Bridging the gap between Open and User Innovation? : exploring the value of Living Labs as a means to structure user contribution and manage distributed innovation

In nowadays society, organizations are struggling with the practical implementation of ‘distributed innovation’, or the fact that organizations need to reach outside their boundaries to tap into distributed sources of knowledge to enhance their innovation processes. Within this PhD, we will look at a specific approach, promoted and supported by the European Commission, that tries to facilitate and manage distributed innovation processes through a Public-Private-People partnership with a central role for the end-user: Living Labs. Following Almirall & Wareham (2011) and Leminen et al. (2014), we define Living Labs as an organized approach (as opposed to an ad hoc approach) to innovation consisting of real-life experimentation and active user involvement by means of different methods involving multiple stakeholders, as is implied in the Public-Private-People character of Living Labs. However, there are two main problems associated with these Living Labs. First problem, in terms of Living Lab practice and activity, is that there seem to be too many initiatives, without enough noticeable results or impact. This is linked to the second problem, dealing with Living Labs theory. To this date, there have been a lot of Living Lab publications, but there is no consistency in terms of connection to larger research paradigms and frameworks, and there is a lack of papers with a significant academic impact as well as research clearly illustrating their value. Therefore, from a theoretical perspective, we have investigated both the Open and User Innovation paradigms and demonstrated that Living Labs are an embodiment of both, although there are only few references to these literature streams in the current Living Labs literature. From a practice perspective, we have illustrated that Living Labs are rooted within various European predecessors such as cooperative design, social experiments and ‘digital cities’, but that out of the 345 affiliated members to the European Network of Living Labs, at least 40% is currently inactive. In order to further evolve Living Labs as a concept and to allow a better conceptualization, we developed a three layered model, consisting of a macro level (the Living Lab constellation), the meso level (consisting of a Living Lab innovation project) and the micro level (consisting of the different methodological research steps). Moreover, within a multiple case study analysis of 4 Living Lab constellation, 21 Living Lab innovation projects and 107 methodological research steps, we have been able to demonstrate that the concepts gathered from the Open Innovation literature could be used to analyze the macro level, whereas the concepts from the User Innovation literature could be used on the micro level. Through co-creation, both levels merge on the meso level, resulting in useful contributions to the innovation in development. Therefore, we concluded that Living Labs are able to govern innovation networks and to structure user participation in concrete innovation projects

EU Privacy seals project: Challenges and Possible Scope of an EU Privacy Seal Scheme. Final Report Study Deliverable 3.4

The objective of this report is focus on the challenges of implementing an effective EU privacy seal and its possible scope. It returns the focus to privacy and data protection, and presents further groundwork to feed into Task 4 of the Study (Proposals and evaluation of options for an EU-wide privacy seals scheme). Where relevant, research results and analyses of Tasks 1 and 2 are used. First, the report assesses the gaps in current privacy seal sector. Next, it highlights the advantages of, priorities for and possible scope of an EU privacy seal scheme. Eventually, four case studies (CCTV systems, cloud services, smart metering systems and biometric systems) illustrate the possible scope of an EU privacy seal scheme and demonstrate whether an EU privacy seals scheme would bring any added value to privacy and data protection.JRC.G.6-Digital Citizen Securit

Employees on social media: A multi-spokespeople model of CSR communication

Increasing societal and stakeholder expectations, along with easy access to information through social media, means corporations are asked for more information. The traditional approach to CSR communication, with corporations controlling what and how much to share with stakeholders has been restructured by social media, with stakeholders taking control. As legitimacy on social media is created through the positive and negative judgements of stakeholders, corporations must plan how to meet stakeholder demands for information effectively and legitimately, and this includes choosing appropriate spokespeople. Corporations in India have now turned towards their employees as CSR spokespeople. By encouraging employee activity on social media, these corporations are attempting to meet stakeholder demands and generate legitimacy through spokespeople whom stakeholders perceive as equals. This article examines that strategy and discusses its viability of using employees as spokespeople for CSR communication and engagement with stakeholder

Clarifying the Situational Context of a TV Company towards the Design of iDTV Applications

Part 2: Organisational Semiotics and ApplicationsInternational audienceTelevision has experienced transformations that directly impact the TV companies’ production chain. In this sense, digital technology and Interactive Digital Television (iDTV) represent business opportunities in terms of investment spent by broadcasters. In this paper, we investigate the impact an iDTV application might have within a TV company by analyzing a situated context. To clarify the problem, we use the knowledge produced from workshops that were based on the Socially Aware Computing approach and that involved various stakeholders to design an iDTV application in a real context. The analysis is illustrated with the graphical representation of Ontology Charts and Norms projected for the observed organization. The findings indicate organizational changes that both suffer from and cause impact on the design of this kind of application

