User centred design for engineering e-government web usability

E-government provides a platform for governments to implement web enabled services that facilitate communication between citizens and the government. However, technology driven design approach and limited understanding of citizens' requirements, have led to a number of critical usability problems on the government websites. Hitherto, there has been no systematic attempt to analyse the way in which theory of User Centred Design (UCD) can contribute to address the usability issues of government websites. This research seeks to fill this gap by synthesising perspectives drawn from the study of User Centred Design and examining them based on the empirical data derived from case study of the Scottish Executive website. The research employs a qualitative approach in the collection and analysis of data. The triangulated analysis of the findings reveals that e-government web designers take commercial development approach and focus only on technical implementations which lead to websites that do not meet citizens' expectations. The research identifies that e-government practitioners can overcome web usability issues by transferring the theory of UCD to practice.

I know what you did this summer: Users' behavior on internet

Human age is surrounded by assumed set of rules and behaviors imposed by local culture and the society they live in. This paper introduces software that counts the presence of a person on the Internet and examines the activities he/she conducts online. The paper answers questions such as how "old" are you on the Internet? How soon will a newbie be exposed to adult websites? How long will it take for a new Internet user to know about social networking sites? And how many years a user has to surf online to celebrate his/her first "birthday" of Internet presence? Paper findings from a database of 105 school and university students containing their every click of first 24 hours of Internet usage are presented. The findings provide valuable insights for Internet Marketing, ethics, Internet business and the mapping of Internet life with real life. Privacy and ethical issues related to the study have been discussed at the end. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010.

Human rights performance disclosure by companies having operations in high risk countries: Evidence from Australian mineral sector

The aim of this study is to explore whether Australian mineral companies operating in high human rights risk countries provide more human rights disclosures than companies operating in low risk countries. A content analysis instrument containing 88 specific human rights performance items derived from a number of international human rights guidelines has been developed to investigate the annual reports, social responsibility reports and corporate websites of the top 50 Australian mineral companies (2010/2011). The findings show that human rights performance disclosures by companies with operations in high human rights risk countries are significantly higher than companies with operations in the low risk countries. By disclosing extended human rights performance information, companies operating in high risk countries appear to ease community concerns about human rights violations. The finding is consistent with legitimacy theory which posits that organisations respond to community concerns in relation to particular social issues.

Local Politicizations : A Comparison of Finns and French Practicing Democracy

This study examines how do the processes of politicization differ in the Finnish and the French local contexts, and what kinds of consequences do these processes have on the local civic practices, the definitions and redefinitions of democracy and citizenship, the dynamics of power and resistance, and the ways of solving controversies in the public sphere. By means of comparative anthropology of the state , focusing on how democracy actually is practiced in different contexts, politicizations the processes of opening political arenas and recognizing controversy are analyzed. The focus of the study is on local activists engaged in different struggles on various levels of the local public spheres, and local politicians and civil servants participating in these struggles from their respective positions, in two middle-size European cities, Helsinki and Lyon. The empirical analyses of the book compare different political actors and levels of practicing democracy simultaneously. The study is empirically based on four different bodies of material: Ethnographic notes taken during a fieldwork among the activities of several local activist groups; 47 interviews of local activists and politicians; images representing different levels of public portrayals from activist websites (Helsinki N=274, Lyon N=232) and from city information magazines (Helsinki-info N=208, Lyon Citoyen N= 357); and finally, newspaper articles concerning local conflict issues, and reporting on the encounters between local citizens and representatives of the cities (January-June in 2005; Helsingin Sanomat N=96 and Le Progrès N= 102). The study makes three distinctive contributions to the study of current democratic societies: (1) a conceptual one by bringing politicization at the center of a comparison of political cultures, and by considering in parallel the ethnographic group styles theory by Nina Eliasoph and Paul Lichterman, the theory on counter-democracy by Pierre Rosanvallon and the pragmatist justification theory by Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot; (2) an empirical one through the triangulation of ethnographic, thematic interview, visual, and newspaper data through which the different aspects of democratic practices are examined; and (3) a methodological one by developing new ways of analyzing comparative cases an application of Frame Analysis to visual material and the creation of Public Justification Analysis for analyzing morally loaded claims in newspaper reports thus building bridges between cultural, political, and pragmatic sociology. The results of the study indicate that the cultural tools the Finnish civic actors had at their disposal were prone to hinder more than support politicization, whereas the tools the French actors mainly relied on were frequently apt for making politicization possible. This crystallization is defined and detailed in many ways in the analyses of the book. Its consequences to the understanding and future research on the current developments of democracy are multiple, as politicization, while not assuring good results as such, is central to a functioning and vibrant democracy in which injustices can be fixed and new directions and solutions sought collectively.

