Analytics-Driven Digital Platform for Regional Growth and Development: A Case Study from Norway

In this paper, we present the growth barometer (Vekstbarometer in Norwegian), which is a digital platform that provides the development trends in the regional context in a visual and user-friendly way. The platform is developed to use open data from different sources that is presented mainly in five main groups: goals, premises or prerequisites for growth, industries, growth, and expectations. Furthermore, it also helps to improve decision-making and transparency, as well as provide new knowledge for research and society. The platform uses sensitive and non-sensitive open data. In contrast to other similar digital platforms from Norway, where the data is presented as raw data or with basic level of presentations, our platform is advantageous since it provides a range of options for visualization that makes the statistics more comprehensive.Comment: The Thirteenth International Conference on Digital Society and eGovernments (ICDS 2019

Determinants of e-business and ICT adoption among SMEs in Macedonia - An application of TOE Framework

Research has demonstrated that firms using e-business culminate with considerablereturns through efficiency improvement, inventory reduction, sales increase,customer relationship enhancement, new market penetration, and ultimatelyfinancial returns. However, there is little systematic research in terms of e-businessadoption patterns in firms using TOE (Technology-Organization-Environment)framework. This paper illustrates the potential of adoption and use of ICT and ebusinessapplications in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Macedonia.In the paper we present preliminary results of a survey of around 60 SMEs. In thisstudy we explore several factors enabling or impeding the successful adoption anduse of e-business and ICT by Macedonian SMEs. Based on technologyenvironment-organization (TOE) theory, three aspects influence e-business adoption: technological context (we explore technology integration among firms,more specifically the type of ICT adoption and applications), organizational context(we try to discover the motivations to invest in ICT, the benefits and barriers of ICTand e-business in particular) and environmental context (here we investigate trusted sources of IT advice, challenges of implementations and competitive pressure). Wefind that SMEs are generally satisfied with their investment in ICT but they are concerned about the cost of such investments and are uncertain about the business benefits, failing to recognize ICT's strategic potential to increase business flexibility, to increase productivity and to support globalization. Besides the concern about the ICT related cost, other major obstacles in adopting ICT were lackof internal ICT capabilities and lack of information about selecting, implementing and evaluating suitable ICT solutions. Our findings have important implications for policy aimed at ICT adoption and use by SMEs and will provide a foundation forfuture research by helping policy makers to understand, assist and support the SME sector

Understanding the Importance of Information Systems Implementation in Organization’s Effectiveness : A Comparative Study on Two Swedish Organizations

Information systems (IS) exist in order to intensify the information flow within an organization, at all levels, specifically to allow set of data to reach the designated person, in the right format, and at the right time, generating a positive and beneficial contribution to the organization. Therefore, it is essential to investigate their intended purpose and how they affect the organization’s effectiveness in particular. This paper aims to investigate two different implementations of information systems in two organizations and understand the impact these implementations have on the respective organization’s effectiveness. We use three antecedents, namely, time-saving, workload, and system reliability, to distinguish users’ perceptions and experience with the system and how they affect the organization’s effectiveness. An interpretative method is used, due to the paradigm’s focus on social constructions and human interpretations to explain reality. The result of the findings shows that the implementation of a new IS has a greater impact on an organization’s effectiveness, compared to an older system that gets updated and add-ons. By comparing diversities between different implementations of information systems, focusing on how the chosen approach affects the effectiveness in each organization, a better grasp, and understanding of an area that lacks research and attention is highlighted

What users tweet on NFTs : mining Twitter to understand NFT-related concerns using a topic modeling approach

Non-fungible token (NFT) trade has grown drastically over recent years. While scholarship on the technical aspects and potential applications of NFTs has been steadily increasing, less attention has been directed to the human perception of or attitudes toward this new type of digital asset. The aim of this research is to investigate what concerns are expressed in relation to non-fungible tokens by those who engage with NFTs on the social media platform Twitter. In this study, data was gathered through online social media data mining of NFT-related posts on Twitter. Two datasets (with 18,373 and 36,354 individual tweet records, respectively) were obtained. Topic modeling was used as a method of data analysis. Our results reveal 19 overall themes of concerns around NFTs as expressed on Twitter, which broadly fall into two categories: concerns about attacks and threats by third parties; and concerns about trading and the role of marketplaces. Overall, this study offers a better understanding of the expressions of concern, uncertainty, and the perception of possible barriers related to NFT trading. These findings contribute to theoretical insight and can, moreover, function as a basis for developing practical design and policy interventions

Remote Education Trajectories for Learners with Special Needs During the Covid-19 Outbreak: An Accessibility Analysis of the Learning Platforms

