Antecedents of success in IS offshoring projects - Proposal for an empirical research study

The paper presents a research model and a measurement instrument for a research-in-progress study on the antecedents of success in IS offshoring projects. In this empirical-confirmatory study, we intend to analyse the impact of the constructs “offshoring expertise”, “trust in offshore service provider”, “project suitability”, “knowledge transfer”, and “liaison quality” on offshore project success. Constructs and indicators are derived from an extensive literature review. We plan to formulate a structural equation model and to test it using partial least squares (PLS) as an analysis technique. Our research model addresses the paucity of research that quantitatively examines offshoring success

APPLYING LESSONS LEARNED FROM COUNSELLING: ON NURTURING RELATIONS IN E-GOVERNMENT PROJECTS

This paper elaborates on the relevance of deploying focus and effort on personal relation, in interventions for organisational innovation. Supporting the establishment of sense making and trust with Social Practice Design (SPD) approaches is found to be of primary importance in an e- Government development project. Here regional employees user-design a computer-based aid for public tender editing – a tender configurator - with the support of facilitators. The paper offers a demonstration of the mission critical relevance of the relational component in SPD, intertwined with the customary functional component, in resuming governance towards project success. We address the structural problem with infra-structural measures including open conversations to promote shared understanding, and user design laboratories to promote concept emergence and learning, while practicing relation and trust building all along. Our constructivist approach renounces from the start to solve the governance problem within a narrow managerial perspective. This experience is far from a complete experiment. But a wealth of indications and partial results have been harvested on needs, opportunities, and practices, for promoting shared understanding and trust in the project, and letting emerge idiosyncratic solutions. Our SPD approach is entrenched in the deployment of facilitator interventions in the case site, in an action research (AR) like approach employing Interactive Use Cases (IUC) as a Participative Design (PD) tool. Key is the awareness and intentionality in conceiving, proposing, co-constructing with users the appropriate path, in the context, towards desired change. A holistic, long-term commitment. Quality of the path more important, that the very goal. The SPD approach is evolved through: a) the attempts from facilitators to build up personal relations of trust with managers and personnel; b) ethnographic observations; c) the analysis and awareness creation of the main traits of the extant situation in the company, through interviews, meetings, and workshops; d) the joint identification with the company’s personnel of the crucial how question e) the conception and joint co-construction of visions of solution by personnel and facilitators. PD techniques employed as special measures include: user laboratories, learning sessions, design sessions. We judge the quality of the SPD approach by three requirements (Baskerville and Myers 2004): a contribution to practice (the action), a contribution to research (the theory), the criteria by which to judge the research, and we show explicitly how the research in the case meets these criteria

NOW: THE PARTICIPATORY MARKETPLACE FOR A TOURIST DESTINATION

Framing metamorphosis: In a unique, bottom-up, destination management case - exploiting mobileinternet based communication – operators’ competition is washed out, in favour of shared sense making, cooperation, and coordination. How is it possible? What are the drivers, enablers, and success factors? What makes it sustainable? What produces shared self-awareness in the community, to gain group access to online trade? What magic organisational intervention produces the “miracle”? Different perspectives: Qualitative analysis interpretation, in a soft, participated, action-case, yields: from a socio-technical perspective: local dimension and participation (sustainability of solution, convenience; a working online market; putting the tourist at centre); from a social perspective: adapt to various users\u27 situation (location, context, and mood; don’t take all, select on quality; crossmarketing partnership); from an IS discipline perspective: social-practice-design intervention; mobile- Internet driven business-model and cooperation; APPs and user configurability. Theory stands: Digging into the conceptual fabrics of the case, unquestionably unveils the embodiment of some anticipated, crisp, phenomenology-based IS concepts, in the social structuration back-bones of human behaviour of NOW: i) personal sense making and motivation (situation, context and mood, convenience, sustainability); ii) people participation to technology-based innovation (participatory-design, constructing well functioning socio-technical infrastructures, user-design in use); iii) intervention for consensus-based, organizational change by social-practice-design (facilitation for shared sense making, trust and cooperation building, bottom-up governance)

FACILITATING CO-CONSTRUCTION BY SOCIAL PRACTICE DESIGN: A CASE OF GEODISTRIBUTED EMPLOYEES FACING THE DESIGN OF MODEL-BASED ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS

