Babel of the senses

Terminology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto Suárez-Toste
Keyword(s):  
Figurative Language ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Sensory Experience ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scientific Terminology ◽  
Verbal Creativity ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
The Senses

Of all the varieties of sensory experience, wine appreciation seems to be one of the most rewarding yet also one of the most challenging to verbalize. This is largely due to a lack of scientific terminology capable of describing sensory impressions (in turn related to how little is known about human perception). Wine language is highly unspecific and figurative, depending on a weakly standardized community practice rather than a solid and comprehensive range of descriptors. In this paper I study figurative language and verbal creativity in a corpus of 12,000 English and Spanish wine reviews by focusing specifically on metaphor and synesthesia as the resources that best exemplify (and often manage to overcome) many of the genre’s shortcomings. In addition to the discussion of quantitative results, a case study in synesthesia is offered as illustration of the genre’s complexities, complemented by a contrastive discussion of how similar difficulties are handled in different ways in English and Spanish.

Correlates of academic misconduct and CSR proclivity of students

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen K. Nkundabanyanga ◽  
Charles Omagor ◽  
Irene Nalukenge
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Statistical Modelling ◽  
Error Variance ◽  
Academic Misconduct ◽  
Fraud Triangle ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the fraud triangle, Machiavellianism, academic misconduct and corporate social responsibility (CSR) proclivity of students. Design/methodology/approach – The present study surveyed 471 university students. The study was cross-sectional and employed structural equation modelling in statistical modelling. Findings – The study provides evidence that perceived opportunity to cheat in examinations is the single most important factor accounting for significant variations in rationalization and academic misconduct. Similarly, low Machiavellians significantly get inclined to CSR ideals. The fraud triangle alone accounts for 36 per cent of the variations in academic misconduct, hence the error variance is 64 per cent of academic misconduct itself. This error variance increases to 78 per cent when a combination of perceived opportunity, rationalization, Machiavellianism is considered. Moreover, both Machiavellianism and academic misconduct account for 17 per cent of variations in students’ proclivity to CSR ideals. Research limitations/implications – Results imply that creating a setting that significantly increases a student's anticipated negative affect from academic misconduct, or effectively impedes rationalization ex ante, might prevent some students from academic misconduct in the first place and then they will become good African corporate citizens. Nevertheless, although the unit of analysis was students, these were from a single university – something akin to a case study. The quantitative results should therefore be interpreted with this shortcoming in mind. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the search for predictors of academic misconduct in the African setting and as a corollary, for a theory explaining academic misconduct. Those students perceiving opportunity to cheat in examinations are also able to rationalize and hence engage in academic misconduct. This rationalization is enhanced or reduced through Machiavellianism.

Evaluation of agility in supply chains: a case study of an Indian manufacturing organization

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bharat Singh Patel ◽  
Cherian Samuel ◽  
S.K. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Fuzzy Logic ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
North India ◽  
Scoring Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fuzzy Logic Approach ◽  
Logic Approach ◽  
Manufacturing Organization

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report a case study carried out to assess the agility and identify obstacles to agility in a supply chain. A human perception-based framework is used for the calculation of agility. The case study was carried out in a North India-based manufacturing organization. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the concept of a multi-grade fuzzy logic approach is used. Using this concept, the overall agility index has been determined. The fuzzy logic approach has been used to overcome the disadvantages such as impreciseness and vagueness using a scoring method. Findings From the analysis, it is observed that the organization on which the study was performed is “very agile.” After evaluating the agility level, the fuzzy performance importance index is calculated, which helps to identify the barriers of agility in the supply chain. These barriers help decision makers to implement appropriate improvement measures for improving agility level. Overall, 11 barriers were identified in the study. Research limitations/implications Managers of the contemporary manufacturing organization have to measure the agility level of the organization and identify barriers to agility in order to survive in a competitive environment. The obstacles identified in this study are used to improve the performance of the organization. The enterprise should improve on the weak areas in order to achieve the highest agility level. Originality/value The agile supply chain (ASC) enablers proposed by previous researchers are not sufficient for the evaluation of agility of a supply chain. There are a few more ASC enablers such as customer satisfaction, flexibility and adaptability that also play a vital role in making a supply chain agile. Adding these three ASC enablers, a total of seven ASC enablers along with their attributes are being considered for the development of a conceptual model.

