Threat Of Disruption Research Articles

Wood-derived high-performance cellulose structural materials

Abstract The threats of nonrenewable energy consumption and environmental disruption caused by the extensive use of metals and polymers derived from petroleum have prompted the development of eco-friendly, high-performance, and long-lasting structural materials. After various treatments, cellulose materials exhibit exceptional properties such as high strength, fire resistance, hydrophobic properties, and thermal stability. Cellulose-based structural materials have excellent mechanical strength and the distinct advantages of being lightweight, inexpensive, and energy efficient. This review summarizes the recent progress in the preparation methods and properties of high-performance cellulose structural materials such as high-strength cellulose structural materials, thermal insulation cellulose structural materials, flame-retardant cellulose structural materials, hydrophobic cellulose structural materials, cellulose structural material with electrical properties, and other cellulose structural materials. The future of high-performance cellulosic structural materials and the prospective of their development are concluded.

Project scheduling under the threat of catastrophic disruption

We consider the case of scheduling a project under the threat of a catastrophic disruption where the likelihood and timing of the disruption are independent of the project schedule and if the disruption occurs, the project is completely canceled. In such scenarios, there is high managerial interest to know the maximum investment at risk at any time during project execution. This can be answered using the alphorn of uncertainty which maps the maximum and minimum possible project costs during project execution when activity durations and, correspondingly, cash flows are random. We prove the NP-hardness of calculating the alphorn of uncertainty and provide a mixed integer linear program for calculating it. The mixed integer linear program is shown to be able to calculate the alphorn for projects with up to 145 activities efficiently. We also show that using railway scheduling as opposed to roadrunner scheduling can significantly reduce the maximum possible investment at risk without significantly delaying the project.

Financing energy futures: the contested assetization of pipelines in Canada

Pipelines are technological and political undertakings, but also financial feats. When pipelines are in protracted states of uncertainty—not yet built, but not yet canceled—the outcomes seem not to benefit anyone: proponents face cost overruns and regulatory battles, while potentially affected communities remain under threat of disruption and dispossession. In light of these negative outcomes, why do such projects remain in liminal states for so long? To answer this question, we interrogate two contested oil pipeline proposals in Canada, the Northern Gateway Pipelines and the Trans Mountain Expansion projects. In both cases, we find that the complex and shifting financial arrangements for these pipelines produced what we call ‘contested assetization.’ This process operates through three intertwined dynamics: temporality (collapsing and expanding time), market valuation (specific forms of knowledge and professional practices), and financial tools (contractual, equity, and other financial arrangements). Proponents create complex, layered future-oriented investable assets, mediating corporate risk; at the same time, opponents target multiple regulatory venues, challenge valuation systems, and highlight future social and ecological costs. We find that although the strategic use of these dynamics has contradictory consequences, overall, these financial processes reinforce corporate power, prolonging fossil fuel-based energy futures.

Network disruption and the common-enemy effect

We study the effect of a common enemy on the connections-model of network formation, where self-interested players can use links to build a network, knowing that they face a common enemy who can disrupt the links or nodes of the network. The goal of the common enemy is to minimize the sum of the benefits players obtain from the network. We find that for large linking costs, introducing such a common enemy can lead to the formation of pairwise stable and efficient networks which would not be pairwise stable without the threat of disruption. The reason is the large reduction in payoffs caused by disruption as soon as one player fails to maintain a link. However, we also find that for small linking costs, the empty network is pairwise stable under disruption, whereas it is not in the absence of disruption. The reason is that in the presence of disruption a link that is unilaterally formed is automatically targeted (or one of the players forming the link is automatically targeted). While the common enemy can thus have a positive effect on the incentives of the players to form an efficient network, it can also lead to the disintegration of the network.

Dynamic capabilities for transitioning from product platform ecosystem to innovation platform ecosystem

ABSTRACT Over recent decades, many platform-native start-ups and firms were founded and some are now among the world’s most valuable. This study, however, focuses on an incumbent firm transitioning from a long established product platform ecosystem to an innovation platform ecosystem in response to the platform-natives’ threats of disruption. We specifically investigate the dynamic capabilities needed by the incumbent firm in an enterprise software ecosystem in the transition phase. Our analysis builds on multi-perspective empirical data covering the viewpoints of all the actor types in the ecosystem, i.e., platform owner, platform partners, and end-user firms. The results imply the necessity of four dynamic capabilities: resource curation, ecosystem preservation, resource reconfiguration, and ecosystem diversification. With this study, we contribute to the emerging literature on the incumbent firms’ transition to a new ecosystem organising logic, and extend the study of dynamic capabilities specifically for the case of transitioning to innovation platform ecosystems.

