Ph.D. theses Titler
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Skjold, Else (Frederiksberg, 2014)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: In this PhD thesis, The Daily Selection, I will be addressing the overall question of how research on wardrobes can contribute to a more effective connection between the production and the consumption of dress objects. The thesis builds on exemplary studies of people in their wardrobes, with the aim of focusing on theoretical and methodological concerns and implications. It is structured in three parts, each of which consists -‐ independently -‐ of its own introductory framing, its own literature review, its own methods chapter, its own field work study, and its own conclusive reflections. As such, the parts, when taken as a whole, represent an evolving process through which my overall research questions are being filtered and reflected. My scholarly approach builds on the fusing of fashion and dress research and design research, in this way closing a gap between dress practice as, on the one hand, symbolic discourse and, on the other, as an embodied practice that is 'physically embedded' in the material capacities of dress objects. In Part I, I frame this view by addressing the concept of dressing as a 'bodily situated practice', as defined by Entwistle (2000), combined with a processual view on design and everyday practices, as defined by Shove et al. (2008). Based on these perspectives, I contribute with my own explanatory frameworks of 'sartorial systems' and 'sensory anchoring', on which I base the entire thesis. In order to operationalise these frameworks in my field work, I have developed a personal methodology for the wardrobe method that embraces the sensory and temporal aspects of dress practice. In Part II, I filter this through the vehicle of a collaborative project with Danish designer Mads Nørgaard, wherein I observe how dress objects from Nørgaard's collection are appropriated and used in the wardrobes of informants. In this way, I point to discrepancies between the production and the dissemination of dress objects that take place in the fashion industry, and to the ways that people use and experience these objects in their everyday lives. In Part III, I conduct a series of ‘wardrobe sessions’ with informants in collaboration with a designer, in order to explore how use practice might cast reflections back onto design processes. In my concluding chapter, I argue that my thesis contributes with a more facetted and reflected set of thinking in relation to dress practice, and that this way of thinking could potentially bring about radical changes in the way dress objects are currently produced, disseminated and sold. All together, this thesis shows that in order to establish a more tight fit between the production and consumption of dress objects, there is very good reason to look into the dress practices that are taking place in people’s wardrobes. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8992 Filer i denne post: 1
Else_Skjold.pdf (5.047Mb) -
Kirkedal, Andreas Søeborg (Frederiksberg, 2016)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: Stød is a prosodic feature in Danish spoken language that is able to distinguish lexemes. This distinction can also identify word class and has the potential to improve the performance of automatic speech recognisers for Danish spoken language. Stød manifestation exhibits a large amount of variability and may be perceptual in nature, because stød in some cases can be audibly perceived yet not be visible in a spectrogram. The variability is the primary reason there is currently no agreed upon acoustic or phonetic definition of stød. The working definition of stød is “. . . a kind of creaky voice” (Grønnum, 2005) and “stød is not just creak” (Hansen, 2015). In the present work, we investigate whether stød can be exploited in automatic speech recognition. To exploit stød without an acoustic or phonetic definition, we need to use a (almost) zero-knowledge datadriven approach which is based on a number of assumptions that we investigate prior to conducting ASR experimentation. We assume that stød can be detected in audio input, using acoustic features. To detect stød, we need to identify features that signal stød, which requires annotated data. To select the right features, the stød annotation must be reliable and accurate. We therefore conduct a reliability study of stød annotation with inter-annotator agreement measures, rank acoustic features for stød detection according to feature importance using a forest of randomised decision trees and experiment with stød detection as a binary and multi-class classification task. The experiments identify a set of features important or stød detection and confirms that we can detect stød in audio. Lastly, we model stød in automatic speech recognition and show that significant improvements in word error rate can be gained simply by annotating stød in the phonetic dictionary at the expense of decoding speed. Extending the acoustic feature vectors with pitch-related features and other features of voice quality also give significant performance improvement on both read-aloud speech and spontaneous speech. Decoding speed increases when we extend the acoustic feature vectors and actually improve decoding speed over the baseline where stød is not modelled. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9336 Filer i denne post: 1
Andreas_Søeborg_Kirkedal.pdf (5.921Mb) -
