Economic, social, technological and educational factors have led to an increase in the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in education at all levels. Most research concerning this has focused on the way in which e-learning can be used to improve teaching and learning across the curriculum and has neglected the teaching of ICT as a subject (Hammond, 2004). In a 1999 Ofsted inspection, ICT was found to be the least well taught subject in primary schools. The present research considers how the teaching of ICT could be better supported in the UK and Saudi Arabia. In the first stage, an investigation was made of the teaching of ICT in UK primary schools to understand why its teaching had been rated unfavourably. It was discovered that teaching focused on technical aspects (i.e. how to use specific applications) whilst ignoring the communication and information parts. Although it has been argued widely that e-learning improves teaching and learning across the curriculum, observations showed that e-learning was not, in itself, used to support teaching of the ICT curriculum. Hence, this research explored the ways in which the teaching of the ICT curriculum (to 9-11 year olds) could be made more effective, particularly through the incorporation of e-learning material. It was hypothesized that the experience of teaching and learning could be enhanced if e-learning material was designed which specifically addressed the needs of the teachers and young learners. Evidence collected in the course of the research suggested that little material existed to support the ICT curriculum, and that e-learning material produced to support other subjects does not always suit the teachers’ needs. Therefore in the second stage of the research, a design approach that engaged end users (teachers and young students) was proposed which was tested and refined during the design of e-learning material to support the teaching of the Multimedia Unit of the ICT National Curriculum. The resulting e-learning material was evaluated in UK schools to determine the extent to which it satisfied user needs and its effectiveness in teaching the intended learning outcomes. The results in both cases were positive implying that such a method could lead to the production of useful supportive material. As a former Saudi Arabian computer teacher, one of my personal goals was to provide opportunities to improve the experience of teachers and children in my own country. As such I have been interested in how I can transfer my understanding of the UK educational system to my home country. Following the successful evaluation of the elearning material in the UK, a demonstration of how a child centred design approach can be used to design effective educational material. Unfortunately although such a process might produce more effective learning outcomes and pleasurable material, I also found that such an approach is considered incompatible with commercial design environments. In the last stage of the thesis strategies are discussed which could be used (particularly in Saudi Arabia) to encourage the producers of educational materials to engage in the design of more effective teaching and learning experiences, especially in relation to the primary ICT curriculum. One such strategy would be to train undergraduates in applying a more user centred design approach as an integral part of their practice. The resultant design approach has now been approved by the Director of the Graphic Design Department in Dar Al Hekma Collage (Jeddah – Saudi Arabia) to be taught as a design approach for designing e-learning material for children on the Information Design Course. Additionally, a set of recommendations was developed for the Saudi Ministry of Education addressing the sort of revisions needed to improve the ICT curriculum in Saudi Arabia.

The interactive whiteboard is a fairly recent technical device, which has become an increasingly important teaching aid. The interactive whiteboard is supposed to have a positive impact on English Language Teaching, due to its interactivity and the unlimited opportunities it creates for language teaching. However, findings still show that the interactive whiteboard is used more as a traditional whiteboard to write and show information on rather than as an interactive teaching and learning device. This study seeks to investigate English language teachers’ integration of the IWB in ELT. A qualitative approach was used to collect data for this study. Four English Language Teachers at a lower secondary school in southern Sweden were interviewed. The result from this study shows similarities to previous research. The decisive factors for the participants’ incorporation of the IWB in ELT, such as attitude, knowledge and time, were comparable to previous studies. The result also implies that the participants saw the interactive whiteboard as a useful tool in English Language Teaching and as a regular part of their teaching. Nevertheless, there was a desire among the teachers to learn more about the interactive whiteboard and its possibilities and also to develop their skills in order to improve their teaching and the pupil's language proficiency. Although the teachers in the study used the interactive whiteboard frequently and interactively, the result shows that the most frequent usage was to display information non-interactively.

