Investiga a percepção dos usuários sobre a usabilidade do sistema de auto-atendimento bancário. Contextualiza as TIC e a sua utilização no cenário sócio-econômico e cultural da contemporaneidade, alertando para a gravidade do problema da exclusão digital e a importância da usabilidade na promoção da inclusão. Destaca aspectos da sociedade da informação e as transformações ocorridas no cenário mundial em áreas como educação e trabalho. Aborda o problema de forma qualitativa. Como instrumentos de coleta de dados utiliza o levantamento bibliográfico e a entrevista semi-estruturada. Evidencia a pesquisa empírica realizada na Agência Chapecó, da Caixa Econômica Federal, em Chapecó-SC, que além dos usuários do sistema de auto-atendimento bancários, abrange atendentes e representante da instituição financeira. Conclui que os usuários enfrentam problemas na utilização dos referidos equipamentos e as dificuldades percebidas pelos entrevistados indicam a necessidade de melhorias na usabilidade dos terminais, como também, reforçam as considerações sobre os processos de inclusão digital, que devem priorizar muito mais do que a mera disponibilização das Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação para as pessoas. As conclusões remetem à gravidade do problema da exclusão digital e à necessidade de iniciativas eficazes para combatê-lo. / Investigates the perception of users on the usability of the system of self-service banking. Context and use of ICT in socio-economic scenario and the contemporary cultural, warning of the seriousness of the problem of digital exclusion and the importance of usability in promoting inclusion. Highlights aspects of the information society and the changes in the world in areas such as education and work. Addresses the problem in quality. As instruments for data collection using the bibliography and semi-structured interview. Shows the empirical research conducted in the Agency Chapecó, the Caixa Economica Federal in-Chapecó SC, that apart from users of the system of self-service banking, covers attendants and representative of the financial institution. That users face problems in the use of such equipment and the difficulties perceived by the interviewees indicated the need for improvements in usability of the terminal, but also reinforce the considerations on the processes of digital inclusion, which should prioritize more than the mere provision of Information and Communication Technologies for people. The conclusions refer to the seriousness of the problem of digital exclusion and the need for effective initiatives to combat it.

Dissertation "The Origins of the Mass Consumption Society in Czechoslovakia 1945-1970. Trade, Consumption and Advertising" deals with the process of establishing consumption as a new category of human life in the communist dictatorship in Czechoslovakia. Through the analysis of the discourse the author shows how a network of specialized institutions and professionals producing thinking about consumption emerged in the milieu of the Ministry of Internal Trade. This network manifested itself in the planning of the trade infrastructure and in the adoption of a more subtle approach to the problem of consumption in an effort to maintain the legitimacy of the communist rule. The commerce as a sphere of economy was in the communist discourse initially reduced to the transmission lever between production and the consumer. This perception was accompanied by the pursuit of the social justice through the transformation of the consumer's experience, underpinned by a strong moral appeal. The key tools used in this process were the democratization of the access to the goods, the attempts to adapt the services to broad sections of the society, the chance given to the consumers to raise their own demands and also the "new language" of the trade practices. Political thaw after Stalin's death led to the...

Presented diploma work represents a further development of my bachelor-degree diploma work, dealing with new technologies in retail business. In contrast of said bachelor diploma work, which extent was limited to theoretical part of the problem, practical application of the objective new technologies has been analyzed within TESCO stores buiseness environment. Therefore, this diploma work deals with specific technologies, which are really used in the TESCO retail network. The technologies analyzed in this work were chosen on the basis of Retail Summit 2011 topics. Application potential of m-commerce and e-commerce is analyzed and EDI technology innovation, which makes this option available for small companies, is described. Beside self-service cash desks, which are currently widely used, the RFID, NFC and LCD price tags, which are still in the testing process, are dealt with.

