scholarly journals Challenges and Enabling Practices in Management of External Consultants In ICT Projects: an Exploratory Study of Managers’ Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Josipovic
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
External Consultants ◽  
Information And Communication

While there are many external consultants who greatly contribute to the success of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects, not all consulting engagements are without challenges. In order to make the best use of consulting resources and increase return on investment (ROI), it is important to identify what challenges may arise in management of consultants and what practices can help managers in dealing with these challenges. Therefore, the objective of this research is to gain additional insights into potential challenges and enabling practices in management of consultants by examining experiences and perspectives of managers. This is an exploratory qualitative research that employs semi-structured interviews, and coding and thematic analysis. The empirical data is examined through the lenses of agency theory and transaction cost economics. A number of constructs from these two theoretical frameworks are extended into new sub-constructs that are grounded in the empirical data.

scholarly journals Challenges and Enabling Practices in Management of External Consultants In ICT Projects: an Exploratory Study of Managers’ Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Josipovic
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
External Consultants ◽  
Information And Communication

While there are many external consultants who greatly contribute to the success of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects, not all consulting engagements are without challenges. In order to make the best use of consulting resources and increase return on investment (ROI), it is important to identify what challenges may arise in management of consultants and what practices can help managers in dealing with these challenges. Therefore, the objective of this research is to gain additional insights into potential challenges and enabling practices in management of consultants by examining experiences and perspectives of managers. This is an exploratory qualitative research that employs semi-structured interviews, and coding and thematic analysis. The empirical data is examined through the lenses of agency theory and transaction cost economics. A number of constructs from these two theoretical frameworks are extended into new sub-constructs that are grounded in the empirical data.

scholarly journals Empowering front office employees with counseling affordances

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Giesbrecht ◽  
Birgit Schenk ◽  
Gerhard Schwabe
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
German City ◽  
Role Of Information

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the face-to-face citizen service encounter in public administrations’ front offices, and present a novel qualification approach to empower service personnel on-the-job, and thereby deepen the knowledge on the role of information and communication technology for advancing governmental reforms. Design/methodology/approach – The presented study follows a design science research methodology, conducted in collaboration with the public administration of a major German city. Data were collected using multiple quantitative and qualitative methods, including questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and video analysis. Findings – A novel on-the-job qualification approach for empowering public employees in their job-related skills, building on the concept of affordances, is developed. Thereto, six design principles for equipping artifacts with counseling affordances are presented. Evaluations in real-world environments provide first evidence that “learning with counseling affordances” constitutes an effective qualification measure to initiate experiential learning on-the-job, helping employees in the resource-restricted work environment of public front offices to obtain the skills to provide superior advisory services. Research limitations/implications – The “learning with counseling affordances” approach was developed in collaboration with an individual major German city and the paper provides first evidence of its effectiveness and suitability. Hence, the study’s insights should be approved by further research to strengthen generalizability. Originality/value – The paper highlights the previously neglected aspects of employee’s skills and qualification for promoting governmental transformation. By highlighting the beneficial relationship between affordances and on-the-job learning, the paper provides novel insights on the role of information and communication technology to promote governmental transformation.

scholarly journals Information and communication technology use in daily life among young adults with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Ramsten ◽  
Lene Martin ◽  
Munir Dag ◽  
Lena Marmstål Hammar
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Information And Communication

Background: Information and communication technology (ICT) increases participation in life activities, and young adults are frequent users. Young adults with intellectual disability (ID) do not use ICT as much as their peers, and little is known about how ICT is used by young adults with ID. This study describes the use of ICT from the perspective of young adults with mild to moderate ID in a municipal social care context. Method: Semi-structured interviews were used to collect information from 11 young adults with mild-to-moderate ID living in residential care and analysed using a content analysis. Results: ICT was used for family relationships, daily support, interactions based on interests and amusement, and as support for offline activities. Family members were important providers of support for ICT use. Conclusion: Young adults with mild-to-moderate ID use ICT in their daily life. The social care context needs to be further investigated due to its influence on the young adults’ access to ICT and need of support.

scholarly journals Usage of Information and Communication Technology in Micro Enterprises in the Last Decade

Organizacija ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Žnidaršič ◽  
Borut Werber
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Micro Enterprises

Usage of Information and Communication Technology in Micro Enterprises in the Last DecadeThe paper presents the comparison of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage in Slovenian micro enterprises, using data derived from two studies carried out in years 1999 and 2009. Data for the studies were collected via structured interviews with owners or top managers of micro enterprises. We compared hardware and software equipment, business properties, characteristics of the interviewees and their impact on the successful use of ICT. The results show considerable changes in the ICT equipment, but that does not reflect in a better use of software compared to a decade ago. Key factors of successful use of ICT remain the same. The investment in ICT depends on owners' decisions and the most important factors are the owners' formal education and their skills and knowledge in ICT field. It was indicated that in recent years the investment of education in ICT field for both groups, owners and employees, was considerable lowered.

scholarly journals Urban Bioregions and Territorial Identities in Romania. The Role of Information and Communication Technology

