Socio-technological Approach Research Articles

Acceleration of Green Transitions on the Base of Port Organizational Ecosystem’s Resilience Enhancement: A Socio-Technological Approach

Seaports are pivotal nodes in global trade, under increasing pressure to expedite green transitions while navigating the complexities of modern economic and environmental challenges. This research investigates the intricate relationship between the resilience of port organizational ecosystems and the successful implementation of green transitions. Employing a combination of focus group interviews and participatory observation, the study explores the primary obstacles, particularly the insufficiency of managerial capacity, which hampers the integration of technological innovations. Challenges identified include outdated infrastructure, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and the imperative for sustained investment in new technologies, along with the need to promote a culture of sustainability. Experts highlight the crucial role of managerial competencies and continuous learning in overcoming these barriers. Furthermore, the research underscores the importance of fostering strong partnerships among stakeholders, including government bodies, industry associations, and environmental organizations. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, port managers, and other stakeholders seeking to navigate the challenges for ensuring a sustainable future for the maritime sport organizational ecosystems and maritime industry.

Social technologies for creating positive image of public security authorities

The paper is dedicated to the sociological analysis of social technologies applied for creating a positive image of public security authorities. The authors substantiate the expediency of using a socio-technological approach to the formation of the image of security authorities, ensuring the selection of relevant and adequate content for various target groups and audiences. Besides, the text represents the components of the image creation that allows us to algorithmize this process, that is, to determine its main directions that, taken together, can lead to an improvement in the image of public security authorities: segmentation – identifying target groups of the population differentiated based on their attitude towards internal affairs bodies and having different social attitudes and expectations; positioning – determining attributes that will directly affect the formation of the image of internal affairs bodies in various segmented groups; design – the formation of an integral characteristic, including the mythological, virtual-stereotypical and concrete levels at which the analysis and selection of certain archetypes, symbolic images suitable for the modern situation takes place, the development of desirable social actions of department employees; rooting – the final consolidation and fixation of the image of the department in the minds of the population.

Understanding Technology in Modern Culture: methodological reconstruction of philosophical approaches

The subject of the research is philosophical approaches to the analysis of technology reflecting the understanding of technology in modern culture. The problematization of technology occurs in connection with the desire of people to control it, reducing the determinism of their lives by external forces. To explain the connection between technology and man, numerous philosophical approaches have been proposed — systems of views expressing a certain way of seeing and based on basic concepts (reflecting the main aspects of the subject of research). Depending on the properties attributed to the technique and the goals of study, these approaches offer various forms of its awareness and practical development. At the existing level of philosophical knowledge, these concepts are not systematized and not coordinated; implied assumptions are not formulated openly, the main problems and prerequisites of the study, the factors taken into account, the meaning of the terms used are not always explicitly stated. The author comes to the conclusion that the analysis of these approaches with the help of logical reconstruction will bring the greatest methodological benefit: the identification of philosophical concepts (including the articulation of unconscious ideas), their comparison and analysis of methodological foundations (identification of the principles underlying them). It is concluded that the following have the greatest potential for research: a socio-natural approach analyzing nature and human society (generating technology) as steps of a single ladder of evolution having common laws of functioning; a sociotechnological approach considering socio-cultural and technical practices as generated by the communication environment; a biotechnological approach exploring natural and technical systems as successive stages of the evolution of the Universe, not taking into account the subjective factor of technology development. As a result, developing a philosophy of technology that combines all the diversity of these approaches and explains their mutual correspondence, we will analyze the anthropological foundations of technical activity.