Investiga a percepção dos usuários sobre a usabilidade do sistema de auto-atendimento bancário. Contextualiza as TIC e a sua utilização no cenário sócio-econômico e cultural da contemporaneidade, alertando para a gravidade do problema da exclusão digital e a importância da usabilidade na promoção da inclusão. Destaca aspectos da sociedade da informação e as transformações ocorridas no cenário mundial em áreas como educação e trabalho. Aborda o problema de forma qualitativa. Como instrumentos de coleta de dados utiliza o levantamento bibliográfico e a entrevista semi-estruturada. Evidencia a pesquisa empírica realizada na Agência Chapecó, da Caixa Econômica Federal, em Chapecó-SC, que além dos usuários do sistema de auto-atendimento bancários, abrange atendentes e representante da instituição financeira. Conclui que os usuários enfrentam problemas na utilização dos referidos equipamentos e as dificuldades percebidas pelos entrevistados indicam a necessidade de melhorias na usabilidade dos terminais, como também, reforçam as considerações sobre os processos de inclusão digital, que devem priorizar muito mais do que a mera disponibilização das Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação para as pessoas. As conclusões remetem à gravidade do problema da exclusão digital e à necessidade de iniciativas eficazes para combatê-lo. / Investigates the perception of users on the usability of the system of self-service banking. Context and use of ICT in socio-economic scenario and the contemporary cultural, warning of the seriousness of the problem of digital exclusion and the importance of usability in promoting inclusion. Highlights aspects of the information society and the changes in the world in areas such as education and work. Addresses the problem in quality. As instruments for data collection using the bibliography and semi-structured interview. Shows the empirical research conducted in the Agency Chapecó, the Caixa Economica Federal in-Chapecó SC, that apart from users of the system of self-service banking, covers attendants and representative of the financial institution. That users face problems in the use of such equipment and the difficulties perceived by the interviewees indicated the need for improvements in usability of the terminal, but also reinforce the considerations on the processes of digital inclusion, which should prioritize more than the mere provision of Information and Communication Technologies for people. The conclusions refer to the seriousness of the problem of digital exclusion and the need for effective initiatives to combat it.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-08T14:44:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1092248 bytes, checksum: 8ee02293da87b46071db589aadd4f96a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The commercial section blunts, after the coming of Plano Real, as one of the main segments of the Brazilian economy. In this section is inserted the self-service retail section is inserted, represented in your majority by the supermarkets and hypermarkets. After the opening of the economy and the inflationary stabilization, these establishments were object of intense investments that promoted a restructuring process, sponsored mainly by investments of foreign capital. This allowed the dissemination of new administrative and operational techniques, especially ruled in the technological automation. Such changes promoted several and significant alterations on the job exercised in this companies. In this context, this study intended to analyze the dissemination consequences of this phenomenon on the labour used in the supermarkets and hypermarkets. To reach such objective, quantitative and qualitative analyses were taken about the behavior of the labour. The theoretical approach consisted on Marx s conception of the commercial capital and its derived aspects, as a form of understanding the dynamics of the operation of the commercial section. Besides the bibliographical revision, the methodology constituted in interviews accomplished in retail establishments, use of number-indexes and use of the Indicator of Quality of the Formal Employment (IQEF). As data base was used the ranking of the companies of the self-service retail published by Supermarkets Brazilian Association (ABRAS), and the data of RAIS published by Brazilian s Ministry of Labour and Employment. The obtained result shows two tendencies. First, they indicate the occurrence of a progressive substitution of the manpower for the capital, a phenomenon synthesized by the constant automation and concentration of the section. Second, the remaining labour is subject to the intensification of its functions, taking as a direct consequence the degradation of the conditions of the job in these establishments. That is signaled, mainly, by the wage s reduction and elevation of the labour s change registered in the studied sections. / O setor comercial desponta, após o advento do Plano Real, como um dos principais segmentos da economia brasileira. Dentro deste está inserido o setor de auto-serviço, representado em sua maioria pelos supermercados e hipermercados. Após a abertura da economia e a estabilização inflacionária, estes estabelecimentos foram alvos de intensos investimentos que promoveram um processo de reestruturação, patrocinado em sua maioria por investimentos de capitais estrangeiros. Isto permitiu a disseminação de novas técnicas administrativas e operacionais, pautadas especialmente na automação tecnológica. Tais mudanças promoveram diversas e significativas alterações sobre o trabalho exercido neste tipo de empresa. Dentro deste contexto, este estudo se propôs a analisar as conseqüências desde fenômeno sobre a mão-de-obra empregada nos supermercados e hipermercados. Para atingir tal objetivo, procurou-se realizar análises quantitativas e qualitativas sobre o comportamento da mão-de-obra. A abordagem teórica consistiu no uso da concepção marxiana do capital comercial e seus aspectos derivados, como forma de compreender a dinâmica do funcionamento do comércio. Além da revisão bibliográfica, a metodologia empregada constituiu no uso de entrevistas realizadas em estabelecimentos varejistas, uso de números-índices e uso do Indicador de Qualidade do Emprego Formal (IQEF). Como base de dados foi usada o ranking das empresas do auto-serviço publicado pela Associação Brasileira de Supermercados (ABRAS), e os dados da RAIS divulgado pelo Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego. Os resultados obtidos apontam para duas tendências. Em primeiro lugar, indicam a ocorrência de uma progressiva substituição da força de trabalho pelo capital, fenômeno este sintetizado pela constante automação e concentração do setor. Em segundo lugar, a mão-de-obra remanescente está sujeita à intensificação de suas funções, tendo como conseqüência direta a degradação das condições do trabalho neste tipo de estabelecimento. Isto é sinalizado, principalmente, pela redução salarial e elevação da rotatividade registrada nos setores estudados.