A European Voice In Game Design

The definition of terminology is important with regards to the advancement of knowledge. Without clear and understandable definitions, work can become difficult to comprehend and loses clarity. This is important when examining culture, a field which changes substantially over short periods of time. When combined with video games, another field which sees accelerated growth and change, this becomes even more so due to the rapid expansion of consumer understanding and mentality with regards to video games. The focus of this thesis is to ascertain the meaning behind the use of current geographical terms such as ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ in the video games industry, and in doing so highlight the existence of an emerging European voice within game design and culture. This is achieved through a literature review exploring the preliminary use of the terms, the evolution of the necessity of them in popular culture and the justification of the use of games in research. The first study within the thesis examines the use of and current meaning behind the current geographical terms within the video gaming industry and culture, while also exploring emerging markets through focus groups consisting of participants within the field. This produces a reasoning for the use of ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ as terminology in game culture. The second study uses this data, in combination with games analysed over a five-year period, to display examples of what Eastern, Western and European games are and gives context to these terms. These are presented as case studies containing key information, a previously developed model used to clearly identify a game’s reward systems and netnographic review. The thesis concludes that a European voice in game design is present. This has implications into the ways in which video games will be developed and produced. These conclusions challenge the conclusions of existing literature into the East/West divide as well as highlighting new areas for future study

Critical Connections: Communication for the Future

The U.S. communication infrastructure is changing rapidly as a result of technological advances, deregulation, and an economic climate that is increasingly competitive. This change is affecting the way in which information is created, processed, transmitted, and provided to individuals and institutions. The report analyzes the implications of new communication technologies for business, politics, culture, and individuals, and suggests possible strategies and options for congressional consideration

Intelligent technologies for the aging brain: opportunities and challenges

Intelligent computing is rapidly reshaping healthcare. In light of the global burden of population aging and neurological disorders, dementia and elderly care are among the healthcare sectors that are most likely to benefit from this technological revolution. Trends in artificial intelligence, robotics, ubiquitous computing, neurotechnology and other branches of biomedical engineering are progressively enabling novel opportunities for technology-enhanced care. These Intelligent Assistive Technologies (IATs) open the prospects of supporting older adults with neurocognitive disabilities, maintain their independence, reduce the burden on caregivers and delay the need for long-term care (1, 2). While technology develops fast, yet little knowledge is available to patients and health professionals about the current availability, applicability, and capability of existing IATs. This thesis proposes a state-of-the-art analysis of IATs in dementia and elderly care. Our findings indicate that advances in intelligent technology are resulting in a rapidly expanding number and variety of assistive solutions for older adults and people with neurocognitive disabilities. However, our analysis identifies a number of challenges that negatively affect the optimal deployment and uptake of IATs among target users and care institutions. These include design issues, sub-optimal approaches to product development, translational barriers between lab and clinics, lack of adequate validation and implementation, as well as data security and cyber-risk weaknesses. Additionally, in virtue of their technological novelty, intelligent technologies raise a number of Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI). Therefore, a significant portion of this thesis is devoted to providing an early ethical Technology Assessment (eTA) of intelligent technology, hence contributing to preparing the terrain for its safe and ethically responsible adoption. This assessment is primarily focused on intelligent technologies at the human-machine interface, as these applications enable an unprecedented exposure of the intimate dimension of individuals to the digital infosphere. Issues of privacy, integrity, equality, and dual-use were addressed at the level of stakeholder analysis, normative ethics and human-rights law. Finally, this thesis is aimed at providing evidence-based recommendations for guiding participatory and responsible development in intelligent technology, and delineating governance strategies that maximize the clinical benefits of IATs for the aging world, while minimizing unintended risks

The physiotherapy undergraduate curriculum : a case for professional development.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.This study focuses on physiotherapy professional development and professional education and the multitude of theoretical, practical and political forces that shape and influence physiotherapy education. It does so by addressing the questions: how is an undergraduate physiotherapy curriculum within a historically disadvantaged university responding to post apartheid societal transformation in South Africa; and why is the curriculum responding in the way that it is within the current social, economic, political, cultural and historical context of South Africa. The study is theoretically and methodically located within critical, feminist and post-modern framings that disturb and disrupt the dominant medical model of health sciences practice. Employing narrative inquiry as the selected methodology, data was produced through multiple methods to obtain multiple perspectives and orientations. This multi-sectoral data production approach involving student physiotherapists, physiotherapy academics and practicing physiotherapists included in-depth focus group interviews, individual interviews, life-history biographies and open-ended questionnaires. The data is analysed firstly separately for each group of research participants - physiotherapy students, practitioners and academics, and then followed by a cross-sector analysis. The analysis illustrated current disciplinary trends and shortcomings of the physiotherapy undergraduate curriculum, whilst highlighting that which is considered valuable and progressive in physiotherapy and health care. The dominant themes that emerged included issues relating to physiotherapy theory and practice, and issues that influenced the construction of relationships in the curriculum. The main thesis presented is that for physiotherapy in the South African context, the notion of caring is identified as the link between transformation and professional development. The model proposed is: A Caring-Transformative Physiotherapy Practitioner Model for physiotherapy professional development advancing a view of what it could mean to be an agent of transformation in South Africa within the health care system. This model is located within multiple framings of caring that re-casts the physiotherapy professional previously located primarily within a medical model ideology, into a practitioner with a broadened view of practice and professional accountability within a critical-feminist framing