26 research outputs found
AI and blockchain adoption in corporate governance
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonPurpose
The purpose of this doctoral thesis sets out to explore and elaborate on the impact of
artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain adoption in corporate governance from ethical
perspectives. Positioned within the corporate governance domain, this study adopts
an explicit business perspective to study corporate governance change with emerging
AI and blockchain technological tools in general and focuses on the ethical use of
technologies specifically. As such, this empirical investigation aims to help
organizations understand the ethical benefits and ethical dilemmas of using AI and
blockchain in businesses and draw plans on how to govern these technologies
ethically for the benefit of the business and society.
Design/Methodology/Approach:
This study adopts specific techniques and a pragmatic, step-by-step netnography
approach to investigate online traces from social media sites and extends these online
explorations with online semi-structured interviews. The research design of this
investigation follows step-by-step procedures that are methodologically sound to
ensure rigor in this investigation to enhance the trustworthiness of this study. In total,
this research collects an abundance of data: 34 LinkedIn Posts with Comments; 12
Webinars; 22 YouTube Videos; 19 Videos; 10 Podcasts, and 17 semi-structured
interview videos. The video, audio, and interview data have been transcribed into
textual data total of 453065 words for thematic analysis using NVivo software. Enough
time has been allocated to the iterative process of data collection and data analysis.
The analysis moves back and forth to the point when theoretical saturation is achieved.
The data structure extracts from data in this study illustrate the analytic claims that
match the analysis and data together, to ensure a good fit between described method
and reported analysis are consistent.
Findings:
This study develops a thematic framework that constitutes the corporate governance
transformation with the ethical use of AI and blockchain technology. This framework
provides a holistic understanding of why corporate governance needs to change,
especially with the emergence of blockchain and AI technologies, what changes will
corporate governance encounter, and how corporate governance can imperatively
respond to the ethical use of these technologies. Specifically, it explicitly provides
comprehensive understanding of the ethical benefits and ethical concerns of using AI
and blockchain technologies in corporate governance, and reveals how companies
can govern the use of these technologies ethically.
In general terms, the findings of this study support the notion of corporate governance
change to transform business models and processes to leverage the new capabilities
of AI and blockchain technologies, to priories creativity, speed, and accountability, to
replace the old business model, to foster agile or collaborative governance to deal with
uncertainty, agility, adaptiveness, and cooperation in the digital world, to foster a network and platform strategies to drive success. This study goes beyond the extant
corporate governance scholarship to assess the technological impact to capture
values for companies in ethical ways to sustain future growth.
Additionally, the notion of corporate governance is further specified and significantly
expanded by this study to assess the adoption of AI and blockchain as new corporate
governance tools or mechanisms, to enhance ethical benefits when used properly,
and mitigate ethical dilemmas with proper checks and balances, safeguards in place,
to help organizations stay relevant in this digital transformation and be ethical and
sustainable.
This study empirically corroborates that in theory, the use of blockchain and AI can
enhance ethical practice by detecting fraud and anomaly activities, due to the unique
capabilities of blockchain and AI technologies. Further, this research adds depth and
specificity by identifying the ethical concerns of using blockchain and AI in corporate
governance. The study empirically reveals the ethical concerns of privacy issues,
unethical use of data, job transformation and replacement, and algorithm bias that
companies will encounter when they use these technologies. In addition, the findings
of this study suggest how companies can ethically govern the use of these
technologies in socially responsible ways as they transform digitally.
