The paper analyses the interrelation between working time and work organisation in Europe. This interrelation can be considered from the point of view of either employers or…
Abstract
The paper analyses the interrelation between working time and work organisation in Europe. This interrelation can be considered from the point of view of either employers or employees. For employers, it is becoming increasingly important today to adjust working time quickly to the order situation and to make intensive use of expensive plant and equipment. However, employees' working‐time preferences have also changed. A key factor in this respect is the increasing level of labour market participation among women, as well as growing interest in leave for further training or a phased entry into or exit from working life. The working‐time requirements of firms and those of employees do not necessarily coincide. To create sustainable working‐time structures, it is necessary to develop working‐time systems capable of reconciling the needs of firms and those of employees. A process of experimentation is currently under way in many firms in Europe. Some firms that rely on specialist knowledge and competencies are trying to increase working‐time flexibility in their core workforce while simultaneously considering their employees' interests. In other firms, however, particularly in labour‐intensive service industries dominated by price competition, Taylorism is still reinforced. Little account is taken of employees' interests. The process of “neo‐Taylorisation” is driven not by production but by the labour market. It is possible only because of the existence of wage differentiation and the availability in the labour market of a large pool of workers who can be deployed flexibly. This pool varies in size from country to country. It is all the larger the wider the wage dispersion, the lower the level of labour market regulation, the lower the share of skilled workers, the higher the unemployment rate, the higher the level of migration of unskilled workers into Europe and the lower the level of female integration into the labour market.
Organised capitalism, as a distinct mode of political economy, is generally held to be under serious threat, not least from the apparently inexorable logic and pressures of…
Abstract
Organised capitalism, as a distinct mode of political economy, is generally held to be under serious threat, not least from the apparently inexorable logic and pressures of “globalisation”. The challenge represented by these forces is intensified in Germany by the constraints imposed by the requirement to fulfil those Maastricht Treaty criteria appertaining to establishing Economic and Monetary Union. However, Germany additionally faces the unprecedented task of integrating the former GDR, a regime which was both literally and metaphorically bankrupt in so many respects. So far, that integration has not succeeded, least of all industrially. The implications are manifold and complex ‐ yet what seems to be quite certain is that the combined, accumulated burden of all the relevant problems and difficulties has come to bear primarily on working people in Germany and on their representative organisations. This first paper represents an initial exploration of key parameters affecting labour, the second proposes to do so both more broadly and in greater depth.
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Guenter Muehlberger, Louise Seaward, Melissa Terras, Sofia Ares Oliveira, Vicente Bosch, Maximilian Bryan, Sebastian Colutto, Hervé Déjean, Markus Diem, Stefan Fiel, Basilis Gatos, Albert Greinoecker, Tobias Grüning, Guenter Hackl, Vili Haukkovaara, Gerhard Heyer, Lauri Hirvonen, Tobias Hodel, Matti Jokinen, Philip Kahle, Mario Kallio, Frederic Kaplan, Florian Kleber, Roger Labahn, Eva Maria Lang, Sören Laube, Gundram Leifert, Georgios Louloudis, Rory McNicholl, Jean-Luc Meunier, Johannes Michael, Elena Mühlbauer, Nathanael Philipp, Ioannis Pratikakis, Joan Puigcerver Pérez, Hannelore Putz, George Retsinas, Verónica Romero, Robert Sablatnig, Joan Andreu Sánchez, Philip Schofield, Giorgos Sfikas, Christian Sieber, Nikolaos Stamatopoulos, Tobias Strauß, Tamara Terbul, Alejandro Héctor Toselli, Berthold Ulreich, Mauricio Villegas, Enrique Vidal, Johanna Walcher, Max Weidemann, Herbert Wurster and Konstantinos Zagoris
An overview of the current use of handwritten text recognition (HTR) on archival manuscript material, as provided by the EU H2020 funded Transkribus platform. It explains HTR…
Abstract
Purpose
An overview of the current use of handwritten text recognition (HTR) on archival manuscript material, as provided by the EU H2020 funded Transkribus platform. It explains HTR, demonstrates Transkribus, gives examples of use cases, highlights the affect HTR may have on scholarship, and evidences this turning point of the advanced use of digitised heritage content. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a case study approach, using the development and delivery of the one openly available HTR platform for manuscript material.
Findings
Transkribus has demonstrated that HTR is now a useable technology that can be employed in conjunction with mass digitisation to generate accurate transcripts of archival material. Use cases are demonstrated, and a cooperative model is suggested as a way to ensure sustainability and scaling of the platform. However, funding and resourcing issues are identified.
Research limitations/implications
The paper presents results from projects: further user studies could be undertaken involving interviews, surveys, etc.
Practical implications
Only HTR provided via Transkribus is covered: however, this is the only publicly available platform for HTR on individual collections of historical documents at time of writing and it represents the current state-of-the-art in this field.
Social implications
The increased access to information contained within historical texts has the potential to be transformational for both institutions and individuals.
Originality/value
This is the first published overview of how HTR is used by a wide archival studies community, reporting and showcasing current application of handwriting technology in the cultural heritage sector.
