Wikipedia, ”den fria encyklopedin som alla kan redigera”, används mer och mer. Den är tillräckligt stor för att konkurrera med traditionella uppslagsverk som Encyclopedia Britannica eller Nationalencyklopedin. Den stora skillnaden jämfört med de traditionella uppslagsverken är dock att även de som inte är experter kan redigera och skriva artiklar. Wikipedia, som den ”vanlige internetanvändaren” kan påverka innehållet i, är en del av vad man kan kalla för deltagarkultur. Internetmediets struktur skapar förutsättningar för att användaren interaktivt ska kunna delta, och den här förutsättningen har hjälpt till att snabbt skapa ett stort uppslagsverk på internet. På grund av kritiken som riktats mot Wikipedia om huruvida det går att lita på uppslagsverket, undersöks i den här uppsatsen debatten kring vem som borde ha rätt att bestämma vad som ska få vara kunskap på Wikipedia och utifall det krävs ett tydligare regelverk kring hur kunskapsprocessen går till. Metoden som används är diskursanalys och resultatet visar att den traditionella synen på kunskap med expertis i fokus inte har spelat ut sin roll.

Zugl.: Diplomarbeit.

In this thesis I have chosen to study the use of crowdsourcing in Swedish archival institutions as well as the influence this methodic platform has on the work of modern archivists. This also raises the question whether the nature of the platform is in any way influenced by the attitude working professionals might have towards crowdsourcing as a legitimed working method. This investigation is based on case studies and interviews with archivists from select Swedish institutions and also the methodology of two now ongoing crowdsourcing projects. The theoretical framework on which this composition is based comes from the work of Gregory Asmolov and his work on crowdsourcing platforms and their functionality as tools of governing. Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) is applied to analyze how the method of crowdsourcing is utilised by archival institutions and influenced by their daily routine in conjunction with Governmentality as the chosen way of studying how these platforms might control their users. From the results of the performed case studies, two discourses emerged based on the view on quality concerning gathered information amongst the involved subjects. The first of these discourses places it´s trust and faith in users themselves where validity is of a lesser concern than the actual availability of information through the concept of ”wisdom of the crowds”. Discourse number two represents an alternate perspective where quality of information is of the outmost importance and requires the supervision of professionals upon the work of common users. Through the course of this study I have come to find that the use of crowdsourcing in Swedish archival institutions is mainly controlled by the archivist in charge´s attitude towards this specific working method and in a larger context also formed by the basic archival discourse, legal questions and financial matters of the last century. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

The environment in which libraries currently operate has changed drastically. For instance, the emergence of new information and communication technologies, exemplified by the Internet, has changed the way people seek information, communicate and collaborate. Thus, modern library users have embraced new information seeking behaviour as well as expectations for better usability, faster response times to needs, and constant access to unrestricted library services. As libraries struggle to cope with these changes and user expectations, some library users are already reducing their levels of usage, preferring to “Google” than visit a physical library. Similarly, library circulation statistics indicate that the usage of the traditional services and products is decreasing steadily while the usage of electronic resources and services is increasing. Critically, most users do not presently perceive the library as the first or only stop for information. Libraries are therefore struggling to attract new users and retain the existing ones. Research libraries in Kenya, due to their vision and mission as well as the heightened expectations of the users, are under immense pressure to change. Indeed, a number of them are already changing by introducing new services facilitated by the emerging Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools. However, the services and products are still limited in scope and depth because they have been patterned after the conventional services. One of the greatest predicaments the research libraries currently face is how to model and manage this change. This study investigated the potential of the Library 2.0 model of library service in facilitating the research libraries in Kenya to respond more closely to the emerging user needs and expectations. The study employed interpretive qualitative research methodology and multiple case studies to investigate the current status of research libraries in Kenya and their challenges in meeting the dynamic needs of the researchers. Furthermore, the study investigated the extent of application and use of the Library 2.0 model. Data was collected from five case study sites – African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya Agricultural Research Institution (KARI) and Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) – through interviews of researchers and librarians; focus group discussions with researchers and librarians; Social Network Analysis; direct observations; and mystery shopping. The data was analyzed using content analysis, conversation analysis, descriptive/interpretive techniques (Heideggarian hermeneutics) and Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) such as Nvivo and UCINET. The findings of this study show that most research libraries in Kenya do not have documented vision, mission or strategic plans; are underfunded and understaffed; hold inadequate collections in equally inadequate physical spaces; largely apply the traditional library service model; face negative internal politics and unfavourable organizational structures; and lack mutually beneficial linkages. The findings also indicate that the research libraries in Kenya are underutilized and barely meet the needs of the researchers in their current status. The findings of this study also suggest that the Library 2.0 model holds great potential to enable the libraries to take their services and products everywhere the researchers are; remove the barriers to accessing library services; facilitate and direct constant purposeful change in their services and how they are delivered; harness the active participation of the users; retain the new breed of users (Patrons 2.0); and remain user-centred. Based on the findings, the researcher recommends that the librarians who head research libraries should hold PhD degrees to enable them to participate effectively in institutional decision-making; the research libraries should establish close ties with academic libraries supporting programmes related to their research interests; the research libraries should form a specialized consortium and association to serve their unique interests; the research libraries should consider grey literature as an important source of research information and develop strategies of managing it; and schools of librarianship should introduce courses on ICTs, models of library service, marketing and facilitation (training) to equip the students with the skills needed to meet the emerging demands on librarians. The researcher also proposes a Research Library 2.0 meme map which is an adaption of the Library 2.0 meme map. The former map is different from latter in that it is specific to research libraries and recognizes the fact that an effective Research Library 2.0 requires the active interaction of enhanced collection (Collection 2.0), library physical space (Physical Space 2.0), researchers (Researcher 2.0) and librarians (Librarian 2.0) to thrive. The researcher also recommends that further research be conducted to investigate the potential of the Library 2.0 model for all the other library typologies in Kenya and Africa; explore the influence of gender on librarianship in Africa; investigate the application of Social Network Analysis in library and information research; and develop an inventory of all types of libraries in Kenya. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

