Hasil untuk "Sociology"

Brunet Luc E., Longcôté Éric

The second industrial revolution saw the development of management methods tailored to the challenges of the times: firstly, the need for mass production, and then, the pursuit of improved quality and customer satisfaction, followed by a push to improve operational performances in response to market globalization. If these approaches were initially inspired by rational mechanistic thinking, they have since gradually broadened to integrate other dimensions such as psychology, sociology and systemic analysis. Business enterprises underwent a profound rethink in the 1990s introducing increasingly refined modi operandi, only to find their environment disrupted by the appearance of two new parameters: complexity and uncertainty. Enterprises of the third industrial revolution were able to integrate these parameters at the outset, introducing new styles of management. However, these may well be deficient with regard to activities where an error may be fatal, or a failure intolerable. Caught between the precautionary principle and the principle of experimentation, the third industrial revolution falters to find the right approach, whereas the fourth industrial revolution is almost already upon us, bringing its lot of upheavals. In this regard, faced with increasing complexities and uncertainties, Research and Development is of particular interest since its vocation consists precisely in confronting the complex and the uncertain. This article examines the fundamental principles of the R&D process, and analyses how these may act as a benchmark for contemporary management by providing sources of inspiration.

Yiliu Sun, Zicheng Zhao, Sheng Wan et al.

Nowadays, single Large Language Model (LLM) struggles with critical issues such as hallucination and inadequate reasoning abilities. To mitigate these issues, Multi-Agent Debate (MAD) has emerged as an effective strategy, where LLM agents engage in in-depth debates with others on tasks. However, existing MAD methods face two major issues: (a) too lengthy input contexts, which causes LLM agents to get lost in plenty of input information and experiences performance drop; and (b) the overconfidence dilemma, where self-assured LLM agents dominate the debate, leading to low debating effectiveness. To address these limitations, we propose a novel MAD method called "CortexDebate". Inspired by the human brain's tendency to establish a sparse and dynamically optimized network among cortical areas governed by white matter, CortexDebate constructs a sparse debating graph among LLM agents, where each LLM agent only debates with the ones that are helpful to it. To optimize the graph, we propose a module named McKinsey-based Debate Matter (MDM), which acts as an artificial analog to white matter. By integrating the McKinsey Trust Formula, a well-established measure of trustworthiness from sociology, MDM enables credible evaluations that guide graph optimization. The effectiveness of our CortexDebate has been well demonstrated by extensive experimental results across eight datasets from four task types.

Alina Pop, Filip Alexandrescu

The article examines how the crisis phenomenon is discussed in the Romanian public communication environment. The authors argue that in the current context, where society is marked by multiple crises, the term "permacrisis" has become relevant, describing a state of permanent crisis affecting the society at multiple levels. The authors analysed how the topic of crisis has been represented in the Romanian media, focusing on articles published online between 2017 and 2022. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, the study highlights a significant increase in crisis-related mentions since 2020, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase indicates a shift in public perception and media discourse, suggesting the normalisation and acceptance of the crisis as a constant state. Four dominant themes associated with the crisis were identified in media discourse: the economic crisis, the health crisis generated by COVID-19, the domestic political crisis and the crisis generated by the war in Ukraine. These themes illustrate the different facets of the permacrisis in Romania, from the economic and social impact, to political uncertainty and the consequences of pandemics and geopolitical conflicts. The paper highlights the importance of recognising and understanding the phenomenon of permacrisis in Romanian society in order to develop more effective strategies for managing crises and building a more resilient society.

Maryam Hosseini, Marco Cipriano, Sedigheh Eslami et al.

