Showing papers on "Dilemma published in 2006"
539 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of structural integration on innovation outcomes depends on the developmental stage of acquired firms' innovation trajectories, and it is shown that structural integration decreases the likelihood of introducing new products for firms that have not launched products before being acquired and for all firms immediately after acquisition.
Abstract: Large, established firms acquiring small, technology-based firms must manage them so as to both exploit their capabilities and technologies in a coordinated way and foster their exploration capacity by preserving their autonomy. We suggest that acquirers can resolve this coordination-autonomy dilemma by recognizing that the effect of structural form on innovation outcomes depends on the developmental stage of acquired firms’ innovation trajectories. Structural integration decreases the likelihood of introducing new products for firms that have not launched products before being acquired and for all firms immediately after acquisition, but these effects disappear as innovation trajectories evolve.
519 citations
TL;DR: The authors' extensive experiments demonstrate that players can behave altruistically to maintain the Earth's climate given the right set of circumstances, and find a nonzero basic level of altruistic behavior, which is enhanced if the players are provided with expert information describing the state of knowledge in climate research.
Abstract: Maintaining the Earth's climate within habitable boundaries is probably the greatest "public goods game" played by humans. However, with >6 billion "players" taking part, the game seems to rule out individual altruistic behavior. Thus, climate protection is a problem of sustaining a public resource that everybody is free to overuse, a "tragedy of the commons" problem that emerges in many social dilemmas. We perform a previously undescribed type of public goods experiment with human subjects contributing to a public pool. In contrast to the standard protocol, here the common pool is not divided among the participants; instead, it is promised that the pool will be invested to encourage people to reduce their fossil fuel use. Our extensive experiments demonstrate that players can behave altruistically to maintain the Earth's climate given the right set of circumstances. We find a nonzero basic level of altruistic behavior, which is enhanced if the players are provided with expert information describing the state of knowledge in climate research. Furthermore, personal investments in climate protection increase substantially if players can invest publicly, thus gaining social reputation. This increase occurs because subjects reward other subjects' contributions to sustaining the climate, thus reinforcing their altruism. Therefore, altruism may convert to net personal benefit and to relaxing the dilemma if the gain in reputation is large enough. Our finding that people reward contributions to sustaining the climate of others is a surprising result. There are obvious ways these unexpected findings can be applied on a large scale.
353 citations
305 citations
TL;DR: The authors argued that the global AIDS pandemic should not be framed as a security issue, but rather as an ethical dilemma, and that raising awareness of its presence does allow policy makers, activists, and scholars to begin drawing the links between HIV/AIDS and security in ways that at least minimize some of these dangers.
Abstract: Should the global AIDS pandemic be framed as an international security issue? Drawing on securitization theory, this article argues that there is a complex normative dilemma at the heart of recent attempts to formulate the global response to HIV/AIDS in the language of international security. Although “securitizing” the AIDS pandemic could bolster international AIDS initiatives by raising awareness and resources, the language of security simultaneously pushes responses to the disease away from civil society toward military and intelligence organizations with the power to override the civil liberties of persons living with HIV/AIDS. The security framework, moreover, brings into play a “threat-defense” logic that could undermine international efforts to address the pandemic because it makes such efforts a function of narrow national interest rather than of altruism, because it allows states to prioritize AIDS funding for their elites and armed forces who play a crucial role in maintaining security, and because portraying the illness as an overwhelming “threat” works against ongoing efforts to normalize social perceptions regarding HIV/AIDS. These overlooked dangers give rise to a profound ethical dilemma as to whether or not the global AIDS pandemic should be portrayed as a security issue. The article concludes that securitization theory cannot resolve this complex dilemma, but that raising awareness of its presence does allow policy makers, activists, and scholars to begin drawing the links between HIV/AIDS and security in ways that at least minimize some of these dangers.
273 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a person-organization fit perspective to emphasize diversity of individual preferences instead of a managerially prescribed uniformity of spirituality and propose two theoretical contexts that foster "both-and" rather than "either-or" thinking to mitigate the relationships between climate combinations and conflictual aspects of the ethical dilemmas.
