Proceedings ICPW'07: 2nd International Conference on the Pragmatic Web, 22-23 Oct. 2007, Tilburg: NL

Proceedings ICPW'07: 2nd International Conference on the Pragmatic Web, 22-23 Oct. 2007, Tilburg: N

Proceedings of the Inaugural Meeting ofAIS SIGPrag

The Special Interest Group on Pragmatist IS Research (SIGPrag) was approved by the Association for InformationSystems (AIS) council at its June 2008 meeting in Gallway. The motivation for this initiative is the growingrecognition of the importance of theorizing the IT artifact and its organizational and societal context from apragmatic and action-oriented perspective. SIGPrag\u27s mission is to provide a much-needed centre of gravity and tofacilitate exchange of ideas and further development of this area of IS scholarship.In summary, pragmatist IS research rests on the following set of assumptions: * Human life is a life of activity.* Humans do things that effect changes in their environment and/or within themselves.* Doing permeates thinking, conceptualizations and language use.* Human consciousness is a practical one that is in constant interplay with interventive, investigative, andevaluative actions.* Practical consciousness is formed by experience from previous actions and participation in social contexts.* IT and information systems are fundamentally symbolic language systems.* Linguistically expressed collective presuppositions, norms and categories (such as those embedded in ITand information systems) serve human activity and life.* The true value of IT and information systems lies in their potential to support human communication andcollaboration central to human activity and life.For more information about SIGPrag, its mission and current activities, please visit http://www.sigprag.org/The inaugural meeting of SIGPrag is to be held in Paris on Dec 14, 2008, in conjunction with the InternationalConference on Information Systems (ICIS). The meeting will consist of two parts, a scientific meeting and abusiness meeting. For the scientific meeting a call for position papers was issued in the summer of 2008, whichresulted in the following papers being selected for presentation:• What Kind of Pragmatism in Information Systems Research? by Göran Goldkuhl.• Pragmatic Approach in IS Projects Grounded on Recognised Frameworks by Raija Halonen.• Co-Design as Social Constructive Pragmatism by Mikael Lind, Ulf Seigerroth, Olov Forsgren, and AndersHjalmarsson.• Pragmatism and Information Systems (IS): Neurophilosophical approach by Garikoitz Lerma Usabiagaand Francesc Miralles.• Sustainability Communication: A role for IT and IS in relating business and Society by Mark Aakhus andPaul Ziek.• Managing Ambiguity while Reducing Uncertainty by Gianni Jacucci and Mike Martin.• A Pragmatic Conception of Service Encounters by Mikael Lind and Nicklas Salomonson.• Making the Web More Pragmatic: Exploring the Potential Of Some Pragmatic Concepts For IS ResearchAnd Development by Jens Allwood and Mikael Lind.• Introducing Human in Complex System: A Cognitive Pragmatics Based Model by G. Lortal.• The Pragmatic Web: An Application View by Mareike Schoop.• Design Research from a Communicative Perspective: How to Design Things with Words by Hans Weigand.• Representation and Correspondence: On the Validity of the Representation Assumption in InformationSystem Design by Pär J. Ågerfalk and Owen Eriksson.• Habermas’ theory in action by Jan L.G. Dietz.• Challenges to Information Systems Development by Roland Kaschek.The idea behind this inaugural meeting was to bring together people that share an affinity with pragmatist ISresearch and to initiate a scientific discussion about the role of pragmatist research in IS. We certainly hope that thisdiscussion will continue over the years to come. The papers are freely available for download athttp://www.sigprag.org

Hard and Soft Law in the European Union: The case of Social policy and the Open Method of Coordination

The European integrative experiment rests on a dynamic equilibrium of intergovernmental and supranational features of the regulatory framework of the European Union. One of the most important challenges to this system currently lies in finding ways to maintain its capacity to operate and, at the same time, adapt its problem-solving instruments to changing conditions of the regulatory politics. The current pragmatic mix of regulative strategies employed in the European Union allows for different possible scenarios concerning future development of the regulatory system within the EU. The article analyses the emergence and proliferation of new forms of decision-making and related legal techniques in the European Union. The origins and possible trajectory of a whole spectrum of contemporary legal techniques and governance methods, ranging from 'hard' to 'soft', are being contextualized. Special attention is given to the Open Method of Coordination and examples of its application in the social policy field.regulatory politics; rule of law; social policy

