This research explores the English local government modernisation agenda of the 1997–2010 Labour government with reference to its promotion of, and effects on, organisational learning. It does this by examining the concept of learning to learn, as constructed by local authority Chief Executives. A synthesised analytical framework is developed by exploring the commonalities of three approaches to the exchange of knowledge: organisational learning; policy transfer, and change management. Utilising this framework, local government modernisation is examined within the broader modernisation agenda and its historical context. This, and an examination of Best Value, the Beacon Council Scheme and the Comprehensive Performance and Area Assessments, exposes the links between modernisation and organisation learning that underpin a central contention of this research; that the success of local government modernisation relied on local authorities being better able to learn from each other. Analysis of the data unique to this research, obtained largely through interviews with local authority Chief Executives, illuminates the way in which they construct their views of learning, modernisation and central-local relations. The major conclusions concern the significance of networks, differences and trust and how views of each are constructed. Also important is trust within central-local relations. Modernisation consolidated the acceptance of other local authorities as sources of learning and enhanced particular characteristics conducive to learning. However, through the mechanisms utilised, modernisation also inhibited instances of learning and was less successful at embedding the concept of learning to learn within local government. Original contributions to knowledge are made in this under-researched area through innovative use of exiting approaches to the analysis of change and learning; synthesising these provides a useful tool for the analysis of those matters. Additionally, such analysis sheds new light on the way in which local authority Chief Executives construct the world-views that shape their actions.

The aim of this thesis is to examine differences between the three Javascript frameworks Angular, React and Vue along the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. With the purpose to give developers support in their choice of framework. Previous studies focused on advantages and disadvantages of the frameworks from a technical perspective, therefore we decided to carry into effect a qualitative study based on developers experience. Our method of choice was a case study where the phenomenon was “why a framework is chosen”, this ruled and motivated our research. We used a survey as the method to collect data. With our survey we collected data from more than 500 different developers. The results from the research are presented in different tables and charts which we analyze and compare to the results of previous studies related to ours. The conclusion of our research is that Vue is a good option for a developer that is learning on your own, looking for a framework that is easier to learn or developing a smaller project on your own. Angular is considered to be the most complicated framework to learn, but is a good option for anyone who is looking for a job or is involved with bigger projects. React has the lowest overall values in all the UTAUT categories, but has shown to be a viable option for someone looking for better job opportunities. The advantage React has over Angular is that it is easier to learn. The final results of our thesis are recommendations and not strict rules. Decisions for and against a framework depend heavily on the use case and other varying circumstances. Our study can hopefully give a better insight and support developers in their choice of framework. / Webbutveckling utvecklas, innoveras och skapar nya möjligheter för användare att mötas på en gemensam plattform. En del av utvecklingen är möjlig mha JavaScript-ramverk vars versioner är i tusental. Syftet med vår rapport var att undersöka skillnader mellan de tre ramverken Angular, React och Vue utefter Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) modellen för att kunna ge utvecklare stöd i sitt val av ramverk. Tidigare studier visar på fördelar och nackdelar kring de tekniska aspekterna hos ramverken. Därför valde vi att utföra en kvalitativ studie baserad på utvecklares erfarenheter. Vi utförde en fallstudie där fenomenet var “varför ett ramverk väljs”, detta styrde och var motiveringen till våran forskning. Vi använde en enkät som metod för datainsamling. Med vår enkät samlade vi in data från över 500 olika utvecklare. Resultat från undersökningen presenteras i olika tabeller och grafer som analyseras och jämförs med tidigare studiers resultat inom samma område. Vår slutsats av resultaten är att Vue är ett bra alternativ för dig som lär sig utveckla på egen hand, vill ha ett lättare ramverk att lära sig och utvecklar mindre projekt på egen hand. Angular anses var det svåraste ramverket att lära sig, men kan vara ett bra alternativ för dig som vill söka jobb eller ska utveckla ett större projekt. Angular är det ramverk som funnits under en längre tid och har därför bredare möjligheter. Även om React uppskattas lägst i alla kategorier så har det visat att det är ett bra alternativ för dig som vill öppna upp fler jobbmöjligheter. Fördelen React har över Angular är det är lättare att lära sig. Resultatet vi presenterar är förstås bara rekommendationer och inget som är definitivt. Beslut för och emot vilket ramverk som är bäst varierar från fall till fall beroende på omständigheterna. Men vår studie kan förhoppningsvis ge en bättre insikt och hjälpa utvecklare som står inför att välja ramverk.