Abstract: In a world which can be increasingly described as a “society of organizations,” it is incumbent upon organizational researchers to account for the role of organizations in determining the well-being of societies and the individuals that comprise them. Workplace spirituality is a young area of inquiry with potentially strong relevance to the well-being of individuals, organizations, and societies. Previous literature has not examined ethical dilemmas related to workplace spirituality that organizations might expect based upon the co-existence of multiple ethical work climates, nor has previous literature accounted for the relevance of the cosmopolitan (external, societal) source of moral reasoning in the ethical treatment of workplace spirituality. The purpose of this paper is to address these gaps by articulating two such ethical dilemmas related to workplace spirituality: the “quiet desperation” dilemma and the instrumentality dilemma. Moreover, I propose two theoretical contexts that foster “both-and” rather than “either-or” thinking, thereby mitigating (moderating) the relationships between climate combinations and conflictual aspects of the ethical dilemmas. For the “quiet desperation” dilemma, I propose a person–organization fit perspective to emphasize diversity of individual preferences instead of a managerially prescribed uniformity of spirituality. For the instrumentality dilemma, I propose a multiparadigm approach to workplace spirituality research to avoid the privileging of one research interest over another (e.g., instrumentality, individual fulfillment, societal good). I conclude with suggestions for future research.
236 citations
TL;DR: Developments in the Network-Episode Model are traced as one theoretical starting point for sociologists to address problems from social construction to social causation that contribute to basic social processes as well as health.
Abstract: Calls have been issued for understanding the "contexts" or "environment" shaping the causes and consequences of health and health care. Existing efforts raise concerns about how a panorama of influences can be considered simultaneously. Sociology's view of contexts as social network structures that shape and are shaped in social interaction offers one key to resolving this dilemma. Because social networks have become central in the social, natural, and physical sciences, this perspective provides a common platform for bringing in sociology's rich theoretical and methodological insights. Yet, to do this well, three conditions must shape our response. First, all levels relevant to health and health care must be considered, separated out, and linked by network mechanisms. The genetic-biological level, perhaps the most foreign level to sociologists, represents the greatest need and best prospect for advancing a sociologically based solution. Second, room must be made to tailor models to populations, whether defined socially or medically. Third, sociologists must find a voice within "big science " to address problems from social construction to social causation that contribute to basic social processes as well as health. I trace developments in the Network-Episode Model as one theoretical starting point.
236 citations
TL;DR: Individuals high in both proenvironmentalism and consideration of future consequences sustained high levels of cooperation even in the face of strong temporal dilemmas.
Abstract: Many environmental problems are resource dilemmas that contain two components-social and temporal-that encourage individuals not to act in the best interest of the group. Most research has focused on the social component. The authors examined the importance of the temporal component in two resource dilemma tasks. Participants (N = 112) reported their willingness to limit resource consumption in response to hypothetical dilemmas and forfeited extra credit points in response to a real dilemma. Cooperation rates were higher when the temporal dilemma was diminished, when uncertainty about environmental impacts was low, and for women. Individuals high in both proenvironmentalism and consideration of future consequences sustained high levels of cooperation even in the face of strong temporal dilemmas.
135 citations
TL;DR: The dilemma of immigration and identity ultimately converges with the larger problem of valuelessness of postmodernity as mentioned in this paper, which makes it impossible for postmodern people to assert positive values for which they stand, and therefore the kinds of shared beliefs they demand as a condition for citizenship.
Abstract: The dilemma of immigration and identity ultimately converges with the larger problem of the valuelessness of postmodernity. That is, the rise of relativism has made it impossible for postmodern people to assert positive values for which they stand, and therefore the kinds of shared beliefs they demand as a condition for citizenship. If postmodern societies are to move toward a more serious discussion of identity, they will need to uncover those positive virtues that define what it means to be a member of the larger community. If they do not, they will indeed by overwhelmed by people who are more sure about who they are.
131 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that a new model for evolution in group-structured populations provides a simple and effective mechanism for the emergence and maintenance of cooperation in such a social dilemma.
