Sensemaking on the Pragmatic Web: A Hypermedia Discourse Perspective

The complexity of the dilemmas we face on an organizational, societal and global scale forces us into sensemaking activity. We need tools for expressing and contesting perspectives flexible enough for real time use in meetings, structured enough to help manage longer term memory, and powerful enough to filter the complexity of extended deliberation and debate on an organizational or global scale. This has been the motivation for a programme of basic and applied action research into Hypermedia Discourse, which draws on research in hypertext, information visualization, argumentation, modelling, and meeting facilitation. This paper proposes that this strand of work shares a key principle behind the Pragmatic Web concept, namely, the need to take seriously diverse perspectives and the processes of meaning negotiation. Moreover, it is argued that the hypermedia discourse tools described instantiate this principle in practical tools which permit end-user control over modelling approaches in the absence of consensus

Power and politics in requirements engineering: embracing the dark side?

This vision paper considers the role of power and politics in requirements engineering (RE). It offers a working definition of both terms and reviews the existing literature both in RE and related disciplines. It argues that, given the increased complexity, uncertainty and organisational embeddedness faced by RE in practice, power and politics have become increasingly relevant factors that have not been adequately considered. Building upon recent relevant research, a research agenda is proposed that presents a methodological framework which examines power and politics through the structure of power relations and the process of decision-making. This framework will require validation through empirical research as a first step to developing models of power and politics that could be of practical use for RE. Although the potential problems faced by the study of power and politics in an RE context are acknowledged, it is argued that the potential benefits could be significant

Addressing the cyber safety challenge: from risk to resilience

Addressing the cyber safety challenge: from risk to resilience describes the cyber safety issues emerging from a range of technology trends, how different populations are using technologies and the risks they face, and how we can effectively respond to each group’s unique cyber safety needs. Written by the University of Western Sydney for Telstra Corporation Ltd, the report advocates for continuing to move cyber safety from a ‘risk and protection’ framework to one that focuses on building digital resilience, as well as fostering trust and confidence in the online environment. To do this we need to: Address the needs of populations often neglected by current policies and programs – including adults, seniors, parents, and small to medium enterprises Continue to build the digital literacy skills of all populations, because digital literacy strongly influences users’ ability to engage safely online – this is best achieved by a hands-on learning approach Keep risk in perspective – the risks and benefits of digital participation go hand in hand Broaden the focus from awareness-raising to long-term behaviour change. As digital technologies become further integrated into the everyday lives of Australians, users are potentially exposed to greater risks. However, the risks and benefits of digital participation go hand in hand. The challenge, therefore, is to support users to minimise the risks without limiting their digital participation and their capacity to derive the full benefits of connectivity. If Australians are to benefit as either consumers or providers of online services and products in the e-commerce environment, consumer safety and trust need to be improved. Cyber safety needs to be considered against a transforming backdrop of technology trends, products and practices. While the rise of social media has tended to dominate recent debate and developments in cyber safety, particularly in relation to young people, a range of other trends is also shaping how users engage online, the risks they potentially face in the new media landscape, and the strategies used to address them. These trends include the rise of user generated content and content sharing platforms; the uptake of mobile technologies and, in particular, the adoption of smartphones; cloud computing; platform integration and single sign-on mechanisms; and the rise of GPS and location based services

A Conceptual Model for Network Decision Support Systems

We introduce the concept of a network DSS (NWDSS) consisting of fluid, heterogeneous nodes of human and machine agents, connected by wireless technology, which may enter and leave the network at unpredictable times, yet must also cooperate in decision-making activities. We describe distinguishing properties of the NWDSS and propose a 3-tier conceptual model comprised of digital infrastructure, transactive memory systems and emergent collaborative decision-making. We suggest a decision loop of Sense-Analyze-Adapt-Memory leveraging TMS as a starting point for addressing the agile collaborative requirements of emergent decision-making. Several examples of innovative NWDSS services are presented from Naval Postgraduate School field experiments

Governance of Digitalization in Europe A contribution to the Exploration Shaping Digital Policy - Towards a Fair Digital Society? BertelsmannStiftung Study

Digital policy is a unique policy area. As a cross-cutting policy issue, it has an impact not only on individual areas of regulation but on almost all other policy areas as well. Aspects of digital policy such as data regimes, cybersecurity and standardization issues are relevant not only to the the future of the internet or 5G mobile communications infrastructure, but to other areas of our lives to which they are closely linked, which range from automated driving to digital assistance systems in education and healthcare to the digitalization of sectors such as agriculture and construction. Nevertheless, regulation efforts have thus far been primarily sector-specific and national in their scope. With a few exceptions, such as the EU’s controversial General Data Protection Regulation, there are few digital policy frameworks in place for Europe that defines and integrates basic principles for broad application. Instead, we face a situation in which a variety of approaches stand side by side, at times complementing each other but also – all too often – competing with each other in ways that foster inconsistencies. The development of Europe’s 5G infrastructure is illustrative of this state of affairs. Despite the presence of what were originally uniform objectives across Europe, 28 nationally distinct tendering procedures with different requirements have since emerged. As a result, we must now find ways to manage the problems associated with having three or more networks per country, high costs, a difficult debate over security and the threat of dependency on non-EU providers

Strategic thinking and management elements for strategu execution positively affect on business performance

Business leaders are under pressure from stakeholders to comply with their demands while maintaining the organization’s competitiveness in increasingly complex markets. So, leaders are striving to continuously formulate strategies with management elements that will help them deliver more value to their customers and stakeholders. Strategic thinking is important to guide for examining all markets which are relevant to the core business of interest. Also, its necessary for analyse the relevant forces creating new markets as identifying business strategy requirements. Therefor, are used management elements, management models as guides for managerial activity in the business world for increasing a firm’s competitive advantage. Business management tools positively affects business performance and a strategic management orientation for formulating and implementing objectives, policies and performance. Companies confirms that integrated management model will result in dramatic benefits. In this way, strategy thinking enable company to determines its objectives, purposes, or goals, produces the principal policies and plans for achieving those goals, as defines the range of business the company is pursue and positively affects business performance

DNS4EU: a step change in the EU’s strategic autonomy?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is vital to the internet, enabling everyday uses such as browsing, emailing and chatting. One function in particular – the DNS resolution, performed by resolver operators – allows us to reach what we are looking for online. The market of recursive resolution is highly dynamic and is currently shifting towards open or public resolvers, which tend to belong to large tech companies. In 2022, the European Commission launched the DNS4EU initiative, which established a European resolver as part of the new EU cybersecurity strategy, in order to respond to the resilience, security and privacy needs of the union. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the DNS4EU project, which provided seed funding to a European competitor in a market increasingly dominated by non-EU players. As a critical infrastructure service, the DNS4EU represents one of the first concrete steps towards enhancing the strategic autonomy of the union. But it also constitutes an unprecedented public intervention in a largely private market relying on voluntary adoption. This article contextualises the DNS4EU initiative, outlining both advantages and limitations of the European strategy and related tender process and implementation plan, concluding with a discussion on the future of DNS resolution