Investiga a percepção dos usuários sobre a usabilidade do sistema de auto-atendimento bancário. Contextualiza as TIC e a sua utilização no cenário sócio-econômico e cultural da contemporaneidade, alertando para a gravidade do problema da exclusão digital e a importância da usabilidade na promoção da inclusão. Destaca aspectos da sociedade da informação e as transformações ocorridas no cenário mundial em áreas como educação e trabalho. Aborda o problema de forma qualitativa. Como instrumentos de coleta de dados utiliza o levantamento bibliográfico e a entrevista semi-estruturada. Evidencia a pesquisa empírica realizada na Agência Chapecó, da Caixa Econômica Federal, em Chapecó-SC, que além dos usuários do sistema de auto-atendimento bancários, abrange atendentes e representante da instituição financeira. Conclui que os usuários enfrentam problemas na utilização dos referidos equipamentos e as dificuldades percebidas pelos entrevistados indicam a necessidade de melhorias na usabilidade dos terminais, como também, reforçam as considerações sobre os processos de inclusão digital, que devem priorizar muito mais do que a mera disponibilização das Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação para as pessoas. As conclusões remetem à gravidade do problema da exclusão digital e à necessidade de iniciativas eficazes para combatê-lo. / Investigates the perception of users on the usability of the system of self-service banking. Context and use of ICT in socio-economic scenario and the contemporary cultural, warning of the seriousness of the problem of digital exclusion and the importance of usability in promoting inclusion. Highlights aspects of the information society and the changes in the world in areas such as education and work. Addresses the problem in quality. As instruments for data collection using the bibliography and semi-structured interview. Shows the empirical research conducted in the Agency Chapecó, the Caixa Economica Federal in-Chapecó SC, that apart from users of the system of self-service banking, covers attendants and representative of the financial institution. That users face problems in the use of such equipment and the difficulties perceived by the interviewees indicated the need for improvements in usability of the terminal, but also reinforce the considerations on the processes of digital inclusion, which should prioritize more than the mere provision of Information and Communication Technologies for people. The conclusions refer to the seriousness of the problem of digital exclusion and the need for effective initiatives to combat it.

