Significant levels of interest and organisational spending on information and communication technologies (ICT's) have triggered debate as to whether these investments are worthwhile. While there has been some acknowledgement that investments result in positive returns, little is known about how ICT's may lead to competitive advantage. This thesis starts to inform this gap, by investigating how ICT's are combined with other organisational resources in the context of an exemplar organisation. The resource based view (RBV) is used as a framework to guide this study. The RBV is an appropriate lens to guide this research due to its focus on resources and capabilities as sources of advantage. This research employs an interpretive case study design based in an organisation with a long history of innovation and success with regard to ICT's. A grounded integrated model of advantage is presented based on two distinct groupings of integrated capabilities: lifecycle and embedded foundational capabilities. The integrated model of advantage, along with key actions outlined to support such capabilities, provides researchers and practitioners with a new way of understanding ICT based advantages. In essence, this research demonstrates how the total ownership of ICT's, within the case studied, presents a potential advantage. The advantage is realised through the combination of capabilities and the inclusive approach to ICT development employed in the case organisation. The research finds support from propositions of the RBV, in that the model demonstrates sources of advantage are based on organisational capabilities which are valuable, firm specific, and socially complex. As such, the integration of capabilities evident in the integrated model of advantage is a likely source of sustained competitive advantage. This means advantages gained from the integration of capabilities are not easily imitated or competed away. Furthermore, advantages have an even greater potential to be a source of sustained advantage than any single resource or capability. The research has important implications for theory and practice. While many individual sources of advantage have been empirically examined, this research provides one of the first in-depth case studies which identify integrated capabilities. Understanding such sources of advantage will help practitioners better understand and protect key organisational capabilities to sustain or extend competitive advantages.

Abstract This study is concerned with the ways mathematical understanding emerges when mathematical phenomena are encountered through digital pedagogical media, the spreadsheet, in particular. Central to this, was an examination of the affordances digital technologies offer, and how the affordances associated with investigating mathematical tasks in the spreadsheet environment, shaped the learning trajectories of the participants. Two categories of participating students were involved, ten-year-old primary school pupils, and pre-service teachers. An eclectic approach to data collection, including qualitative and quantitative methods, was initially undertaken, but as my research perspective evolved, a moderate hermeneutic frame emerged as the most productive way in which to examine the research questions. A hermeneutic process transformed the research methodology, as well as the manner in which the data were interpreted. The initial analysis and evolving methodology not only informed this transition to a moderate hermeneutic lens, they were constitutive of the ongoing research perspectives and their associated interpretations. The data, and some that was subsequently collected, were then reconsidered from this modified position. The findings indicated that engaging mathematical tasks through the pedagogical medium of the spreadsheet, influenced the nature of the investigative process in particular ways. As a consequence, the interpretations of the interactions, and the understandings this evoked, also differed. The students created and made connections between alternative models of the situations, while the visual, tabular structuring of the environment, in conjunction with its propensity to instantly manage large amounts of output accurately, facilitated their observation of patterns. They frequently investigated the visual nature of these patterns, and used visual referents in their interpretations and explanations. It also allowed them to pose and test their informal conjectures and generalisations in non-threatening circumstances, to reset investigative sub-goals easily, hence fostering risk taking in their approach. At times, the learning trajectory evolved in unexpected ways, and the data illustrated various alternative ways in which unexpected, visual output stimulated discussion and extended the boundaries of, or reorganised, their interaction and mathematical thinking. An examination of the visual perturbations, and other elements of learning as hermeneutic processes also revealed alternative understandings and explanations. Viewing the data and the research process through hermeneutic filters enhanced the connectivity between the emergence of individual mathematical understanding, and the cultural formation of mathematics. It permitted consideration of the ways this process influences the evolution of mathematics education research. While interpretive approaches are inevitably imbued with the researcher perspective in the analysis of what gets noticed, the research gave fresh insights into the ways learning emerges through digital pedagogical media, and the potential of this engagement to change the nature of mathematics education.

