Loosely coupled workgroups are common in the real world, and workers in these groups are autonomous and weakly interdependent. They have patterns of work and collaboration that distinguish them from other types of groups, and groupware systems that are designed to support loose coupling must address these differences. However, they have not been studied in detail in Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), and the design process for these groups is currently underspecified. This forces designers to start from scratch each time they develop a system for loosely coupled groups, and they must approach new work settings with little information about how work practices are organized. <br><br> In this dissertation, I present a design framework to improve the groupware design process for loosely coupled workgroups. The framework has three main parts that add a new layer of support to each of the three stages in the general groupware design process: data collection about the target work setting, analysis of the data, and system design based on the analysis results. The framework was developed to provide designers with support during each of these stages so that they can consider important characteristics of loosely coupled work practice while carrying out design for the target group. The design framework is based on information from CSCW and organizational research, and on real-world design experiences with one type of loosely coupled workgrouphome care treatment teams. <br><br> The framework was evaluated using observations, interviews, and field trials that were carried out with multidisciplinary home care treatment teams in Saskatoon Health Region. A series of field observations and interviews were carried out with team members from each of the home care disciplines. The framework was then used to develop Mohoc, a groupware system that supports work in home care. Two field trials were carried out where the system was used by teams to support their daily activities. Results were analyzed to determine how well each part of the design framework performed in the design process. The results suggest that the framework was able to fill its role in specializing the general CSCW design process for loosely coupled groups by adding consideration for work and collaboration patterns that are seen in loosely coupled settings. However, further research is needed to determine whether these findings generalize to other loosely coupled workgroups.

Loosely coupled workgroups are common in the real world, and workers in these groups are autonomous and weakly interdependent. They have patterns of work and collaboration that distinguish them from other types of groups, and groupware systems that are designed to support loose coupling must address these differences. However, they have not been studied in detail in Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), and the design process for these groups is currently underspecified. This forces designers to start from scratch each time they develop a system for loosely coupled groups, and they must approach new work settings with little information about how work practices are organized. <br><br> In this dissertation, I present a design framework to improve the groupware design process for loosely coupled workgroups. The framework has three main parts that add a new layer of support to each of the three stages in the general groupware design process: data collection about the target work setting, analysis of the data, and system design based on the analysis results. The framework was developed to provide designers with support during each of these stages so that they can consider important characteristics of loosely coupled work practice while carrying out design for the target group. The design framework is based on information from CSCW and organizational research, and on real-world design experiences with one type of loosely coupled workgrouphome care treatment teams. <br><br> The framework was evaluated using observations, interviews, and field trials that were carried out with multidisciplinary home care treatment teams in Saskatoon Health Region. A series of field observations and interviews were carried out with team members from each of the home care disciplines. The framework was then used to develop Mohoc, a groupware system that supports work in home care. Two field trials were carried out where the system was used by teams to support their daily activities. Results were analyzed to determine how well each part of the design framework performed in the design process. The results suggest that the framework was able to fill its role in specializing the general CSCW design process for loosely coupled groups by adding consideration for work and collaboration patterns that are seen in loosely coupled settings. However, further research is needed to determine whether these findings generalize to other loosely coupled workgroups.

No description available.