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Mjukvaror som är integrerade i olika applikationer runt om oss har blivit allt mer vanligare idag och användningen av dessa har blivit en del av vardagen. Detta gör att utvecklingen av användarvänliga system är eftertraktat på marknaden. I denna studie följs samtliga principer för design av användbara gränssnitt för att implementera en ny design och utvärdera användargränssnittet till en webbterminal för golfklubbar runt om i Sverige. Tillsammans med TietoEVRY ska den nuvarande frontend delen av applikationen, vilket är utvecklad i JavaScript-ramverket React, att förnyas och förbättras. Syftet är att implementera ett nytt gränssnitt som ökar tillgängligheten och förmedlar sin funktionalitet på ett tydligt sätt. Som en del av det vetenskapliga arbetet sker en jämförelse av den äldre designen med den nya designen ur ett användbarhetsperspektiv. Målet med det vetenskapliga arbetet är att utvärdera webbterminalen för att kunna mäta i vilken grad som användarupplevelsen av applikationen har förbättrats i utvecklingsprocessen. Intervjuer samt en benchmark-undersökning kommer att genomföras. För att åstadkomma optimala resultat ska deltagarna i experimenten vara lagom bekanta med olika begrepp inom golf och användningen av webbsidor överlag. Med hjälp av tidigare forskning om ämnet samt den datan som samlas in i denna studien ska det ske en jämförelse av det nya användargränssnittet för webbterminalen med det tidigare och resultatet ska utvärderas för att komma fram till en lösning på hur en webbapplikation kan vara användarvänlig. / Embedded softwares in various applications around us have become increasingly common today and the use of these is part of everyday life. Because of this the development of user-friendly systems is sought after on the market. This study follows different principles for designing user-friendly interfaces in order to implement a new design and evaluate the user interface for a web terminal for golf clubs around Sweden. Together with TietoEVRY the current frontend part of the application, which is developed in the JavaScript framework React, is to be renewed and improved. The aim is to create an interface that increases accessibility and conveys its functionality in a clear way. As part of the scientific study, a comparison is made of the older design with the new design from a usability perspective. The goal of the scientific study is to evaluate the web terminal to be able to calculate the degree that the user experience of the application has improved in the development process. Interviews and a benchmark test will be conducted. In order to achieve optimal results, the participants in the experiments must be reasonably familiar with different golf terminology and the use of web pages in general. With the help of previous research on the subject as well as the data collected in this study a comparison will be made between the new user interface for the web terminal with the previous one and an evaluation of the results will be made to come up with a solution on how a web application can be user-friendly.

In the age of Big data and exponential digitalization, data visualization is becoming a ubiquitous tool to understand trends, patterns and identify deviations that better help in decision making. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how a scalable data visualization interface can be designed with the open-source web library D3.js. The interface is designed to display a range of patients’ physiological measurements to help healthcare professionals with Covid-19 diagnosis. Several prerequisites were identified through a qualitative study, which proved to alleviate the implementation process, such as choosing a robust model that can support visualizations despite discontinuous and incomplete datasets. Since faulty visualizations may lead to potential harm in the highly sensitive medical setting, a dedicated risk analysis was deemed beneficial and thus formulated. The design of the interface also revealed functionality that could be considered when implementing any visualization interface, such as the rendering of different views and features that can further assist the user in interpreting the visualizations. / I en tid med Big Data och en exponentiellt växande digitalisering, blir datavisualisering ett mer förekommande verktyg för att förstå trender, mönster och identifiera avvikelser för att underlätta beslutsfattande. Syftet med studien är att utforska hur ett skalbart datavisualiseringsgränssnitt kan utformas med hjälp av det webbaserade biblioteket D3.js. Gränssnittet är utformat för att visa ett omfång av patienters fysiologiska mätvärden med syftet att hjälpa sjukvårdspersonal med diagnostiken av Covid-19. Flera förutsättningar kunde upptäckas med hjälp av en kvalitativ förstudie. Denna studie visade sig underlätta implementeringsprocessen, där bland annat en robust modell som stödjer visualiseringar trots diskontinuerliga och ofullständiga dataserier identifierades. Eftersom felaktiga, eller delvis fungerande visualiseringar kan leda till potentiell skada i den mycket känsliga medicinska miljön, ansågs en riskanalys vara fördelaktig. Därför utformades en sådan analys, som dessutom visade sig sedan kunna vara användbar i flera sammanhang. Gränssnittets design visade också på gemensam funktionalitet som kan övervägas vid implementeringen av andra visualiseringsgränssnitt, bland annat hur vyer renderas men även funktioner som vägleder användaren till att lättare kunna tolka de olika visualiseringarna.