Existing Open Vocabulary Detection (OVD) models exhibit a number of challenges. They often struggle with semantic consistency across diverse inputs, and are often sensitive to slight variations in input phrasing, leading to inconsistent performance. The calibration of their predictive confidence, especially in complex multi-label scenarios, remains suboptimal, frequently resulting in overconfident predictions that do not accurately reflect their context understanding. To understand these limitations, multi-label detection benchmarks are needed. A particularly challenging domain for such benchmarking is social activities. Due to the lack of multi-label benchmarks for social interactions, in this work we present ELSA: Evaluating Localization of Social Activities. ELSA draws on theoretical frameworks in urban sociology and design and uses in-the-wild street-level imagery, where the size of groups and the types of activities vary significantly. ELSA includes more than 900 manually annotated images with more than 4,300 multi-labeled bounding boxes for individual and group activities. We introduce a novel confidence score computation method NLSE and a novel Dynamic Box Aggregation (DBA) algorithm to assess semantic consistency in overlapping predictions. We report our results on the widely-used SOTA models Grounding DINO, Detic, OWL, and MDETR. Our evaluation protocol considers semantic stability and localization accuracy and further exposes the limitations of existing approaches.

Yan Zhuang, Qi Liu, Haoyang Bi et al.

Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) offers an efficient and personalized method for assessing examinee proficiency by dynamically adjusting test questions based on individual performance. Compared to traditional, non-personalized testing methods, CAT requires fewer questions and provides more accurate assessments. As a result, CAT has been widely adopted across various fields, including education, healthcare, sports, sociology, and the evaluation of AI models. While traditional methods rely on psychometrics and statistics, the increasing complexity of large-scale testing has spurred the integration of machine learning techniques. This paper aims to provide a machine learning-focused survey on CAT, presenting a fresh perspective on this adaptive testing paradigm. We delve into measurement models, question selection algorithm, bank construction, and test control within CAT, exploring how machine learning can optimize these components. Through an analysis of current methods, strengths, limitations, and challenges, we strive to develop robust, fair, and efficient CAT systems. By bridging psychometric-driven CAT research with machine learning, this survey advocates for a more inclusive and interdisciplinary approach to the future of adaptive testing.

Jess Reia, Luã Cruz

Resumo A agenda de cidades inteligentes vem se consolidando no Brasil a partir de relações de poder assimétricas entre atores estatais e não estatais, sendo atravessada por conflitos de interesses entre empresas, governos e comunidades em nível transnacional, regional e local. Da Nova Agenda Urbana assinada em Quito, em 2016, aos novos “planos diretores” encabeçados por consultorias privadas nos municípios brasileiros, abordagens corporativas de inteligência no espaço urbano têm salientado a racionalidade neoliberal por trás do conceito e seus desdobramentos. Aqui, apresenta-se um olhar crítico dessa agenda desde o Sul Global, articulando o alcance do poder corporativo, a garantia de direitos (à cidade e digitais) e a resistência exercida a partir de colaborações locais e internacionais.

Kriste Krstovski, Yao Lu, Ye Xu

A person's gender is a crucial piece of information when performing research across a wide range of scientific disciplines, such as medicine, sociology, political science, and economics, to name a few. However, in increasing instances, especially given the proliferation of big data, gender information is not readily available. In such cases researchers need to infer gender from readily available information, primarily from persons' names. While inferring gender from name may raise some ethical questions, the lack of viable alternatives means that researchers have to resort to such approaches when the goal justifies the means - in the majority of such studies the goal is to examine patterns and determinants of gender disparities. The necessity of name-to-gender inference has generated an ever-growing domain of algorithmic approaches and software products. These approaches have been used throughout the world in academia, industry, governmental and non-governmental organizations. Nevertheless, the existing approaches have yet to be systematically evaluated and compared, making it challenging to determine the optimal approach for future research. In this work, we conducted a large scale performance evaluation of existing approaches for name-to-gender inference. Analysis are performed using a variety of large annotated datasets of names. We further propose two new hybrid approaches that achieve better performance than any single existing approach.

Hendrik Buschmeier, Heike M. Buhl, Friederike Kern et al.

