Letteratura scientifica selezionata sul tema "Selling – Collectibles – Computer network resources"

In this paper, we propose a game-theoretic model of the mobile network market. The market is presented by three sides: primary mobile network operators (MNO), mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) and consumers of the services. MVNO are mobile operators without their own infrastructure. They buy resources from MNO and compete with other MVNO for the consumers selling a service in the mobile network market. We construct a two-stage game. In the first stage, MVNO (players) select the MNO, one or several, and then announce the price for their service for the consumers in this MNO. After the profile of prices is determined, the consumers are distributed among MVNOs following the logistic function. The equilibrium in this two-stage game is constructed. For identical consumers, the analytic formulas for the solution are derived.

Research in Intelligent Agents has yielded interesting results, some of which have been translated into commer­cial ventures. Intelligent Agents are executable software components that represent the user, perform tasks on behalf of the user and when the task terminates, the Agents send the result to the user. Intelligent Agents are best suited for the Internet: a collection of computers connected together in a world-wide computer network. Swarm and HYDRA computer architectures for Agents’ execution were developed at the University of Surrey, UK in the 90s. The objective of the research was to develop a software-based computer architecture on which Agents execution could be explored. The combination of Intelligent Agents and HYDRA computer architecture gave rise to a new computer concept: the NET-Computer in which the comput­ing resources reside on the Internet. The Internet computers form the hardware and software resources, and the user is provided with a simple interface to access the Internet and run user tasks. The Agents autonomously roam the Internet (NET-Computer) executing the tasks. A growing segment of the Internet is E-Commerce for online shopping for products and services. The Internet computing resources provide a marketplace for product suppliers and consumers alike. Consumers are looking for suppliers selling products and services, while suppliers are looking for buyers. Searching the vast amount of information available on the Internet causes a great deal of problems for both consumers and suppliers. Intelligent Agents executing on the NET-Computer can surf through the Internet and select specific information of interest to the user. The simulation results show that Intelligent Agents executing HYDRA computer architecture could be applied in E-Commerce.

Pay-as-you-go access to computer resources is a major selling point of the cloud computing model. Cloud tenants demand complete networking of their dedicated resources to simply implement network functions and services, in addition to the conventional computer resources. The flexibility and convenience of on-demand resource provisioning make cloud computing a compelling computing platform. The key to meeting fluctuating needs and maximizing return on investment from Cloud-supporting infrastructure is dynamic resource allocation and reallocation. For traditional IaaS, we offer an energy-efficient resource allocation strategy based on bin packing. In this paper, we present an accurate energy-conscious method for initial resource allocation by casting the issue of energy-efficient resource allocation as a bin-packing model. The available VMs (virtual machines) employ a modified version of the max-min scheduling technique, which saves money and resources. The results of this study give a framework for comparing and contrasting the many different resource distribution approaches that have been proposed by other researchers. The importance of efficient data centers for the cloud is growing. Power consumption has been a major problem due to its expanding size and widespread usage. The overarching purpose of this effort is to create models and algorithms for resource allocation that are both energy-efficient and take into account a variety of relevant factors

One of the business strategies for selling computer resources with services and technology for better use of computing infrastructures is Cloud computing (CC). Nowadays, every IT company prefers cloud computing because it provides consumers with flexible, pay-per-use services. Due to its open and distributed structure, which is susceptible to attackers, thereby, privacy and security is a key obstacle to its sustainability. The most prevalent approach for detecting assaults on the cloud is known to be Intrusion Detection System (IDS). This article aims to propose a novel intrusion pattern detection system (IPDS) in cloud computing that includes three stages: (1) pre-processing, (2) feature extraction, and (3) classification. At first, pre-processing is performed on the input data via Z-score normalization and then feature extraction is performed along with statistical and higher-order statistical features. Subsequently, the extracted features are given to the classification phases that use the Optimized Quantum Neural Network (QNN) classifier. The hidden neuron optimization is performed by Cubic Chaotic Map integrated Cat and Mouse Based Optimization (CC-CMBO) Algorithm to make the classification more exact. Finally, the results of the proposed work are assessed to those of standard systems with respect to various measures.