The Role of Institutional Work in Platform Establishment: An Investigation of Digital Innovation Practices for Creating, Maintaining and Disrupting Institutions

While the significance of digital platforms for contemporary organizations has been demonstrated both in theory and practice, how they emerge is less understood. We argue that one source of digital platform emergence is the recombinatorial innovation processes individuals enact in organizational work practices. We draw on theory on institutional work to empirically examine how innovation processes led to the emergence of a digital platform in the Swedish transport administration. We find that actors engage in work aimed at creating, maintaining and disrupting socio-technical structures. These work practices involve exploring the possibilities of specific digital resources, their combinatorial options, and how new resources can be generated. The analysis contributes to the literature on digital platforms by (1) demonstrating the role of digital malleability in bypassing institutional resistance, (2) identifying temporal patterns and dependencies of activities, and (3) detecting distinct emphasis in types of institutional work

Knowledge Workers\u27 Use of Electronic Information Sources

Knowledge workers are those who interact knowledgeable with information by creating, reading,analyzing and acting upon it. Being able to find relevant information is thus an important task for anyknowledge worker, but how is this achieved? By interviewing knowledge workers about their information seeking activities, we have produced novel findings. Firstly, we suggest that the knowledge worker moves between and within three different information environments – the local, theorganizational and the global – and are thus forced to switch between tools to satisfy an information need. Therefore we suggest that future tools need to be designed to allow seamless interaction across all environments and tools. Secondly, the knowledge worker does not use the intranet search engine but finds intranet information via URLs received from colleagues. Thirdly, the knowledge worker seems to appreciate the judgment of fellow employees and to trust human filtering more than computer algorithms. Fourthly, surprisingly often the knowledge worker searches manually in the local and organizational environment, despite the existence of search tools. In contrast, when the public web issearched, search engines are often used heavily. We discuss how these findings are useful insights forthe design of future information seeking tools

Deterministic Multiaxial Creep and Creep Rupture Enhancements for CARES/Creep Integrated Design Code

High temperature and long duration applications of monolithic ceramics can place their failure mode in the creep rupture regime. A previous model advanced by the authors described a methodology by which the creep rupture life of a loaded component can be predicted. That model was based on the life fraction damage accumulation rule in association with the modified Monkman-Grant creep rupture criterion. However, that model did not take into account the deteriorating state of the material due to creep damage (e.g., cavitation) as time elapsed. In addition, the material creep parameters used in that life prediction methodology, were based on uniaxial creep curves displaying primary and secondary creep behavior, with no tertiary regime. The objective of this paper is to present a creep life prediction methodology based on a modified form of the Kachanov-Rabotnov continuum damage mechanics (CDM) theory. In this theory, the uniaxial creep rate is described in terms of sum, temperature, time, and the current state of material damage. This scalar damage state parameter is basically an abstract measure of the current state of material damage due to creep deformation. The damage rate is assumed to vary with stress, temperature, time, and the current state of damage itself. Multiaxial creep and creep rupture formulations of the CDM approach are presented in this paper. Parameter estimation methodologies based on nonlinear regression analysis are also described for both, isothermal constant stress states and anisothermal variable stress conditions This creep life prediction methodology was preliminarily added to the integrated design code CARES/Creep (Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures/Creep), which is a postprocessor program to commercially available finite element analysis (FEA) packages. Two examples, showing comparisons between experimental and predicted creep lives of ceramic specimens, are used to demonstrate the viability of Ns methodology and the CARES/Creep program

Integration for innovation: Studying the role of middleware in RFID applications

This paper is based on an interpretative multiple case study of two organization where we examine how different middleware architecture approaches affect the utilization of sensor technology, in particular Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Our study reveals five interesting findings. First, sensor technology is able to digitize and automate previously manual routines but the received value of this process alone is often limited. Second, the possibility of downstream exploitation, and thus innovation, is inhibited when sensor data is too rigidly packaged. Third, organizations should have a clear strategy or vision regarding the desired business benefits when filtering and aggregating sensor data. Fourth, to enable innovative business solutions organizations should combine sensor data with business application data. Fifth, and finally, when utilizing sensor data organizations should prioritize exploitation over exploration since it enables organizations to obtain business innovation

Email as an Integration Device: A Study of Work Place Information Sharing

Being able to find relevant information is an important task for today’s organisational members, but how is this achieved when there are so many sources and tools to choose amongst? By interviewing thirteen IT professionals about their information seeking activities, we have analysed their needs, their sources, and their tools and made interesting and novel discoveries. Our findings suggest that social issues are important also in such a seemingly individual task as information seeking. Lack of social awareness in search tools made people use email as a way to integrate different information environments and be able to relate to fellow employees. These insights should be used to design future work place information seeking tools to benefit from the social interactions that exist in a corporate setting

Enabling Process Innovation through Sensor Technology: A Multiple Case Study of RFID Deployment

