On Commitments and Other Uncertainty Reduction Tools in Joint Action

Abstract

The main aim of the work is to assess physical parameters of forest woodchips and their impact on the prices achieved by the supplier in transactions with a power plant. During fragmentation of logging residue, high content of green matter and contaminants negatively impacts the quality parameters that serve as basis for settlements. The analysis concerns data on the main parameters -water content, fuel value, sulphur and ash content -from 252 days of deliveries of forest chips to a power plant. The deliveries were realised from forested areas on an average about 340 km from the plant. Average water content and the resultant fuel value of forest chips was within 27-47% and 8.7-12.9 GJ×Mg −1 (appropriately), respectively. They depend on the month in which they are delivered to the power plant. The threshold values for the above-mentioned parameters are set by the plant at a real level and the suppliers have no problems with meeting them. The parameter that is most frequently exceeded is ash content (11.5% of cases). The settlement system does not differentiate on the basis of the transport distance but gives possibility to lower the settlement price when the quality parameters are not met but provides no reward for deliveries with parameters better than the average ones. On the basis of results obtained, it was calculated that average annual settlement price is lower than the contract price by about 0.20 PLN×GJ −1 , which in case of the analysed company may translate into an average daily loss of about 700 PLN.

How does it really feel to act together? Shared emotions and the phenomenology of we-agency

“…The relational cohesion theory focuses on the dependence or interdependence of actors. The theory suggests that when there is equal power relation and high interdependence between the actors, repeated exchanges in these conditions produce positive emotions, which in turn produce perceptions of relational cohesion, which further increase exchange frequency and commitment behaviors such as staying in the relationship in spite of having better alternatives, and cooperating in a social dilemma situation (see also Michael and Pacherie 2015). A voluntary choice of exchange partners amplifies this endogenous process in comparison to an involuntary one.…”

Cueing Implicit Commitment

“…The phenomenon of commitment is a cornerstone of human social life. Commitments make individuals' behavior predictable in the face of fluctuations in their desires and interests, thereby facilitating the planning and coordination of joint actions involving multiple agents (Clark, 2006;Michael & Pacherie, 2015). Moreover, by stabilizing expectations about individuals' future behavior, commitments can also help to support cooperation.…”

The Developmental Origins of Commitment

“…In theorizing about the “broader, less complex phenomenon” that children are progressively able to identify and respond to, we will draw upon Michael, Sebanz, and Knoblich's (; cf. Michael and Pacherie ) characterization of the minimal structure of situations in which a subjective sense of commitment can arise. They characterize the minimal structure as follows: There is an outcome which an agent (ME) either desires to come about, or which is the goal of an action which ME is currently performing or intends to perform.…”