In order to stop the COVID-19 virus spreading, most universities replaced traditional in-class education with remote teaching and learning. The whole situation was stressful for all, particularly for the students with special needs. It seems that these students were literally abandoned, and many differently abled students completely missed out on their education. Learning results of those who were enabled remote learning significantly decreased, which additionally undermined their already present low self-esteem. To resolve the dilemma whether the essential groundwork for inclusiveness exists, this paper examines the accessibility of learning management systems, audio and video teleconferencing applications, and massive open online courses. Four impairments: motor, vision, hearing and cognitive were carefully explored in line with WCAG 2.1 recommendations. The current state of the synergy between the components was assessed carefully and thoroughly. Based on the research findings, recommendations towards making online learning more accessible to students with special needs are proposed, aiming to enable broad education to everyone, with no discrimination on the basis of disability

User interface evaluation of a ski injuries management system

Although many technological devices and solutions to enhance the skiing experience are now available for skiers, skiing sometimes could turn to be potentially dangerous. The speed of movement, environment unpredictability, and variable weather conditions, among others, can contribute to some of the most common skiing injuries that skiers incur. In this paper, we conduct an interface prototype evaluation of a ski injury registration system architecture that is already developed. This system will improve the communication from the ski resort to the medical center, in case an injury has occurred. The results of the interface evaluation indicate that the ski patrollers showed very positive attitude and experience with this prototype. Furthermore, the post-task and SUS (System Usability Scale) question results showed very high score for all participants, indicating that locating the body parts and the right injury was very easy using the interface

Exploring the Impact of Mob Programming on the Well-Being of the Developers : Insights from a Software Company

Research has demonstrated that software engineering teams nowadays face numerous challenges that revolve around the well-being (happiness) of the developers. One way to address these challenges can be through Mob Programming (MP). Mob programming represents a novel software development practice where a whole team works together on the same coding problem, at the same time, in the same space and on the same computer. In this study, we investigate the impact of using MP on the well-being of software developers. A qualitative method with semi-structured interviews and observations was applied for its ability to extract in-depth and valuable information. The participants selected for this study derived from four different development teams who worked at Fortnox AB in Växjö, where one of the four development teams used MP on a daily basis and the three other teams practise MP on an occasional basis. A total of 13 interviews were conducted at the company's offices. Thematic analysis is used to organize and create a structure regarding the information from the interviews. Two themes with specific sub-codes are created based on the thematic analysis: Team dynamics and Individual dynamics, which are derived from the interview questionnaire. The study found that the majority of software developers were impacted in a positive way regarding well-being while practising MP. Reduced stress and individual work pressure, and increased social interaction were two of some prominent factors that contributed to this result. However, stress was also found to have negative effects on some developers, which was associated with the constant attention and overlooking by others during the coding proces

Remote Education Trajectories for Learners with Special Needs During the Covid-19 Outbreak : An Accessibility Analysis of the Learning Platforms

In order to stop the COVID-19 virus spreading, most universities replaced traditional in-class education with remote teaching and learning. The whole situation was stressful for all, particularly for the students with special needs. It seems that these students were literally abandoned, and many differently abled students completely missed out on their education. Learning results of those who were enabled remote learning significantly decreased, which additionally undermined their already present low self-esteem. To resolve the dilemma whether the essential groundwork for inclusiveness exists, this paper examines the accessibility of learning management systems, audio and video teleconferencing applications, and massive open online courses. Four impairments: motor, vision, hearing and cognitive were carefully explored in line with WCAG 2.1 recommendations. The current state of the synergy between the components was assessed carefully and thoroughly. Based on the research findings, recommendations towards making online learning more accessible to students with special needs are proposed, aiming to enable broad education to everyone, with no discrimination on the basis of disability

Impact of Assistive Technologies to Inclusive Education and Independent Life of Down Syndrome Persons : A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the lifespan of people born with Down syndrome (DS) has increased. They now outlive their parents and rely on their relatives who usually sacrifice their own families to care for their disabled siblings. To reduce the pressure on families and the wider community, it is crucial to prepare DS people for independent life from early childhood. Emerging technologies can significantly support the process of acquiring the skills that are necessary for solving real-life problems at home and work. To assess their impact and estimate how much they are implemented in inclusive education, a review of 564 papers published after 2015 was done using the PRISMA review model. After gradual exclusion, 24 papers were used for the final review. Thematic analysis resulted in four themes with one common concept: variety. The results of examining the four research questions defined in the paper’s background confirm that the synergy of emerging assistive technologies and inclusive education has the potential of becoming a very effective strategy for creating an independent life for DS individuals. Many questions remain open, mainly related to a DS persons’ specific needs and capabilities. The acceptance of the proposed synergy will depend on them.

User interface evaluation of a ski injuries management system

Although many technological devices and solutions to enhance the skiing experience are now available for skiers, skiing sometimes could turn to be potentially dangerous. The speed of movement, environment unpredictability, and variable weather conditions, among others, can contribute to some of the most common skiing injuries that skiers incur. In this paper, we conduct an interface prototype evaluation of a ski injury registration system architecture that is already developed. This system will improve the communication from the ski resort to the medical center, in case an injury has occurred. The results of the interface evaluation indicate that the ski patrollers showed very positive attitude and experience with this prototype. Furthermore, the post-task and SUS (System Usability Scale) question results showed very high score for all participants, indicating that locating the body parts and the right injury was very easy using the interface