Utilitarian Purposes Research Articles

Strategic knowledge bases in the context of discovering and creating business opportunities

Due to the level of interdisciplinarity and complexity, knowledge management processes in organizations need to be considered from different points of view. The key area of interest of the article is systemic processes of creating knowledge bases that take into account strategic events in organizations in the form of market opportunities. Thus, the article’s main purpose is to create two models of knowledge bases, the structure and types of which are directly related to the processes of opportunity management: their discovery and creation. For the main objective thus formulated, the researchers defined the following research questions: 1) What are the information needs for creating a strategic knowledge base model in the opportunity discovery process? 2) what is the information needed for creating a strategic knowledge base model in the opportunity creation process? 3) What are the benefits and utilitarian goals for the organization from the creation of strategic knowledge bases in the context of discovering and creating business opportunities?. The detailed objectives derive from analyzing the organization's interior models and environment. The methodology used in the article is a critical review of the literature, the method of deduction in the area of generating assumptions for discovery processes and creating opportunities in the context of creating knowledge models. The results will enable extracting the cognitive knowledge of strategic knowledge bases in the context of the organization's opportunities. Furthermore, this will result in research models detailing the organization's strategic activities in opportunities and knowledge management processes, along with the specification of the potential benefits of the processes carried out (utilitarian purpose). The research results will expand the understanding of the utilitarian nature of knowledge management processes and strategic theory.

Platform rules as privacy tools: The influence of screenshot accountability and trust on privacy management

Society has normalized the use of the screenshot feature to surreptitiously capture and share private digital messages. While screenshots have utilitarian purposes, we provide evidence that this feature enables violations of interpersonal privacy expectations. In addition, we extend communication privacy management (CPM) theory beyond its interpersonal limitations to include platforms as privacy rulemakers through explicit cues and embedded trust. We conducted a 2(Accountability cue: present or absent) × 3(Platform trust: high, low, control) between-subjects experiment to understand their conditional impact on control over and disclosure of personal and co-owned information within a proposed digital messaging platform ( N = 307). Our experimental results showcase the power of a screenshot accountability cue and platform trust on privacy perceptions and management within messaging platforms. Implications for design against the screenshot feature are discussed.

Mathematical formulation for the numerical solution of the internal ballistics of classical weapons in Lagrangian coordinates

Today, most design processes are carried out using specialized tools in the form of advanced computer software, but in the case of designing weapons (especially internal ballistic) it is not generally available or is even classified. On the other hand, there is no analytical system of non-linear differential equations describing the phases of the shot phenomenon in barrel weapons. Therefore, in order to obtain more accurate solutions to the system of equations, it is optimal to use numerical methods. The paper presents a theoretical description of the problem of solving the equations of internal ballistics. Based on this analysis, it was assumed that the solution to the main problem of internal ballistics formulated in Lagrange coordinates gives correct results and enables obtaining more accurate and realistic analytical solutions than using classical solutions. The utilitarian aim was to create a new program to support the design of classic gun tube weapons.

The Adoption and Use of Smart Assistants in Residential Homes: The Matching Hypothesis

An increasing number of residential homes are equipped with smart assistants such as Cortana, Alexa, and Siri. Adoption rates and the frequency of the usage of smart assistants vary across users and residential homes. Building on the theory of uses and gratifications (UGT) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2), the objective of this paper was to examine whether the intended use of a digital assistant would moderate the effects of performance expectancy and hedonic motivation on its adoption. Two experiments (N = 345 and N = 351) tested the hypothesis that, for utilitarian purposes, devices with high performance appraisal are preferred, whereas for entertainment purposes, devices with high hedonic appraisal are preferred. The experiments manipulated the performance expectancy and hedonic motivation towards several digital assistants by varying how the assistants were introduced. Participants were asked which assistant they would choose for a variety of utilitarian and entertainment purposes. As expected, the experiments supported the proposed matching hypothesis, revealing that the devices that were high in performance appraisal were preferred for utilitarian tasks, whereas the devices high in hedonic appraisal were preferred for entertainment needs. These results suggest that a device’s introduction can change people’s perceptions of the device and subsequently their decision to use it.

