The skill gap and polarization of the software labour force: Early signs of the War of Talents between software professionals and how it threatens wellbeing

The demand for high-skill and deep knowledge is a key characteristic for modern-day software business. In addition, the whole impact of information and communication technology (ICT) is seen as a cross-cutting element in different industries. The software industry in Finland is suffering from a severe labour shortage and the estimations of needed labour are ranging from 7,000 to 15,000 software professional. However, despite all development and research done, the question, whether the software companies are requesting more employers or are they looking for more diverse skills, remains unanswered. Furthermore, previously there has little if any discussion, on whose responsibility is to ensure that future software experts have the right kinds of skills and competencies to secure their successful work career. This study focuses on the skill polarization between software professionals, referred to as the ‘War of Talents’ in this study, by using data collected by a survey (n=90) from Finnish software businesses. The results reveal some indication of ongoing skill polarization in the field and its possible impacts are discussed. Furthermore, the potential threatening impacts of the polarization process on the well-being in the information society are observed and reported. In addition, the paper proposes adding skill development applications among the offering of eWellbeing services due to the importance of work-related competencies to the self-image – and therefore also wellbeing – of individuals.The demand for high-skill and deep knowledge is a key characteristic for modern-day software business. In addition, the whole impact of information and communication technology (ICT) is seen as a cross-cutting element in different industries. The software industry in Finland is suffering from a severe labour shortage and the estimations of needed labour are ranging from 7,000 to 15,000 software professional. However, despite all development and research done, the question, whether the software companies are requesting more employers or are they looking for more diverse skills, remains unanswered. Furthermore, previously there has little if any discussion, on whose responsibility is to ensure that future software experts have the right kinds of skills and competencies to secure their successful work career. This study focuses on the skill polarization between software professionals, referred to as the ‘War of Talents’ in this study, by using data collected by a survey (n=90) from Finnish software businesses. The results reveal some indication of ongoing skill polarization in the field and its possible impacts are discussed. Furthermore, the potential threatening impacts of the polarization process on the well-being in the information society are observed and reported. In addition, the paper proposes adding skill development applications among the offering of eWellbeing services due to the importance of work-related competencies to the self-image – and therefore also wellbeing – of individuals

Ethical Governance of eGovernment Ecosystems

Digitisation of governmental services has become a common approach to make governing more effective and efficient. The eGovernment services can be built on top of a variety of information systems and supplied to and between individuals and organisations on both national and international levels. This results in a complex organisational and sociotechnical ecosystem containing a vast amount of variables affecting the privacy and safety of citizens. Thus, achieving these better societies relies strongly on common trust between the citizens and governments. This calls for ‘governance of governance’, which can prove to be difficult to manage. Even in this challenging environment, it is crucial that ethical principles are applied to the highest possible degree. Yet, in current research, the citizens are often neglected. In order to develop a better society for all, we should objectively consider the ends and means of eGovernment. In this paper, we study the relation of the citizens and eGovernment systems from an ethical perspective in order to represent which ethical considerations should be made if one wishes to truly aim for a better society

Ethical framework for a fair, human-centric data economy - WP 1: Citizens’ values