Effects of cultural cognitive styles on users evaluation of website complexity

The internationalization of websites requires compelling navigation experience for users from diverse cultures. This research investigates the effects of cultural cognitive styles on user perception of website complexity and the subsequent influence on user satisfaction towards the website. More specifically, the website complexity is examined along three dimensions: component, coordinative, and dynamic. Laboratory experiments involving participants from China and United States were used to test the hypotheses. The results showed that the effect of objective complexity on perceived complexity is contingent on cultural cognitive styles. People with holistic and analytic cultural cognitive styles display different perceptions of website complexity. This study extends website complexity literature to the cross-cultural context. It also suggests pragmatic strategies for website design practitioners to improve website design in order to attract international audiences

Emergency remote teaching in higher education: Mapping the first global online semester

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic that spread globally in 2020, higher education courses were subsequently offered in fully remote, online formats. A plethora of primary studies began investigating a range of topics exploring teaching and learning in higher education, particularly during the initial semester. In order to provide an overview and initial understanding of this emerging research field, a systematic mapping review was conducted that collates and describes the characteristics of 282 primary empirical studies. Findings reveal that research was carried out mostly descriptively and cross-sectionally, focusing predominantly on undergraduate students and their perceptions of teaching and learning during the pandemic. Studies originate from a broad range of countries, are overwhelmingly published open access, and largely focused on the fields of Health & Welfare and Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics. Educational technology used for emergency remote teaching are most often synchronous collaborative tools, used in combination with text-based tools. The findings are discussed against pre-pandemic research on educational technology use in higher education teaching and learning, and perspectives for further research are provided

Repurposing literacy: the uses of Richard Hoggart for creative education

After 50 years, what are the implications of Uses of Literacy for educational modernisation, in the light of subsequent changes from 'read only' literacy to 'read-write' uses of multimedia? This chapter argues that a broad extension of popular literacy via consumer-created digital content offers not only emancipationist potential in line with Hoggart's own project, but also economic benefits via the dynamics of creative innovation. Multimedia 'popular entertainments' pose a challenge to formal education, but not in the way that Hoggart feared. Instead of producing 'tamed helots,' commercial culture may be outpacing formal schooling in promoting creative digital literacy via entrepreneurial and distributed learning. It may indeed be that those in need of a creative make-over are not teenagers but teachers

An Inquiry into Supply Chain Strategy Implications of the Sharing Economy for Last Mile Logistics

As the prevalence of e-commerce and subsequent importance of effective and efficient omnichannel logistics strategies continues to rise, retail firms are exploring the viability of sourcing logistics capabilities from the sharing economy. Questions arise such as, “how can crowdbased logistics solutions such as crowdsourced logistics (CSL), crowdshipping, and pickup point networks (PPN) be leveraged to increase performance?” In this dissertation, empirical and analytical research is conducted that increases understanding of how firms can leverage the sharing economy to increase logistics and supply chain performance. Essay 1 explores crowdsourced logistics (CSL) by employing a stochastic discrete event simulation set in New York City in which a retail firm sources drivers from the crowd to perform same day deliveries under dynamic market conditions. Essay 2 employs a design science paradigm to develop a typology of crowdbased logistics strategies using two qualitative methodologies: web content analysis and Delphi surveys. A service-dominant logic theoretical perspective guides this essay and explains how firms co-create value with the crowd and consumer markets while presenting a generic design for integrating crowdbased models into logistics strategy. In Essay 3, a crowdsourced logistics strategy for home delivery is modeled in an empirically grounded simulation optimization to explore the logistics cost and responsiveness implications of sharing economy solutions on omnichannel fulfillment strategies

Economic Activity and Institutions

This paper is one of two working papers concerning the waste management sector transition project run from MERIT under the direction of René Kemp. This paper examines some of the numerous meanings and interpretations associated with the words “institution” and “institutions” and the different levels at which the two notions are employed. Institutionalism, institutionalization, institutional change and related terms are discussed followed by an examination of the links between “institutionalism” and the discipline of economics. The analytical, policy and political implications of the institutionalist approach are discussed and ways in which the institutionalist approach may be applied to changes in the economy during transitions are explored.Institutions, Institutional Analysis, Scale, Policy

Scientific dissemination and professional practices through digital media: The study of pragmatic strategies in the communication of international research projects