Leisure walking in the original compact city: senses, distinction, and rhythms of the bourgeois promenade

The ‘compact city’ implies a return to the urban morphology of the nineteenth-century city, one in which most people walked, predominantly for utilitarian purposes. This article, however, details a leisure practice—the bourgeois promenade—as it unfolded in Stockholm. Employing a diverse set of texts and visual sources the article seeks to understand how this genteel urban practice was enabled and performed in the midst of a growing working-class population with which they shared the streets. It suggests that new street lighting and smoother pavements redirected vision from the ground to the people around, opening up for walking practices that foregrounded the visual over other senses—one being the bourgeois promenade. It further highlights the multiple rhythms of the promenade and the upper middle class’ efforts to create hierarchies of walking on city pavements and in urban parks. In sum, the article shows that leisure mobility was central to the very idea of nineteenth century urban life. Meanwhile, its exclusive character cautions against the one-sided imaginaries of strolling and consumption in today’s endeavours to recreate the compact city.

The Other Side of Change

This work locates within Black feminist traditions a methodology and praxis that effectively engages Black women on the issues surrounding media impact. In the tradition of African Ring Shouts, healing circles provide Black women with the freedom to feel, think, reflect, exercise self-care, and strengthen social and emotional bonds. Far beyond a simply utilitarian purpose of collecting data for this study, healing circles create spaces for Black women to address the impact that symbolic forms of media violence have on their humanity and political voice. In this work, healing is a political path of resistance, a radical spiritual project that constitutes a step in the recovery of self by not only defying the assaults of the dominant culture but also constructing an alternative reality grounded in a discourse of counter-hegemonic knowledge. The power in healing as praxis is a methodology that radical feminist scholars across disciplines can employ to access and produce knowledge.

Retelling History and Overcoming Constraints in the Iraqi Novel: An Analytical Study in Anticipating the Future

The present study aims to study retelling history in the Iraqi novel on the one hand. That is due to the capabilities that history itself provides to the novelist in terms of the process of moving from the area of “historical/documentary” description to the area of anticipating future revival in the narrative that is intended to anticipate the future. On the other hand, it aims at overcoming the constraints represented in the practices of subjugation, self or external control, or the practices of liberation, independence, and creativity for utilitarian experimental purposes, looking forward to anticipating the future and exploring its prospects.

Recognizing Zooeyia to Promote Companion Animal Welfare in Urban Bangladesh.

The One Health concept of zooeyia refers to the benefits of companion animals in human health and is gaining global research attention. This exploratory study aimed to understand contemporary experiences and perceptions of the social benefits and challenges of living with a companion animal in urban Bangladesh. Thirty-five qualitative interviews were conducted with companion animal owners (20), animal sellers (10), and livestock service department officers (5) from two major cities in Bangladesh, Dhaka and Khulna. Thematic analysis found that historically, animals had a utilitarian purpose, such as livestock for food and dogs for security. The role and perceptions of companion animals began to change for some around the turn of the century. Today, companion animal caretakers report social, psychological and physical health benefits from integrating companion animals into their lives. They also report that companion animal ownership can contribute to social problems due to the prevailing stigma against companion animals. This is rooted in the continued utilitarian role attached to companion animals by the majority of the Bangladesh population as well as religious-based non-acceptance. As a result, the Animal Welfare Act (2019) is not well implemented, posing a key concern for companion animal welfare. To tackle this, we propose various ways in which the emerging concept of zooeyia can help promote the welfare of companion animals by challenging the stigma associated with them in Bangladesh.

Recognising the rights of nature: How have the courts fared?

AbstractThe Rights of Nature (RoN) concept is an evolving theory in environmental law. It advocates that natural objects be respected and allowed to exist, thrive and flourish for themselves and not for utilitarian purposes. However, attempts to apply the rights often result in litigation. The outcomes of these cases have grave implications for the impact of the RoN concept on the development of jurisprudence and environmental protection, which will further determine its acceptance or rejection by the international community. An examination of some key cases reveals some positive developments that can enhance the implementation of the concept, but it also demonstrates that there are some challenges in the approach adopted by the courts. The article concludes that the RoN can be a jurisprudential tool to enhance environmental protection only where, in addition to well‐written constitutional and legislative provisions, court decisions in these cases are of practical consequences.