Skyscrapers in Santiago: 300 meters of globalization agenda

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 439-454
Author(s):  
Nestor Garza
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Main Determinant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Latin American Region ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
The One

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess alternative economic explanations of buildings’ height in Latin America and Chile, inductively producing a theory about skyscrapers’ height in emerging countries. In the quest for height, global exposure as advertising guides developers located in emerging economies, while ego-building for investors. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses mixed methods triangulation (MMT). Findings with small sample econometrics for 38 cities from 13 different countries are re-interpreted by linguistically analyzing 11 semi-structured interviews with local experts in Santiago. Findings Globalization is the main determinant of skyscrapers height in the Latin American region, its interaction with the need to portray management and technical skills of developer firms, determines a process toward over-construction. Research limitations/implications Because of small sample bias, the quantitative results are not fully reliable, but this is precisely why it makes sense to use MMT. Practical implications Santiago offers a valuable case study because, on the one hand, Chile was the first Latin American country to undertake neoliberal type reforms, as early as 1973. On the other, the tallest Latin American skyscraper is to be completed in this city by 2015. The theory developed, derived from the evidence and the perceptions, has a Global South reach and can open-up an empirical research agenda. Originality/value This paper innovates in real estate research by using MMT, not just to confirm quantitative findings, but as an inductive theory building tool. It also analyses Latin America, a region with scarce presence in the literature.

Sustainability evaluation of service supply chains: a case study of an Indian hospital

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramji Nagariya ◽  
Divesh Kumar ◽  
Ishwar Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Human Perception ◽  
Water Usage ◽  
Training And Education ◽  
Environmental Laws ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Fuzzy Logic Approach ◽  
Logic Approach ◽  
Service Supply Chains

PurposeIncreasing pressure from the stakeholders makes the inclusion and evaluation of sustainable practices in the service supply chain (SSC) inevitable. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the sustainability status of a case organization and discover the barrier to sustainability in the SSC.Design/methodology/approachFrom the literature review, five sustainability dimensions, seventeen attributes and sixty-five subattributes of the SSC are identified. A three-level conceptual model drawn on human perception is developed. The overall sustainability status of the SSC is determined by using the multigrade fuzzy logic approach. The fuzzy concept incorporated helps in overcoming the challenges of vagueness and impreciseness in the responses. The case SSC is a WestIndia–based hospital.FindingsThe study evaluates the case hospital to be “very sustainable” but far from the “extremely sustainable” level. Six barriers are identified which are reduction in solid waste, compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations, water usage efficiency, training and education of employees, return on investment and safety equipment for employees. These barriers hinder the hospital from achieving an “extremely sustainable” level.Practical implicationsThis paper evaluates, helps the management in identifying the barriers and thus enabling them to work upon these barriers and achieve a greater level of sustainability.Originality/valueThe sustainability practices adopted in this paper for the evaluation of the sustainability status of the SSC have not been used in previous studies. In this study apart from environmental, social and economic aspects, customer management and health, safety and risk management are also incorporated for evaluating the performance of the SSC which makes this study unique. The proposed model can be taken as a benchmark for evaluating the sustainability performance of any SSC.

scholarly journals The Sensory Experience of Caracalla’s Supplication at the Pergamene Asclepieion

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-198
Author(s):  
Ghislaine Elisabeth Van der Ploeg ◽  
Ghislaine Van der Ploeg
Keyword(s):  
Sacred Space ◽  
Sensory Experience ◽  
The Senses ◽  
Local Shrines ◽  
The City

An imperial visit to a city was a grand affair, from the emperor’s adventus, to sacrificing at local shrines, to the commemorative acts which followed. This article aims to examine the multi-sensory impact of an imperial visit to a sanctuary and the lasting effects of these supplications via the case study of Caracalla’s worship of Asclepius in Pergamum in AD 213-14. This visit was commemorated on a series of medallions struck shortly after the event, which depict the acts of the emperor as he moved through the city to the Asclepieion and from secular to sacred space. This article will bring new depth to the study of imperial and divine relations as well as address the issue that often events such as these were not as neat and as clean-cut as is sometimes imagined nowadays. This article will address the following questions: How does our understanding of an imperial visit and supplication change when the sensory nature of such an event is examined? And for what reason are the senses manipulated in these images?

