Technology in Society最新文献

{"title":"Feeling the heat: Understanding stakeholders’ perceptions of residential-sector heating decarbonisation options in the UK","authors":"V. Seymour ,&nbsp;B. Cárdenas ,&nbsp;A. Urquhart ,&nbsp;D.L. Pottie ,&nbsp;J. Day ,&nbsp;M.M. de Oliveira Júnior ,&nbsp;E. Barbour ,&nbsp;G. Wilson ,&nbsp;S. Garvey ,&nbsp;C.R. Jones","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102849","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102849","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The reliance on natural gas for residential sector heating in the United Kingdom (UK) presently accounts for around a fifth of national greenhouse gas emissions. Phasing out this reliance is considered important as the UK's ‘Net-Zero’ ambitions. Alternatives to a reliance on natural gas, include the use of hydrogen boilers and electrification using heat pump technologies. The acceptance of these technologies among different societal actors (including publics) will play a significant role in which are backed, available, and used.</div><div>The aim of this study was to consider the perceptions of key stakeholders in the UK residential heat decarbonisation sector about: (a) policies pertaining to this sector; (b) the factors likely to shape public acceptance of hydrogen and heat-pump technologies; and (c) the prospect of repurposing the gas pipeline network to support heat decarbonisation. Interviews were held with 12 stakeholders from the UK's residential heating sector. Interviews were supported using bespoke ‘flash cards’ to convey core details about each of the options under consideration.</div><div>Interview principally considered the relative strengths and drawbacks of hydrogen versus ‘standard’ heat pump options, with discussions centring on four primary themes: Relative risks and benefits; Public choice and control over residential heating options; Engaging with the public throughout the energy transition; and Envisioning future energy transition scenarios for residential home heating.</div><div>The findings confirm that the factors and actors feeding into the relative ‘acceptability’ of each option are manifold, and that the ‘acceptance’ of each option is tied to factors, such as: (a) the consistency of policy signals from government; (b) the relative affordability of the technology; and (c) both the physical infrastructure and social aspects of the local development context. The concept of repurposing the gas pipeline network was considered to be a good idea in principle, although enthusiasm was heavily caveated with reference to the practicalities of achieving this goal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102849"},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143529555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An interval rough improved ordinal priority approach-based decision support system to redesign postal and logistics networks","authors":"Dragan Pamucar ,&nbsp;Momčilo Dobrodolac ,&nbsp;Vladimir Simic ,&nbsp;Dragan Lazarevic ,&nbsp;Ömer Faruk Görçün","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102845","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102845","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Postal and logistics companies are essential subjects in the economy, providing services of the corresponding assortment for a wide range of business and private users. Service providers strive to meet the needs of users and, at the same time, make as much profit as possible. The efficiency of each of the subsystems in companies from this area significantly impacts the sustainability of postal and logistics systems. Rural areas, which are characterized by a smaller number of users and services and a low level of system efficiency, can have an additional negative impact on sustainability. As a result, optimization tasks become complex but also necessary to solve. The paper proposes an interval rough improved Ordinal Priority Approach - Power Schweiyer-Sklar Combined Compromise Solution (I-OPA - PSS'CoCoSo) methodology for prioritizing different models of solving the problem of inefficient network units. Methodological novelties are: a) A new approach for defining the lower and upper limits of interval rough numbers is proposed, which is based on nonlinear Bonferroni functions; b) The classic OPA linear model is improved through the implementation of a new concept for defining relational relationships between criteria; c) The CoCoSo method is improved through the implementation of nonlinear PSS and implementation of a novel function for the integration of aggregate strategies. The application of the interval rough I-OPA - SSP'CoCoSo methodology is demonstrated through a case study on the example of a public postal operator operating in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. Since this is a system with a highly developed infrastructure and network throughout the entire country, this further implies the applicability of the methodology to smaller systems or sectors within larger companies that deal with parcel deliveries and other logistics activities. A new aggregation function is introduced to define the compromise index of the alternatives as well as eliminate the anomaly of the original function. The simulation of different scenarios is enabled depending on the degree of risk. The proposed methodology enables decision-making in conditions of incomplete and imprecise criteria values. In accordance with the aforementioned, this approach contributes to improving the accuracy of modeling expert opinions, and consequently, in making the final decision.