1,142 research outputs found

    WELCOME TO DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ERA: FROM PROOF-OF-CONCEPT TO BIG DATA INSIGHTS CREATION

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    Digital transformation (DT) is no longer an optional strategic priority, but the direction for managers of traditional firms that their success is built in the pre-digital era. With all hype around DT opportunities, it is rather a highly complex challenge that affects many or all segments of a firm and more so at the early stages of DT. Firms at the early stage of DT face the challenge of choosing among a big variety of existing and emerging technologies on the market, neglecting technological uncertainty, navigating through the technological solutions ocean, and avoiding hype-driven decisions while being technology competence-less. With this respect, the phase preceding any adoption or rejection of a new DT initiative and aiming at the first meeting and proving feasibility and commercial opportunities becomes increasingly important. The thesis investigates three particular phenomena of the earliest Digital Transformation (DT) stage, that are seemingly well-known and intuitively clear but suffer from the lack of empirical and conceptual evidence base as well as theoretical ground on closer inspection, namely, proof-of-concept, data-driven decision-making, and Big Data insights creation. Focusing on the three aspects of the early stage of DT allows building a research agenda that consists of complementing each other parts. Three-essays research was run with three related objectives. Each objective is addressed by conducting independent research using comparative methods. The thesis applies the qualitative approach as the overarching, with the relative to the three essays methodologies, namely, qualitative case study, ethnography, and participatory observation. The thesis uses qualitative methods to derive main findings and quantitative methods based on novel computational techniques to add more nuances to the results. This allows a new empirical and conceptual perspective on the earliest stages of DT. The findings suggest that a) cognitive biases drive what I labeled as perceived technology potentiality, moreover, technology awareness develops step-wise as PoC is run moving from borrowed technology awareness to minimum acquired technology awareness and enhanced technology awareness. These findings were used to explain how PoC dynamic changes with time. Further, findings show how b) different types of traps (cognitive and data) drive managerial trust in data when data-driven decision-making is first used. The findings were taken as the ground to build the three traps zones notion, where the decisions and trust in data are driven by different combinations of traps. Finally, findings reveal that c) Big Data dimensions have their related sub-dimensions, differences and similarities of which led to the discovery of the two effects of Big Data dimensions, namely, Proliferation and Additive. These findings helped to explain how exactly Big Data dimensions participate in the Big Data insights creation and to build the conceptual matrix of Big Data insights creation. In this vein, the research contributes to the technology innovation literature by shedding light on the phenomena of the earliest stage of DT and by initiating the first comprehensive conversation on PoC, data-driven decision-making, and Big Data insights creation. Further, the research contributes to the existing literature on managerial cognition, decision-making, and Big Data usefulness. Finally, contributions to methods in the technology innovation field are drawn

    From Sensor to Observation Web with Environmental Enablers in the Future Internet

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    This paper outlines the grand challenges in global sustainability research and the objectives of the FP7 Future Internet PPP program within the Digital Agenda for Europe. Large user communities are generating significant amounts of valuable environmental observations at local and regional scales using the devices and services of the Future Internet. These communities’ environmental observations represent a wealth of information which is currently hardly used or used only in isolation and therefore in need of integration with other information sources. Indeed, this very integration will lead to a paradigm shift from a mere Sensor Web to an Observation Web with semantically enriched content emanating from sensors, environmental simulations and citizens. The paper also describes the research challenges to realize the Observation Web and the associated environmental enablers for the Future Internet. Such an environmental enabler could for instance be an electronic sensing device, a web-service application, or even a social networking group affording or facilitating the capability of the Future Internet applications to consume, produce, and use environmental observations in cross-domain applications. The term ?envirofied? Future Internet is coined to describe this overall target that forms a cornerstone of work in the Environmental Usage Area within the Future Internet PPP program. Relevant trends described in the paper are the usage of ubiquitous sensors (anywhere), the provision and generation of information by citizens, and the convergence of real and virtual realities to convey understanding of environmental observations. The paper addresses the technical challenges in the Environmental Usage Area and the need for designing multi-style service oriented architecture. Key topics are the mapping of requirements to capabilities, providing scalability and robustness with implementing context aware information retrieval. Another essential research topic is handling data fusion and model based computation, and the related propagation of information uncertainty. Approaches to security, standardization and harmonization, all essential for sustainable solutions, are summarized from the perspective of the Environmental Usage Area. The paper concludes with an overview of emerging, high impact applications in the environmental areas concerning land ecosystems (biodiversity), air quality (atmospheric conditions) and water ecosystems (marine asset management)

    Critical Infrastructure Protection Approaches: Analytical Outlook on Capacity Responsiveness to Dynamic Trends

