Getting Real: A Naturalistic Methodology for Using Smartphones to Collect Mediated Communications

This paper contributes an intentionally naturalistic methodology using smartphone logging technology to study communications in the wild. Smartphone logging can provide tremendous access to communications data from real environments. However, researchers must consider how it is employed to preserve naturalistic behaviors. Nine considerations are presented to this end. We also provide a description of a naturalistic logging approach that has been applied successfully to collecting mediated communications from iPhones. The methodology was designed to intentionally decrease reactivity and resulted in data that were more accurate than self-reports. Example analyses are also provided to show how data collected can be analyzed to establish empirical patterns and identify user differences. Smartphone logging technologies offer flexible capabilities to enhance access to real communications data, but methodologies employing these techniques must be designed appropriately to avoid provoking naturally occurring behaviors. Functionally, this methodology can be applied to establish empirical patterns and test specific hypotheses within the field of HCI research. Topically, this methodology can be applied to domains interested in understanding mediated communications such as mobile content and systems design, teamwork, and social networks

AtomSim: web-deployed atomistic dynamics simulator

AtomSim, a collection of interfaces for computational crystallography simulations, has been developed. It uses forcefield-based dynamics through physics engines such as the General Utility Lattice Program, and can be integrated into larger computational frameworks such as the Virtual Neutron Facility for processing its dynamics into scattering functions, dynamical functions etc. It is also available as a Google App Engine-hosted web-deployed interface. Examples of a quartz molecular dynamics run and a hafnium dioxide phonon calculation are presented

Development, Disease, and Regeneration of Tissues in the Dental-Craniofacial Complex

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IS/IT Investment Evaluation and Benefits Realisation Issues in a Government Organisation

The issue of expected and actual benefits realised from IS/IT investments has generated a significant amount of debate in the IS/IT literature amongst researchers, academics, and practitioners. This is as true in Australia as it is in the rest of the developed world. Thus, a detailed program of research into the current Australian practice and processes of IS/IT investment evaluation and benefits realisation was initiated. As part of this research program an in-depth case study of these practices and processes in a large government department, with a mix of insourced and outsourced IS/IT activities, was conducted. Issues arising from the study include a lack of a formal IS/IT investment evaluation methodology and a lack of understanding of the evaluation approach used, a lack of any (formal and informal) benefits realisation methodology and a lack of understanding of benefits management practices, the use of an informal IS/IT investment evaluation process, focus on quantitative IS/IT investment evaluation measures, conflicting motivations for outsourcing, different perception of success of the contracts by stakeholders, IS/IT skill shortage within the organisation, embedded contract mentality, complicated contract arrangements, over-reliance on a single contractor, lack of user involvement/participation in contract development, and general lack of commitment by contractors

IS/IT Benefits Realisation and Management in Large Australian Organisations

Information systems and technology investments in organisations are substantial and growing. While formal methodologies and techniques for evaluating these investments are used to some extent, relatively less formality is applied to managing and realising their benefits. Part of an ongoing research programme, this study examines a number of aspects of IS/IT benefits realisation in large Australian organisations and reveals issues of identifying and structuring benefits, planning benefits realisation, delivering, evaluating and reviewing these benefits, with some success and some failure. The results show some use of formal methodologies, benefits measurement, formal reviews, and allocation of specific responsibilities, but a lack of uniformity in the formality of the activities. These results, however, are generally consistent with findings in related studies outside Australia

The investigation of the processes of IS/IT investment evaluation and benefits realization in B2B-EC organisations

ISIIT investments in B2B-EC are used by organizations, as part of their business strategies, to assist in the inter-organization acquisition of goods into the value chain and to provide interfaces between customers, vendors, suppliers and sellers. However, the issue of expected and actual benefits realized from ISIIT investments in B2B-EC has generated a significant amount of debote in the ISIIT literature amongst researchers and practitioners. This research study showed that organizational satisfaction of B2BEC usage had a direct relationship with the adoption of the ISIIT investment evaluation methodology. There was also a tendency for organizations to evaluate less when their organizational constraints were high. Additionally, there appeared to be a direct relationship between the evaluation constraints and use of both methodologies. Finally, the level of evaluation benefits depends on the use of either or both methodologies

How are public sector organizations assessing their IT investments and benefits-An understanding of issues for Benchmarking

Despite the growing IT spending by public sector organizations, evaluation of IT investments still presents a major problem for these organizations. A survey of the top 500 Australian public sector organizations and the in-depth case studies of three Australian public sector organizations were conducted. The main purpose of the study was to examine the key issues of IT investment evaluation and benefits realization in public sector organizations. The results indicated that effective deployment of appropriate IT investment evaluation methodology and benefits realization methodology are critical to the successful outcomes for IT project. A number of key IT evaluation issues were also identified: user satisfaction, top management support, change management, and user involvement

A Survey on Evaluating and Realizing IS/IT Benefits in Taiwanese B2BEC Companies

A number of issues have emerged from the analysis of the data collected via a survey conducted in Taiwanese B2BEC companies. The results show relatively high usage of IS/IT investment evaluation and benefits realization methodologies, and yet, these methodologies were generally not used effectively within the responding organizations. Most of these organizations were not yet mature in terms of their IT. However, there was a clear association between level of IT maturity and both wide and effective use of methodologies for IS/IT investment evaluation and benefits management