Les systèmes de vélos en libre-service ont connu ces dernières années un développement sans précédent. Bien que les premières tentatives de mise en place remontent aux années 60, l'arrivée de technologies permettant un suivi des différents véhicules mis à la disposition du grand public et de l'état des bornes de stationnement en temps réel a rendu ces systèmes plus attractifs. Plus de 200 villes disposent de tels systèmes et cette tendance se poursuit avec l'entrée en fonctionnement du système de New York prévue pour mars 2013. La fin de l'année 2011 a été marquée par l'arrivée d'un nouvel avatar de ce type de transport avec la mise en place d'Autolib à Paris. L'objectif de cette thèse est de proposer des algorithmes d'aide à la décision pour l'optimisation de réseaux de transport en libre-service. L'exploitation de ces systèmes, qui fleurissent actuellement un peu partout dans le monde, pose en effet de nombreux problèmes, l'un des plus cruciaux étant celui de la régulation. Cette dernière a pour objectif de maintenir dans chaque station un nombre de vélos ni trop faible, ni trop élevé, afin de satisfaire au mieux la demande. Cette régulation se fait souvent par le biais de camions qui effectuent des tournées sur le réseau. Il apparaît rapidement que la question d'une régulation optimale à l'aide d'une flotte fixée de camions est une question difficile. La thèse est divisée en deux parties. Dans la première partie, le cas “statique” est considéré. Les déplacements de véhicules dus aux usagers sont négligés. Cela traduit la situation la nuit ou lorsque le système est fermé à la location. L'opérateur doit redistribuer les véhicules afin que ceux-ci soient disposés selon une répartition définie. Les problèmes de rééquilibrage avec un ou plusieurs camions sont traités. Pour chacun des deux cas, un algorithme est proposé et utilisé pour résoudre des instances de tailles variées. La seconde partie traite du cas “dynamique” dans lequel les utilisateurs interagissent avec le système. Afin d'étudier ce système complexe, un simulateur a été développé. Il est utilisé pour comparer différentes stratégies de redistribution des véhicules. Certaines utilisent des camions se déplaçant dans la ville pendant la journée. D'autres tentent d'organiser une régulation intrinsèque du système par le biais d'une politique d'incitation : des prix mis à jour régulièrement encouragent les usagers à rendre leur véhicule dans certaines stations. Enfin, si on choisit de ne pas utiliser de camion durant la journée, la question de la détermination du nombre optimal de véhicules à disposer à chaque station se pose. Deux méthodes de recherche locale visant à minimiser le temps total perdu par les usagers sont présentées. Les résultats obtenus peuvent servir pour la définition des répartitions cibles de la première partie. Durant ma thèse, j'ai pu participer à deux challenges EURO/ROADEF, celui de 2010 proposé par EDF et celui de 2012 proposé par Google. Dans les deux cas, mon équipe a atteint les phases finales. Lors de l'édition de 2010, notre méthode est arrivée quatrième et a donné lieu à une publication. En 2012, notre méthode est arrivée dix-huitième sur tous les participants. Les travaux menés dans ces cadres sont ajoutés en annexe / Bikes sharing systems have known a growing success all over the world. Several attempts have been made since the 1960s. The latest developments in ICT have enabled the system to become efficient. People can obtain real-time information about the position of the vehicles. More than 200 cities have already introduced the system and this trend keeps on with the launching of the NYC system in spring 2013. A new avatar of these means of transportation has arrived with the introduction of Autolib in Paris end of 2011.The objective of this thesis is to propose algorithms that may help to improve this system efficiency. Indeed, operating these systems induces several issues, one of which is the regulation problem. Regulation should ensures users that a right number of vehicles are present at any station anytime in order to fulfill the demand for both vehicles and parking racks. This regulation is often executed thanks to trucks that are travelling the city. This regulation issue is crucial since empty and full stations increase users' dissatisfaction. Finding the optimal strategy for regulating a network appears to be a difficult question. This thesis is divided into two parts. The first one deals with the “static” case. In this part, users' impact on the network is neglected. This is the case at night or when the system is closed. The operator faces a given repartition of the vehicles. He wants the repartition to match a target one that is known a priori. The one-truck and multiple-truck balancing problems are addressed in this thesis. For each one, an algorithm is proposed and tested on several instances. To deal with the “dynamic” case in which users interact with the system, a simulator has been developed. It is used to compare several strategies and to monitor redistribution by using trucks. Strategies not using trucks, but incentive policies are also tested: regularly updated prices are attached to stations to deter users from parking their vehicle at specified stations. At last, the question to find the best initial inventory is also addressed. It corresponds to the case when no truck are used within the day. Two local searches are presented and both aim at minimizing the total time lost by users in the system. The results obtained can be used as inputs for the target repartitions used in the first part. During my thesis, I participated to two EURO-ROADEF challenges, the 2010 edition proposed by EDF and the 2012 one by Google. In both case, my team reached the final phase. In 2010, our method was ranked fourth over all the participants and led to the publication of an article. In 2012, we ranked eighteenth over all the participants. Both works are added in the appendix