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102845"},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143562097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Energy Gen-AI technology framework: A perspective of energy efficiency and business ethics in operation management","authors":"Leonardo Fontoura ,&nbsp;Daniel Luiz de Mattos Nascimento ,&nbsp;Julio Vieira Neto ,&nbsp;Rodrigo Goyannes Gusmão Caiado","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102847","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102847","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Considering the mounting request for viable energy solutions emphasising sustainability, this study addresses the context by positioning Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI) as a pivotal remedy for improved process efficiency. Concerns about its uncontrolled use and ethical implications prompted a thorough examination of problems and gaps in this domain. This study innovates by positioning Gen-AI as a critical solution for improving energy efficiency amidst rising demand for sustainable energy at the operation and supply chain management levels. Based on technological determinism, it introduces an Energy Gen-AI Technology Framework (EnGen-AI) that integrates Gen-AI, energy efficiency, Business Ethics (BE), and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) principles for implementing Gen-AI to enhance sustainable energy management. The methodology includes a scoping review, a multi-criteria analysis, and a technology framework. The study harmonises BE-CSR with Gen-AI practices, offering essential guidance for management implementing Gen-AI in sustainable energy solutions whilst observing its impacts on ethical and social aspects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102847"},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143473914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Communicating the societal value of the entrepreneurial university: Evidence from South Korea","authors":"Robyn Klingler-Vidra ,&nbsp;Adam William Chalmers ,&nbsp;Ramon Pacheco Pardo","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102846","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102846","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines two concurrent trends in higher education. First, universities are increasingly focused on enabling entrepreneurship to fulfil their \"third mission\" of contributing to the regional economy. Second, they are intensifying efforts to communicate the entrepreneurial university portfolio as evidence of their societal value. Although previous research has explored these areas, how universities convey their entrepreneurial efforts remains unclear. Are entrepreneurial universities primarily portrayed as institutions that train future entrepreneurs, spin out companies and intellectual property, or drive cultural change towards entrepreneurship? To address this, we use natural language processing techniques to provide novel insights into how universities communicate entrepreneurship-focused activities and capability-building efforts. Our empirical focus is South Korea's top ten universities, for which we analyzed 7889 national newspaper articles in terms of a sociological capital framework. Our findings indicate that human capital-related activities receive greater emphasis than cultural and social capital capability-building efforts. This finding suggests that the third mission may not be clearly conveyed in coverage of the entrepreneurial university. The managerial implications are that university leadership can enhance communications to better showcase their societal connections and contributions in line with their third mission.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102846"},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143510392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modelling health implications of extreme PM2.5 concentrations in Indian sub-continent: Comprehensive review with longitudinal trends and deep learning predictions","authors":"Kuldeep Singh Rautela,&nbsp;Manish Kumar Goyal","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102843","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102843","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Air pollution poses a critical global challenge, disproportionately impacting public health and the environment in developing nations like India. The review suggests rapid urbanisation, industrialization, and increased energy consumption have worsened air quality, where average annual PM_2.5 concentration far exceeds World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines of 5 μg/m³, leading to high mortality and increased disability-adjusted life years. Indoor air pollution from biomass burning exacerbates the issue, affecting millions of populations in India who rely on traditional fuels. Despite strides in air quality monitoring through National Mission on Air Pollution (NMAP), challenges such as uneven data coverage and limited ground stations for entire country, especially in rural areas, and outdated emission standards hamper effective policy implementation. Therefore, this study utilizes MERRA-2 reanalysis and Global Burden of Disease datasets, this study analysed disease-related mortality influenced by pollution extremes [MPM_2.5 (Mean Annual Pollution through PM_2.5), PM_2.5D (Polluted days through PM_2.5), MAPM_2.5 (Maximum 1-day pollution amount), and PM_2.599p (Heavily polluted regions)]. Single and multilinear regression analyses were conducted between pollution extremes and disease-related mortality, followed by a Convolution Neural Network (CNN) to predict mortality by disease, state, and gender based on pollution extremes. The study revealed significant spatiotemporal variation in PM_2.5 concentrations