<p>Syftet var att undersöka hur eleverna på en högstadieskola använder sina datorer, både till social kommunikation och till skolarbete och hur tekniken</p><p>påverkar dem.</p><p>I studien har vi tillämpat kvalitativ metod kombinerat med en kvantitativ undersökning. Det empiriska materialet har huvudsakligen samlats in genom personliga intervjuer och observationer. Vi har även använt en webbaserad enkät.</p><p>Eleverna på den undersökta skolan har i projektets inledande fas anammat den tilldelade datorn på ett effektivt sätt. Nya möjligheter till social interaktion och studiesätt har öppnat upp sig. Eleverna har till stor del implementerat datorn i sitt dagliga liv, datorn fungerar som ett gränsöverskridande multiverktyg både inom skolvärlden och i den privata sfären. I våra intervjuer visade det sig att eleverna brukar ha med sig datorn hem, och de påpekade även att det var lättare att utföra skolarbeten hemifrån. Skolmiljön och fritiden smälter samman och ur detta bildas en ny form av lärande. Det dominerande kommunikationssättet bland eleverna är via IM-klienten Msn. Med den kan de förena både nytta och nöje lättare då kommunikationen sker i realtid. Detta kommunikationsmedel har dock inte ersatt den fysiska sociala interaktionen, utan existerar som ett väl använt komplement.</p>

<p>This thesis is conducted for Monitor Industriutveckling AB. The company grows fast and is ready to consider the expansion of its business abroad. The details how to pro-ceed with the expansion are yet to be set. The purpose of this work is to examine dif-ferent options to aid the company management select the most meaningful way to proceed.</p><p>The analytical framework used consists of three well-known business theories. There are the New Capabilities analysis, the PEST analysis and finally the five forces model. Robert Grant’s New Capabilities analysis shows that especially the strategic alliances capability could be an interesting new capability and a way to grow for Monitor. The PEST-analysis proves that Finland can offer good opportunities for Monitor’s type of company because the country itself is very IT-oriented and political and economical as well as social forces can support Monitor’s business. Finland can also be a gateway to eastern-European countries. Finally we have Michael Porter’s five forces model. Monitor has lots of potential customers in Finland. There is a substantial amount of small and medium-sized companies in the manufacturing industry. Taxes and legisla-tion will not be a problem when entering Finland, as they are similar compared to Sweden. There are no big cultural differences between Finland and Sweden. These countries even share the same language, Swedish, which is a quite unique advantage.</p><p>I have collected the empirical data of this thesis mostly by personal interviews. Here I show that Monitor’s current customers in Finland would prefer to see their supplier present in the same country. They would also appreciate Finnish-speaking personnel and support. I have also interviewed business specialists. According to them, Monitor would easily adapt to the Finnish business culture and make its product successful. The right attitude in Finnish business environment would just boost Monitor’s suc-cess. The strength of the Monitor product is its user-friendliness. The weakness and at the same time its opportunity is that the company grows very fast. When a company grows it must be ready to make big decisions and choose where to go and at the same time be there to support each and every present customer.</p><p>The conclusion is that Monitor has good possibilities to become a successful company in Finland. From a marketing point of view, Monitor should invest in marketing ac-tions and make itself known and seen among its target group. The recommended way to enter Finland would be to find a good distributor for Monitor’s product. This entry method would be the one with the smallest risk and it is also probably the quickest way to proceed. I recommend Monitor to choose a distributor that can complete its product-palette with Monitor.</p>

<p>Banverket ICT är en relativt ny enhet med de sammanslagna enheterna Banverket IT och Banverket Telenät. För att få ihop det nya arbetssättet finns långt gångna tankar på att jobba enligt ITIL. ITIL är ett arbetssätt som skall hjälpa organisationer att arbeta mer organiserat och därmed öka effektiviteten för IT-processen. ITIL utgår från processarbete och varje process har sina speciella uppgifter. ITIL är framtaget av OGC (Office Government of Commerce) i England Rapporten visar att ett införande av valda delar ur ITIL bör ske etappvis över hela organisationen inom Banverket ICT, i en kombination med ett ständigt förankringsarbete.</p>

<p>India is often considered to be a high tech country; however there are substantial differences in both adaptation and use of new technology between urban and rural areas. Many times women are excluded from the technological development due to social norms and traditions. The use of cell phones in India has increased profoundly in recent years; meanwhile the use of computers spreads at a much lower rate. Still the women are not making full use of these new communication technologies.</p><p>In order to investigate this, a field study in Tuticorin area in South East India was conducted, where interviews with small-scale businesswomen were carried out. The purpose of this degree project is to investigate the current use of Information and Communication Technologies, ICT, among women in the area in order to assess the value of cell phones and identify barriers for the use of computers as communication tools.</p><p>The empirical findings show that the four women mainly studied, all used cell phones within their businesses, but to different extents. Using the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing group’s network theory and the resource based 4R-model, we have analysed the current use cell phones as well as barriers and enabling factors for the use of communication technologies. The main barrier for the cell phone use is the ownership issue, limiting the women’s access. For cell phones, low prices and accessible knowledge enable the spread and use, whereas the same factors can create barriers for the use of computers.</p>

