Privacy and beyond: socio-ethical concerns of ‘on-the-job’ surveillance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce the changing patterns of learning, thinking and acting to help identify and describe the need for new frames of reference in a complex world.Design/methodology/approachLooking at our changing environment, the question is asked: are these changes superficial or transformative? This questions leads to exploring the frame of reference from which we view reality, and then the sequence from our frame of reference to learning to thinking to action.FindingsThe author offers that as our world speeds up and becomes more complex, with less time for learning and thinking and more information than anyone can process, we need to move from the mechanical perspective to a new organic frame of reference and reconsider how we learn, think and act. Each of these areas is then expanded upon, with the end result of asking even more questions.Originality/valueThis paper will help leaders and researchers recognize the need to – and importance of – reframing their perspective to better match the complexities of the problems and opportunities they face.

A new frame of reference, which in its fundamental structuring differs radically from the structuring of the familiar western Indo-European viewpoints (logical, mathematical, scientific, philosophical, etc.), already exists. Recently, by the strategem of systematically disallowing a previously unnoticed untenable assumption encoded in the traditional Western symbolic logics, set theories, etc., in particular and in the Western 'World-View' in general, this frame of reference has generated its own, entirely non-traditional, formalized language. The Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic has accepted for publication a first paper presenting this non-standard formalized language (Hilgartner, 1975). As one of its accomplishments, this new frame of reference delivers a general theory of living. This theory purports to span the entire domain of what we call living systems, human or non-human. The author did not originally devise this new frame of reference to account for the observable 'doings' of one-celled organisms. Consequently, any effort to illustrate the generalizations of this already-existing abstract theory in terms of humanly observable bacterial behavior has the effect of experimentally testing these generalizations. In the second portion of this paper, the author shows that the new viewpoint neatly accounts, with no 'loose ends,' for the published observations concerning the sensing of chemicals by bacteria; and also proposes two new experiments. Meanwhile, there exists a special dilemma which arises whenever its adepts attempt to discuss this non-standard frame of reference with persons versed in the standard Western one. By delineating the structuring of this dilemma, in the context of a human studying the sensing of chemicals by bacteria, the author demonstrates that the untenable assumption mentioned above does underlie the traditional Western viewpoints; and this demonstration suffices to show the traditional Western 'World-View' as fundamentally flawed.

The Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS), adopted by drug regulatory agencies for oral drug products approval, classify drug substances into four classes according to their aqueous solubility and epithelial membrane permeability. In a solubility‐permeability frame of reference, drugs on the boundaries of the four regions depicting the four drug classes are problematic to classify. To remove the fuzziness in the boundaries of the solubility‐permeability frame of reference, a dataset of 85 oral drugs from all four classes of BCS are mapped into new frames of references in which the coordinate axes are based on the rates of dissolution, systemic elimination (metabolism), and membrane permeation. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 3570–3579, 2015

PurposeFrom the frame of reference reflecting on values as knowledge, this paper aims to explore future organizational values that resonate with characteristics of a increasing change, rising uncertainty, growing complexity and ubiquitous anxiety (CUCA) environment and a new generation of knowledge workers.Design/methodology/approachThe paper shifts the frame of reference to reflect on values as knowledge, and from that viewpoint explores future organizational values that resonate with characteristics of a CUCA environment and a new generation of knowledge workers. It lays the groundwork by first clearly defining knowledge and aspects of knowledge, and values. It then takes a closer look at the relationship between knowledge and values, values in organizations, and aligning values.FindingsExploring values as knowledge offers the opportunity for a deeper understanding of the relationships among values. The eight proposed values (integrity, empathy, transparency, participation, collaboration, contribution, learning, and creativity) are somewhat interdependent, consistent with working in a CUCA environment, and appear to resonate with the Net Generation.Originality/valueThe paper provides a new frame of reference for understanding values. It proposes eight values in resonance with a new generation of knowledge workers.

National and European policies have gradually defined a new frame of reference for training strategies, structures, systems, and content. This new frame of reference implies that vocational training is increasingly distinct from the type of teaching dispensed in secondary schools and training organisations. One of the objectives is to gradually incorporate the strategies and practices used in human resources management in the business world, into training. This idea will be examined further in this chapter, which consists of three sections: Section 1 addresses the main changes which have taken place in the training sector. These relate to training structures, technologies, and models. Section 2 emphasises the increasingly important role of work in different kinds of vocational training, and the gradually closer relationship between the competences of individuals working in the human resources function and those of trainers and teachers. Section 3 describes the changing roles of the two groups of key players in vocational training: trainers and teachers. (DIPF/Orig.)

