisation have come in. Workers are aided by various machines that assist them in production. This has led to faster production and lower prices. The benefits are obvious, yet up to what extent can we automate and digitise production? Will it ever come to a point when we would no longer need any human intervention to produce the things we need? Can the digital and the automated ever substitute human hands? This article offers a brief discussion on how digitisation and automation have affected our lives and the way we work. It presented an overview of automation’s history and recent developments. Moreover, it discussed the various opportunities and risks associated with these fast improvements. Lastly, an analysis of the possible future of digitisation was mentioned: What must be done to take full advantage of the opportunities and to curb the risks? Automation has made production faster and this has led to various benefits and opportunities just waiting to be taken advantaged off, yet I firmly believe that human labour will continue to flourish. Automation and digitisation may have been going on for decades, but human work still exists because there are aspects of work that cannot just simply be replaced by machines. Machines are to complement us and help us to do things better. Moreover, there should be a focus on education and on fostering a culture of innovation so that we can be ready to face any changes in the workplace. There should also be a conscious effort to fight the factors that further inequality in society.

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-276
Author(s):  
Qurat ul Ain Farooq ◽  
Noor ul Haq ◽  
Abdul Aziz ◽  
Sara Aimen ◽  
Muhammad Inam ul Haq

Background: Mass spectrometry is a tool used in analytical chemistry to identify components in a chemical compound and it is of tremendous importance in the field of biology for high throughput analysis of biomolecules, among which protein is of great interest. Objective: Advancement in proteomics based on mass spectrometry has led the way to quantify multiple protein complexes, and proteins interactions with DNA/RNA or other chemical compounds which is a breakthrough in the field of bioinformatics. Methods: Many new technologies have been introduced in electrospray ionization (ESI) and Matrixassisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI) techniques which have enhanced sensitivity, resolution and many other key features for the characterization of proteins. Results: The advent of ambient mass spectrometry and its different versions like Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI), DART and ELDI has brought a huge revolution in proteomics research. Different imaging techniques are also introduced in MS to map proteins and other significant biomolecules. These drastic developments have paved the way to analyze large proteins of >200kDa easily. Conclusion: Here, we discuss the recent advancement in mass spectrometry, which is of great importance and it could lead us to further deep analysis of the molecules from different perspectives and further advancement in these techniques will enable us to find better ways for prediction of molecules and their behavioral properties.


Author(s):  
Lisa Rodgers

‘Ordinary’ employment contracts—including those of domestic servants—have been deemed to attract diplomatic immunity because they fall within the scope of diplomatic functions. This chapter highlights the potential for conflict between these forms of immunity and the rights of the employees, and reflects on cases in which personal servants of diplomatic agents have challenged both the existence of immunity and the scope of its application. The chapter examines claims that the exercise of diplomatic immunity might violate the right to a fair trial under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the way in which courts have dealt with these issues. The chapter analyses diplomats’ own employment claims and notes that they are usually blocked by the assertion of immunity, but also reflects on more recent developments in which claims had been considered which were incidental to diplomatic employment (eg Nigeria v Ogbonna [2012]).


2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Héloise Boudon ◽  
Katharina Niemeyer

This article takes a closer look at the processes of transcultural adaptation by focusing on the French-Canadian television series Les Invincibles (Radio-Canada, 2005), which was adapted for the French-German cultural channel ARTE in 2010. Based on recent developments in adaptation studies, the authors discuss the question of fidelity as interseriality on two adaptation levels: production process and the diegetic world. Their interest lies in how this example of a multi-faceted, hybrid format impacts upon representations of identities and cultural specificities when it comes to its transcultural adaptation. In-depth, semi-structured, and qualitative interviews with producers and screenwriters are discussed within a content analysis of the episodes as well as a semiotic reflection on aesthetics and narrative aspects.Cet article propose une étude des processus d’adaptation transculturelle en se fondant sur l’analyse de la série québécoise Les Invincibles (Radio Canada, 2005), adaptée pour la chaîne franco-allemande ARTE en 2010. A l’appui des travaux récents dans les domaine des adaptation studies, nous discutons la question de la fidélité en tant qu’intersérialité sur deux niveaux d’adaptation: le processus de production ainsi que l’univers diégetique. Notre analyse porte sur les multiples facettes d’un format hybride et ses répercussions sur les représentations des identités et spécificités culturelles au moment de son adaptation transculturelle. Des entretiens semi-directifs et qualitatifs approfondis avec les producteurs et scénaristes sont confrontés à une analyse de contenu des épisodes ainsi qu’à une réflexion sémiotique sur les aspects esthétiques et narratifs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Lawrence A. Gordon

The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of data analytics (DA) and machine learning (ML) on accounting research.[1] As discussed in the paper, the inherent inductive nature of DA and ML is creating an important trend in the way accounting research is being conducted. That trend is the increasing utilization of inductive-based research among accounting researchers. Indeed, as a result of the recent developments with DA and ML, a rebalancing is taking place between inductive-based and deductive-based research in accounting.[2] In essence, we are witnessing the resurrection of inductive-based accounting research. A brief review of some empirical evidence to support the above argument is also provided in the paper.   


