‘There you have it: the difference between the human translator and the machine’, said Barbara Snell, chairman of ‘Machine Aids for Translators’, when she saw the cover for these…
Abstract
‘There you have it: the difference between the human translator and the machine’, said Barbara Snell, chairman of ‘Machine Aids for Translators’, when she saw the cover for these proceedings. Fully automatic translation was no longer ‘pie in the sky’, she had said when introducing the conference: ‘machine translation may not be pie on the table, but it is perhaps pie in the oven.’ If intelligent youngsters were not to be put off translating as a career, therefore, translators must equip themselves with machine aids in order to fulfil their potential and make the most of one attribute which the machine would never acquire: the ability to think. The translations of the conference title, so non‐literal and thoughtful, typify the human translator's approach. We render not words, but ideas.
Veronica Lawson and Muriel Vasconcellos
In probably the most extensive survey of MT use ever performed, some forty users have reported directly on their experience. This paper explores their responses. Many are…
Abstract
In probably the most extensive survey of MT use ever performed, some forty users have reported directly on their experience. This paper explores their responses. Many are favourable. What are they doing? Are they language professionals? What is MT for? ‘PCMT’ — affordable MT software for your desktop — has transformed the user profile. One vendor has sold over 200,000 MT packages at under $100.
Lazare Nzeyimana, Åsa Danielsson, Veronica Brodén-Gyberg and Lotta Andersson
This paper analyses Rwandan farmers’ perceptions of historical drivers of landscape vulnerability (past), current livelihood assets (present) and existing or potential capacities…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper analyses Rwandan farmers’ perceptions of historical drivers of landscape vulnerability (past), current livelihood assets (present) and existing or potential capacities (future) to increase resilience to drought. The specific focus is on linking experiences from the past and present with ideas for a drought-resilient future. It explores how farmers' perceptions of past droughts and future visioning can contribute to rural development policy and multi-level collaborations.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was conducted in Bugesera, a drought-prone district in south-eastern Rwanda. Empirical data was collected through participatory observation, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The analytical points of departure are based on sustainable landscapes and livelihood approaches, combining spatial and temporal perspectives on challenges and opportunities identified by farmers’ communities in addressing droughts.
Findings
All respondents had a high awareness of the impact of droughts. Perceived drivers of landscape change include historical climate events, such as droughts and floods, immigration and agricultural expansion, which have led to demographic pressure on land, deforestation and infringement on natural resources. Factors enhancing resilience capacities include access to diversified sources of livelihood, knowledge of appropriate irrigation techniques and availability of safety nets and credits. Furthermore, farmers identified collaborative opportunities as important for resilience capacity, including peer learning, and sharing best practices through knowledge exchange and on-field training. In addition, farmers brought up the need for innovative institutions that can facilitate access to markets and enable collaboration between different agricultural sectors.
Originality/value
This study analyses farmers’ perceptions of resilience capacities to droughts through a spatiotemporal lens of past droughts, present capital and future challenges by linking scales, knowledge and human–environment nexus. This paper contributes to the knowledge of climate adaptation in Rwanda and to discussions about smallholder farming in the literature on climate change adaptation.
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Ozan Atsız, Veronica Leoni and Orhan Akova
This paper aims to empirically analyze tourists' length of stay in Istanbul, an important cultural destination. The objective of the study is twofold: (1) uncovering the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to empirically analyze tourists' length of stay in Istanbul, an important cultural destination. The objective of the study is twofold: (1) uncovering the qualitative difference between one-night visitors and longer stay visitors and (2) for those visitors staying longer at the tourism destination, investigating the key determinants of length of stay.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to international tourists who were about to leave the destination. To perform the analysis, we applied a two-step approach: first, we opted for classical binary logit to investigate the tourists' group membership (one-night vs longer stays); second, we applied a zero-truncated Poisson model for uncovering the drivers of length of stay for longer stay visitors.
Findings
The results confirmed the structural difference between the two visitor subgroups. Moreover, we found a positive impact of cultural attributes on tourists' length of stay.
Practical implications
The findings provide useful information for destination managers and planners, highlighting the importance of designing different tourism policies in light of tourists' heterogeneity. Moreover, the results confirmed the importance of the preservation and promotion of cultural attributes, given that these are a key factor in determining the success of a destination.
Originality/value
The importance and originality of this study are that it explores the impact of cultural/heritage attributes of the destination on tourists' length of stay. Moreover, it sheds light on the qualitative difference between short- and long-stay visitors.