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the simplest economic, economic and social activities were restricted in many countries. The introduction of pandemic restrictions particularly affected sports organisations: it was forbidden to provide sports services, organise mass sports events, and restrictions were applied on group training and any social gatherings. Various organisational, technological, marketing, communication, public relations and other innovations allowed sports organisations to discover new operational opportunities, generate cash flows, and maintain the continuity of sports organisations’ activities in crisis conditions. The success of innovation is determined by certain factors, named as innovation implementation planning, strategic leadership, etc. Therefore, it is relevant to study what factors determine the success of a sports organisation implementing crisis innovations. The purpose of the study is to determine the factors determining the success of the implementation of crisis-driven innovations in sports organisations. Work tasks: To examine the theoretical aspects of implementing crisis-driven innovations in sports organisations; 2. To determine what crisis-driven innovations are implemented in the studied sports organisations; 3. To determine what factors led to the success of the implementation of crisis-driven innovations in the studied sports organisations. Research methods: analysis of scientific literature; structured interview; content analysis. Main results. The research results show that during the pandemic, the studied basketball clubs implemented the following crisis-driven innovations: 1. Necessary innovations according to legislation (disinfection innovations, separation of zones, temperature measurement technologies); 2. Marketing innovations (advertising innovations, innovations in the development of social network marketing, e-commerce, including the sale of licensed products); 3. Innovations in remote communication with fans (innovation of match previews on online platforms, "cardboard image" innovation, development of social networks, fans inclusion in the commercialisation of social media, creation of a virtual community of fans, e-sports); 4. Innovations to support the internal work of the club (remote communication within the club using Teams software, online training of basketball players). The most successful crisis-driven innovations were communication within the club and in the office through Teams; content marketing in social networks and its commercialisation, as well as solutions for selling advertising content during pandemics. Conclusion of the work: The success of the implementation of crisis-driven innovations of the basketball clubs studied during the pandemic was determined by the entrepreneurial spirit of the organisation, know-how in the field of innovation, strategic and tactical, quick planning, effective teamwork and having specialists in the organisation, managerial and innovative competence of managers, charismatic and innovative leadership, work with personnel (strengthening microclimate, encouraging the cooperation, psychological support for employees, motivation, openness in communication with employees), sufficient financial and human resources. Keywords: crisis innovation; implementation of innovations; success factors.

TRANSFORM, founded in 2015 by Unilever and the UK’s Department for International Development, supports several social enterprises by combining public sector resources with private sector technical capabilities and networks to support innovative social enterprises. Digital programs have enabled social enterprise partnerships to expand the reach of their initiatives to broader audiences including specifically defined groups that hitherto were untapped or difficult to reach. Unilever partnered with TRANSFORM and Every1Mobile to develop UJoin and UAfya in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. UJoin is a social enterprise initiative for promoting business growth among underserved neighborhood shops called dukas. UAfya focuses on young expectant and new mothers, and women interested in family and maternal health topics. Each initiative uses an online community network to discuss and improve knowledge and behaviors regarding livelihoods and health. Online communities provide opportunities to reach specific groups with targeted behavior change messages and campaigns. However, little systematic knowledge is currently available on how to develop, and scale-up effective behavior change programs for digital communities in low-income markets. There is also little information about key guiding principles and best practices that underlie successful digital and online, social networking models. A systematic and participatory tool known as Net-Map was used to explore and understand potential frameworks for establishing digital-based community-driven partnerships with the private sector for health promotion through behavior change. The Net-Map approach was used to help individuals and groups clarify their view of a situation (including networks and power structures), foster discussion, and develop a strategic approach to their networking activities. Eight Net-Maps were constructed, stratified by groups based on location and digital platform. Each map was constructed by an average of 9-10 people for a total of 76 participants. Seventy-six participants identified actors – stakeholders and groups of people involved - and influential links – ways actors are connected - through the Net-Map activity. Among UAfya participants, local government, family, and friends, and the media were identified as the most important actor types. A comparison of the discussions associated with the creation of the maps by UAfya members shows that the two most important link types are conflict, and collaboration/partnership. Among UJoin participants, the three most important actor types were local government, business and financial institutions, and customers. UJoin members identified regulation, and conflict and competition, collaboration and, information sharing as key links between actors. Recommendations based on findings support a vision for scale-up of the UJoin and UAfya programs through accreditation and branding of a novel type of duka. Shop keepers would be trained and knowledgeable to provide high-quality services to improve customer health while also selling health products that benefit the bottom line.