Author(s):  
Roula-Maria Dib

Abstract My article re-reads John Milton’s Paradise Lost through a feminist post-Jungian perspective; the study will observe the implications of contemporary Jungian critical approaches toward Milton’s portrayal of Eve, who helps Adam find ‘a paradise within …, happier far’ (PL 12. 587). I will first highlight the negative portrayal of an evil, intellectually inferior Eve in Paradise Lost, and ultimately re-reading the poem—and the role of Eve in it—from the perspective of a feminist Jung. The initial reading of Paradise Lost, in which Eve was regarded as inferior and complementary to Adam, reflects Jung’s criticized notion that the anima’s role is to complement a man’s psychology. This, however, can be read differently through a post-Jungian feminist perspective. From this new viewpoint, Eve can be regarded as Adam’s equal, rather than an inferior company, and a catalyst in their ‘coniunctio’, in which they both individuate (rather than Eve, the anima be subservient to Adam’s individuation) in Paradise Lost. Despite the vast differences between John Milton’s and Carl Jung’s cultural and historical backgrounds, this novel reading of Paradise Lost in context of revisions to Jung’s anima theory and theory of individuation offers a more positive view on the poet’s depiction of Eve in keeping with more recent developments in Milton scholarship, which have drawn attention to the way the text questions conventions of gender hierarchy and patriarchy.


Author(s):  
John H. Lienhard

We come at last to the forbidden first person, the I am. No story is right until the teller is part of it. Yet a peculiar mischief is abroad in the land of science and engineering. It is a mischief born out of the noblest of intentions. For decades it has spread like the flu, far beyond the technical journals that gave it birth. The intention is to let us stand like blindfolded Justice—pure, objective, and aloof. To do this, we write about our work without ever speaking in the first person. We try to let fact speak for itself. Instead of saying, “I solved the equation and got y = log x”, we write, “The solution of the equation is y = log x”. We turn our actions into facts that are untouched by human hands. To some extent we must do that. Our facts should be sufficiently solid that we do not need to prop them up with our desires. Third-person detachment has its place, but my own person is not so easy to erase. Suppose I think another engineer, whom I shall call Hoople, is wrong. I am not objective about Hoople, but I must appear to be. So I write, “It is believed that Hoople is incorrect.” That’s a cheap shot. I express my thoughts without taking responsibility for them. I seem to be reporting general disapproval of Hoople. In the unholy name of objectivity, I make it sound as though the whole profession thinks that Hoople is a fool. Now radio and TV journalists are doing it. I cringe every time I hear, “It is expected that Congress will pass the bill. “Who expects that? The announcer? The Democrats? A government official? Maybe the soy sauce lobby is the expectant source. So instead of objectivity we get obfuscation. If our work really occurred in objective isolation, we could write about it that way. But people are present. They think and they act. If we fail to represent human intervention accurately, we are dishonest, and objectivity becomes meaningless. The things we make tell the world what we are.


Author(s):  
Paul De Boeck ◽  
Paula Elosua

Chapter 28 describes the evolution of the two most important concepts in psychometrics and for psychological and educational testing: reliability and validity. Between the publication of the first psychological tests and the most recent developments, the scientific, professional, and ethical requirements demanded by testing have largely evolved. Also the scientific disciplines of psychology and education and the practice based on these disciplines are no longer the same as early in their history. Psychometric models have changed, theories have changed, and the problems and requirements made by psychological and educational practice have changed. It does therefore not surprise that the notions of reliability and validity have also evolved. The aim of this chapter is to offer a historical and conceptual view of both these notions, to discuss some approaches in the investigation of reliability and validity, and to formulate some considerations on the way the two notions have evolved.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 3691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Grapentin ◽  
Maureen Ayikoru

This study examines recent developments in destination assessment and certification as a basis for identifying challenges and benefits they engender, from tourist and tourism organizations’ perspectives. It uses online surveys and semi-structured interviews to collect primary data from prospective tourists and key informants on destination assessment and certification. The findings highlight the strengths and weaknesses of schemes currently in use, including various factors that might influence their future development. Specifically, the study finds that destination assessment and certification are affected by four key issues, namely, practicability, reliability, visibility, and (un)availability of incentives. It concludes that the manifestation of these issues and their ensuing complexity affect the way in which tourists and tourism destinations engage with destination assessment and certification. This, therefore, delimits the inherent opportunities and constraints within such schemes.


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