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    Overview: Critical infrastructures (CIs) – any asset with a functionality that is critical to normal societal functions, safety, security, economic or social wellbeing of people, and disruption or destruction of which would have a very significant negative societal impact. CIs are clearly central to the normal functioning of a nation’s economy and require to be protected from both intentional and unintentional sabotages. It is important to correctly discern and aptly manage security risks within CI domains. The protection (security) of CIs and their networks can provide clear benefits to owner organizations and nations including: enabling the attainment of a properly functioning social environment and economic market, improving service security, enabling integration to external markets, and enabling service recipients (consumers, clients, and users) to benefit from new and emerging technological developments. To effectively secure CI system, firstly, it is crucial to understand three things - what can happen, how likely it is to happen, and the consequences of such happenings. One way to achieve this is through modelling and simulations of CI attributes, functionalities, operations, and behaviours to support security analysis perspectives, and especially considering the dynamics in trends and technological adoptions. Despite the availability of several security-related CI modelling approaches (tools and techniques), trends such as inter-networking, internet and IoT integrations raise new issues. Part of the issues relate to how to effectively (more precisely and realistically) model the complex behavior of interconnected CIs and their protection as system of systems (SoS). This report attempts to address the broad goal around this issue by reviewing a sample of critical infrastructure protection approaches; comprising tools, techniques, and frameworks (methodologies). The analysis covers contexts relating to the types of critical infrastructures, applicable modelling techniques, risk management scope covered, considerations for resilience, interdependency, and policy and regulations factors. Key Findings: This research presents the following key findings: 1. There is not a single specific Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) approach – tool, technique, methodology or framework – that exists or emerges as a ‘fit-for-all’; to allow the modelling and simulation of cyber security risks, resilience, dependency, and impact attributes in all critical infrastructure set-ups. 2. Typically, two or more modelling techniques can be (need to be) merged to cover a broader scope and context of modelling and simulation applications (areas) to achieve desirable highlevel protection and security for critical infrastructures. 3. Empirical-based, network-based, agent-based, and system dynamics-based modelling techniques are more widely used, and all offer gains for their use. 4. The deciding factors for choosing modelling techniques often rest on; complexity of use, popularity of approach, types and objectives of user Organisation and sector. 5. The scope of modelling functions and operations also help to strike the balance between ‘specificity’ and ‘generality’ of modelling technique and approach for the gains of in-depth analysis and wider coverage respectively. 6. Interdependency and resilience modelling and simulations in critical infrastructure operations, as well as associated security and safety risks; are crucial characteristics that need to be considered and explored in revising existing or developing new CIP modelling approaches. Recommendations: Key recommendations from this research include: 1. Other critical infrastructure sectors such as emergency services, food & agriculture, and dams; need to draw lessons from the energy and transportation sectors for the successive benefits of: i. Amplifying the drive and efforts towards evaluating and understanding security risks to their infrastructure and operations. ii. Support better understanding of any associated dependencies and cascading impacts. iii. Learning how to establish effective security and resilience. iv. Support the decision-making process linked with measuring the effectiveness of preparedness activities and investments. v. Improve the behavioural security-related responses of CI to disturbances or disruptions. 2. Security-related critical infrastructure modelling approaches should be developed or revised to include wider scopes of security risk management – from identification to effectiveness evaluations, to support: i. Appropriate alignment and responsiveness to the dynamic trends introduced by new technologies such as IoT and IIoT. ii. Dynamic security risk management – especially the assessment section needs to be more dynamic than static, to address the recurrent and impactful risks that emerge in critical infrastructures

    Managerial factors influencing long-term Work From Home adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises post-pandemic

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    Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Information Systems and Technologies ManagementDue to governmental restrictions in response to the pandemic in 2020, work from home (WFH) was crucial to maintain business continuity and market competitiveness. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were especially affected by the pandemic as they were not as well equipped for WFH as larger companies due to a lack of resources or digital knowledge. Consequently, the pandemic shifted the labor market resulting in an increased demand for WFH, leading companies to be pressured into implementing WFH to stay competitive and attractive to employees. Nevertheless, the managers make the decision regarding employee requests for WFH and therefore play a crucial part in the adoption of WFH in enterprises. A systematic literature review is conducted to provide evidence-based factors that influence the longterm adoption of WFH post-pandemic from a managerial perspective. This dissertation applies a framework, guided by socio-technical systems theory and task-technology fit model, to examine the role of the individual, technological, organizational, and task characteristics on managers’ decisionmaking for long-term adoption of WFH. The findings of this research show that individual factors are weighted highest by managers for their decision-making. Those factors include their experiences with WFH and the corresponding trust toward employees, which are prerequisites for the implementation and shape the attitude of managers. Technological, organizational, and task characteristics are key enablers for WFH and are the building stock for its effective long-term adoption. Firstly, crucial technological factors include broadband connection, quality of communication and collaboration tools, and the perceived usefulness of the technology. Secondly, WFH policies, IT security, IT infrastructure, training, and employee performance are decisive organizational factors. Lastly, crucial task factors are the type of tasks being performed and the corresponding accessibility of information while working from home. If trust and positive experiences exist, the interviewed managers of SMEs indicated that they strive to introduce a hybrid model, in the long term, to cope with the changes in the labor market by staying competitive and attractive to qualified employees. Although key enabling factors form the basis for effective WFH, they are not fundamental enough for decision-making