Syfte: Syftet med denna studien är att öka förståelsen kring hur medlemmar hanterar spänningar mellan ett traditionellt styrsystem och ett modernt styrsystem. Metod: För att besvara studiens syfte har vi använt oss av den naturalistiska forskningsfilosofin och en induktiv forskningsansats. Empiriinsamlingen har bestått av intervjuer av en kvalitativ karaktär. Analys av den empiriska data gjordes med hjälp av en tematisk analys. Bidrag: Studien tillför ett teoretiskt bidrag där spänningarna bevisligen existerar mellan styrsystem. De centrala spänningar vi har fått fram är Ansvarstagande, Organisationsstruktur, Kommunikation och Arbetssätt, när Lean används som styrkoncept. Med hjälp av att kunna se verksamhetsstyrning som ett paket kan spänningarna dels förstås bättre, dels förklara varför de kan uppstå. Till sist, kan Loose coupling med framgång användas för att analysera hur medlemmarna hanterar spänningar som uppstår mellan dessa styrsystem. Vi kan se att företagen som undersöks i studien använder olika metoder för att hantera spänningarna. Förslag till vidare forskning: ● Vidareutveckla de teorier vi presenterat i studien gällande identifiering av spänningar. Genom att vidare undersöka hur spänningar fungerar och var de kan uppstå kan forskare bidra till en stabilare verksamhetsstyrning för företag. ● Mer fördjupning inom hantering av spänningar. Genom att utveckla de metoder som redan finns kan det underlätta för företag med spänningar och genom att formulera nya metoder och identifiera nya verktyg kan forskningen föras framåt ytterligare. ● Att undersöka om spänningar går att mäta, för att sedan bygga ett verktyg för företagen att kunna identifiera och hantera spänningarna. / Aim: The aim is to increase the understanding of how members in a company handle tensions between a modern traditional control system and a modern control system. Method: This study was conducted with a qualitative design using a multiple case study and an inductive process. Furthermore, has the study been shaped after the scientific method. Empirical data has been gathered from interviews and the analysing of the empirical data has been done using thematic analysis. Contributions of the thesis: The theoretical contribution of this study is proof that tensions exists between two different control systems. The most central tensions that we have discovered are Responsibility, Organizational structure, Communication and Working methods, when Lean is used as a control concept. With the help of being able to see business management as a package, the tensions can be better understood and also explain why they can arise. Finally, Loose coupling can be successfully used to analyse how members handle tensions that arise between these control systems. We can see that the companies that are analysed in this study use different methods to handle the tensions. Suggestions for future research: ● To further develop the theories we presented in the study regarding the identification of tensions. This can be made by further investigating how tensions work and where they can arise. Researchers can contribute to more stable business management for companies. ● More in-depth study of handling the tensions. By developing the methods that already exist, this can make it easier for companies to handle their tensions between the control systems. But also formulating new methods and identifying new tools that could take the research further. ● To examine if tensions could be measured in order to build a tool that could identify and handle the tensions.

abstract: This study describes how the concept of “community” is framed in traditional public and charter high school guiding statements and interviews with school leaders. Guiding statements from public high schools in Arizona were analyzed and interviews were conducted with principals from traditional public schools and charter school principals. The findings suggested similarities between traditional public high schools and charter high schools in their framing of the concept of community, suggesting that schools are loosely coupled to state and federal education departments in particular, and to varying degrees at the district level: The guiding statements and high school leaders generally distinguished between the “school as community” frame inside the school and the “the local community” frame focused on the community outside of the school. Both traditional public high schools and charter schools emphasized the importance of both frames and their connections with “the local community.” Differences between traditional public schools and charter schools were observed, as schools appeared to attempt to legitimize themselves in different ways to the communities they are located in. Despite open enrollment policies leading to inter-district enrollment, traditional public schools have a mandate to primarily serve students from a specific area and were framed in the guiding statements and by school leaders as being part of and serving a geographically defined community that they have close ties to, the “school as a member of community” frame. Charter schools, on the other hand, focused on creating and serving a specific educational community characterized by shared interests, ideals, and expectations (‘school as community”) and contributing to the community that the school is located in (“school as a contributor to community”). / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Policy and Evaluation 2018

Den här uppsatsen har sin utgångspunkt i en arbetsgrupp, inom äldrevården, vilken har en förhållandevis jämn fördelning mellan antalet män och kvinnor. Hypotesen är att en organisation, med en sådan arbetsgrupp, i större utsträckning inhyser konflikter mellan arbetsplatsens jämställdhet och vårdtagarnas valfrihet att tacka ja eller nej till hjälp beroende på om den tilltänkta utföraren är man eller kvinna. Platsen har alltså valts strategiskt för att utröna om hypotesen kan bekräftas. Uppsatsen behandlar hur organisationen, formellt och informellt, samordnar dessa normer och utgår ifrån att det finns en inneboende intressekonflikt i relationen dem emellan. Det empiriska materialet har hämtats in med hjälp av samtalsintervjuer. Syftet med uppsatsen har varit att tydliggöra ansvarsfördelningen för hur de olika normerna avvägs mot varandra men också att utröna vilka efterverkningar avvägningarna får i det praktiska arbetet och rekryteringen. Som titeln implicerar använde sig organisationen av en undvikande logik i avvägningen. Istället för att synliggöra konflikten tonade man ner den genom att bara ta till sig jämställdhetskonceptet på ett terminologiskt plan och på så sätt löskoppla det från de interna aktiviteterna. Genom detta pragmatiska förhållningssätt kunde arbetet fortlöpa som tidigare utan att den inbyggda intressekonflikten gjorde avkall på effektiviteten. / This essay has its outset in a work team within the elderly care. The work team is relatively equally composed regarding the number of men and women. The hypothesis is that an organization, with a work team of that composition, will even more so contain conflicts between the work place' equality and the caretakers freedom of choice to accept or decline help depending on if the prospective personnel is male or female. The scene of the study has thereby been chosen strategically in order to prove the hypothesis. The essay is addressing how the organization, formally and informally, coordinates these norms and assumes that there is an immanent conflict of interest in the relation between them. The empirical data has been obtained through research interviews. The intention of the essay has been to clarify the division of responsibilities regarding how the norms should be balanced in relation to one another but also to determine which impacts the balancing will provide in the hands-on work and the recruitment of new staff. As the title implicate; did the organization use an avoidant approach in the balancing process. Rather than making the conflict visible, it was de-emphasized by absorbing the concept of equality only on a semantic level, thereby loose coupling the concept from the internal activities. Through such pragmatic disposition the activities could proceed as before without a conflict of interests intervening on the efficiency of the organization.