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Veronica H. Villena, Li Cheng and Stefan Wuyts
As buyers and suppliers seek to create value, they face the challenge of creating an environment that promotes coordination and information sharing and discourages opportunism…
Abstract
Purpose
As buyers and suppliers seek to create value, they face the challenge of creating an environment that promotes coordination and information sharing and discourages opportunism. While the literature suggested dyadic mechanisms to create such an environment, this study focuses on ties beyond the buyer–supplier dyad. Specifically, close connections to one's partner's partners (CPP) are crucial in the realization of benefits for buyers and suppliers.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing from embeddedness theory and governance theory, the authors developed a contingency framework to examine when CPP are beneficial or counterproductive considering two dyadic attributes – relational capital (RC) and partner dependence. Analyses were conducted using data from a dyadic survey complemented with archival data on 106 buyer–supplier relationships (BSRs).
Findings
The study reveals that CPP both help and hurt in the realization of benefits. Stark asymmetries exist between the impact of CPP on the buyer and supplier sides. For buyers, CPP exert a direct positive effect on operational and innovation benefits. For suppliers, the effect of CPP on operational and innovation benefits is contingent on buyer dependence and RC – CPP serves as a substitute for buyer dependence and RC. There are no such contingency effects for buyers. Further analysis identifies situations for suppliers when CPP hurt the realization of benefits.
Originality/value
The study highlights the importance of CPP to foster efficiency and innovation within BSRs and illustrates how their impact varies across contingency conditions and across the parties within a dyad.
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Verónica Paula Lima Ribeiro, Sónia Maria da Silva Monteiro and Ana Maria de Abreu e Moura
This study aims to analyse the extent of online social responsibility (SR) information disclosure by Portuguese municipalities and to identify related determinant factors, based…
Abstract
This study aims to analyse the extent of online social responsibility (SR) information disclosure by Portuguese municipalities and to identify related determinant factors, based on Institutional Theory and Legitimacy Theories.
A content analysis was performed on webpages from 60 sampled municipalities, and an information disclosure index was created.
Descriptive statistics obtained indicate the Total Disclosure Index (TDI) value was 0.46. The Economic Information sub-category exhibits the highest value (0.66), followed by the Social and Environmental Information categories (0.61 and 0.36, respectively).
The multivariate analysis results indicate that LA21 implementation the existence of tax burdens, the characterisation of a municipality as urban and environmental/SR certification application positively influence SR information disclosure. TDI is negatively affected by the existence of an inactive population (i.e. by the percentage of individuals ≤19 and ≥65 years of age).
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Bilge Yigit Ozkan, Marco Spruit, Roland Wondolleck and Verónica Burriel Coll
This paper presents a method for adapting an Information Security Focus Area Maturity (ISFAM) model to the organizational characteristics (OCs) of a small- and medium-sized…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents a method for adapting an Information Security Focus Area Maturity (ISFAM) model to the organizational characteristics (OCs) of a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) cluster. The purpose of this paper is to provide SMEs with a tailored maturity model enabling them to capture and improve their information security capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
Design Science Research was followed to design and evaluate the method as a design artifact.
Findings
The method has successfully been used to adapt the ISFAM model to a group of SMEs within a regional cluster resulting in a model that is aligned with the OCs of the cluster. Areas for further investigation and improvements were identified.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on applying the proposed method for the SMEs active in the transport, logistics and packaging sector in the Port of Rotterdam. Future research can focus on different sectors and regions. The method can be used for adapting other focus area maturity models.
Practical implications
The resulting adapted maturity model can facilitate the creation and further development of a base of common or shared knowledge in the cluster. The adapted maturity model can cut the cost of over implementation of information security capabilities for the SMEs with scarce resources.
Originality/value
The resulting adapted maturity model can facilitate the creation and further development of a base of common or shared knowledge in the cluster. The adapted maturity model can cut the cost of over implementation of information security capabilities for the SMEs with scarce resources.
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Livelihood preference for children is anchored in the aspiration of parents for a better life for them with due consideration of their capacities given available resources and…
Abstract
Livelihood preference for children is anchored in the aspiration of parents for a better life for them with due consideration of their capacities given available resources and opportunities from inside and outside the community. Given the data from an earlier survey I conducted, this chapter examines the fisheries management issues as contexts and the time factors that may have influenced the livelihood preference for children of parents, primarily fathers. Twenty-five percent of parents or 30 out of the 120 non-probability samples of municipal fishing families surveyed in South Negros in the Philippines preferred fishing for their children. For a comparative analysis, 30 parents were also randomly drawn from the remaining samples who preferred other livelihoods for their children away from fishing. As a male-dominated industry, evident in the fishing history of families, the tradition may have already declined among most parents as non-fishing livelihoods were perceived to offer family resilience to ecological and socioeconomic changes. The projected decrease in new families engaged in fishing would also mean a pressure reduction on municipal fisheries; thus, opportunities for non-fishing livelihoods must be accessible through full scholarships for college or technical-vocational education. Meanwhile, basic education sciences should infuse lessons in responsible or right fishing practices to expose children to sustainable fisheries at a young age if they pursue fishing livelihoods when they become adults.