Explainability has become an important topic in computer science and artificial intelligence, leading to a subfield called Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI). The goal of providing or seeking explanations is to achieve (better) 'understanding' on the part of the explainee. However, what it means to 'understand' is still not clearly defined, and the concept itself is rarely the subject of scientific investigation. This conceptual article aims to present a model of forms of understanding for XAI-explanations and beyond. From an interdisciplinary perspective bringing together computer science, linguistics, sociology, philosophy and psychology, a definition of understanding and its forms, assessment, and dynamics during the process of giving everyday explanations are explored. Two types of understanding are considered as possible outcomes of explanations, namely enabledness, 'knowing how' to do or decide something, and comprehension, 'knowing that' -- both in different degrees (from shallow to deep). Explanations regularly start with shallow understanding in a specific domain and can lead to deep comprehension and enabledness of the explanandum, which we see as a prerequisite for human users to gain agency. In this process, the increase of comprehension and enabledness are highly interdependent. Against the background of this systematization, special challenges of understanding in XAI are discussed.

V. V. Bondarenko, N. A. Nazarova, K. S. Taisheva et al.

One of the key conditions for increasing of Russian education competitiveness in the international market is the active involvement of universities in various international cooperation forms. For this purpose, an analysis of international, federal, local normative legal acts regulating the international activities of Russian higher education institutions was carried out. The international aspect was considered using a comparative legal analysis of agreements between Russia and other countries. The article presents the results of the analysis of the principles of international agreements regulating the educational process in Russian universities. According to the research, a model, regulating the international activities of Russia’s universities, was analysed. The study of regulatory legal acts in Russia’s higher education led to the conclusion about the legislation elaboration level, to outline the prospects for development and the possibility of expanding the domestic universities international activities.

Brett Bourbon, Renita Murimi

Online social networks facilitate the diffusion of misinformation. Some theorists construe the problem of misinformation as a problem of knowledge, hence of ignorance. This assumption leads to solutions in which misinformation (false belief) is resisted by good information (true belief). We argue that information is better understood as gossip. We believe that gossip spreads as part of an economy of social capital that has a specific discursive grammar that mimics ordinary human gossip. But there are some critical differences. These differences have immense and divisive social and political effects. If we shift our focus from the truth or falsity of information, and instead focus on the social dynamics of gossip we can more effectively respond to the challenges and dangers of online social networks. Our argument has three parts. (1) We briefly critique epistemological and truth-centered accounts of misinformation. (2) We describe a basic discursive grammar of gossip as a social practice. (3) We, then, match the properties of online information with this discursive grammar of gossip. While gossip has a particular discursive form, its online modes involve a number of unique social features that will have immense and divisive social and political effects. Our goal is not to replace current accounts of information diffusion but to augment these accounts with a descriptive model of gossip. Information diffusion models should be understood as tools with which to explore the sociology of evolving online communities in conjunction with offline communities.

