MODUS: model-based user interfaces prototyping

Model-based methodologies, supported by automatic generation, have been proposed as a solution to reduce software development costs. In the case of interactive computing systems specific challenges arise. On the one hand, a high level of automation requires the use of detailed models, which is contrary to the iterative development process, based on the progressive refinement of user interface mockups, typical of user centered development processes. On the other hand, layered software architectures imply a distinction between the models used in the business logic and in the user interface, raising consistency problems between the models at each level. This article proposes a tool supported approach to user interface generation directly from the architectural models of the business logic. In many situations, user interfaces provide similar features inside a specific domain. The identification of the application domain is thus a key factor in supporting the automation of the generation process.This work was financed by the ERDF – European Regional Development Fund through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation - COMPETE 2020 Programme, and by National Funds through the FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) within project POCI-01-0145- FEDER-006961.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An Evaluation of Stakeholder Engagement in ICT Research Projects

Modern societies rely upon research to deal with social challenges through research and innovation (R&I) that is carried out in ICT research projects. ICT research projects are important in generating breakthrough technologies and translating these technologies into solutions for the wider society. In order to develop societally acceptable and desirable solutions, ICT research projects engage different stakeholders who play an important role in encouraging responsible outcomes. Despite the growing recognition of stakeholder engagement in ICT research projects, there is limited evidence in the literature to demonstrate its value. This gap is reflective of a general lack of discourse on qualitative evaluation of stakeholder engagement in ICT research projects. To adequately inform and support engagement activities in ICT research projects, particularly concerning the attainment of socially desirable outcomes, there is a need to understand the efficacy of stakeholder engagement. Therefore, to address this gap, the study synthesises the literature on stakeholder engagement, responsible research and innovation (RRI) and looks at the different approaches that are used to evaluate and understand the value of stakeholder engagement in a wider research context. The synthesis is done to inform a conceptual model which is then used to unfold and analyse the value of stakeholder engagement in attaining socially desirable outcomes in ICT research projects. The proposed conceptual evaluation model informs a qualitative investigation involving a case study of four ICT research projects. Findings suggest that the efficacy of stakeholder engagement in ICT research projects, particularly with regards to the attainment of socially desirable outcomes, is predominantly based on a focused identification of stakeholders, the relevance of the form of stakeholder engagement activities and the rationale behind the engagement. Therefore, to understand the value of stakeholder engagement in achieving socially desirable and acceptable outcomes in ICT research projects, a combination of three different approaches to evaluation, including theory-based, case-based and participatory approaches, is suggested. The study contributes to practice and theory by emphasising the vital interrelation between stakeholder engagement and the achievement of responsible outcomes in ICT R&I. The study guides better alignment of stakeholder engagement and R&I processes within ICT research projects in achieving positive outcomes for the society. It identifies specific elements of stakeholder engagement which researchers and practitioners should focus on to promote stakeholder engagement towards ensuring better R&I outcomes in ICT research. Furthermore, the research contributes to theory by looking at how evaluation theory can support understanding the value of stakeholder engagement in ICT research projects within the context of responsible research and innovation.The research was sponsored and benefited from the activities undertaken in the Stakeholders Acting Together on the Ethical Impact Assessment of Research and Innovation – SATORI project which received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 612231

Product/Brand co-creation methodology crossing marketing, design thinking, creativity and management: ideas(r)evolution

