Next Generation Social Networks:Elicitation of User Requirements

Abstract—When it comes to discussing the future of electronic communication, social networking is the buzzword. The Internet has become a platform where new social networks emerge and the Internet it itself support the more traditional computer supported communication. The way users build and verifies different online networks for communities of people who share interests or individuals who presents themselves through user produced content is what makes up the social networking of today. The purpose of this paper is to discuss perceived user requirements to the next generation social networks. The paper is based on a survey of users working within the ICT field as well as user requirement categorizations developed within the WWRF. Index Terms—Computer supported communication, social networks, user requirements, Web-applications. I

BARRIERS PREVENTING EFL TEACHERS FROM PARTICIPATING AND CONSTRUCTING COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

Communities of practice (CoPs) appeared to be one of the possible solutions for professionals, especially EFL teachers, who have to deal with an increasing number of complicated tasks and problems which cannot be individually solved effectively. However, CoPs were reported in several studies not to reach the popularity they deserve. Hence, this study is aimed at identifying the barriers that prevent EFL teachers from participating and constructing CoPs. The study was conducted in different cities and provinces in the Mekong Delta. A questionnaire was employed to examine participants’ agreement on the suggested barriers described in the theoretical framework, and interviews were used to confirm and improve the results of the quantitative data collected. Regarding the research participants, 116 EFL teachers in public schools and English centers in the Mekong Delta responded to the questionnaire, while seven of them were chosen to conduct the interviews. The findings were classified into teacher-related and organization-related barriers. While the former includes cultural and psychological factors, the latter consists of barriers from school leaders’ power and policies.  Article visualizations

Information and knowledge sharing within virtual communities of practice

Background: The concept of a virtual community of practice (VCoP) emanates from the need to create a new mode of learning and knowledge development platform. It has also been found that highly structured forums are not always the best way to assist people to learn and improve their knowledge. The first author (main researcher) has limited background knowledge and professional practice in the area of VCoPs. Within this context, the investigation of the use of VCoPs to optimise knowledge sharing within stakeholders is the central theme of this research. The authors adapted the life cycle knowledge flow model and present an extended model that resulted after an empirical research was conducted with various VCoPs.   Objectives: The objective of this paper is to report on the research that, firstly, attempted to find a suitable model among all previous research conducted on knowledge sharing (management) and to create a new model that could be used to optimise knowledge sharing within VCoPs.   Method: In this research, a review of literature was used to define the main concepts of this research. A qualitative methodology was used. The responses received using two questionnaires were analysed to establish some premise, derived from the findings. The Miles and Huberman framework for qualitative analysis was also used to analyse the data set received from participants in the two questionnaires administered. This framework for analysis includes data reduction, data display, drawing and verifying conclusions.   Results: An extended life cycle knowledge flow model is proposed to optimise knowledge sharing within VCoPs.   Conclusion: A comprehensive knowledge flow model, namely the extended life cycle knowledge flow model, was found to be most suited from the literature. The analysis of two questionnaires, one administered in 2011–2012 and the other in 2016, led to the adaptation of the model to enhance knowledge sharing within VCoPs and, in turn, to develop and optimise knowledge sharing in enterprises

Analysis and Development of an Online Knowledge Management Support System for a Community of Practice

