Bundling, Differentiation, Alliances and Mergers: Convergence Strategies in U.S. Communication Markets

Convergence is a multi-facetted phenomenon affecting the technological basis of information and communication industries, the boundaries of existing and new markets, and the organization of service providers. Convergence in substitutes will tend to increase the intensity of competition but convergence in complements may have the opposite effect. Given the economics of advanced communication industries, convergence necessitates strategies to overcome the risk of commodification at the level of networks, applications, and services. The paper examines bundling, differentiation, alliances, and merger strategies adopted by North American service providers in response to convergence. Service providers'opportunities and risks in the emerging environment differ considerably, with cable and telephone service providers presently in stronger positions than wireless service providers, broadcasters, and satellite service providers. New entrants such as Vonage, Skype, Google, and Yahoo have high disruptive potential but remain disadvantaged without their own access networks.convergence; bundling; differentiation; alliances; mergers

The Industry and Policy Context for Digital Games for Empowerment and Inclusion:Market Analysis, Future Prospects and Key Challenges in Videogames, Serious Games and Gamification

The effective use of digital games for empowerment and social inclusion (DGEI) of people and communities at risk of exclusion will be shaped by, and may influence the development of a range of sectors that supply products, services, technology and research. The principal industries that would appear to be implicated are the 'videogames' industry, and an emerging 'serious games' industry. The videogames industry is an ecosystem of developers, publishers and other service providers drawn from the interactive media, software and broader ICT industry that services the mainstream leisure market in games, The 'serious games' industry is a rather fragmented and growing network of firms, users, research and policy makers from a variety of sectors. This emerging industry is are trying to develop knowledge, products, services and a market for the use of digital games, and products inspired by digital games, for a range of non-leisure applications. This report provides a summary of the state of play of these industries, their trajectories and the challenges they face. It also analyses the contribution they could make to exploiting digital games for empowerment and social inclusion. Finally, it explores existing policy towards activities in these industries and markets, and draws conclusions as to the future policy relevance of engaging with them to support innovation and uptake of effective digital game-based approaches to empowerment and social inclusion.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Handset-based analysis of mobile service usage

This dissertation defines a handset-based method for analyzing mobile service usage. The research method can be used in conducting empirical studies of consumer behavior. The method combines collected handset-based usage data with survey data, both of which are important in modeling consumer behavior. The process involves a handset-based software module that automatically extracts data on service usage, and transmits this data to centralized servers for the purposes of analysis. The method facilitates empirical research on the mobile Internet and computer like functionalities of new mobile phones. The research method is compared to other methods of empirical mobile service research. On several occasions the value of the defined research method is significant, providing accurate logs of service usage along with location and time stamps. The combination of subjective survey and objective usage data provides new angles in empirical research. The research conducted claims that the handset-based data collection method and associated analysis approaches provide valuable information for the stakeholders of the mobile industry. Results can be used in developing and launching new mobile services. Academic domains for the application of the research method include measurement of service usage, contextual end-user research, modeling of service adoption, and analysis of moderating factors of usage. Regarding the actual use of the method, three key observations are made. First, though the dissertation proves the novelty value of accurately monitoring the behavior of end-users in using device functions, mobile services, and various applications, the limitations of the method need to be carefully considered and only suitable research problems should be studied. In particular, the adverse selection of panelists creates challenges in the generalization of results. Second, in addition to descriptive statistics including ranking of services, contextual statistics of service usage, and application adoption metrics, future research should interpret and explain the results more thoroughly, seeking a deeper understanding of reasons for usage observed. Most importantly, future research should utilize customized surveys and usage data in parallel, as demonstrated in the dissertation. Third, in order to support the scalability of the research method, the panel study process should be modified. The dissertation identifies the key challenges to be solved when replicating the study process in bigger, international studies. Panelists should be provided with other than monetary benefits for participating in a study. The handset-based research method is a new innovation, providing a tool for further research and applications. The early results indicate that the method can be utilized in research problems that have substantial practical relevance in the mobile industry