An virtually infinite number of connected information and communication technology (ICT) resources can be found using a method known as cloud computing. Customers can use these resources on-demand over a network in the form of a public IP because both infrastructure and applications are fully owned and managed by third parties.To enhance staff performance and services in the context of transactions made by parties engaged in the buying and selling industry, a computer-based system is required, particularly for cashiers who handle customer payment transactions. There are still a lot of cashier programs available today that can only be accessed via a device linked to the same network or over the local network.In order to facilitate transactions and enable remote control, this research makes use of cloud computing technology that employs Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings. IaaS is a service that "rents" out fundamental information technology resources, such as storage space, computing power, memory, operating systems, network capacity, and others, so that customers can use them to execute their applications.Azure gives developers access to tools like Visual Studio and the ability to construct applications in a variety of languages, including.NET, Java, and Node.js. Because businesses don't have to worry about the expense of server equipment, implementing cloud computing can make it simpler for them to manage their business apps and finances. The ability for store administrators to use this program remotely (online) may then be aided or made simpler by this IaaS solution.

AbstractThe transformation of the contemporary societies through digital technologies has had a profound effect on all human activities including those that are in the realm of illegal, unlawful, and criminal deeds. Moreover, the affordances provided by the anonymity creating techniques such as the Tor protocol which are beneficial for preserving civil liberties, appear to be highly profitable for various types of miscreants whose crimes range from human trafficking, arms trading, and child pornography to selling controlled substances and racketeering. The Tor similar technologies are the foundation of a vast, often mysterious, sometimes anecdotal, and occasionally dangerous space termed as the Dark Web. Using the features that make the Internet a uniquely generative knowledge agglomeration, with no borders, and permeating different jurisdictions, the Dark Web is a source of perpetual challenges for both national and international law enforcement agencies. The anonymity granted to the wrong people increases the complexity and the cost of identifying both the crimes and the criminals, which is often exacerbated with lack of proper human resources. Technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence come to the rescue through automation, intensive data harvesting, and analysis built into various types of web crawlers to explore and identify dark markets and the people behind them. It is essential for an effective and efficient crawling to have a pool of dark sites or onion URLs. The research study presents a way to build a crawling mechanism by extracting onion URLs from malicious executables by running them in a sandbox environment and then analysing the log file using machine learning algorithms. By discerning between the malware that uses the Tor network and the one that does not, we were able to classify the Tor using malware with an accuracy rate of 91% with a logistic regression algorithm. The initial results suggest that it is possible to use this machine learning approach to diagnose new malicious servers on the Tor network. Embedding this kind of mechanism into the crawler may also induce predictability, and thus efficiency in recognising dark market activities, and consequently, their closure.

This project report tries to explore all possible factors that are affecting the competitiveness of e commerce retailers. Competitiveness is one of the popular and yet controversial concepts in the literature. Not only its definition, but also its measurement is on debate. Because the concept has a multifaceted nature, there are some methodological challenges that make measurements difficult. Here, is an exploratory study & in-depth analysis by using an integrated approach to study competitiveness such as resources, abilities, processes, etc. The availability and continued growth of Internet technologies have created great opportunities for users all over the globe to benefit from IT services and use them in a variety of different ways. The use of IT to conduct business online is known as E Commerce (Electronic Commerce). According to me globalization is one of the biggest reasons for the rise of E commerce industry due to globalisation now our reach is extended. E commerce simply refers to buying & selling of products, services & information via computer network including internet. E commerce is a very vast industry in which there are different types of e commerce business exists i.e., B2B, B2C, C2B, C2C, G2B, G2C, C2G, B2G. they all the working or can be worked on an e commerce business model. And with the help of an e commerce their operations are so smooth & effective. There are many big players exists when it comes to an e commerce industry for example, Amazon, Flipkart, Udaan, Zomato, etc. E commerce industry is an emerging industry which is growing every day by some percentage, but with the growth percentage the competition, problems & challenges is also increasing. For that the analysis of the industry as well as the competitor is very crucial thing to do. We have to observe the industry very closely to understand the factors that are affecting the competitiveness of e commerce retailers.

