Search Results (15)

The work represented in the following essay explores meaning-making in the context of creating in a digitally saturated culture. The digital imperative, with its binary oppositional structure (ones and zeroes), has increasingly asserted itself as the only option, from learning management systems (LMSs) to nearly all financial transactions, to the deepening gulfs between very rich and very poor, to increased extremes in left- and right-wing politics, and has deepened an already-entrenched binary oppositional thinking in creativity, nature, identity, and how we imagine the future itself, i.e., the extinction ending versus the techno-utopia. Binary oppositional thinking persists when people want simple, direct answers to complex questions. We are living in such a time when anxiety and grief over climate change have left many people with deep uncertainties about the future. How might an embrace of complexity and creativity help us transmute binary oppositional thinking in the face of these challenges? Through personal and scholarly narrative, this study addresses this question through an exploration of narrative experiences. Full article

This article considers the problem of developing creativity, with a focus on psychological science. What makes a psychological or other scientist creative, and what are the attitudes as well as skills that one must develop to become creative? What can educators do to enhance their creativity for the benefit of science and the world? The essay focuses on transformational creativity—creativity that makes the world a better place. Transformational creativity requires individuals to defy popular beliefs (the crowd) and assumptions (the Zeitgeist) and often, their own past beliefs (the self). The essay also provides tips for improving creativity that draw on the experience of 100 highly eminent psychologists who were identified in a survey by Edward Diener and his associates. These creators were transformational in their own field of psychology. Mentors and teachers, in general, should put more focus on developing transformationally creative attitudes in their work with young people, because those are the attitudes that will make the field better and make the world a better place. Full article

The handicraft sector is often seen as a symbol of a country’s cultural identity, as it relies on specialized traditional techniques, skills, and knowledge that are often passed down through generations. As a result, ensuring the authenticity and integrity of this creative value has become a significant challenge, especially with the growth of counterfeiting techniques in this industry. Thus, integrating digital technologies into such sectors offers numerous operational benefits such as transparency, decentralization, data security, and authenticity needs. This paper presents an innovative approach for the handicraft sector, which exploits blockchain technology and the Internet of Things to guarantee the authenticity of cultural heritage. Through experimental evaluations comparing the decentralized blockchain-based system with traditional centralized methods using key metrics such as response time and transactions per second, this study reveals significant results. The statistical analysis reveals that the decentralized approach improves performance in terms of response times for verification and addition processes compared to the centralized system. Specifically, verification is approximately 4.66 times faster and addition is approximately 4.30 times faster in a decentralized system. However, transaction latency in the decentralized approach is approximately 38.21% higher than in the centralized system. Full article

Blockchain technology has gained popularity in various applications, including finance transactions and beyond. However, developing blockchain application systems is challenging due to stringent quality requirements, such as performance, scalability, and security. Software architecture plays a critical role in realizing key quality requirements. Nonetheless, little work has been performed on software architectures for blockchain applications since blockchain application development is still a new field. This paper proposes twelve architectural patterns for blockchain application software architectures based on 400 cross-industry real-world applications available on the Internet. We determine the key components of each application guided by a blockchain application taxonomy we developed. We then identify typical architectural patterns from the interactions of these components guided by well-known software patterns, such as peer-to-peer, layered, pipe-filter, and access control. Based on the roles of these patterns, we organize them into four architectural views comprising four structural, two interactional, four transactional, and two security patterns. We describe each pattern in detail using a standard form and demonstrate the patterns through a real-world blockchain application. The use of patterns can be valuable in addressing blockchain’s unique challenges, but creativity remains essential in crafting innovative solutions. Mixing architectural patterns according to varying requirements can help developers communicate effectively. Full article

The introduction of forests in cities has been an observable trend in recent years, with planned forest management projects proliferating around the world. The fact that many urban forests in the public space are traditionally managed by top-down bureaucratic procedures and guided by expert knowledge raises questions about whether green areas should follow the same management approach as other urban infrastructures, such as mobility infrastructures, or whether they should explore a collaborative approach designed to engage diverse stakeholders. This article examines the challenges of innovating in urban forests, changing the management rules that may limit participatory and deliberative processes to support decision-making. In particular, we analyzed how introducing a co-creation stage impacted the traditional competitive public tender procedure in the Madrid Metropolitan Forest project, using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework. Results showed that the costs and benefits of innovation differ among involved actors, generating unintended deterrent effects for experimentation. To mitigate these decoupling effects, we suggest a strategic design of working rules and updating the shared incentive to move from a competitive and transactional logic to a more collaborative and co-creative form of connection. Full article

