ABB Corporation is a swedish-swiss international company, specializing in power and automation technologies. The company is a joint-venture between ASEA and Brown Bouveri, merging into one company in 1988. ABB has five business unit, where the products and services mainly comes from research and development work within the company. Each business unit performs R&D initiatives and investments within respective area of reach, in order to achieve competitive products and services. ABB Corporate Research is responsible for research and development within the company where R&D initiative takes place. During autumn 2013 ABB Corporate Research will launch an improvement study, which will be the basis for subsequent major project. Information is a key factor within ABB Corporate Research, where each stakeholder in a specific project has access for specific information. The question is, how accessible/searchable is the information, and also how user-friendly is the current information system within the unit.   The mission of the conducted study is to examine what the employees of ABB Corporate Research think about the existing information distribution system for technical reports and publications, also propose overview improvements within the particular area. Delimitation has been established to conduct the study within the department of Software Architecture & Usability (SARU) in Västerås, which is a part of Automation Technology (AT) department, in order to deliver on the required time frame.   Theories regarding Innovation management, Lean thinking, Change management, Information distribution, Integration of information system and Ishikawa was studied thoroughly within the project. A qualitative research methodology was used, based on performing interviews with key personnel within SARU. The interviews converted into key factors (findings), which resulted into correlations to all key factors. A root cause analysis (Ishikawa) was performed, in order to examine and visualize which challenges appear within the current information system.   The result from the conducted analysis and correlations indicates that: the database is not user-friendly enough, it is difficult to acquire correct information, information is not in detail level due to limitation of information, it is time consuming to search in the databases in order to acquire correct information, Usually rely on internal networking instead of searching into the information system, restricted internal security and person based information dependence.   With the help of theories within the project, in combination with the conducted results from the analysis and correlations, improvements have been proposed. Due to the time frame of the project, further analysis should be performed for respective improvement proposals. The improvement proposals could be a starting point for the upcoming project. The improvements proposals are:   RSS Feeds solution for usability efficiency Standardized Work Methodology Integrated Database Interface Internal Information Transparency   The authors recommend implementing all improvement proposals, in order to further achieve productivity and efficiency within the organization.

THE OPERATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF SERVICE CUSTOMISATION LEVEL Customisation offers the opportunity for organisations to capitalise on the many potential benefits to both themselves and to clients, afforded by offering a greater choice of goods and services for customers. Many organisations have implemented increased customisation with the expectation of increased demand and profitability. However a critical analysis of the operational aspects involved in customising services reveals that different levels of customisation have distinct operational needs which render the adoption of different levels of customisation more difficult than is indicated in existing literature. Three distinct degrees of customisation are examined in this study. These are standardisation, medium customisation and high customisation. The study puts forward a comprehensive model which provides an insight into the organisational factors which potentially enable or impede an organisation in introducing different levels of customisation. This model builds on previous studies of factors which impact on the ability of an organisation to deliver customised services. Factors which are included in this model are: (a) the level and type of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) held by employees involved in designing and delivering services (b) the degree of information distribution and exchange between employees and (c) goal clarity for staff involved in delivering the service. Initial case studies conducted in six organisations and a subsequent quantitative study which elicited 101 responses from 21 organisations, revealed that each level of customisation held a distinct configuration of these operational factors. Organisations offering high customisation were characterised by a low degree of information distribution and exchange between employees, a high level of KSA's about the service being provided and low goal clarity for service staff. Organisations offering medium customisation were characterised by a high degree of information distribution and exchange between employees, a moderate level of KSA's about the service being provided and relatively high goal clarity for staff. Organisations offering standardised services were characterised by a low degree of information distribution and exchange between employees, a low level of KSA's required about the service being provided and high goal clarity for staff. By examining the relationship between customisation and the identified operational implications, the study allows us to piece together a multi-faceted viewpoint of the same broad issue, which is answered by the overarching question 'how are organisations enabled to provide different levels of customisation'? This study therefore provides us with a well-rounded insight as to how and why organisations can effectively implement different levels of service customisation.

