Enabling pervasive computing with smart phones

The authors discuss their experience with a number of mobile telephony projects carried out in the context of the European Union Information Society Technologies research program, which aims to develop mobile information services. They identify areas where use of smart phones can enable pervasive computing and offer practical advice in terms of lessons learned. To this end, they first look at the mobile telephone as * the end point of a mobile information service,* the control device for ubiquitous systems management and configuration,* the networking hub for personal and body area networks, and* identification tokens.They conclude with a discussion of business and practical issues that play a significant role in deploying research systems in realistic situations

Can ubiquity moderate m-banking resource-related negative effects?

El objetivo de este estudio es explorar la influencia de los inconvenientes de la banca móvil relacionados con la falta de recursos en la satisfacción de los clientes, su disposición a recibir marketing móvil de permiso y la emisión de boca-oreja. Analizando una muestra de 1429 usuarios de banca móvil, determinamos que la satisfacción de los clientes influye en su disposición a recibir marketing móvil de permiso y emitir boca-oreja, mientras que la disposición a recibir marketing móvil de permiso tiene un efecto positivo sobre la emisión de boca-oreja. Siendo la ubicuidad un atributo distintivo de la banca móvil, observamos su papel moderador, identificando que hay clientes que consideran la ubicuidad como una característica importante de la banca móvil, mientras que otros no la consideran relevante. Este estudio propone recomendaciones para mejorar el uso de los servicios de la banca móvil, evitando o disminuyendo los efectos negativos de sus inconvenientes.The objective of this study is to explore the influence of m-banking resource-related inadequacies on clients’ satisfaction with the banking services, their permission-based mobile marketing tendencies and word-of-mouth emission actions. Analysing a sample of 1429 users of mobile banking services, we determined that clients’ satisfaction influences their willingness to receive permission-based mobile marketing and to emit word-of-mouth, while the willingness to receive permission-based mobile marketing has a positive effect on the word-of-mouth emission. In order not to overlook the ubiquity as a distinguishing attribute of m-banking services, we observe its moderating role, identifying clients who consider ubiquity as an important m-banking characteristic and others who do not consider it relevant. Hence, attending the opinion of actual m-banking clients, this study proposes suggestions for improving the use of m-banking services by avoiding or lessening the negative effects of m-banking resource-related inadequacies

Added Value-based Approach to Analyze Electronic Commerce and Mobile Commerce Business Models

In this contribution we propose to apply the theory of informational added values (IAV) on electronic commerce (EC) and mobile commerce (MC). We state that for the success of electronic and mobile offers it is not sufficient to merely make a conventional offer available with new media. Instead, the use of electronic and mobile communication technology is only remunerative if it results in obtaining distinct supplementary IAV. This depends on the exploitation of certain faculties of the used technology. For EC, we call these the four electronic added values (EAV): reduction of temporal and certain spatial limitations, reduction of technical limitations, multi-mediality of access and egalitarian access. For MC, we call these the four mobile added values (MAV): ubiquity, contextsensitivity,identifying functions and command and control functions. We can find EAV and MAV as typical properties of EC or MC applications. EAV are the basis for the superiority of Internet applications compared with offline solutions. The relationship between the separate EAV and IAV will be explained and analyzed. Proceeding analogously for mobile applications, we analyze the relationship between MAV and resulting IAV. The outcome is an extension of the theory of informational added values with the concept of electronic and mobile added values. This allows for an application of the theory to both EC and MC in order to analyze and qualitatively evaluate any given business model. For determining its crucial added value we have to identify the EAV/MAV which are capitalized and can deduce the IAV resulting for each party involved. The concept put forward is a suggestion to approach business models, with the focus on typical evaluation criteria for Internet/mobile business models. It is also suitable to compare different business models and to put their added value for the involved parties in a context. In this way, objective criteria are established reducing subjectivity and allowing to make certain predictions. The paper ends with a critical review and the perspective for further research

SMEs, electronically-mediated working and data security: cause for concern?