Customer Value of Website Communication in Business-to-business Relationships

During past years, we have witnessed the widespread use of websites in communication in business-to-business relationships. If developed appropriately, such communication can result in numerous positive implications for business relationships, amplifying the importance of designing website communication that meet customer needs. In doing that, an understanding of value of website communication for customers is crucial. The study develops a theoretical framework of customer value of website communication in business-to-business relationships. Theoretically, the study builds on the interaction approach to industrial marketing, different approaches to customer value and inter-organisational communication theory. The empirical part involves a case study with a seller and nine different customer companies in the elevator industry. The data collection encompasses interviews and observations of representatives from the customer companies, interviews with the seller and an analysis of various reports of the seller. The continuous iteration between the theory and the case study resulted in the integrated approach to customer value and in the holistic theoretical framework of customer value of website communication in business-to-business relationships. The framework incorporates and elicits meanings of different components of customer value: website communication characteristics that act as drivers of customer value, customer consequences – both benefits and sacrifices, customer end-states as the final goals that lead customer actions, and different types of linkages between these components. Compared to extant research on customer value, the study offers a more holistic framework of customer value that depicts its complexity and richness. In addition, it portrays customer value in the neglected context of website communication. The findings of the study can be used as tools in any analysis of customer value. They are also of relevance in designing appropriate website communication as well as in developing effective website communication strategies. Nataša Golik Klanac is associated with the Centre for Relationship Marketing and Service Management (CERS) at Hanken.

The Value of Being on the Net- the effects of Web sites of companies on consumer decision making

The unique characteristics of marketspace in combination with the fast growing number of consumers interested in e-commerce have created new research areas of interest to both marketing and consumer behaviour researchers. Consumer behaviour researchers interested in the decision making processes of consumers have two new sets of questions to answer. The first set of questions is related to how useful theories developed for a marketplace are in a marketspace context. Cyber auctions, Internet communities and the possibilities for consumers to establish dialogues not only with companies but also with other consumers make marketspace unique. The effects of these distinctive characteristics on the behaviour of consumers have not been systematically analysed and therefore constitute the second set of questions which have to be studied. Most companies feel that they have to be online even though the effects of being on the Net are not unambiguously positive. The relevance of the relationship marketing paradigm in a marketspace context have to be studied. The relationship enhancement effects of websites from the customers’ point of view are therefore emphasized in this research paper. Representatives of the Net-generation were analysed and the results show that companies should develop marketspace strategies while Net presence has a value-added effect on consumers. The results indicate that the decision making processes of the consumers are also changing as a result of the progress of marketspace

Kestävästi vaihtuva muoti : Kestävän muodin mahdollisuudet ja haasteet vaatesuunnittelijan näkökulmasta

The concept of sustainable fashion covers not only the ecological and ethical matters in fashion and textile industries but also the cultural and social affairs, which are equally intertwined in this complex network. Sustainable fashion does not have one explicit or well-established definition; however, many researchers have discussed it from different perspectives. This study provides an overview of the principals, practices, possibilities, and challenges concerning sustainable fashion. It focuses particularly on the practical questions a designer faces. The aim of this study was to answer the following questions: What kind of outlooks and practices are included in sustainable fashion? How could the principles of sustainable fashion be integrated into designing and making clothes? The qualitative study was carried out by using the Grounded Theory method. Data consisted mainly of academic literature and communication with designers who practice sustainable fashion. In addition to these, several websites and journalistic articles were used. The data was analyzed by identifying and categorizing relevant concepts using the constant comparative method, i.e. examining the internal consistency of each category. The study established a core category, around which all other categories are integrated. The emerged concepts were organized into a model that pieces together different ideas about sustainable fashion, namely, when the principles of sustainable development are applied to fashion practices. The category named Considered Take and Return is the core of the model. It consists of various design philosophies that form the basis of design practice, and thus it relates to all other categories. It is framed by the category of Attachment and Appreciation, which reflects the importance of sentiment in design practice, for example the significance of aesthetics. The categories especially linked to fashion are Materials, Treatments of Fabrics and Production Methods. The categories closely connected with sustainable development are Saving Resources, Societal Implications, and Information Transparency. While the model depicts separate categories, the different segments are in close interaction. The objective of sustainable fashion is holistic and requires all of its sections to be taken into account.