The purpose of this study was to investigate how particular business practices, focusing on those occurring in multi-site non-governmental organization (NGOs), could be enhanced by use of a knowledge management system (KMS). The main objective of this KMS is to enhance business processes and save costs for a multi-site NGO through streamlining the organizational practices of knowledge creation, storage, sharing and application. The methodology uses a multiple perspective approach, which covers exploration of the problem space and solution space. Under exploration of problem space, interviews with employees of the NGO are done to identify core problem that the organization faced. Still under exploration of problem space, organization’s knowledge management maturity was assessed through an online questionnaire. The methodology then moved on to exploration of problem space. During the exploration of problem space, the requirements gathering and definition process was done through a combination of interviews with company employees and by completing a systematic literature review of best practices. The requirements were used to design system architecture and use-case models. The prototype for a Community of Practice (COP) support website was developed and investigated in test cases. The tests showed that the prototype system was able to facilitate asynchronous communication through the creation and management of events, creation and management of collaboration groups, creation of discussion topics and creation of basic pages. Furthermore, security capabilities were tested in terms of login functionality. Lastly page load times were tested for eight different scenarios. The system performance was found to be satisfactory because the scenarios covering crucial system requirements aspects had a response time of below 11 seconds. An exception was the landing page, which after login took 26 seconds to load. It is believed that creation of a platform that enables, and records, user interaction, easy of online discussions, managing groups, topics and events, are all major contributors to a successful knowledge management approach

Hospital information systems implementation framework: critical success factors for Malaysian public hospitals

The delivery of high quality health services is among the most important government policies in healthcare; it is demonstrated via the significant investment committed to expand the sector. In order to provide quality health services, Hospital Information Systems (HIS) development and adoption has to be initiated; though evidence has shown that implementing HIS is not easy. To ensure continuous successful implementation, the understanding and determination of HIS implementation factors has become a crucial consideration for health providers. This study, instigated to alleviate this problem, identified critical factors that influence HIS implementation and examined structured indicators to measure HIS implementation.Based on the critical success factors (CSFs) and DeLone and McLean’s Information Systems success model, the research study developed an implementation framework comprised of essential elements to guide HIS implementation. In the framework, the DeLone and McLean IS success measures were adapted and presented as a reflective second order factor to capture the multifaceted nature of success. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed to six public hospitals in Malaysia and 213 were used for analysis. This reflects a high response rate of 42.6 percent. To evaluate the extent of success, the partial least squares (PLS) based structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was employed. The findings of the study revealed that the CSFs in Malaysia differ from studies in developed countries. Three out of seven success factors namely system selection, enterprise-wide communication and team composition proved to be significant. Key implementation factors such as top management support, business planning, project management and change management were found to be insignificant.The study is among the few that have tested empirically an implementation framework in the Malaysian settings; as such, it contributes significantly to theoretical, methodological and practical aspects of research. Theoretically, it established a new classification of CSFs that could influence HIS implementation. This new categorization is a significant effort to provide a practical list of CSFs that allows practitioners to focus on key areas during system implementation.Additionally, the study presents a new model that suggests links or correlations between the CSFs and how these factors should be implemented.With regard to research methodology, the study collected data from Malaysian public hospitals having a Total Hospital Information System (THIS) implementation; the type of data is rare considering the complex procedures involved. Also, the quantitative approach employed is suitable to attest the effectiveness of the implementation model. This study also utilized the SEM component-based or PLS analysis for assessing the implementation model. At present, it is still uncommon to find HIS implementation studies that utilize PLS analysis in Malaysia.In terms of a practical contribution, the study provides guidelines for managers in decision-making and planning future HIS implementation. The risks of failures for HIS implementation could be reduced as the study also proposed the approach on how the CSFs should be implemented. Most importantly, this study has established a model that could assists practitioners and researchers in understanding the implementation process of HIS, specifically for Malaysian public hospitals. Additionally, its contribution can be used in analogous domains such as information systems (IS), enterprise resource planning (ERP) and enterprise systems (ES)

The role of communities of practice for registered nurses in specialized practice

