Emergent Issues Research Articles

How Could Increasing Temperature Scenarios Alter the Risk of Terrorist Acts in Different Historical Squares? A Simulation-Based Approach in Typological Italian Squares

Squares in the urban historical built environment are public open spaces prone to the risk of terrorist acts, essentially because they are ideal soft targets and attract significant user densities. Risk assessment methods should consider how users behave in them, both before and during an accident (i.e., the evacuation process). In addition to squares’ morphology and layout, and considering that urban areas are more and more prone to the effects of increasing temperatures, outdoor climate conditions can alter the initial scenario. In fact, such conditions can lead users to gather in specific outdoor areas, where they can look for shadows and shelter. This work hence proposes a simulation-based approach to assess how differences in users’ behaviours in response to increasing temperatures and squares’ morphology can alter the risk of terrorist acts in an emergency evacuation. An agent-based model is developed to simulate the interactions between users, hazards and the historical built environment. The work considers four typological squares prone to terrorist acts since they host a special building attracting users in front of it. These squares are derived from the analysis of Italian historical contexts within the BE S2ECURe project. Users are generated in the public open space (thus, before the terrorist act) depending on the intended uses of the square and on the outdoor temperature, which is affected by the square’s morphology. Three different users’ behaviours are modelled to consider (or not) the effects of the outdoor temperature on users’ thermal acceptability levels in an increasing temperature situation. Then, two evacuation scenarios are simulated: (a) a general evacuation process, without attackers, as the baseline for the risk assessment; and (b) an armed assault with cold weapons, to define one of the most probable attack situations in open spaces. Evacuation performance indicators are developed to assess users’ risk. Preliminary verifications demonstrate the capabilities of the approach. The results show that higher differences in evacuation indicators are noticed in large and asymmetric squares, since their conditions highly affect the variability of users’ behaviours in response to increasing temperatures. At the same time, stronger safety behaviours in response to increasing temperatures could reduce emergency issues because they allow users to be more dispersed and initially placed farther from the attack area. Decision-makers could take advantage of the proposed approach and simulation tool, moving towards an effectiveness analysis of solutions to increase the thermal comfort of users in respect of the risk levels during an evacuation. Finally, applications to real-world scenarios are thus encouraged to compare such idealized results with effective conditions.

Association between Perceived Organizational Polities and Work-Related Attitudes among Bankers Moderating Role of Personality Traits

Organizational politics is evident across the globe within organizations. This emergent issue needs further investigation with reference to employee personality. The intention of the current study was to better understand how employees respond to organizational politics. The primary goal of the current research was to examine the moderating role of personality factors on bankers' perceptions of organizational politics and attitudes toward their jobs (i.e. job satisfaction and organizational commitment). The data were gathered from 150 employees working in various banks in Multan, using self-reported questionnaires to find their organizational political perceptions, job satisfaction surveys, organizational commitment, and personality tests. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to analyze the model. The personality factor that moderated the link between perceived organisational politics and work-related attitudes was openness to experience. Extroversion and organizational politics had a negative correlation. The outcome of the study depicted a significant link between job satisfaction and organizational politics. The study’s findings add to our understanding of the significance of personality traits concerning how workers view organizational commitment, organizational politics, and their level of job satisfaction.

Impact Of Ethical Leadership on Work Engagement Via Perceived Organizational Politics; Moderating Role of Locus of Control

Around 88 percent of the managers across the globe reported that politics, an endemic phenomenon exists in their organizations and around 87 percent employees are not completely engaged at work. Considering these emergent issues, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of ethical leadership on work engagement through perceived organizational politics, while considering locus of control as moderator in the association between perceived organizational politics and work engagement. This paper utilized a cross-sectional survey research design from 500 supervisor-supervisee dyads in both private and public service sectors of Lahore. Confirmatory factor analysis validated the dimensionality as well as reliability of the measurement model. Furthermore, the hypothesized associations were analyzed through two-staged structural equation modeling. Results revealed that perceived organizational politics mediates the association between ethical leadership and work engagement. In addition, locus of control was found to moderate the association between perceived organizational politics and work engagement. This paper did not establish any causal inferences between the constructs, therefore explanation pertinent to findings must be provided with great caution. This paper suggests practical inferences through mitigation of damaging effects of perceived organizational politics, a prevailing issue with deleterious outcomes and yet not addressed in Asian societies organizations. It emphasizes on organizations to recruit and train individuals with ethical behaviors that may help avoid employees’ negative perceptions, resulting in increased employees’ work engagement. This study extends the existent literature through examining perceived organizational politics (POP) as a mediating mechanism between ethical leadership and work engagement. It sheds light on the personality, politics as a psychological state with its outcomes, along with the cultural dimension for the first time in literature and explains the phenomena through which negative effects of (POP) are buffered by ethical leadership while in presence of individual differences that ameliorate or deteriorate the organizational outcomes. The theoretical framework is progressed through social learning theory and COR theory.

