Tangible Consequences Research Articles

WOMEN OF DISCORD: FEMALE POWER IN AZTEC THOUGHT

AbstractThis article addresses the perennial debate over the origins and nature of female power by examining the significance of ‘Women of Discord’ in Aztec (more properly, Mexica) culture. Influential, but often troublesome, these formidable figures embody the complex significance of female power, rooted in women's privileged access to the awesome earth forces through childbirth. This chaotic energy lent cosmological and dynastic significance to the mytho-historical Women of Discord, but also led to a persistent female association with disorder which had tangible (and often overlooked) consequences for the lives of ‘real’ women in Aztec culture. This article explores the ways in which beliefs about the female capacity for disruption both reflected and shaped reality, ensnaring all women in a cycle of myth and history which made femininity a source of both authority and apprehension. Importantly, in Tenochtitlan ideas about ‘disorderly women’ did not lead inevitably to their practical subordination or suppression; women held practical markers of influence and esteem in Aztec culture. Thus, the Women of Discord challenge our assumptions about gender by offering a distinctive perspective on the ways in which femininity and fertility may be seen as disruptive, without necessarily debasing women or depriving them of individual agency.

Health Workers' Behavior, Patient Reporting and Reputational Concerns: Lab-in-The-Field Experimental Evidence from Kenya

We use a lab-in-the-field experiment to examine the effectiveness of accountability systems that rely on patient reporting in Kenyan health clinics. We recruit patients and health care providers from public and private health clinics to play a series of modified Trust Games. In the game, patients can send money to providers, who are then able to reciprocate. Patients can then file complaints if they are unhappy with the provider's level of reciprocity. We examine patient and provider behavior in a system where complaints lead to non-monetary consequences in the form of disclosing the complaints to professional peers, a system where complaints lead to monetary penalties, and a system where there are no direct consequences on providers, such as standard complaint boxes (our control). We focus on provider reciprocity and patient reporting (or complaining) as our primary behavioral measures in the game. Combining the experimental variation in provider consequences with non-experimental variation in provider and client characteristics such as sector of work, and the existence of personal relationships between clients and providers, we find that: 1) disclosing patients' complaints to providers' professional peers increases providers' pro-social behavior toward patients as much as imposing monetary penalties based on patients' complaints; 2) when complaints lead to tangible consequences (either monetary or non-monetary) for providers, patients are less willing to file such complaints, mainly due to the existence of personal relationships with providers. Overall, our findings support the implementation of citizen reporting systems that leverage peer pressure and reputational concerns.

Gay- and Lesbian-Sounding Auditory Cues Elicit Stereotyping and Discrimination

The growing body of literature on the recognition of sexual orientation from voice (“auditory gaydar”) is silent on the cognitive and social consequences of having a gay-/lesbian- versus heterosexual-sounding voice. We investigated this issue in four studies (overall N = 276), conducted in Italian language, in which heterosexual listeners were exposed to single-sentence voice samples of gay/lesbian and heterosexual speakers. In all four studies, listeners were found to make gender-typical inferences about traits and preferences of heterosexual speakers, but gender-atypical inferences about those of gay or lesbian speakers. Behavioral intention measures showed that listeners considered lesbian and gay speakers as less suitable for a leadership position, and male (but not female) listeners took distance from gay speakers. Together, this research demonstrates that having a gay/lesbian rather than heterosexual-sounding voice has tangible consequences for stereotyping and discrimination.

The application methods of ABC/XYZ-analysis for the inventory management purposes within the ERP-system