Threat Utility of the Seaport Risk Factors: Use of Rough Set-Based Genetic Algorithm

The threat due to risk factors disrupts supply chain continuity. To ensure supply chain continuity, it is important to understand the interdependency between seaport risk factors and the threat of supply chain disruption, from an economic and risk management perspective. This study understands the threat utility of port-centric supply chain risk disruption (PSCRD). It proposes a rough set-based genetic algorithm model and adopts the hybrid-conjoint analysis concept to generate the threat utility function. It is the sum of the level of disruption by the conditional seaport risk factors influencing the satisfaction of seaport-fulcrum supply chain continuity. It selects Indonesia to illustrate PSCRD empirically. Based on 153 samples of experts’ evaluation, the rough set model highlights 24 conditional seaport risks as central tendency risk factors and classifies them into ten-dimensional threat factors. The results show that the seaport service process threat is the primary source of PSCRD in Indonesia; it reduces utility satisfaction to 32.2%, in the 100% utility estimation. This is followed by the relationship and planning process threats with 28% and 26.6% utilities, respectively. This study presents a framework to analyze PSCRD in relation to utility satisfaction and demonstrates the need for an integrated plan to enhance SSC resilience.

A global analysis of coastal flood risk to the petrochemical distribution network in a changing climate

The global petroleum distribution network already faces a significant threat of disruption due to annual coastal flooding of major refining centers, which is expected to further increase with the effects of climate change. This study considers the impacts that sea level rise projections might have on the annual flood risk to coastal refineries, and how regional disruptions propagate across the network. Both the annual regional risk in terms of expected production disruption under a range of climate scenarios, as well as the expected production disruption due to a major flood event impacting refining hubs of high importance are assessed throughout the 21st century. These risks are propagated across the network to model the global impact of coastal flood-induced refining disruptions. This analysis provides insights on the relative risks that different climate scenarios and flood events pose globally, informing potential mitigation and adaptation needs of critical facilities. Due to the highly interconnected nature of the global petroleum product distribution network, these results highlight the need for mitigation considerations for even regions with low domestic production disruption risk due to coastal flood hazards, as disruptions in remote regions can have cascading consequences resulting in significant disruption to petroleum product supply around the world. Furthermore, such results can inform decisions regarding technology transitions or energy diversification in light of the new understanding of climate risks to coastal refineries and the global petroleum distribution network.

Mangelverwaltung bei Gasknappheit

Abstract In view of an impending termination of Russian gas supplies, it is necessary to take a closer look at the existing regulations in the event of a shortage in German gas supply. In this context, the legal framework provides that in the event of an acute shortage, the gas supply of individual consumers will be restricted or even stopped by the competent authority, thereby rendering the effect of the market for the distribution of scarce goods ineffective. This situation must be prevented. In principle, priority is given to private households and social services, so that primarily the industry would have to reduce their consumption of gas. However, given the threat of widespread disruption to German industrial production, saving potentials should be leveraged in all sectors. This is because an extensive supply disruption to German industrial operations would result in extensive and incalculable societal costs due to cascading effects. It is therefore also in the best interests of the population to avert such an undersupply through joint efforts. First of all, the usage of natural gas in power generation should be reduced significantly to enable or increase the filling of storage facilities. Additionally, current studies also point to possible reduction potential in the household sector, for example through moderate adjustments of room temperature. Such measures can help to get through the next winter without endangering Germany too much as an industrial and business location.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ECOLOGISTIC SYSTEMS PROJECTS

