Conciliating XBRL Financial Reporting and HCI

There are several third-party software for composing XBRL financial reports available. However, performing such a task typically encompasses: dealing with XBRL problems ESMA report presented, taking professionals out of their role to compose XBRL financial reports, and wasting time dealing with the mistakes or inconsistencies committed. HCI design problems could cause the reported situations. This research proposes an attempt to change that reality while aiming to mitigate the XBRL knowledge required to elaborate XBRL financial reports problem, the HCI design solutions that XBRL financial reporting demands, and the lack of HCI studies related to B2G and G2G e-Government practices

Yes, HCI Can Conciliate XBRL Financial Reporting Software and Their Users

This paper presents the results of a previously proposed research to mitigate the literature gap found between Human-Computer Interaction and Government to Government e-governance regarding the XBRL financial reporting area. This research conducted two usability and User eXperience evaluations with two different versions of an XBRL financial reporting software prototype. Initially the application provided XBRL knowledge abstraction and underwent HCI redesign to improve task efficiency. The results showed HCI design is a valid way to mitigate the XBRL knowledge required to elaborate XBRL financial reports problem, to improve XBRL financial reporting task efficiency, thus improving B2G and G2G e-Governance practices

Assessment on the Role of Internet in Tourism Marketing: A Case Study of Mwanza City-Tanzania

This study assessed the role of internet in tourism marketing in Mwanza City. The objectives which guided the research were to identify the status of tourism marketing through internet usage in Mwanza City, to analyse the use of internet in marketing tourism in Mwanza City, to identify the relationship between tourism growth and the use of internet in Mwanza City and to identify the challenges facing the internet usage in marketing tourism in Mwanza City. The sample size of the study was 16 marketing or communication officials whose companies or organizations have registered and have the websites. The research used qualitative and quantitative methods in the presentation of data and research data were collected through interview and content analysis and the use of the secondary data. Data was analysed using thematic analysis, SPSS and Microsoft Excel and findings were presented in narrations, frequencies, percentages and charts. Findings of this research described that internet doesn’t play much role as it should. Also the researcher discovered that there is no harmonization within tourism sector in electronic environment as well. But thanks to god the government has played a major role to ensure that the harmony is built within tourism industry by creating a tourism marketing portal which is incorporated by every recognized tourism company information needed by customer (s) or consumer(s) and which will ensure that there is cooperation and collaboration among stakeholders. Keywords: Role of internet, Internet, Tourism marketing, Mwanza, Tanzani

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

Commission Staff Working Document: Report on the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by the European Union

On 5 June 2014, the European Union published its first report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). The EU ratified the Convention in 2010 making it the first international human rights treaty ever ratified by a regional organisation like the European Union. The EU has the obligation to prepare and submit a report on the actions it took to give effect to the Convention. Considering this as a historic moment for the rights of persons with disabilities, EDF welcomes the publication of the EU report as an evolving and dynamic process to which it would like to contribute by sharing the clear and structured view of 80 million persons with disabilities. The EU report offers a complete description and information on the actions taken by the European Commission. However, it misses the opportunity to involve the Council and the European Parliament, as well as the Commission at its highest political levels. The report also fails to include civil society, first and foremost organisations of persons with disabilities, as well as to trigger a substantial debate on the role of the EU in implementing the rights of persons with disabilities. Among others: - The report outlines adopted measures, but does not include an assessment of their actual implementation and of the budget available to do so. In this sense, it also lacks self-criticism; - The report presents a too strict view of the competences of the EU and of the actions in which the EU as a whole or the European Commission have been involved and have had impact on the rights of persons with disabilities; - The report does not address the diversity of persons with disabilities

A blended learning model in higher education: a comparative study of blended learning in UK and Malaysia

Blended learning, involves the combination of two fields of concern: technology and education; or two groups of people: technologists and educationists. However, current literature shows less consideration on the potential disciplinary gap in the blended learning experience, as a result there is a paucity of evidence from cross-country/institutional/disciplinary investigations. This study aimed to explore, analyse and compare the blended learning experience in higher education. The research is reflected in 3 questions: (1) What are the current blended learning experiences in the selected higher educational institutions? (2) How such experience varies in different disciplines? (3) What are the reflections on the comparative experiences in (1) and (2)? The qualitative case study with comparative methods was used to obtain in-depth findings for these research questions. I visited 4 universities in two countries and sampled 51 research participants’ voices from contrasting disciplines. With these voices, I thoroughly discussed individual case studies, followed by a cross-case and cross-discipline comparison. These findings enabled insights to be drawn on a major argument: blended learning did enable and enhance learning experiences in all case studies but disciplinary differences remain a major challenge. The analysis shows that academics from science-based disciplines have an advantage at the instrumental level of technological usage without transforming learning experience; social science-based academics, due to their disciplinary nature, have embedded technology in wider trans-technical aspects that would enhance and transform learning and teaching. In the context of blended learning, I would argue that learning has not been enhanced (1) if the technology is the sole focus; (2) if the research effort of “technology enhanced learning” does not gain ground in educational theories and (3) does not recognise the disciplinary differences. Arising out of these findings, I proposed a blended learning model that indicates the boundary of the current literature and research findings, and a blended learning definition - an educational-focused process to enhance and transform f2f learning with the blend of technology in a symbiotic relationship. It is necessary for educationists and technologists to establish such a symbiotic relationship and the inter-disciplinary integration and discourse, that may impact on the individuals’ practice beyond their own disciplinary territory

Web-Enhanced Instruction: A Mixed Bag

Professionals are being expected to function in a progressively complex environment in all fields (Twale & Kochan, 2000). Technology plays a significant role in this challenge (Diem, 2002; Karlen, 2001), particularly for educational leaders (Mendis, 2002). Teaching and leading have become increasingly multifaceted art forms with the advent of learning technologies. University and school faculty are being expected to design, deliver, and assess successful online courses (Fuks, Gerosa, & de Lucena, 2002; Mendis, 2002), often without the necessary training and support (Walker, 2002). As face-to-face contact becomes reduced through online environments, effective communication becomes essential and barriers more pronounced (e.g., Creanor, 2002). It is important to note that distance education studies have associated high-quality interaction with satisfaction for remote learners (e.g., Sorensen & Baylen, 2000). The results that this study shares provide support for this important finding in the context of doctoral learning