Abstract: Public goods are the key features of all human societies and are also important in many animal societies. Collaborative hunting and collective defence are but two examples of public goods that have played a crucial role in the development of human societies and still play an important role in many animal societies. Public goods allow societies composed largely of cooperators to outperform societies composed mainly of non-cooperators. However, public goods also provide an incentive for individuals to be selfish by benefiting from the public good without contributing to it. This is the essential paradox of cooperation—known variously as the Tragedy of the Commons, Multi-person Prisoner's Dilemma or Social Dilemma. Here, we show that a new model for evolution in group-structured populations provides a simple and effective mechanism for the emergence and maintenance of cooperation in such a social dilemma. This model does not depend on kin selection, direct or indirect reciprocity, punishment, optional participation or trait-group selection. Since this mechanism depends only on population dynamics and requires no cognitive abilities on the part of the agents concerned, it potentially applies to organisms at all levels of complexity.
126 citations
TL;DR: The authors summarizes key aspects of China's exchange rate policy, outlines the problems it creates for both China and the global economy, and proposes a feasible policy compromise, and summarizes the problems of exchange rate policies.
Abstract: This paper summarizes key aspects of China’s exchange rate policy, outlines the problems it creates for both China and the global economy, and proposes a feasible policy compromise.
TL;DR: This paper argued that these prominent accounts would be undermined if an adequate more minimal alternative were available, drawing on ideas from relevance theory and situation theory, and proposed a minimalist account of commu- nication.
Abstract: Prominent accounts of language use (those of Grice, Lewis, Stalnaker, Sperber and Wilson among others) have viewed basic communicative acts as essentially involving the attitudes of the participating agents. Developmental data poses a dilemma for these accounts, since it suggests children below age four are competent commu- nicators but would lack the ability to conceptualise communication if philosophers and linguists are right about what communication is. This paper argues that this dilemma is quite serious and that these prominent accounts would be undermined if an adequate more minimal alternative were available. Just such a minimalist account of commu- nication is offered, drawing on ideas from relevance theory and situation theory. 1. Introduction - A Dilemma For Accounts of Communication Prominent accounts of language use and human communication face something of a dilemma. The dilemma arises because it is assumed (a) that basic communicative situations essentially involve propositional attitude-like states of the participating agents and (b) that competent language users have the conceptual abilities to represent agents as being in such states and make folk-psychological inferences about agents so represented. These assumptions conflict with one of the more robust findings in developmental psychology: that children below the age of four years do not possess these abilities. The conflict arises because it is widely agreed in research on language development that children below the age of three years are competent language users and communicators in the basic sense.
TL;DR: The authors argue that the principal selection process amounts to a reproductive technology which, in the quest for certainty and safety, results in particular kinds of people being successful, and suggest that the selection process is managed by progressive or conservative personnel.
Abstract: Researchers investigating the decline of potential applicants for principalships have demonstrated that teachers perceive there to be a significant problem in current selection procedures. This article reports an investigation in two Australian states into principal selection. Drawing on a corpus of interviews, two case studies and administrative guidelines, we highlight five key problems in the interview process: (1) the dependence of selection panels on a written application; (2) the dilemma of experience versus potential; (3) the covert rule about the appointment of preferred applicants; (4) the quandary of panel competency; and (5) the evidence of inconsistency of decisions. We argue that the selection process amounts to a reproductive technology which, in the quest for certainty and safety, results in particular kinds of people being successful. This amounts we suggest, whether the selection process is managed by progressive or conservative personnel, to a form of homosociability the tendency to select people just like oneself.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine how the agenda-setting attributes of an issue combine with problems to drive political attention and argue that these high levels of attention reflect the issue's political attractiveness with regard to vote-seeking and the fact that neither system has managed to resolve the basic dilemma of how to control costs while meeting public expectations concerning access to services and health care quality.
Abstract: We propose a new approach to the study of comparative public policy that examines how the agenda-setting attributes of an issue combine with problems to drive political attention. Whereas existing comparative policy studies tend to focus on how institutional or programmatic differences affect policy and politics, we begin by asking how the issue itself affects politics across nations. We illustrate by comparing health care attention and policy developments in Denmark and the US over fifty years. These two industrialized democracies have very different political and health care systems. Nevertheless, similar trends in political attention to health emerge. We argue that these high levels of attention reflect the issue's political attractiveness with regard to vote-seeking and the fact that neither system has managed to resolve the basic dilemma of how to control costs while meeting public expectations concerning access to services and health care quality.
