scholarly journals THE UBER DRIVER IS NOT AN ENTREPRENEUR

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
LUCAS CASAGRANDE ◽  
Martín A. M. Zamora ◽  
Carlos F. T. Oviedo

ABSTRACT Purpose: To analyze the conceptual relationship between entrepreneurship and the Uber driver since the company is the pinnacle of a new way of organizing work. It is argued here that, contrary to what is used in numerous articles and in the media, the Uber driver is not an “entrepreneur” but a precarious worker with flexible facilities. Originality/value: With the emergence of a new type of employment contract that is referenced in the labor relations of the company Uber, it becomes necessary to discuss the impacts of this new organization of labor. The conceptual discussion about the framework of the Uber driver is still incipient in the field. The research contributes to a better understanding of the discourse that the worker understood as an entrepreneur legitimizes exploitation. Design/methodology/approach: This is a theoretical-analytical article. Historical and theoretical literature was used to weave how the concept of entrepreneurship emerges historically and changes over time. Also, Uberized labor is compared to Taylorism and Toyotism. Findings: It demonstrates how the Uber driver cannot be considered an entrepreneur in any of the historical concepts. It is also demonstrated that the driver is a precarious employee, with flexible time and automated management, incorporating elements of the work organization of both Taylorism and Toyotism.

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 138-150
Author(s):  
Mark Taylor ◽  
Denis Reilly

Purpose This paper aims to present the application of situation calculus for knowledge representation in missing persons investigations. Design/methodology/approach The development of a knowledge representation model for the missing persons investigation process based upon situation calculus, with a demonstration of the use of the model for a missing persons example case. Findings Situation calculus is valuable for knowledge representation for missing persons investigations, as such investigations have state changes over time, and due to the complexity of the differing investigation activities applicable to different situations, can be difficult to represent using simpler approaches such as tables or flowcharts. Research limitations/implications Situation calculus modelling for missing persons investigations adds formalism to the process beyond that which can be afforded by the current use of text, tables or flowcharts. The additional formalism is useful in dealing with the uncertainty present in such investigations. Practical implications The implications are a simplification of the application of the current police guidelines, and thoroughness in the application of such guidelines for missing persons investigations via situation calculus modelling. Social implications This paper supports the management of missing person investigations, by using the most critical variables in a missing persons investigation to determine relevant investigation and search activities applicable to the circumstances of a given case. Originality/value The novelty of the knowledge representation approach is the application of situation calculus via state and action vectors and a matrix of fluents to the process of missing persons investigations.


VINE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Giuliani

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to observe Intellectual Capital (IC) dynamics “in practice” through a temporal lens by considering IC as an on-going process, and thus taking into consideration its life cycle and how it changes over time. Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal case study has been investigated by adopting a participant observation approach to understand how the dynamics of IC are understood in practice. Findings – This study spotlights three main conceptions of IC dynamics (value creation, IC activities and organizational change) which, although generally proposed in literature as separable concepts, do co-exist and interact, in practice as is reflected in the related managerial tools. Research limitations/implications – The main limitations of this study are twofold. The first is related to the methodology adopted and in particular, to the participant observation approach. The second is related to the specifics of the case study undertaken. This paper contributes to the literature on “Intellectual Capital in action” and “Intellectual Capital in practice” by enriching the understanding of IC dynamics. Originality/value – By comparison to the extant literature in which the IC dynamics concepts are considered separately, this study combines the three different concepts and examines them in vivo, adopting a longitudinal perspective.


2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Kohring ◽  
Jörg Matthes

The following article deals with the different images of modern biotechnology created by the German press in the last decade of the twentieth century. To describe these images we have chosen the theoretical concept of framing, which in general denotes the idea that the media deal with certain issues in different ways and that therefore the coverage offers different perspectives to the reader. We understand a frame as a certain pattern of a text that is composed of several different text elements. We assume that some of these text elements group together systematically in a specific way, thereby forming a certain pattern that can be identified across several texts in a sample. These patterns we call frames. By means of cluster analysis we are able to identify not only predefined but also newly emerging frames and the way framing of an issue changes over time. This methodological approach allows us to give a dynamic overview of how the German press dealt with biotechnology in the early and late nineties.


2018 ◽  
pp. 7-14
Author(s):  
Tracy Evian Waasdorp ◽  
Elise T. Pas ◽  
Benjamin Zablotsky ◽  
Catherine P. Bradshaw

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Bullying is a significant public health concern, and it has received considerable attention from the media and policymakers over the past decade, which has led some to believe that it is increasing. However, there are limited surveillance data on bullying to inform our understanding of such trends over the course of multiple years. The current study examined the prevalence of bullying and related behaviors between 2005 and 2014 and explored whether any such changes varied across schools or as a function of school-level covariates. METHODS Youth self-reports of 13 indicators of bullying and related behaviors were collected from 246 306 students in 109 Maryland schools across 10 years. The data were weighted to reflect the school populations and were analyzed by using longitudinal hierarchical linear modeling to examine changes over time. RESULTS The covariate-adjusted models indicated a significant improvement over bullying and related concerns in 10 out of 13 indicators (including a decrease in bullying and victimization) for in-person forms (ie, physical, verbal, relational) and cyberbullying. Results also showed an increase in the perceptions that adults do enough to stop bullying and students’ feelings of safety and belonging at school. CONCLUSIONS Prevalence of bullying and related behaviors generally decreased over this 10-year period with the most recent years showing the greatest improvements in school climate and reductions in bullying. Additional research is needed to identify factors that contributed to this declining trend.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 1723-1731
Author(s):  
James I. Novak