This thesis introduce a new innovation methodology called IDEAS(R)EVOLUTION that was developed according to an on-going experimental research project started in 2007. This new approach to innovation has initial based on Design thinking for innovation theory and practice. The concept of design thinking for innovation has received much attention in recent years. This innovation approach has climbed from the design and designers knowledge field towards other knowledge areas, mainly business management and marketing. Human centered approach, radical collaboration, creativity and breakthrough thinking are the main founding principles of Design thinking that were adapted by those knowledge areas due to their assertively and fitness to the business context and market complexity evolution. Also Open innovation, User-centered innovation and later on Living Labs models emerge as answers to the market and consumers pressure and desire for new products, new services or new business models. Innovation became the principal business management focus and strategic orientation. All this changes had an impact also in the marketing theory. It is possible now to have better strategies, communications plans and continuous dialogue systems with the target audience, incorporating their insights and promoting them to the main dissemination ambassadors of our innovations in the market. Drawing upon data from five case studies, the empirical findings in this dissertation suggest that companies need to shift from Design thinking for innovation approach to an holistic, multidimensional and integrated innovation system. The innovation context it is complex, companies need deeper systems then the success formulas that “commercial “Design thinking for innovation “preaches”. They need to learn how to change their organization culture, how to empower their workforce and collaborators, how to incorporate external stakeholders in their innovation processes, hoe to measure and create key performance indicators throughout the innovation process to give them better decision making data, how to integrate meaning and purpose in their innovation philosophy. Finally they need to understand that the strategic innovation effort it is not a “one shot” story it is about creating a continuous flow of interaction and dialogue with their clients within a “value creation chain“ mindset; RESUMO: Metodologia de co-criação de um produto/marca cruzando Marketing, Design Thinking, Criativity and Management - IDEAS(R)EVOLUTION. Esta dissertação apresenta uma nova metodologia de inovação chamada IDEAS(R)EVOLUTION, que foi desenvolvida segundo um projecto de investigação experimental contínuo que teve o seu início em 2007. Esta nova abordagem baseou-se, inicialmente, na teoria e na práctica do Design thinking para a inovação. Actualmente o conceito do Design Thinking para a inovação “saiu” do dominio da area de conhecimento do Design e dos Designers, tendo despertado muito interesse noutras áreas como a Gestão e o Marketing. Uma abordagem centrada na Pessoa, a colaboração radical, a criatividade e o pensamento disruptivo são principios fundadores do movimento do Design thinking que têm sido adaptados por essas novas áreas de conhecimento devido assertividade e adaptabilidade ao contexto dos negócios e à evolução e complexidade do Mercado. Também os modelos de Inovação Aberta, a inovação centrada no utilizador e mais tarde os Living Labs, emergem como possiveis soluções para o Mercado e para a pressão e desejo dos consumidores para novos productos, serviços ou modelos de negócio. A inovação passou a ser o principal foco e orientação estratégica na Gestão. Todas estas mudanças também tiveram impacto na teoria do Marketing. Hoje é possivel criar melhores estratégias, planos de comunicação e sistemas continuos de diálogo com o público alvo, incorporando os seus insights e promovendo os consumidores como embaixadores na disseminação da inovação das empresas no Mercado Os resultados empiricos desta tese, construídos com a informação obtida nos cinco casos realizados, sugerem que as empresas precisam de se re-orientar do paradigma do Design thinking para a inovação, para um sistema de inovação mais holistico, multidimensional e integrado. O contexto da Inovação é complexo, por isso as empresas precisam de sistemas mais profundos e não apenas de “fórmulas comerciais” como o Design thinking para a inovação advoga. As Empresas precisam de aprender como mudar a sua cultura organizacional, como capacitar sua força de trabalho e colaboradores, como incorporar os públicos externos no processo de inovação, como medir o processo de inovação criando indicadores chave de performance e obter dados para um tomada de decisão mais informada, como integrar significado e propósito na sua filosofia de inovação. Por fim, precisam de perceber que uma estratégia de inovação não passa por ter “sucesso uma vez”, mas sim por criar um fluxo contínuo de interação e diálogo com os seus clientes com uma mentalidade de “cadeia de criação de valor

Effect of industry changes on quality and sustainability in the luxury apparel value chains : the case of cashmere industry in India : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering, School of Food and Advanced Technology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Listed in 2022 Dean's List of Exceptional ThesesFigures are re-used with permission.Cashmere is an extremely fine and expensive natural fibre used to make a variety of luxury apparel products. The Kashmir region of India has been the traditional hub for manufacturing cashmere products for centuries and a source of livelihood to many artisan communities. However, changes in the cashmere industry such as the advent of mechanisation, use of blended fibres, exposure to wider markets and lack of quality standards is leading to social, economic, environmental, and quality issues in the craft industry. The aim of this interdisciplinary research was to determine and analyse the effect of these industry changes through the lenses of quality and sustainability. This study was carried out as an ethnographic case study in the context of an industry making transition to the global consumer age. To this end, a single case study was conducted in Kashmir, India using qualitative methodological approaches. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, observations and from secondary sources such as retailer websites and documents. A thematic analysis-based approach was adopted in this research. Findings indicate that there are three distinct cashmere value chains functioning simultaneously in India: a traditional chain, a modern chain and a Geographical Indication-based chain. Among other implications of the industry changes, the two major aspects observed were the marginalization of cashmere artisanal communities and the lack of recognition of distinct product labelling options. This has economic, social and environmental ramifications and leads to quality issues. Therefore, for multiple cashmere value chains which produce a range of products, a product labelling mechanism distinguishing the place of fibre origin, type of the fibre used, and practices adopted during the manufacture is developed. Also, the adoption of Geographical Indications (GI) as a quality and sustainable development tool is considered, and a conceptual model (QASHMIR) is developed to model the sustainable development of the cashmere industry in India. A policy mechanism to implement and monitor the proposed model using the sustainability indicator system is suggested. Through this, a contribution to the body of knowledge surrounding luxury apparel value chains is made for academics, policy makers and industry practitioners