Originality/Value:
The emergent thematic framework is constructed from the empirical and analytical
procedures specifically and purposely designed for this study. This study makes
theoretical contributions to knowledge and enriches the extant works of literature, and
also provides practical contributions to the ethical use of disruptive technologies, future
workforce, and regulations. However, the study was conducted within certain
theoretical, methodological, empirical, and pragmatic conditions, which might
constitute particular limitations and constraints. Therefore, the last section of this
thesis elucidates and suggests the directions for future research
Unraveling the Synergy of Chemical Hydroxylation and the Physical Heterointerface upon Improving the Hydrogen Evolution Kinetics
No full text© 2021 American Chemical Society.Efficient transition metal oxide electrocatalysts for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) have received intensive attention to energy conversion but are limited by their sluggish water dissociation and unfavorable hydrogen migration and coupling. Herein, systematic density functional theory (DFT) predicts that on representative NiO, the hydroxylation (OH-) and heterointerface coupled with metallic Cu can respectively reduce the energy barrier of water dissociation and facilitate hydrogen spillover. Motivated by theoretical predictions, we subtly designed a delicate strategy to realize the electrochemical OH- modification in KOH with moderate concentration (HOM-NiO) and to channel rapid hydrogen spillover at the heterointerface of HOM-NiO and Cu, ensuring an enhanced HER kinetic. This HOM-NiO/Cu is systematically investigated by in situ XAS and electrochemical simulations, verifying its extraordinary merits for HER including the enhanced water dissociation, alleviated oxophilicity that is advantageous for consecutive adsorptions of water, and accelerated hydrogen spillover, thereby exhibiting superb HER activity with 33 and 310 mV overpotentials at the current densities of 10 and 1000 mA cm-2 in 1.0 M KOH, outperforming the Pt/C. This study might provide a reasonable strategy for the functionalized design of superior electrocatalysts.11Nsciescopu
Optimal Control Problem for Discrete-Time Markov Jump Systems with Indefinite Weight Costs
No full textFinTech Innovation: Review and Future Research Directions
No full textThis paper aims to survey the most recent theoretical and empirical literature on FinTech innovations in the financial sector. The purpose of this review is to investigate how FinTech Innovations are altering and reshaping the universe of financial service providers, and challenging traditional business models and infrastructures. This study summarizes the opportunities and challenges of FinTech Innovations and the implications to the legacy incumbent financial services companies. FinTech innovation fusions technological capabilities potentially provide innovative financial products and services to foster financial inclusion, streamline processes, and lower costs to clients. FinTech can bring greater competition and diversity in financial services. Further, this research interprets the findings from the lens of institutional theory to advance the theoretical understanding of social changes facilitated by FinTech innovations in revolutionary areas in banking (lending, payment), security trading (real-time settlement, automated investment), and insurance (personalized experience). The investigation points out the regulatory concerns highlighted in the scholarly works, suggesting collaboration is critical to enable multi-stakeholders to anticipate and foster pro-innovative, transparent regulations to deliver meaningful benefits to innovation and financial inclusion. Lastly, this review identifies future research areas to further enrich knowledge to create a future-proof, more efficient, and resilient financial ecosystem to enhance financial stability in the digital era
Numerical Simulation of Electromagnetic Field in Round Bloom Continuous Casting with Final Electromagnetic Stirring
No full textA 3D mathematical model was developed to simulate the electromagnetic field in Φ600 mm round bloom continuous casting with final electromagnetic stirring (F-EMS), and the model was verified using measured data for the magnetic flux density in the stirrer centre. The distribution of electromagnetic force and the influence of current intensity and frequency were investigated. The results show that the Joule heat generated by F-EMS is very small and its influence on secondary cooling heat transfer in the stirring zone can be ignored. With an increase in current frequency, the electromagnetic force density at R/2 and R/3 of the Φ600 mm round bloom first increases and then decreases, reaching a maximum at 10 Hz
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Digital Transformation Impacts Organisational Change in the Role of Accountants and Auditors: An Exploratory Study
No full textPurpose (limit 100 words) This study explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on accounting and auditing professionals as businesses navigate digital transformation. Design/methodology/approach (limit 100 words) A qualitative research approach was adopted, analysing data from 10 podcasts and 17 semi-structured interviews using NVivo software. Key themes were identified to provide insights into AI’s influence on organisational change in accounting practices. Findings (limit 100 words) The research constructs a thematic framework comprising three aggregate dimensions: triggers of digital transformation in accounting practices, opportunities and challenges in transforming accounting practices, and changing routines for accounting professionals. The results are further interpreted using Lewin’s 3-Step Model of Organisational Change to comprehend the impact of AI and understand how accountants can adapt to these technological changes to sustain their practices. Originality/value (limit 100 words) This study provides a good understanding of the social shifts towards utilising AI in increasingly automating accounting tasks, reshaping professional roles, and creating both opportunities and challenges. AI enhances efficiency in bookkeeping, reporting, auditing, and risk analysis but also raises concerns about data integrity and trust. Blockchain technology emerges as a potential solution, enhancing transparency, security, and reliability in AI-enabled accounting systems. To remain relevant, accounting professionals must bridge digital skill gaps and adopt interdisciplinary collaboration. As AI continues to evolve, blockchain integration could reinforce trust and accountability, shaping the future of accounting and auditing
