27 research outputs found

    I know that you know - ascertaining mutual awareness of recipient's availability status in instant messaging applications

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    This study investigated ways to attain mutual, reciprocal awareness of recipient’s availability status in Instant Messaging (IM) applications. For that purpose we designed, implemented and tested a prototype of an IM system named DoNTBother. The analysis of the quantitative and qualitative results showed that displaying status indication in the chat box encouraged participants to show more respect towards the communicative state of their colleagues comparing to situations, in which the status indication was presented only in the ‘buddy list’ view. These findings empirically confirm the importance of reciprocal awareness as defined by Erickson and Kellogg [12] who argued that, to stimulate social behaviours, systems need to maintain the mutual knowledge of who knows what of the information that is shared among users. The study also showed that mutual awareness needs to be maintained not only during communication initiation but also throughout the entire communication duration. To achieve that Instant Messaging systems need to: (i) support indicating the time frame for answering messages in situations when the recipient is not instantaneously able to engage in a conversation, (ii) support specifying the urgency of a message and also (iii) support indicating communication breakdowns especially if they are caused by a reason occurring outside the application domain

    Development of an M-commerce security framework

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    Research shows how M-Commerce has managed to find its way to previously inaccessible parts of the world as a major Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tool for development due to widespread introduction of mobile phones in remote areas. M-Commerce has offered valuable advantages: anytime, anywhere, more personal, more location-aware, more context-aware, more age aware, always online and instant connectivity. But this is not without its problems, of which security is high on the list. The security issues span the whole M-Commerce spectrum, from the top to the bottom layer of the OSI network protocol stack, from machines to humans. This research proposes a threat-mitigation modular framework to help address the security issues lurking in M-Commerce systems being used by marginalised rural community members. The research commences with a literature survey carried out to establish security aspects related to M-Commerce and to determine requirements for a security framework. The framework classifies M-Commerce security threat-vulnerability-risks into four levels: human behaviour and mobile device interaction security, mobile device security, M-Commerce access channel security, wireless network access security. This is followed by a review of the supporting structures or related frameworks that the proposed framework could leverage to address security issues on M-Commerce systems as ICT4D initiatives. The proposed security framework based on the requirements discovered is then presented. As a proof-of-concept, a case study was undertaken at the Siyakhula Living Lab at Dwesa in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa in order to validate the components of the proposed framework. Following the application of the framework in a case study, it can be argued that the proposed security framework allows for secure transacting by marginalised users using M-Commerce initiatives. The security framework is therefore useful in addressing the identified security requirements of M-Commerce in ICT4D contexts

    A framework for assistive communications technology in cross-cultural healthcare

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    Rural and remote Australian Aboriginal communities suffer seriously adverse life expectancy rates, lifestyle disease complications and hospital treatment needs due to type 2 diabetes. In great part this is due to communications barriers arising from the lack of equitable acculturation within patient-practitioner consultations. This research presents a framework foundation for a computerised patient-practitioner lingua franca. Behavioural and design science ontology development delivers an intercultural patient-practitioner type 2 diabetes assistive communications system, known as P-PAC

    Exploring the Experiences of Individuals with Head and Neck Cancer Using Online Support Groups