Smartphones

Many of the research approaches to smartphones actually regard them as more or less transparent points of access to other kinds of communication experiences. That is, rather than considering the smartphone as something in itself, the researchers look at how individuals use the smartphone for their communicative purposes, whether these be talking, surfing the web, using on-line data access for off-site data sources, downloading or uploading materials, or any kind of interaction with social media. They focus not so much on the smartphone itself but on the activities that people engage in with their smartphones

Responsible innovation in mobile journalism : Exploring professional journalists` learning and innovation processes

Denne avhandlingen handler om innovasjon i mobiljournalistikk, og utforsker hvordan profesjonelle TV- og avisjournalister bruker smarttelefoner som journalistisk produksjonsverktøy. I tillegg reflekteres kritisk over utfordringer som kan knyttes til at journalister satser i sitt arbeid på datateknologi som ikke bare integrerer flere risikoteknologier men bygger på infrastrukturer som er optimalisert for omfattende dataekstraksjon og kommersielle overvåkingspraksiser. Det overordnete spørsmålet som søkes besvart i avhandlingen er: Hva er ansvarlig innovasjon i mobiljournalistikk? For å finne svar på forskningsspørsmålet kombineres empiriske tilnærminger og analytisk-teoretiske perspektiver. Innovasjon forstås her som en kompleks sosiokulturell læringsprosess der ´ansvarlig innovasjon´ pekes ut som en normativ meta-kategori. I den empiriske delen i avhandlingen undersøkes profesjonelle journalisters konkrete lærings- og innovasjonsprosesser. Basert på etnografi-inspirerte metoder som deltakende observasjon, dybdeintervjuer og uformelle samtaler belyser den empiriske delen av avhandlingen innovasjon i mobiljournalistikk gjennom to ulike casestudier. I den første casen utforskes et globalt pioner-nettverk som fremstår som en viktig kollektiv aktør i innovativ mobiljournalistikk. I den andre casen undersøkes et konkret trainingsarrangement for profesjonelle avisjournalister som ledd i en omfattende innovasjonsprosess i en tradisjonell medieorganisasjon. Den analytisk-teoretiske delen av avhandlingen tar for seg meta-konseptet `ansvarlig innovasjon´ og belyser kritisk den politiske økonomien knyttet til lærings- og kunnskapsutvikling. Ved hjelp av Zuboffs (2019) teori om overvåkningskapitalisme fokuserer denne delen av avhandlingen på større og mer langsiktige samfunnskonsekvenser knyttet til bruk av mobilteknologi i journalistikk. Ved å peke på ulike risikoer ved uregulerte former for datainnsamling og utfordringer knyttet til privatisering av kunnskap og kunnskapsproduksjon omhandler den teoretisk-analytiske delen hva som står på spill for journalister, medieorganisasjoner og samfunnet i sin helhet når mobilteknologi blir tatt ukritisk i bruk. Det konkluderes med at en uansvarlig og risikofylt bruk av mobilteknologi og relaterte infrastrukturer ikke tegner et bilde av mobiljournalistikk som en demokratiserende kraft (og tidsriktig produksjonsmåte) men heller en praksis som kan bidra til å undergrave demokratiets fundamenter gjennom omfattende dataekstraksjon og kommersielt motiverte overvåkningspraksiser. For å møte komplekse risikoer ved bruk av teknologisk innovasjon i mobiljournalistikk og å kunne finne konstruktive løsninger diskuteres det nye europeiske forsknings- og innovasjonsrammeverket Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) som sikter mot grunnleggende endringer i nåværende innovasjons- og forskningspraksis. Med utgangspunkt i idéer og metoder fra RRI foreslås ulike