title: What about ought? Response to practical intelligence and the virtues

authors: van Zyl, Liezl

subjects: Practical Intelligence and the Virtues

abstract: According to a qualified-agent account of right action, an action is right iff it is what a virtuous agent would characteristically do in the circumstances (V).¹ A frequent objection to this account is that it gives the wrong result in cases where the agent faces a dilemma because of previous wrongdoing. Robert Johnson gives the example of the chronic liar who undertakes a series of remedial actions to improve his character. Commonsense tells us that he acts rightly (or does what he ought to do), but (V) denies this, for no virtuous agent will find herself in these circumstances. Johnson concludes from this that virtue ethics fails to make room for a genuine moral obligation to improve your character.²

text: What about ought? Response to practical intelligence and the virtues According to a qualified-agent account of right action, an action is right iff it is what a virtuous agent would characteristically do in the circumstances (V).¹ A frequent objection to this account is that it gives the wrong result in cases where the agent faces a dilemma because of previous wrongdoing. Robert Johnson gives the example of the chronic liar who undertakes a series of remedial actions to improve his character. Commonsense tells us that he acts rightly (or does what he ought to do), but (V) denies this, for no virtuous agent will find herself in these circumstances. Johnson concludes from this that virtue ethics fails to make room for a genuine moral obligation to improve your character.²

year: 2011

title: Arcs of supply chain integration

authors: Childerhouse, Paul

subjects: supply chain integration

abstract: Integration is posited by many authors as a supply chain utopia. Indeed, it is claimed as being synonymous with supply chain management excellence. The primary aim of this research is to verify the link between supply chain integration and competitive performance. Detailed information collected via an 8-year international field study of 50 products and their associated supply chains subjected to an extensive statistical analysis provides rigorous insight into supply chain integration in practice. The breadth of supply chain integration significantly correlates with increased performance, yet in practice, the majority of supply chains are not well integrated. However, most supply chains seem to follow a popular route when seeking to enable seamless operations. This starts with enhanced internal effectiveness followed by upstream streamlining and then finally downstream integration. If practitioners are still struggling with supply chain integration, this research confirms that they are not unique in their predicament. Indifferent practice is indeed the norm. Fortunately, practitioners can follow the popular route established herein when seeking to improve integrative capability.

text: Arcs of supply chain integration Integration is posited by many authors as a supply chain utopia. Indeed, it is claimed as being synonymous with supply chain management excellence. The primary aim of this research is to verify the link between supply chain integration and competitive performance. Detailed information collected via an 8-year international field study of 50 products and their associated supply chains subjected to an extensive statistical analysis provides rigorous insight into supply chain integration in practice. The breadth of supply chain integration significantly correlates with increased performance, yet in practice, the majority of supply chains are not well integrated. However, most supply chains seem to follow a popular route when seeking to enable seamless operations. This starts with enhanced internal effectiveness followed by upstream streamlining and then finally downstream integration. If practitioners are still struggling with supply chain integration, this research confirms that they are not unique in their predicament. Indifferent practice is indeed the norm. Fortunately, practitioners can follow the popular route established herein when seeking to improve integrative capability.

year: 2011

title: Artefacts, biology and bias in museum collection research

authors: Wehi, Priscilla M.

subjects: experimenta design

abstract: Museum collections are increasingly subjected to scientific scrutiny, including molecular, isotopic and trace-element analyses. Recent advances have extended analyses from natural history specimens to historical artefacts. We highlight three areas of concern that can influence interpretation of data derived from museum collections: sampling issues associated with museum collection use, methods of analysis, and the value of cross-referencing data with historical documents and data sets. We use a case study that focuses on kiwi (Apteryx spp.) feather samples from valuable 19th century Māori cloaks in New Zealand to show how sampling and analysis challenges need to be minimized by careful design. We argue that aligning historical records with scientific data generated from museum collections significantly improves data interpretation.

text: Artefacts, biology and bias in museum collection research Museum collections are increasingly subjected to scientific scrutiny, including molecular, isotopic and trace-element analyses. Recent advances have extended analyses from natural history specimens to historical artefacts. We highlight three areas of concern that can influence interpretation of data derived from museum collections: sampling issues associated with museum collection use, methods of analysis, and the value of cross-referencing data with historical documents and data sets. We use a case study that focuses on kiwi (Apteryx spp.) feather samples from valuable 19th century Māori cloaks in New Zealand to show how sampling and analysis challenges need to be minimized by careful design. We argue that aligning historical records with scientific data generated from museum collections significantly improves data interpretation.

year: 2012-07