Det svenska skolväsendet har sedan 2000-talet fått övergripande stöd från regeringen för att utveckla den digitaliserade undervisningsformen. Trots detta har upprepande årsrapporter kring IT-användning i skolan visat på brister inom användarkunskap och IT-kompetens utvecklingsmöjligheter. Syftet med denna studie är att kartlägga hur digitala lärplattformar används och varför den digitala kommunikationen mellan lärare och elever inte uppnått förväntade resultat. Följande forskningsfrågor har varit relevanta i detta sammanhang: Hur ser användandet av lärplattformar på gymnasieskolan ut idag? Varför har digitalisering ännu inte slagit igenom som ett effektivt verktyg i undervisningen? Studien är baserad på en empirisk undersökning där data insamlats från intervjuer med rektorer och lärare från sex gymnasieskolor i Gävle och Uppsala. Ett slumpmässigt urval av 80 elever har även svarat på en enkät med mål att representera den generella inställningen till skolans digitala kommunikationssystem för delning av undervisnings-och studiematerial. Vidare har en litteraturgenomgång utförts där problemområden och brister inom forskningsområdet presenteras. Dels är informationen hämtad från forskare inom kommunikation och teknologi, men även från Skolverket och Skolinspektionen. Resultatet visar på att skolans lärplattformar används som verktyg för informationsöverföring där information överförs i vertikal riktning från lärare till elever. I nuläget används lärplattformar främst på grund av krav från ledningen och inte som en kanal för dubbelriktad kommunikation, där lärare och elever kan diskutera lösningar på uppgifter och problem, få feedback samt tips och råd. Resultatet påvisar även att lärare upplever tekniska brister i delar av lärplattformen och att de saknar systematiska arbetsrutiner för effektiv användning. Detta utgör ett hinder som begränsar kommunikationens effektivitet med avseende till kunskapsutveckling genom lärplattformer. / The Swedish school system has since the 2000s, received overall support from the government to develop digitized teaching methods. Despite this, repetitive annual reports on IT usage in schools revealed shortcomings in user knowledge and development of IT-skills. The purpose of this study is to identify how digital learning platforms are used and why digitized communication between teachers and students in high schools have not achieved the expected results. The following research questions were relevant in the study: How is the use of learning platforms in secondary schools today? Why has the digitization not yet been seen as an effective tool in teaching? The study is based on empirical data, where data is collected from interviews with principals and teachers from six different high schools in Gävle and Uppsala. A random sample of 80 students also completed a questionnaire with the aim to represent the general attitude to the school’s digital communications system for sharing of learning material. Furthermore, a literature review helped to evaluate problem areas and gaps in the research presented. The results show that the schools’ learning platforms are used as tools for information sharing, where the information is transferred in a vertical direction from teachers to students. Today the teaching platform is mainly used due to demands from the school management, and not as a channel for bidirectional communication, where teachers and students can discuss solutions to the tasks and problems, or to get feedback and advice. The result also shows that teachers are experiencing technical defects in parts of the learning platform and that lack of systematic work procedures prevent it from effective use. This is a barrier that limits the effectiveness of communication with regard to the development of knowledge through learning platforms.

Despite a growing awareness of the importance of support for carers who combine paid work with care of an older relative, so called ‘working carers’, there remains a lack of empirical knowledge about more innovative ways to support this largest group of carers of older people. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are becoming more readily available. As a result, ICTs have made it feasible to offer working carers more targeted forms of support. This thesis aimed to gain an understanding about support for working carers of older people via the use of ICT. An integrative literature review was conducted to explore and evaluate the current evidence base concerning the use of ICT-mediated support for working carers (I). Content analysis of qualitative data was used to describe nursing and support staff’s experiences of using web-based ICTs for information, e-learning and support of working carers (II). Content analysis was also used to describe working carers’ experiences of having access to a web-based family care support network provided by the municipality (III). Descriptive statistical methods were used to analyse survey data which focused on the types of support received and how they were valued by working carers, with a focus on ICT support (IV). Findings highlighted that ICT mediated support provided working carers with the means to manage their caring situation, via the provision of information, e-learning and education, in addition to practical assistance and emotional and/or physical respite from caregiving. In this way, working carers felt empowered in their caring situation by feeling more competent and prepared in their caring role and by strengthening their self-efficacy and positive self-appraisal of their situation. Carers were provided channels to share their frustrations and burdens via forums for emotional and social support between working carers, caring professionals, and other peer carers. This led to working carers feeling less burdened by their caregiving role and it helped promote their wellbeing. Further, carers were helped in some instances to balance work and care. As a result caregiving activities conflicting with work obligations were then lessened. In contrast, when ICT mediated support was neither provided in a timely fashion or in accordance with individual carers’ needs and preferences, then it was perceived by them to be unimportant. Cross-sectional data revealed that take-up of support services was low suggesting that unmet support needs may be inflated by work-care conflicts. For carers with lower digital skills, the additional time needed to learn to use ICTs was a further barrier. Overall, ICT mediated support acted as a complementary form of support for working carers. Measures to overcome dis-empowering aspects of this innovative from of support are needed to avoid working carers’ deprioritizing their own support needs and also to avoid possible digital exclusion from the current information society.