Affärssystem som inte har tydliga användargränssnitt tenderar att göra användarvänligheten sämre, vilket i sin tur kan leda till att delar av systemet inte nyttjas effektivt. Det kan därför vara lämpligt att ha en specifik och tydlig processbeskrivning för utveckling av system med hänsyn till användarvänlighet. I detta projekt undersöktes möjligheten att ta fram en processbeskrivning för IT-projekt vid framtagning av ett nytt gränssnitt i ett system. Mer konkret så är frågan som ska besvaras i denna rapport följande: ”Hur ska en utvecklingsmetod eller utvecklingsprocess för IT-system se ut för att tillvarata vetenskapliga, teoretiska och tekniska aspekter på Människa-Dator Interaktion (MDI)?” En fallstudie i detta projekt har utförts på företaget GMP-Systems AB. För att komma fram till ett resultat, och för att få svar på frågeställningen, så har en litteraturstudie på aspekter inom MDI utförts. Dessutom har en analys huruvida teknisk implementation av detta kan åstadkommas med hjälp av ramverk. Vidare har intervjuer genomförts, samt tester där användaren har fått interagera med systemet. Resultatet av feedbacken har sedan analyserats. Detta för att senare kunna bygga prototyper till systemet. I resultatdelen levereras en utvecklingsmetod och en processbeskrivning som är kopplad till den litteraturstudie och de erfarenheter som erhållits från projektets fallstudie. Till företaget GMP-Systems levereras en prototyp, en use-case model[1] med user-stories[2] samt ett sekvensdiagram[3]. [1] Use-Case Model är en beskrivning på åtgärder och handlingar som en användare kan utföra, och definierar interaktionen mellan rollerna i ett system för att utföra ett mål.[2] User-stories är ett verktyg inom systemutveckling för att kunna ta fram en beskrivning av önskad funktionalitet som ofta utgår utifrån ett användarperspektiv.[3] Ett sekvensdiagram visar metodanrop mellan objekt i en tidsbegränsad situation och vilken ordning. / Business systems lacking a clear interface and subsequently a diminished usability, can lead to limited usage or no usage of parts of the system. It may therefore be critical to have a process outlined for the development of such system and its interface to ensure that all parts of the system are used.   The objective of this case study was to investigate whether it is possible to develop a process description for IT projects at the initial stages of the development phase of a new interface in a system. More specifically, the question investigated in this report follows:  “How should a development method or development process for IT systems look to seize scientific, theoretical and technical aspects of Human Computer Interaction (HCI)?” A case study of the project was carried out at the company GMP-Systems AB. A literature-study on aspects of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) was carried out to arrive at a result and answer the question. Further, an analysis was conducted to consider whether the technical implementation of such process can be accomplished by adopting frameworks. In addition, interviews were conducted with users that have interacted with the system, and an analysis was carried out on the feedback provided to develop prototypes for the system. A development method and process description linked to the literature and the experience gained from the projects case study is outlined in the result section. To the client, GMP-Systems, a prototype, a use-case model[1] with user-stories[2] and a sequential diagram[3] will be delivered.  Keywords: HCI, evaluation method, Angular JS, Knockout JS, React, Moqups, process description, development method. [1] Use-Case model is a description of actions that a user can perform and defines the interaction between the roles of a system to accomplish a goal[2] User stories are a tool in system development to provide a description of the desired functionality, often from an end user perspective.[3] A sequential diagram shows how objects operate with one another and in what order.