Measuring Sustainability in Less Developed Countries: Case of Tourism in the Gorilla Parks of the Democratic Republic of Congo

This research proposes a method and tool for measuring the sustainability of tourism in Less Developed Countries (LDCs), more specifically the gorilla tourism of the D.R. Congo. Since the Brundtland Report several assessment models have been proposed but have all failed to capture the centrality of sustainability, i.e. stakeholders, the very ones who can take action for sustainability to be achieved or not. This research has helped to design a holistic and stakeholder-centred method and tool for measuring sustainability of tourism, the Sustainability Value Model (SVM) using Social Network Analysis (SNA) method. The SVM tool provides a visual assessment of the sustainability level attained by the tourism sector. It also evidences specific improvement areas for achieving set sustainability targets. The Literature Review emphasises the importance of target setting in measuring sustainability, and frameworks have been developed but there are hardly any that measure sustainability of tourism in a holistic manner, leading to action. Two theories underpin this research; Stakeholder Theory and Social Exchange Theory were found to be the most relevant ones for providing the most appropriate framework for this research. Three research questions were then developed to address the ex-ante measurement gap and a mixed-methods methodology was implemented. It consists of semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys using rosters. Analysis was carried out by means of the SNA method using UCINET software and NetDraw, its related graphing tool. The results indicate the existence of five stakeholder groups and 26 sustainability indicators in the gorilla tourism of the D.R. Congo. A key finding is the design of the SVM, which graphically presents the level of sustainability or unsustainability achieved in the sector. The research reveals a significant disconnect of relationships between the five stakeholder groups. This high level of disconnect (very poor quality of perceived exchanges) between stakeholders evidences the fact that the sector is vulnerable and prone to break up as its stakeholders hardly support one another. As far as the author is aware, this research is the only one conducted that presents a holistic approach for measuring sustainability of tourism in LDCs with a tool for carrying out the measurement. The results of this research present tourism managers with a practical tool for measuring sustainability of tourism and of any other industry. Academics will find an opportunity to further engage in sustainability measurement in their respective areas of research. Likewise, policy and decision-makers will make savings by easily spotting the most relevant investment areas for sustainability attainment. Key words: sustainability, sustainability indicators, measurement, tourism, social network analysis, stakeholder, social exchange theory, value network analysis

L’engagement des bénéficiaires dans les projets de développement international : les perspectives des superviseurs, des coordonnateurs et des bénéficiaires