Introduction The trope of food is often used in the humanities to discuss aspects of a culture that are customarily overlooked by a textualist approach, for food embodies a kind of knowledge that comes from the direct engagement with materials and processes, and involves taste as an aesthetics that exceeds the visual concept of the “beautiful.” Moreover, cooking is one of the most ancient cultural practices, and is considered the habit that defines us as humans in comparison to other animals—not only culturally, but also physiologically (Wrangham). Today we have entered a post-human age in which technological augmentations, while promoting the erasure of embodiment in favour of intelligence (Hayles), create new assemblages between the organic and the digital, thus redefining what it means to be human. In this context, a reassessment of the practice of cooking as the manipulation of what constitutes food—both for thought and for the body—may promote a more nuanced approach to contemporary culture, in which the agency of the non-human (from synthetic materials to the digital) affects our modes of being and reflects on our aesthetic sensibility. In the 1980s, Guy Debord observed that the food industry's standardisation and automation of methods of production and consumption have anaesthetised the consumer palate with broader political and cultural implications. Today the Internet has extended the intertwinement of food and technology to the social and aesthetic spheres, thus further impacting on taste. For instance, cultural trends such as “foodism” and “slow food” thrive on blogs and social networks and, while promoting an artisanal style in food preparation and presentation, they paradoxically may also homogenise cooking techniques and the experience of sharing a meal. This leads to questions regarding the extent to which the digitalisation of culture might be hindering our capacity to taste. Or, given the new possibilities for connectivity, can this digitalisation also foster an aesthetic sensibility associated with different attitudes and approaches to food—one that transgresses both the grand narratives and the standardisation promoted by such gastronomic fashions? It also leads to the question of how such activities reflect on the collective sphere, considering the contagious character of networked communication. While foodism thrives online, the Internet has nevertheless prompted a renewed interest in DIY (do-it-yourself) cooking techniques. As a recent issue of M/C Journal testifies, today cookbooks are produced and consulted at an unprecedented rate—either in print or online (Brien and Wessell). Taking the example of the online diffusion of DIY cheese-making recipes, I will below trace the connections between cooking, computer culture, and taste with the support of Gilbert Simondon's metaphysics of technics. Although Simondon never extensively discussed food in relation to technology, the positioning of technicity at the heart of culture allows his work to be used to address the multifaceted nature of taste in the light of recent technological development, in particular of the Network. As a matter of fact, today cooking is not only a technical activity, in the sense that it requires a certain practical and theoretical skilfulness—it is also a technological matter, for the amount of networked machines that are increasingly used for food production and marketing. Specifically, this paper argues that by disentangling the human—albeit partially—from the capitalist cycle of production-marketing-consumption and by triggering an awareness of the increasingly dominant role technology plays in food processing and manufacturing, the online sharing of home-cooking advice may promote a reconfiguration of taste, which would translate into a more nuanced approach to contemporary techno-culture. In the first part of this discussion, I introduce Simondon’s philosophy and foreground the technical dimension of cooking by discussing cheese-making as a process of individuation. In the second, I focus on Simondon’s definition of technical objects and technical ensembles to position Internet culture in relation to cooking, and highlight how technicity folds back on taste as aesthetic impression. Ultimately, I conclude with some reflections on how such a culinary-aesthetic approach may find application in other techno-cultural fields by promoting an aesthetic sensibility that extends beyond the experience of the “social” to encompass an ethical component. Cooking as Individuation: The Networked Dimension of Taste Simondon is known as the thinker, and “tinkerer”, of technics. His project is concerned with ontogenesis—that is, the becoming of objects in relation to the terms that constitute them as individual. Simondon’s philosophy of individuation allows for a better understanding of how the Internet fosters certain attitudes to food, for it is grounded on a notion of “energetic materiality in movement” (Deleuze and Guattari 408) that explains how “immaterial” algorithms can affect individual experience and cultural production. For Simondon, individuation is the process that arises from objects being out-of-phase with themselves. Put differently, individuation allows for “the conservation of being through becoming” (Genesis 301). Likewise, individualisation is “the individuation of an individuated being, resulting from an individuation, [and creating] a new structuration within the individual” (L’Individuation 132). Individuation and individualisation are processes common to all kinds of being. Any individual operates an internal and an external resonance within the system in which it is enmeshed, and produces an “associated milieu” capable of entering into relation with other individuals within the system. Simondon maintains that nature consists of three regimes of individuation, that is, three possible phases of every