<p>Den här uppsatsen studerar om och hur tjänsten e-bud, budgivning via Internet, påverkar utbudspriset och överlåtelsepriset på småhus i Sverige. Köpare och säljare måste söka på bostadsmarknaden för att finna information om utbudspris och överlåtelsepris i förhållande till område och kvalitet. Detta är en process som den moderna utvecklingen av informationsteknologin kan påverka förutsättningarna för. Överlåtelsepriset bestäms i regel av en budgivning mellan köpare och säljare medan utbudspriset antas vara säljaren reservationspris. Detta kan informationsteknologin också inverka på. De huvudsakliga slutsatserna i uppsatsen är att e-bud förenklar sökprocessen, vilket resulterar i ett högre överlåtelsepris jämfört med konventionell budgivning samt att utbudspriset har betydelse för överlåtelsepriset men inte för den procentuella vinsten utöver utbudspriset. Utbudspriset på småhus sålda via e-bud visar därmed säljarens reservationspris.</p>

In decades, the growth of the productivities in the National Income based on the developments of information economy in their countries. Besides the high-tech industries and the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), the information related industries contributed the growth of Nation Income. This study intended to measure the size and the structure of the information economy in Taiwan. In order to recognize the trend and the difference of the information economies among our numerous countries, we choose Porat¡¦s (1977) studyas our framework. The proposes of this study list below: 1. Measuring the size and the structure of the information economy in Taiwan. 2. Proposing to improve the methodology on measuring the information economy, especially the parts about the data resource and the identification of the information occupations in Taiwan. 3. Finding the difference on the time series between Taiwan and other countries when we developed the information economy model and making the policy suggestions on it. Key Words: Information Economy, Input-Output Table, ICT, National Income Accounts, Value-added

This thesis is conducted for Monitor Industriutveckling AB. The company grows fast and is ready to consider the expansion of its business abroad. The details how to pro-ceed with the expansion are yet to be set. The purpose of this work is to examine dif-ferent options to aid the company management select the most meaningful way to proceed. The analytical framework used consists of three well-known business theories. There are the New Capabilities analysis, the PEST analysis and finally the five forces model. Robert Grant’s New Capabilities analysis shows that especially the strategic alliances capability could be an interesting new capability and a way to grow for Monitor. The PEST-analysis proves that Finland can offer good opportunities for Monitor’s type of company because the country itself is very IT-oriented and political and economical as well as social forces can support Monitor’s business. Finland can also be a gateway to eastern-European countries. Finally we have Michael Porter’s five forces model. Monitor has lots of potential customers in Finland. There is a substantial amount of small and medium-sized companies in the manufacturing industry. Taxes and legisla-tion will not be a problem when entering Finland, as they are similar compared to Sweden. There are no big cultural differences between Finland and Sweden. These countries even share the same language, Swedish, which is a quite unique advantage. I have collected the empirical data of this thesis mostly by personal interviews. Here I show that Monitor’s current customers in Finland would prefer to see their supplier present in the same country. They would also appreciate Finnish-speaking personnel and support. I have also interviewed business specialists. According to them, Monitor would easily adapt to the Finnish business culture and make its product successful. The right attitude in Finnish business environment would just boost Monitor’s suc-cess. The strength of the Monitor product is its user-friendliness. The weakness and at the same time its opportunity is that the company grows very fast. When a company grows it must be ready to make big decisions and choose where to go and at the same time be there to support each and every present customer. The conclusion is that Monitor has good possibilities to become a successful company in Finland. From a marketing point of view, Monitor should invest in marketing ac-tions and make itself known and seen among its target group. The recommended way to enter Finland would be to find a good distributor for Monitor’s product. This entry method would be the one with the smallest risk and it is also probably the quickest way to proceed. I recommend Monitor to choose a distributor that can complete its product-palette with Monitor.

This paper reports on a research project in which a group of teachers in a pre-school teacher education programme based at a “satellite” study centre in a distant rural area used a student-centred learning approach as a means to bridge the distance in the social relationship. A qualitative approach was taken that aimed to develop a greater understanding of the teacher-student relationship through research questions addressing the student role, the learning process and the assessment process. A didactical design for process-based assessment was developed and structured into three phases involving questions about the students’ previous knowledge, reflections and learning. Data were collected through in-depth interviews. The material was analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The underpinning principles of power and control were helpful for understanding the social relations in the teacher-student relationship in this online context. The results indicate a conflict between the student-centred curriculum and traditional beliefs in the teacher-student relationship.