Contributions to improve sustainability conditions in gemstonebenefiting companies

The gemstones and jewels production chain have been an important source of income and job creation in several regions of Brazil. However, sometimes, its activities haven’t been developed in an environmentally correct and sustainable context. In this sense, this work seeks to investigate indicators, to propose a framework of indicators to evaluate and monitor the sustainability conditions of companies that process gemstones. Therefore, a proposal was prepared considering the specificities of the sector, containing 10 indicators and 24 variables distributed in the environmental, economic, social, and technological dimensions. The proposal was verified empirically with a company, a case study, located in Teutônia/RS, which presents the main characteristics of the companies belonging to the sector. The use of the framework of indicators provided information on the company’s sustainability conditions, identifying positive aspects and also those that need to be improved to assist in the search for a more sustainable management of activities. On the other hand, the results achieved present information that can serve as a reference for comparison with other companies in the sector, as well as assist in the decisionmaking process in search of more sustainable conditions.

Accessibility Analysis of Cyclone Shelters - A Case Study for Atulia Union, Satkhira, Bangladesh

Cyclone shelters are considered as a solution to reduce cyclone risk in coastal districts of Bangladesh. The location of a shelter plays a crucial part in a potential user’s decisionmaking process. If the perception is that the shelter is too far away, the user may decide not to use it. On the other hand, it would not be financially feasible to construct shelters near every settlement cluster. Therefore, network analysis using GIS has been applied to reveal the optimal location. Apart from distance, there are some other factors (like space, presence of gender segregated rooms and toilets, ramped access way, availability of drinking water, etc.), which affect a user’s affinity to evacuate to a specific shelter. All the shelters in Atulia Union from Satkhira District of Bangladesh were visited to identify these characteristics. Finally, an index was developed to determine the preference of each shelter to its potential users. It was found that there is inadequate number of shelters in the study area and two new shelter locations were recommended. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 46(2): 163-178, December 2020

Ambivalent Architecture: The Architecture Of “Distraction” The Influence Of Tele-Technology On Architecture And Urbanism

The physical environment is being transformed by tele-technology and the emerging space of communication networks. Wireless tools, our instruments to engage with the emerging space of media, distribute our attention and dynamically switch between two distinctive operating logics to deal with the media and physical space. In addition to distracting us, they allow the users agency and fluidity of function in the physical space. Through synthesized research into the socio-technical effects of media space and cybernetic architecture influenced by this emerging space, this thesis aims to find an architectural approach that approximates the simultaneous and distractive aspects of virtual space(s) we inhabit through our devices. An ambivalent architecture is proposed which reflects this pseudo-hyperconnectivityof cyberspace in the physical collective space, and promotes this socio-spatial transparency and gives agency to the inhabitants to engage with the space in different ways. In this architecture, the architect is the initiator of the spatial decisionmaking process which allows the public to constantly transform the nature of the architectural element with their active participation.

Ambivalent Architecture: The Architecture Of “Distraction” The Influence Of Tele-Technology On Architecture And Urbanism

The physical environment is being transformed by tele-technology and the emerging space of communication networks. Wireless tools, our instruments to engage with the emerging space of media, distribute our attention and dynamically switch between two distinctive operating logics to deal with the media and physical space. In addition to distracting us, they allow the users agency and fluidity of function in the physical space. Through synthesized research into the socio-technical effects of media space and cybernetic architecture influenced by this emerging space, this thesis aims to find an architectural approach that approximates the simultaneous and distractive aspects of virtual space(s) we inhabit through our devices. An ambivalent architecture is proposed which reflects this pseudo-hyperconnectivityof cyberspace in the physical collective space, and promotes this socio-spatial transparency and gives agency to the inhabitants to engage with the space in different ways. In this architecture, the architect is the initiator of the spatial decisionmaking process which allows the public to constantly transform the nature of the architectural element with their active participation.

Walmart and Guns: A Case Study in Modern Corporate Governance

In August 2019, the Business Roundtable issued a new Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation. The statement, signed by 181 CEOs, including Doug McMillon of Walmart, declared that corporations should seek to serve the interests of all stakeholders—a marked departure from the Roundtable’s prior embrace of shareholder primacy. This shift in position reinvigorated debate among business and legal scholars about the proper purpose of a corporation. Using Walmart as a case study, this Note argues that corporations are indeed adopting a more flexible and responsive conception of corporate purpose. This Note begins with a discussion of corporate governance theories, detailing four distinct visions of corporate purpose and control. It then examines Walmart’s decisionmaking process regarding ammunition and firearm sales in the wake of a tragic mass shooting at one of its stores. Finally, it concludes by reconciling Walmart’s conduct with the prevailing theories of corporate governance, ultimately finding team production theory— which calls for the balancing stakeholder interests—to be most applicable.

Creating Trust in Collaborative Embedded Systems

Effective collaboration of embedded systems relies strongly on the assumption that all components of the system and the system itself operate as expected. A level of trust is established based on that assumption. To verify and validate these assumptions, we propose a systematic procedure that starts at the design phase and spans the runtime of the systems. At design time, we propose system evaluation in pure virtual environments, allowing multiple system behaviors to be executed in a variety of scenarios. At runtime, we suggest performing predictive simulation to get insights into the system’s decisionmaking process. This enables trust to be created in the system part of a cooperation. When cooperation is performed in open, uncertain environments, the negotiation protocols between collaborative systems must be monitored at runtime. By engaging in various negotiation protocols, the participants assign roles, schedule tasks, and combine their world views to allow more resilient perception and planning. In this chapter, we describe two complementary monitoring approaches to address the decentralized nature of collaborative embedded systems.

Digitalization in management of fishery integration associations

The paper represents a method for the digitalization in management by creating a Unified Management Information System, which provides an opportunity to analyze the data and expedite the decisionmaking process, to fulfill strategic objectives, maintain and enhance competitive advantages of fishery integration associations. The study proposes a concept of UMIS structure adjusted for the activity peculiarities of integration association member companies, which facilitates greater efficiency of interactions and communication between them. The designed organizational structure, concentrated on the key activities of integration association and built on the principles of centralization, which allows for a creation of a single business model of member companies, serves as a basis for the UIMS implementation.