Service marketing is something new, and a lot of companies are working on answering the demand as best they can. Consumption behaviour implies a lot of changes in every market, and companies have to deal with all these changes. Companies must be able to adapt their strategy to be competitive. This has implications for the different models they use to adapt. Furthermore, there is a big difference between the theory and the practice. There are a lot of variables that must be taken into consideration in order to develop the best strategy and to offer the best service possible. During this research, the authors have used a qualitative case study with an abductive approach to develop a theoretical model based on the theory and the practice. Through interviews, the authors have discovered the importance of following the "flow". Companies need to be always be updated by developing a CRM. But also the variable technology that plays an important role in offering a certain product or service. Moreover, the industry is growing very fast, and companies must be able to change all the time and develop new product to be real competitors. So this investigation provides a model that varies from market to market with an explanation of how to develop a certain strategy based on all the information you can gather.

Introdução: A proporção de idosos na população tem aumentado significativamente. O envelhecimento traz como consequência o declínio funcional, limitando sua independência e dificultando o aprendizado de novas habilidades. A expectativa de vida feminina é maior que a masculina, de forma que frequentemente ocorre a viuvez feminina. A viuvez e o divórcio são situações que podem trazer à mulher a necessidade de assumir novas tarefas, assim como aprender a utilizar tecnologias da informação e comunicação que não faziam parte de seu cotidiano, demandando o desenvolvimento de habilidades visando adotar os novos equipamentos e realizar independentemente as novas tarefas. Devido ao declínio funcional natural do envelhecimento e a experiência limitada na utilização desses equipamentos, tornando-se um desafio a elas. Dessa forma, o processo de adaptação da mulher ao assumir novas tarefas e adotar novos equipamentos em seu cotidiano mostra-se como um importante tópico a ser estudado. Objetivo: Conhecer o processo de adaptação que mulheres têm ao assumir tarefas predominantemente masculinas, identificando quais equipamentos adotados, as dificuldades enfrentadas e as estratégias desenvolvidas. Métodos: Estudo exploratório, correlacional, seccional, com abordagem quali-quantitativa. Participaram 96 mulheres. Foram aplicados o Mini-Exame do Estado Mental, o índice de Lawton e Brody, um Questionário sócio-demográfico e a Entrevista \"Novas tarefas e tecnologias no dia-a-dia\". Os dados coletados foram tabulados no software Epi Info® e divididos em categorias temáticas e submetidos à Análise de Conteúdo. Resultados: Participaram 96 mulheres, idades entre 50 e 86 anos e média de 62,5 anos. Observou-se que o adoecimento e/ou óbito de familiares, principalmente do marido, demandaram que as mulheres se adaptassem ao assumir novas tarefas, exigindo direta e indiretamente o desenvolvimento de novas habilidades e a utilização de novos equipamentos no cotidiano. Observou-se que as mulheres apresentaram dificuldades ao adotar os equipamentos devido às características ergonômicas e pela pouca experiência prévia em utilizar equipamentos semelhantes. Conclusão: A viuvez e o divórcio podem demandar que as mulheres assumam novas tarefas. Observou-se também a necessidade indireta proveniente da busca por novas formas de lazer e por maior contato com familiares. Através dos resultados deste estudo é possível auxiliar o processo de adaptação das mulheres e facilitar a adoção dos equipamentos e o desenvolvimento de estratégias mais adequadas. / Introduction: The proportion of elderly in the population has increased significantly. Aging brings as a consequence the functional decline, limiting their independence and making the learning of new skills. Female life expectancy is higher than men\'s, so that often occurs to female widowhood. The widowhood and divorce are situations that may bring the woman need to take on new tasks, as well as learn how to use information and communication technologies that were not part of their daily lives. Requiring the development of skills in order to adopt the new equipment and perform new tasks independently. Due to natural aging and functional decline the limited experience in the use of the equipment, making it a challenge to them. In this way, the process of adaptation of the woman to take on new tasks and adopt new equipment in your daily life shows itself as an important topic to be studied. Objective: To know the process of adaptation that women have to assume tasks predominantly male, identifying what equipment adopted, the difficulties faced and strategies developed. Methods: Exploratory study, correlational, sectional, with quali-quantitative approach. Attended 96 women. Were applied the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Index of Lawton and Brody, a socio-demographic questionnaire and the interview \"New tasks and technologies in everyday life\". The collected data were tabulated in Epi lnfo® software and divided into thematic categories and subjected to Content Analysis. Results: Participants were 96 women, ages 50 and 86 years and average of 62.5 years. It was observed that the death of relatives, and/or illness primarily of husband, demanded that women adapt to take on new tasks, requiring directly and indirectly the development of new skills and the use of new equipment in daily life. It was observed that women have difficulties in adopting the equipment due to the ergonomic features and little previous experience using similar equipment. Conclusion: The widowhood and divorce can demand that women assume new tasks. We also observed an indirect need coming from search for new forms of leisure and for greater contact with relatives. Through the results of this study can help the process of adaptation of women and facilitate the adoption of the equipments and the development of more appropriate strategies.