Context-aware applications are applications that exploit knowledge of the situation of the user (i.e. the user’s context) to adapt their behavior, thus helping the user achieve his or her daily tasks. Today, the transfer of context information needs to take place over unreliable and dynamically changing networks. Moreover context information may be produced in different devices connected to different networks. These difficulties have limited the development of context-aware applications. This thesis presents a context distribution method exploiting the event notification mechanisms of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), aiming to provide access to context information regardless of where it is produced. The context distribution component presented in this thesis uses SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE) to enable context sharing by using a SIP presence server, specifically the SIP Express Router (SER) and its presence module. This context distribution component allows distribution of context information in both synchronous and asynchronous mode. The distribution mode depends on the application requirements for context distribution, as well as the nature and characteristics of the contextinformation. In this thesis, based on system scalability, the user’s mobility, and latency - recommendations are given about in which situations each mode is more suitable for distributing context information. The system was evaluated using a load generator. The evaluation revealed that the server is highly scalable. The response time for synchronous retrieval of context information is nearly constant, while in asynchronous mode the time to process a subscription increases with the amount of information in the database regarding previous subscriptions. Notifications are sent at a regular rate (≈2800 notifications per second); however there is a purposely random delay (0 to 1 second), between an update of context information (i.e. receipt of a publish message) and the start of notifications to subscribed users. The requirements of the context-aware applications using the distribution component, such as response time, have to be taken into account when deciding upon the mode of context distribution for each application. This thesis provides some empirical data to help an application developer make this selection. / Kontext-medvetna (eng. Context-aware) applikationer är applikationer som utnyttjar information om användarens situation (d.v.s. användarens kontext) och förändrar applikationens beteende i syfte att hjälpa användaren i dennes vardagliga arbetsuppgiften. Idag överförs kontextuell-information (eng. context information) i nätverk som är opålitliga och dynamiskt föränderliga. Därtill tillkommer komplexiteten att kontextuell-information är ibland producerad i olika noder anslutna till olika nätverk.Utvecklingen av kontext-medvetna applikationer har hittills begränsats av ovannämnda svårigheter. Denna avhandling presenterar en metod för att distribuera kontextuell-information genom användning av mekanismer för händelsemeddelande (eng. event notification mechanisms) inbyggda i Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). Målet är att undersöka hur metoden kan användas för att möjliggöra tillgång till kontextuell-information oavsett vart den är producerad. Komponenten för distribution av kontextuell data, som presenteras i denna uppsats, använder SIP för direktmeddelanden (eng. Instant Messaging) och tekniken “Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE)” för datadelning av kontextuell data (eng. Context sharing). För detta ändamål används SIP närvaroserver (eng. SIP presence server), mer specifikt modulen för närvaroinformation tillhörande SIP Expressroutrar (SER). Komponenten för distribution av kontextuell information möjliggör både synkront och asynkront distribution. Valet mellan de två beror delvist på applikationens kravspecifikation för distribution av kontextuell information, delvist på typen av den kontextuella informationen. Baserat på systemet skalbarhet (eng. Scalability), användarens rörlighet och latens (eng. latency) kan man ge rekommendationer vilken av de två distributionssätten, synkront eller asynkront, som är lämpligast för distributionen av kontextuell information. Systemet utvärderades med hjälp av ett program som genererar belastning (eng. load generator). Resultaten visar att systemet är mycket skalbart. Responstiden för synkront åtkomst av kontextuell information är nästan konstant, medan responstiden för asynkront åtkomst ökar med informationsmängden i databasen, i respekt till den föregående prenumerationen av kontextändringar. Händelsemeddelande skickas regelbundet ( 2800 meddelande per sekund). Vi har dock medvetet valt att skapa en slumpmässigt dröjsmål (0 till 1 sekund) mellan varje uppdatering av kontextuell information (t.ex. en kvitto på en Publish-meddelande) och den tidpunkten då händelsemeddelande skickas till de användare som prenumererar på ändringarna. För utvecklingen av varje kontext-medveten applikation, som distribuerar kontextuell information måste man ta hänsyn till responstid vid beslut huruvida man ska välja synkront eller asynkront sätt för distribution. Denna uppsats ger empirisk data som hjälper applikationsutvecklare i detta val.

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Thesis advisor: Rebecca Lownhaupt / This qualitative case study examined the role of the principal in organizational learning in one small, urban school district. The study focused on ways in which building leaders acquired, interpreted, and distributed information in schools, and how these practices were monitored. Findings from analysis of principal interviews and document review showed that monthly meetings with the superintendent served as the primary source of information gathered by principals, while meetings with their peers provided a vehicle for interpreting information shared. Within their buildings, principals used various building-level meetings, written communication, and the teacher evaluation processes as vehicles for information distribution to staff. Meetings and observation of practice were utilized to monitor efficacy of their distribution practices. Findings suggested that principals did not identify themselves as the primary keepers or distributors of information as it pertained to teaching and learning. Using a distributed approach, they instead relied on district directors and instructional coaches for that aspect of the work. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Introduction. Theme of modern biotechnologies is an especially topical question, because there is no simple answer about possible harm to nature and human health done by Genetically Modified Organisms (hereinafter referred to as GMO) until now. On the other side, biotechnology industry is a future industry, which provides great possibilities to improve the welfare of whole nations. Survey of Lithuanian public opinion shows that society thinks of GMO not very favorably and inhabitants treat those new products not well enough; with a great care and do not trust in their safety. Public institutions do not pay much attention for public information campaigns. Paper objective. Research and estimation of society knowledge and information distribution concerning GMO and GMP and their possible impact on human health. Tasks. 1. To examine public knowledge related to GMO and GMP. 2. To explore public knowledge related to a possible risk of GMP for a human health. 3. To evaluate effectiveness of public information distribution structures while familiarizing the society with GMO and GMP and their influence on human health. 4. To suggest measures and ways for improvement of the distribution of public information concerning GMO and GMP. Research methods. Paper objective was to explore public knowledge on GMO, GMP and its impact on human health. Research has been carried out using methods of data analysis, comparison, generalization and questionnaire interview. The statistical data... [to full text]