A Bibliometric Analysis of the Psychology of Mobile Banking use Among Generation Z

This study tries to track how generation Z uses advances related to mobile banking. It is crucial to conduct research on generation Z's use of mobile banking because, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, this group makes up the majority of the population in Indonesia. Researchers employed the quantitative descriptive with bibliometric analysis approach to obtain data for this study. 138 papers spanning the years 2018 to 2022 were searched using the Harzing's Publish or Perish application. The data from the PoP results were then descriptively examined based on the journal ranking, publication year, publisher name, and researcher productivity. PoP data is converted to an excel CSV file format (Comma Separated Values) and result as RIS (Research Information Systems) in order to obtain an accurate research development map. The software VOSviewer version 1.6.18 was used to analyze RIS data and create a pivot table from CSV data. The findings of this study demonstrate that, from 2018 to 2022, the number of publications on the subject of mobile banking research in generation Z increased yearly, reaching a peak of 72 articles in 2022. Although this research has not been extensively studied, it can stimulate research opportunities. Mapping the development of mobile banking research publications based on co-occurrence indicates that there is a psychological relationship to the use of mobile banking which is accompanied by 5 dominant clusters. Wordsbehavior, mobile applications, hedonic features, utilitarian benefits, utilitarian purposes, utilitarian features, sustainable consumption, mobile commerce, and financial behavior are all potential research topics.

Subjective Versus Objective: Divergency Between Subjective Walkability and Walk Score During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Walk scores are used to evaluate accessibility by walking from a location to various meaningful destinations. Their validity remains contested because the widely available walk scores from the Walk Score® company are typically constructed using objectively measured origin–destination distances, which may be inconsistent with people’s spatial perceptions and even irrelevant to destinationless recreational walking trips. This study examines the divergency between objective walkability measured as walk score and subjective walkability assessed by perceived accessibility. Using data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted spatial autocorrelation and multi-level regression analyses. Findings suggest that characteristics of both location and people affect the divergency between subjective–objective walkability. Regardless of their individual socioeconomic characteristics, respondents tend to match their subjective walkability assessment with the walk score better when they live in denser and older neighborhoods where more people may walk for utilitarian purposes. On the other hand, respondents with greater beliefs in environmental policies evaluate walkability in better alignment with walk score, regardless of their locational characteristics. The findings suggest that the main reasons for the subjective–objective divergency may lie in people using recreational walking for walkability assessment and their lack of lived experiences of utilitarian walking. Planners and policymakers should be mindful of the objective–subjective walkability divergency when using walk scores to support strategies and actions to improve walkability.

The Artaxiad capital of ceramic: Exploring the changing local pottery production and exchange at Artaxata (Armenia) from the 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE

This paper offers an insight into the characteristics of local pottery production and exchange at Artaxata, modern Armenia, from the 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE, drawing from stratigraphic, typological and technological evidence. The pottery assemblage under study derives from the Armenian-German Artaxata Project, a collaboration between the Armenian Academy of Sciences and University of Münster since 2018. The excavation of various structures of Hill XIII and its adjacent plain, with a particular focus on Complexes A and B, reveals a change in the ceramic repertoire. A large proportion of fine ware, notably red-slipped ware of the Eastern Sigillata A (ESA) style and other tableware types, was recovered in the early phase (2nd to 1st century BCE). While these fine ware types continue to be found in the later phase (1st century BCE to 1st century CE), a greater quantity of coarse ware of utilitarian purpose such as storage jars and cooking vessels also appears. A few turquoise glazed vessels that are similar to the Parthian or Mesopotamian style were also recovered, but it is challenging to establish their date as they were mostly found in the topsoil. Such patterning can be explained by the shift in the function of Complexes A and B from serving as public buildings, possibly a sanctuary, during the early phase to domestic houses in the later phase.Despite these changes in the ceramic consumption patterns, this diverse range of ware types was mostly produced locally at Artaxata, based on the results of our technological study of 53 samples using thin-section petrography and scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS). Although they were made locally, different types of fine, coarse and turquoise glazed ware were made in different workshops, each workshop having their own recipes and technologies. In particular, the ESA-styled red-slipped ware was exclusively made in a single workshop over an extended period of time, suggesting a high level of specialisation existed in local pottery production. Such characterisation reflects the status of Artaxata as the capital of the Artaxiad Kingdom, highlighting its ability to control of the production of certain products, especially the ones that are considered to be of high quality and cosmopolitan.