СПЕЦИФИКА ПОДГОТОВКИ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛОВ ТИПА "ЧЕЛОВЕК-ЗНАК": ОСОБЕННОСТИ ПРОИЗВОДСТВЕННОЙ ПРАКТИКИ ДИЗАЙНЕРОВ И АРХИТЕКТОРОВ

The article analyzes the issues of work training (internship) for students getting educated in the areas of “man-sign”. In accordance with the socio-technological approach, a “man-sign” is an integral element of “mancreativity” and is distinguished by the creation and use of various sign systems. The paper analyzes the areas of study – design and architecture. To do so, the author solves the following tasks: 1) to analyze the scientific literature on the issues of work training (internship) in the field of design and architecture; 2) to identify universities that provide training in the specified specialties (profiles) of education; 3) to select universities for subsequent analysis of the features of work training (internship) in the specified specialties (profiles) of education; 4) conduct a series of in-depth interviews with employed graduates who were trained in the specified specialties (profiles) of education. The data obtained do not allow speaking about a cardinal deterioration or improvement in the state of affairs in the field of work practice. Nevertheless, the author identifies a number of issues including a shortened practice for a bachelor’s degree in architecture, limited practice bases, irrelevance and inconsistency of curricula and other educational documents on the websites of universities. In addition, during in-depth interviews, general and specific (characteristic only for designers and architects) issues of the effectiveness of production practices were also identified.

ПЕДАГОГ: ГРАНИ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО СТАНОВЛЕНИЯ

The article aims to show the various sides of the teaching profession, to determine the features of professional training in that field of human activity. Using the methodology of M. Weber, the author reveals the reasons for the influence of a teacher on his students, associated with the preservation of traditions, special personal charisma, as well as business competencies. Proposing to divide teachers into two groups (by vocation and by profession), the author touches on a sore subject that caused a wide public discussion – the attribution of education to the service sector. To determine the specifics of the profession, the sociotechnological approach proposed by Zh.T. Toshchenko, according to which the intellectual, sensory-perceptual, organizational and moral components of the teacher’s personality are highlighted. Particular attention is paid to the importance of motivation in choosing the profession of a teacher. Notably the internal motives associated with the awareness of one’s vocation and abilities for teaching communication with children that create the necessary positive attitude to engage in pedagogical activities. Finally, the article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of modern teacher training in classical and pedagogical universities.

БЕСПИЛОТНАЯ ГОРОДСКАЯ АЭРОМОБИЛЬНОСТЬ: ТЕХНОЛОГИИ БЛИЖАЙШЕГО БУДУЩЕГО

The further development of urban mobility, taking into account the latest technical and technological achievements, is considered by many leading vehicle manufacturers in creating and introducing unmanned urban air mobile vehicles into the urban environment. Despite the fact that currently the development of these means of transportation of passengers and cargo is actually in the technical plane - the integral success of introducing this type of transport depends on multiple socio-technological aspects of this phenomenon, which will have various social consequences. The objective of this paper is to identify the socio-technological issues of the phenomenon of unmanned urban air mobility. The result of this paper is to make recommendations to developers of unmanned urban air mobile vehicles in order to minimize the damage from ignoring the negative socio-technological consequences of introducing this type of transport into the urban environment. The novelty of the paper lies in the fact that this type of transport was studied not from a technical and technological point of view, which is the leading one at this stage, but using a socio-technological approach. The paper clearly proves that unmanned urban air mobile vehicles are also multifaceted social objects.

On the problem of renovation of socio-cultural constants that have constructive potential for development of regional communities

In the article, the authors, on the basis of a socio-technological approach, design step-by-step procedures for the renovation of sociocultural constants that have a constructive potential for the reproduction and development of regional communities. It is noted that the sociotechnological solution to the problem of the renovation of socio-cultural constants in the region presupposes the construction of this paper according to the model of an algorithm, which is the order of performing an exact sequence of actions that are clear to the executor, ensuring the achievement of the result. Proceeding from the nonlinearity of the constant renewal process, the authors substantiate the need to use a flexible algorithm, that is, an algorithm with branching, which assumes that the transition to subsequent procedures (actions) is carried out depending on the results of checking the performance of the previous procedure. In such an algorithm, reflection of completed procedures and, on the basis of it, the choice of possible further actions, which is quite adequate to the requirements of the socio-technological approach, acquires particular importance. In the algorithm for the renovation of sociocultural constants, the authors distinguish the following sequential procedures: initiation of the renovation of a constant or a system of constants; expert assessment of the validity of the choice; establishing the degree of complementarity of the constants to the dominant attitudes and orientations of the mass consciousness; establishing a normative interpretation of the content of a constant; decomposition of a constant in the form of a system of ideas, images, symbols, everyday ideas; the transformation of a constant into a permanent element of regional public discourse; formation of the “asset” constant; building a constant infrastructure. The basis for reflection at all stages of the constructed algorithm shall be the results of diagnostics (self-diagnostics).

