Understanding virtual world usage: A multipurpose model and empirical testing

This paper investigates the role of boundary objects in the interdisciplinary collaborative processes found in computer games development. It draws on data from an in-depth case study in a computer games studio that explores boundary objects in relation to the compelling, sensory and entertainmentcentred game-playing practices that inform computer games design and development. Sensory user experience and aesthetic considerations – of primary importance in computer games development – are becoming increasingly significant in the design and development of many other kinds of software and information systems. For this reason developments in the design and production of computer games have wider implications for other software and information systems settings and provide valuable insights into processes of collaboration that bridge cultural and aesthetic as well as technical forms of expertise. The paper seeks to provide insights into how objects contribute to such collaboration, with attention focusing especially on how game developers devise objects that span boundaries and draw on these in their collaboration. Through its focus on the material production and practices of computer games development, the research presented also seeks to contribute to the theoretical treatment of interdisciplinary collaborative working in software design and development via a critical assessment of the concept of boundary objects in the setting being studied

VALUE PROPOSITION FOR DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS OF UNCERTAIN MARKET POTENTIAL

In this paper we explore the notion of valu proposition in relation to the features of digital technology innovations of uncertain market potential. Drawing on an empirical study of ˜serious games´ development we focus on the interplay between the design features as they are being incorporated into the serious game and how these can be addressed through an emergent articulation of the valu proposition that sheds light on the establishment of a business model. We draw on ˜pragmatics of justification´ literature to develop an account of how the valus, with not only economic/finance but also non-monetary notion, manifested in digital technologies, are justified in order to arrive at a valu proposition. We argu that through mutual adjustment and reconciliation of each valu element with the emerging valu proposition, clarity and stability are brought to its constitution which are vital in the drawing-up of a business model in situations of high uncertainty. The research contributions we make are (a) theorizing how a valu proposition is constituted, (b) introducing a new analytical approach to the study of valu proposition drawing from the pragmatics of justification in the context of digital technology innovations´ development with social, economic and technical notions.

The participation of early career researchers in the decision-making bodies of a German university

In the European higher education landscape, Early Career Researchers (ECRs) often face exclusion from participating in the university decision-making bodies (department, faculty, senate level). This paper aims to address the following research questions: to what extent is the participation of ECRs in decision-making bodies ensured, and what are the gender promotion policies within German universities, specifically focusing on a university in the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia? These inquiries are in line with the thematic scope of the special issue dedicated to examining the gendered and intersectional invisibility of researchers, evaluating participation while understanding the intersectional profile of Early Career Researchers (ECRs). The problem statement delves into thematic areas encompassing policies, legal frameworks, and practices, critically analysing their impact on ECR representation within the decision-making structures of the German Higher Education System. The paper utilises a qualitative research approach, conducting a comprehensive thematic content analysis of relevant sources such as websites, institutional documents, and governmental publications. This method aims to provide a detailed understanding of the context under study. Initial findings indicate a significant exclusion of PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers from decision-making bodies. However, the implementation of a Gender Equality Plan overseen by federal states has initiated a shift towards achieving more equitable representation within higher education governance structures. The necessity for rectifying under-representation is discussed using a postcolonial intersectional perspective to flag the power relations in academia (Mählck, 2018).peer-reviewe

Information and communication technologies and the integration of financial marketplaces: The development of the Euroclear single platform for cross-border securities settlement.

While cross-border financial activity continues to grow, facilitated by the adoption of electronic information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the multi-jurisdictional presence of large financial corporations, securities marketplaces have remained locally organised. Why has marketplace integration in this area lagged when ICTs have made possible the linking of geographically remote transacting parties and enhanced their calculative capabilities. This question raises issues regarding distinctions between markets and marketplaces and the implication of ICTs in the constitution of financial marketplaces that this research seeks to address through a study of an initiative to use ICTs to integrate the securities marketplaces of the UK and Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, and Brussels-based international central securities depository Euroclear Bank. Adopting an approach informed by the social studies of finance that emphasise the importance of technologies, systematic knowledge, and material practices in the functioning of financial markets, the central empirical focus of the research is to trace the articulation of human and non-human entities involved in the development of the Euroclear cross-marketplace securities settlement platform. The study shows that integrating securities marketplaces is far from being a neat technical process requiring the integration of ICT systems. Instead, a meticulous sociotechnical re-articulation of the exchange architectures that format the encounters between transacting parties and transacting parties and objects of exchange is required. Furthermore, as the new arrangements take shape, they become a concrete interrogation of the world - both conceptual and material - surrounding them; technical issues become part of wider controversies, with points of interface between the emerging system and other sociotechnical networks it comes into contact with becoming nodes of actions, questions, and reactions from agencies required to respond to the demands of the new platform from the world around it. In the process, competing inscriptions of assumptions about the world are rendered explicit and contestable as the experiment of ICT-inspired marketplace integration becomes embroiled in a trial of rival conceptions of politico-economic integration

Lackluster Adoption of Cryptocurrencies as a Consumer Payment Method in the United States—Hypothesis: Is This Independent Technology in Need of a Brand, and What Kind?

Cryptocurrencies were supposed to replace traditional payment methods when they were invented over 13 years ago, but adoption by the general consumer is still lacking, at least in the United States. Instead, crypto is often used as a speculative investment, by illicit actors, or for use cases unrelated to everyday purchases. A literature review on general adoption barriers and interviews with experts has only unearthed factors like usability, performance, and political drivers, among other barriers. Brand as an adoption barrier is mostly missing from literature, at least for cryptocurrencies. This led to the formation of a hypothesis related to crypto’s lack of adoption as a payment method. A framework is being designed based on the technology adoption model to find out if “brand” has an impact on cryptocurrency adoption, which was paradoxically designed to be brandless and not needing any institutional trust. The intent is to focus on what “Bitcoin 2.0” might look like, and to also delve further and gauge perceptions about various types of brands getting involved in the next generation of cryptocurrencies, including traditional banks, governments, technology companies, and also some of the decentralized and hybrid consortia currently vying to get consumers to use stablecoins, nation-issued cryptocurrencies, and other forms of digital instruments. While other studies had focused on trust, early adopter usability, or performance of blockchain networks, this work intends to focus on the general consumer’s perceptions about digital money, and the types of brands and evolution of this instrument liable to increase uptak

Recombination in the Open-Ended Value Landscape of Digital Innovation

Digital innovation introduces a new open-ended value landscape to anyone seeking to generate or capture new value. To understand this landscape, we distinguish between design recombination and use recombination, explore how they play out together, and redirect the attention from products and services toward digital resources. Digital resources serve as building-blocks in digital innovation, and they hold the potential to simultaneously be part of multiple value paths, offered through design recombination and assembled through use recombination. Building on this perspective, we offer the value spaces framework as a tool for better understanding value creation and capture in digital innovation. We illustrate the framework and offer the early contours of a research agenda for information systems researchers