The energy sector is experiencing a rapid growth in innovations, both directly and indirectly. Innovation in general can be divided into three broad regimes. Micro-innovations are process improvements that squeeze out efficiencies from existing methods. They are rules based and function as routines. Meso-innovations emerge from combining the rules of different methods to redefine the system boundaries and create new frames of reference. Revolutionary ideas usually begin as the innocent merging of two seemingly disparate ideas. Macro-innovations scale adoption of the new frame of reference to society at large, creating new relationships between suppliers and buyers. This process includes creating new boundaries or barriers to market entry. Each innovation method is appropriate under different circumstances. Part IV explores the multiple facets of innovation in four chapters.

This is an attempt to place the problem of textbook theory into a new frame of reference provided by cultural-historical theory of development, using the idea about cultural-historical mediation of individual development and concept of CST as a basic analytical concepts. The new frame of reference introduces a new language on textbooks, opening a range of new research problems, while dealing with the old ones in a new and more complex way. Textbook is shifted from the usual pedagogic-didactic setting and placed in a more basic and cultural context. The paper is an attempt to bring the concept of cultural tools to a completely operational level, as well as to test the actual power of that concept by identifying CST in textbooks. Furthermore, this paper is an attempt elaborate the forms of social assistance that constitute the zone of proximal development, seen as the characteristics of joint activities of the child and a more competent participant (which is "hidden?, i.e., indirectly present, in this case). Vygotsky never specified the forms of social assistance, but rather gave general prescriptions (Moll, 1990), thus presenting one of the central theoretical and practical tasks for the followers of his ideas.

We discuss the concepts related to space-time in a quantum-relativistic theory by means of the analysis of the physical procedures used to construct a new frame of reference starting from a pre-existent frame (transformation procedures). The physical objects which form a frame of reference are allowed to interact with the other physical objects and follow the laws of quantum physics. We suggest that there are conceptual limitations which do not permit the exact realization of a transformation of the Poincaré group by means of physical procedures. We remark also that the operations performed in order to construct a frame of reference perturb the surrounding physical objects and are influenced by them. We propose some general theoretical schemes which take these facts into account and permit the separation of the geometrical effects of a transformation procedure from the physical ones. Finally we find the conditions which permit the construction of a Poincaré-invariant theory of the usual kind by means of the introduction of some ideal concepts which have no direct operational meaning.

Purpose of this study was to control the suitability of Navi-Robot, a robotic system developed by our research group, to guide percutaneous needle placement under computed tomography (CT) in order to achieve lower radiation exposure and a shorter procedure. The system consists of a high precision six-degrees-of-freedom self-balanced arm, able to move both in passive and active modes, which allows the physician an accurate needle-insertion. The target and the needle entry points are selected by the surgeon on a desktop computer, that acquires DICOM images from the CT scan, and that, using software developed for this purpose, detects also the position of at least three radio opaque markers placed on the patient or on the stretcher. Once these data are obtained, a new system of reference is established based on the markers position, obtaining the coordinates of target and entry point in the new frame of reference. Going then to touch the tip of the spheres with the tip of the robot end effector in passive mode, and recording their position, the robot learns where the two points of interest are located in its frame of reference. A first test was performed on a Plexiglas board; the accuracy achieved was measured as the distance between the needle tip and the target. The results of the in vitro experiment showed that the system is able to reach the target with an accuracy of 1.2 mm.

1. Assessment of the visible iris pigments for a given individual may serve as a reliable guide to many of his physiological as well as psychological characteristics. 2. The author's iris pigment scale which dynamically presents the iris colors from blue to deeply pigmented black is arranged in a spectrum-like continuum. This scale is presented in relation to human health and disease for the first time. 3. This frame of reference provides for a genetically determined guide to certain aspects of the basic selective reactivity of each individual to his environment in relation to the specific appearance of the iris pigment. 4. It is felt that the principle of individual reactivity may facilitate a more appropriate and efficient application and use of those chemical agents and therapeutic procedures already available. 5. Some aspects of the application of the iris pigment scale, as a new frame of reference, to the normal variants of temperament, the genetically determined mental deficiency and the schizophrenic process, have been delineated.