Inventory management for a trading company is a vital task, which requires processing significant amounts of information. Through the application of ABC/XYZ-analysis of the nomenclature within the enterprise ERP-system, it is possible to increase significantly the efficiency of inventory management, in accordance with Pareto principle concentrating on managing the most important categories of goods. Various researchers dealt with the methods of ABC/XYZ-analysis itself but its usage as a part of the inventory management and procurement subsystem has a number of essential features, ignoring of which can lead to tangible negative consequences. The article discusses the methods and key problems of application of ABC/XYZ-analysis within the enterprise management accounting information system. For each of the factors that can affect the reliability of sales and procurement statistics and distort the results of the classification of goods, we have formulated the proposals to minimize the negative impact of that specific factor. Proposed methods allow reducing the impact of the following factors: availability of conditions for duplicate nomenclature to appear within the enterprise accounting software, the lack of a unified approach to the formation of names for newly created items of nomenclature, frequent changes in the products range of the suppliers, excessive detailing of information about a product in its name. The results of successfully implemented analysis and classification of goods can be used for a wide range of tasks varying from implementing effective inventory control to general planning and forecasting commodity flows as a part of the enterprise budgeting model. Solving these problems will harmoniously fit the inventory management in the managerial accounting system making it an effective tool in achieving strategic business goals.

Relation of science and political ideology with examples from science and education field in relations between USSR and FPRY

Our intention is to consider the relation between science and political ideology in the case of the dynamics of the relation between the FPRY and the USSR, i.e. their science policies. In that sense, we will analyze the history of cooperation and the practical consequences of the break in 1948, in the field of the educa?tional and scientific system of the FPRY, while considering economic and polit?ical transformation in context of the Cold War. We will show that in the scientific field in the FPRY, a transformation has also begun in accordance with this liberal turn, which in ideological terms led the society to the new ruling paradigm - Titoism. In relation to the previous, Marxist-Leninist position - due to which Yu?goslavia, in terms of science policy and organization of science, as well as other fields, was modeled after USSR - the focus now has been moved from the thesis of interweaving science and social needs to the idea of ?sovereignty? of science. Tangible consequences of the influence of these liberal ideological elements in science and the educational system were a departure from social problems and atomization of scientific organization, while in the educational field, among oth?er things, a decrease in the literacy rate is noted. Through this analyses of the scientific and educational social position in the context of these political chang?es, the conclusion can be drawn that this field, just like other social fields, was more or less subordinated to the market needs.

Flood risk assessment – Practices in flood prone Swedish municipalities

Risk assessments are important to ensure efficient and effective flood risk management. Methods and strategies for flood risk assessment are described in the literature, but less is known about how assessments are actually performed. We have studied local flood risk assessments in Sweden by interviewing flood risk managers in municipalities and analyzing documentation of flood risk assessment efforts.There is a large variation between municipalities in how flood risk assessment has been done. The efforts made in association with the EU Floods Directive together with a Government Commission about a flood in Lake Mälaren are the most advanced assessments. Only a few of the municipalities have done comparable assessments. Generally, however, there is a lack of experience and theoretical knowledge about concepts and methods of flood risk assessment in the municipalities.In the assessments studied, the flood itself had been rather well defined in hazard maps. The consequences of a flood had been studied in the larger projects but only by half of the municipalities. It is mainly direct, tangible consequences that have been included. It is mainly the exposure of assets that has been investigated while little attention has been paid to vulnerability.To improve flood risk assessment in Sweden there is a need for knowledge and resources in the municipalities. Prioritization and motivation are needed to actually perform the assessments. National guidelines for may be helpful to guide municipalities in this work and to have more uniform risk assessment.

Criminality, narrative and the expert witness in American biohistory

This article considers forensic anthropologists’ roles in negotiating the concept of criminality in biohistorical cases, those investigations of the famous and infamous dead that are driven by public interest rather than traditional medicolegal relevance. We review three biohistorical cases from the United States: the purported skull of a martyred Catholic priest from sixteenth century Georgia, the Mountain Meadows Massacre that occurred in Utah in the mid-nineteenth century, and the search for Billy the Kid’s grave in New Mexico. We find that anthropologists have active and passive roles in the manufacture, assignment, and sometimes denial of criminality in these cases. Additionally we explore how the analysis and discussion of violence in these biohistorical cases reflects two concepts that are distinctive to United States’ history, notably manifest destiny and the idea of closure in historical narratives. The perception that the present order is a natural culmination of history, and that the past is truly past underestimates the relevance and impact of labelling past personages as criminals to contemporary culture. As a result, forensic anthropologists’ negotiation of criminality in U.S. biohistorical cases is fraught with nebulous ethical challenges and tangible consequences.