European Union (EU) has been the forerunner and visionary of data protection and pri-vacy. However, the data economy is global business where the values of EU drives are not yet fulfilled or understood. Sitra’s IHAN project is aiming to make a difference by creating the foundation for a fair data economy by treating the individuals as key stakeholders.The goal of this report is to seek the values of citizens considering the fair data economy. The research is based on the previous value research by Schwartz and Hofstede. This is complemented with a survey on citizens (n=8004) – focusing on fair data use – that was conducted for Sitra by Kantar TNS Ltd in the four member states of EU: Finland (n=2000), France (n=2000), Germany (n=2004) and the Netherlands (n=2000). The answers of two open questions, that were part of the survey, were used as empirical material for our analysis. Thematic analysis was used to find values that should be considered when developing fair human-centric data economy.The main finding – based on previous value research of Hofstede – is that the values differ in different European countries and it seems that we do not share the similar “European values”. Instead, people in EU have diverse values based on their cultural back-ground. However, this is not the simply answer. Even though we do not have similar values basis, we do share same common values and people are able to create new ones, which should be the goal of when creating a people-centric data economy. If we cannot find commonly acceptable values, the data economy continues to be field filled with doubts, exploitations and scandals, where mere economical needs are at the centre of ecosystem.In thematic analyse we found eighth different themes: User's control over data and data sharing, Transparency and being informed, Security, Trust and fairness, Compensation or benefits for users, Supervision and rules, Attitudes towards data collection and data economy and Unable to answer/does not know. The founded values were also located to Schwartz’s model and main finding was that Transparency seems to be connecting value for other values. It is understandable as transparency is only way to ensure the fulfilment of other values. Without transparency one may not see how convincing security or trust could be achieved.These themes show the issues that should be taken account when developing fair data economy that meets the justified values of people. Therefore, it seems that key factors for achieving fair human centric data economy –that is in line with values of humans– are transparency and open communication with people all the time. We need open and rational discourse were people are truly seen as equal stakeholders and their interests are no bypassed by other stakeholders.</p

Ethical framework for IoT deployment in SMEs: individual perspective

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the ethical issues related to the internet of Things (IoT) deployment in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from an individual employee's perspective. To provide researchers and practitioners with concrete tools for examining these matters, an ethical framework dedicated to IoT is introduced.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the applicability of Mason's original privacy, accuracy, property and accessibility (PAPA) framework is studied in the IoT context. Second, issue category additions are proposed based on the identified coverage limitations of PAPA.FindingsWhile the original PAPA framework can be utilised as a generic ethical evaluation tool, it lacks coverage of several IoT-specific issue areas. To thoroughly address the ethical risks associated with IoT, two additional categories are introduced.Research limitations/implicationsThe new framework requires further validation to ensure its applicability and to identify potential modification requirements in continuously evolving IoT ecosystems.Practical implicationsConsidering the lack of ethical IoT frameworks, this study provides organisations with a practical framework for analysing the ethical issues in IoT deployment.Social implicationsEthical standards for IoT have not been sufficiently addressed in the current literature and frameworks, making the ethical considerations dependent on subjective stances. Thus, there is an acute demand for a practical framework that outlines the general ethical standards, helping its users to thoroughly address the potential ethical issues.Originality/valueWhile the use of IoT keeps growing in SMEs, there is an apparent lack of ethical guidelines. This study contributes to the gap by introducing a preliminary framework for both practical use and further theoretical development.</p

The skill gap and polarization of the software labour force : early signs of the War of Talents between software professionals and how it threatens wellbeing

The demand for high-skill and deep knowledge is a key characteristic for modern-day software business. In addition, the whole impact of information and communication technology (ICT) is seen as a cross-cutting element in different industries. The software industry in Finland is suffering from a severe labour shortage and the estimations of needed labour are ranging from 7,000 to 15,000 software professional. However, despite all development and research done, the question, whether the software companies are requesting more employers or are they looking for more diverse skills, remains unanswered. Furthermore, previously there has little if any discussion, on whose responsibility is to ensure that future software experts have the right kinds of skills and competencies to secure their successful work career. This study focuses on the skill polarization between software professionals, referred to as the ‘War of Talents’ in this study, by using data collected by a survey (n=90) from Finnish software businesses. The results reveal some indication of ongoing skill polarization in the field and its possible impacts are discussed. Furthermore, the potential threatening impacts of the polarization process on the well-being in the information society are observed and reported. In addition, the paper proposes adding skill development applications among the offering of eWellbeing services due to the importance of work-related competencies to the self-image – and therefore also wellbeing – of individuals.</p

Are you talking to me? - calling laypersons in the sphere of data economy ecosystems