Tavallisuudesta tyylikkyyteen? : Sukupuoli ja maku kodinmuutosohjelmissa

The study focuses on the Finnish home makeover shows Inno (2004 , Nelonen) and Kodin kääntöpiiri (2001 2005; YLE TV2) and their episodes broadcast in spring 2004. The research material also includes the websites of both shows and messages concerning Inno from an online discussion forum. As people decorate their homes and reflect on them, they engage in negotiations of taste and in the construction of the ideal self. The main question of the study is: how are representations of the gendered self produced in home makeover shows? The broader theoretical and methodological context of the study is based on intersectionality, or simultaneous study of different identity categories. In this study, the main focus is on the intersections of gender, class and sexuality. Hence, the secondary research question is: how do ways of doing gender intersect with producing the ideas of class and sexuality in the representations of home makeover shows? The theoretical framework of the study combines Judith Butler s theory of gender performativity and Pierre Bourdieu s theory of taste. The analysis is founded upon a close reading focusing on the details and ambiguous meanings contained in the televisual representation. Home makeover shows are explored as a part of contemporary television culture, which is characterised by a significant increase in the number of both television channels and global television formats, as well as the hybridisation of programme types. Researchers on lifestyle television have paid attention to male designers and their ability to reconstruct meanings related to domesticity and home decoration as feminine spheres. The dissertation contributes to this discussion by analysing the representations of the male interior decorator in Inno and the four female interior decorators in Kodin kääntöpiiri. The focus is on the professional self and how it is both gendered and defined as an arbiter of taste. The programme concepts produce the impression that the makeover homes and their occupants are ordinary . The manufactured sense of ordinariness often conceals differences between the participants. One argument of the study is that the ordinariness of participants on lifestyle television should not be taken for granted without further reflection on the implications of labeling something as ordinary. Updating of interior decoration in home makeover shows can be interpreted as an area of doing gender that requires deliberation, effort, expert knowledge and a sufficient budget. The ideal lay decorator is portrayed as culturally omnivorous, brave and receptive to new ideas. The ability to reflect on ways of representing masculinity and femininity through decoration is also implied. In home makeover shows, greater self-awareness regarding the ways in which gender is produced does not lead to repeating gender differently. The idea of normative heterosexuality is in a hegemonic position in the representations of the participants. In Inno and Kodin kääntöpiiri questions of class are not made explicit. However, the idea of class is produced indirectly e.g. by describing the apartments and houses of the participants, by discussing their hobbies or interest in cultural products. In Inno, home decoration is primarily depicted as an individualistic consumer choice, while in Kodin kääntöpiiri it is often defined as a way to strengthen the ties of nuclear families. In Kodin kääntöpiiri, the ethos of familism is combined with pleasures gained from consumption and DIY activities. As a whole, the multidisciplinary study indicates a great number of differences between the two shows.

The Role of Electronic Word of Mouth in Shaping Consumer Attitudes

The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in shaping consumer attitudes towards various products and services with concentration on the consumer attitude change. eWOM has long been proven to play an important role in influencing consumer attitudes and has been researched from a variety of perspectives. This study attempts to look deeper into the process of consumer attitude change by applying as the central theory of the study the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion by Petty and Cacioppo. In the processes of examining the background academic and empirical research the Internet and Web 2.0 are closely depicted in order to understand how throughout the past centuries technology allowed the rise of various mediums where consumers can not only share their opinions online about products and services but also communicate with other consumers. Manuel Castel’s Internet Galaxy, Gildin’s, Carl and Noland’s, Hennig-Thurau, Gwinner, Walsh and Gremler’s researches on eWOM are the central works that helped to shape both the theoretical and empirical parts of this study. The mixed method approach was chosen as a research method for this study. An online survey was conducted via the Surveymonkey.com platform and eight qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted. The results of the study show that central route queues as text quality and text argumentativeness are more prominent among the research subjects and the peripheral route queues: source credibility and source expertise did not show considerable significance. Also more experience and participation consumers have with user-rating websites and applications more inclined they are to elaborate on the central route cues and are more likely to search for opinions that they consider rational and credible. Also these respondents are less inclined to search for ratings that confirm their existing beliefs about products or services. Less experience/participation they have about eWOM more likely they are to search for reviews confirmatory to their own.

CAVVA: Computational Affective Video-in-Video Advertising

Advertising is ubiquitous in the online community and more so in the ever-growing and popular online video delivery websites (e. g., YouTube). Video advertising is becoming increasingly popular on these websites. In addition to the existing pre-roll/post-roll advertising and contextual advertising, this paper proposes an in-stream video advertising strategy-Computational Affective Video-in-Video Advertising (CAVVA). Humans being emotional creatures are driven by emotions as well as rational thought. We believe that emotions play a major role in influencing the buying behavior of users and hence propose a video advertising strategy which takes into account the emotional impact of the videos as well as advertisements. Given a video and a set of advertisements, we identify candidate advertisement insertion points (step 1) and also identify the suitable advertisements (step 2) according to theories from marketing and consumer psychology. We formulate this two part problem as a single optimization function in a non-linear 0-1 integer programming framework and provide a genetic algorithm based solution. We evaluate CAVVA using a subjective user-study and eye-tracking experiment. Through these experiments, we demonstrate that CAVVA achieves a good balance between the following seemingly conflicting goals of (a) minimizing the user disturbance because of advertisement insertion while (b) enhancing the user engagement with the advertising content. We compare our method with existing advertising strategies and show that CAVVA can enhance the user's experience and also help increase the monetization potential of the advertising content.