TL;DR: Critical concepts of dilemma theory are applied to the interpretation of database information exchange as a social dilemma and metaknowledge enhances the quality of contributions, especially in combination with a use-related bonus system, whereas increased contribution costs influence the contribution behavior negatively.
Abstract: When group members exchange information via shared databases people are often reluctant to contribute information they possess. This is explained by the fact that this kind of information exchange represents a social dilemma. This article applies critical concepts of dilemma theory to the interpretation of database information exchange as a social dilemma and tests their effects experimentally. A prestudy with the experimental task ensures that people perceive database information exchange as a social dilemma, and two experiments investigate three factors influencing this dilemma: (a) a person’s meta-knowledge about the importance of his information for the other group members, (b) a use-related bonus system that rewards contribution of important information, and (c) costs incurred by the contribution of important or less important information. As dependent variables people’s contribution behavior as well as their subjective perception of the dilemma structure are considered. The results show that metakno...
TL;DR: This paper explored some of the moral rules that govern social relations in public places and explored how certain practices become classified as everyday incivilities, i.e., infractions of the social order that sustains public life.
Abstract: Drawing on research in urban sociology, cultural geography, and social psychology, this paper explores some of the moral rules that govern social relations in public places. In particular, we consider how certain practices become classified as everyday incivilities—infractions of the moral order that sustains public life. In order to develop this notion, we draw illustrations from an ongoing research project that is investigating social attitudes towards "street drinking," an activity that has led to the creation of "alcohol-free zones" in over 100 British cities during the past decade. As an emergent theme, this research has suggested that the classification of street drinking as either acceptable or unacceptable conduct is contingent upon the social construction of public space that users invoke. This theme is discussed in the context of wider struggles over citizenship and social control in the public domain—struggles manifest within "ideological dilemmas" (Billig et al., 1988) over the limits of free conduct, the tension between open and closed public spaces, and the attempt to distinguish "admissible" from "inadmissible" publics.
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a case study of gender equity through institutional transformation at the University of Michigan using the NSF ADVANCE story and discuss the role of diversity in this process.
Abstract: Introduction 248 I. The Dilemmas of University Diversity Initiatives 254 A. Dilemma 1—Sustaining an Effective Faculty Diversity Initiative 255 B. Dilemma 2—Walking the Legal Tightrope 259 C. Dilemma 3—Developing Effective Public Accountability ..... 261 II. The ADVANCE Story: A Case Study of Gender Equity Through Institutional Transformation 271 A. The Origins of NSF ADVANCE 272 B. An Overview of NSF ADVANCE 277 1. ADVANCE’s Funding Program 277 2. NSF as National Institutional Intermediary 280 C. Institutional Transformation at the University of Michigan .. 282 III. Resolving the Dilemmas of Diversity 287 A. Organizational Catalysts: Institutional Roles To Sustain Institutional Transformtion 287 1. Creating New Roles: Connecting Domains, Discourses, and Knowledge 288 a. Information Entrepreneurs: Mobilizing Varied Forms of Knowledge To Enable Change 290 b. Developing Collaborations in Strategic Locations ..... 295 c. Creating Pressure and Support for Change 298
TL;DR: The nature of the different perspectives and divergent approaches as a contribution to finding a scientifically acceptable global solution to the problem posed by the dual-use dilemma are discussed.
Abstract: The term "dual-use" traditionally has been used to describe technologies that could have both civilian and military usage, but this term has at least three different dimensions that pose a dilemma for modern biology and its possible misuse for hostile purposes: (1) ostensibly civilian facilities that are in fact intended for military or terrorist bioweapons development and production; (2) equipment and agents that could be misappropriated and misused for biological weapons development and production; and (3) the generation and dissemination of scientific knowledge that could be misapplied for biological weapons development and production. These three different aspects of the "dual-use dilemma" are frequently confused—each demands a distinct approach within a "web of prevention" in order to reduce the future risk of bioterrorism and biowarfare. This article discusses the nature of the different perspectives and divergent approaches as a contribution to finding a scientifically acceptable global solution to...
