Purpose – This study has two different purposes. First, we aim to understand and describe the new phenomenon of extreme openness within the area of open innovation by answering the following question: How can this new concept of extreme openness within the Fuzzy front-end be understood and described? The second purpose of this study is to investigate how Fuzzy front-end activities can be held at a distance by answer the following question: Which technology-based communication can facilitate distance-based Fuzzy front-end activities? Method – This study was conducted as an abductive single case-study of the Fuzzy front-end process where extreme openness is performed at a multinational conglomerate company. Interviews have been held with both employees at the case company as well as external actors.  In total, 41 interviews were conducted, where 35 were unique respondents. The results were generated through the use of thematic analysis.  Findings – The findings from the study are summarized in two different frameworks in which the first framework explains the phenomenon of extreme openness and gives insight into why and how large companies provide innovation power to external actors. The second framework illustrates which communication technologies to use in the Fuzzy front-end process and provide necessary information about needed functionality and criteria when having Fuzzy front-end activities distance-based.  Theoretical and practical implications – The study provides implications for research on open innovation by empirically explicating the new phenomenon of extreme openness and connect the open innovation literature with the social exchange theory. Our findings reveal that business-to-business relational exchange can result in future benefits and that top managers can use this strategy to build long-term relationships and achieve financial improvements. Further, we also provide implications into the research on the Fuzzy front-end by empirically clarifying functionality and criteria that are specifically needed when having these activities distance-based. Our result provides implications relevant to both top managers and project managers. Limitations and future research – The study is limited by a single case study of the new phenomenon of extreme openness and which communication technology to use in distance-based Fuzzy front-end activities. We recommend future research to validate and extend findings from this study in new contexts.

ŠNAJDAROVÁ, Dagmar. Comparison of the region Střední Morava and the Swedish region Västra Götaland in area of information society development and regional innovation strategies. Prague, 2013-08-09. 89 p., 4 p. attachment. Diploma thesis (Mgr.). Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Arts, Institute of Information Studies and Librarianship. Abstract The main purpose of the master thesis is to highlight a development state of information society and innovation in Střední Morava region, to compare the Czech region to the Swedish Västra Götaland region, and to find factors influencing the regions development. A developed information society and a well functioning innovation environment are indicators of population wealth-fare in a region. Strategic documents, statistical data and projects are taken into account. The documents, the data and the projects are closely connected with development of information society and innovation environment in the chosen regions. Activities like regional innovation strategies and strategies for development of information society enforced on regional level allow better usage of local potential and specific region conditions. The efficiency of the strategic behaviour is based on collaboration of all regional parties, in effective human and financial resource allocation, and in...

1 ABSTRACT The current chemistry education solves problems related primarily to the setting of the curriculum contents, which would be professionally correct, appropriately extensive, and at the same time connected with current aspects of life in modern society, and to problems of teaching strategies that would stimulate the students into an interest in science and commitment to it. The main goal of this dissertation is to create an educational website with an interactive chemistry course for lower secondary schools (ISCED 2) and verify its effectiveness in school practice. The first part of the dissertation describes methods of interactive chemistry teaching supporting the increase of the students' cognitive activity and the effectiveness of the learning process using ICT. The second part characterizes the chemistry course thus created and lists various ways to apply interactive teaching in it. Our interactive course contains a total of 14 thematic units, each with 2-6 subthemes. All themes are processed with respect to the practical application of the subject matter using the listed interactive education methods. This course was tested in 2018-2020 during chemistry lessons in Kazakhstan and Czech Republic, and the students' opinions toward interactive teaching in this study were tested using a simple...

In this current economical environment business are looking to become more efficient to lower the costs and provide a better service. New technological advances are quickly being integrated to automate or more rapidly perform the task. Most of these technological advances are in the field of information and communication technology (ICT). Nevertheless, the introduction of technologies is not enough, as better management strategies and organization structures are needed to develop the business further. Duroc Machine Tools identified a problem within the sales and service approach, which does not employ ICT tools while communicating with the customer. Therefore, the cost per order is high and a direct one to one communication is the only approach. The project focuses on lowering the cost of each order, without decreasing the customer care and the overall quality of the service. This was firstly done by studying the possibilities of what ICT tools would be applied to enhance the communication processes. Data was collected from statistical sources to give an overall idea. Next case studies of companies within similar industries and region were performed to indicate in more detail the tools used and available. An educated guess was formulated of what ICT tools should be considered, the more infrequent or conflicting ICTs recommended were verified by interviewing employees with a demonstration of the tools application. The second stage was to analyze the organizational structure and applying lean tools to add value to the customer. A customer perspective is at the centre of this theory and several tools were used to improve the system. Finally the ICT tools were integrated with the new organizational structure to demonstrate the developments possibilities in the future vision. The study found that common ICT functions such as information upload have become essential for doing business today. Another trend that was established is that live information or user-generated approach which is a must have factor in the future ICT platform, this was mostly suggested by introducing micro-blogs. The infrequent and conflicting ICTs within the industry that were recommended were: e-commerce, order management and model driven process solving (MDP). The verification showed a strong consent within the company to apply such tools. To finish the project a strategy of implementation was formulated to guide the company towards its vision of a better system.