In the new business world, organizational knowledge is considered to be a key factor for profitability attainment. This is true within any industry. It is a vital enabler of superior business accomplishments and developments. Managing such valuable knowledge enables organizations to gain a competitive advantage and advance in the process of wealth creation. As organizations worldwide become increasingly aware of the benefits that can be achieved by engaging in effective knowledge management practices, the need arises for additional research in order to identify and ascertain the effects of cultural differences among the operating environments of different firms, and to find out how these differences translate into varying uses of technologies and knowledge management practices in firms; that is the main objective of this research. To reach this goal, the study utilizes an exploratory research design to collect and analyze quantitative data from employees of various organizations in different countries and industries. We do this in order to explore the determinants of effective knowledge management from cultural, organizational, and technological perspectives. Specifically, the study will examine the country of Saudi Arabia and compare it to other countries. Quantitative data for an empirical investigation was collected through a web-based survey questionnaire sent to employees of various organizations within different national contexts and industrial settings. Drawing upon previously validated studies and several new hypotheses, this study presents a theoretical model that integrates different sociological and technological factors that influence employees’ behavior when using Enterprise 2.0 technologies for knowledge management. Sociological determinants include: power distance, long term-orientation, knowledge management environment, and personal and organizational behavior. The technological determinants include: Enterprise 2.0 tools, richness, sophistication, ease of use, usefulness and behavioral intention of really using these tools. The quantitative investigation reflects the testing of significant theoretical constructs and relational propositions from the theoretical model. Exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques were used to estimate a structural relationship model among the sociological and technological determinants of the intentions of use of Enterprise 2.0. The key findings from this study emphasize the role of technology perceptions including: perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, richness, sophistication of adoption, the use of Enterprise 2.0 technologies in the workplace, as well as the knowledge management environment of the organization. Furthermore, the results highlight the impact of factors pertaining to knowledge management, such as personal and organizational information on the use of Enterprise 2.0 tools. This study also found that divergences among countries with different cultural settings might affect the knowledge management environment and the use of Enterprise 2.0 in organizations; further investigation is needed in this area. Based on these findings, the study offers theoretical implications and suggestions for future research. This research provides guidelines for practices, processes, and technologies related to knowledge management. It also gives specific recommendations, for companies operating in various cultural contexts, on how to give priority to the context and the environment in which the knowledge is being exchanged as well as how to enhance the technological infrastructures that offer a behavioral incentive to use Enterprise 2.0 technologies for knowledge management.

Social commerce is a growing field due to the popularity of social media. Research on social commerce stresses the benefits of utilizing social media or Web 2.0 technologies for business because user contribution, participation and collaboration, which are characteristics of Web 2.0, fuel business vitalization. Nevertheless, there is a lack of academic research on social commerce, and in what little research there is, the coverage is circumscribed. One of the challenges is conceptualization of social commerce due to various definitions made from researchers’ different perspectives and different positions on social commerce. This also led to the limitation of scope of research. In addition, there is still a need for identifying technological features and business goals for social commerce. Therefore, this research primarily encompasses establishing the concept of social commerce and identifying its implementation methods. To amount to those two primary goals, the research objectives are to understand the factors that affect social commerce implementation; to identify and investigate applicable Web 2.0 technologies that enable social commerce activities; and to investigate the business goals that can be achieved by social commerce implementation. Ultimately, the research aims to address methods of implementation. Consequently, the achievement of this research is that first, the concept of social commerce has been established by refining several definitions from the literature. Second, social commerce activities and business goals were identified and categorized based on the marketing funnel concept and the new customer life cycle model. Third, applicable Web 2.0 technologies were identified from the literature and other functionalities were also seized from real cases. Finally, the concept of social commerce has been demonstrated by implementing selected various commerce applications

Das Poster stellt einen Ansatz für den Einsatz von Web-2.0-Technologien in der Weiterbildung in der Ernährungsindustrie dar. Neben der Unterstützung von Blended Learning Szenarien werden auch selbstständiges Lernen sowie der informelle Erfahrungsaustausch zwischen den Teilnehmern ermöglicht und gefördert.

Das Web 2.0 hat die Kommunikation verändert. Dies gilt zum einen für die Kommunikation im Alltag, für die inzwischen knapp ein Drittel aller Internetnutzer in Deutschland regelmäßig auf Web 2.0-Angebote zurück greifen (Busemann & Gscheidle, 2010). Dies gilt aber auch für die Kommunikation im Hochschulkontext, wo das Web 2.0 von Seiten der Studierenden wie der Hochschulen in den Bereichen Lehre, Forschung und Verwaltung und Dienstleistungen genutzt wird (Hochschulrektorenkonferenz, 2010).

Zugl.: Köln, Business School, Bachelorarbeit, 2007

Zugl.: Bamberg, Universiẗat, Dipl.-Arb., 2008.