The main goal of this thesis is to map and determinate position of ICT sector in the Czech economy and estimate competitiveness of this segment in the scope of economy of the Czech Republic. The first part explores and evaluates topical position of ICT sector in the Czech Republic, mainly by analyzing basic statistical data about the economic and employment impact of all ICT firms as a whole. There is also calculated effectiveness of each sector of the economy. This part provides a basic image of the ICT sector position compared to other sectors of the Czech economy. The second part continues with the research made in the first part, but on an aggregate level. It summarizes and visualizes changes in aggregated parts of economy in chronological order. Sectors of economy are aggregated to three groups according to their absorption of ICT. The third part expands previous analysis of a global scale. It summarizes and comments the Global Competitiveness Report published by World Economic Forum. This chapter provides clear review of competitiveness of Czech Republic compared to European Union, with accent on ICT sector. The last part is aimed at new methodology of scoring projects developed by the Department of Information Technologies at the University of Economics, Prague. It also sets some recommendations for future methodology. This part contains the library of case studies worked up in new methodology. Finally, there is summary of findings made during the process of exploring selected area of research which evaluates the contribution of the whole thesis as a whole to the researched topic.

Growing pressure is being placed upon educational institutions as students, employers and governments look at the economic, demographic and technological environments of the present, expecting them to have the answers for the future. Many institutions are turning to information and communication technology (ICT) for some of these answers. The focus of this study is two fold - the use of ICT in teaching and learning by teaching staff within an Australian tertiary institution (Curtin University of Technology) and the mechanisms the University has established in order to realign themselves with the information age. At certain stages these two coincide to provide an insight into the organisational culture and teaching environment of one Australian University. The key research questions that guided this study are as follows: How are Curtin University teaching staff utilising ICT in their teaching and learning?; What is the relationship between the ICT behaviour of a University's teaching staff and the strategies used to implement the University's ICT strategic planning initiatives?; What is an appropriate model for future implementation of ICT into teaching and learning at an Australian university? A combination of qualitative (interview and case study techniques) and quantitative (survey and Likert-type instruments) methods was employed. Overall, this study can be described as longitudinal in nature, relying upon such tools as observation, interviews and survey instruments, to collect data at appropriate points in time from the various samples. Since it has already been acknowledged that such change takes time, the study focused specifically on those changes which occurred during the two academic years (1999-2000) at Curtin University of Technology. / It appears that the critical mass stage for integrating ICT into teaching and learning has been reached by the teaching staff involved in the Curtin survey sample. The most common teaching mode adopted by the survey sample is the traditional lecture and tutorial (workshop or laboratory) mode. However, the data revealed that over the 16 month period of the study there was a large increase in the use of Web-based material for teaching and learning. The data revealed that a number of factors emerged which affected the adoption of ICT. These factors included: leadership across the university, attitude toward the use of ICT; the perceived benefits of adopting ICT in teaching and learning; incentives, modeling mechanisms, the provision of adequate support structures; the time factor; training; facilities and resources. The reflective monitoring system utilised in this study (the TracIT reports) revealed the changes in ICT behaviour and the changes in the ICT environment, as well as the source of initiation of the change. It appears that most of the 'real changes' which occurred in the teaching practice of the case study sample were individually driven, with some others being influenced by their own Department/School or by student pressure. The study also found that the adoption of ICT into the working environment of a university teacher significantly increases the workload of individual staff. The existence of transformational leadership across all levels of the University was identified as a major factor in the promotion and adoption of ICT and ultimately the development of a truly professional learning community. / From the extensive data collected in this longitudinal study an empirical model or framework, the "Curtin University Professional Learning Community Model", was introduced. Many of the teaching staff at Curtin University involved in this particular study have clearly demonstrated their commitment to the adoption of ICT for teaching and learning. The detailed case study data has also revealed that many of the teaching staff possess professional attributes which would be admired and valued in any university. Universities are facing the challenge of identifying what role ICT will play in the future of higher education and how to implement the appropriate strategies which will meet these needs. This study has found that the key to meeting the challenge seems to be to harness strategies that lead to the development of a professional learning community. The Curtin University Professional Learning Community Model has identified the key elements which need to be in place if the use of ICT for teaching and learning is to be not only adopted, but sustained and more importantly, effective in the teaching and learning process. This study has clearly revealed that it is only through the synergy of university commitment and individual commitment that real change can actually take place, the change in this case being the adoption of ICT in teaching and learning practices. The strategies suggested by the empirically derived model can begin this journey to a truly professional learning community.