Paradigms metamorphose when they develop a new frame of reference. Two examples of paradigmatic metamorphosis are examined that together can be argued to formulate an evolutionary approach to managerial cybernetics. Organization Development (OD) is a well‐established soft methodology used extensively to engineer cultural change in organizations. OD can be set within Viable Systems Theory (VST), itself a conceptual development of the managerial cybernetic theory that underlies the Viable Systems Model (VSM). To illustrate this, a frame of reference is created that looks at systemic transformational processes. VST can operate as a general framework for this within which OD, VSM, and indeed the principles of Habermas's theory of communicative action can be embedded. A result of this exploration is to show how a managerial cybernetic form of OD can be developed to improve the way organizations can be diagnosed in complex change situations that must be managed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PurposeIn popular culture, ethics and morality are topical, heightened by recent attention to the banking industry and pay awards, monopoly capitalism, global warming and sustainability. Yet, surprisingly, little attention is given to these in the narrative of the conceptualisation of social enterprise or social entrepreneurship – nor in the academic research on the sector. Current conceptualisations of social enterprise fail to fully satisfy the spirit of the movement which advances a narrative that social enterprises: are more like businesses than voluntary organisations; are more entrepreneurial than public service delivery; use business models but are not just in it for the money. A focus on the economic implies a business model where deep tensions lie. A focus on social capital offers a different frame of reference, yet both these conceptualisations fail to fully identify the phenomenon that is social enterprise. The objective of this paper is to fill that gap. Ethical capital is offered here as an alternative and unrecognised conceptualisation in the field of social enterprise.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is exploratory in nature – a tentative piece of theorising that brings together the authors' perspectives on ethical capital to offer a new frame of reference on social enterprise. It sets out to investigate some of the issues in order to provoke further research.FindingsIt is argued in the paper that the current ideology of the neo‐classical economic paradigm pursues interests towards the self and towards the erosion of the moral basis of association. The outcome leaves society with a problem of low ethical virtue. The implications of this paper are that social enterprises maximise ethical virtue beyond any other form of organisation and as such hold great value beyond their missions and values.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper starts the process of intellectual debate about the notion of ethical capital in social enterprises. The conclusions of this paper outline further research questions that need to be addressed in order to fully develop this concept.Originality/valueThis paper offers great value in the understanding of social enterprise through fresh insight into its conceptualisation. A critical perspective is adopted towards the current literature. This paper sheds new light on an understanding of the sector, providing practitioners, business support agencies and academics alike with a conceptualisation that has not been explored before.

In addition to their manifest function of explaining the assumed or real deterioration of organized religion in our society, secularization theories have the latent function of tra cing new forms of religion. For sociologists of religion this seemed to be the way to overcome their identity crisis resulting from this assumed deterioration. Many sociologists of religion have made the secularization theories their new frame of refe rence. This has incited us to critically examine the validity of these theories. In the first part of this article, three types of secularization theories are discussed, viz. those emphazing pluralization (W. Herberg and M. Yinger), individualization (Th. Luckmann and P. Berger), and rationalization (M. Weber and B. Wil son). In the second part it is shown that all these theories-are based on two historically developed social theses. First, it is assumed that a distinction can be made between the« essence » of religion and its « accidental » historical form ; secondly, it is assumed that the religious can be separated from the non- religious. Both these assumptions have originated among cer tain positions in a certain historical context, and are still held and defended by certain positions. These secularization theories thus have an ideological basis. In the third part, the dialectical relationship between ideolo gy and social reality is discussed : secularization not only is an ideology without engagement, it is also a program of social action and as such may become social reality. This dialectic between ideology about. religion and reality of religion holds enough opportunities for research by sociologists of religion so that it is not necessary to promote these ideologies to frames of reference.

Addressing the social life cycle inventory analysis data gap: Insights from a case study of cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

With many policies in Germany steering towards a bioeconomy, there is a need for analytical tools that assess not only the environmental and economic implications but also the social implications of a transition to a bioeconomy. Wood is expected to become a major biomass resource in bioeconomy regions. Therefore, this paper develops a social life cycle assessment (sLCA) framework that can be applied specifically to a wood-based production system in one of Germany’s bioeconomy regions. This paper reviews and analyses existing sLCA approaches, in terms of how applicable they are for assessing a wood-based production system in a German bioeconomy regional context. The analysis is structured according to the standard phases of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA). However, we use the term social effects rather than social impacts, to acknowledge the unknown cause–effect relationship between an organisation’s activities and its social impacts. We also consider the establishment of regional system boundaries, as well as the relationship between the social effects and the product being assessed. Additionally, an approach for the development and selection of social indicators and indices is outlined. Furthermore, we discuss data requirements and present an approach for a social life cycle impact assessment method. A new conceptual framework for a context-specific sLCA to assess wood-based products manufactured in a bioeconomy region was developed. It enables sLCA practitioners to identify “social hotspots” and “social opportunities” from a regional perspective. The location and characteristics of these social hotspots and opportunities can be analysed, in particular, for major production activities in a bioeconomy region in Germany. Therefore, according to this framework, the development of social indices and indicators, the collection of data and the approach used for characterising social effects need to relate to the geographical context of the product being assessed. The proposed framework can, thus, help to identify, monitor and evaluate the social sustainability of wood-based bioeconomy chains in a regional context. This framework requires a high level of detail in the social inventory and impact assessment phase, in order to assess the regional foreground activities in a German wood-based bioeconomy region. It enables sLCA studies to identify which social hotspots and social opportunities occur and where they are located in the wood-based production system of a regional bioeconomy.