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    Objectives: Head and neck (H&N) cancer is commonly cited as the most emotionally traumatic of all tumours with potentially severe impacts on quality of life (QoL). Social support is increasingly recognised as playing an important role in helping people cope with the diagnosis, progression, and outcomes of cancer, including H&N cancer. Using online support groups (OSGs) has been found to be associated with a range of positive psychosocial outcomes in relation to several health conditions. The aim of this thesis was three-fold; firstly, to assess the types of social support, sought and offered, within OSGs for H&N cancer. Secondly, to explore the relationship between using OSGs and QoL and examine the psychosocial factors that may influence this relationship and, thirdly, to explore, in depth, the OSGs experiences of people with H&N cancer. Methods: Two studies are reported in this thesis: Study 1 was a content analysis of posted messages within H&N cancer-OSGs. A total of 312 support-offering messages and 87 support-seeking messages (in a one year period) were randomly selected from 18 H&N cancer OSGs. The content of the support-offering messages were analysed using a modified version of Social Support Behaviour Code and the content of the support-seeking messages were analysed using a modified version of the Coursaris and Liu coding scheme. Study 2 was a cross-sectional study consisting of two parts; the first was an online questionnaire using six pre-validated measures for social network, self-efficacy, anxiety and depression, adjustment, empowerment and quality of life. In addition, socio-demographic as well as illness-related and OSGs-related information were collected. This questionnaire was completed by 199 persons with H&N cancer using four OSGs within a 6 month period. The second part of Study 2 was an unstructured online interview in which, 30 people from the previous 199 were interviewed synchronously online using Facebook, Email, Skype, Yahoo messenger and MSN, and a narrative thematic experience analysis was conducted on the data. Results: The content analysis of Study 1 showed that the most frequently offered types of social support by members of OSGs were informational (43.4%) and emotional (32.4%), followed by esteem (15.65%) and network support (6.04%), whereas little tangible assistance was offered (2.47%). The content of messages seeking support included OSGs members sharing personal experience (31.52 %), with the most frequently sought support being informational support (25.54 %). In the quantitative part of Study 2 a series of multiple linear regression analyses indicated that longer use of OSGs was related to better QoL (p= 0.02), and lower levels of depression and anxiety, lower endorsement of negative adjustment behaviour (p = 0.00 for each), greater self-efficacy (p = 0.02) and higher levels of empowerment (p = 0.01). Additional analysis of mediation effects suggested that depression and adjustment were direct mediators of the relationship between OSGs and QoL, whilst anxiety, self-efficacy and empowerment were indirect mediators. The narrative thematic analysis of the qualitative part of Study 2 showed that one main theme emerged (Trust) which included four subthemes: (1) distrust, (2) institutional trust, (3) identification based and relational trust (4) power relationships and normalisation. Conclusion: The advantages of cancer related-OSGs appear to be inclusive; regardless of location, access, availability or user characteristics. The results of the studies tentatively suggest that OSGs could benefit H&N cancer patients by providing support and information related to their condition, enhance empowerment processes and patient’s beliefs in their control over their H&N cancer, as well as reduce anxiety, depression, and negative adjustment behaviours and subsequently improve quality of life. Moreover, these results support previous research on other types of cancer in importance of trust in managing online relationships and further emphasises the complexity of online social relationships

    CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ROMANIA

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    The purpose of this paper is to identify the main opportunities and limitations of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The survey was defined with the aim to involve the highest possible number of relevant CSR topics and give the issue a more wholesome perspective. It provides a basis for further comprehension and deeper analyses of specific CSR areas. The conditions determining the success of CSR in Romania have been defined in the paper on the basis of the previously cumulative knowledge as well as the results of various researches. This paper provides knowledge which may be useful in the programs promoting CSR.Corporate social responsibility, Supportive policies, Romania

    Problem space of modern society: philosophical-communicative and pedagogical interpretations. Part II

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    This collective monograph offers the description of philosophical bases of definition of communicative competence and pedagogical conditions for the formation of communication skills. The authors of individual chapters have chosen such point of view for the topic which they considered as the most important and specific for their field of study using the methods of logical and semantic analysis of concepts, the method of reflection, textual reconstruction and comparative analysis. The theoretical and applied problems of modern society are investigated in the context of philosophical, communicative and pedagogical interpretations

