73 research outputs found

    Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

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    Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

    The use of social media by exporting B2B SMEs, implications for performance

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    Previously held under moratorium from 1st December 2016 until 1st December 2021.The evolution of social media enables the creation of virtual customer environments where online communications have impacted increasingly on the marketing environment. As such, 21st century firms need to consider the many opportunities that social media present. Given the scant empirical evaluation of social media use in the SMEs Business-to-Business (B2B) context, this thesis aims to “empirically investigate SMEs B2B firms’ actual use of social media and how it impacts their export performance”. This study contributes to the emerging SMEs B2B digital marketing literature by determining, firstly, the factors that affect SMEs B2B firms using social media and, secondly, the mechanism through which SMEs B2B firms can potentially benefits from using social media in their exporting efforts. A number of hypotheses were developed building on the available literature. These hypotheses were examined using data from a sample of 277 British firms from different industries. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the hypotheses. The results suggest that the usage of social media is affected significantly by perceived ease of use; perceived relative advantage; and subjective norms. Additionally, both the firm’s training and innovativeness enhance the relationship between subjective norms and social media use. The results reveal, also, that the social media use influences export performance indirectly through the quality of international business contacts; understanding customers’ views and preferences; and understanding competition in different markets. However, the link between social media use and export performance is not indirectly influenced by the number of international business contacts and brand awareness. Furthermore, customer engagement enhances the relationships between social media use and the aforementioned factors through which social media use indirectly influences export performance. Cultural adaptation enhances, also, the relationships between understanding customers’ views and preferences;understanding competition in different markets; and export performance. Important implications for how SMEs B2B firms may benefit best from using social media for their exporting efforts and future research are derived from the findings.The evolution of social media enables the creation of virtual customer environments where online communications have impacted increasingly on the marketing environment. As such, 21st century firms need to consider the many opportunities that social media present. Given the scant empirical evaluation of social media use in the SMEs Business-to-Business (B2B) context, this thesis aims to “empirically investigate SMEs B2B firms’ actual use of social media and how it impacts their export performance”. This study contributes to the emerging SMEs B2B digital marketing literature by determining, firstly, the factors that affect SMEs B2B firms using social media and, secondly, the mechanism through which SMEs B2B firms can potentially benefits from using social media in their exporting efforts. A number of hypotheses were developed building on the available literature. These hypotheses were examined using data from a sample of 277 British firms from different industries. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the hypotheses. The results suggest that the usage of social media is affected significantly by perceived ease of use; perceived relative advantage; and subjective norms. Additionally, both the firm’s training and innovativeness enhance the relationship between subjective norms and social media use. The results reveal, also, that the social media use influences export performance indirectly through the quality of international business contacts; understanding customers’ views and preferences; and understanding competition in different markets. However, the link between social media use and export performance is not indirectly influenced by the number of international business contacts and brand awareness. Furthermore, customer engagement enhances the relationships between social media use and the aforementioned factors through which social media use indirectly influences export performance. Cultural adaptation enhances, also, the relationships between understanding customers’ views and preferences;understanding competition in different markets; and export performance. Important implications for how SMEs B2B firms may benefit best from using social media for their exporting efforts and future research are derived from the findings

    Analytics-based approach to the study of learning networks in digital education settings