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore nursing specific processes associated with communities of practice (CoPs) in specialized acute care settings with a focus on their potential role in Registered Nurse (RN) integration and professional development. The following research questions were formulated to support the achievement of this purpose: (a) What are the key features, roles, and processes of a community of practice (CoP) in specialized acute care nursing practice settings?; (b) What are the social processes that are integral to the integration of RNs into their chosen specialized acute care nursing practice settings; (c) What role, if any, do CoPs serve in the integration process of RNs into their chosen specialized acute care nursing practice settings? Research Design: This research was conducted using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Sample/Setting: The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) has designated 20 areas as specialties, examples of which include Cardiovascular Nursing, Emergency Nursing, Neuroscience Nursing, Perinatal Nursing, Perioperative Nursing, and Oncology Nursing. From these 20 CNA designations, three specialized areas were chosen for this study. To safeguard the confidentiality of study participants, the units are identified only as A, B, and C. These nursing units were situated within the same urban tertiary institution in a mid-sized Western Canadian city. In total, 19 RNs employed in specialized care units participated in this research. Methods/Procedure: The study was conducted from March 2012 through September 2013 following ethical and operational approval from all required institutions. During this 18-month period, 19 RN participants were engaged in a total of 25 interviews and several participants were invited to submit personal reflective journals, with 8 sets of journals submitted and included as part of the study data. Following transcription, the interviews as well as the journal entries were entered into the ATLAS.ti software program to aid with organization of study coding. Data analysis was completed following the constructivist grounded theory approach of Charmaz (2006). Findings: Key findings from this research included the identification of competence in the specialized RN role as a main concern for participants. The achievement of competence was influenced by two Basic Social Processes (BSPs) relating to the transition and integration of new RNs into their specialized environments. For each of these BSPs, there are additional phases that further define the experience. Developing a Sense of Specialized RN Self (transition) included the phases Finding RN Fit, Sharing Passion and Community Values, and Embracing Life-Long Learning. Integrating into Specialized RN Practice (integration) included the phases Learning the Ropes and Settling In. The social context for this development was a CoP in each specialized unit and the particular aspects of these nursing community groups were also uncovered during the course of this research and are detailed in the study findings. Conclusions: These research results have highlighted the importance of delineating the fundamental differences in the processes of RN transition and integration. The findings have also provided a foundation for a newly emerging consideration of CoPs in nursing and their potential role in supporting the transition and integration of RNs. Knowing more about how CoPs function in their workplaces may allow RNs, either newly graduated or new to their specialty areas, to be more successful in their own transition and integration experiences

Virtual communities of enterprise value creation potential for regional clusters

The research examines regionally networked small business practices. A new concept Virtual Communities of Enterprise is proferred to explain the nature of knowledge sharing both interpersonally and online, and its potential for creating value for small businesses and their regions. Social capital emerges as an essential pre-requisite for accessing value

Understanding the Use of HIT Catchers and Crowd Knowledge Sharing: A Case Study of Crowdworkers on Amazon Mechanical Turk

Crowdsourcing platforms have become a vital component of the modern digital economy, offering a wide range of HIT (Human Intelligence Task) opportunities to workers worldwide. Meanwhile, crowdworkers' use of scripting tools and their communication with each other are continuously shaping the entire crowdsourcing ecosystem. This thesis explores the use of HIT catchers by crowdworkers and their sharing of skill-based knowledge that facilitates the popularity of such scripting tools. It is revealed that the use of HIT catchers affects the completion speed and HIT-worker diversity for the whole HIT group, while depriving job opportunities from others. This potentially undermines the stability of the platform under the current reputation system relying on numbers of approvals and approval rates. Subsequently, another study explored how work strategies under the use of HIT catchers, including HIT acceptance, backlog, and completion, affect HIT availability, completion time, and result quality. The study also found differences in work behaviours between workers using and not using HIT catchers. Finally, this thesis investigates the skill-based knowledge sharing behaviour of crowdworkers, which promotes the blooming of scripting tools including HIT catchers, to improve the fairness of work opportunities and mitigate its negative impact on HIT completion. Using PLS-SEM, we assess the factors influencing knowledge sharing in the domain of skills. The study reveals the significance of high performance expectation, low effort expectation, and the joy and satisfaction in motivating the crowd skill-based knowledge sharing. Overall, this study provides an in-depth exploration around these two types of collective behaviour, highlighting the important role of tool use and knowledge sharing in shaping the crowdsourcing ecosystem