handlingsopsjoner på individ-, organisasjonps- og samfunnsnivå samt anbefalinger hva `ansvarlig innovasjon i mobiljournalistikk` innebærer. Et overordnet mål med avhandlingen er å bidra i, og berike, den akademiske og offentlige debatten ved å gi konkrete innblikk i profesjonelle journalisters læringssituasjoner og innovasjonsprosesser og gjennom den rette oppmerksomheten mot fundamentale utfordringer ved bruk av kompleks datateknologi og infrastrukturer i samfunnet.This thesis examines innovation in the field of mobile journalism by examining how professional broadcast and print journalists learn about and adopt mobile technology for their journalistic practice and by investigating critically the side effects from journalists’ adoption of mobile computing platforms, encompassing highly convergent and different risk technologies. The overarching research question that guided this work asked: What is responsible innovation in mobile journalism? To find answers to this overarching research endeavor, I applied an approach that combines empirical and analytical-conceptual perspectives. Innovation is conceptualized in this work as a complex sociocultural process of learning, and responsible innovation is viewed as a meta-category of innovation. The empirical part sets out to understand actual learning practices and innovation processes by examining how professional print and broadcast journalists learn to adopt mobile technology and innovate through mobile journalism in different social settings. Based on a qualitative approach that applies methods such as long-term observations, participant observation, in-depth interviews, and informal conversations, the empirical part of the thesis provides insight into professional journalists’ individual motivations and experiences, organizational and new collective approaches to innovation, and learning processes. The conceptual part of the thesis examines the meta-concept of “responsible innovation” more closely by applying a critical perspective of political economy on learning and knowledge processes. Viewed through the lens of Zuboff’s (2019) surveillance capitalism theory, this part of the thesis draws attention to broader societal consequences attached to the adoption of mobile technology in journalism. By uncovering emerging risks and challenges from unregulated dataveillance and privatization of knowledge, this part demonstrates what is at stake if mobile technology is irresponsibly adopted by a risk group – in this case, journalists – and how, from this perspective, mobile journalism fails to emerge as a democratic force, thereby undermining the fundaments of democracy. To counteract the identified and complex risks from comprehensive data extraction and dataveillance that accompany journalists and media organizations’ adoption of and innovation in mobile journalism, ideas and methods from the European Union’s Responsible Research and Innovation framework are suggested as a possible approach. This is specified by outlining different implications from the identified risks on individual, organizational, and societal levels, and by making suggestions as to what “responsible innovation” in mobile journalism would encompass in the context of this thesis. This thesis aims to build on existing academic discussions through enriching debates in the mobile journalism field by providing insights into professional journalists’ concrete learning and innovation processes, as well as directing attention toward individual, organizational, and societal risks attached to uncritical adoption of a complex and pervasive computing platform in journalism practice and innovation in the field.Doktorgradsavhandlin