I et internationalt og komparativt perspektivKoerver Schmidt, Peter (Frederiksberg, 2013)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: Emnet for denne afhandling er dansk skatteretlig CFC-lovgivning. Denne form for lovgivning går kort fortalt ud på, at aktionæren i et selskab under særlige omstændigheder skal medregne en andel af selskabets indkomst til sin egen skattepligtige indkomst, selvom selskabet ikke har udloddet udbytte til aktionæren. I international sammenhæng er CFC en forkortelse for Controlled Foreign Corporation (eller Company), og som forkortelsen antyder, finder sådanne regler normalt kun anvendelse, hvis selskabet er kontrolleret af aktionæren og er hjemmehørende i udlandet. Med andre ord angår CFC-beskatning normalt indkomsten i udenlandske datterselskaber. Uden CFC-regler vil beskatningen af aktionæren normalt være udskudt til det tidspunkt, hvor det udenlandske datterselskab udlodder udbytte til aktionæren, eller hvor aktionæren afstår sin aktiepost i det udenlandske datterselskab. I andre tilfælde vil beskatning hos aktionæren slet ikke finde sted. Såfremt det land, hvori det udenlandske datterselskab er hjemmehørende, ikke beskatter datterselskabets indkomst eller kun beskatter indkomsten med en lav sats, er der således mulighed for at skatteudskydelse eller skatteundgåelse kan forekomme, hvis aktionæren indretter sig således, at indkomst oppebæres af det udenlandske datterselskab i stedet for hos aktionæren selv. Det grundlæggende formål med afhandlingen er – ved anvendelse at den retsdogmatiske metode – at analysere dansk CFC-lovgivning og praksis med henblik på at udlede gældende ret på området – de lege lata. I den forbindelse er det tillige hensigten at identificere uklarheder samt vurdere, om de danske CFCregler strider mod indgåede dobbeltbeskatningsoverenskomster eller EU-retten. Et yderligere formål med afhandlingen er at vurdere, hvorvidt dansk CFC-lovgivning kan anses for at imødekomme visse retspolitiske hensyn, og såfremt dette ikke er tilfældet at komme med alternative bud på, hvordan de danske CFC-regler med fordel kan udformes. Med andre ord har afhandlingen også haft til formål at komme med betragtninger de lege ferenda URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8928 Filer i denne post: 1
Peter_Koerver_Schmidt.pdf (3.955Mb) -
Haulrich, Martin (Frederiksberg, 2012)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: Parallel treebanks have received increasing attention in the past few years, primarily due to their potential use in statistical machine translation. Creating parallel treebanks manually is a time-consuming and expensive task and for this reason there is considerable interest in creating treebanks automatically. This task can be solved using standard tools such as parsers and aligners. However, because parallel treebanks are based on parallel corpora, we are in a special situation where the same meaning is represented in two different ways. This thesis is about how we can exploit this information to create better parallel treebanks than we can by using standard tools.... URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8385 Filer i denne post: 1
Martin_Haulrich.pdf (1.932Mb) -
Stenheim, Tonny (Frederiksberg, 2012)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: The dissertation investigates the decision usefulness of goodwill-accounting numbers. Theory and methodology from value relevance, earnings-management and corporate-governance literature are employed in order to investigate the decision usefulness. The dissertation compares the value relevance of goodwill reported under the impairment-only method (current IFRS) with the value relevance of goodwill reported under alternative accounting methods. It also investigates the extent to which goodwill-impairment losses under IFRS are associated with variables for economic impairment and/or earnings-management incentives. And finally, it investigates whether an estimate of misrepresentation of economic impairment in goodwill is associated with earnings-management incentives and/or corporate-governance mechanisms. The results suggest that the impairment-only method provides accounting numbers that more faithfully depict economic fundamentals as reflected in stock prices. The results also suggest that reported goodwill-impairment losses are not strongly affected by earnings-management incentives. Still, misrepresentation of economic impairment in goodwill does not seem to be constrained by corporate-governance mechanisms. In overall, these findings support the recently implemented impairment-only method under current IFRS URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8398 Filer i denne post: 1
Tonny_Stenheim_2ed.pdf (2.371Mb) -
Social innovation i en forretningsmæssig kontekstSønderskov, Thomas Stengade (Frederiksberg, 2011)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: Hvilken funktion og rolle har ledelse for CSI? Med afsæt i ovenstående forskningsspørgsmål rapporterer denne afhandling fra et 3-årigt aktionsforskningsprojekt med et forandringsintenderende sigte inden for forskningsfeltet social innovation. Afhandlingen placerer sig i forlængelse af ovenstående interesse og udfolder social innovation i relation til ledelse i en forretningsmæssig kontekst – et forskningsområde, der internationalt også kaldes Corporate Social Innovation (CSI),(Kanter 1999, Jupp 2002). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8329 Filer i denne post: 1
Thomas Stengade Sønderskov.pdf (3.748Mb) -
Co-existence of institutional logics in the recorded music industrySigurdardottir, Margrét Sigrún (Frederiksberg, 2010)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: The concept of institutional logics, notably a choice between multiple logics, has been offered as a foundation to theoretically explain heterogeneity of organisation. The thesis focuses on how this heterogeneity of organisation is possible through a study of how decision makers deal with conflicting yet coexisting logics in their every day work. The field chosen for the empirical study is the recorded music industry, where two opposing logics, the artistic and the commercial, necessarily co‐exist. Through semi‐structured interviews, decision makers in the recorded music industry in the UK were asked about their work processes. Their descriptions revealed two very different ways of acting based on either the artistic logic or the commercial logic. The study further shows that even if there were some attempts to take both logics into account, all the respondents emphasised one logic over the other, but not the same logic, leading to the established major/independent duality in the structure of the field. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7992 Filer i denne post: 1