Detta arbete undersöker om existerande Multi-siteapplikationer i CMS-systemet WordPress kan uppnå bättre prestanda genom att övergå från WordPress till det nya CMS-systemet Keystone JS genom en datamigration. Denna migrationsprocess utvärderas med ett vetenskapligt experiment, för att undersöka om migrationsprocessen i sig eventuellt kan medföra prestandaproblem, men också kring när en migration är relevant och i slutändan värd att genomföra. Experimentet mäter svarstider för olika databasoperationer av den originella WordPress-applikationen samt den migrerade Keystone JS-applikationen. Resultatet av mätningen visade att den migrerade applikationen kan uppnå upp till 59% förbättrade svarstider för subdomänrendering, vilket bekräftar att Multi-siteapplikationer kan gynnas av en migration till Keystone JS. Migrationsprocessen ansågs heller inte ha någon individuell negativ prestandapåverkan.

Visualization of software systems is mainly used for understanding and modeling software architecture. Examples of what can be visualized are source code, systems during execution together with manipulated data or system architecture on either a detailed or a general level. The connection between all of these types of visualization is that they help computer engineers maintain or develop software systems. The largest challenge with visualizing software systems is when the systems in question are exceedingly large and containing an abundance of relations. A problem of this kind arise at the company DGC, where this study is performed. The company manages at present more than a couple hundred systems with over ten thousand relations between each other. The problem with the company’s existing visualization is that they are very difficult to follow and understand, since they mainly present raw data in the form of tables that do not show all relations optimally, and which can also easily distract the company stakeholders from their intended task. The aim of this study is to find a visualization method where a system and its underlying parts are shown together with their relations to other systems. The created visualization will be able to be used by several different stakeholders and will as clearly as possible present relevant information to them. Furthermore, it should also aim to contribute to a better understanding of the complex software systems and their relations. After the implementation of the chosen visualization method, a time-based study is performed to determine whether it poses an improvement of perception among the stakeholders or not. An interview is also conducted where these stakeholders provide their opinion on the created visualization and if they think it presents the necessary information in a pedagogical way. Analysis of the result of the timekeeping and the interview answers indicate that the aim of the study is met. The majority of the resulting times show that the created visualization is more efficient than the original ones, and the interview answers furthermore show how different stakeholders all together agree that the visualization can be used in both future development and maintenance. / Visualisering av mjukvarusystem används i stor utsträckning för att förstå och modellera mjukvaruarkitektur. Ett par exempel på vad som kan visualiseras är: källkod, system under exekvering tillsammans med manipulerat data eller systemarkitektur på detaljerad eller övergripande nivå. Sambandet mellan alla dessa typer av visualiseringar är att de hjälper dataingenjörer att underhålla och utveckla mjukvarusystem. Den största utmaningen i att visualisera mjukvarusystem är när systemen i fråga är väldigt stora och har många beroenden. Ett sådant problem uppstår på företaget DGC där denna undersökning utförs. Företaget hanterar i dagsläge mer än hundratals mjukvarusystem med över tiotusentals beroenden sinsemellan. Problemet med företagets befintliga visualiseringar är att dessa är väldigt svåra att följa eftersom de oftast presenterar rådata i form av tabeller som inte visar alla relationer på ett optimalt sätt och distraherar lätt intressenter på företaget från sin avsedda uppgift. Undersökningen syftar på att finna en visualiseringsmetod där ett system och dess underliggande systemdelar visas tillsammans med deras beroenden till andra. Den framtagna visualiseringen skall kunna användas av flera olika intressenter, och i högsta möjliga mån presentera relevant information för dem på ett tydligt sätt. Vidare ska den skapade visualiseringen också bidra till bättre förståelse för komplexa mjukvarusystem och deras beroenden. Efter framtagandet av visualiseringen utförs en tidsundersökning, för att avgöra huruvida den skapade visualiseringen stimulerar förståelse hos de olika intressenterna på företaget. Det utförs även en intervju där intressenterna på företaget lämnar sina synpunkter angående den skapade visualiseringen och om den kan presentera nödvändig information på ett pedagogiskt sätt. Analys av resultaten av tidtagningarna och svaren på intervjuerna visar tydligt att undersökningens syften nåtts. Majoriteten av tidtagningarna visade att den skapade visualiseringen är effektivare än de ursprungliga och intervjusvaren uppvisar hur olika intressenter ser att den kan användas vid vidareutvecklingen eller underhåll, vilket alla intressenter höll med om.

