Adding Virtual RFID to Second Life

Second Life (SL) is a popular online 3D multi-player virtual world where the limits of creating objects and scripting interactions among objects and avatars are based on the player\u27s imagination and scripting skill. Real life, by comparison, is often limited by current technology more than creativity. This thesis investigates a new way to merge reality and virtual reality, in particular, by modeling one emerging real world technology, radio frequency identification (RFID), in the SL virtual world. We investigate how RFID can be deployed and tested in a virtual world, a modeled healthcare facility, as a step before the much more expensive step of deploying it in a real world setting. RFID is just one of many emerging technologies that can be simulated in SL - others include GPS, smart devices, massive use of sensors, using natural language to talk to devices, and many more. The potential impact of testing these technologies in a simulated world before deploying in the real world could lower costs and accelerate the pace of technology chang

Knowledge and Management Models for Sustainable Growth

In the last years sustainability has become a topic of global concern and a key issue in the strategic agenda of both business organizations and public authorities and organisations. Significant changes in business landscape, the emergence of new technology, including social media, the pressure of new social concerns, have called into question established conceptualizations of competitiveness, wealth creation and growth. New and unaddressed set of issues regarding how private and public organisations manage and invest their resources to create sustainable value have brought to light. In particular the increasing focus on environmental and social themes has suggested new dimensions to be taken into account in the value creation dynamics, both at organisations and communities level. For companies the need of integrating corporate social and environmental responsibility issues into strategy and daily business operations, pose profound challenges, which, in turn, involve numerous processes and complex decisions influenced by many stakeholders. Facing these challenges calls for the creation, use and exploitation of new knowledge as well as the development of proper management models, approaches and tools aimed to contribute to the development and realization of environmentally and socially sustainable business strategies and practices

Management theory and practice: synergy in organisations : III International Conference, Tartu, 03-04 April 2007 : proceedings, articles

http://www.ester.ee/record=b2244589*es

Holistic Business Learning Environment: Bringing practice and integration to business education

Vuosikymmenten ajan liiketoiminnan opetusta on kritisoitu liiasta teoreettisuudesta. Opetussuunnitelmat eivät tuota työelämässä menestymiseen tarvittavaa osaamista ja tietoa. Oppiaineisiin liittyvän tiedon ja pehmeiden taitojen lisäksi tarvitaan kykyä yhdistellä ja käyttää niitä käytännön toiminnassa. Liiketoiminnan opintoihin on tuotu käytännön näkökulmaa kokemuksellisen oppimisen avulla. Tietotekniikka hyödynnetään monipuolisesti kokemuksellisissa oppimisympäristöissä, jotka perustuvat simulaatioihin, peleihin, liiketoimintajärjestelmiin, virtuaalimaailmaan ja sosiaaliseen mediaan. Kokemuksellisen oppimisen ratkaisut ovat kuitenkin kohdistuneet yksittäisten liiketoiminnan osa-alueiden opetukseen ja teknologisiin ratkaisuihin ennemmin kuin kokonaisvaltaisin pedagogisiin malleihin. Tämä väitöskirja tutkii sitä, miten kokemuksellinen oppimisympäristö pitäisi rakentaa, jotta se antaa kokonaisvaltaisen liiketoimintanäkökulman ja käytännön harjoituspaikan tulevaisuuden liiketoimintataitojen hankkimiseksi. Väitöskirjassa rakennetaan suunnittelututkimuksen keinoin liiketoiminnan oppimisympäristö, joka muodostuu toiminnanohjausjärjestelmästä, liiketoimintasimulaatiosta ja oppimisyhteisöistä. Oppimisympäristö yhdistetään opetussuunnitelmaan dynaamisten kyvykkyyksien mallin avulla. Näin muodostuu kokonaisvaltainen liiketoiminnan oppimisen malli. Oppimisympäristön ja mallin toimivuutta tutkitaan Bloomin taksonomian viitekehyksessä ja osoituksia lisääntyneestä oppimisesta havaitaan taksonomian kaikilla osa-alueilla. Erityisesti oppimisympäristö vaikuttaa parantavan heikkojen ja keskiverto-opiskelijoiden pitkäkestoista, kognitiivista osaamista. Parannusten havaitaan johtuvan siitä, että oppimisympäristö toimii yhdistävänä elementtinä eli rajakohteena (boundary object), jota eri opiskeluyhteisöt voivat hyödyntää omasta näkökulmastaan: opettajat tuottavat sinne käytännön esimerkkejä ja opiskelijatiimit harjoittelevat liiketoimintaa vuorovaikutuksessa toistensa kanssa. Se tarjoaa yhteisen maaperän jossa voidaan liittää teoreettinen näkökulma käytännön prosesseihin ja liiketoiminta-aktiviteetteihin.For decades, business education has been criticized for being too theoretical and distant from the realities of actual business. The business school curricula are poorly aligned with the competencies and knowledge needed to succeed in today’s business world. In addition to disciplinary knowledge and soft skills, graduates need the capabilities to be able to integrate these skills and implement them in practical settings. Learning practical, integrative skills in an environment that emphasizes theoretical orientation and academic research is challenging. Experiential learning has been widely used to bring the practical element into business studies. In particular, technology-driven learning environments such as simulations, games, business information systems, virtual worlds, and social media have offered great possibilities for experiential exercises.And yet the criticism continues. Despite the technological developments, education still continues to be theoretical and academic. Experiential business education has not become mainstream. Different types of experiential learning solutions have been presented but they tend to solve specific areas of business management. They often focus on the technology rather than on a holistic, pedagogical model. Business education research is yet to present an experiential learning environment that combines people and information technology in a holistic way. This dissertation investigates how an experiential business learning environment should be constructed to provide a holistic business perspective and a practical training ground to enhance the competencies required of future business graduates. First, the theoretical foundations of learning and learning environments are examined. Second, the relevant research on business learning environments and curricula is presented. These lead on to the refined research questions. A design science approach is chosen as a method to construct and study a business learning environment artifact consisting of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, a business simulation, and learning communities of students and teachers. It is structured around a supply chain network, and the business transactions utilize automated information flows in an information system structure that is based on the principles of ERP II. The artifact alone does not solve the challenge of integrated business learning. It needs to be attached to the whole learning process. This dissertation presents an integrated business learning model that combines the artifact with a business curriculum based on the dynamic capabilities’ framework. This brings the intellectual coherence that indicates how disciplines, courses, and the business learning environment influence each other. It is the concrete combining factor between the people and the disciplinary topics on the curriculum plans and documents. There are positive indications of learning on all of Bloom’s domains. In particular, the artifact appears to improve the poor and average students’ long-term lower-level cognitive learning. The dissertation offers an explanation for such improvement: The artifact acts as a boundary infrastructure where different stakeholders carry out their own roles and tasks and interrelate with each other. It provides a common ground to join the theoretical perspective to the practical processes and tasks of business management. It is flexible and can be used from many different perspectives and for many different purposes at the same time

PUBLIC RELATIONS OF INCLUSION: A CRITICAL REFRAMING OF AUTISM INCLUSION WITH PROFESSORS OF TEACHER CANDIDATES

There is a problem when inclusion is broken in our communities and in our schools while preliminary teachers call out for more preparation for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) inclusion in their credential programs (Bryant, 2018; Busby et al., 2012; Finch et al., 2013; Loiacono & Valenti, 2010; Morgan, 2015; Robertson et al., 2003; Walters, 2012). The purpose of this study is to explore the framing of ASD inclusion by professors of multiple and single subject preliminary teacher candidates. At this stage in the research, the framing of inclusion is defined as a pre-conscious sensemaking of inclusion for individuals with ASD in a general education teacher credential program drawing upon principles of public relations. Data were collected using a qualitative single embedded intrinsic case study design employing focus groups, document review and external scoring to a frame scale. Themes that arose included human interest and proposed solutions, with increasing specificity to ASD, and social construction following reframing. Practical implications from this study include meaningful understanding and support for professors who prepare preliminary teacher candidates. Keywords: public relations, inclusion, autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder education, diversity, equity, social justice, CRT, framing theory, strategic communication, professor, higher education, disability studies, universal design for learning, case study