Cyber Collateral Damage

Unintended damage to non-military targets is typically straightforward to characterize and weigh against anticipated benefits because of well-established definitions, technical assessments, and legal conventions. In a kinetic military context, collateral damage occurs when a hostile action causes physical or property damage to a civilian target. However, collateral effects caused by cyber operations lack formal recognition when they are limited to electronic data, information technology and computing systems, whether caused by conventional military operations, or the result of law enforcement, or private sector operations. Even though there may be tangible consequences stemming from the loss or destruction of data, conventional norms are ill equipped to formally recognize them. Uniquely in the cybersecurity context, tactical operations may have broad systemic “collateral” effects on other important policy priorities that must be accounted for. In short, we lack a clear conceptual vocabulary for cyber operations for both the military operations, as well as for non-military operations, where many cyber activities occur. This research examines this discontinuity by first examining conventional military definitions of “cyber operations,” “collateral damage” and international norms governing operations conducted by lawful participants against military targets. It then examines a number of important similarities and differences between conventional and cyber operations as they relate to damage and injury. Finally, it introduces other contexts for considering collateral damage in the cyber realm, and the way in which other legal and strategic regimes have handled the concept, providing specific examples of these outcomes and guidance for how to think about collateral damage in a range of contexts.

Marital status of citizens and floods: Citizen preparedness for response to natural disasters

This paper presents the results of quantitative research into the influence of marital status on citizen preparedness for response to natural disaster caused by flood in the Republic of Serbia. The aim of such research is a scientific explanation of relationship between marital status and preparedness. In order to realize research, nineteen communities were randomly selected in which 2,500 persons were surveyed, in 2015. On that occasion, households were questioned using the multi-stage random sample. The research results suggest that married would in the highest percentage give money to help flood victims, long-lasting rains make them to think about preparedness for floods, they know what flood is, they are familiar with viruses and infections that accompany the period during and after the flood, they know where in local community elders, disabled and infants live, they know safety procedures for responding during floods, they would evacuate to a friend’s place. On the other side, divorced citizens in the lowest percentage take preventive measures to reduce tangible consequences caused by floods, they are not yet prepared, but will start preparing next month, they know what flood is, they would evacuate to the upper floors of the house, say that someone at primary/secondary school and within family educated them on floods, they know what to do after an official warning about approach of flood, they got information about floods at faculty, through informal education and through media. The research results can be used in designing strategies and campaigns aimed to raise the level of preparedness of citizens with regard to their marital status.

Influence of employment status on citizen preparedness for response to natural disasters

Consequences of floods that affected the territory of Serbia in 2014 indicated a very low level of preparedness of population to respond to natural disasters. Therefore, the aim of quantitative research is to examine the impact of fear on the willingness of citizens to respond to a natural disaster caused by the flood in the Republic of Serbia. Bearing in mind all local communities in Serbia where floods occurred or where there is a high risk of flooding, the sample was randomly selected consisting of 19 of 150 municipalities and 23 towns and the city of Belgrade. The survey used the strategy of testing in households with the use of a multi-stage random sample. The research results show that the citizens who are employed, in a higher percentage/to a greater extent compared to citizens who are not have taken certain preventive measures aimed at reducing the tangible consequences of floods, would pay funds to an account to help flood victims, would engage in providing help to flood victims in the field, heavy rains make them think of preparedness for response and water level rise, they engaged in preparations for at least 6 months, do not do anything that would raise the level of preparedness to the next level, etc. The originality of the research lies in the fact that in Serbia the research has never been conducted to examine the state of preparedness of citizens to respond. Bearing in mind that the research is based on the territory of Serbia, the conclusions can be generalized to the entire population. The research results can be used when creating a strategy for improving the level of preparedness of citizens to respond.

