Australian Computer Society: ACS Digital Library
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South African, Rural ICT Implementation: a critical retrospective application of Latour's due process model
Get PDFThe potential developmental role of ICTs can pressurise governments to engage in ‘catch up’ and ‘leapfrog’. Consequently, analysis of the accompanying socio-political dimensions and risks can be, disastrously, neglected. This paper examines a specific technology implementation – a South African government sponsored telecentre using Latour’s Due Process model, an analytical tool grounded in Actor-Network Theory, where technology implementation is viewed as a symmetrical treatment of technology and society within a single collective. It is used here, retrospectively, to make sense of why the telecentre both failed to institutionalise within a successful actor-network, and, contributed to the destabilization and partial destruction of a successfully established women’s development organisation
Using Cultural Probes to Explore Mediated Intimacy
Get PDFIntimacy is a crucial element of domestic life that has received insufficient attention from Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers despite their rapidly growing interest in the design of interactive technologies for domestic use. Intimate acts differ from other activities, and there are unexplored opportunities to develop interactive technologies to support these acts. This paper presents the first phase of a two-part study exploring the potential of interactive technologies to support intimate relationships. We contribute to this uncharted domain of HCI research a literature review of concepts useful in understanding intimacy and methods for its investigation. We conclude with preliminary results and suggestive design ideas for interactive technologies intended to support intimacy
A Firm Level Study of Information Technology Productivity in Europe Using Financial and Market Based Measures
Get PDFFor many years, business has invested significant resources in information technology, hardware, software, and manpower. The Productivity Paradox is the seeming lack of productivity gains despite the increased investment in IT. For many years the existence of a Productivity Paradox has been the subject of research interest. Conflicting results have been obtained from a variety of data sets. Until this time however there has been no study that has investigated European companies’ use of information technology and its impact on productivity.
The objective of this study was to investigate information technology productivity with a new data set from a European published source, and measuring productivity using both market and financial based measures.
Results of the study indicated that information technology did have a consistent positive impact on firm level productivity in Europe for the years 1996, 1997, and 1998. Both market and financial based productivity measures provided consistent positive significant returns with regard to IT productivity.
The major contribution of the study is that it provides an analysis of the impact of European information technology on firm and economic productivity
Steps to Internet Adoption Success: a study of four small regional organisations
Get PDFIn response to concerns about the reluctance of Australian small business to embrace e-commerce, this study describes the steps taken by four small regional organisations to establish web sites and enter into e-commerce. As well as mapping the actual adoption steps to models of e-commerce adoption, recommendations are made to guide small business through initial web site development. This study suggests that when adopting internet technologies, small organisations needs to focus on sound business objectives, plan for an evolutionary approach, and recognise the value of adapting a traditional systems development life cycle approach to web site development
E-Business Developmental Issues in the Australian Food Industry
Get PDFThis paper discusses e-business developmental issues in the Australian Food industry that were identified from a research project funded by the Australian Research Council. Data was gathered from interviews with 11 food organisations in the year 2000, most of which can be classified as ‘bricks and clicks’. These 11 companies were traditional businesses that had adopted e-business as a new way of doing business. The findings of the paper highlight the fact that the B2B is the predominant e-business model in the Australian Food Industry, EDI is an important foundation technology platform for developing B2B e-business, e-procurement was an important reason for adopting B2B e-business and improved supply chain management was the most important achievement from E-Business for these organizations. It also highlighted the fact e-business developed in-house with an IT department managed e-business sites better than those that outsourced the development
Success Factors and Measures for Public Sector IS/IT Co-Sourcing Contracts
Get PDFThe main objective of this research was to explore the effectiveness of contract negotiations between buyers and suppliers in small government organizations, which collectively outsource their IS/IT activities to a single outsourcing vendor, usually referred to as ‘co-sourcing’. A major finding of this study was that organizations could have a successful co-sourcing arrangement by determining and putting into practice certain critical success factors. This research was the first study of government co-sourcing arrangements in Australia that aimed to identify the success of a contract and the critical factors that affected it. In this regard, it can contribute to the existing body of knowledge in co-sourcing activities that have been growing rapidly in government departments as well as in the private sector
Desktop Computing - Distributed Cognition in a Tax Office
Get PDFBased on a detailed study of the use of representations in a tax assessment process, this paper presents an analysis of the use of the physical desktop and of paper documents, files and electronic information. This analysis challenges the ways in which the computer desktop is designed and used normally, and we present a number of challenges to user interface design. Taking these seriously, means to revisit several taken-for-granted elements of the current WIMP regime: the randomly overlapping windows on a non-structured background; the lack of traces of time and past location; and the individualised and non-activity-oriented set-up of the desktop
Does Touching a Projection Augmented Model and Interacting with it using a Spatially-Coincident Device, Affect a User's Perception of its Size?
Get PDFA Projection Augmented model (PA model) is a novel type of display. It consists of a real physical model, onto which a computer image is projected to create a realistic looking object. PA models provide their users with whole-hand haptic feedback and support spatially-coincident haptic interaction devices. This paper reports on an experiment that investigated the effect these factors have on a user’s perception of the size a PA model. Results showed that touching a PA model increased the accuracy of size estimates; however using a spatially-coincident haptic interaction device had no effect
Strategic IT Planning, Evaluation and Benefits Management: the basis for effective IT governance
Get PDFThis paper reports on the results of an empirical study into the integration of strategic information systems planning and business-IT alignment, IT evaluation, and the proactive management of business benefits in large organisations, and to consider the linkages evident between these processes. An argument is developed which suggests that at the heart of good IT governance practice is an integrated cycle of building a business case, alignment and prioritisation of IT investments with business objectives and imperatives, evaluation, system acquisition, and post implementation proactive benefits realisation