O exame da admissibilidade financeira e orçamentária de proposições na Assembleia Nacional da França

Analisa o controle da admissibilidade financeira de proposições legislativas, com impacto nas contas públicas na Assembleia Nacional da França. Compara, subsidiariamente, com o caso brasileiro referente à Câmara dos Deputados. Expõe a atuação das diferentes instituições do Estado francês envolvidas no exame de admissibilidade financeira. Investiga as competências e o processo legislativo relacionados, especificamente no que tange à Assembleia Nacional. Detalha os critérios e os conceitos relativos ao exame, adotados por aquela casa legislativa e consigna a evolução histórica recente dos principais aspectos do controle de admissibilidade na França.

O lado invisível da participação política : gestão da informação dos mecanismos digitais de participação política nos parlamentos da América Latina, com uma análise do caso da Câmara dos Deputados do Brasil

Examina uma das dimensões dos mecanismos digitais de interação e participação política oferecidos por parlamentos para a sociedade - a gestão da informação. São mapeadas as formas de participação política empregadas nos portais legislativos da América Latina, com o objetivo de conhecer as informações que cercam as iniciativas e contextualizar o estudo de caso da Câmara dos Deputados do Brasil. Procura-se entender como a Câmara dos Deputados do Brasil realiza a coleta, a organização, a distribuição, o armazenamento e o uso da informação concernente aos mecanismos de interação e participação política, de caráter multilateral, empregados em seu Portal. Conclui-se que os parlamentos latino-americanos colocam à disposição da sociedade dezenas de canais digitais de interação e participação, como uma tendência irreversível das democracias modernas, mas a gestão da informação inerente às experiências ainda é um desafio a ser alcançado.

Projeto para a organização de dados automatizados em bancos de dados na Câmara dos Deputados : um estudo de caso

A desorganização de dados em bancos de dados automatizados implica em ineficiência operacional causada por redundâncias, inconsistências, baixo reuso, riscos informacionais, enfim, menor valor agregado da TI aos objetivos organizacionais. Apoiado por técnicas de gerenciamento de projetos, busca-se em um estudo de caso na Câmara dos Deputados a otimização da organização dos dados em bancos de dados automatizados.

Democracia eletrônica para quem? : Quem são, o que querem e como os cidadãos avaliam o portal da Câmara dos Deputados

A dissertação busca responder em que medida todas as possibilidades de interação ofertadas pelo Portal da Câmara dos Deputados atendem às necessidades de interação política dos cidadãos que utilizam estes novos canais. Quem são os usuários destas novas ferramentas? Qual a avaliação que eles fazem destes novos canais? Qual é a opinião deles sobre as possibilidades de participação eletrônica? O principal aspecto teórico abordado nesta dissertação é a seguinte discussão: a internet replica formas de participação tradicionais ou é realmente capaz de fazer com que mais cidadãos, incluindo aqueles que estão alheios e desinteressados, participem? Essas questões foram direcionadas ao Portal da Câmara dos Deputados do Brasil, que, ao longo dos últimos anos, soube adaptar-se e promover um espaço de amplo acesso a informações legislativas, com capacidade de contato e interação entre o cidadão e o seu representante e é considerado, atualmente, o melhor portal legislativo da América do Sul. A dissertação utilizou duas metodologias distintas. A primeira consistiu em analisar as estatísticas de acesso ao Portal, identificando assim os padrões de acesso: os sites de referência e os caminhos de busca através dos quais se chega ao Portal. A segunda consistiu na condução de um Web Survey para coletar a opinião dos usuários. O questionário aplicado teve como objetivo coletar avaliações das ferramentas disponibilizadas pelo Portal, identificar o perfil dos usuários e compreender-lhes o comportamento político no mundo off-line. Um dos principais achados é o de que a Democracia Eletrônica desenvolvida pelo Portal da Câmara dos Deputados tem servido mais aos profissionais da política que ao cidadão comum. Mas, mesmo assim, o cidadão comum, interessado em buscar participação, contato e interação com os atores políticos, está procurando essas ferramentas on-line. Palavras chaves: Democracia Eletrônica, Câmara dos Deputados, pesquisa on-line, estatísticas de acesso.

Los determinantes de la confianza del comprador online. Comparación con el caso de subasta

[ES] Los trabajos de investigación sobre comercio electrónico en Internet ocupan gran parte de la investigación de marketing, pero son pocos aún los que se han ocupado de estudiar el sistema de subasta. Ante las peculiares características de una compra online, transmitir confianza al consumidor en este contexto es uno de los retos más importantes y difíciles en comparación con la compra offline. No obstante, es de esperar que las señales generadoras de confianza sean diferentes en la compra online por subasta que en la compra online en otros sitios web.