Nowadays companies and organizations are implementing IT-systems that enable surveillances, particularly within the transport business. The implementation within the surveillances systems enables a better security and a more efficient workflow. The systems make it possible for companies to see fuel consumption, the position off the truck and also to plan the most efficient routes. The truck drivers have learned to accept that they are being watched through the companies surveillance systems just because it leads to a more efficient route-planning. The drivers understand why they’re being monitored and they feel safe. Since IT-systems came into the transport business drivers are able to see the fuel consumption and by seeing that they can drive more ecological and save money for their company. The truck driver that works in Bohuslän is well aware that these services are crucial for the companies, by having these systems the companies can compete with the foreign hauliers that takes the same job for a much smaller fee. But where is the limit for acceptable surveillance? We answered the issue by doing interviews in two rounds, first with ten truck drivers then with six. We also did a literature study. The drivers where all driving for companies in Bohuslän. The drivers we interviewed had different experience within the business, some drivers worked at big companies and some drivers worked at smaller companies. By sorting the drivers out we were able to sort out our answers and see if there were a difference in the way the drivers were thinking. We wanted to get knowledge of how different business surveilled their employees and how the employees reacted. So we performed a literature study where we read different case studies from the home care, the sales industry and the elementary school. We compared the result from our study with the result from our interviews. We managed to see that truck drivers generally had more loyal thoughts to their company. The drivers that were interviewed where well aware of the hard competition within the industry. As long as surveillance makes the company more efficient and the surveillance don’t violate their private integrity it´s okay to use it.Keywords: Surveillance, loyal workers, IT-system, competition

Small enterprises strive to survive and grow in the business they are involved. They makeefforts to utilize different resources and technologies available to this end as long as it isaffordable and productive. Information Communication Technology or ICT and e-commerceare among those technologies that take the front line. This study asks the question ‘howmuch are Ethiopian small enterprises responsive to ICT and the internet and how much ofthe benefits have they utilized for their growth?’ It takes five small enterprises involved inimport and export business to perform case study research on the issue and examines theirutilization level of the technology. The findings show that small enterprises in the countryare on a very low level of utilizing ICT and e-commerce due to several reasons among whichare scarcity in infrastructure development and expertise in the area coupled with barriersfrom government policy and bank regulations.

Recent work by the author has revealed the need for an automatic fitness function in the evolutionary algorithm for generation of jazz solos. A computer based automatic fitness function enables greater populations and a great number of generations within a manageable time. This paper describes how the automatic fitness function is implemented using score calculation based on specific events recognized in the solo line and alignment to different optimal intensity curves.

This experience report aims to reflect on a design initiative conducted as a user-focused innovation. It is based on a research and development project about mobile commerce. Herein, I include various forms of mobile services that accumulate the core function of mobile payments. The target group of the design was senior citizens who need to have their grocery shopping done in a more safe and convenient way. In this report I will particularly focus on the design process and the design product.

Abstract

A challenge for many municipalities in today's digital society is to create effective and societal useful e-services for citizens. These e-services are to facilitate communication between the municipality and citizens but also to contribute to more open government in the municipalities. To accomplish this, the municipalities first need to develop and secure the internal administrations.

To achieve this development of e-services, a process-oriented approach can be used. Process orientation means that you set up efficient processes internally to optimize and develop their own activities. This is done through process modeling, identifying all the activities available in the business and put them in a relationship that ultimately will generate a higher value and better service for citizens. To develop the business and to think in processes is not new, but to automate this thinking can be a challenge for many municipalities, a challenge that will result in qualified e-services.

The essay is based on a qualitative study that aims to identify significant implications that a municipality can get when using process-oriented e-service development. Through a case study we have interviewed several employees of a municipality to produce these implications. The approaches that have been studied are how the internal operations are affected as a whole and how its employees are affected. In addition to the empirical base (in the form of case studies, interviews and document studies) we have linked a theoretical framework and thus have been able to come to a conclusion.