The rise of the digital economy provides an alternative path for global green development. On the basis of analyzing the connotations of green development, digital economy and division of labor, this paper studies the theoretical mechanisms of the digital economy empowering green development; this is based on the division of labor thought of as the new classical economics. From the research results, it can be seen that the digital economy, through technological change, is conducive to the improvement of transaction efficiency and the evolution of the division of labor model. Under the dual role of the government’s green system and the market regulation mechanism, it promotes the transaction from the “black division of labor” mode to the “green division of labor” mode, thereby empowering green development. The impact of the digital economy on the level of green development is not single linear. This paper creatively analyzes the theoretical mechanisms of the digital economy empowering green development, from the perspective of the division of labor. These research results have good theoretical value and practical significance for promoting the sustainable development of the global economy. Full article

The decentralized and tamper-proof features of blockchain technology can solve the problems of low compatibility, poor flexibility, and single point of failure in the traditional Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). However, the transparency of the blockchain ledger makes the privacy disclosure of users a huge security risk. Given the privacy leakage problem exposed in the existing energy trading scheme based on the blockchain, this paper creatively proposes a privacy protection scheme for IIoT energy trading based on an identity-based signature (IBS) and homomorphic encryption. On the premise of satisfying the transaction traceability and verifiability, this scheme uses IBS technology to provide an anonymous mechanism for energy trading nodes and utilizes Paillier homomorphic encryption to prevent the disclosure of transaction amounts. To meet the high-concurrency and high-throughput energy trading requirements in IIoT, moreover, the proposed scheme combines the off-chain storage with cloud assistance and the off-chain transaction based on PCN to reduce redundant data written into the blockchain and to improve the concurrent trading efficiency, respectively. The security analysis and performance evaluation results show that the proposed scheme can realize the dual privacy protection of identities and transaction amounts in the trading process at the cost of reasonable calculation. Full article

The currently used educational technology with artificial-intelligence-powered solutions, although rather instrumental, may lead to discontinuity in learning, as it lacks social and emotional value, which is an essential part of education for sustainable development and results in an immersive experience through which higher-order thinking skills can be adopted. This paper aims to explore transformative learning (TL) and innovation skill improvement accommodated by transactional distance theory in a 16-week remote sustainable architecture design course. The analysis identified the following: (a) significant progress in students’ attitudes toward uncertainty and criticality while social support differs due to the influence of classmates, faculty staff, teamwork, writing and reading assignments, promoters from industry and extracurricular activities; (b) significant progress in TL achievement while innovation skill development differs significantly across the groups in which online collaborative learning was found as an influencer in creativity and motivation; (c) self-efficacy influenced by feedback in and on actions, such as essay and other writing assignments, verbal persuasions and positive social comparisons; (d) lack of development of situational awareness, continuity of learning and interactions/situations to empower teammates in handling conflicts to develop leadership ability; (e) decrease in risk-taking ability, especially in a group of students in which social support was limited due to the absence of challenging situations and tasks. The results support the use of remote intervention directed at prosocial motivations and action-focused group goals. Full article

In the 21st-century context, problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication are the most valued skills in the workplace. Thus, those in positions often labeled as “leadership” need to make a valuable shift: to guiding, inspiring, and facilitating rather than directing. In this article, I review research on two styles of leadership, transformational and transactional, and relate this research to discussions of the same two types of giftedness. Research on the effectiveness of leaders at engendering creative problem solving has shown the transformational style to be more effective. Leaders are guides in the process rather than the content, facilitators of the gathering and exchange of information from varied sources, and role models as they exhibit effective problem-solving behaviors themselves. As role models, they inspire others to take risks, think innovatively, and collaborate with others. Examples of methods for identifying exceptionally talented leaders and behaviors to observe are provided. In addition, an evidence-based model for igniting, cultivating, extending, and strengthening exceptional talent in leadership is described. Full article

This article introduces the concept of transformational creativity, which is creativity that is deployed to make a positive, meaningful, and potentially enduring difference to the world. Transformational creativity is compared to transactional creativity, which is creativity deployed in search of a reward, whether externally or internally generated. The article also discusses different kinds of transactional and transformational creativity. For example, some transactional creativity is inert, meaning that it never comes to fruition. Transformational creativity can be directed inward, outward, or both ways. The article also discusses pseudo-transformational creativity, which is offered by the creator as making the world a better place, when in fact its goal is to improve the lot of the person who is pseudo-transformationally creative. Many charismatic leaders are pseudo-transformational autocrats. It is concluded that, at this point in time, the world desperately needs the work of transformationally creative individuals. Full article

Most economic downturns have stemmed from inefficiencies in the economic system. This research paper aims at investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic—an exogeneous health crisis—on global mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity. By gathering statistical data about global transaction volume, value, and type, the study aims at getting a pulse of how mergers, acquisitions, and other restructuring activities have been utilized to support corporate objectives amidst these unprecedented times. While the full-fledged impact of COVID-19 cannot be fully captured at the moment (early 2021), the study attempts to illustrate how this change to economic stability caused a Schumpeterian creative destruction of industries. As firms prepare for the growth that will follow this downturn, M&A will enable companies to look into a future infused with technology and structurally different business models. This research paper thus captures the deliberate transformation occurring in the deal world to discuss the possible outlook of the M&A deal market in the post-pandemic world. Full article