The negative impact of human economic activity on the environment has led to an imbalance in the economic and environmental aspects of life and the emergence of a threat of disruption to the ecosystems state, which will make it impossible for humanity to fully exist on the planet. The solution to the problem is in the plane of ecologization all spheres of management, including logistics, which has a significant impact on the state of the environment. The change in the worldview paradigm led to the emergence of the ecologically oriented logistic system concept, by which it is proposed to understand the logistic system as a set of link elements interconnected in the process of management the direct and reverse logistic flows movement, taking into account the eco-destructive impact on the environment. The article proposes to consider the management of ecologistic systems through the prism of the project approach. The purpose of the article is to characterize projects of ecologistic systems. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were solved: specific features of ecologistic systems projects were investigated; the place of ecologistic systems projects in the classification of projects was determined; a classification of ecologistic systems projects has been developed. The characteristics of the ecologistic system project as a complex cybernetic system are given, the components of the project potential are determined. The place of micro-, meso- and macro-ecologistic systems projects in the general classification of projects and the classification of investment projects has been determined. The article presents the author's classification of ecologistic systems projects. As a basic classification criterion, it is proposed to use the reason for the implementation or the purpose of the project: the creation, development or functioning of an ecologistic system. Creation projects are classified according to the product being created. Development projects are classified depending on the object or subject of management, kind and type of development. Functioning projects include projects to create an ecologistic product.

Life history predicts global population responses to the weather in terrestrial mammals.

With the looming threat of abrupt ecological disruption due to a changing climate, predicting which species are most vulnerable to environmental change is critical. The life-history of a species is an evolved response to its environmental context, and therefore a promising candidate for explaining differences in climate-change responses. However, we need broad empirical assessments from across the world's ecosystems to explore the link between life history and climate-change responses. Here, we use long-term abundance records from 157 species of terrestrial mammals and a two-step Bayesian meta-regression framework to investigate the link between annual weather anomalies, population growth rates, and species-level life history. Overall, we found no directional effect of temperature or precipitation anomalies or variance on annual population growth rates. Furthermore, population responses to weather anomalies were not predicted by phylogenetic covariance, and instead there was more variability in weather responses for populations within a species. Crucially, however, long-lived mammals with smaller litter sizes had smaller absolute population responses to weather anomalies compared with their shorter living counterparts with larger litters. These results highlight the role of species-level life history in driving responses to the environment.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ECOLOGISTIC SYSTEMS PROJECTS

The negative impact of human economic activity on the environment has led to an imbalance in the economic and environmental aspects of life and the emergence of a threat of disruption to the ecosystems state, which will make it impossible for humanity to fully exist on the planet. The solution to the problem is in the plane of ecologization all spheres of management, including logistics, which has a significant impact on the state of the environment. The change in the worldview paradigm led to the emergence of the ecologically oriented logistic system concept, by which it is proposed to understand the logistic system as a set of link elements interconnected in the process of management the direct and reverse logistic flows movement, taking into account the eco-destructive impact on the environment. The article proposes to consider the management of ecologistic systems through the prism of the project approach. The purpose of the article is to characterize projects of ecologistic systems. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were solved: specific features of ecologistic systems projects were investigated; the place of ecologistic systems projects in the classification of projects was determined; a classification of ecologistic systems projects has been developed. The characteristics of the ecologistic system project as a complex cybernetic system are given, the components of the project potential are determined. The place of micro-, meso- and macro-ecologistic systems projects in the general classification of projects and the classification of investment projects has been determined. The article presents the author's classification of ecologistic systems projects. As a basic classification criterion, it is proposed to use the reason for the implementation or the purpose of the project: the creation, development or functioning of an ecologistic system. Creation projects are classified according to the product being created. Development projects are classified depending on the object or subject of management, kind and type of development. Functioning projects include projects to create an ecologistic product.

How are Hybrid Terms Discussed in the Recent Scholarly Literature?

Hybrid threats range from cyber-attacks on critical systems to disruption of critical services (such as energy and financial services), influencing public confidence, and polarization within society. Awareness, resilience, and response to threats are central to countering hybrid threats. Hybrid warfare is not a new phenomenon, it has existed throughout the history of warfare, however, hybrid threat and hybrid warfare were re-defined as the western concept, as discussed in this paper, in 2014. Securing vital functions of society, i.e., managing overall security includes preparing for threats, and managing and recovering from disruptions and emergencies. Energy policy, which relies on cross-border energy transmission infrastructures (e.g., Russian gas line imports to Europe), can be a tool to influence foreign policy (Geo-economics). Trolls and cyber weapons can be used to impact information and elections, and their activity are based on supranational Information Technology (IT) infrastructure. The vital functions of society are prime targets for political, economic, and military pressure from external actors. Hybrid warfare deliberately blurs the boundaries between peacetime and wartime, which makes it difficult for targeted organizations and countries to plan appropriate and timely countermeasures. The threat of hybrid disruptions can be addressed with resilience. Multifaceted hybrid threats require planning and testing one’s defensive possibilities, so that the various actors of society will be able to respond to possible hybrid attacks and commit all areas of society for an effective defence. Identifying and understanding hybrid warfare is challenging. Situation awareness is a prerequisite, so societies and their organization can meet these challenges.