    The Proceedings of 15th Australian Information Security Management Conference, 5-6 December, 2017, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia

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    Conference Foreword The annual Security Congress, run by the Security Research Institute at Edith Cowan University, includes the Australian Information Security and Management Conference. Now in its fifteenth year, the conference remains popular for its diverse content and mixture of technical research and discussion papers. The area of information security and management continues to be varied, as is reflected by the wide variety of subject matter covered by the papers this year. The papers cover topics from vulnerabilities in “Internet of Things” protocols through to improvements in biometric identification algorithms and surveillance camera weaknesses. The conference has drawn interest and papers from within Australia and internationally. All submitted papers were subject to a double blind peer review process. Twenty two papers were submitted from Australia and overseas, of which eighteen were accepted for final presentation and publication. We wish to thank the reviewers for kindly volunteering their time and expertise in support of this event. We would also like to thank the conference committee who have organised yet another successful congress. Events such as this are impossible without the tireless efforts of such people in reviewing and editing the conference papers, and assisting with the planning, organisation and execution of the conference. To our sponsors, also a vote of thanks for both the financial and moral support provided to the conference. Finally, thank you to the administrative and technical staff, and students of the ECU Security Research Institute for their contributions to the running of the conference

    Human experience in the natural and built environment : implications for research policy and practice

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    22nd IAPS conference. Edited book of abstracts. 427 pp. University of Strathclyde, Sheffield and West of Scotland Publication. ISBN: 978-0-94-764988-3

    Augmenting low-fidelity flight simulation training devices via amplified head rotations

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    Due to economic and operational constraints, there is an increasing demand from aviation operators and training manufacturers to extract maximum training usage from the lower fidelity suite of flight simulators. It is possible to augment low-fidelity flight simulators to achieve equivalent performance compared to high-fidelity setups but at reduced cost and greater mobility. In particular for visual manoeuvres, the virtual reality technique of head-tracking amplification for virtual view control enables full field-of-regard access even with limited field-of-view displays. This research quantified the effects of this technique on piloting performance, workload and simulator sickness by applying it to a fixed-base, low-fidelity, low-cost flight simulator. In two separate simulator trials, participants had to land a simulated aircraft from a visual traffic circuit pattern whilst scanning for airborne traffic. Initially, a single augmented display was compared to the common triple display setup in front of the pilot. Starting from the base leg, pilots exhibited tighter turns closer to the desired ground track and were more actively conducting visual scans using the augmented display. This was followed up by a second experiment to quantify the scalability of augmentation towards larger displays and field of views. Task complexity was increased by starting the traffic pattern from the downwind leg. Triple displays in front of the pilot yielded the best compromise delivering flight performance and traffic detection scores just below the triple projectors but without an increase in track deviations and the pilots were also less prone to simulator sickness symptoms. This research demonstrated that head augmentation yields clear benefits of quick user adaptation, low-cost, ease of systems integration, together with the capability to negate the impact of display sizes yet without incurring significant penalties in workload and incurring simulator sickness. The impact of this research is that it facilitates future flight training solutions using this augmentation technique to meet budgetary and mobility requirements. This enables deployment of simulators in large numbers to deliver expanded mission rehearsal previously unattainable within this class of low-fidelity simulators, and with no restrictions for transfer to other training media

    Mission-Critical Communications from LMR to 5G: a Technology Assessment approach for Smart City scenarios

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    Radiocommunication networks are one of the main support tools of agencies that carry out actions in Public Protection & Disaster Relief (PPDR), and it is necessary to update these communications technologies from narrowband to broadband and integrated to information technologies to have an effective action before society. Understanding that this problem includes, besides the technical aspects, issues related to the social context to which these systems are inserted, this study aims to construct scenarios, using several sources of information, that helps the managers of the PPDR agencies in the technological decisionmaking process of the Digital Transformation of Mission-Critical Communication considering Smart City scenarios, guided by the methods and approaches of Technological Assessment (TA).As redes de radiocomunicaçÔes sĂŁo uma das principais ferramentas de apoio dos ĂłrgĂŁos que realizam açÔes de Proteção PĂșblica e Socorro em desastres, sendo necessĂĄrio atualizar essas tecnologias de comunicação de banda estreita para banda larga, e integra- las Ă s tecnologias de informação, para se ter uma atuação efetiva perante a sociedade . Entendendo que esse problema inclui, alĂ©m dos aspectos tĂ©cnicos, questĂ”es relacionadas ao contexto social ao qual esses sistemas estĂŁo inseridos, este estudo tem por objetivo a construção de cenĂĄrios, utilizando diversas fontes de informação que auxiliem os gestores destas agĂȘncias na tomada de decisĂŁo tecnolĂłgica que envolve a transformação digital da Comunicação de MissĂŁo CrĂ­tica considerando cenĂĄrios de Cidades Inteligentes, guiado pelos mĂ©todos e abordagens de Avaliação TecnolĂłgica (TA)
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