TL;DR: The social and cultural dimensions of air travel demand: HyperMobility in the UK? Journal of Sustainable Tourism: Vol. 14, Transport and Tourism: The Sustainability Dilemma, pp. 209-215.
Abstract: (2006). Discussion Note: Social and Cultural Dimensions of Air Travel Demand: Hyper-Mobility in the UK? Journal of Sustainable Tourism: Vol. 14, Transport and Tourism: The Sustainability Dilemma, pp. 209-215.
TL;DR: The liberal egalitarian argument captures a concern that is not captured by traditional criteria for priorities in health care, and can help policy makers in situations where the cost-effectiveness of different alternatives and the severity of the illnesses are approximately the same, or if the society wants to assign some weight to responsibility for choice.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Although the prisoner’s dilemma constitutes a suitable metaphor to analyse both the public goods dilemma and the tragedy of the commons, it gives the false idea that the two conflicts are symmetric, which is clearly not symmetric.
Abstract: Problem: In the study of conflicts, both economists and evolutionary biologists use the concepts ‘tragedy of the commons’ and ‘public goods dilemma’. What is the relationship between the economist and evolutionist views of these concepts? Model features: The economics literature defines the tragedy of the commons and the public goods dilemma in terms of rivalry and excludability of the good. In contrast, evolutionists define these conflicts based on fitness functions with two components: individual and group components of fitness. Mathematical method: Evolutionary game theory and the calculation of evolutionarily stable strategy trait values by standard optimization techniques and by replacing slopes of group phenotype on individual genotype by coefficients of relatedness. Conclusion: There is a direct relationship between rivalry and the individual component of fitness and between excludability and the group component of fitness. Moreover, although the prisoner’s dilemma constitutes a suitable metaphor to analyse both the public goods dilemma and the tragedy of the commons, it gives the false idea that the two conflicts are symmetric since they refer to situations in which individuals consume a common resource – tragedy of the commons – or contribute to a collective action or common good – public goods dilemma. However, the two situations are clearly not symmetric: from the economical point of view they differ by rivalry, and from the evolutionary biology point of view the two conflicts differ by the significance of the within-group competition in the fitness function.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a discursive perspective on the dilemmas of sameness and difference feminisms and their consequences for change projects, and conclude that the simultaneous use of all possible theoretical perspectives might be a worthwhile objective.
Abstract: This article provides a discursive perspective on the dilemmas of sameness and difference feminisms and their consequences for change projects. It explores how equal opportunity officers dealing with gender issues and introducing equality legislation in practice construct the meaning of equal opportunities. The analysis of the interpretative repertoires and ideological dilemmas drawn upon in ten interviews shows the highly context-specific use of four different repertoires constructing gender equality: the sameness, difference, bandwidth and deconstructive repertoire. Interpreting the shifts between repertoires from the perspective of the ideological dilemma, new avenues for change are explored. The article concludes that the simultaneous use of all possible theoretical perspectives might be a worthwhile objective.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore issues of work-life balance, institutional ownership, and the chilly climate, each of which can contribute to negative academic outcomes, and propose a solution to address them.
Abstract: With the significant increase in graduate students characterized as nontraditional, challenges associated with balance have become more prominent. The author explores issues of work-life balance, institutional ownership, and the chilly climate, each of which can contribute to negative academic outcomes.
Proceedings Article•
16 Jul 2006TL;DR: MedEthEx is an implementation of Beauchamp's and Childress' Principles of Biomedical Ethics that harnesses machine learning techniques to abstract decision principles from cases in a particular type of dilemma with conflicting prima facie duties and uses these principles to determine the correct course of action in similar and new cases.
Abstract: As part of a larger Machine Ethics Project, we are developing an ethical advisor that provides guidance to health care workers faced with ethical dilemmas. MedEthEx is an implementation of Beauchamp's and Childress' Principles of Biomedical Ethics that harnesses machine learning techniques to abstract decision principles from cases in a particular type of dilemma with conflicting prima facie duties and uses these principles to determine the correct course of action in similar and new cases. We believe that accomplishing this will be a useful first step towards creating machines that can interact with those in need of health care in a way that is sensitive to ethical issues that may arise.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the dilemmas involved in an anthropological examination of both corruption and the international anti-corruption agenda, arguing that the two must be seen as closely related.