This paper describes the experiences of practicing social practice design (SPD) activities with user groups, in geographically distributed, collaborating manufacturing companies, struggling with the introduction of model based enterprise systems. Within a European project, we observed and routinely analyzed ongoing development and assessment work of model based technologies and methodologies, in these companies. Based on an ethnographic study of Modelling sessions and Validation sessions, we performed an in depth analysis of people semantic and pragmatic perspectives (a necessary and needed ‘second step back’), and identified core disconnects on modelling concept use and language, and on motivations and goals, between technology designers – modellers - and domain experts – users - clearly hindering project progress -. These disconnects were addressed with user groups in the form of SPD sessions (‘second order’ activities), which consisted mostly in a series of design game and scenario-building workshops, enriched by open conversations and perspective sharing and comparison. The paper describes how these SPD sessions facilitated the creation of sense making and trust, enabling participants to engage and learn, and to act as change agents in the project, opening the way to co-construction of solutions with other actors. Observations of Modelling and Validation sessions showed that participants could not automatically build on a deep understanding of modelling and its trade-offs; they adopted the representational conventions they had learned to use. Lack of sense making and lack of co-construction were observed, along with lack of facilitation for genuinely participative conditions. Modeller-guided Modelling sessions showed no appropriation of object decomposition and relationship structures by domain experts, nor contribution from users to leadership in the modelling process; only imposition of hierarchical structures by modellers, in the midst of a cloud of mistrust and suspicion. Validation sessions of the model-based approach showed that ‘common’ users do not perceive the value of the approach, as they have not been helped to gain a conceptual understanding of modelling, of the tradeoffs of abstractions, and of how a model may productively interact with work practices. In this distributed project, different concepts of various user groups all conflicted with modellers’ concept. The SPD facilitation interventions helped participants in stepping back from the “official view” of the work process created in the course of the project, and in focussing more on their own experiences, opening up for creativity. SPD events were grounded in the belief that, when it comes to one’s own things, people with no special knowledge of the issues to be discussed can contribute something valuable, especially on those matters that they perceive as problems for themselves; it was impressive to witness how people with no management perspective can engage in strategy development within a very short time. The methods were easy enough to adopt without much preparation and rich enough to stimulate learning and valuable insights; people felt comfortable and not at risk at being judged. Participants expressed how important the experience of working creatively on solving “real problems” had been for them. We can understand this also as a result of the longitudinal character of our SPD engagement with people in the project, which had provided us with good knowledge about work practices, potentials and problems on the one hand, allowed trust building on the other hand

The extreme hyper-reactivity of Cys94 in lysozyme avoids its amorphous aggregation

Many proteins provided with disulfde bridges in the native state undergo amorphous irreversible aggregation when these bonds are not formed. Here we show that egg lysozyme displays a clever strategy to prevent this deleterious aggregation during the nascent phase when disulfdes are still absent. In fact, when the reduced protein assembles into a molten globule state, its cysteines acquire strong hyper-reactivity towards natural disulfdes. The most reactive residue, Cys94, reacts with oxidized glutathione (GSSG) 3000 times faster than an unperturbed protein cysteine. A low pKa of its sulfydryl group (6.6/7.1) and a productive complex with GSSG (KD=0.3mM), causes a fast glutathionylation of this residue (t1/2=3s) and a complete inhibition of the protein aggregation. Other six cysteines display 70 times higher reactivity toward GSSG. The discovery of extreme hyper-reactivity in cysteines only devoted to structural roles opens new research felds for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson diseases

A EMPATIA COMO ESSÊNCIA DA ATUAÇÃO DO FISIOTERAPEUTA FRENTE AS DEFICIÊNCIAS FÍSICAS E SENSORIAIS.

Abordar a multidimensionalidade da deficiência física e sensorial configura aspecto relevante na formação acadêmica na área da saúde. A atuação desses profissionais, incluindo o fisioterapeuta, exige visão sistêmica, que considere a teia de conexões e interdependências inerentes a vida humana. A temática das deficiências demanda sensibilização a respeito da diversidade, num processo que conduza à inclusão social, considerando a compreensão das expectativas do paciente e a relação profissional-paciente que essa realidade implica. O objetivo desse trabalho é relatar uma atividade didática que simulou situações cotidianas da vida dos deficientes físicos e sensoriais no intuito de sensibilizar os acadêmicos quanto às limitações e potencialidades do meio e entorno, bem como incentivar a relação empática a partir da vivência de tais situações na perspectiva de contribuir para uma efetiva inclusão social.  A vivência foi realizada em um componente curricular da primeira fase do curso de Fisioterapia,  por meio de simulação realística. Os acadêmicos foram alocados em grupos e expostos às condições de cadeirantes, amputados e deficientes visuais para realização de atividades cotidianas, sendo que antes e após a simulação eles responderam a uma pergunta norteadora. Os impactos positivos repercutiram em diferentes momentos, imediatamente  por meio das substanciais mudanças nos discursos em resposta a questão norteadora, abordados pela análise temática. O uso da estratégia mostrou-se eficaz no desenvolvimento da habilidade de empatia, aspecto fundamental para as intervenções em saúde

Serratia marcescens in a neonatal intensive care unit: two long-term multiclone outbreaks in a 10-year observational study

