Revealing the Vicious Circle of Disengaged User Acceptance: A SaaS Provider's Perspective

User acceptance tests (UAT) are an integral part of many different software engineering methodologies. In this paper, we examine the influence of UATs on the relationship between users and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, which are continuously delivered rather than rolled out during a one-off signoff process. Based on an exploratory qualitative field study at a multinational SaaS provider in Denmark, we show that UATs often address the wrong problem in that positive user acceptance may actually indicate a negative user experience. Hence, SaaS providers should be careful not to rest on what we term disengaged user acceptance. Instead, we outline an approach that purposefully queries users for ambivalent emotions that evoke constructive criticism, in order to facilitate a discourse that favors the continuous innovation of a SaaS system. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of our approach for the study of user engagement in testing SaaS applications

The accordian and the deep bowl of spaghetti: Eight researchers' experiences of using IPA as a methodology

Since 1996 Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) has grown rapidly and been applied in areas outside its initial “home” of health psychology. However, explorations of its application from a researcher's perspective are scarce. This paper provides reflections on the experiences of eight individual researchers using IPA in diverse disciplinary fields and cultures. The research studies were conducted in the USA, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK by researchers with backgrounds in business management, consumer behaviour, mental health nursing, nurse education, applied linguistics, clinical psychology, health and education. They variously explored media awareness, employee commitment, disengagement from mental health services, in-vitro fertilisation treatment, student nurses' experience of child protection, second language acquisition in a university context, the male experience of spinal cord injury and academics experience of working in higher education and women’s experiences of body size and health practices. By bringing together intercultural, interdisciplinary experiences of using IPA, the paper discusses perceived strengths and weaknesses of IPA

Risk Management for Lawyers

Lawyers are under siege. We have become objects of scorn, ridicule, and occasional hatred. If you take your child to the Stephen Spielberg movie Jurassic Park, be prepared for the cheers when the cloned Tyrannosaurus Rex gobbles the lawyer—not a bad guy at all—cowering in the outhouse. In San Francisco a client burst into a California law firm and killed eight and wounded six persons before taking his own life. In response, the president of the California bar linked lawyer-bashing to hate crimes and prevailed on the Miller Brewing Company to withdraw a television commercial depicting a lawyer-roping rodeo in which a cowboy ropes an overweight tax lawyer playing the role of a calf—to the cheers of the Miller Lite crowd. Bizarre lawyer behavior, such as microwaving cats, adds to the problem, as does the perception that lawyers are drawn like vultures to the sites of mass disasters and are responsible for baseless law suits that drive up insurance costs. In such a climate, lawyers should recognize that every client is a potential adversary and manage the risk by practicing defensive law. This risk management does not mean that lawyers should put their own interests ahead of their client\u27s interests. To the contrary, the client and lawyer both benefit from defensive lawyering because the heart of the concept is accountability. Lawyers who run conflict checks, use engagement and non-engagement letters, keep their clients informed, are diligent with respect to law and fact, and refer matters beyond their competence to specialists serve both themselves and their clients well. This article suggests that law schools and bar associations should teach professional responsibility by teaching malpractice prevention and risk management. We start with a brief overview of lawyer malpractice, then move to principles of proactive risk management, and conclude with principles of loss minimization. Special attention is given to the bar-related insurance movement and the relationship between the malpractice carrier and insured lawyer. Two appendices are provided with this article: Appendix A, a checklist for preventing legal malpractice, and Appendix B, a risk management self-assessment questionnaire

Implementing a human resource plan

This research involved evaluating the human resource management practices and processes within an organisation. The organisation is a well-established life sciences organisation located in New Zealand. The organisation manufactures an insert device which is sold to over 60 countries. The organisation has experienced significant changes, and these changes to the organisation are still in the process of being implemented. The organisation has a clear and focussed business strategy and human resource plan however, the plan has not been implemented. The changes to the organisation have affected the motivation of the employees, job insecurities with the restructuring of the organisation, and employees have experienced an inability to adapt and change. Communication from senior management was initially on a regular basis however, the communication is now less. An audit of human resource systems is recommended, to review current practices and to provide statistical data and information, to senior management to establish the motivation and engagement levels of all employees. The organisation adheres to strict compliance and regulatory guidelines. Therefore health and safety procedures and processes are established, employees are trained during induction and receive ongoing health and safety training. There are robust reporting systems in place for incidents and hazards, a no blame culture is encouraged and employees are comfortable reporting health and safety concerns. The management team support a positive health and safety culture and encourages continuous improvements. For the organisation to evolve its brand and to achieve its vision of attracting and retaining top talent, encouraging collaboration, communication and engaging employees, this report recommends, the human resource plan to be communicated to employees as soon as possible. Communication from senior management should be on a regular basis and results continually reinforced. Senior management should become more visible to the employees on the shop floor

Counseling towards the Deradicalization of Islamist Extremists: An Overview of Approaches Based on Two Qualitative Interview Studies with Prevention Practitioners in Germany

Over the past decade Islamist mobilization has resulted in numerous departures from Germany towards the civil war zones of Syria and Iraq. As a determined response to this trend, the scope of prevention efforts in Germany has increased significantly, combatting Islamist radicalization at the federal and state level with a variety of projects and approaches. This article analyzes the approaches to counseling by deradicalization practitioners in Germany, based on two qualitative interview studies (n=25) and (n=9) with experts in secondary and tertiary prevention. Drawing on the experiential and interpretative knowledge of the interviewees, we identified four prevalent approaches to deradicalization, composed of activity-oriented concepts that explain counseling efforts within a specific set of goals, contents, methods, and techniques. Herein imperatives of action are, firstly, religiously and/or ideologically oriented, secondly, oriented towards acceptance, thirdly, systemically oriented, and lastly, oriented towards life management. However, these are not static approaches, characterized by oft-intersecting efforts. Our findings indicate that confrontational means of dealing with the ideological are uncommon, even though in theory ideological reappraisal is widely considered a core objective of deradicalization practices. More emphasis is placed on an appreciative relationship between counselors and clients as well as collaborations with other support systems and institutions to meet individual needs. Further to this, this article discusses our findings with regard to the theoretical and empirical research framework, taking into account interdisciplinary perspectives as well as experiences from the prevention of right-wing extremism.   Acknowledgments This project has received funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the program “Societal Causes and Effects of Radical Islam in Germany and Europe”. This publication reflects only the views of the author(s); the BMBF is not responsible for any information it contains

Organizational and Methodological Influence of Risk Management in Projects

Project risk management is essential to managers' decision making and business success, because it allows the manager to identify, analyse and decide on the most appropriate way to respond to different adversities that may arise during the development of new products, services, processes, projects, continuous improvement, etc. This requires a mind-set that risks have a major influence on the bottom line and use analytical methods or risk management software. It is essential to integrate the entire organizational structure into risk mitigation intervention. The purpose of this paper is to address some of the important topics to consider for well implemented and successful risk management. An approach is taken at both organizational and methodological levels.authorsversionpublishe

Organizational and methodological influence of risk management in projects

Project risk management is essential to manager`s decision making and business success, because it allows the manager to identify, analyse and decide on the most appropriate way to respond to different adversities that may arise during the development of new products, services, processes, projects, continuous improvement, etc. This requires a mind-set that risks have a major influence on the bottom line and use analytical methods or risk management software. It is essential to integrate the entire organizational structure into risk mitigation intervention. The purpose of this paper is to address some of the important topics to consider for well implemented and successful risk management. An approach is taken at both organizational and methodological levels.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio