The state of the art of the blockchain ethics in healthcare: A systematic literature review

Blockchain is a software innovation which is based on a cryptographically secured, decentralised, and distributed storage of data. The technological breakthrough was done as a part of and became familiar through cryptocurrencies, where it is used to openly store currency transactions among its users. Blockchain technology has been since proposed and used in various domains ranging from open contracts to electronic voting—as well as in various purposes in eHealth, medical and well-being applications. However, its usage in these sectors possesses several ethical questions as these environments are full of personal and private patient information. To study the state-of-the-art of the blockchain ethics in healthcare, this study presents a systematic literature study (SLR) on this phenomenon. By collecting the relevant primary studies from Scopus, the results show that the utilisation of blockchain is swiftly maturing with new research and applications published constantly in this domain. However, the ethical discussion related to the use of blockchain technologies is still taking its baby steps in healthcare. Despite a few openings, ethical research is practically non-existing when compared against the full extant literature on the topic. Therefore, remarkable amount of further work is needed to cover the potential ethical questions related to the adoption and use of the technology.Blockchain is a software innovation which is based on a cryptographically secured, decentralised, and distributed storage of data. The technological breakthrough was done as a part of and became familiar through cryptocurrencies, where it is used to openly store currency transactions among its users. Blockchain technology has been since proposed and used in various domains ranging from open contracts to electronic voting—as well as in various purposes in eHealth, medical and well-being applications. However, its usage in these sectors possesses several ethical questions as these environments are full of personal and private patient information. To study the state-of-the-art of the blockchain ethics in healthcare, this study presents a systematic literature study (SLR) on this phenomenon. By collecting the relevant primary studies from Scopus, the results show that the utilisation of blockchain is swiftly maturing with new research and applications published constantly in this domain. However, the ethical discussion related to the use of blockchain technologies is still taking its baby steps in healthcare. Despite a few openings, ethical research is practically non-existing when compared against the full extant literature on the topic. Therefore, remarkable amount of further work is needed to cover the potential ethical questions related to the adoption and use of the technology

The skill gap and polarization of the software labour force: Early signs of the War of Talents between software professionals and how it threatens wellbeing

The demand for high-skill and deep knowledge is a key characteristic for modern-day software business. In addition, the whole impact of information and communication technology (ICT) is seen as a cross-cutting element in different industries. The software industry in Finland is suffering from a severe labour shortage and the estimations of needed labour are ranging from 7,000 to 15,000 software professional. However, despite all development and research done, the question, whether the software companies are requesting more employers or are they looking for more diverse skills, remains unanswered. Furthermore, previously there has little if any discussion, on whose responsibility is to ensure that future software experts have the right kinds of skills and competencies to secure their successful work career. This study focuses on the skill polarization between software professionals, referred to as the ‘War of Talents’ in this study, by using data collected by a survey (n=90) from Finnish software businesses. The results reveal some indication of ongoing skill polarization in the field and its possible impacts are discussed. Furthermore, the potential threatening impacts of the polarization process on the well-being in the information society are observed and reported. In addition, the paper proposes adding skill development applications among the offering of eWellbeing services due to the importance of work-related competencies to the self-image – and therefore also wellbeing – of individuals.The demand for high-skill and deep knowledge is a key characteristic for modern-day software business. In addition, the whole impact of information and communication technology (ICT) is seen as a cross-cutting element in different industries. The software industry in Finland is suffering from a severe labour shortage and the estimations of needed labour are ranging from 7,000 to 15,000 software professional. However, despite all development and research done, the question, whether the software companies are requesting more employers or are they looking for more diverse skills, remains unanswered. Furthermore, previously there has little if any discussion, on whose responsibility is to ensure that future software experts have the right kinds of skills and competencies to secure their successful work career. This study focuses on the skill polarization between software professionals, referred to as the ‘War of Talents’ in this study, by using data collected by a survey (n=90) from Finnish software businesses. The results reveal some indication of ongoing skill polarization in the field and its possible impacts are discussed. Furthermore, the potential threatening impacts of the polarization process on the well-being in the information society are observed and reported. In addition, the paper proposes adding skill development applications among the offering of eWellbeing services due to the importance of work-related competencies to the self-image – and therefore also wellbeing – of individuals

The skill gap and polarization of the software labour force : early signs of the War of Talents between software professionals and how it threatens wellbeing

The demand for high-skill and deep knowledge is a key characteristic for modern-day software business. In addition, the whole impact of information and communication technology (ICT) is seen as a cross-cutting element in different industries. The software industry in Finland is suffering from a severe labour shortage and the estimations of needed labour are ranging from 7,000 to 15,000 software professional. However, despite all development and research done, the question, whether the software companies are requesting more employers or are they looking for more diverse skills, remains unanswered. Furthermore, previously there has little if any discussion, on whose responsibility is to ensure that future software experts have the right kinds of skills and competencies to secure their successful work career. This study focuses on the skill polarization between software professionals, referred to as the ‘War of Talents’ in this study, by using data collected by a survey (n=90) from Finnish software businesses. The results reveal some indication of ongoing skill polarization in the field and its possible impacts are discussed. Furthermore, the potential threatening impacts of the polarization process on the well-being in the information society are observed and reported. In addition, the paper proposes adding skill development applications among the offering of eWellbeing services due to the importance of work-related competencies to the self-image – and therefore also wellbeing – of individuals.</p