Margrét_Sigrún_Sigurdardottir.pdf (4.133Mb) -
Östlund, Christian (Frederiksberg, 2017)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: This thesis is about designing technology that supports and enhances learning in and for the workplace. This is realized through an e-training system of web lectures. Designing e-training means designing for interaction in a user friendly way while accommodating for the pedagogical and instructional strategies that are inherent in learning systems. The objective of this thesis is to inform how technology can be designed to support workplace training by acknowledging the context demands of every day work. The context for this thesis is the government authority in Sweden called the county administration. The research in this thesis follows the approach of design science research and design principles for e-training through web lectures emerged in collaboration with members of the county administration through four design cycles of problem awareness: conceptual suggestion, system development, and evaluation. The perspective on learning adopts that of socio-cultural learning since it acknowledges the importance of context by stressing the relationship between learning and the context in which the learning occurs. A framework called authentic e-learning with nine core design principles was chosen as a kernel theory. The first version of the web lecture application was based on the unchanged design principles of authentic e-learning. The design principles were then evaluated in the context of a work place and after four design cycles some of the original design principles was still unaltered, some was adapted to the conditions of work place learning and new principles emerged from the evaluation process. The thesis concludes with eight design principles for e-training through web lectures. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9478 Filer i denne post: 1
Christian Östlund.pdf (4.410Mb) -
A closer look on the role of design choices in framing coordination and motivationGevoll, Linn (Frederiksberg, 2015)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: The motivation of this study was to explore how the design choices created when developing Performance Management (hereafter PM), produces proposals of how to coordinate and motivate operational employees in performing their tasks, and to which extent they are successful in doing so. PM is often postulated as a management resource in organizing employee contribution to value creation. Here, it is often suggested that carefully designed PM promotes organizational value creation, by facilitating the motivation and coordination of employees’ contribution. However, the way in which design choices function to suggest how to define the boundaries of what it means to coordinate and motivate employees in practice is less clear. I therefore set out to study the different design choices made on three central elements in a new operational Performance Management System (PMS hereafter), to explore how these design choices propose ideas of how to coordinate and motivate employees’ value creation in daily operations. My study follow the design choices made with regard to leading indicators (e.g. performance measures), performance targets and feedback over a period of three years (2012-2014). I do so, to investigate how design choices made on these three elements play a significant role in assigning specific property to what motivation and coordination of operational employees entails in practice. For example, the study illustrate how the choice to design leading indicators as key behavioral indicators (KBIs hereafter) propose that coordination of employees contribution means to point out what they should do when performing key activities. Detailed accounts such as this, provides rich insight into how design choices suggest distinctive, meaning to how to coordinate and/or motivate employees in their daily operations, which produce the boundaries of desired action. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9175 Filer i denne post: 1
Linn Gevoll.pdf (3.131Mb) -
Beukel, Karin (Frederiksberg, 2013)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: Empirical studies show that only a small number of all innovations created are valuable innovations. In spite of this, most innovation research focuses on identifying the determinants of innovation, rather than determining the factors influential in generating valuable innovations. The current knowledge therefore can guide organizations to increase innovation output, but not to increase the value of the innovation output. The purpose of this PhD research is to contribute to our understanding of the determinants of valuable innovations by investigating how different intraorganizational factors and uncertainty influence organizations’ abilities to generate valuable innovations. This thesis is comprised of four papers, a general introduction and a conclusion. The papers rely on both qualitative and quantitative research methods. One builds on interview data gathered at a Danish university and a firm, one relies on data from the Scandinavian biotech industry, and two papers rely on data from the global hydrocracking industry. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8828 Filer i denne post: 1
Karin_Beukel.pdf (3.146Mb) -