Health Literacy, Resilience and COVID-19 fear among Indonesian Survivors: Does age matter?

Research on COVID-19 survivors is an emergent issue to be discussed since comprehensive knowledge needs to be obtained. Hence, an investigation of aspects related to health information management and psychological constructs among survivors is a necessity. The main objective of this study is to explore the relationship between health literacy, resilience, and COVID-19 fear among survivors. 245 COVID-19 survivors aged 14 to 67 years old (M=30.22; SD=12.707) completed the Health Literacy Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, and Fear of COVID-19 Scale in this study. Results of statistical analysis using PROCESS showed that among Indonesian survivors, resilience plays a full mediating role in the relationship between health literacy and COVID-19 fear. Furthermore, participants were then divided into three age groups. It was found that each age group presented different conditions regarding the relationships between those three variables. This study shows important findings about the importance of considering age in developing healthcare policy.

A Scoping Review of Ethical and Legal Issues in Behavioural Variant Frontotemporal Dementia

Behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a subtype of frontotemporal dementia characterized by changes in personality, social behaviour, and cognition. Although neural abnormalities cause bvFTD patients to struggle with inhibiting problematic behaviour, they are generally considered fully autonomous individuals. Subsequently, bvFTD patients demonstrate understanding of right and wrong but are unable to act in accordance with moral norms. To investigate the ethical, legal, and social issues associated with bvFTD, we conducted a scoping review of academic literature with inclusion & exclusion criteria and codes derived from our prior work. Among our final sample of fifty-six articles, four mentioned bvFTD patient-offenders as unfit to stand trial by insanity, and sixteen mentioned the use of dementia evidence in a court of law to better understand the autonomy of bvFTD patients. Additional emergent issues that were discovered include: training police officers to handle situations involving bvFTD patients and educating healthcare providers on how to help caregivers navigate bvFTD. The current literature highlights the inadequacy of traditional applications of medico-legal categories such as autonomy, capacity and competence, in informing cognitive capacity assessments in clinical and legal settings and deserves consideration by neuroethicists.

Tata group and business response to disability (1951 to 1992) medical interventions, rehabilitation, and livelihood

PurposeThis paper aims to trace Tata Group’s role in responding to disability in the decades immediately following India’s independence until the preliberalization period of the Indian economy, i.e. from the 1950s to the 1990s.Design/methodology/approachThis study’s methodology entailed a historiographical approach and archival engagement at Tata Archives (Pune, India) of the company documents. Materials and records of the Tata Company between 1942 and 1992.FindingsAdopting the corporate culture lens, the study findings show that Tata Group demonstrated an active prosocial corporate approach toward disability. In a period governed by the ideology of a state-dominated developmental approach, Tata Group’s initiatives were related to medical interventions for a wide spectrum of disabilities, rehabilitation and efforts to ensure persons with disabilities (PWDS)’ livelihood.Originality/valueDisability, in the neoliberalized economic landscape of India, is an emergent business issue for companies espousing workplace diversity. The historical understanding of business engagement with disability from postindependence to liberalization in India remains, however, limited. In postindependence India, the passive business response to disability emerged within an ethical and discretionary framework, with charity and philanthropy as the main modes of engagement. In this background, this paper explores Tata’s response to disability and PWDs, which was distinct.

Corporate Responsibility in the Digital Era

As the digital era advances, many industries continue to expand their use of digital technologies to support company operations, notably at the customer interface, bringing new commercial opportunities and increased efficiencies. However, there are new sets of responsibilities associated with the deployment of these technologies, encompassed within the emerging concept of corporate digital responsibility (CDR), which to date has received little attention in the academic literature. This exploratory paper thus looks to make a small contribution to addressing this gap in the literature. The paper adopts a qualitative, inductive research method, employing an initial scoping literature review followed by two case studies. Based on the research findings, a simple model of CDR parameters is put forward. The article includes a discussion of a number of emergent issues—fair and equitable access, personal and social well-being, environmental implications, and cross-supply chain complexities—and a conclusion that summarises the main findings and suggests possible directions for future research.