Małgorzata Kuśpit

The article deals with the subjective aspects of the functioning of employees in the organization. The subject of the study was to check whether there are significant differences between the creative attitude, hope for success, and the education and functions of the employees of the organization. 120 people performing managerial and executive functions in organizations with a service and production profile in the south-eastern Poland participated in the study. There were 66 women and 54 men among the respondents. The research used the Creative Behaviour Questionnaire – KANH (Bernacka, Popek, Gierczyk, 2016) and the Questionnaire of Hope – KNS (Łaguna, Trzebiński, Zięba, 2005). The analyses were focused on comparing people holding managerial and executive functions as well as their education with regards to a creative attitude and hope for success. Based on the obtained results, it was found that people in managerial positions are characterized by a higher level of creative attitude and non-conformism compared to people holding executive functions. People with higher education are characterized by a higher level of hope for success, willpower, and a higher degree of ability to find solutions compared to people with secondary education. The obtained research results may be significant for increasing the effectiveness of activities in the organization.  Keywords: employees of the organization, managerial and executive functions, level of education, creative attitude, hope for success, nonconformity, heuristic behaviour   Podmiotowe aspekty funkcjonowania pracowników w organizacji Artykuł traktuje o podmiotowych aspektach funkcjonowania pracowników w organizacji. Przedmiotem badań było sprawdzenie, czy istnieją istotne różnice pomiędzy postawą twórczą oraz nadzieją na sukces a wykształceniem i pełnionymi funkcjami pracowników organizacji. W badaniach uczestniczyło 120 osób pełniących funkcje kierownicze i wykonawcze w organizacjach o profilu działalności usługowej i produkcyjnej w Polsce południowo-wschodniej. Wśród badanych było 66 kobiet i 54 mężczyzn. W badaniach posłużono się Kwestionariuszem Twórczego Zachowania – KANH (Bernacka, Popek, Gierczyk, 2016) oraz Kwestionariuszem Nadziei na Sukces – KNS (Łaguna, Trzebiński, Zięba, 2005). Analizy dotyczyły porównań osób pełniących funkcje kierownicze i wykonawcze oraz wykształcenia w zakresie postawy twórczej i nadziei na sukces. Na podstawie uzyskanych wyników badań stwierdzono, że osoby na stanowiskach kierowniczych charakteryzują się wyższym poziomem postawy twórczej i nonkonformizmu w porównaniu do osób pełniących funkcje wykonawcze. Osoby z wykształceniem wyższym odznaczają się większą nadzieją na sukces, siłą woli oraz wyższym stopniem umiejętności znajdowania rozwiązań w porównaniu do osób z wykształceniem średnim. Uzyskane wyniki badań mogą mieć istotne znaczenie dla zwiększenia efektywności działań w organizacji.

Eyal Katvan, Boaz Shnoor

Serial litigants are a well-known phenomenon. This article deals with this phenomenon on two different levels using Israel as a test-case. First, we analyze the impact they have on the judicial system as a whole, and the institutional responses the judicial system uses in order to deal with serial litigants as well as the impact (both positive and negative) such serial litigants have on other litigants. Second, we analyze the personal motives of serial litigants and identify their common denominators, as well as what differentiates them. In this regard the article offers a unique approach by presenting the perspective of serial litigants and the human dimension behind their claims. We then show that serial litigants do not constitute a monolithic group, and suggest that courts have to take the differences between them into account. We further propose the formulation of systemic tools that take into account both the negative and the positive aspects of serial litigants in order to strike a proper balance between the optimal allocation of resources, and the right of access to justice.

Michel Rautenberg

The American visual sociology is bad known in France. It is not to be confused with the French sociologie visuelle which aims to report the social world by the way of images. One main topic of visual sociology is to be concerned with every visual aspect of the social and material life. This paper does not claim to be synthetic presentation, but bases its argument on an American sociologist’s work, Jerome Krase, who gives a pivotal role in eyesight the urban life and shooting it.

Majed Alrubaian, Muhammad Al-Qurishi, Sherif Omar et al.

Veracity of data posted on the microblog platforms has in recent years been a subject of intensive study by professionals specializing in various fields of informatics as well as sociology, particularly in the light of increasing importance of online tools for news spreading. On Twitter and similar sites, it is possible to report on ongoing situations globally with minimal delay, while the cost of such reporting remains negligible. One of the most important features of this social network is that content delivery can be customized to allow users to focus only on news items covering subject matters they find interesting. With this in mind, it becomes necessary to create verification mechanisms that can ascertain whether the claims made on Twitter can be taken seriously and prevent false content from spreading too far. This study demonstrates an innovative System for verification of information that can fulfill the role described above. The System is comprised of four mutually connected modules: a legacy module, a trustworthiness classifier; a module managing user authority, and a ranking procedure. All of the modules function within an integrated framework and jointly contribute to an accurate classification of messages and authors. Effectiveness of the solution was evaluated empirically on a sample of Twitter users, with a strict 10-fold evaluation procedure applied for each module. The findings indicate that the solution successfully meets the primary objectives of the study and performs its function as expected.