Purpose Data economy is pervasively present in our everyday lives. Still, ordinary laypersons' chances to genuine communication with other stakeholders are scarce. This paper aims to raise awareness about communication patterns in the context of data economy and initiate a dialogue about laypersons' position in data economy ecosystems.Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper covers theory-based critical reflection with ethical- and empirical-based remarks. It provides novel perspectives both for research and stakeholder collaboration.Findings The authors suggest invitational rhetoric and Habermasian discourse as instruments towards understanding partnership between all stakeholders of the data economy to enable laypersons to transfer from subjectivity to the agency.Originality/value The authors provide (1) theory-based critical reflection concerning communication patterns in the data economy; (2) both ethical and empirical-based remarks about laypersons' position in data economy and (3) ideas for interdisciplinary research and stakeholder collaboration practices by using invitational rhetoric and rational discourse. By that, this paper suggests taking a closer look at communication practices and ethics alike in the data economy. Moreover, it encourages clear, rational and justified arguments between stakeholders in a respectful and equal environment in the data economy ecosystems.</p

Are you talking to me? – calling laypersons in the sphere of data economy ecosystems

Purpose: Data economy is pervasively present in our everyday lives. Still, ordinary laypersons' chances to genuine communication with other stakeholders are scarce. This paper aims to raise awareness about communication patterns in the context of data economy and initiate a dialogue about laypersons' position in data economy ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach: This conceptual paper covers theory-based critical reflection with ethical- and empirical-based remarks. It provides novel perspectives both for research and stakeholder collaboration. Findings: The authors suggest invitational rhetoric and Habermasian discourse as instruments towards understanding partnership between all stakeholders of the data economy to enable laypersons to transfer from subjectivity to the agency. Originality/value: The authors provide (1) theory-based critical reflection concerning communication patterns in the data economy; (2) both ethical and empirical-based remarks about laypersons' position in data economy and (3) ideas for interdisciplinary research and stakeholder collaboration practices by using invitational rhetoric and rational discourse. By that, this paper suggests taking a closer look at communication practices and ethics alike in the data economy. Moreover, it encourages clear, rational and justified arguments between stakeholders in a respectful and equal environment in the data economy ecosystems.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Decreased natural organic matter in water distribution decreases nitrite formation in non-disinfected conditions, via enhanced nitrite oxidation

Nitrite in drinking water is a potentially harmful substance for humans, and controlling nitrite formation in drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) is highly important. The effect of natural organic matter (NOM) on the formation of nitrite in simulated distribution systems was studied. The objective was to inspect how a reduced NOM concentration affected nitrite development via nitrification, separated from the effects of disinfection. We observed that nitrite formation was noticeably sensitive to the changes in the NOM concentrations. Nitrite declined with reduced NOM (TOC 1.0 mg L-1) but increased with the normal NOM concentration of tap water (TOC 1.6 mg L-1). Ammonium oxidation was not altered by the reduced NOM, however, nitrite oxidation was enhanced significantly according to the pseudo-first order reaction rate model interpretation. The enhanced nitrite oxidation was observed with both ammonium and nitrite as the initial nitrogen source. The theoretical maximum nitrite concentrations were higher with the normal concentration of NOM than with reduced NOM. The results suggest that the role of nitrite oxidation may be quite important in nitrite formation in DWDSs and worth further studies. As a practical result, our study supported enhanced NOM removal in non-disinfected DWDSs.Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki ry. 33297 35211 39066

Pediatric malignancies in neurofibromatosis type 1 : A population-based cohort study

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a cancer predisposition syndrome with an incidence of 1:2,000. Patients with NF1 have an increased cancer risk and mortality, but there are no population-based cohort studies specifically investigating the risk of childhood malignancies. We used the Finnish NF1 cohort to analyze the incidence, risk and prognosis of malignancies in NF1 patientsPeer reviewe

Preface

publishedVersionNon peer reviewe