A challenge for healthcare organizations is that operational efficiency suffers from variation in production. This is because variation in healthcare is hard to predict and the methods and IT-support tools for handling variation are suboptimal. The concept of production control can be used to describe the coordination of activities so that healthcare can be delivered on time, of adequate quality and at a reasonable cost, and thus includes the use of IT-support tools to handle variation. The objective of this report is to suggest improvements for production control in hospital departments through the development of a prototype for a new IT-support tool. In order to achieve this, a case study was conducted at the pediatric oncology department at Karolinska University Hospital (KS). The case study includes observations and interviews to investigate production control at department Q84, as well as associated roles and IT-support tools. Four IT-support tools were identified at the department, two of which were used interchangeably. Due to lack of integration between these systems and the fact that one system contained data manually synchronized from the other, handling changes required double labor. An improvement suggestion is therefore presented, consisting of a prototype which demonstrates that production control can be improved by automating the maintenance of a system at the department while fulfilling the organization’s information security policy. The development of the prototype was aligned with the lean philosophy which KS strives to adopt. Through an investigation of the production system, a role for production control and associated IT-support tools at a hospital department can be identified and analyzed and through the prototyping of an IT-support tool for production control, improvements and optimizations can be made.

A challenge for healthcare organizations is that operational efficiency suffers from variation in production. This is because variation in healthcare is hard to predict and the methods and IT-support tools for handling variation are suboptimal. The concept of production control can be used to describe the coordination of activities so that healthcare can be delivered on time, of adequate quality and at a reasonable cost, and thus includes the use of IT-support tools to handle variation. The objective of this report is to suggest improvements for production control in hospital departments through the development of a prototype for a new IT-support tool. In order to achieve this, a case study was conducted at the pediatric oncology department at Karolinska University Hospital (KS). The case study includes observations and interviews to investigate production control at department Q84, as well as associated roles and IT-support tools. Four IT-support tools were identified at the department, two of which were used interchangeably. Due to lack of integration between these systems and the fact that one system contained data manually synchronized from the other, handling changes required double labor. An improvement suggestion is therefore presented, consisting of a prototype which demonstrates that production control can be improved by automating the maintenance of a system at the department while fulfilling the organization’s information security policy. The development of the prototype was aligned with the lean philosophy which KS strives to adopt. Through an investigation of the production system, a role for production control and associated IT-support tools at a hospital department can be identified and analyzed and through the prototyping of an IT-support tool for production control, improvements and optimizations can be made.

A case study at a global pharmaceutical company has been conducted toanalyse how the Hidden Structure method using the Enterprise Architecture Analyses(EAAT) tool, developed at KTH, can be used to visualize the IT architecture and tocreate a better understanding on which applications could increase a risk of therobustness of the architecture if changes was done to them. Also the measure of ITsupport metrics as incidents and changes per system has been analysed to understandif they can be used to understand the robustness of the incident. The tool was used tocreate a model of the enterprise architecture of the company and the analysis showedthat the robustness of the IT architecture was good; the core applications that couldcreate most damage were identified. The analysis of the IT support metrics showedthat it was difficult to use the change records as indicators since the number ofchanges per systems were very few. The incident analysis showed that the systemswith the highest number of incidents were classified as belonging core or peripheralcategory.

Företag arbetar ständigt med att förbättra olika delar av sin verksamhet på grund av den snabba digitaliseringen och införandet av framtidens teknik. En av dessa verksamheten är IT-support. Komplexiteten av implementering av nya verktyg och ny teknik i verksamheten skapar nya utmaningar för IT-support att lösa. Därav sätter det press på att IT-support effektiviserar sina processer och ser över hur AI och automatisering kan öka effektiviteten och lösningsförmågan av IT-ärenden. Det finns därför behov att hitta nya lösningar på verktyg och processer för att IT-support ska kunna behandla framtidens omfång och komplexitet på IT-ärenden. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur IT-support kan effektiviseras genom att se över verksamhetens processer och hur nya verktyg kan implementeras. Därav har en kvalitativ studie genomförts. Studiens syfte är att skapa förståelse för hur dagens teknik påverkar IT-support och hur IT-support kan genomföra ändringar i sitt arbete för att bemöta framtidens omfång och komplexitet på teknik. Studien baserades på sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med respondenter som är användare till IT-supportsystem. Studien visar att kontinuerliga möten och ta med användares åsikter i hur processen mellan användare och IT-support ska gå till och samtidigt se över hur AI kan implementeras kan IT-support effektiviseras och ta hand om ännu fler ärenden. Detta förebygger framtida IT-problem och gör att processen mellan användare och IT-support blir tydligare. Genom att verksamhetens avdelningar samarbetar kan IT-hälsan i organisationen bli bättre och framtida IT-problem kan förebyggas.