Bahaudin G. Mujtaba, Frank J. Cavico

While most employers, managers, and employees have heard and read much about the #MeToo movement, little academic attention has been devoted to ethical analysis of office romance and sexual favoritism polices in the modern workplace. Everyone is likely to agree that romantic relationships will continue in the workplace regardless of organizational policies; nevertheless appropriate, policies should be in place to protect against any adverse legal consequences stemming from romantic relationships in the workplace; and these policies also should be promulgated and enforced in such a manner that all workplace policies and actions can be considered moral and ethical. Accordingly, in this article, we provide a thorough ethical analysis of office romance and sexual favoritism in the sensitive era of the #MeToo movement as well as the “canceled culture” era. We offer specific recommendations to management and human resources professionals on how to provide a safe and healthy work environment for all employees, how to avoid liability for sexual harassment cases as they relate to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as well as how to ensure that the workplace is fair and just for all. We conclude that every company’s management and human resources departments should take full responsibility for ensuring that business decisions, especially those affecting the employees, are aligned with legal, moral, and, of course, ethical norms. First and foremost, appropriate policies, programs, procedures, and training are necessary to combat sexual discrimination and harassment and thus to ensure a fair, just, and functional workplace. We believe that prevention is the best means of proactively eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace. Each firm should include a clear and strong policy statement against sexual harassment and discrimination in their code of conduct expectations. The policy should have direct statement of the intolerance and prohibition of any form of sexual harassment and illegal discrimination. Each firms should also have an effective policy distribution, communication to employees and enforcement plan. Finally, retaliation must be avoided. As such, there should be assurances that complaining employees will be protected from harassment or retaliation.

Lorena Antezana Barrios

Based on the viewing of television series about the recent past in Chile broadcast in the context of the commemoration of the 40 years of the coup, we reflect on the possibilities of construction and reconstruction of memories about that past that these proposals generate in three generations of viewers: those who experienced the coup, those who grew up in dictatorship and those who grew up in democracy. We conclude that these audiovisual productions, although they are not a proper historical story, manage to install certain socially relevant references and milestones whose base is historical, so they can be considered a useful instrument for the formative work of the new generations.

Yushan Pan, Hans Petter Hildre

This paper focuses on remote-control and autonomous vessels from a sociological perspective. We report that if CSCW research aims to shed light on other disciplines, researchers should be reflexive insider that first position themselves in such disciplines. Through reflexive practice, CSCW researchers could connect communities of practice, thus narrowing the distance between design and engineering.

Katarzyna Doliwa, Adam Doliwa

The subject of the article are selected philosophical and fundamental legal (i.e., systemic and constitutional, foundations of self-governance and local democracy). The authors present a general concept and the most important pragmatic function of democracy. The subject of the analysis is also the legal principle of self-governance as a systemic postulate of the democratic state ruled by law. The theoretical inspiration for the deliberations on decentralization and local democracy are the philosophical and political concepts of Ostrom and the philosophical classics: Hobbes, Montesquieu, and de Tocqueville. Self-governance and democracy, also considered from the point of view of their merits and disadvantages, have been included as a counterweight to centralism and monocentric democracy carrying a number of threats to freedom. In order to illustrate general arguments based on the method of analysis of normative and philosophical texts, the authors also use the example of American local democracy; it was chosen as a form of self-governance and local democracy in a modern sense, yet the oldest one and very well-functioning in practice. In the conclusions, the authors state what territorial self-governance is and what role it plays in the democratic system. They also emphasize that territorial self-governance, through actual decentralization of public authority, ensures democracy and secures against the transformation of monocentric democracy into a dangerous oligarchy.

N. Chernov

The methodology of gravity model and specialties of its use in relation to Russian foreign trade are presented. The results of the calculation of Russian foreign trade gravity model with its explanation both for total trade flows and trade flows excluding mineral fuel, oil and oil products are given. The high accuracy and the possibility of using this methodology for researching of Russian foreign trade process and trade affecting factors including access to the sea are confirmed.