The main objective of the article was to demonstrate and prove the role of the sharing economy in integrating local communities as well as in improving the quality of life of urban residents. The sharing economy is an alternative model of consumption entered around an access to given goods without the need to possess it. The concept fits excellently into the ideas that are at the core of the social economy. Internet groups operating in the area of the sharing economy were analysed for the purpose of the article. Their members either live in or have other bonds with Krakow. They are usually focused around issues important for local communities. In the research, a triangulation method was used, involving a desk analysis as well as a passive observation and a covered participative observation. Such choice of methods allowed for the topic of the impact that the sharing economy has on the integration and the quality of life of urban residents to be analysed. The research confirmed that the sharing economy; as a form of social innovation; influences the improvement of the quality of life. Online groups integrate local communities and have a significant impact on the quality of life of city residents (T1; T2; T3; T4). The bilateral nature of dependency between the sharing economy and the quality of life was noticed. Firstly; the sharing economy affects the shape and quality of the product or service that is the subject of the transaction. It is also crucial to create a general “ambience of a site” in the internet group; which supports and stimulates satisfaction of the needs related to the sense of individuality; authenticity and community. On the other hand; the sharing economy affects the satisfaction of residents through economic; psychological; political and social impacts as well as individual ones; related to, e.g., the development of creativity and the acquisition of new skills Full article

This paper focuses on the way in which small and medium-sized businesses in Flanders adapted communication with their customers during the economic lockdown in March–May 2020. It documents, more specifically, how shops tried to maintain, re-establish, or even re-invent communication with their customers during this two-month period. Based on pictures of shop windows in a Flemish city, we analyze the (semi-)commercial messages that appeared in this setting during this period. This analysis adopts an interdisciplinary perspective, in which a cognitive linguistic approach is integrated with analyses and practical advices by marketing agencies. Despite their orientation towards distinct, theoretical and practical goals, both approaches share an analytical interest in mapping participants and their mutual relationship as part of a communicative interaction. In the period of economic lockdown, marketers urged shop owners to ‘humanize’ their business strategy by downplaying content-related issues in favor of maximal social outreach towards customers. Considering this advice, it was hypothesized that under these circumstances participants in commercial transactions would be construed much more prominently, presenting themselves and each other as unprecedented empathetic business personas. Much of our data comply with this expectation, thus providing empirical evidence of a subjectified communicative ground, in which both buyer and seller personas figure with augmented prominence as parts of the object of conceptualization. Messages include, among other things, expressions of empathy, solidarity, combativity, but also creativity and humor thus incorporating a new type of humanized business communication. With respect to the analysis of marketing strategies, the collected data at the same time instantiate and legitimize marketers’ communication advice about humanizing one’s business exchange. Full article

21st century audiences are finding new methods of engaging with the Broadway musical, and fandoms are beginning to establish a visible online presence. In turn, this is creating a shift in paratexts surrounding the musical. Using social media to cultivate relationships, communities and fandoms, Generation Z are responding to the musical in new and innovative ways. Fan-created paratexts are becoming more popular, as fans become more intent on establishing connections to the production. Younger audiences’ tendency to engage with these interactions has allowed them to become the most active audiences on social media, both critically engaged and creative. The access to online interactive platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr bring new opportunities for paratextual creations. Examples of this “next stage of engagement” can be seen through the production Dear Evan Hansen (2015), which is now pushing the limits of social media and successfully utilising Dolan’s utopian performatives to draw in audiences and engage its fandom, or, as they call themselves, the Dear Evan “Fansens”. The fandom is using these paratexts in establishing one-to-one connections with its fans, allowing the fan-created material to “speak back” to the performance moment itself, and it is this which validates a transactional relationship between fan and production. This work ultimately sets out the fandom’s desire to “be found”. Full article

Research Question: Open innovation and the open business model exaggerate complexity (a transaction cost) in addition to the realization of emergence and its lock-in. Within a short period, Alibaba has become one of the global top e-commerce companies with several open innovation business models. Our research question was: “How could Alibaba become a global top e-commerce company in China in such a short time?” Research Method: We chose a deep interview method, participatory observation, and meta-analysis to answer this research question. Research Result: Alibaba has applied global, creative e-commerce business models through open innovation in a short time. In addition, it has overcome complexity—i.e., the cost of open innovation and the force that breaks down a company—through an open innovation-friendly culture. This is a “Jack-Ma style consumer confidence and new Guanxi culture”, a new and strong Chinese corporate culture. Alibaba has also undergone the expansion of its open business model feedback loop platform. This study investigated the expanded open business model feedback loop platform, the continuously strengthened open-innovation-friendly culture, and complexity, with the latter being the cost of open innovation, which was controlled by an open-innovation-friendly culture and open business model feedback loop. Full article