Interfacial-Bonding-Regulated CO Oxidation over Pt Atoms Immobilized on Gas-Exfoliated Hexagonal Boron Nitride
No full textWe compared the electronic structure and CO oxidation mechanisms over Pt atoms immobilized by both B-vacancies and N-vacancies on gas-exfoliated hexagonal boron nitride. We showed that chemical bonds are formed between the B atoms associated with dangling bonds around the vacancies and Pt atoms. These bonds not only alter the thermodynamics and kinetics for the aggregation and effectively immobilize Pt atoms, but also significantly change the composition and energetic distribution of the electronic states of the composites to circumvent CO poisoning and to favour coadsorption of CO and O2, which further regulates the reactions to proceed through a Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism. The CO oxidation over Pt atoms immobilized at N-vacancies involves formation of an intermediate with –C(O)-O−O- bonded to Pt, the generation of CO2 by peroxo O−O bond scission and the reduction of the remnant oxygen, and the calculated energy barriers are 0.49, 0.23 and 0.18 eV, respectively. Such small energy barriers are comparable to those over Pt atoms trapped at B-vacancies, showing the effectiveness of Pt/hexagonal boron nitride atomic composites as catalysts for CO oxidation. These findings also suggest the feasibility of regulating the reaction pathways over single atom catalysts via interfacial engineering.National Natural Science Foundation of China[21771030, 21573034, 21373036, 21103015, 21771029]China Scholarship Council[201706060254]Special Program for Applied Research on Super Computation of the NSFC-Guangdong Joint Fund[U1501501]Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities[DUT15LK18, DUT14LK09, DUT12LK14]Special Academic Partner GCR Program from King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyUniversité Paris-Es
A 1.0 μm Cylindrical Vector Beam Fiber Ring Laser Based on A Mode Selective Coupler
No full textWe propose and demonstrate a continuous-wave all-fiber ring laser generating cylindrical vector beams (CVBs) using a MSC as transverse mode converter and mode splitter. The MSC is fabricated by a novel method free of pre-tapering, achieving LP11 mode with a high purity of > 96% near the wavelength of 1064 nm. The CVB fiber laser operates at a center wavelength of 1053.9 nm, with a 3 dB linewidth of less than 0.04 nm and a signal-to-background ratio of > 60 dB. The laser slope efficiency is > 9%. The radially and azimuthally polarized beams can be switched by adjusting the polarization controllers in the fiber ring cavity, with a high mode purity measured to be > 96%
Um sistema voltado ao armazenamento e recuperação de conteúdo textual de diferentes contextos
No full textTCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Araranguá, curso de Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação.Atualmente a quantidade de informação gerada cresce exponencialmente, sendo que uma quantia significativa de informações encontra-se em formato não estruturado, ou seja, textos. Com o grande volume de informações disponíveis, seja na web ou mesmo nas organizações, coletar e disponibilizar essas informações constitui-se em um desafio computacional. Superando os obstáculos, a área de Recuperação de Informação (RI) pode constituir uma importante ferramenta para a integração e a disponibilização de conteúdo. Neste sentido, surgem os Sistemas de Recuperação de Informação (SRIs) que promovem meios de se localizar documentos ou informações dentro de documentos através de uma solicitação do usuário. Esses documentos podem estar disponíveis na Web ou em uma organização. Com esse pressuposto é apresentado neste trabalho um Sistema de Recuperação de Informação visando o armazenamento de conteúdos textuais com diferentes contextos. Propondo atingir esse objetivo, o trabalho baseia-se na definição das visões lógica e física com a capacidade de suportar o desenvolvimento de um sistema que possibilite a recuperação de documentos textuais. A demonstração de viabilidade é realizada através da implementação de um protótipo que possui os serviços de indexação e consulta. A aplicação do protótipo em um cenário permitiu demonstrar que o sistema proposto é capaz de obter resultados consistentes e satisfatórios, tanto para a indexação quanto para a consulta de documentos.Nowadays, the amount of information increases exponentially, whereas a significant part of this is in unstructured format, that is, text. With the large volume of information available, whether on the web or even in organizations collect and make this information available becomes a computational challenge. Overcome obstacles, the area of Information Retrieval (IR) can be an important tool for the integration and delivery of content. In this sense, arise Information Retrieval Systems (IRSs) aiming to promote ways to locate documents or information within documents base on a user request. These documents may be available on the web or in an organization. With this assumption is presented in this work an Information Retrieval System to store textual content from different contexts. In order to achieve this goal, the work is based on the definition of the logical and physical views to support the development of a system that enables the retrieval of textual documents. A feasibility demonstration is carried out through the implementation of a prototype containing indexing and searching services. The use of the prototype in a scenario has demonstrated that the proposed system is able to obtain consistent and satisfactory results for indexing and searching documents