Thesis (M.A. (Nursing)) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / The implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and its impact on teaching and learning have not been researched in the Limpopo College of Nursing and, therefore, learner nurses' perceptions and nurse educators are not known. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the perceptions of learner nurses and nurse educators of the use of ICT in teaching and learning at the Limpopo College of Nursing (LCN). Upon obtaining clearance from the Turfloop Research Ethics Committee (TREC) to conduct the study, the College granted permission to conduct the study. Research employing the exploratory-descriptive qualitative research design was conducted to achieve the aim and objectives of this study. Data were collected from forty-seven (47) learner nurses and sixteen (16) nurse educators using focus group interviews. Data were audio-recorded, and field notes were written. Trustworthiness was ensured by applying Lincoln and Guba's trustworthiness criteria. Transferability was ensured by utilizing purposive sampling techniques to include all participants. Data were analyzed qualitatively by using Tech's open coding method. The study results indicated that there is no ICT implementation in teaching and learning at the LCN. Learner nurses complained about the unavailability of proper ICT infrastructure, the lack of training of all LCN stakeholders in the use of ICT, the lack of skills of the lecturers to facilitate the utilization of ICT platforms, and the lack of a structured curriculum that embraces ICT platforms. The results indicated that nurse educators were concerned about producing learners who are not familiar with ICT; however, nurse educators were willing to implement ICT, even though no training had been provided to both old and new staff on ICT use. The results indicated that the LCN employs no ICT personnel. It is recommended that on-going training of the learner nurses and nurse educators in the use of ICT facilities be considered to remedy the situation. The college management should take the initiative to provide ICT facilities that can serve all campuses.

I investigated why math capable students are not entering science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. To research the problem, I explored how highly effective elementary math teachers (HEMT) create student interest in mathematics using the self- efficacy (SE) theory and information and communication technology (ICT). The purpose of the study was to discover if teacher training and instructional strategies can influence student interest in mathematics to improve STEM career entry. The theoretical framework adopted for this study was the SE theory, and the 4-phase model of interest development was the conceptual framework. Participants in this multi-case qualitative study included 5 HEMT who work in a southern ICT-based urban school. The data gathered were individual teacher observations, interviews, and discussions about student artifacts, which were then analyzed for themes and patterns using NVivo software. The results indicated that the teacher participants use vertical curriculum experiences to improve student SE in 4th and 5th-grade students to fill-in curriculum gaps. Also, problem-solving math equations based on real-world simulations are used to stimulate and sustain a perceived student interest in mathematics. Additionally, ICT was used to augment math lessons and to personalize learning. Society will benefit from this information when educational stakeholders implement instructional strategies that improve student interest through the use of real life scenarios. Real-world math applications can influence elementary student interest in taking higher levels of math education that lead to STEM careers.

Digital Repression: Backlash or Deterrence of Dissent? is a quantitative analysis of the MENA region between the years 2000 and 2020. By distinguishing, theoretically as well as empirically, between nonphysical and physical aspects of state repression, this study aims to fill an identified research gap and contribute to the literature on the repression-dissent puzzle. To answer the research question; how does digital repression affect dissent?, this study uses digital repression as the independent variable and looks into whether this nonphysical form of state repression has a positive or negative effect on dissent, aggregating between violent and nonviolent forms of the dependent variable. In connection to logistic regression, the main finding is that digital repression seems to have a positive (backlash) effect on dissent, no matter the type of dissident tactic.

5 Abstract In recent years, information and communication technology have become an increasingly integral part of almost everyone's work. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has accelerated to some extent the implementation of digital technologies that employees have not used before in such large scale and to which they have had to adapt. The number of employees working in various forms of teleworking has also increased. In addition to the positive effects in the form of increasing work efficiency, employee flexibility and facilitation of communication between international teams, the usage of information and communication technology is associated with a negative aspect in the form of technostress. This thesis deals with the relationship between different ways of work organization and technostress creators and the relationship between technostress creators and technostress inhibiting factors on employees who work with information and communication technology. It focuses also on intergroup differences in terms of technostress. The data were obtained through an online self-assessment questionnaire which was distributed through social networks 11 months after the spread of Covid-19 in the Czech Republic. The questionnaire consisted of the Technostress Creators Inventory (Ragu-Nathan et al., 2008) and the Technostress...