Cultural worldviews and the perception of natural hazard risk in Australia

ABSTRACT The cultural theory of risk proposes that risk perception is biased by sociality and the maintenance of four ways or life, or cultural worldviews: hierarchism, egalitarianism, individualism or communitarianism. This study examined whether cultural worldviews influenced the perception of the risk of bushfire, flood, storm and earthquake in Australia. A sample of 503 participants completed two questionnaires: cultural worldviews and natural hazard risk perception. Only 30% of respondents held strongly hierarchical, egalitarian, individualist or communitarian worldviews. Several aspects of natural hazard risk perception were predicted by cultural worldviews, but associations were weak. Individualists perceived greater risk of, and responsibility for, natural hazards possibly because they perceive them to be a disruptive threat that limits freedom. Egalitarians perceived greater risk from bushfire or storm, possibly because they understand the potential for social impacts from these events and favour collective response. Notions of control and mitigation of natural hazards were associated with hierarchism. Communitarianism was not a predictor of natural hazard risk perception. However, most people don’t view natural hazards as a threat to their sociality and way of life. Single heuristics, such as the cultural theory of risk, are unlikely to capture the complexity of natural hazard risk perception in Australia.

Fintechs On Kenya’s Banking Industry: A Disruptive Threat?

Fintech is a new technology of financial innovations and solutions which are fueling financial inclusion especially in the developing countries. The digital challenge faced by banks is currently intensifying and the emergence of these alternative non-bank players is creating both opportunities and challenges. FinTechs are creating products and services that are disrupting the incumbents’ advantage by addressing specific customer needs and enabling them to do more with less. Throughout the world, we have seen the great shifts in the banking industry with changes from the use of bank tellers to ATMs to online banking, and then to mobile banking. These shifts have forced some banks in Kenya to close branches due to reduced businesses in those branches and to cut costs. Could banks reverse the trends by collaborating with Fintech’s and leveraging on their strength in technology-driven software, platforms and infrastructure? Or could this be signaling a new era in world payments in which banks can’t cope with? How can the banks work around this challenge? This paper answers these questions and considers the potential threats that Fintechs could bring in to Kenya’s banking industry and tries to draw lessons from previous literature and relate these insights to the topic under discussion. Key Words: Fintech, Revolution, Innovation, Digitalization, disruptive threat DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-8-09 Publication date: April 30 th 2022

Big Data in Tourism Marketing and its Role in the Efficiency of Tourism and Travel Companies-an Applied Study in Travel and Tourism Companies

The topic of the research aims at big data as a practical and applied concept and the implications of the transformation to activate the efficiency of tourism marketing, which adds value to the business and to make big data related to interactive marketing, targeted conversations, and customer loyalty to brands. It lies in finding the means and ways that can overcome the problem of research in the face of tourist establishments' administrations, the continuous increase in the volume of circulated data in the face of the threat of digital disruption with many problems and variables in its marketing activity, and these problems are related to how to identify situations and events, determine the needs and desires of customers, and strive to Achieve them to gain their satisfaction and loyalty in a way that enhances marketing efficiency. The content of the research confirms its findings that the traditional approaches to managing electronic resources such as big data to achieve contemporary marketing efficiency in obtaining various data from solid sources to monitor the tourist markets and the consumer tastes of tourists and work to bridge the knowledge gap, as well as there is a need to link the vision of big data like tourism business on The level of regional tourism markets to dispatch the requirements of marketing efficiency in its contemporary framework.

