Basic principles of SSM modelling: an examination of CATWOE from a soft perspective

This paper examines the SSM technique CATWOE, which focuses on defining necessary elements that together constitute a human activity system from a certain perspective. Despite its recognition within the literature and its numerous uses, there are few studies on how the technique can be improved. This research reflects on each of the elements both from a theoretical and a practical perspective. Findings point to the fact that some of the terms have a meaning in everyday language that differs from its definition within CATWOE. Other concepts are not well-defined. This is unfortunate and may both lead to misunderstandings and limit analysis. The paper points to a number of ways in which the use of CATWOE can be developed in order to further support the process of eliciting novel ideas for future actions. Hence, the overall conclusion is that the elements need to be rethought and some of them renamed

A Paradigmatic Analysis of Digital Application Marketplaces

This paper offers a paradigmatic analysis of digital application marketplaces for advancing information systems (IS) research on digital platforms and ecosystems. We refer to the notion of digital application marketplace, colloquially called “appstores,” as a platform component that offers a venue for exchanging applications between developers and end-users belonging to a single or multiple ecosystems. Such marketplaces exhibit diversity in features and assumptions, and we propose that examining this diversity, and its ideal types, will help us to further understand the relationship between application marketplaces, platforms, and platform ecosystems. To this end, we generate a typology that distinguishes four kinds of digital application marketplaces: closed, censored, focused, and open marketplaces. The paper also offers implications for actors wishing to make informed decisions about their relationship to a particular digital application marketplace

Awareness of indirect information disclosure on social network sites

Abstract This research investigates user awareness and attitudes toward potential inferences of information posted on social network sites (SNSs). The study reports how user attitudes change after exposure to inferences made based upon information they have disclosed on an SNS, namely, on Facebook. To demonstrate this, two sub-studies involving three focus group sessions were conducted with Facebook users. In the first sub-study, the users received a general introduction to information that can be inferred from posts by using a prototypical privacy-enhancement tool called DataBait. Then, the second sub-study allowed the users to witness the potential inferences of their own Facebook photos and posts by using the DataBait tool. Next, qualitative content analysis was conducted to analyze the results, and these showed that the participants’ attitudes toward privacy on SNSs changed from affective to cognitive when they became aware of potential inferences from actual information posted on their own Facebook accounts. The results imply that end users require more cognitive awareness regarding their genres of disclosure and the effect of their disclosures on their privacy. Moreover, as privacy awareness is contextual, there is a need for more research and development of online tools that will allow users to manage and educate themselves

Flow Specification Patterns of End-User Programmers: Lessons Learnt from a Health Mobile Application Authoring Environment Design

Part 16: Mobile Phone ApplicationsInternational audienceThis paper discusses a set of interaction patterns encountered during the development of an authoring tool for mobile therapeutic applications. Unlike static paper artefacts, mobile applications can be enriched via the inclusion of complex behaviors. Typical examples include the definition of simple sequential interaction among all screens or the involvement of basic rules and triggers. As part of an ongoing project in which we are designing an authoring environment for mobile applications in clinical interventions, we studied how clinicians with no programming background were able to intertwine different screens from an application according to different rules. We were especially interested in comparing the approaches adopted using a low-fidelity prototype and using a high-fidelity version of the authoring tool. Results show that, despite a few technology induced strategies, users tend to mimic their actions using the paper based prototype in the corresponding hi-fi version

Is the Public Motivated to Engage in Open Data Innovation?

Part 3: Policy and StakeholdersInternational audienceGovernments aim to increase democracy by engaging the public in using open data to develop mobile apps and citizen services. They make information available (open data) and organize innovation contests to stimulate innovation with the goal to make new services available for the public to use. But will the public take on the challenge to both develop and provide services to each other? In this paper we use a case study from public transportation to investigate the motivation for individuals and teams to participate in innovation contests. The results show that the motivation for participating is primarily related to fun and enjoyment. We argue that in order to better meet the goals of open data innovation, governments need to follow through the full service innovation cycle and also care for making citizen coproduction in the execution and monitoring phases fun and enjoyable. Currently there is little chance for participants to make profit on a competitive market so governments need to provide other mechanisms to ensure service provisioning. For future research it is suggested to investigate how the later stages of open data innovation can be supported in order to meet the overall goals of open data innovation

Introduction to the volume: future of human resource development

This chapter aims to discuss the key elements of the book and highlight the main areas for investigation. It provides an assessment of the current and future trends in organisational and individual practices and an evaluation on how human resource development (HRD) could affect modern organisations in the future. The chapter also provides a review of the book’s structure, objectives and context