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    Investigating howgroups communicate, build knowledge and expertise, reach consensus or collaboratively solve complex problems, became one of the main foci of contemporary research in learning and social sciences. Emerging models of communication and empowerment of networks as a form of social organization further reshaped practice and pedagogy of online education, bringing research on learning networks into the mainstream of educational and social science research. In such conditions, massive open online courses (MOOCs) emerged as one of the promising approaches to facilitating learning in networked settings and shifting education towards more open and lifelong learning. Nevertheless, this most recent educational turn highlights the importance of understanding social and technological (i.e., material) factors as mutually interdependent, challenging the existing forms of pedagogy and practice of assessment for learning in online environments. On the other hand, the main focus of the contemporary research on networked learning is primarily oriented towards retrospective analysis of learning networks and informing design of future tasks and recommendations for learning. Although providing invaluable insights for understanding learning in networked settings, the nature of commonly applied approaches does not necessarily allow for providing means for understanding learning as it unfolds. In that sense, learning analytics, as a multidisciplinary research field, presents a complementary research strand to the contemporary research on learning networks. Providing theory-driven and analytics-based methods that would allow for comprehensive assessment of complex learning skills, learning analytics positions itself either as the end point or a part of the pedagogy of learning in networked settings. The thesis contributes to the development of learning analytics-based research in studying learning networks that emerge fromthe context of learning with MOOCs. Being rooted in the well-established evidence-centered design assessment framework, the thesis develops a conceptual analytics-based model that provides means for understanding learning networks from both individual and network levels. The proposed model provides a theory-driven conceptualization of the main constructs, along with their mutual relationships, necessary for studying learning networks. Specifically, to provide comprehensive understanding of learning networks, it is necessary to account for structure of learner interactions, discourse generated in the learning process, and dynamics of structural and discourse properties. These three elements – structure, discourse, and dynamics – should be observed as mutually dependent, taking into account learners’ personal interests, motivation, behavior, and contextual factors that determine the environment in which a specific learning network develops. The thesis also offers an operationalization of the constructs identified in the model with the aim at providing learning analytics-methods for the implementation of assessment for learning. In so doing, I offered a redefinition of the existing educational framework that defines learner engagement in order to account for specific aspects of learning networks emerging from learning with MOOCs. Finally, throughout the empirical work presented in five peer-reviewed studies, the thesis provides an evaluation of the proposed model and introduces novel learning analytics methods that provide different perspectives for understanding learning networks. The empirical work also provides significant theoretical and methodological contributions for research and practice in the context of learning networks emerging from learning with MOOCs

    Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Organisations: The Case of Open Source Software Communities

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    The knowledge-based economy, where everything and everybody is just one click away, has formed the foundation for a new organisational form. The term ‘virtual organisation’ (VO) reflects the emergence of a new organisational form with a record of success in the modern business environment, where knowledge has become a key component. Managing knowledge is the main driver in the knowledge-based economy. One of the best examples of such organisational forms with successful knowledge sharing processes is open source software (OSS) communities. This justifies my thesis, which undertakes primary research in OSS communities via qualitative and quantitative studies to find out how and to what extent knowledge is shared in those communities, in order to develop a Model for successful knowledge sharing processes in the VOs. The following factors in the Model, which influence the level of personal contribution in the OSS communities, were found. The level of personal contribution as an indicator to knowledge sharing for product innovation is a result of a combination of individual factors as well as individual opinion on the organisational factors. Factors such as an education level/explicit knowledge, incentives/benefits for the future and monetary reward do not play a role on their own, but they influence the level of roles and the level of activeness, which in turn influence the level of knowledge sharing, which is important for the level of personal contribution on product innovation. Personal and work related motivations are important factors to successful knowledge sharing inside OSS communities. However, most importantly, the level of personal contribution towards product innovation is a result of the satisfaction of individuals by the management of the OSS communities, identification with these communities and trust inside of these communities. The developed Model shows that organisational factors are more important than individual factors for successful knowledge sharing inside OSS communities from an individual’s perspective

    Problem space of modern society: philosophical-communicative and pedagogical interpretations. Part I

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    This collective monograph offers the description of philosophical bases of definition of communicative competence and pedagogical conditions for the formation of communication skills. The authors of individual chapters have chosen such point of view for the topic which they considered as the most important and specific for their field of study using the methods of logical and semantic analysis of concepts, the method of reflection, textual reconstruction and comparative analysis. The theoretical and applied problems of modern society are investigated in the context of philosophical, communicative and pedagogical interpretations
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