La investigación científica hoy en día está ligada a los procesos de globalización y a la búsqueda de la innovación y la excelencia, lo cual favorece una creciente colaboración, internacionalización y multidisciplinariedad. Para llevar a cabo estas iniciativas ambiciosas y de gran escala, los investigadores necesitan la financiación externa que distintas organizaciones, instituciones y programas pueden proporcionar. Esta reconfiguración del trabajo académico va de la mano de la ubiquidad y popularidad de Internet. Un extenso abanico de géneros, plataformas y medios digitales permiten a los científicos y académicos difundir sus investigaciones a una audiencia amplia y heterogénea. La inversión de esfuerzo en la comunicación mediada digitalmente permite a los investigadores contribuir a una diseminación más efectiva del conocimiento generado, así como cumplir con su compromiso social. Por otra parte, este esfuerzo les puede permitir reforzar su reputación como investigadores y conseguir un mayor impacto. Un ejemplo destacado de este escenario académico cambiante donde se maximiza el discurso digital para propósitos investigadores es el de los proyectos de investigación internacionales. Se trata de consorcios compuestos de miembros provenientes de entornos socioculturales y profesionales distintos que hacen uso de sitios web y redes sociales para la diseminación de sus proyectos conjuntos y utilizan las características tecnológicas y comunicativas de estos espacios digitales para ofrecer actualizaciones periódicas de su trabajo e información sobre hallazgos en progreso y resultados de investigación. De este modo, rinden cuentas a los organismos que los financian y aumentan su visibilidad entre los lectores digitales. Las intenciones comunicativas de estos equipos de investigación para cumplir dichos objetivos se codifican y transmiten discursivamente a través de diversas estrategias pragmáticas, que se encuadran en determinados parámetros contextuales y que responden a las especificidades del medio y se ven constreñidas por estas. Estas estrategias revelan cómo los investigadores comparten la información, cómo publicitan sus hallazgos y cómo se dirigen a sus potenciales lectores.Así, esta tesis doctoral tiene como objetivo investigar las estrategias pragmáticas prominentes en lengua inglesa empleadas por grupos de investigación internacionales en sus prácticas digitales discursivas, que normalmente se materializan en sitios webs y redes sociales para sus proyectos. Con este propósito, se compiló y analizó el corpus digital EUROPRO, que contiene 30 sitios web de proyectos de investigación que recibieron financiación en el marco del programa Horizonte2020 (subcorpus EUROPROwebs) y las correspondientes cuentas de Twitter de aquellos proyectos (subcorpus EUROPROtweets). Dichos subcorpus han sido extraídos de la base de datos digital EUROPRO recopilada por el grupo de investigación InterGedi. En mi tesis doctoral propongo una taxonomía derivada de los datos como resultado del análisis del corpus, que comprende 27 estrategias organizadas en torno a tres macrocategorías: informativas, promocionales e interaccionales. Incido teórica y metodológicamente en el proceso de diseñar y revisar esta herramienta analítica para así demonstrar su solidez y viabilidad. Además, analizo el rango de ocurrencia, la frecuencia y el uso específico de estas estrategias en las secciones que aparecen de manera sistemática en los sitios web incluidos en el corpus y en las páginas web donde se aloja la mayor parte de la información sobre el proyecto (Homepage, About, Partners, News & Events), en las cuentas de Twitter y, de forma comparativa, entre las secciones web y los tuits, con el fin de observar tendencias significativas y en cuanto a similitudes y diferencias en su funcionamiento en estos medios digitales. Además, adopto un enfoque etnográfico mediante la inclusión de evidencias contextuales conseguidas a través de entrevistas semi-estructuradas con investigadores de los proyectos Horizonte2020, cuyos resultados ayudan a sustentar los hallazgos procedentes del análisis textual. También tomo una perspectiva multimodal sobre cómo se emplean las estrategias pragmáticas en los sitios web de proyectos de investigación en relación a la sección Homepages. Este análisis, en concreto, permite reconocer el potencial de los recursos verbales y visuales para la construcción de significado desde una perspectiva pragmática. En general, el presente estudio busca ahondar en nuestro entendimiento de prácticas académicas digitales que están evolucionando rápidamente y que tienen gran alcance, en particular adoptadas por grupos de investigación, que pueden beneficiarse de los resultados y las implicaciones de esta investigación para la futura comunicación y diseminación de sus proyectos científicos.<br /