being: the physical, the biological, and the psycho-social—that develop from a metastable pre-individual field. Technology traverses all three regimes and allows for further individualisation via transductive operations across such phases—that is, via operations of conversion of energy from one form to another. The recent online diffusion of DIY cheese-making recipes lends itself to be analysed with the support of Simondon’s philosophy. Today cheese dominates degustation menus beside the finest wines, and constitutes a common obsession among “foodies.” Although, as an object, cheese defies more traditional canons of beauty and pleasure—its usual pale yellow colour is not especially inviting and, generally speaking, the stinkier and mouldier it is, the more exclusive and expensive it usually is—it has played a sizeable role in the collective imagination since ancient times. Although the genesis of cheese predates archival memory, it is commonly assumed to be the fruit of the chemical reaction naturally occurring in the interaction of milk with the rennet inherently contained in the bladders made of ruminants’ stomachs in which milk was contained during the long transits undertaken by the nomadic cultures of Central Asia. Cheese is an invention that reportedly occurred without human intervention, and only the technical need to preserve milk in high temperature impelled humans to learn to produce it. Since World War II its production is most exclusively factory-based, even in the case of artisanal cheese (McGee), which makes the renewed concern for homemade cheese more significant from a techno-cultural perspective. Following Simondon, the individualisation of cheese—and of people in relation to cheese—depends on the different objects involved in its production, and whose associated milieu affects the outcome of the ontogenetic process via transductive operations. In the specific case of an industrial block of cheese, these may include: the more or less ethical breeding and milking of cows in a factory environment; the types of bacteria involved in the cheese-making process; the energy and costs inherent in the fabrication of the packaging material and the packaging process itself; the CO2 emissions caused by transportations; the physical and intellectual labour implied in marketing, retailing and selling; and, last but not least, the arguable nutritional value of the factory-produced cheese—all of which, in spite of their “invisibility” to the eyes of the consumer, affect physical conditions and moods when they enter into relation with the human body (Bennet). To these, we may add, with specific reference to the packaging: the RFID tags that electronically index food items into databases for a more efficient management of supplies, and the QR codes used for social media marketing purposes. In contrast, the direct engagement with the techno-material conditions at the basis of the home cookery process allows one to grasp how different operations may affect the outcome of the recipe. DIY cheese-making recipes are specifically addressed to laypeople and, because they hardly demand professional equipment, they entail a greater attunement with, and to, the objects and processes required by the recipe. For instance, one needs to “feel” when milk has reached the right temperature (specifically, 82 degrees centigrade, which means that the surface of the milk should be slightly bubbly but not fully boiling) and, with practice, one learns how the slightest movement of the hand can lead to different results, in terms of consistency and aspect. Ultimately, DIY cheese-making allows the cook to be creative with moulding, seasonings, and marinading. Indeed, by directly engaging with the undiscovered properties and potentials of ingredients, by understanding the role that energy (both in the sense of induction and “transduction”) plays on form and matter, and by developing—often via processes of trial and error—technics for stirring, draining, moulding, marinading, canning, and so forth, making cheese at home an exercise in speculative pragmatics. An experimental approach to cooking, as the negotiation between the rigid axioms that make up a recipe and the creative and experimental components inherent in the operations of mixing and blending, allows one to feel the ultimate outcome of the cooking process as an event. The taste of a homemade cheese is linked to a new kind of knowledge—that is, an epistemology based on continuous breakages that allow for the cooking process to carry on until the ultimate result. It is a knowledge that comes from a commitment to objects being out-of-phase, and from the acknowledgement of the network of technical operations that bring cheese to our tables. The following section discusses how another kind of object may affect the outcome of a recipe, with important implications for aesthetics, that is, technical objects. The Internet as Ingredient: Technical Objects, Aesthetics, and Invention The notion of technical objects complements Simondon’s theory of individuation to define the becoming of technology in relation to culture. To Simondon: “the technical object is not this or that thing, given hic et nunc, but that of which there is a genesis” (Du Mode 20). Technical objects, therefore, are not simply technological artifacts but are constituted by a series of events that determine their evolution (De Vries). Analogously to other kinds of individuals, they are constituted by transductive operations across the three aforementioned phases of being. The evolution of technical objects extends from the element to the individual, and ultimately to the technical ensemble. Elements are less than individualised technical objects, while individuals that are in a relation of interconnection are called ensembles. According to Simondon, technical ensembles fully individualise with the realisation of the