Based on the limited outcomes and often failed implementation processes of annual employee surveys a new phenomenon for collecting people data has risen; the pulsed employee survey. This survey and its continuous way of measuring are by many providers and consultants stated to be an important tool that increases employee engagement. The phenomenon of the pulsed employee survey has so far received limited academic attention, despite its growing importance as a potential institutionalized practice. Therefore, this study aims at broadening the understanding of the phenomenon of the pulsed employee survey. How is it transformed into organizations during an implementation process and can the process be seen as coupled or decoupled from the institutionalized practice? Further, what explains the potential coupling or decoupling? To investigate this, a model based on decoupling theories by Bromley &amp; Powell(2012) has been used through a qualitative case study. The result shows that, even though the surveys are implemented into the organizations, means-ends decoupling can be found, whichmay be explained by the complexity of what is measured as well as the multifaceted expectations and perceptions at different organizational levels.

Στην εν λόγω εργασία, έγινε μια προσπάθεια καταγραφής του τεχνολογικού τοπίου της τηλεπικοινωνιακής αγοράς, με έμφαση την διαλειτουργικότητα μεταξύ των Δικτύων Κινητής Τηλεφωνίας και των Ασύρματων Δικτύων Δεδομένων και των σχετικών αλλαγών που έχει επιφέρει αυτή η διαλειτουργικότητα, τόσο στις παρεχόμενες υπηρεσίες, όσο και στα εφαρμοζόμενα επιχειρηματικά μοντέλα από πλευράς εταιρειών της συγκεκριμένης αγοράς. Στα πλαίσια αυτής της προσπάθειας, χρειάστηκε να πραγματοποιηθεί μια λεπτομερής καταγραφή των τεχνολογικών εξελίξεων, σε επίπεδο τεχνικών προδιαγραφών και προτύπων, στις παραπάνω δύο κατηγορίες δικτύων, ώστε να καταλήξουμε σε εκείνα τα πρότυπα που πλέον μπορούν να οδηγήσουν στην υλοποίηση δικτύων τα οποία θα χαρακτηρίζονται από τα παρακάτω: • θα είναι ενοποιημένα ώστε οι διαφορετικές τεχνολογικές πλατφόρμες των εταιρειών να λειτουργούν απρόσκοπτα, • θα χαρακτηρίζονται από χαμηλό κόστος, • ο τελικός χρήστης θα μπορεί να είναι συνεχώς συνδεδεμένος με κάποιο δίκτυο ασύρματης πρόσβασης και να απολαμβάνει τις υπηρεσίες που επιθυμεί, οποτεδήποτε και οπουδήποτε. Η δομή της διπλωματικής εργασίας ακολουθεί τον προαναφερθέντα τρόπο σκέψης. Στο 1ο Κεφάλαιο γίνεται μια σύντομη παρουσίαση του στόχου σε επίπεδο τεχνολογιών αλλά και υπηρεσιών, δηλαδή των αναμενόμενων αποτελεσμάτων αυτών των δικτύων νέας γενιάς, στα οποία έχουμε συνηθίσει να αναφερόμαστε ως δίκτυα 4G (4th Generation) ή δίκτυα B3G (Beyond 3G) ή τέλος ως All – IP ασύρματα δίκτυα. Στο 2ο Κεφάλαιο, γίνεται μια λεπτομερής παρουσίαση των Δικτύων Κινητής Τηλεφωνίας από τις πρώτες τους εκδοχές (1G) έως τις πλέον σύγχρονες (3.5G) που έχουν εμφανιστεί μέχρι σήμερα. Αναλύονται τόσο οι γενιές των δικτύων όσο και τα χρησιμοποιούμενα πρότυπα, σε επίπεδο αρχιτεκτονικής όσο και σε επίπεδο πρωτοκόλλων. Στη συνέχεια του κεφαλαίου υπάρχει η τεχνική περιγραφή των επικρατέστερων δικτύων κινητής τηλεφωνίας, σήμερα, δηλαδή των GSM, GPRS και UMTS, ενώ στο τέλος του κεφαλαίου υπάρχει μια σύντομη περιγραφή της διαδικασίας intersystem handover μεταξύ των GSM και UMTS. Στο 3ο Κεφάλαιο, περνάμε πλέον στα Ασύρματα Δίκτυα Δεδομένων. Γίνεται μια εκτενής περιγραφή των προτύπων που έχουν καθοριστεί και συγκεκριμένα στα πρότυπα IEEE 802.15 Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) με κυριότερους εκφραστές τα δίκτυα βασιζόμενα σε Bluetooth και IrDA, το πρότυπο IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) με σημαντικότερος εκπροσώπους τα WiFi και HyperLan/2, το πρότυπο IEEE 802.16 Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs) ή αλλιώς γνωστότερο ως WiMAX και τέλος το πρότυπο IEEE 802.20 Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs) ή διαφορετικά Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MWBA) το οποίο είναι υπό διερεύνηση ακόμα και φιλοδοξεί να αποτελέσει το ασύρματο ανάλογο της τεχνολογίας xDSL, καθώς θα προσφέρει ασύρματες ευρυζωνικές υπηρεσίες. Στο 4ο Κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζονται μεθοδολογίες υλοποίησης του integration μεταξύ δικτύων των δύο κατηγοριών και συγκεκριμένα παραδείγματα διαλειτουργικότητας, όπως μεταξύ GPRS ή UMTS και WLANs ή μεταξύ UMTS και WiMAX. Γίνεται εκτενής συζήτηση γύρω από τα προβλήματα που θα πρέπει να αντιμετωπιστούν, όπως η εξασφάλιση ανεκτού επιπέδου QoS, οι μηχανισμοί για handover μεταξύ των δικτύων, η διαχείριση της κινητικότητας των χρηστών και των τερματικών και δίνονται παραδείγματα δημιουργίας ενοποιημένων δικτύων, τόσο με τη τεχνική της χαλαρής όσο και με την τεχνική της ισχυρής ζεύξης. Στο τελευταίο τμήμα του Κεφαλαίου, γίνεται μια εκτενής αναφορά