In the past decade, there has been rampant growth in healthcare service delivery options, based on the Internet and related information and communication technology. As a result, there is a great deal of expectation among national governments, regulators, healthcare organisations, and other stakeholders about the role of the Internet in healthcare service provision. Given the global crisis in healthcare services generally and the funding of healthcare services specifically, a number of policymakers view the advances in Internet-based self-service technology as a potential enabler of more efficient and effective healthcare service delivery. Proponents of consumer-driven healthcare in particular who seek to use the Internet to make consumers more informed about healthcare funding decisions and to reduce the cost of servicing consumers have been actively experimenting in this area. Despite the accelerating growth in the deployment of Internet-based self-service technologies, their protracted uptake by users is giving rise to concerns about the effectiveness of the implementation and acceptance of these contemporary forms of service delivery. Furthermore, little is known about how the social healthcare context shapes Internet-based self-service technology implementations. This thesis presents an in-depth qualitative case study that documents a healthcare insurer’s efforts to implement an online self-service technology for the period 1999 to 2005. A research framework was adopted that draws on key theoretical concepts from structuration and actornetwork theory (ANT) to link the social context to implementation processes. These two conceptual lenses, which are compatible with the thesis’s interpretive stance, reveal several new insights, confirming that the challenges associated with the implementation of information system innovations such as Internet-based self-service technologies cannot be understood in isolation. From a structuration perspective analysing the various enactments of self-service provision of healthcare afforded a deeper understanding of how social practices influence the design and use of the technology. From an ANT perspective, the study showed how the major translations in the design and use of the self-service technology emerged from a process where technological and social elements co-evolved. This study also reveals that the implementation problems and opportunities facing this particular healthcare insurance organisation were historical and systemic. This approach demonstrates that the complex interdependencies and interactions among contrasting social, political, economic and technological issues shaped the contemporary channel as it exists today and therefore advances theory in yet another important way. Using the insights obtained from these two theories, a conceptual framework was derived. The conceptual framework demonstrates that in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of Internet-based self-service technology implementation, such an analysis must incorporate the interconnectedness of four perspectives – meaning, process, context and the technology artefact – and their respective conceptual elements from both structuration and actor-network theory. Future studies attempting to deepen our understanding of information systems implementation can also provide constructive insights by focusing on the interdependent, interconnected and historical nature of the implementation phenomenon. Some important practical applications for future self-service technology implementations are also discussed. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Informatics / unrestricted

Organizations today are adopting business intelligence (BI) systems at a fast pace with the expectation that these systems will help them make better business decisions and improve their performance. But with the ever changing industry dynamics and variable business needs of end-users, the BI requirements of organizations are also getting unpredictable and increasingly harder to deliver by the service providers. Additionally, the advancement of web 2.0 & enterprise 2.0 technologies has opened up more possibilities for the development of user-centric innovative business applications. Enterprise BI Mashups are a specific breed of such technologies that have the potential to empower end-users with self-service capabilities and facilitate problem-solving in ad-hoc situational BI scenarios. This research project attempts to explore the current landscape of Business Intelligence (BI) Mashups and to identify gaps in technology with respect to user requirements and corporate objectives. Through an empirical investigation of BI mashups use cases, specific issues and challenges associated with the use of mashups in BI have been ascertained. Working in collaboration with IBM Cognos, we have formulated a taxonomy and utility framework for Enterprise BI Mashups. The formulated taxonomy provides a basic framework for understanding the domain of BI mashups and is aimed to aid application development initiatives for creating BI mashups toolkits. The utility framework draws upon real-world use cases for BI Mashups as well as pertinent software design patterns that can facilitate the development of BI mashup tools and services. These frameworks are expected to advance an understanding of business process requirements that can be satisfied through the use of Enterprise BI Mashups, and also aid in the development of mashup toolkits targeted at BI end-users.

The thesis deals with analysing and designing an effective dashboard. By way of introduction the topics of Business Intelligence, data storages and data quality are described. Then, an overview of analytical outputs is given and the process of their formation is outlined. The basic principles of an effective design of management reports are described, with emphasis laid on the end user. The thesis focuses on important factors of efficiency, such as applicability of transferred information and the form of their transfer. The practical part concentrates on the improvement of the efficiency of a particular dashboard. Besides the rules of a correct design, knowledge of cognitive psychology is also used for this purpose. Upon an analysis of deficiencies of an existing dashboard, proposed changes are incorporated. Changes resulting in more effective transfer of information via a dashboard are based on a theoretical basis of the previous section.