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the way object data on Thingiverse changes over time, analyzing the relationships among views, downloads, likes, makes, remixes and comments over 500 days. Design/methodology/approach In total, 30 of the most popular things on Thingiverse were tracked between August 26, 2018 and January 7, 2020, with data collected about the different interactions at five intervals. Findings Highlights include: “#3DBenchy” became the first thing to reach one million downloads during this study. The “Xbox One controller mini wheel” achieved the highest documented download rate of 698 downloads per day. The average conversion rate from downloads to makes for all 30 things was one make for every 474 downloads at the start of the study, declining to one make for every 784 downloads by the conclusion. Research limitations/implications With over 1.6 million things on Thingiverse, this study focused on an exclusive group of things that have gained significant attention from makers and does not represent most things on the platform. Practical implications Although often considered a novelty or niche maker community, this research shows that things on Thingiverse are achieving popularity comparable to digital music, video and imagery, and a large ecosystem of things has been growing that has implications for designers, manufacturers, supply chain managers and universal popular culture. Originality/value This is the first study to track the digital behaviors of 3D printable things over time, revealing new knowledge about how people interact with content and the scale of these interactions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 2478-2498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Pirani ◽  
Benedetta Cappellini ◽  
Vicki Harman

PurposeThis paper aims to examine how Mulino Bianco, an iconic Italian bakery brand, has reshaped the symbolic and material aspects of breakfast in Italy, transforming a declining practice into a common family occasion.Design/methodology/approachA socio-historical analysis of the iconisation process has been undertaken with a framework for investigating the symbolic, material and practice-based aspects of the brand and their changes over time. Archival marketing material, advertising campaigns and interviews with brand managers constitute the main data for analysis.FindingsThree crucial moments have been identified in which the brand articulates its relationship with the practice of breakfast. During the launch of the brand, the articulation was mainly instigated via the myths of tamed nature and rural past and the material aspect of the products reinforced such an articulation. In the second moment, the articulation was established with the brand’s materiality, emphasised through the use of promotional items targeting mothers and children. In the last phase, a cementification of the articulation was achieved mainly via the symbolic aspect of the brand – communicating Mulino Bianco as emblematic of a new family life in which the “Italian breakfast” was central.Originality/valueTheoretically, this paper advances the understanding of the pervasive influence of brands in family life, showing how they do not simply reshape existing family food practices, rather they can re-create new ones, investing them with symbolic meanings, anchoring them with novel materiality and equipping consumers with new understandings and competences.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (39) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylwia Dudek-Mańkowska ◽  
Bartłomiej Iwańczak

AbstractResearch on gentrification has been conducted for over 50 years by representatives of many disciplines. Modern gentrification is a process somewhat different from that originally described by R. Glass in 1964. Authors do not agree how to measure the process, nor how to explain its meaning (Bourne, 1993). Creating the right indicators is very difficult, especially if it is widely believed that gentrification, as a process identifying changes over time and a way of measuring dynamics, should enable the comparison of data from multiple years (Lees, 2010). The aim of this study was to identify the socio-spatial changes taking place in the Warsaw district of Praga Północ and to determine if it can be described as gentrification. The study area is a district stereotypically perceived as neglected, dangerous and deteriorated (e.g. Dudek-Mańkowska, 2011), at the same time subject to strong functional changes. Praga Północ is also an area of interest to many artists, creative industries and developers, and is undergoing gradual regeneration through municipal urban revitalization programs. It is also an area that the media portray as undergoing the process of gentrification. The results show that social and residential changes actually take place but the overall gentrification has not been felt by residents.


VASA ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 355-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Urban ◽  
Alban Fouasson-Chailloux ◽  
Isabelle Signolet ◽  
Christophe Colas Ribas ◽  
Mathieu Feuilloy ◽  
...  

Abstract. Summary: Background: We aimed at estimating the agreement between the Medicap® (photo-optical) and Radiometer® (electro-chemical) sensors during exercise transcutaneous oxygen pressure (tcpO2) tests. Our hypothesis was that although absolute starting values (tcpO2rest: mean over 2 minutes) might be different, tcpO2-changes over time and the minimal value of the decrease from rest of oxygen pressure (DROPmin) results at exercise shall be concordant between the two systems. Patients and methods: Forty seven patients with arterial claudication (65 + / - 7 years) performed a treadmill test with 5 probes each of the electro-chemical and photo-optical devices simultaneously, one of each system on the chest, on each buttock and on each calf. Results: Seventeen Medicap® probes disconnected during the tests. tcpO2rest and DROPmin values were higher with Medicap® than with Radiometer®, by 13.7 + / - 17.1 mm Hg and 3.4 + / - 11.7 mm Hg, respectively. Despite the differences in absolute starting values, changes over time were similar between the two systems. The concordance between the two systems was approximately 70 % for classification of test results from DROPmin. Conclusions: Photo-optical sensors are promising alternatives to electro-chemical sensors for exercise oximetry, provided that miniaturisation and weight reduction of the new sensors are possible.


2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda Olff ◽  
Mirjam Nijdam ◽  
Kristin Samuelson ◽  
Julia Golier ◽  
Mariel Meewisse ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document