Cyber-Physical Threat Intelligence for Critical Infrastructures Security

Modern critical infrastructures can be considered as large scale Cyber Physical Systems (CPS). Therefore, when designing, implementing, and operating systems for Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP), the boundaries between physical security and cybersecurity are blurred. Emerging systems for Critical Infrastructures Security and Protection must therefore consider integrated approaches that emphasize the interplay between cybersecurity and physical security techniques. Hence, there is a need for a new type of integrated security intelligence i.e., Cyber-Physical Threat Intelligence (CPTI). This book presents novel solutions for integrated Cyber-Physical Threat Intelligence for infrastructures in various sectors, such as Industrial Sites and Plants, Air Transport, Gas, Healthcare, and Finance. The solutions rely on novel methods and technologies, such as integrated modelling for cyber-physical systems, novel reliance indicators, and data driven approaches including BigData analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Some of the presented approaches are sector agnostic i.e., applicable to different sectors with a fair customization effort. Nevertheless, the book presents also peculiar challenges of specific sectors and how they can be addressed. The presented solutions consider the European policy context for Security, Cyber security, and Critical Infrastructure protection, as laid out by the European Commission (EC) to support its Member States to protect and ensure the resilience of their critical infrastructures. Most of the co-authors and contributors are from European Research and Technology Organizations, as well as from European Critical Infrastructure Operators. Hence, the presented solutions respect the European approach to CIP, as reflected in the pillars of the European policy framework. The latter includes for example the Directive on security of network and information systems (NIS Directive), the Directive on protecting European Critical Infrastructures, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Cybersecurity Act Regulation. The sector specific solutions that are described in the book have been developed and validated in the scope of several European Commission (EC) co-funded projects on Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP), which focus on the listed sectors. Overall, the book illustrates a rich set of systems, technologies, and applications that critical infrastructure operators could consult to shape their future strategies. It also provides a catalogue of CPTI case studies in different sectors, which could be useful for security consultants and practitioners as well

The First 25 Years of the Bled eConference: Themes and Impacts

The Bled eConference is the longest-running themed conference associated with the Information Systems discipline. The focus throughout its first quarter-century has been the application of electronic tools, migrating progressively from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) via Inter-Organisational Systems (IOS) and eCommerce to encompass all aspects of the use of networking facilities in industry and government, and more recently by individuals, groups and society as a whole. This paper reports on an examination of the conference titles and of the titles and abstracts of the 773 refereed papers published in the Proceedings since 1995. This identified a long and strong focus on categories of electronic business and corporate perspectives, which has broadened in recent years to encompass the democratic, the social and the personal. The conference\u27s extend well beyond the papers and their thousands of citations and tens of thousands of downloads. Other impacts have included innovative forms of support for the development of large numbers of graduate students, and the many international research collaborations that have been conceived and developed in a beautiful lake-side setting in Slovenia

Can regional community web portals become sustainable? : the Albany GateWAy : a case study

Asking the question can regional and community web portals become sustainable? demands a foray into many different disciplines. Sociology, education, business, strategic and knowledge management, organisational theory, relationship management and current technological trends and capabilities are some of the areas on which community projects, such us the development of communities on-line, are founded

Art and Economics in the City: New Cultural Maps

Emerging forms of alternative economic frameworks are changing the structure of society, redefining the relationship between centre and periphery, and the social dynamics in the urban fabric. In this context, the arts can play a crucial role in formulating a concept of complex and plural citizenship: This economic, social and cultural paradigm has the potential to overcome the conventional isolation of the arts and culture in ivory towers, and thereby to gradually make the urban fabric more fertile. This volume faces such sensitive issues by collating contributions from various disciplines: Economists, sociologists, urbanists, architects and creative artists offer a broad and deep assessment of urban dynamics and their visions for the years to come