cybernetic project. Simondon observes that: “there is something eternal in a technical ensemble [...] and it is that which is always present, and can be conserved in a thing” (Les Cahiers 87). The Internet, as a thing-network, could be regarded as an instance of such technical ensembles, however, a clarification needs to be made. Simondon explains that “true technical ensembles are not those that use technical individuals, but those that are a network of technical individuals in a relation of interconnection” (Du mode 126). To Simondon, humankind has ceased to be a technical individual with the industrialisation and automation of methods of production, and has consigned this function to machines (128). Expanding this line of thought, examples such as the viral spreading of memes, and the hypnotic power of online marketing campaigns, demonstrate how digital technology seems to have intensified this process of alienation of people from the functioning of the machine. In short, no one seems to know how or why things happen on the Internet, but we cannot help but use it. In order to constitute “real” technical ensembles, we need to incorporate technics again into culture, in a relation of reciprocity and complementarity with machines, under the aegis of a technical culture. Simondon specifies that such a reconfiguration of the relation between man and machines can only be achieved by means of an invention. An invention entails the individualisation of the technical ensemble as a departure from the mind of the inventor or designer that conceived it, in order to acquire its own autonomous existence (“Technical Mentality”). It refers to the origin of an operative solidarity between individual agents in a network, which provides the support for a human relation based on the “model of transidividuality” (Du Mode 247). A “transindividual relation” is a relation of relations that puts the individual in direct contact with a real collective. The notion of real collective is opposed to that of an interindividual community or social sphere, which is poisoned by the anxieties that stem from a defected relation with the technical ensemble culture is embedded in. In the specific context of the online sharing of DIY cheese-making recipes, rather than a fully individualised technical ensemble per se, the Internet can be regarded as one of the ingredients that make up the final recipe—together with human and the food—for the invention of a true technical ensemble. In such a framework, praxis, as linked to the kind of non-verbal knowledge associated with “making,” defines individuation together with the types of objects that make up the Network. While in the case of foodism, the practice of online marketing and communication homogenises culture by creating “social phenomena,” in the case of DIY cooking advice, it fosters a diversification of tastes, experiences, and flavours linked to individual modes of doing and cooking, that put the cook in a new relation with the culinary process, with food, and with the guests who have the pleasure to taste her meal. This is a qualitative change in the network that constitutes culture, rather than a mere quantitative shift in energy induction. The term “conviviality” (from the Latin con-vivere) specifically means this: a “living together,” rather than a mere dinner party. For Simondon, a real technical ensemble is an assemblage of humans, machines, tools, resources and milieus, which can only be éprouve—i.e., experienced, also in the sense of “experimented with”—rather than represented. A technical ensemble is first and foremost an aesthetic affair—it can only be perceived by experimenting with the different agents involved in the networked operations that constitute it. For Simondon “aesthetics comes after technicity [and] it also returns to us in the heart of technicity” (Michaud in De Boever et al. 122). Therefore, any object bears an aesthetic potential—even something as trivial as a homemade block of cheese. Simondon rejects the idea of an aesthetic object, but affirms the power of technicity to foreground an aesthetic impression, which operates a convergence between the diverging forces that constitute the mediation between man and world, in terms of an ethical treatment of technics. For Simondon, the beautiful is a process: “it is never, properly speaking, the object that is beautiful: it is the encounter operating a propos of the object between a real aspect of the world and a human gesture” (Du Mode 191 emphasis added). If an analysis of cooking as individuation already foregrounds an aesthetics that is both networked and technical, the relational capabilities afforded by networked media have the power to amplify the aesthetic potential of the human gesture implied in a block of homemade cheese—which today extends from searching for (or writing) a recipe online, to pouring the milk and seasoning the cheese, and which entails less environmental waste due to the less intensive processing and the lack of, or certainly a reduction in, packaging materials (Rastogi). The praise of technical creativity resounds throughout Simondon’s thought. By using the Internet in order to create (or indeed cook) something new, the online sharing of DIY cooking techniques like cheese-making, which partially disengages the human (and food itself) from the cycle of production-marketing-consumption that characterises the food industry in capitalist society by fostering an awareness of the networked operations that constitute her as individual, is an invention in its own right. Although the impact of these DIY activities on the global food industry is still very limited, such a hands-on approach, imbued with a dose of technical creativity, partially overcomes the alienation of the individual from the production process, by providing the conditions to “feel” how the individualisation of cheese (and the