across India, with northern states exceeding air quality guidelines and PM_2.5 levels more than doubling in the Indo-Gangetic Plains between 1980-1990 and 2010–2020. Regression analysis showed correlation between PM_2.5 and neurological disorders and chronic respiratory diseases, while respiratory infections and tuberculosis had the weakest correlation. Further a dense CNN model improved predictive accuracy, achieving R² values between 0.84 and 0.94 across states, diseases, and genders. The study will provide a valuable insight to air quality and health monitoring programme (AQHMP) through suggesting stricter pollution standards, expanded rural monitoring, sector-specific policies, improved emission inventories, and advanced technologies with AI&amp;ML and remote sensing for better data and reduced health risks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102843"},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143479566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mental wellbeing in digital workplaces: The role of digital resources, technostress, and burnout","authors":"Xue Li ,&nbsp;Rachel Yan Ting Seah ,&nbsp;Kum Fai Yuen","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102844","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102844","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As the maritime industry navigates the challenges and opportunities brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, digital transformation emerges as a key agent in reshaping operational dynamics and workforce well-being. Recognising the profound impact of this transformation, this research explores how various digital factors are related to technostress, burnout, and mental well-being of maritime workforce. Utilising the job demands-resources theoretical model, a framework was constructed to examine their relationships. Through a survey questionnaire, responses from 187 maritime professionals across various roles were collected for analysis. Employing structural equation modelling, the findings reveal that digital culture and digital knowledge management have the largest negative association with technostress, followed by digital leadership, capabilities, and human resource management, in descending order. Additionally, technostress was identified to be both directly and indirectly associated with mental well-being, with burnout serving as a mediator. These insights extend the discourse on technostress within the maritime context, using the job demands-resources model to elucidate the complex interplay between digital transformation initiatives and mental well-being. Furthermore, the study offers actionable strategies for maritime organisations, underscoring the importance of fostering a conducive digital environment, prioritising the advancement of digital capabilities and knowledge management, and reinforcing leadership competencies to adeptly steer through the intricacies of digital transformation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102844"},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143474277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rational and normative determinants in electric vehicle adoption: Willingness to pay and moderating variables","authors":"L. Javier Cabeza-Ramírez ,&nbsp;Abel Rosales-Tristancho ,&nbsp;Sandra M. Sánchez-Cañizares ,&nbsp;Beatriz Palacios-Florencio","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102842","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102842","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The adoption of electric vehicles has been promoted as a possible environmentally friendly solution in the field of transport. However, uptake is uneven across European countries. The impact of factors influencing the adoption of electric vehicles has been highlighted in recent literature. Nevertheless, this literature has scarcely considered willingness to pay, the risks associated with the purchase, and the moderating variables in consumers' purchase intention. This research addresses this gap and aims to analyze these factors. To this end, these variables are incorporated into a model based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the norm activation model (NAM). The model estimation was developed through the data collected from a questionnaire given to regular drivers in Spain (n = 1241) and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that awareness of environmental issues and consequences of one's actions, along with social pressure, activate the individual personal norm, channeling these effects towards intention, and with greater intensity towards willingness to pay. In addition, the influence of performance and financial risks was confirmed, albeit with a lower impact than expected on purchase intention. The analysis also reveals significant moderating effects, with variations observed based on age, income, primary vehicle use, and prior experience with electric or hybrid vehicles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102842"},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143487507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of circular economy, sustainable infrastructure, and green FinTech on biodiversity in Europe: A holistic approach","authors":"Shayan Khan Kakar ,&nbsp;Jing Wang ,&nbsp;Noman Arshed ,&nbsp;Tran Thi Le Hien ,&nbsp;Sehrish Akhter ,&nbsp;Nazir Muhammad Abdullahi","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102841","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102841","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As Europe strives for environmental sustainability, integrating a circular economy, sustainable infrastructure, and green FinTech is crucial