‘Snowed in!’: Offbeat Rhythms and Belonging as Everyday Practice

Belonging is usually seen as a taken-for-granted, and perhaps ill-defined, aspect of everyday life. Through looking at the weather, family life and the local neighbourhood, this article argues that belonging should be recognised as an active and rhythmic practice, creating and recreating relationships, or an ‘ethic of care’, between people, place and history. Using elements of Lefebvre’s rhythmanalysis, the article employs a diary written during a week of inclement weather to illustrate how belonging is done through the rhythms and activities of everyday life, such as being a neighbour. This demonstrates how belonging as a way of being-in-the-world, an ‘ontological belonging’, is practical, material and tangible. Repositioning the ‘sense’ of belonging as an everyday activity with tangible consequences brings with it associated responsibilities (an ‘ethic of care’) for place and the people who live there.

Why Seemingly Trivial Events Sometimes Evoke Strong Emotional Reactions: The Role of Social Exchange Rule Violations

ABSTRACTPeople sometimes display strong emotional reactions to events that appear disproportionate to the tangible magnitude of the event. Although previous work has addressed the role that perceived disrespect and unfairness have on such reactions, this study examined the role of perceived social exchange rule violations more broadly. Participants (N = 179) rated the effects of another person’s behavior on important personal outcomes, the degree to which the other person had violated fundamental rules of social exchange, and their reactions to the event. Results showed that perceptions of social exchange rule violations accounted for more variance in participants’ reactions than the tangible consequences of the event. The findings support the hypothesis that responses that appear disproportionate to the seriousness of the eliciting event are often fueled by perceived rule violations that may not be obvious to others.

Designing signs for children: a study of children’s drawings for safety signs

AbstractChildren’s drawings could give new insights into how signs should be designed for children. Safety signs in public places, such as parks and shopping malls, are sometimes not comprehensible to children. In this study we extracted children’s comments and opinions on safety sign design through their drawings. Sixty-five primary school children in Hong Kong aged seven to 12 were asked to draw 12 safety signs and their responses and drawings were then analysed. It was found that the children tended to express their ideas by drawing the signs with different human figures, symbols, environments, tangible and real objects and consequences. Some of the children’s drawings differed from the registered safety signs, which may be due to the differences between adults’ and children’s cognitive abilities and the way in which children see the world. Five suggestions are proposed to assist designers in designing safety signs for children. These suggestions serve as a starting point for the research and design of...

A principles-based model of ethical considerations in military decision making

When comparing alternative courses of action, modern military decision makers often must consider both the military effectiveness and the ethical consequences of the available alternatives. The basis, design, calibration, and performance of a principles-based computational model of ethical considerations in military decision making are reported in this article. The relative ethical violation (REV) model comparatively evaluates alternative military actions based upon the degree to which they violate contextually relevant ethical principles. It is based on a set of specific ethical principles deemed by philosophers and ethicists to be relevant to military courses of action. A survey of expert and non-expert human decision makers regarding the relative ethical violation of alternative actions for a set of specially designed calibration scenarios was conducted to collect data that was used to calibrate the REV model. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the survey showed that people, even experts, disagreed greatly amongst themselves regarding the scenarios’ ethical considerations. Despite this disagreement, two significant results emerged. First, after calibration the REV model performed very well in terms of replicating the ethical assessments of human experts for the calibration scenarios. The REV model outperformed an earlier model that was based on tangible consequences rather than ethical principles, that earlier model performed comparably to human experts, the experts outperformed human non-experts, and the non-experts outperformed random selection of actions. All of these performance comparisons were measured quantitatively and confirmed with suitable statistical tests. Second, although humans tended to value some principles over others, none of the ethical principles involved—even the principle of not harming civilians—completely overshadowed all of the other principles.

Dharma and Ahimsa

Dharma and Ahimsa

Strange Bedfellows

This essay revisits the relationship between Article 4(h) of the African Union Constitutive Act and the R2P concept with a particular focus on military intervention. After unfolding the narrative of equation between the two norms, we explore their content and highlight their clear differences. We also observe the conceptual glissement concerning Article 4(h) from a right to a duty to intervene, which is not backed up by international practice. Furthermore, we examine the possible impact of the narrative of equation on the use of force architecture and particularly, on the relationship between the African Union and the United Nations. Finally, we analyse the normative implications of the equation for the R2P concept and conclude that the above equation fails to produce tangible legal consequences. What remains are its political motivations that sharply depart from the ‘higher’ ideals permeating the R2P and thus undermine its logic and realization.