Security of data is critical to the operations of firms. Without the ability to store, process and transmit data securely, operations may be compromised, with the potential for serious consequences to trading integrity. Thus the role that electronically-mediated working plays in business today and its dependency on data security is of critical interest, especially in light of the fact that much of this communication is based on the use of open networks (i.e. the Internet). This paper discusses findings from a 'WestFocus' survey on electronically-mediated working and telework amongst a sample of SMEs located in West London and adjacent counties in South-Eastern England in order to highlight the problems that such practice raises in terms of data security. Data collection involved a telephone survey undertaken in early 2006 of 378 firms classified into four industrial sectors ('Media', 'Logistics', 'Internet Services' and 'Food Processing'). After establishing how ICTs and the Internet are being exploited as business applications for small firms, data security practice is explored on the basis of sector and size with a focus on telework. The paper goes on to highlight areas of concern in terms of data security policy and training practice. Findings show some sector and size influences.WestFocus* under the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF 2

The moderating influence of device characteristics and usage on user acceptance of smart mobile devices

This study seeks to develop a comprehensive model of consumer acceptance in the context of Smart Mobile Device (SMDs). This paper proposes an adaptation of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) model that can be employed to explain and predict the acceptance of SMDs. Also included in the model are a number of external and new moderating variables that can be used to explain user intentions and subsequent usage behaviour. The model holds that Activity-based Usage and Device Characteristics are posited to moderate the impact of the constructs empirically validated in the UTAUT2 model. Through an important cluster of antecedents the proposed model aims to enhance our understanding of consumer motivations for using SMDs and aid efforts to promote the adoption and diffusion of these devices

Harnessing Technology: analysis of emerging trends affecting the use of technology in education (September 2008)

Research to support the delivery and development of Harnessing Technology: Next Generation Learning 2008–1

Personalisation and recommender systems in digital libraries

Widespread use of the Internet has resulted in digital libraries that are increasingly used by diverse communities of users for diverse purposes and in which sharing and collaboration have become important social elements. As such libraries become commonplace, as their contents and services become more varied, and as their patrons become more experienced with computer technology, users will expect more sophisticated services from these libraries. A simple search function, normally an integral part of any digital library, increasingly leads to user frustration as user needs become more complex and as the volume of managed information increases. Proactive digital libraries, where the library evolves from being passive and untailored, are seen as offering great potential for addressing and overcoming these issues and include techniques such as personalisation and recommender systems. In this paper, following on from the DELOS/NSF Working Group on Personalisation and Recommender Systems for Digital Libraries, which met and reported during 2003, we present some background material on the scope of personalisation and recommender systems in digital libraries. We then outline the working group’s vision for the evolution of digital libraries and the role that personalisation and recommender systems will play, and we present a series of research challenges and specific recommendations and research priorities for the field

“All the world’s a shopping cart”: Theorizing the political economy of ubiquitous media and markets

Ubiquitous connectivity to networked information-communication technologies increasingly mediates social experiences of markets and retail environments. These conditions lead some marketing scholars to conclude that digital media are reaching their inevitable culmination: an omnipresent marketplace. They call this “ubiquitous commerce” (u-commerce). U-commerce annihilates constraints over markets; borders, cultural differences, and geography cease to impose friction on exchange. As part of a broader understanding of new media and marketing, u-commerce deserves attention from critical communication studies. In foregrounding concerns of space, time, and consciousness, u-commerce exemplifies a commercial theory of media and invites critique at the nexus of medium theory and political economy. The work of Harold Innis is uniquely suited to this task. This article contextualizes and identifies biases in the conceptual systems and infrastructures of u-commerce

Towards a social learning space for open educational resources

We identify a number of meanings of “Open”, as part of the motivating rationale for a social media space tuned for learning, called SocialLearn. We discuss why online social learning seems to be emerging so strongly at this point, explore features of social learning, and identify some of the dimensions that we believe characterize the social learning design space, before describing the emerging design concept and implementation