Between 1989 and 2007, Poland went through numerous reforms, the aim of which was to build a democratic country based on the rule of law. At the core of the multiple transition from the communist state to democracy was devolution which has been translated at different scales, national, regional and local. Of central importance were the local government reforms. Analyses of local outcomes of democratisation need to include the difficult to measure effects which manifest themselves through activities of local authorities and local communities. The aim of this thesis is to help fill the gap in understanding the processes and outcomes of the democratic transition by investigating the functioning of democracy at the local level, focusing on local self-government and its relations with civil society in the context of democratic consolidation in one of the major cities in Poland – Poznań and two of its community-based self-governing bodies called Estates which are accessory sub-local government units. The main question of this thesis is what is democratic about Poznań’s local government today. Here, the functioning of local representative democracy and citizens’ inclusion in local decision making are key. It is argued that in a ‘healthy’ democracy the actual practices of local authorities should facilitate an increasing involvement of local residents in decision-making processes. Consequently I focused on local democratic practices trying to evaluate local government’s responsiveness, effectiveness and accountability. In the light of the prevailing opinion that civil society in CEE has been weak, the effectiveness and efficiency of civil society in Poznań and its relations with the local authorities were explored. The study was based on a combination of qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (questionnaires) methods of research. The research identifies that the activities of the local government of Poznań are symptomatic of the authorities’ recognition of the need to be responsive, effective and accountable. Poznań’s authorities have partners in civil society. Among these partners are organisations with a low level of formality, i.e. a community, neighbourhood and a group of residents which organise themselves to achieve their objectives. The environment (law, regulations and attitudes of local authorities) in which they operate was noted to be important to their activities and much effort has been put into upgrading the quality and intensity of the authorities’ communication with local residents. The learning process has reached the stage at which the democratic system has begun to improve itself, a sign of a maturing democracy. The thesis addresses a gap in the literature on the processes underpinning democratic consolidation in Poland. Its findings suggest that as the reformers of Polish local government in the years immediately following the overthrow of communist rule believed, local democracy and local democratic practices are an important component of the wider (national) project of democratic consolidation.

This thesis seeks to provide a qualitative and comparative account of politics and power in two densely-populated Scottish suburban communities: the former Police Burghs of Partick and Govan. These are communities whose rich urban history has been relatively underexplored by dint of their proximity to Glasgow and the fact that they were formally outside the city boundaries until 1912. The study aims to redress the balance in the burghs’ favour, making a substantial qualitative, analytical contribution to the wider historiography of political change in the British Isles, while simultaneously adding a comparative empirical case study to the conceptual debate over centralism versus localism. Foremost among the historiographical concerns addressed are civic nationalism and local self-government, class politics, the rise of Labour, including ‘Red Clydeside’, and the interlinked electoral demise of Liberalism. This qualitative study of political change in two populous and pioneering ‘locally self-governed’ communities therefore goes beyond merely chronicling Partick’s and Govan’s creation as burghs, their subsequent development and annexation to Glasgow. Rather, it examines the dynamics of ideological and party-political change in two significant urban localities from the mid-Victorian period up to the arrival of near-democratic electoral politics after the First World War. Close attention is therefore paid throughout to political rhetoric in relation to the local experience of ideological, institutional and electoral change. The central contention of this work is as follows. Partick’s and Govan’s political and administrative development from the 1850s to the 1920s is best understood within the wider ideological context of the rise and fall of ‘local self-government’. ‘Local self-government’ was a mid-nineteenth century bourgeois Liberal solution to the myriad problems associated with urban industrial life in the Scottish context. In Govan’s and Partick’s cases, ‘local self-government’ was in large part sustained by the promotion of local civic nationalism, albeit this phenomenon persisted in the Scottish context until at least the 1975 local government reorganisation: long after the burghs and the legislative framework that allowed their creation were extinguished. By 1912, when the burghs were absorbed into Greater Glasgow, the ideology of ‘local