Technology is a critical component of modern-day success. Advancements in technology have improved communication between individuals and companies. Technological advancements have allowed students to earn college degrees online. People who habitually use technology expect a high level of performance and support. As new technologies are implemented, such as complex web services or new operating systems, the dependence for information technology (IT) support grows in demand. Even learning curves can be cumbersome without proper assistance from IT professionals. Companies and institutions must accommodate user needs by implementing fast, efficient, and friendly support. In order to offer optimal customer support, representatives must be knowledgeable of the products and services that are supported. At Western Kentucky University’s (WKU) IT Helpdesk, a training program called Consultant Accelerated Development and Education in Technology (CADET) focuses on software, hardware, customer service, and procedures mandated by the IT Division. Prior to CADET, the Student Certification program was used to train student consultants. The Student Certification program was developed to satisfy training needs that allowed consultants to support end-user technical issues. CADET was developed in 2008 to replace the Student Certification program. This study explored the question if CADET training is more effective in preparing consultants to do their jobs than the Student Certification program. The study investigated the effectiveness of CADET training compared to the Student Certification program by surveying IT Helpdesk student consultants. The survey results indicated which program was more adequate. Both programs contained the same training content, but training delivery methods differed. A t-test was used to compare both programs and determine the outcome of the study’s hypotheses. The Student Certification program did not accommodate different learning styles. The teaching methods only included traditional classroom-style delivery. CADET training did accommodate different learning styles, delivering training through a wide variety of formats including video, audio, assessment, assignment, and face-to-face training. The research focused on the importance of addressing different learning behaviors. The study suggested that CADET is more adequate in preparing students to do their job duties. When both Student Certification survey and the CADET survey were compared, CADET training is more adequate in 26 out of the 27 training sessions. The results suggested that learning style accommodation is directly related in the success in the CADET training program over the Student Certification program.

The link between information technology (IT) and competitive advantage has been the preoccupation of many IT researchers. IT plays a key role as a necessary, but not sufficient, source of value. Prior research has in most cases investigated the direct link between IT and competitive advantage. Other researchers have examined the effect of IT on mediating factors (such as firm strategy) or applied higher order IT support for core competences in their research constructs. Only a few have recognised the potential of IT in enabling dynamic capabilities. This thesis argues that the dynamic capability perspective of strategic management provides a better insight into how IT, beyond its traditional role, needs to be converted into a higher order resource to deliver competitive advantage. The objectives of the study are therefore: (1) to apply the concept of the dynamic capability perspective to the IT-competitive advantage research in order to explicate the strategic role of IT in attaining competitive advantage; and (2) to examine the antecedent capabilities and competences that may lead towards developing adaptive IT capability. This study proposes and empirically tests a dynamic capability-based model of IT and competitive advantage. The proposed model posits adaptive IT capability as a mediating higher order resource that relies on IT capabilities (infrastructure, personnel and management) and IT support for core competences (operational and market) to influence a firm's competitive position (competitive edge in market and financial performance). The model also hypothesises that IT support for core competences can lead to competitive advantages. To test the model, data were collected from a cross- sectional sample of 203 medium- and large-sized Australian organisations. Descriptive and analytical (structural equation modelling) tools were employed to test both the measurement and structural models. The findings reveal that the developed model explained 28% of the variance in competitive advantage, 72% for adaptive IT capability, 51% for IT support for operational and market competence, demonstrating the strategic role of adaptive IT capabilities as sources of competitive advantage. This indicates that those firms that deploy IT for creating operational and market competences require a further capacity to rebuild and reconfigure their resources to improve market and financial performance. Thus, it appears that the impact of IT support for core competences on competitive advantage is not direct, but indirect through adaptive IT capability. Several IT capabilities and competences were identified as antecedents for building adaptive IT capabilities. This PhD study's main contribution lies in bridging a research gap by developing and empirically testing a model of adaptive IT capability that measures how IT can enable firms' dynamic capabilities. The model includes both the antecedent factors that build the higher order resource of adaptive IT capability (upstream factors) as well as the effect on competitive advantage (downstream factors). Practitioners can benefit from the results of this study in terms of the ramifications for investment decisions as well as to benchmark where they stand with their IT in terms of potential for value creation and business support.

Diploma thesis is focused on evaluation of communication streams in the process of application support also known under the term IT support. Thesis is divided into three main parts: In the first part outlines the topic of application support. The definition of term, relation between business and IT and defining the position of application support in the process of information system development along with support services methodologies. The second part is focused on description of typical user of application support, from the side of sponsor as well as from the side of supplier. The following are the main communication streams between both sides as well as inside the supplier team. The third, practical part contains an analysis of application support on a specific project. Discussed are communication barriers, their impact including suggestions for improvement.

The subject of this diploma thesis is proposing the use of IS/IT in the implementation of a business strategy in a geological company operating in a very specific market. The thesis examines key internal andexternal factors related to the implementation of business strategy of the company, evaluates them and proposes concrete implementation of IT/IS tools to support achievement of strategic goals.

Aus dem Vorwort: "Bereits zum siebten Mal findet der Workshop „GeNeMe - Gemeinschaften in Neuen Medien“ mit einer Vielzahl interessanter Beiträge in folgenden Rubriken statt: • Praxis, Visionen, Trends und Chancen von GeNeMe (eingeladene Vorträge), • Konzepte, Geschäfts- und Betreibermodelle von GeNeMe, • E-Learning in GeNeMe, • Anwendungen und Praxisbeispiele von GeNeMe und • Soziologische, psychologische, personalwirtschaftliche, didaktische und rechtliche Aspekte von GeNeMe. Aufgrund der Bedeutung des Themas, der Resonanz auf den Call-for-Proposal und der Beschränkungen, die bez. des zeitlichen Rahmens des Workshops bestanden, konnten trotz hoher Qualität leider nur etwa die Hälfte der eingereichten Beiträge Berücksichtigung finden. Das Interesse am Thema GeNeMe ist sowohl in der Forschung wie auch in der Praxis weiterhin sehr groß. Dies zeigt die Breite der zur Diskussion gestellten Themen und eingereichten Beiträge."

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