Employing visibility and agent-based accessibility analysis to enhance social interactions in older adult care facilities

ABSTRACT Social interaction is an essential factor in ensuring the quality of older adult living. This study aimed to investigate socio-spatial features associated with social interaction in older adult care facilities. A socio-technological approach integrating space syntax and agent-based analysis was applied as an evaluation framework to measure the spatial and social attributes. Visibility from the nurses’ and patients’ locations, behavioural accessibility to social spaces, and strong to weak circulation patterns were examined. There was low patient visibility from the nurse stations in cluster-type units, and the visual connection was higher in the patient room corridors than the lounge areas in racetrack-type units. Increased inflows of patients to common areas appeared with a direct and uninterrupted connection between patient room corridors and central circulation area. This study contributes to potential applications of the spatial features to enhance social interaction possibilities with an awareness of the effects on visual and social properties.

Factors affecting students’ engagement with online content in blended learning

PurposeIncreasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education has, along with other consequences, shifted the context from teacher-centric to student-centric. These changes pose fresh challenges to the prevalent education systems all over the world, which already have fallen short of the expectations. The purpose of this study is to show that e-learning is not only about ICT following a holistic approach to learning which embeds systemic approach and learning loops but also about students and teacher’s actions in ICT-enabled learning environment. This study investigates the importance of engagement of students and teachers in blended learning with a focus on factors which affect this engagement.Design/methodology/approachBased on systems theory and socio-technological approach to e-learning, the paper documents an experiment which was carried out in a higher education institution. Postgraduate students of one course were divided into two groups. Instructor of the first group was not required to engage with the online content and had to deliver his course in a traditional face-to-face format. Instructor of the second group continuously spent time on the learning management system (LMS), developing more content, participating in online discussions and responding to students. LMS tracked the online activity of both the instructors, and semi-structured interviews of students were conducted.FindingsBased on behaviour of 152 students of a postgraduate programme, students’ time spent online is directly proportional to the instructor’s online time, promptness of instructor’s response to online activities queries of students increased student engagement, the students’ engagement increases if the online content is related to the syllabus but engagement is not the same as the face-to-face lectures in the class.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was conducted in India and is based on the behaviour of instructors and students in India. It was focussed on engagement issues of blended learning, while other issues of blended learning have not been in the focus of the research.Practical implicationsThe research is important for the practice of higher education, and the result of the study can be taken into consideration while developing online courses for students enrolled in higher education.Social implicationsIf higher education institutions take a strategic decision to use ICT in e-learning, engagements of participants and factors affecting engagement are crucial for the better quality of education. In such a way, blended learning fulfils requirements of a holistic approach to learning.Originality/valueDespite the fact that e-learning as a way to deliver academic content has been extensively researched, there are not many studies focussed on engagement issues in blended learning, and even fewer studies have been conducted in an experimental way which allow in-depth research.

Socio-technological authentication

This paper proposes a socio-technological approach to conceptualising the processes of authentication in technology-saturated society. It argues that authentication involves the inscription of value to objects, places, actions and experiences. Consequently, authentication processes in tourism should be understood through a ‘market practices’ conception of human-technology interactions. Markets are conceived as socio-technical performative arrangements in which goods and services are objectified and brought together in a single space where their values are negotiated. The paper introduces the notion of ‘experiential objects’ to conceptualise configurations of tourism-related knowledge, which are captured, transformed and retransmitted through human and technological practices. Moreover, it explores how the value of such objects are produced and qualified through the networked interactions of human and non-human actors.

