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It is an important way to realize rural revitalization and sustainable development to guide rural settlement transition (RST) in an appropriate way. This paper uses actor network theory (ANT) to construct a theoretical framework for the study of RST. Taking two typical villages with different transition paths in rural areas of North China Plain as examples, this paper reveals the mechanism of RST and makes a comparative analysis. The results show that: 1) after identifying problems and obligatory passage point, key actors recruit heterogeneous actors into the actor network by entrusting them with common interests, and realize RST under the system operation. 2) Rural settlements under different transition paths have similarities in the problems to be solved, collective actions and policy factors, but there are differences in the transition process, mechanism and effect. The actor network and mechanism of RST through the path of new rural community construction are more complex and the transition effect is more thorough. In contrast, the degree of RST of retention development path is limited if there is no resource and location advantage. 3) Based on the applicable conditions of different paths, this paper designs a logical framework of 'Situation-Structure-Behavior-Result' to scientifically guide the identification of RST paths under the background of rural revitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bruno Latour's writings have been discussed at length. My article proposes a 'version' of his career that emphasizes the obsessive permanence of his questioning, by focusing on the mission he set himself. Without presuming an a priori coherence, the religious and military connotations of the word 'mission' express the strong determination to act and the notion of a calling, and also the indeterminate nature of the object sought as well as the means of achieving it. As William James used to write, the word 'mission' underlines the fact that very early on Latour wrote 'for...', not followed by an object complement: for something remaining undefined. His aim was neither to build a general theory, nor explain a specific field of activity, such as science, religion or politics, but to grasp things differently, in order to change ways of thinking and acting. And he did it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Corporate reporting infrastructure and communication are being transformed by the emergence of digital technologies. A key element of the digital accounting infrastructure underpinning international corporate reporting is the IFRS Taxonomy, a digital representation of international accounting standards that is required by firms to produce digital corporate reports. The purpose of this paper is to trace the development, governance and adoption of the IFRS Taxonomy to highlight the implications for accounting practice and standard-setting. Design/methodology/approach: The authors mobilise Actor Network Theory and a model of transnational standardisation to analyse the process surrounding the formation and diffusion of the IFRS Taxonomy as a legitimate "reference" of the IFRS Standards. The authors trace the process using interview, observation and documentary evidence. Findings: The analysis shows that while the taxonomy enables IFRS-based reporting in the digital age, tensions and detours result in the need for a realignment of the perspectives of both accounting standard-setters and taxonomy developers that have transformative implications for accounting practice and standard-setting. Originality/value: The study explains how and why existing accounting standards are transformed by technology inscriptions with reflexive effects on the formation and diffusion of accounting standards. In doing so, the paper highlights the implications that arise as accounting practice adapts to the digitalisation of corporate reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While numerous studies have studied knowledge transfer (KT) and endeavored to address factors influencing KT, little effort has been made to integrate the findings of prior studies. This paper aims to classify the literature on KT through a detailed exploration of different perspectives of KT inter and intra organizations. Design/methodology/approach: Using actor–network theory (ANT) as the baseline, we conducted a systematic review of KT research to summarize prior KT studies and classify the influential factors on KT. The review covered 115 empirical articles published between 1987 and 2017. Findings: Drawing on the review and ANT guidelines, the authors proposed a conceptual model to categorize KT constitutes into objects including those related to (1) knowledge, (2) knowledge exchange and (3) technology, as well as actants including those related to (4) organization, (5) team/business unit and (6) knowledge sender/receiver. Research limitations/implications: Adopting a holistic synthesized approach based on ANT, this research puts forward a valid theoretical foundation on further understanding of KT and its antecedents. Indeed, this paper investigates KT inter and intra organizations to recognize and locate the key antecedents of KT, which is of substantial applicability in today's knowledge-driven economy. Practical implications: The findings advance managers and practitioners' understanding of the important role of actants and objects and their interplay in KT practices. Originality/value: While most studies on KT have a narrow focus, this research contributes to holistic understanding of motivational, behavioral, technological and organizational issues related to KT. It also offers a thorough and context-free literature review on KT, which synthesizes the findings of prior studies on KT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to trace the trajectory of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, an electronic tolling (e-tolling) programme based in South Africa, to argue for the importance of taking advantage of similar public project opportunities to introduce the concept of Transformational Government (t-government). Design/methodology/approach – The research uses an interpretive perspective and utilizes actor–network theory (ANT) to identify the roles and interests of the various stakeholders within the project and assess how each stakeholder could have better influenced the project’s sustainability using a t-government approach. Findings – The findings suggest that in the midst of waning global actor interest, and strong local displeasure about specific public projects, public participation offers an ideal opportunity to introduce the notion of t-government, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to transform government for citizen benefits. The research allowed the authors to posit that public participation projects are solid and indispensable avenues for introducing t-government. Part of this claim is hinged on the view that the specific e-toll project carries a visible ICT artefact, which has embodied its own patterns of use characterized by various viewpoints, values, opinions and rhetoric. Practical implications – The paper elevates the importance of t-government as a means to bring about practical transformation in government using public projects. The paper suggests how governments can use public participatory approaches to assimilate a new way of working in government. Originality/value – This paper contributes to research on the emerging discourse on t-government. The paper also highlights the utility of ANT as a tool for understanding the dynamic public sector ICT programmes, their associated complexities and unintended consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The importance of patients' active involvement in neuro-rehabilitation after acquired brain injury has been consistently emphasised in recent years. However, most approaches fail to show how 'active participation' is practically enacted, focusing on individualised explanations of patient choice and behaviours, or notions of inherent patient traits. Using actor-network theory ( ANT) as a sensitising concept, we investigated neuro-rehabilitation practices, asking how participation is shaped through biological and socio-material specificities, how rights to knowledge and expertise are constructed, and how a body acclimatises and adjusts within an order of participation and transformation. We analysed video-recorded fieldwork extracts, examining the work of adjusting, testing and transforming; the construction of competence and incompetence; and material and social processes involved in the division of the body and its re-composition. Our findings show how an ANT-sensitised approach provides a critical understanding and context-specific characterisation of 'active participation', produced through the association of heterogeneous actors at any one time. Such specificity and the distribution of work suggest that efforts to account for optimum therapy 'dosages', and clinical attention to establishing individually-located levels of 'self-efficacy' or 'motivation' are misdirected. The performance of 'active participation', rather, should be re-imagined as a product of diverse, mutually attuned entities. A Virtual Abstract of this paper can be viewed at: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at understanding how various actors interacted in establishing and managing an Information Communication Technology (ICT)- based initiative called Agricultural Knowledge Centers (AKCs) in Ethiopia. Additionally, it explores the diverging and shared interests of the actors in the benefits of the AKCs. We gathered and analyzed data from in-depth interviews in five extension offices in the South Wollo zone, Ethiopia, and supplemented it with project documents and observations. We used the Actor Network Theory (ANT), particularly the four moments of translation, to analyze the results. The findings show how people and technology came together to establish the AKCs and to provide extension experts access to digital knowledge. Factors that contributed to creating and stabilizing the AKC actor network included the presence of an actor to facilitate the process, alignment of interests among actors in the network, building the capacities and motivation of the various actors to execute their roles, and availability of computers with strong internet connections. These findings contribute to practical and policy debates on harnessing ICT's potential for facilitating socioeconomic development in the Global South; and to the theoretical discussions on the merits of the ANT perspective in analyzing the adoption of technological innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This integrative review synthesizes the literature on addressing morality and ethics in actor-network theory (ANT). When humans and non-humans have equal agency (self-driving cars, diagnostic algorithms, for example), how do we evaluate ethical and moral implications? What perspectives or practices can professional communicators adopt? Examining 38 articles published in communication journals about ethical dilemmas involving technologies such as self-driving cars and social networks, this meta-analysis revealed insights about how ANT impacts ethical deliberation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of creative writing in understanding journalism. It argues that non-academic writing—poetry in this case—can play a far more significant part in journalism research than that of an entertaining genre for disseminating a study’s findings, mainly to audiences beyond academia. Not only can poetry complement traditional “academic” texts by filling the gaps of the vivid details of the situated practices of journalism as they are lived in real life. It also has far-reaching epistemological and ontological implications: it raises fundamental questions about the world where journalists operate, the role of imagination, sensory perceptions and materiality in everyday manifestations of journalism, as well as the place of the scholar in the research process. The benefits of creative writing are illustrated through examples of actual poems written while conducting a comparative study of foreign journalists in the United Kingdom, Norway and Somalia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]