στις αρχιτεκτονικές διασύνδεσης ετερογενών δικτύων με IP δίκτυα κορμού, τα γνωστά All – IP networks. Ιδιαίτερη έμφαση δίνεται στους μηχανισμούς πραγματοποίησης των handovers βάσει πολιτικών (policy based) και η χρήση τεχνικών για micromobility και macromobility σε σχέση με την κινητικότητα των τερματικών. Το 5ο Κεφάλαιο αφορά τις εφαρμογές και υλοποιήσεις ασυρμάτων δικτύων δεδομένων στον Ελληνικό χώρο, στα πλαίσια του Επιχειρησιακού Προγράμματος «Κοινωνία της Πληροφορίας» και πιο συγκεκριμένα τα «Εξοπλισμός και δικτύωση σε όλες τις βαθμίδες της εκπαίδευσης», «Ασύρματα Ευρυζωνικά Δίκτυα ΟΤΑ»και «Μητροπολιτικά Ευρυζωνικά Δίκτυα Οπτικών Ινών ΟΤΑ» και ουσιαστικά αποτελούν παραδείγματα και υλοποιήσεις διασύνδεσης WiFi, WiMAX και IP backbone δικτύων όπως το ΣΥΖΕΥΞΙΣ με δυνατότητες για παροχή VoIP. / In this thesis, an effort of presenting the technological landscape of the telecommunication market takes place, with focus on the interoperability between the Mobile Telephony Networks and the Wireless Data Networks and the relative changes that have evolved through this interoperability, both regarding the provided services and the applied business models by the enterprises of the specific market. Within the frames of this effort, a detailed recording of technological developments is realised, in terms of technical specifications and standards, in the two aforementioned categories of networks, so as to conclude to those standards that are utilized by the next generation networks (4G) which will be: • Networks that will be unified so as the different technological platforms will function smoothly. • Networks that will be characterized by low cost of deployment. • The end user will be continuously connected with a wireless access network, enjoying the preferred services anywhere and anytime. The master thesis structure follows the aforementioned methodology. The 1st Chapter includes a short presentation of expected results, both in terms of technologies and services for next generation networks, which we usually refer to as 4G networks (4th Generation) or B3G networks (Beyond 3G) or finally as All - IP wireless networks (AIPN). In the 2nd Chapter, a detailed presentation of Mobile Telephony Networks takes place, from their first versions (1G) until the most modern (3.5G) that have been presented up to today. The analysis includes both the various generations of networks and the used standards, in terms of modulation and multiplexing techniques. The rest of the chapter focuses on the technical description of the prevailing networks, GSM, GPRS and UMTS, while the chapter ends with a short description of intersystem handover processes between GSM and UMTS. Τhe 3rd Chapter, includes an extensive description of the Wireless Data Networks standards such as: IEEE 802.15 Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) with main representatives networks based on Bluetooth and IrDA, standard IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) mainly represented by WiFi and HyperLan/2, IEEE 802.16 Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs) standard, widely known as WiMax and finally the IEEE 802.20 Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs) standard, namely Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MWBA) that is still under development and aspires to constitutes the wireless version of the xDSL technology, since it aims to provide wireless broadband services. In the 4th Chapter methodologies for integrating the two types of networks, are presented along with examples of interoperability between GPRS / UMTS and WLANs or between UMTS and WiMAX. Extensive discussion around the problems that should be faced, as the guarantee of bearable QoS level, the mechanisms for handover between the networks and the management of mobility of users and terminals, is held. Moreover, examples of integrated networks with both loose and tight coupling methodologies are presented. The last section of the chapter concerns a detailed description of architectures for interconnecting heterogeneous wireless networks over IP – based backhaul networks, namely All – IP networks, with special focus on policy based handover mechanisms and techniques for managing micromobility and macromobility issues. The 5th Chapter concerns the changes taking place in the telecommunications market deriving from the technological progress in the subject of heterogeneous wireless networks interconnection. New service packets are created, as a result of new business plans that are drawn up by the big telecommunications organizations. Finally, we present the developments in the Greek market and subsidised projects from Information Society AE, via which wireless networks have been materialised, with aim to promote Broadband Services.