Innovation in China: the rise of Chinese inventors in the production of knowledge

In 2010 China was the world's fourth largest filer of patent applications. This followed a decade of unprecedented increases in investment in skills and Research and Development. If current trends continue China could rank first in the very near future. We provide evidence that the growth in Chinese patenting activity has been accompanied by a growth in Chinese inventors creating technologies that are near to the science base. Part of the success of China has been to attract the investment of foreign multinationals. This is also true for a number of other Emerging Economies. Europe's largest multinational firms increasingly file patent applications that are based on inventor activities located in emerging economies, often working alongside inventors from the firm's home country.China; innovation; offshoring; patents.

The net generation and digital natives: implications for higher education

Executive Summary "Our students have changed radically. Today�s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach." (Prensky 2001 p1) 1. There is no evidence that there is a single new generation of young students entering Higher Education and the terms Net Generation and Digital Native do not capture the processes of change that are taking place. 2. The complex changes that are taking place in the student body have an age related component that is most obvious with the newest waves of technology. Prominent amongst these are the uses made of social networking sites (e.g. Facebook), uploading and manipulation of multimedia (e.g. YouTube) and the use of handheld devices to access the mobile Internet. 3. Demographic factors interact with age to pattern students� responses to new technologies. The most important of these are gender, mode of study (distance or place-based) and the international or home status of the student. 4. The gap between students and their teachers is not fixed, nor is the gulf so large that it cannot be bridged. In many ways the relationship is determined by the requirements teachers place upon their students to make use of new technologies and the way teachers integrate new technologies in their courses. There is little evidence that students enter university with demands for new technologies that teachers and universities cannot meet. 5. Students persistently report that they prefer moderate use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in their courses. Care should be taken with this finding because the interpretation of what is �moderate� use of ICT may be changing as a range of new technologies take off and become embedded in social life and universities. 6. Universities should be confident in the provision of what might seem to be basic services. Students appreciate and make use of the foundational infrastructure for learning, even where this is often criticised as being an out of date and unimaginative use of new technology. Virtual Learning Environments (Learning or Course Management Systems) are used widely and seem to be well regarded. The provision by university libraries of online services, including the provision of online e-journals and e-books, are also positively received. 7. Students do not naturally make extensive use of many of the most discussed new technologies such as Blogs, Wikis and 3D Virtual Worlds. The use of 3D Virtual Worlds is notably low amongst students. The use of Wikis and Blogs is relatively low overall, but use does vary between different contexts, including national and regional contexts. Students who are required to use these technologies in their courses are unlikely to reject them and low use does not imply that they are inappropriate for educational use. The key point being made is that there is not a natural demand amongst students that teaching staff and universities should feel obliged to satisfy. 8. There is no obvious or consistent demand from students for changes to pedagogy at university (e.g. demands for team and group working). There may be good reasons why teachers and universities wish to revise their approaches to teaching and learning, or may wish to introduce new ways of working. Students will respond positively to changes in teaching and learning strategies that are well conceived, well explained and properly embedded in courses and degree programmes. However there is no evidence of a pent-up demand amongst students for changes in pedagogy or of a demand for greater collaboration. 9. There is no evidence of a consistent demand from students for the provision of highly individualised or personal university services. The development of university infrastructures, such as new kinds of learning environments (for example Personal Learning Environments) should be choices about the kinds of provision that the university wishes to make and not a response to general statements about what a new generation of students are demanding. 10. Advice derived from generational arguments should not be used by government and government agencies to promote changes in university structure designed to accommodate a Net Generation of Digital Natives. The evidence indicates that young students do not form a generational cohort and they do not express consistent or generationally organised demands. A key finding of this review is that political choices should be made explicit and not disguised by arguments about generational change

Models of ICT Innovation. A Focus on the Cinema Sector

The report starts by looking at the competing and overlapping definitions of creative industries, media and content industries. Chapter 1 investigates the fate of R&D and innovation in the creative industries and in the broader Telecom Media and Technology sectors. Chapter 2 summarizes past studies on innovation in distinct media and content industries (videogames, music recording and newspapers publishing) and draws some lessons from them. Chapter 3 delves more deeply into the specific case of cinema. This chapter investigates the film industry's complex and evolving relationship with technologies and technological inventions. Chapter 4 offers a short cross-comparison with R&D in the book publishing industry. Chapter 5 deals with policy issues triggered by the observed digital changes. Chapter 6 concludes with a brief assessment of EU strengths and weaknesses, and offers some recommendations.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Loud and Trendy: Crowdsourcing Impressions of Social Ambiance in Popular Indoor Urban Places

New research cutting across architecture, urban studies, and psychology is contextualizing the understanding of urban spaces according to the perceptions of their inhabitants. One fundamental construct that relates place and experience is ambiance, which is defined as "the mood or feeling associated with a particular place". We posit that the systematic study of ambiance dimensions in cities is a new domain for which multimedia research can make pivotal contributions. We present a study to examine how images collected from social media can be used for the crowdsourced characterization of indoor ambiance impressions in popular urban places. We design a crowdsourcing framework to understand suitability of social images as data source to convey place ambiance, to examine what type of images are most suitable to describe ambiance, and to assess how people perceive places socially from the perspective of ambiance along 13 dimensions. Our study is based on 50,000 Foursquare images collected from 300 popular places across six cities worldwide. The results show that reliable estimates of ambiance can be obtained for several of the dimensions. Furthermore, we found that most aggregate impressions of ambiance are similar across popular places in all studied cities. We conclude by presenting a multidisciplinary research agenda for future research in this domain