Abstract: This paper explores the dilemmas involved in an anthropological examination of both corruption and the international anti-corruption agenda, arguing that the two must be seen as closely related. The dilemma for anthropologists is that in either unpacking the “meaning” of corruption at a local level, or deconstructing the anti-corruption agenda, the realities of power involved in the attribution of corruption may be overlooked. It is concluded that, to a large extent, the solution lies in the ethnographic focus. Rather than simply examining meanings at a local level, or the international discourse, it is important to see how particular accounts of corruption develop and are translated from international to national and local policy contexts.
TL;DR: This paper examined data drawn from the game show Friend or Foe? which is similar to the classic prisoner's dilemma tale: partnerships are endogenously determined, and players work together to earn money.
Abstract: This study examines data drawn from the game show Friend or Foe? which is similar to the classic prisoner's dilemma tale: partnerships are endogenously determined, and players work together to earn money, after which they play a one-shot prisoner's dilemma game over large stakes: varying from $200 to (potentially) more than $22,000. The data reveal several interesting insights; perhaps most provocatively, they suggest that even though the game is played in front of an audience of millions of viewers, some of the evidence is consistent with a model of discrimination. The observed patterns of social discrimination are unanticipated, however.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors deal with problems of consensus-making among individuals or organizations with multiple criteria for evaluating their performance when the players are supposed to be egoistic; in the sense that each player sticks to his superiority regarding the criteria.
Abstract: This paper deals with problems of consensus-making among individuals or organizations with multiple criteria for evaluating their performance when the players are supposed to be egoistic; in the sense that each player sticks to his superiority regarding the criteria. We analyze this situation within the framework or concept developed in data envelopment analysis (DEA). This leads to a dilemma called the `egoist's dilemma'. We examine this dilemma using cooperative game theory and propose a solution. The scheme developed in this paper can also be applied to attaining fair cost allocations as well as benefit–cost distributions.
TL;DR: Kydd as discussed by the authors argues that cooperation is at best difficult and at worst impossible in the anarchic international system and explains why actors forgo the short-term benefits of exploiting others.
Abstract: Trust and Mistrust in International Relations. By Andrew H. Kydd. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005. 284p. $39.50.That cooperation is at best difficult and at worst impossible in the anarchic international system is an established idea. Analyses usually assume that state preferences put them in a prisoner's dilemma where defection is the strictly dominant strategy. Explaining cooperation means showing why actors forgo the short-term benefits of exploiting others. Mechanisms involve conditional play, institutional arrangements, and hegemonic leadership, which help overcome coordination, monitoring, enforcement, and free-rider problems.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of heterogeneous influence of different individuals on the maintenance of co-operative behavior was studied in an evolutionary Prisoner's Dilemma game with players located on the sites of regular small-world networks.
Abstract: The effect of heterogeneous influence of different individuals on the maintenance of co-operative behaviour is studied in an evolutionary Prisoner's Dilemma game with players located on the sites of regular small-world networks The players interacting with their neighbours can either co-operate or defect and update their states by choosing one of the neighbours and adopting its strategy with a probability depending on the payoff difference The selection of the neighbour obeys a preferential rule: the more influential a neighbour, the larger the probability it is picked It is found that this simple preferential selection rule can promote continuously the co-operation of the whole population with the strengthening of the disorder of the underlying network
TL;DR: In this article, two major methodological risk factors in interpretive research are identified as horns of a dilemma, and a practical solution is offered. But the authors focus on the subjective social construct formation process (such as business strategy formation).
Abstract: Methodological challenges in researching subjective social construct formation processes (such as business strategy formation) are described. A solution is derived step by step, based on classic contributions to the literature and first principles. Two major methodological risk factors in interpretive research are identified as horns of a dilemma, and a practical solution is offered. In the process, a basis is offered for carrying out interpretive research in which meaningful data coding can occur across multiple case studies. The methodology developed for the author's own research is used as an illustration.