Propuesta sociotecnológica para el desarrollo de repositorios de Acceso Abierto adecuados al contexto universitario argentino

The paper shows the main result of the scientific-technological investigation project “Towards the development and the use of Institutional Repositories of Open Access for Educational Digital Objects in the context of public universities belonging to the mid-east area of Argentina”. Its objective is to design and propose a prior theoretical, methodological and technological model, which is experimental, of Open Access Institutional Repositories for Educational Digital Objects. In view of the theoretical and methodological framework of Dynamic Hypermedial Device, a socio-technological approach was adopted. Therefore, qualitative and software engineering instruments and methodological techniques were implemented. Based on DSpace diagnostics data usability problems and viewing needs and publications practices in open access of the regional academic community, we develop a First Experimental Prototype for Educational Digital Objects with DSpace technology. Design options in terms of internal organization, visibility and usability of the prototype are explained. About the internal organization, 12 collections of various types of Educational Digital Objects were predetermined. Observing the definition of required and optional fields of metadata for each collection combining Dublin Core and Learning Object Metadata metadata standards. About usability, First Experimental Prototype improvement and assessments conducted by academics from the participating universities are presented. These evaluations show an improvement in self-archiving conditions and the possibility to create publication models more efficient, inclusive and open.

Coding Collected Research Papers to Create a Simple Information System

A major issue with research archives is the difficulty of finding contextually relevant information when developing a theory or project. Utilizing a sociotechnological approach, this paper proposes a descriptive markup language to function as a notational system to be used to convert collections of research papers in various disciplines into an information system. Markup codes attached to research papers can significantly improve data retrieval. A theoretical framework for the notational system is proposed, drawn from Charles Fillmore's frame semantics and Thomas Kuhn's conception of a lexicon specific to numerous research areas. Examples of how the notational system can be used are offered and the steps needed for the implementation of the notational system are outlined.

Knowledge sharing in dynamic virtual enterprises: A socio-technological perspective

The success of a virtual enterprise depends largely on the effective collaboration of its members in orchestrating their knowledge, skills, core competences and resources, in order to enhance competitive capabilities and respond better to business opportunities. In this paper we address the challenges of knowledge sharing in dynamic virtual enterprises. We take a socio-technological approach by proposing a human-centered knowledge sharing solution and architecture. Specifically, we propose a knowledge resource space model to represent heterogeneous knowledge resources, both explicit and implicit. We then introduce a knowledge sharing community model and adopt an agent based solution to perform the functions of knowledge sharing among members of a dynamic virtual enterprise. Our solution incorporates the concepts of agent society and semantic ontology. Knowledge sharing in dynamic virtual enterprises is performed with three types of ties: knowledge agent to knowledge agent, knowledge agent to knowledge item, and knowledge item to knowledge item. We measure agent-to-agent ties by preference correlation using the contribution degree of one agent to another and the preference similarity degree between two agents. We define a semantic view to show agent-to-item ties and use semantic links in the knowledge resource space model to reflect item-to-item ties. We also elaborate the co-evolution mechanism of collective intelligence across enterprises throughout the lifecycle of a dynamic virtual enterprise. A case study is presented to validate our approach.

Protection from extreme events: using a socio-technological approach to evaluate policy options

Effective ways to address the vulnerabilities of urban areas to terrorism and other hazards have been subject to considerable discussion, debate and reflexive defensive measures. However, a coherent strategy for protecting public spaces while maintaining access to them has yet to emerge. Current approaches have pitted 'security' against 'openness,' neglecting critical issues, such as what constitutes publicly-valued levels of protection, a prudent government response, and sustainable public expenditures. Although a desire for drastic measures is certainly understandable, it is not based on a true assessment of risk, nor will it lead to an effective, let alone cost effective, approach to the threats of hazards and urban terrorism. This paper will discuss three tools from the social and policy sciences that can be used to develop balanced and prioritised approaches to physical security. It will demonstrate that these tools also can be applied to planning for extreme natural events.