Førsokratisk informeret, ny-aristotelisk ἦθος-tænkning hos Martin HeideggerMoesby Jensen, Tommy (Frederiksberg, 2010)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: Afhandlingens tematiske sag er en genvindelse af Heideggers tænkning og tænkevej som en før-sokratisk informeret, ny-aristotelisk ἦθος-tænkning og dette som en rekonstruktion af antik selv-ledelses-tænkning. I Komposition, referencer, oversættelser og forkortelser udvikles blandt andet en særlig forbindelse mellem referentialitet og afhandlingens komposition, under inspiration fra Heideggers egen brug af inter- og intra-tekstualitet, og vigtige kilder og formalia præsenteres. Kompositionen og dermed afhandlingens enkelte §’er er tænkt således, at en række temaer gennem afhandlingen ofte forbinder sig med tidligere udviklede temaer, som nu sættes anderledes i spil og ind i nye sammenhænge, og herved oplyses det tidligere og det senere udviklede i en gensidighed. Sagt på en anden måde, så vil en lang række forberedende behandlinger finde en senere udfoldelse, og dette angivet som en tendens i kompositionen....... URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8028 Filer i denne post: 1
Tommy_Moesby_Jensen.pdf (2.160Mb) -
Towards Sustainable LawyeringHøedt-Rasmussen, Inger (Frederiksberg, 2014)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: The role of the lawyer is in transition and the formerly predominantly homogeneous profes-sion has become a heterogeneous group of lawyers with diverging perceptions of the lawyer’s identity and of the main characteristics of the profession. The European Union has extended the perception of democracy and the fundamental rights to include more collective rights, social concerns, global responsibility and sustainability. The dissertation’s main question is: How can the identity and competences of lawyers be developed so that they can practise sustainable and proactive lawyering in the European Union? Theoretically as well as methodologically this research constitutes an interdisciplinary study, where legal science meets sociology and social learning theories. Identity development is perceived as a reflective project; there is a range of lifestyle choices which contribute to a composed but constantly shifting maintenance of self-identity in relation to democratic principles and the ideal of justice connected to the role of lawyers. The study builds on Anthony Giddens’s structuration theory. This involves looking at how lawyers connect the questions ‘What to do?’ (societal level) and ‘How to act?’ (professional level) with ’Who to be?’ (personal level). The study depicts a European identity ideal based on legal sources while empirical data from focus groups and individual interviews makes it possible to identify six different identities among Danish practising lawyers. It is possible to recognise the following identities: lawyer-businessman, lawyer-performer, lawyer-entrepreneur, lawyer-humanist, lawyer-integrator and lawyer-statesman. The fragmentation of the profession, with greater demand for specialist knowledge, in-creased individualisation and participation in new communities of practice, requires each lawyer to reflect on their identity and establish criteria for what, when and how they will use their lawyering skills. For this to succeed, lawyers’ identities and competences will depend more on self-directed learning and individual learning plans, where the legal identity combines (global) societal responsibility with job satisfaction, authenticity and adherence to personal values. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8908 Filer i denne post: 1
Inger_Rasmussen.pdf (5.288Mb) -
Janning, Finn (København, 2005)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: There is a story about two companies, and how the one was supported and dominated by the other. Even today, more than 13 years after their separation, the support and domination of one company over the other seems to continue. In 2001 NNE (Novo Nordisk Engineering A/S), celebrated its tenth anniversary as an independent affiliate within the Novo Group. The anniversary was celebrated with a huge party at the Øksnehallen Exhibition Centre located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Here NNE launched its new Corporate Visual Identity (CVI). The CVI was created in order for NNE to show the world that it strived to become the market leader in the growing fields of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Equally important, NNE wanted to detach itself from its supporter and dominator, the company Novo Nordisk A/S. To begin with, NNE changed its name from Novo Nordisk Engineering A/S to NNE; secondly it created a new logo; and last, as a brand promise, it stated: Unique Know How. In fact, NNE changed all of its visual identity (i.e. CVI) in a manner like that of pirates who want to change identity by raising another flag on the mast before anchoring at a harbor. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7128 Filer i denne post: 1
finn_janning.pdf (1.848Mb) -
Humanitarian Discourse in the Age of MediatizationVestergaard, Anne (Frederiksberg, 2011)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: This thesis explores the history of humanitarian organizations as agents in public life. When taking on the role as mediators between Western publics and distant sufferers, what conception of social responsibility do humanitarian organizations promote? What are the consequences of the institutional context of these organizations on the form of social responsibility that they are able to promote? In a historical perspective, what changes in these conceptualizations can we observe and to what extent can we understand them as resulting from institutional changes? These questions are asked with the assumption that the discourse of humanitarian organizations is at once a reflection of and a force in the configuration of dispositions in target publics. Enquiring about the history of humanitarian organizations as agents in public life, thus, means enquiring about the ways in which over the past 40 years, these organizations have given meaning to our relation to different sufferers and contributed to shaping our individual and collective conception of the scope and nature of our social responsibility.... URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8318 Filer i denne post: 1