Culture and the plasticity of perception

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Lifshitz ◽  
T. M. Luhrmann
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Sensory Experience ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
The World

Abstract Culture shapes our basic sensory experience of the world. This is particularly striking in the study of religion and psychosis, where we and others have shown that cultural context determines both the structure and content of hallucination-like events. The cultural shaping of hallucinations may provide a rich case-study for linking cultural learning with emerging prediction-based models of perception.

Seeing, Touching, Holding, and Swallowing Tibetan Buddhist Texts

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 137-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy Cantwell
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Buddhism ◽  
Sensory Experience ◽  
Tibetan Buddhist ◽  
Sacred Texts ◽  
The Senses ◽  
Rich Material ◽  
Scholarly Attention ◽  
Book Culture

The iconic dimension of holy books has drawn increasing scholarly attention in recent years (e.g. Iconic Books and Texts, James Watts, ed., London, Equinox, 2013). Asian Buddhism provides rich material for considering the ritualization of engagement with sacred texts. In Tibetan Buddhism, this aspect of book culture is perhaps especially pronounced (see, for instance, Schaeffer 2009, especially Chapter 6; Elliott, Diemberger and Clemente 2014). This paper explores the topic in relation to the engagement of the senses in Tibetan context, through seeing, touching, holding and tasting texts. It would seem that it is not the sensory experience in itself, but rather the physical experience of a transmission and incorporation of the sacred qualities from the books into the person which is emphasized in these practices. Parallels and contrasts with examples from elsewhere are mentioned, and there is some consideration of the breadth of the category of sacred books in the Tibetan context in which Dharma teachings may take many forms.

Vom Gegenstand zur Gegenständlichkeit des Sozialen Georg Simmels »Soziologie der Sinne« und das Hören im Zeitalter der technischen Reproduzierbarkeit von Musik

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 107-120
Author(s):  
Uwe C. Steiner
Keyword(s):  
High Fidelity ◽  
Elementary Processes ◽  
The Senses

Simmel’s Sociology explores elementary processes of socialization or collectivization. Thus, the sociology of the senses examines how sight, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting contributes to constituting societies. Though Simmel observes that modern refined civilization diminishes the depths of the senses but increases its emphasis or enhancement with lust or aversion, the conclusion cannot be avoided that the artifacts and technologies of hearing have to be examined. Accordingly, this article can be regarded as a case study in the wake of Simmel: How do modern aural technologies at the threshold between high fidelity and postfidelity inform contemporary hearing?

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Tzohar
Keyword(s):  
Figurative Language ◽  
Final Part ◽  
Theory Of Meaning

This, the conclusion of this book, draws out those features and themes that are common to the various accounts of metaphor presented in the preceding chapters and examines their possible applications. The text also briefly examines further ways in which these features may be applied to deepen and enrich our understanding of the Buddhist and more generally Indian philosophical engagement with figurative language. As a quick case study, the final part of the discussion explores how the Yogācāra theory of meaning sheds light on the concrete use of distinct figures, focusing on a list of similes prevalent in the school’s literature.

Using the private finance initiative for energy efficiency projects at the urban scale

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto De Marco ◽  
Giulio Mangano ◽  
Fania Valeria Michelucci ◽  
Giovanni Zenezini
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Light Emitting Diode ◽  
Project Finance ◽  
Private Finance Initiative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Light Emitting ◽  
Alternate Forms ◽  
Private Investors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to suggest the usage of the project finance (PF) scheme as a suitable mechanism to fund energy efficiency projects at the urban scale and present its advantages and adoption barriers. Design/methodology/approach – A case study is developed to renew the traffic lighting system of an Italian town via replacement of the old lamps with new light-emitting diode (LED) technology. Several partners are involved in the case project to construct a viable PF arrangement. Findings – The case study presents the viability of the proposed PF scheme that provides for acceptable financial returns and bankability. However, it also shows that the need for short concession periods may call for a public contribution to the initial funding to make the project more attractive to private investors. Practical implications – This case study is a useful guideline for governments and promoters to using the PF arrangement to fund energy efficiency investments in urban settings. It helps designing an appropriate PF scheme and understanding the advantages of PF to reduce risk and, consequently, increase the debt leverage and profitability of energy efficiency projects. Originality/value – This paper contributes to bridging the gap about the lack of works addressing the implementation of the PF mechanism in the energy efficiency sector in urban areas. The importance of this paper is also associated with the shortage of traditional public finance faced by many cities that forces to seek for alternate forms of financing.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document