Freighted Friendships to Phony Flowers: Feminist Memory Work and Self-Study in a Study Abroad Program

Background: This paper analyzes a remembered shared experience of cocurricular designing and coteaching an experiential learning pilot project in a university study abroad program (SAP) that emphasized social justice. Purpose: We look back because the pilot program is a significant demonstration of what complexities can arise when feminist educators bring their own politics and pedagogies to experiential learning and study abroad education contexts; we understand this as valuable because “experience” broadly is complex. Memory is crucial to feminist educators because it indicates the development of care, ethics, pedagogy, politics, and priorities, and so, we ask: what pedagogical insights can be gained through revisiting our enmeshed personal/professional memories of cocurricular designing and coteaching an experiential learning series for study abroad students? Methodology: We use self-study and memory work to analyze memory objects (curriculum materials) and narratives (of teaching) to explore this pedagogical work and highlight generative tensions that emerged while employing a critical feminist approach to work not initially conceptualized with this framing. Findings: We uncovered three key tensions: personal, community, and racial that troubled emergent issues related to difference, discourse, and positionality. Implications: This project offers pedagogical insights into how oppression and inequality may enter experiential learning and study abroad spaces.

The regulation of and through information technology: Towards a conceptual ontology for IS research

This special issue addresses a largely neglected area of Information Systems (IS) research – the regulation of and through Information Technology (IT). As with other human technologies, IT artefacts present risks and can harm individuals, groups, organisations, economies, and society: However, this remains a largely unexplored topic in IS research. Nevertheless, regulators, social commentators, the media, and the public have voiced their concerns about such risks, particularly those related to artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, privacy, digital assets (e.g. cryptocurrencies), and the market dominance of digital platforms. Accordingly, regulations have been instituted or proposed to regulate IT artefacts in and across several business sectors. Additionally, in response to the informational challenges posed by a complex web of laws and regulations, regulators and business organisations have implemented IT artefacts to transform regulatory and supervisory processes or to enhance organisational risk management and compliance reporting capabilities. This special issue addresses the research challenges related to emergent issues surrounding the regulation of and through IT. In this editorial, we take stock of where the field currently stands. We advance a conceptual ontology of IT regulation to guide future research by specifying several taken-for-granted core concepts. By rendering the concepts, categories, and their relationships explicit, the model and its related research questions provide a firm foundation to generate a cumulative body of research on the regulation of and through IT.

Sexual identity data collection and access in UK population-based studies

Sexual identity data collection and access in UK population-based studies

Resilience, stress and sustainability of alluvial aquifers in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia: Opportunities for groundwater management

Study regionMain alluvial aquifers of the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), Australia Study focusAround 75% of total metered groundwater use within Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), arguably the nation’s most important food and fibre production region, is extracted from eight main alluvial aquifer systems. To date, regional-scale analyses of groundwater resilience, stress and sustainability for the region have not been completed. This study provides a systemic overview of the main alluvial systems anchored in these concepts. To achieve this, we combined three lines of evidence encompassing: a) long-term trend analysis of groundwater levels; (b) calculation of groundwater footprint indices considering volume and quality; and (c) an explicit comparison of groundwater management areas in terms of groundwater usage, sustainable use, storage volumes, presence and diversity of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs), and buffering capacity to absorb changes in recharge rates. New hydrological insights for the regionThe novelty of our work rests upon an integrated assessment of these three lines of evidence incorporating twelve different metrics to prioritise future groundwater management efforts. Results indicate that eleven out of twenty-two groundwater management areas show resilience, stress and/or sustainability issues, and a further two with emergent issues. Efforts to improve our understanding and management of these key groundwater resources would be most effective if focussed on these areas.