2021 ◽  
Vol SI (8) ◽  
pp. 78-93
Author(s):  
Adrian-Daniel MUNTEAN ◽  
Remus-Adrian CARANFIL ◽  
Oana-Ramona ILOVAN
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Keyword Search ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Keyword Searching ◽  
Google Search ◽  
Role Of Information

This article explores the current measures and initiatives implemented in Romania to determine what is the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in creating bioregions, and especially in how cities, as potential urban bioregions, play a part in this process. The exploratory documentation and database creation was done through keyword-search on the Google search engine, because of the current COVID-19 restrictions. The initiatives found by keyword searching were then divided into two categories, ICT-related, and non-ICT, and represented in table format. The keyword-based search has led to several results, which were displayed using ArcMap 10.5 and analysed by being superimposed on the historical and development regions of Romania. Firstly, results showed that, in Romania, a bigger concentration of population did not necessarily correlate with a higher number of sustainable practices. Secondly, that cities’ bio/eco food demand, as well as fertile soil, created the premise for the start of numerous eco/bio-certified farms and businesses. Thirdly, cities, and especially the four major regional capitals (Bucharest, Iași, Cluj-Napoca, and Timișoara) had more practices and especially smart-based ones. Finally, results indicated a large regional inequality in terms of the number of sustainable practices, with eastern regions being shallower, while western regions and those counties in proximity to important urban centres being favoured. This exploratory study helps to understand the stage of reaching the aims of the bioregional paradigm in Romania.

scholarly journals Patient Portals as a Means of Information and Communication Technology Support to Patient-Centric Care Coordination – the Missing Evidence and the Challenges of Evaluation

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (01) ◽  
pp. 148-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Georgiou ◽  
Hannele Hyppönen ◽  
Elske Ammenwerth ◽  
Nicolette de Keizer ◽  
Farah Magrabi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Care Coordination ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Coordinated Care ◽  
Patient Portals ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Patient Centric

Summary Objectives: To review the potential contribution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enable patient-centric and coordinated care, and in particular to explore the role of patient portals as a developing ICT tool, to assess the available evidence, and to describe the evaluation challenges. Methods: Reviews of IMIA, EFMI, and other initiatives, together with literature reviews. Results: We present the progression from care coordination to care integration, and from patient-centric to person-centric approaches. We describe the different roles of ICT as an enabler of the effective presentation of information as and when needed. We focus on the patient‘s role as a co-producer of health as well as the focus and purpose of care. We discuss the need for changing organisational processes as well as the current mixed evidence regarding patient portals as a logical tool, and the reasons for this dichotomy, together with the evaluation principles supported by theoretical frameworks so as to yield robust evidence. Conclusions: There is expressed commitment to coordinated care and to putting the patient in the centre. However to achieve this, new interactive patient portals will be needed to enable peer communication by all stakeholders including patients and professionals. Few portals capable of this exist to date. The evaluation of these portals as enablers of system change, rather than as simple windows into electronic records, is at an early stage and novel evaluation approaches are needed.

scholarly journals Responding to COVID-19: New Trends in Social Workers’ Use of Information and Communication Technology

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faye Mishna ◽  
Elizabeth Milne ◽  
Marion Bogo ◽  
Luana F. Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Urban Centre ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Professional Boundaries ◽  
Ict Use ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Almost All

AbstractCOVID-19 changed the context for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use globally. With face-to-face practice restricted, almost all communication with clients shifted to ICTs. Starting in April 2019, we conducted semi-structured interviews with social workers from four agencies serving diverse populations in a large urban centre, with the aim of exploring social workers’ informal ICT use with clients. Approximately 6 weeks after the cessation of face-to-face practice in March 2020 due to COVID-19 measures, we re-interviewed social workers (n = 11) who had participated in our study. Second interviews were based on a newly developed interview guide that explored social workers’ use of ICTs with clients in the context of COVID-19. Analysis of transcribed interviews revealed that the context of COVID-19 had generated two main themes. One, a paradigm shift for social workers was characterized by (a) diverse ICT options, (b) client-driven approach, and (c) necessary creativity. The second theme entails the impact of this transition which involved (a) greater awareness of clients’ degree of access, (b) confidentiality and privacy, and (c) professional boundaries. We discuss these themes and sub-themes and present implications for practice and research in a Post-COVID-19 world.

Indigenous knowledge in Sudan: Perceptions among Sudanese librarians

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522110138
Author(s):  
Omer Abbas El Sharief ◽  
Mohamed Salah Eldin Mudawi ◽  
Radia Adam Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Knowledge Strategy ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Role Of Information

Indigenous knowledge has received considerable attention in Sudan, as it is deeply rooted in the sociocultural life. Librarians, as facilitators of learning, have an essential role to play in indigenous knowledge management in the country. The objective of this article is to assess Sudanese librarians’ awareness of indigenous knowledge and to examine their roles in its management and preservation. The research also identifies the major obstacles that face indigenous knowledge management, and the role of information and communication technology in its management. Additionally, the research assesses the major changes needed to develop a successful national indigenous knowledge strategy. Structured questionnaires and four semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The findings show that Sudanese librarians believe libraries have a role to play in indigenous knowledge management. The article proposes some relevant recommendations to enhance the role of librarians in indigenous knowledge management in Sudan.

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