The advances in information technologies (IT) that we have witnessed in recent years has enabledorganisations to digitise much of the work that previously was carried out manually or supported byanalogue tools only. As this development continues, it is likely that IS in the future will have an evenmore profound impact on organisations and their capacity to innovate. In this paper, we make acontribution to the study of IT’s effect on business process innovation by reporting from a multiplecase study of five Swedish organisations using sensor technology. Understanding sensor technology asa boundary spanning technology, we have studied in particular the purpose of introducing RadioFrequency Identification (RFID), the intended effects on process innovation and what businessprocesses were affected. We illustrate how business values are achieved as automational,informational, and transformational effects, and whilst the automational effects are easiest to detectand value, it is the transformational effects that are likely to have the strongest and most profoundimpact on the organization. In addition we identify three major inhibitors: insufficient integration withexisting systems; lack of organisation adjustment; and uneven distribution of cost/benefits. Our workthereby offers contributions to both academia and practice

Assessment of Road Traffic Noise Pollution at Selected Sites in Amman, Jordan : Magnitude, Control and Impact on the Community

The present study provides an evaluation of road traffic noise pollution in the city of Amman and its effects on residents. Statistical noise index L10(18 hr) was measured at nine different sites throughout the city of Amman. The British Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN) method was used to predict noise levels at the chosen sites. The CRTN method proved to be successful in predicting noise levels under traffic conditions in Amman. The results showed that Amman is environmentally noise polluted at the studied locations with noise levels ranging between 80.41 and 83.71 dB(A); thereby exceeding the maximum allowable limit of 63 dB(A). The CRTN method was also employed to predict future noise levels which were found to be higher than the current predicted noise levels. The effectiveness of noise barrier walls in reducing noise levels was investigated. Noise barriers 5 meter high were found to be effective in reducing noise levels below the permissible limits at all sites. A social survey was carried out to evaluate the perceived noise impacts of road traffic noise on residents. The results of the survey revealed that road traffic noise is a major concern for the communities living in the vicinity of streets in urban areas. The noise problem affects the ordinary daily activities of residents to the extent that about 65% of them consider moving to quieter areas

STUDENTS’ LINGUISTIC SKILLS AND PROBLEMS IN LEARNING MEDICAL VOCABULARY AT A HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY IN THE UAE

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses help the students to be more effective and confident in their profession. The main aim of this research was to explore the difficulties faced by students of a Medical and Health Sciences University in learning medical vocabulary which is a vital part of teaching English for Medical Purposes (EMP). It was hypothesized that students coming from non-English medium backgrounds find it difficult to understand and learn medical vocabulary due to weak linguistic skills. A questionnaire was sent to the undergraduate and post-graduate students of Medical, Dental, Pharmacy and Nursing Colleges and it was observed that the majority of students agreed that knowing medical vocabulary in English is important for their profession and students coming from Arabic medium schools find it difficult to understand and learn medical vocabulary and more than 50% use an English-Arabic dictionary. Interestingly, listening emerged as the weakest skill but 97% of participants feel that practice in hospitals can make learning the medical terms easy. Based on these findings, the authors have suggested some interactive activities that can be used in the class for better retention and made some recommendations.  Article visualizations

Barriers of Knowledge Transfer between Globally Distributed Teams in ICT Product Development

Increased globalization has generated a growth of globally distributed teams, which are characterized by geographical distance and used by organizations to increase innovation. However, to be able to collaborate effectively, teams are obligated to continuously conduct knowledge transfer (KT) between different geographical locations. Thus, this paper focused on identifying the main barriers that globally distributed teams face in conducting KT and how these barriers are unraveled. Based on an interpretative case study of a product development unit (PDU) in research and development (R&D) department of a telecom company, we identified eight main barriers that hinder the KT between globally distributed teams. These barriers are; knowledge embeddedness, knowledge accessibility and documentation gaps, knowledge complexity, knowledge problematic articulability, ICT tools reliance vs. face to face, inefficient ICT tools utilization, inefficient IT support, and lack of formal processes and guidelines

Unconventional Intersection Designs for Improving Traffic Operation Along Arterial Roads

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the effect of implementing four Unconventional Arterial Intersection Designs (UAIDs) including median U-Turn, Superstreet, Jughandle and Single Quadrant Intersection on a major arterial road using SYNCHRO microscopic simulation software. For this purpose, Wadi Saqra Signalized Intersection on Shaker Bin Zaid major arterial road in Amman, Jordan was selected. The simulation results showed that only the Jughandle improved the intersection Level of Service (LOS) slightly, F–E. Nevertheless, the intersection delay was significantly reduced by 64.81%, 76.6%, 91.28% and 75.60% on the proposed Median U-Turn, Superstreet, Jughandle and Single Quadrant unconventional intersection design, respectively. This indicated that these UAIDs don't perform well under heavy traffic volumes. Also, since the Jughandle was the only UAID which improved the LOS on the main intersection, the operational performance of Prince Shaker Bin Zaid arterial after implementing the Jughandle at the main intersection was evaluated including the main intersection: Wadi Saqra intersection, one prior to the main intersection and one after the main intersection. It was found that the use of the Jughandle increased the average travel speed by 35% and decreased the average stopped delay by 28.68% on the arterial road. Also, this paper evaluated the current transportation system and road user's attitude towards UAIDs' implementation through a questionnaire survey. The results indicated high acceptance of UAIDs. Finally, the construction cost for each UAID type was estimated. It was found that the Jughandle had the highest construction cost due to its high acquisition cost