‘One size does not fit all’ in organ donation and transplantation

With increasing immigration to Europe, migrants and ethnic minorities (MEMs) are progressively represented on transplant waiting lists. However, they remain underrepresented among the pools of both deceased and living donors (LD). Further, studies report inferior knowledge and/or understanding of organ donation and transplantation among these populations, with the potential for detrimental impacts on accessibility, quality and outcomes of care. The ethnic and cultural diversity characterising European societies poses additional challenges to the complexity inherent to communication in transplant settings. This study addresses the ethical, theoretical and practical implications of targeting/tailoring interventions for MEM populations in the transplant continuum. It puts forward a call for action on the emergent issue of how institutional actors and healthcare professionals should interact more effectively with MEM publics, potential donors and/or their families and MEM transplant candidates/recipients/LDs.

Can the European Union be a “Change Master” in the Climate Change–Defenсe Nexus?

This article examines the “climate change – defence” nexus in order to identify opportunities for unlocking the EU's potential as a “change master” in a complex world. The paper aims, on the one hand, to showcase the Union as a “multidimensional power” with a unique toolkit for action and, on the other hand, to explore the EU's capacity to be a “change agent” in the green transition and the defence sector's involvement in it. A 'multidimensional power' is defined as a combination of aspects and tools of – soft, economic, normative, military, transformative, smart and tranquil powers. By implementing the Moss Kanter's innovative approach from the theory of change and exploring the numerous documents and initiatives generated by the European institutions in the last three years, the publication seeks to answer to what extent the Union has the capabilities to be a "master of change", namely to adapt to the environment and to identify new opportunities, threats and ideas; to use kaleidoscopic thinking; to communicate a clear vision and inspire others, to create coalitions, to work through teams, not to be discouraged by obstacles and to recognise everyone's contribution. As a result, it is concluded that while the Union has all the prerequisites to be a “change master” on climate change and defence issues, this potential is not yet unlocked, as: on the one hand, there is an imbalance between high proactivity by the European institutions and moderate caution in implementation by the Member States, and on the other hand, communication deficits exist regarding the EU's global green transformation efforts and investments. The sooner it is realised globally that the time is changing us, but we are changing it too, the sooner action will be taken on both the environmental footprint and the defence sector's contribution to climate emergency issues.

Emergent Issues in Cryptocurrency: Identifying Research Gaps and Future Directions

This paper highlights potential research areas that require further investigation, suggesting that there are still significant gaps in the understanding of the factors that drive consumer behavior and adoption in the cryptocurrency industry. The study emphasizes the need for future research to explore issues such as the role of social media, trust, and branding in the cryptocurrency market, and their implications for marketing and business strategies. By identifying these research gaps, the study aims to encourage further exploration of these issues and contribute to a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by this rapidly evolving industry.

Reliable and efficient emergency rescue networks: A blockchain and fireworks algorithm-based approach

In recent years, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a severe issue the world faces. Emergency rescue networks concerning the distribution of relief materials have gained extensive attention to tackle COVID-19 and related emergency issues. However, it is challenging to establish reliable and efficient emergency rescue networks due to information asymmetry and lack of trust among different rescue stations. In this work, we propose blockchain-based emergency rescue networks to track every transaction of the relief materials reliably and make decisions to deliver relief materials efficiently. More specifically, we propose a hybrid blockchain architecture that employs on-chain data verification to authenticate data records and off-chain data storage to reduce storage overhead. Furthermore, we propose a fireworks algorithm to efficiently calculate the optimal allocation strategies for relief materials. The algorithm provides chaotic random screening and node request guarantee techniques with good convergence. The simulation results show that integrating blockchain technology and the fireworks algorithm can significantly improve relief materials’ operation efficiency and distribution quality.

NO FEAR–Better Integrating Healthcare Into Crisis Management Structures

Introduction:Since the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, the EU-funded project, NO FEAR collected lessons observed from the response. One of the issues raised in the retrospective “lessons observed” exercise, was the need to better integrate health care into “crisis management structures” (e.g. Civil Protection).Method:Lessons observed from the COVID-19 response were collected and analyzed by the NO FEAR project, through a questionnaire, discussion with consortium partners, and a large conference in Madrid, with a high-level briefing for policymakers.Results:During the Madrid conference, different speakers pointed out the lack of training for healthcare professionals in crisis management (processes and procedures)–except those with military training or EMS officers who are part of Fire and Rescue Services. In a same manner, crisis managers have very little (if any) training in health. This was identified as a gap in future preparedness.Conclusion:Looking into the future, healthcare professionals who will be called to take part in crisis management systems have to be trained in this task, as well as basic awareness of crisis managers to health issues in emergencies.