Food Desertification: Situating Choice and Class Relations within an Urban Political Economy of Declining Food Access

While food deserts create whole sets of tangible consequences for people living within them, the problem has yet to be the subject of much normative, in-depth evaluation as an urban political economy of food access. This paper provides a critical analysis of a specific food desert and its responses, drawing on a case study of the low-income, spatially segregated North End of the small city of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The main thrust of the paper is that the food desert remains a useful yet underexplored phenomenon through which to reveal the complexities and tensions surrounding the treatment of “choice” in a classed society. Understood as an urban political economy of declining food access, the food desert phenomenon reveals capital’s complex role in the promotion or violation of dignity through the urban geographies of acquiring food for oneself, family, or household. Through the data presented here, the article also argues for a collective pause among critical scholars to radicalize, rather than reject, the role of consumer choice in a more just food system, and for further normative engagement with urban landscapes of retail consolidation.

A bumpy ride on the information superhighway: Exploring turbulence online

Managing our personal information is becoming increasingly complex as people share more and more about themselves and others online. Beyond the ordinary challenges people face in disclosing information in face-to-face settings, the Internet presents additional demands users must take into account related to the size and diversity of their audience as well as the longevity and accessibility of their communication. Using survey data from a diverse group of young adults, this paper explores turbulence online, that is, the breakdown of privacy expectations that result in information spreading beyond a user’s desired audience. More than a third of these young adults reported at least one turbulent encounter online ranging in tangible consequences like ending a friendship or trouble at work or school to emotional trouble like feelings of embarrassment or betrayal. Results suggest that successful privacy management online requires a combination of social and technological skills and behaviors. Findings also bring to light new questions on self- versus other-generated turbulence and broader implications for researchers, designers, and users.

Justice without Peace? International Justice and Conflict Resolution in Northern Uganda

ABSTRACTThis article examines the heated debate that resulted from the decision of the International Criminal Court to investigate the events surrounding the conflict between the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army. The Court's decision to intervene in Uganda was heavily criticized by political, traditional and religious leaders from the region, and by officials from a number of international humanitarian organizations on the basis of its perceived threat to peaceful outcomes to the conflict. The analysis demonstrates how particular discursive constructs of ‘peace’ and ‘justice’ became central to the debate as opponents and supporters of the ICC intervention struggled to impose distinct frameworks for evaluating and addressing the situation. Though the struggle appeared to be about abstract concepts, the ability to control these constructs had tangible consequences on the ground, as such concepts were linked with particular strategies of conflict resolution. The article concludes that the unequal relations of power which existed from the outset gave supporters of the ICC intervention an advantage over those opposing the intervention, allowing agendas for justice to overtake agendas for peace.

Beyond Endogeneity: How Firms and Regulators Co‐Construct the Meaning of Regulation

What role do regulators and firms play in the construction of open‐ended regulatory terms? The new institutionallegal endogeneitymodel posits that organizations respond to legal uncertainty by adopting formal structures to symbolically signal their compliance. These structures, however, tend to embody businesses' managerial and commercial values, as opposed to regulatory goals. Law becomes endogenous insofar as legal actors then defer to businesses' institutionalized ideas about regulation and compliance. Professionals, such as lawyers and human‐resource managers, and their strategic deployment of framing, are portrayed as the engines of the above process of legal endogeneity. By comparison, administrative agencies' strategies in shaping the meaning that corporations attach to the law are practically ignored. Building on a detailed case study ofBritish financial firms' responses to theFinancialServicesAuthority'sTreatingCustomersFairly initiative, this article problematizes the supposition of regulatory deference to business constructions of law. Instead, it develops a more balanced model that recognizes business professionals'andregulators'co‐constructionof regulation and compliance. The process of regulatory meaning co‐construction, as depicted by this model, involves alignment and disputes between regulators' and professionals' strategic framing of regulatory concerns with tangible consequences for the enactment of regulation.