<p><strong><em>Research Question</em></strong><strong><em>:</em></strong> Can organizations truly create value for all its stakeholders simultaneously, without a significant trade-off from one group to another? And what role does current ICT infrastructure play?<strong> </strong></p><p><strong><em>Purpose:</em></strong> This study is aimed at determining how organizations create value simultaneously for stakeholders without a trade-off, and also examine the role of ICT (Information and communication technologies) in balancing responsibility in trying to satisfying all stakeholders (customers, suppliers, society, environment, employees and shareholders) in complex ICT environments.</p><p><strong><em>Methodology:</em></strong> The study involves business organizations in Sweden. A research questionnaire was sent to one thousand five hundred top level management executives in Swedish based business organizations, to collect data.  Business organizations were carefully selected to cut across many industry sectors.</p><p><strong><em>Findings:</em></strong><strong> </strong>Some of the findings includes: that many companies in Sweden still have a hard time satisfying all stakeholders simultaneously without trade-off, even with the huge ICT infrastructures. We discovered that although companies invest a lot on ICT, but the combination of strategy which will bring corporate partnership and create value for all without “robbing Peter to pay Paul” is still lacking.</p><p><strong><em>Research Limitations:</em></strong><strong> </strong>First, the study was limited to Sweden because of lack of resources to conduct interviews in many countries. Thus, there is the need to exercise caution in generalising these findings. Second, the number of respondents was limited, because it was difficult to get very busy top management executives from different companies to respond to our questionnaire.  <strong></strong></p><p><strong><em>Originality:</em></strong> This research work provides insight to understand and interpret balanced stakeholder value creation in companies, identify attributes for simultaneous value creation, as well as the role information and communication technology play in achieving this objective.</p><p><strong><em>Keywords:</em></strong> Stakeholder, Value Creation, Information and communication technology, Sustainable Value, and Stakeholder Analysis</p>

<p>Traditional education system on campus has been using as a legacy over decades to support educational learning. The major change over time has been made by the use of technology supporting students in the academic community. As the majority of students in higher education today belong to the digital-age-student generation, they frequently use online technology to interact with instructors, other learners, and to access online materials. In this study, the result is primarily presented from campus students’ perceptions, to gain a deeper understanding of how social media is being used to support educational and collaborative/cooperative learning. Although, almost all the respondents are frequent social media users, only a quarter of them use such media regularly for academic purposes. Through use of social media in academia, students have encountered with benefits─ as convenience, possibility of interaction anywhere/anytime, time-saving, low price and many others─ in addition to facing to limitations─ such as less effective or spontaneous contact, connection problems, lack of platform compatibility, less creative and innovative thinking, and other issues─ which have been discussed in this study.</p><p>This thesis adopted a qualitative research and the characterization of knowledge that is used is exploratory research method with the use of interview as a tool for empirical data collection. Twenty interviews have been conducted with Uppsala University higher education students within random subject disciplines. Among many different social media, the most frequent ones used by majority of students are e-mail, a common asynchronous media to interact with instructors and other learners; and Instant Messaging (IM), a synchronous communication way to interact with co-workers, classmates, or group-mates. Furthermore, learners use social media to coordinate their collaborative/cooperative work, share documents and ask questions. Facebook, Wikipedia, YouTube and other popular social media are also sometimes used for educational purposes.</p><p>The findings indicate that social media seems particularly beneficial for supporting educational learning; though there are some negative aspect and limitations. Learners look at using the technology and social media as a complement to support their studies and collaboration/cooperation. However, not many of them consider using such media as a substitute for face-to-face interactions and the traditional campus education. By drawing on this thesis and the previous studies, proposition on how use of social media supports educational learning in the future has been emerged.</p>