    Beyond the Privacy Calculus: Dynamics Behind Online Self-Disclosure

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    Self-disclosure is ubiquitous in today’s digitized world as Internet users are constantly sharing their personal information with other users and providers online, for example when communicating via social media or shopping online. Despite offering tremendous benefits (e.g., convenience, personalization, and other social rewards) to users, the act of self-disclosure also raises massive privacy concerns. In this regard, Internet users often feel they have lost control over their privacy because sophisticated technologies are monitoring, processing, and circulating their personal information in real-time. Thus, they are faced with the challenge of making intelligent privacy decisions about when, how, to whom, and to what extent they should divulge personal information. They feel the tension between being able to obtain benefits from online disclosure and wanting to protect their privacy. At the same time, firms rely on massive amounts of data divulged by their users to offer personalized services, perform data analytics, and pursue monetization. Traditionally, privacy research has applied the privacy calculus model when studying self-disclosure decisions online. It assumes that self-disclosure (or, sometimes, usage) is a result of a rational privacy risk–benefit analysis. Even though the privacy calculus is a plausible model that has been validated in many cases, it does not reflect the complex nuances of privacy-related judgments against the background of real-life behavior, which sometimes leads to paradoxical research results. This thesis seeks to understand and disentangle the complex nuances of Internet users’ privacy-related decision making to help firms designing data gathering processes, guide Internet users wishing to make sound privacy decisions given the background of their preferences, and lay the groundwork for future research in this field. Using six empirical studies and two literature reviews, this thesis presents additional factors that influence self-disclosure decisions beyond the well-established privacy risk–benefit analysis. All the studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals or conference proceedings. They focus on different contexts and are grouped into three parts accordingly: monetary valuation of privacy, biases in disclosure decisions, and social concerns when self-disclosing on social networking sites. The first part deals with the value Internet users place on their information privacy as a proxy for their perceived privacy risks when confronted with a decision to self-disclose. A structured literature review reveals that users’ monetary valuation of privacy is very context-dependent, which leads to scattered or occasionally even contradictory research results. A subsequent conjoint analysis supplemented by a qualitative pre-study shows that the amount of compensation, the type of data, and the origin of the platform are the major antecedents of Internet users’ willingness to sell their data on data selling platforms. Additionally, an experimental survey study contrasts the value users ascribe to divulging personal information (benefits minus risks) with the value the provider gets from personal information. Building on equity theory, the extent to which providers monetize the data needs to be taken into account apart from a fair data handling process. In other words, firms cannot monetize their collected user data indefinitely without compensating their users, because users might feel exploited and thus reject the service afterwards. The second part delineates the behavioral and cognitive biases overriding the rational tradeoff between benefits and privacy risks that has traditionally been assumed in privacy research. In particular, evaluability bias and overconfidence are identified as moderators of the link between privacy risks and self-disclosure intentions. In single evaluation mode (i.e., no reference information available) and when they are overconfident, Internet users do not take their perceived privacy risks into account when facing a self-disclosure decision. By contrast, in joint evaluation mode of two information systems and when users are realistic about their privacy-related knowledge, the privacy risks that they perceive play a major role. This proof that mental shortcuts interact with privacy-related judgments adds to studies that question the rational assumption of the privacy calculus. Moving beyond privacy risks, the third part examines the social factors influencing disclosure decisions. A structured literature review identifies privacy risks as the predominantly studied impediment to self-disclosure on social networking sites (SNS). However, a subsequent large scale survey study shows that on SNS, privacy risks play no role when users decide whether to self-disclose. It is rather the social aspects, such as the fear of receiving a negative evaluation from others, that inform disclosure decisions. Furthermore, based on a dyadic study among senders and receivers of messages on SNS, it is shown that senders are subject to a perspective-taking bias: They overestimate the hedonic and utilitarian value of their message for others. In this vein, these studies combine insights from social psychology literature with the uniqueness of online data disclosure and show that, beyond the potential misuse of personal information from providers, the risk of misperception in the eyes of other users is crucial when explaining self-disclosure decisions. All in all, this thesis draws from different perspectives – including value measuring approaches, behavioral economics, and social psychology – to explain self-disclosure decisions. Specifically, it shows that the privacy calculus is oversimplified and, ultimately, needs to be extended with other factors like mental shortcuts and social concerns to portray Internet users’ actual privacy decision making

    Untangling the Web: A Guide To Internet Research

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    [Excerpt] Untangling the Web for 2007 is the twelfth edition of a book that started as a small handout. After more than a decade of researching, reading about, using, and trying to understand the Internet, I have come to accept that it is indeed a Sisyphean task. Sometimes I feel that all I can do is to push the rock up to the top of that virtual hill, then stand back and watch as it rolls down again. The Internet—in all its glory of information and misinformation—is for all practical purposes limitless, which of course means we can never know it all, see it all, understand it all, or even imagine all it is and will be. The more we know about the Internet, the more acute is our awareness of what we do not know. The Internet emphasizes the depth of our ignorance because our knowledge can only be finite, while our ignorance must necessarily be infinite. My hope is that Untangling the Web will add to our knowledge of the Internet and the world while recognizing that the rock will always roll back down the hill at the end of the day

    Internet dispute resolution.

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    PhDThis thesis develops a model for the fair resolution of internet disputes. The internet has the potential to lead to international~ cross-border disputes being a powerful communications medium, that allows data exchanges in various media formats between a wide range of different users situated in distant locations. It explores the meaning of fairness for the resolution of such disputes. This thesis refers to the existing literature examining the private international law issues arising from cross-border interactions and transactions on the internet which make litigation and enforcement more costly and lengthy. For many disputes arising on the internet, alternative ways of resolving such disputes have to be found. This thesis contains a detailed exploration of the use of mediation and arbitration, using online technology. obviating the need for the parties and lawyers to meet face-to-face and leading to more efficient information processing, and thereby reducing cost and delay in dispute resolution. Binding dispute resolution and enforceability in cross-border cases are important for internet disputes and can be provided by online arbitration. Therefore, this thesis proceeds to examines in great detail the legal issues surrounding online arbitration. It looks at questions of due process in arbitration and covers the legal issues surrounding business-to-consumer arbitration comparing the European approach to that in the us. The thesis contains a detailed analysis of the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Procedure (UDRP) and considers to what extent the dispute resolution model established by the UDRP could or should sene as a model for other types of internet disputes. The conclusion from this examination of all aspects of internet dispute resolution is a model of dispute resolution. which encourages the use of online arbitration for internet disputes but, where there exists a substantial power imbalance between the disputants (such as the traditional business-to-consumer paradigm), subjects traditional commercial arbitration to more stringent due process standards for disputes
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