human) is inscribed in a larger metabolism. This does not stop within the economy of the body but encompasses the techno-cultural ensemble that forms capitalist society as a whole, and in which humans play only a small part. This may be considered a first step towards the reconciliation between humans and technical culture—a true technical ensemble. Indeed, eating involves “experiments in art and technology”—as the name of the infamous 1960s art collective (E.A.T.) evokes. Home-cooking in this sense is a technical-aesthetic experiment in its own right, in which aesthetics acquires an ethical nuance. Simondon’s philosophy highlights how the aesthetics involved in the home cooking process entails a political component, aimed at the disentanglement of the human from the “false” technical ensemble constituted by capitalist society, which is founded on the alienation from the production process and is driven by economic interests. Surely, an ethical approach to food would entail considering the biopolitics of the guts from the perspective of sourcing materials, and perhaps even building one’s own tools. These days, however, keeping a cow or goat in the backyard is unconceivable and/or impossible for most of us. The point is that the Internet can foster inventiveness and creativity among the participants to the Network, in spite of the fixity of the frame in which culture is increasingly inscribed (for instance, the standardised format of a Wordpress blog), and in this way, can trigger an aesthetic impression that comprises an ethical component, which translates into a political stand against the syncopated, schizophrenic rhythms of the market. Conclusion In this discussion, I have demonstrated that cooking can be considered a process of individuation inscribed in a techno-cultural network in which different transductive operations have the power to affect the final taste of a recipe. Simondon’s theory of individuation allows us to account for the impact of ubiquitous networked media on traditionally considered “human” practices, thus suggesting a new kind of humanism—a sort of technological humanism—on the basis of a new model of perception, which acknowledges the non-human actants involved in the process of individuation. I have shown that, in the case of the online sharing of cheese-making recipes, Simondon’s philosophy allows us to uncover a concept of taste that extends beyond the mere gustatory experience provided by foodism, and in this sense it may indeed affirm a reconfiguration of human culture based on an ethical approach towards the technical ensemble that envelops individuals of any kind—be they physical, living, or technical. Analogously, a “culinary” approach to techno-culture in terms of a commitment to the ontogenetic character of objects’ behaviours could be transposed to the digital realm in order to enlighten new perspectives for the speculative design of occasions of interaction among different beings—including humans—in ethico-aesthetic terms, based on a creative, experimental engagement with techniques and technologies. As a result, this can foreground a taste for life and culture that exceeds human-centred egotistic pleasure to encompass both technology and nature. Considering that a worryingly high percentage of digital natives both in Australia and the UK today believe that cheese and yogurt grow on trees (Howden; Wylie), perhaps cooking should indeed be taught in school alongside (rather than separate to, or instead of) programming. References Bennet, Jane. Vibrant Matter: a Political Ecology of Things. 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Customer satisfaction is a key concern in any business strategy. It is often assumed that customer satisfaction can be enhanced using e-services. E-service is defined as interactive service received via the Internet (Jiang et al., 2013). E-service has contributed to business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce by providing on-demand solutions to customers. The relationship with the customer is enhanced by introducing self-service options, product customisation and variety. However, there may also be negative impacts, such as techno-stress and lack of online customer assistance. The primary aim of this research was to develop a conceptual framework to describe the correlation relationship between the factors that influence customers’ adoption of e-services. Organisations use the Internet to attract customers, to conduct financial services and obtain information. This research focussed specifically on online shopping. The Grounded Theory research methodology was chosen for its flexibility and iterative comparison of data. A quantitative survey was conducted to determine the relative significance of the factors uncovered by the Grounded Theory methodology and to validate the hypothesis of the conceptual model. Customer adoption is attained where customer satisfaction is high, where the customer sees value in the service, and where there is customer loyalty or trust. To date, research has focussed primarily on developed countries. Many challenges face South Africa as a Newly Industrialised Country (NIC). The negative factors facing developing countries in terms of e-service adoption include: lack of infrastructure, economic constraints and an emergent socio-political framework. The aim of this research was to build a conceptual model for explaining interrelationships between the identified factors that have an impact on customer e-service adoption. The customer’s perception of technology-driven services affects the organisation’s reputation, which in turn affects profitability. This research will be beneficial to managers in local organisations that thrive on e-services. An understanding of customer preferences will lead to improvement of customer services in South Africa.
Information Science
M. Sc. (Information Systems)