self-government’ had been gradually eroded by large-scale ‘municipal socialism’ combined with ‘national efficiency’. In broad-brush terms, it is argued here that the transition between these dominant ideals mirrored, and in some ways pre-figured, the rise of Victorian Liberalism and its eventual eclipse by independent Labour. These developments and the political conflict which accompanied them are traced throughout the study with careful analysis of the political discourse from various ‘players’ in both communities from the formation of the burghs until their annexation, and even beyond, to the electoral politics of the early post-1918 period. It is shown that notwithstanding its intrinsic merits in theory, ‘local self-government’ as practised in Partick and Govan was often undermined by hypocrisy and self-interest from the burghs’ civic leaders. Analysis of the political culture and traditions of anti-landlordism in the former burghs also sheds new light on the phenomenon of ‘Red Clydeside’. Partick and Govan were shipbuilding boom towns from the mid-nineteenth century and throughout the years examined in this study. While both communities experienced rapid industrialisation and demographic growth in the mid-nineteenth century, the latter burgh was more populous and proletarian than the former. The implications of this for their comparative political development were significant, as is outlined below. Both communities’ rapid rise in the mid-nineteenth century prompted them to adopt the ‘populous place’ provisions of the 1850 and 1862 General Police Acts (respectively) to become quasi-autonomous police burghs, a distinctively Scottish form of municipality. Both communities jealously maintained their independence from the neighbouring city of Glasgow through several aggressive ‘annexation’ attempts until they finally amalgamated with the city in 1912. By 1904, the burghs had grown so fast that they were two of only nine Scottish towns and cities (including Glasgow and Edinburgh) whose population exceeded 50,000. As major urban centres by the 1900s, their political development clearly merits more than parochial interest. The thesis is divided into two complementary sections. The first considers the development of key themes in the burghs’ civic life, including the Liberal ethos of local self-government, industrial paternalism and the emergence of class-based politics. This begins with an examination of the reasons why Partick and Govan adopted the General Police Acts in 1852 and 1864 respectively, followed by an appraisal of the municipal policies pursued in both burghs’ formative years. There is especial focus on Partick, as one of Scotland’s first ‘populous place’ burghs. The focus then moves on chronologically to consider the ways in which both burghs responded to a number of critical episodes in the late 1860s and 1870s, with reference to what the community leaders perceived as threats to their existence emanating from outside and inside the burgh boundaries. From the mid 1880s until the 1912 annexation, the Burgh Halls became theatres of partisan and ideological conflict. The 1886 Home Rule crisis triggered a split in the ranks of the local Liberal Party, which among other things had the effect of introducing openly party politics to the municipal scene. The later municipal chapters examine the competing visions of the nature, purpose and extent of municipal power proffered by Liberal, Liberal Unionist, Conservative and Labour councillors, in addition to identifying tensions regarding temperance and sectarianism. This is followed by a longer term analysis of the reasons why both communities amalgamated with Glasgow in 1912, including discussion of annexation in the context of wider ideological debates about ‘municipal socialism’ and ‘national efficiency’ against the formerly prevailing ethos of local self-government. The second and final section of the thesis considers parliamentary politics from the burghs’ 1885 formation into county divisions of Lanarkshire, each returning one MP to Westminster. This includes scrutiny of the extent to which both communities deserved their reputation as ‘strongholds’ of Liberalism in the period before 1914. Consideration is given to the Home Rule split and its implications, and to the extent to which Labour was able to dent the dominance of the Liberals and Unionists before the war. Here, as with the earlier municipal analysis, much consideration is given to paternalism and sectarianism. Neil Maclean’s precocious victory in Govan in 1918 owed much to the community’s more proletarian character than Partick, and to Labour’s emerging ability to transcend sectarian boundaries there; an ability which had been evidenced in local municipal and parliamentary politics since the 1880s, well before the upheaval of annexation and the cataclysm of war. The specific focus of this study does not detract from its general contribution to historiography as outlined above. Nevertheless, it is conceded that the emphasis on municipal and parliamentary politics, especially electoral discourse, is overwhelmingly and necessarily qualitative in approach. In consequence, the war years are discussed only briefly, due to the associated abeyance of municipal and parliamentary contests from 1911 until 1918. And as this is not a social or economic history of the former burghs, it is not intended to be read as either, still less to substitute for them.