A research agenda to reflect reality: On being responsive

A research agenda to reflect reality: On being responsive

THE GEOPOLITICAL IMPACT OF THE EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

In addition to the cortege of disasters generated by the SARS-COV II pandemic, the current global medical crisis has also had a positive effect. More than ever, it has brought up the fundamental role played by scientific and technological research in the progress of mankind and in its defence against disruptive threats. The modern technological age of the Third Millennium has changed the human-machine relationship. Today, technologies seem to go beyond their status as a tool of power, turning into active players, who determine policies, sharpen stakes, trigger competitions. Step by step, artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, cyber security, robotics, semiconductors and microprocessors, cloud computing, cloud combat and digital networks have taken over human activities and, by extension, international geopolitical dynamics. And, all the subsequent consequences of the technological “sprint” (political, strategic, economic and social) are involving states, international organizations and private companies. The dynamics of competition and international cooperation are being transformed. This article aims to present the impact of the state-of-the-art technologies on contemporary geopolitical dynamics and, in extenso, on Romania's security.

Commodity Prices Under the Threat of Operational Disruptions: Labor Strikes at Copper Mines

Commodity Prices Under the Threat of Operational Disruptions: Labor Strikes at Copper Mines

ПРАВОВИЙ РЕЖИМ ЗЕМЕЛЬНИХ ДІЛЯНОК, СФОРМОВАНИХ У ПЕРІОД ДІЇ ВОЄННОГО СТАНУ

The scientific paper is devoted to the study of the agricultural land plots legal regime formed from unallocated lands of state and communal property during martial law. The beginning of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine challenged in all spheres of life and required the implementation of immediate effective measures to counter on all fronts: military, social, informational, legal etc. Since the invasion, electronic registers containing any information that could harm Ukraine and its citizens, including the State Register of Immovable Property Rights and Encumbrances and the State Land Cadastre, have been closed, which in turn has made it impossible to conduct proceedings of agricultural activities under “prewar” legislation. Thematic justification of the research is based on the possibility of forming land plots as a qualitatively new object of civil rights, the features of which do not correspond to the doctrinably defined features of land plots. The purpose of the article is to analyze the effectiveness of the introduction of a special legal regime of land plots formed during the war in order to ensure food security. The author outlined the concept and characteristics of land plot and its registration systems, summarized and formulated the conditions and reasons for amending the Transitional Provisions of the Land Code of Ukraine, land fund, the subject of land formation, requirements for technical documentation on land management and features of the registration system regarding land plots. As a result of the study it was concluded that the legislator in the occupation of about 1/6 of Ukraine, lack of access to state registers, damage to agricultural land and the threat of disruption of sowing, provided the possibility of public authorities and local governments during martial law for ensuring food security of the state to form land plots under the simplified procedure from unallocated lands of state and communal property, information on which was not entered into the State Land Cadastre in order to lease them for commercial agricultural production.

Developing water resiliency solutions at military installations

Climate change, along with rising human water demands, has been projected to raise the vulnerability of available water resources and poses further risks to global water security. A challenge of this century will be to secure enough fresh water for the world’s increasing population. U.S. Army installations provide critical support to Army’s mission. Army facilities face many risks which must be overcome to ensure that vital missions continue. Installation Energy and Water Plans (IEWPs) comprise one pivotal effort to ensure that facilities maintain access to the resources they need and can meet resilient solutions to maintain water supplies to sustain the people and environment. An essential component of the IEWP is the development of potential solutions, or courses of action (COAs) to address deficiencies that can improve an installation’s baseline condition, ensuring energy and water (E&W) security and resiliency. The undertaking seeks to improve security and resiliency by considering the varied threats of disruption within installations and providing measures for adaptable recovery. These disruptions include environmental events, droughts and climatic events, spills, and water security threats. Increasing energy and water resiliency aims to maintain that Army’s mission is successfully carried even if sources of water are cut off or compromised. The objective of this paper is to document water resiliency improvements in military installations by applying priority facilities demand estimation planning tools and reviewing courses of action and also providing lessons learned and tools that could be utilized for planned communities or city-based water management efforts. The IEWP process empowers stakeholders to improve military readiness through state-of-the-art solutions for enhanced security, resiliency, and mission assurance. These methods and use of standardized data sets could be pursued to be applied towards a broader scope of stakeholders to improve water resiliency for cities, communities, and industries outside of the military.