Time

This chapter examines the Buddhist version of the eternalism-presentism dispute. While all Buddhists hold that no existing thing is eternal, some did claim that past and future things are existent in the same sense in which presently existing things are, while other Buddhists denied that past and future things may be said to exist. The chapter begins by discussing the question of whether time is itself a real entity, examining an argument developed by Nāgārjuna against the view that time serves as the container that makes temporal relations possible. The bulk of the chapter is given over to a prolonged examination of the arguments given for and against eternalism. A major difficulty for the eternalist is to reconcile their view with the Buddhist orthodoxy that all is impermanent. The presentist is faced with the problem of explaining just what the present is if there is no past or future.

Corporate Actions

This chapter evaluates the rules that determine the attribution of the actions of human actors to companies. These contain elements that demonstrate that company law is designed for the operation of organizations and that therefore a real entity theory is best suited to explain the law as it stands, and also to formulate normative recommendations. Indeed, conceiving companies as serving real entities helps to explain the approach taken by the law in relation to corporate criminal liability. Companies are actors whose acts are sometimes determined by their shareholders and directors. But they do not fully control what companies do. Companies act autonomously through habits and procedures that have formed between the individuals who act for and contribute to them. These procedures cause companies to become independent of their individual actors and can lead to blameworthy conduct.

A Real Entity Theory of Company Law

This chapter provides an overview of a real entity theory of company law. It begins by exploring three main theories of the company. The first theory explains the company as a contract; it forms the basis on which agency theory builds. The second theory conceives the company as a concession of the state, while the third theory characterizes the company as a real entity. The chapter then looks at a modern version of real entity theory and its application to company law. According to real entity theory, organizations or firms are social phenomenon outside of the law and they are autonomous actors in their own right. This occurs because human beings change their behaviour when they act as members of a group or an organization. Company law finds this phenomenon and evolves with a view to supporting autonomous action by organizations.

Company Law

This book advances a real entity theory of company law. In this theory the company is a legal entity allowing an organization to act autonomously in law, and company law establishes procedures facilitating autonomous organizational decision-making. The theory builds on the insight that organizations or firms are a social phenomenon outside of the law and that they are autonomous actors in their own right. They are more than the sum of the contributions of their participants and they act independently of the views and interests of their participants. The real entity theory advanced in this book explains company law as it stands at a positive level. Companies are liable in tort and crime. The statute creates roles for shareholders, directors, a company secretary, and auditors and so facilitates a process leading to organizational action. The law also integrates the interests of creditors and stakeholders. The book states the law as of 1 August 2021.

Conclusions

This concluding chapter summarizes how the previous chapters explained company law through a real entity theory. According to this theory, the law does not create organizations but finds them as a real social phenomenon. When human beings interact, habits, routines, processes, and procedures form. These affect the way participants of an organization act and so are real in their consequences. Organizations are characterized by this social structure. There also exists individual agency, which enables participants to deviate from the social structure and over time also to modify it. At a positive level, company law can be explained as making it easier for organizations to act autonomously and also as supplying a decision-making process that assigns roles to directors, shareholders, auditors, and a company secretary. Not all organizations are companies and not every company operates as an organization. Company law is nevertheless designed with a view to facilitating autonomous organizational action.

Antecedents of Deviant Behavior: Psychological and Non-Psychological Factors and Ethical Justifications

An integrative model of ethical justifications in organizations is proposed. The model recognizes the roles of psychological and non-psychological factors on the link between ethical theories and the ethical reasoning and, consequently, on the way operators justify themselves when accused of being against (or not favoring) the good of the company. This study wants to contribute to highlighting the benefits of the prevention of deviant behavior through a more profound comprehension of its antecedents. The analysis confirms the complexity of human beings, and the need for an integrated approach that leads to clarity and coherence among tools (e.g. mission, code of ethics, incentive system), people and among both people and tools. A central role is played by the dissemination of a culture that considers the firm as a real entity, with its own interest, that is separated from that of its stakeholders and which brings the purpose of the common good.

Digital Twin Simulation of Connected and Automated Vehicles with the Unity Game Engine

A Digital Twin is defined as a digital replica of a real entity in the physical world. In this study, the Digital Twin simulation is developed for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) by leveraging the Unity game engine. A Digital Twin simulation architecture is proposed, which contains the physical world and the digital world. Particularly, the digital world consists of three layers, where the Unity game objects are built to simulate the "hardware", the Unity scripting API are used to simulate the "software", and external tools (e.g., SUMO, MATLAB, python, and/or AWS) are leveraged to enhance the simulation functionalities. A case study of personazlied adaptive cruise control (P-ACC) is conducted to showcase the effectiveness of the proposed Digital Twin simulation, where the ACC system can be designed to satisfy each driver's preference with the help of cloud computing.

Digital Twin Simulation of Connected and Automated Vehicles with the Unity Game Engine

A Digital Twin is defined as a digital replica of a real entity in the physical world. In this study, the Digital Twin simulation is developed for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) by leveraging the Unity game engine. A Digital Twin simulation architecture is proposed, which contains the physical world and the digital world. Particularly, the digital world consists of three layers, where the Unity game objects are built to simulate the "hardware", the Unity scripting API are used to simulate the "software", and external tools (e.g., SUMO, MATLAB, python, and/or AWS) are leveraged to enhance the simulation functionalities. A case study of personazlied adaptive cruise control (P-ACC) is conducted to showcase the effectiveness of the proposed Digital Twin simulation, where the ACC system can be designed to satisfy each driver's preference with the help of cloud computing.