The paper describes various options which enhance the durability of reinforced concrete by reducing the risk of reinforcement corrosion. These include different cementing systems…
Abstract
The paper describes various options which enhance the durability of reinforced concrete by reducing the risk of reinforcement corrosion. These include different cementing systems, chemical admixtures and fibres, and surface treatments and coatings. Models for predicting the time to corrosion are described and the ways in which the different measures influence the critical input parameters are discussed. Durability design is also discussed, the limitations of the current deemed‐to‐satisfy approach are highlighted, and a new performance based method is proposed. Finally, a methodology is proposed for selecting the most cost‐effective options in relation to the required design life of the structure.
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Karolin Kelm and Michael Johann
This study investigates the determinants of artificial intelligence (AI) acceptance in and AI-driven transformations of corporate communications. From a technology adoption…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the determinants of artificial intelligence (AI) acceptance in and AI-driven transformations of corporate communications. From a technology adoption perspective, the study explores the dual influence of individual and organizational factors on AI acceptance.
Design/methodology/approach
Employing a qualitative research design, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 AI experts in large-scale companies in Germany.
Findings
The study reveals micro-level determinants of AI acceptance related to AI’s perceived usefulness and ease of use. It also identifies macro-level determinants, including organizational awareness and frameworks. Corporate communications is expected to gain relevance due to the organizational integration of AI.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed model integrates crucial factors influencing AI adoption and offers a starting point for quantitative validation. The study serves as a benchmark for future research, particularly given its timing right before the extensive adoption of ChatGPT.
Practical implications
Organizations are encouraged to develop strategies that enhance both individual and organizational AI readiness. By reflecting both micro- and macro-level determinants of AI acceptance, a more holistic understanding of effective change management initiatives related to AI integration can be fostered.
Originality/value
By proposing an extension to the technology acceptance model, which incorporates both micro- and meso-level determinants, this study provides a novel framework for holistically understanding AI acceptance in corporate communications.
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This chapter examines and discusses the unintended outcomes of the production bonus scheme the mine had instituted to motivate and increase the productivity of the frontline…
Abstract
This chapter examines and discusses the unintended outcomes of the production bonus scheme the mine had instituted to motivate and increase the productivity of the frontline mining teams. This is crucial given that the maladministration of the bonus system could lead to a range of undesired outcomes such as deteriorating levels of trust between management and frontline workers, prioritisation of production at the expense of safety, poor work relations and ultimately low levels of organisational, employee and team performance. There are a number of organisational, management and labour factors that can render a production bonus scheme effective or ineffective. These factors influence the nature and extent of worker reactions to the bonus scheme.
This chapter examines and discusses the factors that influenced the reaction of the mining teams to the team-based production bonus scheme and the extent to which mine management fulfilled its side of the bargain in the implementation of the production bonus. The chapter highlights the manner in which the team-based bonus system influenced teams of stope workers to engage in their informal organisational practice of making plan (planisa) in order to offset the snags that jeopardised their prospects of earning the production bonus. The chapter reveals that, to a large extent, the productivity bonus generated conflict rather than cooperation at the point of production down the mine. As a result, the incentive scheme failed to live up to expectations by not eliciting the desired levels of organisational, worker and team performance at the rock-face.
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The purpose of this paper is to determine whether it is useful to tease apart the intimately related propositions of social production and social construction to guide thinking in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine whether it is useful to tease apart the intimately related propositions of social production and social construction to guide thinking in the multidisciplinary study of disasters.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors address our question by reviewing literature on disasters in the social sciences to disambiguate the concepts of social production and social construction.
Findings
The authors have found that entertaining the distinction between social production and social construct can inform both thinking and action on disasters by facilitating critical exercises in reframing that facilitate dialog across difference. The authors present a series of arguments on the social production and construction of disaster and advocate putting these constructs in dialog with vulnerability frameworks of the social production of disasters.
Originality/value
This commentary contributes to disambiguating important theoretical and practical concepts in disaster studies. The reframing approach can inform both research and more inclusive disaster management and risk reduction efforts.
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This paper examines the necessity of making compensation changes concurrently with information technology implementation that increases the requirements of incumbent jobs. The…
Abstract
This paper examines the necessity of making compensation changes concurrently with information technology implementation that increases the requirements of incumbent jobs. The paper reviews several theoretical frameworks that highlight corollary effects of technology change on other organizational elements and underscore that organizational change programs do not occur in isolation. Following, organizational justice literature is reviewed as a theoretical background for assessing employee evaluations of, and reactions to, the absence of compensation adjustments in technology change. An organizational field study, utilizing a pretest-posttest control group design, was conducted to test a number of hypothesized effects resulting from a failure to adjust compensation for affected jobs during the implementation of a new human resource information system. The results indicated increases in perceptions of procedural injustice, distributive injustice, and dissatisfaction with the structure and administration of the compensation system. A discussion of the results and implications of the study are presented.