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Purpose – The purpose of this study is to understand the effectiveness of national crisis response networks (NCRN) in a broad sense, including the domains of governance, and…
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to understand the effectiveness of national crisis response networks (NCRN) in a broad sense, including the domains of governance, and strategic and tactical management. The chapter thus moves beyond views considering crisis response a reactive, tactical level effort. Specifically, it focuses on the role of military organizations in NCRNs.
Methodology/approach – After building a research framework based on organization and military studies, this case study examines the organizational response to the disaster that was caused by the tropical cyclone “Katrina”; the data used are qualitative.
Findings – The results highlight the ex-ante lack of preparedness of organizations to cooperate in a NCRN. Once Katrina hit in 2005, confusion and tensions permeated interorganizational relationships for a number of days.
Research limitations/implications – Implications for researchers and practitioners center on the NCRN's backbone organizations and communities potentially affected. Through tension management and network-level investments in knowledge and routines they can contribute to effective crisis response. The framework could be applied to other national crises. Case studies can be generalized in a conceptual sense.
Originality/value of paper – Katrina has been studied quite extensively yet from a crisis response perspective. This chapter offers a reflection that broadens the scope of our understanding of NCRNs, with an emphasis on the military.
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During the period 1962-2001 (9/11), the author identified 25 terrorist acts in the English-speaking Caribbean. Apart from US action in Grenada in 1983, the extra-regional response…
Abstract
During the period 1962-2001 (9/11), the author identified 25 terrorist acts in the English-speaking Caribbean. Apart from US action in Grenada in 1983, the extra-regional response to these acts was minimal. However, in the aftermath of 9/11, the US has introduced a number of counter-terrorist measures into the region from Washington through such agencies as Southcom, the FBI, the DEA, and the Department of Homeland Security, now including the Coast Guard, to forestall future acts of terrorism. Also the UN, the OAS, and the CARICOM, at the instigation of the US, have encouraged Caribbean nations to adopt resolutions and pass anti-terrorist legislation at the local level in the fight against terrorism. US policy toward the region is based on its own self-interest since it considers the Caribbean its “Third Border,” one that is difficult to close to security threats. In all of this, the Caribbean nations welcome the security, more so because of the incidental protection it offers to their fragile tourist-dependent economies that are sensitive to political and other threats. This coincidence of interest has seen the US merge drug-trafficking and terrorism into one consolidated threat. Traditionally, the Caribbean region has not allocated a large part of its budget to security concerns, but with external assistance, particularly from the US, the region's police and military forces have been called upon to adapt to the global threats of the post-9/11 era by strengthening operational capacity, mission readiness, and intensify regional cooperation. This new thrust also includes making border tightening security measures more comprehensive and robust as well as the sharing of information, including intelligence. As long as the US perceives the terrorist threat a priority, Caribbean security policy will continue apace.
Mohamed Madani Hafidi, Meriem Djezzar, Mounir Hemam, Fatima Zahra Amara and Moufida Maimour
This paper aims to offer a comprehensive examination of the various solutions currently accessible for addressing the challenge of semantic interoperability in cyber physical…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to offer a comprehensive examination of the various solutions currently accessible for addressing the challenge of semantic interoperability in cyber physical systems (CPS). CPS is a new generation of systems composed of physical assets with computation capabilities, connected with software systems in a network, exchanging data collected from the physical asset, models (physics-based, data-driven, . . .) and services (reconfiguration, monitoring, . . .). The physical asset and its software system are connected, and they exchange data to be interpreted in a certain context. The heterogeneous nature of the collected data together with different types of models rise interoperability problems. Modeling the digital space of the CPS and integrating information models that support cyber physical interoperability together are required.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper aims to identify the most relevant points in the development of semantic models and machine learning solutions to the interoperability problem, and how these solutions are implemented in CPS. The research analyzes recent papers related to the topic of semantic interoperability in Industry 4.0 (I4.0) systems.
Findings
Semantic models are key enabler technologies that provide a common understanding of data, and they can be used to solve interoperability problems in Industry by using a common vocabulary when defining these models.
Originality/value
This paper provides an overview of the different available solutions to the semantic interoperability problem in CPS.
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Rene J. Moreno Masey, John O. Gray, Tony J. Dodd and Darwin G. Caldwell
At present, the majority of industrial robots are not well suited to the specific needs of the food industry. Additionally, the high cost of robotic systems means that it is…
Abstract
Purpose
At present, the majority of industrial robots are not well suited to the specific needs of the food industry. Additionally, the high cost of robotic systems means that it is currently difficult for food manufacturers to financially justify the use of this technology. This paper aims to examine the unique requirements of the food industry with regards to robot manipulator design and outlines the design features of a low‐cost robotic arm developed specifically for use in food production.
Design/methodology/approach
Considerations for the design of the robot arm in addition to industrial requirements for hygienic design, low cost, fast pick and place speed, safety for operation alongside human workers and ease of reprogramming are discussed in detail.
Findings
A successful manipulator design must consider functional requirements relevant to food production from the very outset of the design process. The principal three requirements are those of ease of cleaning, speed and low cost.
Practical implications
The availability of low‐cost industrial robots specifically designed for food production might encourage a wider adoption of robotics and automation in the food industry and would benefit food manufacturers by reducing production costs and increasing competitiveness in what is becoming an increasingly difficult market.
Originality/value
This paper is of value to engineers and researchers developing robotic manipulators for use in the food industry.