Early Scythian Spearheads with a Socket

Spears were the second most widespread (after the bow and arrows) weapon of the Scythian warriors. Now more than 1,000 iron spearheads and shafts are known. Some spears were 3 m or more long, i.e. were combat weapons. Spears in Scythia, in contrast to the eastern nomads, the Sauro-Sarmatians and the Saka, were a popular weapon, among both ordinary warriors and the elite. Scythian spears, first of all, their tips, have been studied well. However, some of them have features that need to be explained. That is the presence of horizontal ridges around the ends of the sockets of the spearheads, which were not primarily intended for decoration. Few such tips have been found so far in the Ukrainian Forest-Steppe. They belong to the Scythian archaic period, and more precisely to the period from the second half of the 7th to the beginning of the 6th centuries BC. In author’s opinion, the ridges on spear sockets had a utilitarian purpose: they served to securely fasten tassels, possibly in the shape of horse tails, or special badges that were prototypes of future flags. A similar tradition arose among the nomads of Central Asia as early as the middle-second half of the 2nd millennium BC and then it had spread throughout the Eurasian region and during later periods. The spears with bunchuks in the shape of horse or wolf tails have undoubtedly experienced evolution: at first they were symbols of tribal and military unity, over time they began to play the role of a prestigious social marker – an attribute of military leaders of different levels. As a rule, notable Scythian warriors were buried in the graves where such spearheads were found. Apparently, spears with tassels indicate that their owners were the heads of certain military contingents. Given the synchronism of the mentioned burials with the period of the Scythian campaigns to the East, the appearance of similar spears with tassels among the Scythians due to the Assyrian influence cannot be ruled out. In any case, spears with tassels are attested on the reliefs of Assyria, although of an earlier time.

I am attracted to my Cool Smart Assistant! Analyzing Attachment-Aversion in AI-Human Relationships

The conversation between humans and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled intelligent voice assistants (IVA) can create bonds that go beyond a mere utilitarian purpose. The emotional cues in a Human-AI conversation can lead consumers to feel connected with the AI-agents and even consider such a relationship as cool. Although brand coolness is known to affect consumer behavior, little is known about how consumers perceive a close relationship with IVAs and what the drivers of their use or avoidance are. Therefore, the current paper adds to the literature by analyzing how AI-enabled voice assistant experience affects IVA coolness and customer-brand relationships using the attachment-aversion (A-A) theory. A total of 308 consumers showed that affective, behavioral, and intellectual experiences with the intelligent voice assistant affect IVA coolness. IVA coolness was also found to affect A-A relationships positively, influencing consumers’ motivational strength to adopt, maintain and enhance the relationship in the future.

Analyzing the Behavior and Growth of Cycling in Four North American Cities Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

The paper highlights the changes in cycling patterns and ridership trends across 12 years (including the COVID-19 pandemic) in Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, and New York. Using data from 17 bicycle counting stations, changes in the dynamics of daily and weekly profiles before and during pandemic were determined. Additionally, the ridership demand evolution across the years was explored using models that controlled for variations in the weather. All the studied bicycle facilities experienced changes in the daily and hourly patterns in 2020 (the first year of the pandemic), tending toward recreational purposes. Significant growth in bicycle activity during the first year of the pandemic has been found, but trends for the following years (2021 and 2022) have not been studied. This study found that all counting sites located on cycling facilities primarily used for utilitarian purposes experienced a growth in ridership during 2020. Ridership on utilitarian corridors in Montreal and New York City grew considerably during the pandemic before stabilizing in 2021 and 2022. The same counting sites rapidly reverted to utilitarian hourly and daily patterns in 2021. The mixed-utilitarian bicycle facilities in Ottawa and Montreal shifted toward more recreational uses during the pandemic, though ridership did not grow in 2021 and 2022. All the counting sites in Vancouver shifted toward mixed use during the first year of the pandemic and did not show any clear signs of reverting to their utilitarian patterns.

La danse classique ou la domestication de la transe

Through a previous anthropological perspective, links have been established between foundational dances (tribal and ethnic) and their relationship to trance. This article proposes to examine the relevance of bringing our westernized classical academic dance closer to a “tamed trance”. This style of dance, corresponding to a given era and culture, will allow us to understand the context of its emergence and its formative influence on the dancer. By defining the specificity of certain modified states of consciousness (MSC) otherwise known as “trance states”, it appears that the classical ballet dancer can experience “trance-in-dance” states which have certain functionalities. Achieving a daily and professionalized trance state would make it possible not only to subjugate any painful phenomena but also to experience one's body as a medium for uniqueness and association. The symbolic research underlying this choreography of bodies would appear to impose a connection with a supra order, a form of spirituality, even one of transcendence which would indicate a utilitarian purpose of the trance in the dancer.