Disaster Medicine Compendium and the Necessity of Preparation of Medical Techniques for Handling NBC/CBRNE Hazards, for General Surgeons

Introduction:The risks of NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) or CBRNE (R: radiological, E: explosive) hazards are rapidly increasing even in civilian areas, as well as those of natural disasters (earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.). Therefore, one of the most important and emergent issues for medical staff, especially for general surgeons is the necessity of skills to deal with various mega- or major disasters to help people as well as, protecting themselves. This has been a point of emphasis since 2005, when the Disaster Medicine Compendium was published and continues to be updated today.Method:The research focuses on NBC/CBRNE hazards: Pandemics such as COVID-19, Monkeypox, influenza, the Tokyo Subway Sarin Incident, and the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake, followed by Fukushima Plant Incident, Chernobyl, earthquakes with tsunami, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, and the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.Results:The skills that should be accustomed to are protection, prevention, diminution of toxicity, decontamination, as well as routine medical/surgical treatments. The relevant education is varied and not easily performed. For example, it was found that Japan DMAT or disaster medical assistant teams struggled with a lack of techniques to deal with the nuclear plant hazard during the above-mentioned Fukushima plant accident.Conclusion:In the event of hazards including NBC/CBRNE, surgical skills are necessary. However, medical teams require training in advance. Surgical methods and other skills, intensive care, and examinations performed wearing PPE or personal protection equipment is important, as well as the safety and security of the medical teams, in addition, to supporting the vulnerable/weak victims, ensured using an Incident Command System.

The beneficial tyranny of politics: emergence, institutionalisation and newer issues of the history of education in Latin America

ABSTRACT This article sketches the emergence, institutionalisation and emergent issues and challenges in the scholarly field of history of education in Latin America. It argues that these processes have been closely linked with nation-building and the decisive role of national politics. The impact of national politics is herein called a ‘beneficial tyranny’. This was certainly true for the first major works written in the late nineteenth century and the major waves of historiography until the slow institutionalisation of the major site of research in history of education: the study of education at universities in the 1960s as well as the institutionalisation of the field of history of education with the establishment of academic societies and specific journals in the 1990s. Yet this interpretation does not explain more recent developments in the field. By looking at recent publications in all major journals of the region for the years 2020 and 2021, new historiographical trends clearly emerge.

Managing the Knowledge Deficit in the German Automotive Industry

The combined effects of decarbonization and digitalization have had a significant impact on the German automotive industry, with different business models emerging that often involve new business alliances with other automotive companies and technology companies. This rapid and dramatic change momentum has resulted in a “knowledge deficit” in the industry, as regards the skills and know-how required to operate successfully in the digital economy. Using an inductive, qualitative research methodology, based on in-depth interviews with industry experts and practitioners, this article identifies the main areas in which skills, knowledge and competencies are lacking, and assesses the main ways in which the industry is trying to address the problem. A number of emergent issues are also discussed. The article finds that many years of technology outsourcing have left the industry deficient in core technology skills for software development, data management and architecture design, and that new competencies in cybersecurity, platforms and ecosystems, and sourcing management are also urgently needed. The industry is addressing this challenge through a combination of strategies, including major partnership arrangements with the big tech companies. The article concludes that entrepreneurial innovation and radical digital leadership will be required to adequately address the knowledge deficit in the digital era.

Mixed reality in threatened environments

ABSTRACT This article considers the ecoscenographer’s use of technologies to ‘timeshift’ performances. Timeshifting refers to watching locally recorded content after its originally scheduled broadcast. It explores the evolution, refinement, and emergent issues related to applying this approach to performing relationships within threatened environments, including how they relate to notions of ‘hauntology’ in highlighting and collapsing time in reference to climate change. The article reviews the cultivation of new technologies to provide located media in remote locations, such as: Dance Exchange’s 500 Miles/ 500 Stories, Out of Box Productions’ Rallentando, and more recent projects including Toasterlab’s Groundworks and park-based projects, Swim Pony’s TrailOff, The Only Animal’s 1000-Year Theatre, and Nakai Theatre’s Landscape Theatre. These projects establish a trajectory of emplaced mixed reality practice. This includes practical production topics such as asymmetrical data infrastructure and the trade-offs of accessible technology. It considers how gaming (i.e. open world games) and 360VR provide tools for scenographers to stage spatial performances that examine the deep performativity of space over time despite the limitations resulting from the phenomenology of archive.