for enhancing biodiversity conservation. This study investigates the intricate relationship between circular economy, sustainable infrastructure, green FinTech, and European biodiversity conservation. To this end, this study constructs a 24-year panel dataset from 39 European countries. It employs a novel econometric technique called time-specific heterogeneous factor analysis to create indices for a circular economy, sustainable infrastructure, and green FinTech. Additionally, the study employed an advanced econometric Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag model with Pooled Mean and Fourier specification (PARDL-PMG-Fourier). The findings show that the implementation of green FinTech significantly boosts biodiversity in Europe; the circular economy dampens this impact. The implementation of sustainable infrastructure considerably enhanced the conservation of biodiversity in Europe; similarly, SIN1 shows a significant cyclical or seasonal impact on biodiversity in the short run. This study proposes solid policy recommendations for the European Union, European Commission, regulators, and policymakers. The European Commission and regulators must prioritize the adoption of green FinTech to boost financial market operations and activities, refine circular economy initiatives, and emphasize sustainable infrastructure development projects. Targeted investment is necessary for sustainable resource utilization, recycling, waste reduction, and eco-friendly infrastructure in European projects. By doing so, Europe can effectively boost biodiversity conservation by mitigating cyclical and seasonal risks. These policy implications offer a streamlined framework for achieving economic and environmental sustainability goals in Europe.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102841"},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143446140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the ecology of cluster-based enterprise trust networks through percolation theory: Is your business environment trustworthy?","authors":"Guanghui He,&nbsp;Shicheng Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102839","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102839","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Since 2023, bank failures in America and Europe have reignited concerns about trust in credit transactions. During financial turbulence, heightened attention tends to be directed towards inter-enterprise trust management. However, existing studies have mainly focused on individual enterprise credit credibility, leaving a gap in analysing trust ecology within entire enterprise clusters. This study proposes an enterprise trust ecology assessment based on percolation theory. First, we established cluster-based enterprise trust networks (C-ETNs) and employed an entropy method to calculate the trust values of enterprise nodes. Subsequently, based on percolation theory, we mapped the trust ecology evolution to point percolation model to quantify trust ecology. Through simulations and data analysis of Chinese A-shares from 2007 to 2021, we uncovered a phase-transition phenomenon in trust ecology improvement. Trust in A-shares moderately improved, with business and comprehensive industry sectors as well as midland and west areas showing prominent improvement. However, overall trust ecology remained in early-phase transition, and almost all sectors and regions experienced upward bottlenecks. This study provides a new technical method for improving credit management in inter-enterprise transactions, thus enhancing market credit construction. Its extensive application is also valuable for economic and societal trust concerns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102839"},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143429237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The ethics of generative AI in social science research: A qualitative approach for institutionally grounded AI research ethics","authors":"June Jeon ,&nbsp;Lanu Kim ,&nbsp;Jaehyuk Park","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102836","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102836","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite growing attention to the ethics of Generative AI, there has been little discussion about how research ethics should be updated for social science research practice. This paper fills this gap at the intersection of AI ethics and social science research ethics. Based on 17 semi-structured interviews, we present three narratives about generative AI and research ethics: 1) the equalizer narrative, 2) the meritocracy narrative, and 3) the community narrative. We argue that the ethics of AI-assisted social-scientific research cannot be reduced to universal checklists, and institutionally grounded research ethics principles are necessary. In all of the narratives, the technical functions of Generative AI were merely necessary conditions of unethical practices, while ethical dilemmas started to arise when such functions were situated in the institutional arrangements of academia. Our findings suggest that the ethics of AI-assisted research should encompass not only specific ethical rules concerning AI functionalities but also incorporate community engagement, educational imperatives, institutional governance, and the societal impact of such technologies to organize “ethics-in-practice.” This will require democratic deliberations to address the complex, emergent interactions between AI systems and societal structures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102836"},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143429154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}