Förmedling av information inom en organisation är en viktig del för att det dagliga arbetet ska fungera. Rätt person ska få rätt information på rätt sätt. Vår undersökning syftar till att visa hur en informationsarkitektur som utformas utifrån användarnas behov kan förbättra en verksamhets informationsförmedling. Genom en fallstudie på Länstrafiken i Örebro undersöktes vad för information dess användare vill ha och hur de vill ha den. Frågorna som undersökningen ämnar besvara är:   -          På vilket sätt kan ett användbarhetsperspektiv leda till en förbättrad informationsarkitektur? -          Hur optimeras informationsförmedlingen med en användarcentrerad informationsarkitektur?   En användarcentrerad informationsarkitektur utformas utifrån användarnas behov. För att besvara frågeställningarna användes teorier om användbarhet och Zachman’s ramverk vilket beskriver informationsarkitektur utifrån sex olika frågor. I studien användes två av dessa frågor för att ta fram artefakter till en informationsarkitektur: Var och Hur. I första steget av undersökningen togs hur informationsarkitekturen ser ut idag fram utifrån kvalitativa intervjuer med de anställda. Därefter utformades en enkät för verksamhetens kunder för att ta reda på vad för slags information de vill ha, och hur de vill ha den. Utifrån svaren från enkäterna samt intervjuerna kunde en mer användarcentrerad informationsarkitektur tas fram. Användbarhet kan således påverka informationsarkitekturen positivt genom att låta fokus ligga på de som är involverade i hur information ska förmedlas. Då rätt information på snabbast sätt kommer genom rätt informationskanal så kan informationsförmedlingen optimeras. / Distribution of information within an organization is an important part of the daily working routine. It is important that the right information in the right way. Our study aims to show how usability in information architecture can help a business to improve the way of provide information. Through a case study at Länstrafiken in Örebro it was investigated what kind of information the users want and how they want it distributed. The questions the study aims to answer are: -          How can a usability perspective lead to improved information architecture? -          How can the flow of information optimize with a usable information architecture? A useful information architecture is designed based on user needs. To answer the questions we used theories of usability and Zachman's framework, which describes information architecture based on six different issues. The study used two of these issues in order to develop artefacts to form an information architecture: Where and How. The first step in the study was to establish how the information architecture looks today based on qualitative interviews with employees at Länstrafiken. As a second step a questionnaire was designed for the company's customers to find out what kind of information they are interested in and how they want it distributed. Based on the responses from the respondents and the employees an information architecture with usability was developed. Usability can therefore affect the information architecture positive by letting the focus be on those who are involved in how information is being communicated. When the correct information goes through the right information channel in the most effective way the way of communicate the information gets optimized.

Sustainability has become increasingly important in global debates and in world politics, where the UN has formulated 17 sustainability goals. This has led to increased pressure on companies to focus more on sustainability. However, sustainability is a broad and difficult concept, where there is a lack of understanding of sustainable working methods. The purpose of the thesis is thus to study how companies transforms strategic approaches into something concrete and how it is communicated to organizations. Through a case study of a sustainability-leading IT consulting company, the research questions; "How does management translate sustainable strategies into concrete initiatives for communicating sustainable approaches?" and "What can be understood about the challenges of communicating sustainable ways of working through the organisations internal communicative processes?", is being answered. Based on the theoretical framework of the thesis, on Sensemaking and Double Loop Learning, the communication process has been mapped within the company, through semi-structured interviews supplemented with qualitative document analysis. The results show three main challenges: (1) to concrete sustainability and sustainable working methods; (2) to communicate and establish a unified understanding of sustainability and sustainable working practices throughout the organization; (3) to establish systems thinking for sustainable working methods.