Cette thèse examine l’influence de l’engagement des bénéficiaires sur le succès des projets de développement international, selon les perspectives des superviseurs, des coordonnateurs/gestionnaires et des bénéficiaires de ces projets. Elle s’articule autour de trois articles. Le premier est une revue systématique de la littérature sur la gestion des parties prenantes en gestion de projet. Le second est conceptuel et traite des opportunités d’apprentissage mutuel entre la gestion de projet et le développement international, plus spécifiquement entre la gestion des parties prenantes en gestion de projet et la participation des bénéficiaires en développement international. Le troisième est empirique et aborde l’influence de l’engagement des bénéficiaires sur le succès des projets de développement international, selon les perspectives des superviseurs, des coordonnateurs/gestionnaires et des bénéficiaires de ces projets. L’objectif de l’article 1, dont la première version a été présentée à la conférence de l’Association des sciences administratives du Canada (ASAC) en 2019, était d’analyser 61 articles traitant des parties prenantes en gestion de projet en considérant que le processus de gestion des parties prenantes répond principalement, comme le suggère Frooman (1999), à trois questions: Qui sont-elles? Que veulent-elles ? Comment s’y prennent-elles pour obtenir ce qu’elles veulent ? Chemin faisant, nous avons ajouté une quatrième question : Quelles sont les stratégies d’engagement des parties prenantes ? Les résultats de cette étude montrent que les articles sélectionnés répondent en priorité aux deux premières questions : Qui sont-elles? Que veulent-elles ? La question trois (Comment s’y prennent-elles pour obtenir ce qu’elles veulent ?) est, toutefois, très peu abordée dans les articles. De plus, nous avons trouvé que certains projets continuent toujours d’identifier leurs parties prenantes et les intérêts et attentes de celles-ci avant le début du projet ou à sa phase d’exécution, tout en ignorant les interactions qui peuvent exister entre ces différentes parties prenantes. L’article 2 dont la traduction de l’intitulé en français est « Faire avancer la recherche sur la gestion des parties prenantes des projets : trois leçons de la participation en développement international » a été publié dans les actes de la European Academy of Management (EURAM) Conference en 2021 sous le titre « Moving External Project Stakeholder Research Forward: Three Lessons from Participation in International Development ». Cet article se situe à l’intersection des deux domaines de la gestion de projet et du développement international et offre trois leçons clés de la participation en développement international pour faire avancer la recherche en gestion de projet. En effet, l’article 2 conclut à la nécessité de considérer l’engagement des parties prenantes externes en gestion de projet, non pas uniquement comme un moyen ou une fin en soi, mais plutôt comme un moyen et une fin. Il faut en outre tenir compte de la lutte pour la redistribution du pouvoir liée à l’engagement des parties prenantes externes, mais aussi de l’impérieuse nécessité de capitaliser le contexte dans lequel l’engagement des parties prenantes est mis en oeuvre. L’article 3 dont la traduction de l’intitulé en français est « Influence de l’engagement des bénéficiaires sur le succès des projets de développement international : les perspectives des gestionnaires, des superviseurs et des bénéficiaires » a été publié dans les actes de la European Academy of Management (EURAM) Conference en 2022 sous le titre « Influence of beneficiary engagement in international development projects : the perspectives of managers, supervisors and beneficiaries ». Dans cet article, nous donnons la parole aux praticiens (gestionnaires, superviseurs et bénéficiaires) en mesurant empiriquement l’influence de l’engagement des bénéficiaires sur le succès des projets de développement international selon leurs perspectives. En utilisant une approche méthodologique mixte (qualitative et quantitative) et une modélisation par équations structurelles, nous avons abouti à des résultats qui montrent que l'implication des bénéficiaires (faible niveau d’engagement) influence positivement aussi bien le succès de la gestion du projet que l'impact du projet, mais cela n’est pas le cas pour la participation des bénéficiaires (haut niveau d’engagement). Les résultats montrent également que contrairement aux caractéristiques du projet, son contexte de mise en oeuvre influence significativement l’engagement (implication et participation) des bénéficiaires. This thesis examines the influence of beneficiary engagement on the success of international development projects, through the perspectives of supervisors, coordinators/managers, and beneficiaries of these projects. It is built around three articles, the first is a systematic review of the literature on stakeholder management in project management. The second is conceptual and deals with cross-learning opportunities between project management and international development, more specifically between stakeholder management in project management and beneficiary participation in international development. The third is empirical and addresses the influence of beneficiary engagement on the success of international development projects through the perspectives of supervisors, coordinators/managers and beneficiaries of these projects. The purpose of Article 1, the first version of which was presented at the 2019 Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC) conference, was to analyze 61 articles dealing with stakeholders in project management by considering that the stakeholder management process mainly answers, as suggested by Frooman (1999), three questions: who are they? What do they want? How do they get what they want? Along the way, we added a fourth question: What are the strategies for stakeholder engagement? The results of this study show that the selected articles answer the first two questions: who are they? What do they want? Question three (how do they get what they want?) is, however, very seldom addressed in the articles. In addition, we found that some projects still continue to identify their stakeholders and their interests and expectations before the beginning of the project or during its implementation phase, while ignoring the interactions that may exist between these different stakeholders. Article 2, entitled " Moving External Project Stakeholder Research Forward: Three Lessons from Participation in International Development" was published in the proceedings of the European Academy of Management (EURAM) Conference 2021. This article is at the intersection of the two domains of project management and international development and offers three key lessons from international development participation to advance project management research. Indeed, article 2 concludes that there is a need to consider external stakeholder engagement in project management, not just as a means to an end, but rather as both a means and an end, to take into account the struggle of power redistribution associated with external stakeholder engagement, and the compelling need to consider the context in which stakeholder engagement is implemented. Article 3, entitled " Influence of beneficiary engagement in international development projects: the perspectives of managers, supervisors and beneficiaries" was published in the proceedings of the European Academy of Management (EURAM) Conference 2022. In this article, we give voice to practitioners (managers, supervisors, and beneficiaries) by empirically measuring the influence of beneficiary engagement on the success of international development projects from their perspectives. Using a mixed methodological approach (qualitative and quantitative) and structural equation modeling, we found that beneficiary involvement (low level of engagement) positively influences both project management success and project impact, but this is not the case for beneficiary participation (high level of engagement). The results also show that in contrast to the project's characteristics, its implementation context significantly influences the beneficiaries' engagement (involvement and participation)