Facing increasingly complex policy issues and diminishing citizen satisfaction with government and service performance, managing the quality of citizen relationship management has become a main challenge for public managers. Solutions to complex policy problems of service performance and low level of citizen participation often must be developed by encouraging citizens to make their voices heard through the various participation mechanisms. Reflecting on this need, the municipal governments in the U.S. have developed centralized customer systems for citizen relationship management. 311 centralized customer system (named 311 in this study) has the functions of citizen-initiated contact, service-coproduction, and transaction, and many local governments launch 311 to maintain or enhance their relationship with the public. Using 311 is an easy and free technically for citizens, but ensuring some degree of citizen engagement and citizens’ 311 use has been challenging for local public managers of municipalities. Despite calls for the importance of 311 in the service and information delivery process, fair treatment and access to use of governmental information, citizen participation, government responsiveness, and citizen satisfaction, to the best of our understanding, no empirical studies explore citizens’ 311 behaviors in the micro and individual level in the field of public administration. This dissertation provides a comprehensive understanding of the 311 centralized customer system, helps local public managers know citizens’ perceived perspectives toward the operation of 311, and assists these managers to develop an effective 311 system in municipalities. The dissertation’s main purpose is to clarify the importance of 311 to citizen relationship management and provide insights into citizens’ 311 use behaviors. More specifically, this dissertation tries to answers the following questions: a. Why do citizens use 311? Do the various groups of the population access and use 311 in San Francisco equally? If not, what factors influence the citizens’ 311 citizen-initiated contact behaviors? b. Why do citizens choose the 311 digital channel to contact with local governments? c. Why do citizens use 311 frequently? This dissertation will address these questions and draws on data from the 2011 citizen survey of City of San Francisco to explore citizens’ 311 use behaviors by examining them from citizens’ perspectives. The main arguments of each question listed above are: 1. 311 citizen-initiated contact is different from traditional citizen-initiated contact, and exposure to governmental-ICT environment, gender, income, and race are the factors influencing 311 citizen-initiated contact. 2. The digital divide, including the social side of the digital divide and access-side of the digital divide, influences citizens’ 311 channel choice. 3. Citizens’ technology acceptance, citizen satisfaction, and frequent use of public services influence the frequency of citizens’ 311 use.

Autonomous vehicles or self-driving vehicles is an emerging concept, supported by the latest technological achievements. In the last decade, the interest has increased tremendously, leading to extensive research on the subject of automation. Today almost all major automotive manufacturers are looking at the adaptation of self-driving vehicles and the benefits they may possess. Potential benefits such as decreasing the number of traffic accidents and enhancing the traffic flow make it an interesting prospect for combating traffic issues related to urbanisation. As a ripple effect, the 5G ride initiative was taken to investigate the performance of a level 4 autonomous vehicle in the environment of Stockholm, Sweden. The vehicle features technologies such as 5G, Edge-Node, AI, SGX, vehicular protocols and a remote traffic tower. To understand the impact of the vehicle, this thesis sought to evaluate the 5G ride in regard to current sustainable indicators and measurements. The focal point was set to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11.2. A model for evaluating the sustainability of technological solutions was applied to the 5G ride. It takes both the negative and positive outcomes, as well as the perception of time and the magnitude of the impact into account when assessing a technological solution. Conclusively, the results reveal several promising factors for sustainable development. However, this comes at the expense of the current system standards and its resources. / Autonoma fordon eller självkörande-fordon är ett framväxande koncept, möjliggjort av de senaste teknologiska framgångarna. Under det senaste årtiondet har intresset för självkörande fordon ökat oerhört mycket, vilket har lett till omfattande studier inom området. I dag undersöker nästan alla stora biltillverkare möjligheten till att adaptera självkörande teknik samt undersöka vilka förmågor de besitter. Detta inkluderar minskningen av trafikolyckor samt möjligheten till ett mer effektivt trafikflöde på vägar. Utifrån detta anses autonoma fordon vara ett intressant prospekt för att motarbeta trafikrelaterade problem som uppstått som följd av urbaniseringen. Som en kedjeeffekt utav detta togs ett initiativ som heter 5G ride, där ett självkörande fordon med nivå 4 färdigheter testades i Stockholms miljö. Fordonet är utrustat med tekniker som 5G, Edge-Node, AI, SGX, fordons protokoll samt ett avlägset trafiktorn. För att bygga upp en förståelse för fordonets påverkningsmöjligheter har vår studie utvärderat 5G-riden utifrån samhällsenliga hållbarhetsindikatorer. Den centrala utgångspunkten har varit United Nations hållbarhetsmål 11.2. En hållbarhetsmodell för att evaluera tekniska lösningar applicerades på 5G-riden. Modellen tar både hänsyn till positiva och negativa faktorer, tidsperspektiv samt magnituden utav impakten, när en teknisk lösning utvärderas. Sammanfattningsvis kunde flera lovande indikatorer identifieras, dock på bekostnad utav det nuvarande systemet och dess resurser.