Well-Being in the Information Society. Fighting Inequalities

The modern business world is undergoing digitalisation in fast pace and, therefore, more jobs are born in the field of information and communication technology (ICT). Only in Finland, one of the leading countries in digitalisation, there is an estimated need for 7,000--15,000 software professionals while the demand for skilled labour is growing every year. The skill set required from professionals is also changing and different skills are needed in the future. ICT companies are facing problems of finding highly skilled professionals to ensure their rapid growth and new innovations. At the same time, when companies are fighting for the talents, there are ICT professionals unemployed. Offered and requested skills are not meeting in the ICT industry, which can lead to bigger problems in the eyes of workers and companies. This study focuses on the skill polarisation between software professionals at the war of talents by using data collected with a survey (n = 90) to software businesses. The results reveal some signs of ongoing skill polarisation in the field and its possible impacts are discussed

A Review of Ethical Discussions on Platforms and Ecosystems

Since the breakthrough of Apple’s iOS platform and AppStore marketplace a decade ago, different kinds of ecosystems and platforms have conquered the world. In the ecosystem-based business model, a platform owner offers a technological solution (e.g., Apple, Google) for end-users (e.g., smart phone users) and producers (e.g., application and content developers). The platform owner benefits, either directly or indirectly, from the transactions between end-users and producers taking place in the platform. As the ecosystem-based model has gained popularity and de facto status in the industry, also critical voices in ethical problems and questions for the new model has raised. This paper reviews recent literature (n=20) on ethical discussion on platforms and ecosystems in order to summarise the current development and suggest some future avenues. The review show that several disciplines, from law to technology ethics and sociology, are addressing the same phenomena from different view- points. However, furtherstudies are requested to support the building of a comprehensive view on com plex concerns.publishedVersionpublishedVersionPeer reviewe

2019 IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology and Innovation (ICE/ITMC)

While the importance of data is growing as the fuelof the new data economy, also the role of the data ecosystemsis growing. The new data ecosystems enables the use, reuse andenrichment of big data sets by or together with third parties.However, in the context of technology management, the governanceof these kinds of data ecosystems raises ethical questionsand issues that should be acknowledged by researchers andpractitioners. This study reviews the extant literature regardingthe given advice about ethical considerations. The method ofsystematic literature study is used to collect the primary articles(N=20). The selected articles are analyzed and themed accordingto reoccurring themes: privacy, accountability, ownership,accessibility, and motivation. The results show the discussion isfragmented and concrete ethical guidelines are lacking. Thus,this study requires more work for governing data ecosystems inan ethical way.</p

Software Business : 10th International Conference, ICSOB 2019, Jyväskylä, Finland, November 18–20, 2019, Proceedings

Crowdsourcing has emerged as a cost-efficient solution for companies to resolve certain tasks requiring vast amounts of human input. In order to motivate participants to harness their best efforts for the crowdsourcing task, companies are gamifying or creating complete games around crowdsourcing problems. The location-based game Ingress integrated the development of a geographically distributed database of points of interest in its game design. Players submitted and later peer-reviewed PoI candidates for Niantic for free, who then used the crowdsourced database as backbone for such popular games as Pokémon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. This study analyzes the solution in Ingress from two main perspectives: (1) how the game motivates players to participate in the crowdsourcing tasks and (2) how crowdsourcing fits into the game creator Niantic’s revenue model. The results show that Ingress players are provided multi-layered motivation to participate in crowdsourcing. The crowdsourcing tasks influence the game world, but are not limited inside it, and can be used elsewhere. Adopting crowdsourcing as a business strategy has served Niantic well, making Niantic an international multi-billion dollar company. Therefore it is predicted that more online multiplayer games implementing crowdsourcing as a revenue stream are likely to emerge in the near future. </p

Do primal instincts explain engagement in location-based games? : A hypothesis-forming focus group study on territorial behavior

Location-based games (LBGs), where the user’s physical location is a central part of gameplay, have become popular since the commercial success of Pokémon Go. The extant literature has focused to explain the success of LBGs by focusing on aspects of gratification and reasons to start, continue and quit playing. This study departs from the previous work by using a focus group method and hypothesizing that primal instincts developed during the evolutionary period of hunter-gatherer living—such as territorial behavior—can play a role in players’ actions, potentially enhancing engagement and motivation. The manifestation of territorial behavior in LBGs can occur via persistent need to control specific virtual locations in the game world. Initial results indicate that territorial behaviour could impact player engagement in the games. This study presents a conceptualization on how territorial instincts influence player engagement in LBGs and provides a theoretical background for future studies.publishedVersionPeer reviewe