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY, MARKETING, AND REPUTATION: A Stakeholder Approach for Sustainable Car Fleet Management

Full version unavailable due to 3rd party copyright restrictions.Corporate responsibility is increasingly involved in corporate reputation, and so, in the economic success of a company. Car fleet operating companies are exposed to criticism and, as a direct result of this many corporate protagonists responsible for the operation of car fleets are developing measures to decrease CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. A second trend is the increasing usage of image-generating marketing actions in the worldwide ‘information society’. For various reasons, these image campaigns do not always lead to the expected improvements in corporate reputation. The crucial question is, how do these marketing actions, in the name of corporate social responsibility, relate to corporate reputation? The objective of this research is to establish rules for these relationships and to derive a new stakeholder approach to optimise corporate reputation regarding car fleet management marketing. First of all this study examines theoretical evidence in preparation for further empirical studies on the behaviour of sustainable car fleet management. With this in mind, the thesis looks at empirical evidence about the factors deemed necessary for successful responsible car fleet operation and its marketing. After conducting an online survey with more than 300 respondents, a multiple-embedded-case study with three cases, six supplementary cases, and several stakeholders represents the main part of this work. As a result, this work depicts, through three models, and via a new stakeholder approach (a combination of the three), the relationships of certain main types of firm with main types of fleet as well as the main types of marketing to support corporate reputation. Unexpected findings regarding the suitable intensity of communication to internal and external stakeholders have emerged. This approach successfully supports the design of sustainable car fleet management and a suitable arrangement of the marketing approach

Toward a theory of the evolution of business ecosystems : enterprise architectures, competitive dynamics, firm performance & industrial co-evolution

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2009.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Vita.Includes bibliographical references (v. 4, p. 698-745).This dissertation contributes toward the building of a theory of the evolution of business ecosystems. In the process, it addresses a question that has been posed by evolutionary theorists in the economics and sociology literatures for decades: "Why do firms in the same industry vary systematically in performance over time?" Seeking a systematic explanation of a longitudinal phenomenon inevitably requires characterizing the evolution of the industrial ecosystem, as both the organization (firm) and its environment (industry, markets and institutions) are co-evolving. This question is therefore explored via a theoretical sample in three industrial ecosystems covering manufacturing and service sectors, with competitors from the US, Europe and Japan: commercial airplanes, motor vehicles and airlines. The research is based primarily on an in depth seven-year, multi-level, multi-method, field-based case study of both firms in the large commercial airplanes industry mixed duopoly as well as the key stakeholders in their extended enterprises (i.e. customers, suppliers, investors and employees). This field work is supplemented with historical comparative analysis in all three industries, as well as nonlinear dynamic simulation models developed to capture the essential mechanisms governing the evolution of business ecosystems.(cont.) A theoretical framework is developed which endogenously traces the co-evolution of firms and their industrial environments using their highest-level system properties of form, function and fitness (as reflected in the system sciences of morphology, physiology and ecology), and which embraces the evolutionary processes of variation, selection and retention. The framework captures the path-dependent evolution of heterogeneous populations of enterprise architectures engaged in symbiotic inter-species competition and posits the evolution of dominant designs in enterprise architectures that oscillate deterministically and chaotically between modular and integral states throughout an industry's life-cycle. Architectural innovation - at the extended enterprise level - is demonstrated to contribute to the failure of established firms, with causal mechanisms developed to explain tipping points.by Theodore F. Piepenbrock.Ph.D