We investigated two consecutive Serratia marcescens (S. marcescens) outbreaks which occurred in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary level hospital in North Italy in a period of 10 years (January 2003-December 2012). Risk factors associated with S. marcescens acquisition were evaluated by a retrospective case-control study. A total of 21,011 clinical samples was examined: S. marcescens occurred in 127 neonates: 43 developed infection and 3 died. Seven clusters were recorded due to 12 unrelated clones which persisted for years in the ward, although no environmental source was found. The main epidemic clone A sustaining the first cluster in 2003 reappeared in 2010 as an extended spectrum ?-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strain and supporting the second epidemic. Birth weight, gestational age, use of invasive devices and length of stay in the ward were significantly related to S. marcescens acquisition. The opening of a new ward for non-intensive care-requiring neonates, strict adherence to alcoholic hand disinfection, the timely identification and isolation of infected and colonized neonates assisted in containing the epidemics. Genotyping was effective in tracing the evolution and dynamics of the clones demonstrating their long-term persistence in the ward

Prevenção na escola: IMAMA e NUDEC no IFRS Bento Gonçalves

Trabalho apresentado no 31º SEURS - Seminário de Extensão Universitária da Região Sul, realizado em Florianópolis, SC, no período de 04 a 07 de agosto de 2013 - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.Com o intuito de conscientizar a comunidade a importância sobre cuidados com a saúde em geral, o grupo enfoca os temas: câncer de mama, por ser altamente incidente na nossa região e associado a altas taxas de mortalidade; doenças sexualmente transmissíveis e gravidez na adolescência; a importância dos adolescentes se tornarem doadores; fatores que levam ao tabagismo na adolescência e suas consequências. Uma equipe formada por servidores e alunos do IFRS-BG desenvolve um programa de conscientização dentro da escola, estendendo-se a outras escolas e comunidades adjacentes. O grupo utiliza uma metodologia própria, como oficinas de conscientização, apresentação de peças teatrais e o uso de recursos didáticos confeccionados de forma artesanal pela equipe. Atentando a inovação e sustentabilidade aproveitam-se sobras de material para a confecção do chaveiro do IMAMA e de bolsas confeccionadas com banners descartados, levando mensagens dos temas acima citados e da importância de ações conscientes. A fisiologia da mama é explicada mostrando-se a mama táctil, também confeccionada pelo grupo e com identificações em Braille, oportunizando-se assim também a compreensão das pessoas com deficiência visual. Pequenas peças teatrais com temas relacionados a sexualidade, a gravidez na adolescência, ao câncer de mama são apresentadas com o intuito de provocar uma interação com o público. E a partir disto, propicia-se uma reflexão sobre situações de risco e vulnerabilidade relacionadas ao comportamento sexual e a importância de hábitos saudáveis. Investe-se na atuação desses jovens tendo a certeza de que as mensagens estão sendo absorvidas e hábitos simples e saudáveis estão sendo introduzidos nas rotinas de quem os assiste e de suas famílias, o que lhes assegurarão qualidade de vida

FROM SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT SERVICE PROVIDER – HELAS, A CAPTIVE RESOURCE! - TO ONE’S OWN PRODUCTS AND BRAND: MAXIMISING RIGOUR AND RELEVANCE IN ORGANISATIONAL PROBLEM SOLVING

As described elsewhere (Jacucci MCIS07 2007), Social Practice Design (SPD) seeks to ensure that the potential benefits of envisioned novel technologies can be realised. SPD is an extension of Participatory Design (PD) to the implementation phase of information systems, using action research, participatory design, and counselling. This paper describes a case of organisational problem solving by counselling, using the central portion of the new Social Practice Design approach, in which counsellors interpretations and suggestions are intertwined with turntaking proposals by company personnel, in an intentional promotion of the emergence of new social practices. The portion of the new Social Practice Design approach on which we concentrate our attention in this paper includes the following organised actions: • Counsellor’s creativity suggests in appropriate perspectives one or more relevant principles from known social theories, capable of providing leverage support for addressing each howquestion expressing a problem issue, previously emerged from ethnographic observations • Tentative visions of solution are counsellor generated by confronting each how-question with corresponding theory principles • Consolidated visions of solution are co-constructed together by counsellor and managers/personnel in conversations where the counsellor generated tentative visions serve as germs only: these are considered together, questioned, modified as needed, or abandoned. This paper thus focuses mainly on the one aspect of the experience of practicing SPD with user groups at a European industry, that includes elaborating with company personnel visions of solution of problem issues in their organization, emerged during ethnography based phases of SPD work (reported at MCIS06: Jacucci, Tellioglu, and Wagner 2006)). Recurrent topics in the principles section of this paper, giving rise to vision of solutions to how question issues, point principally to the involvement and agency of company personnel (individually, and in group setting). This substantiates our counselling approach. A prominent feature exhibited by our counselling approach to the generation of visions of solution in SPD, is a contrast between rigour and freedom: maximum rigour required in following the method, maximum freedom allowed in creating relevant associations: a significant encounter of phenomenology and ethics? The issue type, and the implicit priority of strongly felt how questions and visions of solution of socio-organisational and business nature, emerged clearly in case study conversations. Addressing how questions with appropriate visions of solution allows organisations to learn and undergo change, through the adoption of new social practices