Studying the Interrelationship between Telecommuting during COVID-19, residential local accessibility, and active travel: a panel study in Montréal, Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a substantial increase in the number of people working from home (telecommuting), in turn leading to unprecedented changes in mobility patterns worldwide. Due to the changing context of the pandemic, there is still a significant gap in knowledge regarding the effects of working from home on workers' travel patterns. The main goal of this work is to unravel the interrelationship between telecommuting during the COVID-19 pandemic, the frequency of active travel for non-work utilitarian purposes, and local accessibility levels around workers' homes. This study uses a longitudinal approach by analyzing travel and telecommuting behavior data from a two-wave survey administered in Montreal in 2019, pre-pandemic, and 2021, during COVID-19 (n = 452). Through a set of weighted multi-level linear regressions, we study the effects of telecommuting on the frequency of active travel for non-work utilitarian purposes, mediated by local accessibility around the household. Results show that the effect of telecommuting on non-work active travel for utilitarian purposes is highly dependent on local accessibility levels around the person's household. For workers living in high local accessibility areas, an increase in telecommuting during the pandemic has induced an increase in active trips for non-work utilitarian purposes. On the other hand, for workers residing in low local accessibility neighborhoods, the effect is the opposite. This research provides insights into the effects of telecommuting on non-work active travel, an area that is currently of interest to policy-makers and practitioners working towards increasing the level of physical activity among individuals through travel.

Comparing the Effect of Flat and High-Heel Footwears on Tandem Walk and Step-up/Over Test in Females by Using a Neurocom Balance Master

Abstract Aims: Footwear plays an important role in day-to-day life; their utilitarian purpose has been undermined by fashion. Furthermore, fashion has frequently dictated numerous design details, such as whether shoes have high heels or flat heels. The aim of this study is to compare female users who wear flat footwear vs. high heels using a dynamic weight-bearing activity test with a Neurocom Balance Master. Materials and Methods: Fifty-three females were screened, out of which 30 females participated in this study, 15 each divided into two groups. According to the inclusion criteria, 5 cm heel height and 0 cm flat heel users on a daily basis were included. Group A included high-heel footwear users and Group B included flat footwear users; they performed the tandem walk test and step-up/over test to measure their balance in dynamic activities on the Neurocom Balance Master. Results: Data normality was assessed using the Shapiro–Wilkinson test. The independent t test was used to find out the difference between the groups. Experimental results showed that compared with flat footwear users, high-heel footwear users show imbalance in the tandem walk test. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, there is a significant difference between high-heel female users and flat footwear female users in the tandem walk test, but no significant difference between high-heel female users and flat footwear female users in the step-up/over test.

Introduction - Re-Assembling the History of Meridian Circles

Meridian circles were tools of science, state and empire. Besides being used for astronomical observations, the by-products of observations made also had more utilitarian purposes applicable to commerce, transportation, industry and the expansion of empires. While meridian circles were created with the aim of producing spatial and temporal uniformity, observatories adopted different assemblages and configurations for their instruments. This issue brings together for the first time a variety of contributions to explore the material and social history of meridian circles. It deploys the concept assemblage to connect the different historical approaches together and to re-assemble the long history of the instrument.

The morphology of the material world and the «plan of chamber propaganda» in the products of theLeningrad art industry factory of the 1940s–1960s

The morphology of the space of the material world of Soviet culture of the 1950s and 1960s and the products of the Leningrad art industry enterprises is presented in this paper. The material world is a collection of everyday objects of utilitarian purpose with symbolic content. They are perceived as cultural signs. The three factors influencing the structure of the material world are ideological, technological and stylistic. The first one is connected with the system of ideological coordinates. The second one is related to the general trends in the development of industrial society. The third factor is related to the development of visual dominants of the living environment. At the internal level, three components (content, technology and aesthetics) form the components of the morphology of the new materiality. The literal purpose of a particular object of the material world determines the external structure. This is a set of artistic, artistic-utilitarian and utilitarian objects. Each level is considered on the example of works of art industry enterprises. These are the following enterprises: the Leningrad Lomonosov Porcelain Factory and the Leningrad Porcelain Factory (artistic things), the Leningrad Enamel Factory (artistic and utilitarian things), the Komsomolskaya Pravda Factory and the First Tableware Factory (utilitarian things). The space of presentation of the concept of chamber propaganda is the translation of significant ideas, images, plots in mass–produced works of mass demand, which are based on an element of art. The maximum inclusion of objects in the space of the ordinary was ensured by the production scale of the enterprises of the art industry. A high level of presentation of significant ideas and plots was guaranteed by the professional development of technical aesthetics of objects.