The municipality that has been studied conducts its process orientation by working with a specific methodology, which means that process modelers and representatives from various administrations meet in workshop-based sessions. Their task is to jointly develop the business and the citizens' demands and needs which will then result in stringent and digitized processes. With this methodology many implications has been identified. The main benefits that can arise when you put the business operations and employees in focus is partly that in the longer term you can have a more flexible and stronger organization, activities that both enhance working practices and increase participation among employees. In the end, the employees themselves develop their activities and thus can more easily influence their own work situation and constantly strive for improvement. This in turn can lead to a more customer-oriented business where the implications of working with process orientation lead to a good base for future development of e-services. However, it is important to note that involvement is a critical success factor. Too long and too many workshops can lead to negativity, which in turn may reduce this commitment. This may lead to that you can get bad processes that do not provide increased benefits to citizens or to the internal operations.

I you get a good mobilization and organizational preparation for the development of e-services we provide as suggestions that it is important to think about documentation and evaluation of the project. This in turn could be of great assistance to other municipalities who wish to pursue internal process orientation. Shared knowledge equals increased knowledge and thus becomes an important factor in the approach to sustainable and dynamic processes that generate societal and useful e-services.

In an open innovation project called “mCity”, the aim is to verify conceptual applications for mobile services including mobile payments and transactions. On such design initiative was designated for the citizen group “seniors”, have home care taking as part of their assistance from the home care organisational system. The design initiative is called Skafferiet, a grocery-shopping application for the home care service. Based on this project, the aim in this article is to identify if and when significant design decisions were influenced by user involvement and contextual understanding detecting whether the applied design method supported the design process or if it lead to redundant activities. The applied approach was a combination of methodological strategies emphasizing co-design and engaged scholarship. The different actors involved were i) politicians, management and staff ii) caretakers iii) designers and iv) researchers. The result indicated numerous beneficial aspects with the iterative collaboration between actors. Apart from the relevance and joy of working together, it was important for the quality of the m-service, a successful implementation process and trigger for organizational improvement. The risk of rejecting one level of involvement, in favor of saving time and reduce complexity, would probably lead to a more narrow solution lacking the empowered process of involvement and engagement of all parties leading the relevance of the design process and its end-product astray.

This study explores the feasibility of a novel telehealth system for stroke rehabilitation in a rural area in Sweden. It addresses two major problems of home-based rehabilitation: training motivation and frequent meetings. Three stroke subjects were equipped with 3D computer games workbenches, and were instructed to play with the hemiplegic upper extremity. On-line coaching meetings were performed using bi­directional audiovisual communication. The intervention led to clinical changes for all subjects. On-line coaching is promising, but not yet as effective as desired. However, a distance based approach using 3D games for upper extremity rehabilitation after stroke is feasible.

We have now started testing a telehealth system for stroke rehabilitation in a rural area in Sweden (NU- Hospital Group Area). For collection of assessments and audiovisual communication, the telehealth system has bidirectional contact with the home-based units. To date, three stroke subjects’ participated; they were instructed to play 3D computer games with the hemiplegic upper extremity. The intervention led to clinical changes for all subjects. The analysis of the audiovisual communication revealed that the both stroke subjects and therapists were not yet effective in regulating their turn taking process. The data suggests the feasibility of a distance based approach using 3D virtual environments for upper extremity rehabilitation after stroke.

In this paper we elaborate on the process of designing usability evaluations of technology that is to be integrated into specific real work settings, and where technology is the main target for change. Our research question relates to both what to evaluate and how to evaluate, and the ambition is to support evaluation designers on a practical level. We propose an explorative, operational method for usability evaluation design, which makes the design process explicit and design decisions more tractable. The evaluation design method is illustrated by an empirical example of how to design a comparative usability evaluation study, in a health care setting. The method supports the designer on a conceptual level by describing the different levels in the evaluation design. On an operational level it supports the designers by defining transitions between levels. And, on the analytical level it provides a template for a usability matrix, which allows for an explorative approach of constructing the conceptual content as well as a structured way to define and refine usability measures. However, the method needs to be further tested in other settings.

Enjoyment and experience-based activities are important in today's society. The purpose of this paper is to explore and better understand how experiences can be enhanced using IS in such experience-based enterprises. The research is based on a case study conducted in collaboration with a Swedish regional museum, where a location-aware auditory museum application for experience enhancement is being designed. The results include design approach recommendations, enhancement strategies and a model for estimating the potential benefits related to enhancements features of the system design. © IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2006.