No description available.

Arbetet med att stärka ett arbetsgivarvarumärkes attraktivitet, både internt och externt, det alltmer välbekanta begreppet “Employer branding”, är ett vanligt förekommande koncept i dagens organisationer. Syftet med studien är att försöka ta reda på vad fenomenet “Employer branding” är och hur organisationer kan bedriva arbetet med att göra sitt arbetsgivarvarumärket attraktiv på den svenska arbetsmarknaden. Tieto, COWI och Klarna AB är de företag som deltar i studien. Begreppen legitimitet och löskoppling från den institutionella- och nyinstitutionella teorin kommer att ligga som teoretisk utgångspunkt för att besvara studiens frågeställningar och syfte. Den metod som har använts är en kvalitativ intervjustudie, där totalt åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer utifrån ett strategiskt urval har genomförts med de tre företagen. För att bearbeta materialet har transkriberingsmetoden använts där vi utgår från en deduktiv ansats och har kodat materialet efter på förhand formulerade begrepp som var ställda i relation till den teoretiska utgångspunkten. Det empiriska materialet visar att alla tre företagen är medvetna om både den interna och framförallt den externa sidan av Employer branding och påstår att de är aktiva i arbetet med att öka attraktiviteten internt inom organisationen såväl som externt. / The work with Employer branding, both external and internal, is a frequent used concept in organizations today. The purpose of our study is to try to find out what the phenomenon of “Employer branding” is and how organizations can pursue efforts to make its employer brand attractive on the Swedish labor market. Tieto, COWI and Klarna AB are the companies participating in our study. The terms legitimacy and loose coupling from the institutional- and new institutional theory is going to be our theoretical base to enable us to answer our questions and purpose of our study. The used method is a qualitative study, where a total of eight semi-structured interviews based on a strategic selection were carried out with the three companies. In order to process the material have transcription-method been used that is based on a deductive approach and the material has been coded after pre-formulated concepts that were made out in relation to the theoretical starting point. The empirical material indicates that all three companies are aware of both the internal and especially the external side of Employer branding and states that they are active in the work to increase attractiveness internally within the organization as well as the extern.