Anne_Vestergaard.pdf (6.561Mb) -
[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: The co-location of industry in agglomerations of similar and related firms is one of the salient features of the contemporary global economy. Over the last thirty years, a large body of theory and case-literature has addressed this phenomenon and sought to understand the advantages that accrue when industries are spatially clustered. Contemporary scholars in this tradition have focused on the advantages of face-toface interaction and the access to spatially sticky information in the form of buzz available to cluster agents. They have further suggested that the development of local conventions and a local idiom facilitate knowledge circulation and collaboration within clusters while perhaps frustrating access to outsiders. The resultant learning views of agglomeration have become dominant within the field of economic geography. In the past decade, however, this dominant view has been challenged by a counterview challenging the idea that physical proximity is neither necessary nor sufficient for economic learning. First, it has been noted that much of the learning that occurs in clusters may actually be organized through various forms temporary proximity. Secondly, it has been argued that knowledge circulates not by virtue of spatial proximity, but through participation in knowledge communities that share a basic epistemological framework and common purpose. These communities may be spatially clustered or may be widely dispersed. The research presented in this dissertation aims to contribute to this debate on the relative importance of physical and relational proximity to processes of economic learning. It does so through a qualitative study of the European Animation Industry and its attempt to build supportive networks and institutions resembling those found in successful geographic clusters, but in the context of a spatially dispersed industry. It demonstrates how through the extensive use of temporary proximity in the form of conferences, market places, and workshops, European animation was able to create a dense social fabric supporting learning and collaboration among firms that were both geographically and culturally distant. The dissertation is developed in three distinct articles written for journal publication. These are followed by Appendix One discussing methodological issue related to the research, Appendix Two providing empirical introduction to European Animation, the object of the dissertation’s case study. They are followed by a brief conclusion discussing the dissertations findings. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8966 Filer i denne post: 1
Alexander_Cole.pdf (2.434Mb) -
Cross Functional Integration in the Process of Product InnovationBaunsgaard, Vibeke Vad (Frederiksberg, 2011)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: Integration across departments, functions, and knowledge areas is important for success in the process of product innovation. Research of organizations, whether private or public, demonstrates, however, that cross functional integration is difficult to achieve in praxis. This problem area: Why is cross functional integration – in SMEs – in the process of product innovation so difficult in praxis? – sets up the foundation for this PhD. By focusing on cross functional integration in small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and by utilizing a qualitative research design in studies of the micro politics of cross functional integration, the PhD makes a novel contribution within an area of research largely overlooked by previous literatures.... URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8325 Filer i denne post: 1
Vibeke_Vad_Baunsgaard_Summary.pdf (891.8Kb) -
Fayyaz, Anjum (Frederiksberg, 2017)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: This PhD thesis is an outcome of the author’s own reflections and efforts to come to terms with his experience working as the National Project Coordinator of the Industrial Cluster Development Program of an international donor agency in Pakistan, the IDA, for more than 8 years between 2001 and 2009. Thus, the author seeks to answer two interrelated questions in this thesis: a) How did the IDA interventions affect SME networks in the Lahore garments and Sialkot football clusters in Pakistan? b) Why did the IDA-supported SME networks in these clusters continue or discontinue after the IDA withdrew from both clusters? In this thesis, it is argued that a very limited number of empirical studies have addressed the subject of private sector development aid in industrial clusters in developing countries. In particular, very few studies aim at studying the sustainability of donor-financed interventions in industrial clusters in the Global South. Two articles in the thesis are dedicated to extending the very limited existing work on this topic. Both articles – the first on the Lahore garments cluster and the second on the Sialkot football manufacturing cluster in Pakistan – seek to analyze how the IDA’s interventions affected the long-term sustainability of SME networks present in both clusters. In the case of the Lahore garments cluster, the IDA supported two networks in the cluster. One was known as the Lahore Garments Consortium and the other was named the Lahore Fashion Apparel Network. Both IDA financed networks initially seemed to flourish as they engaged in information sharing and joint action initiatives such as the joint procurement of raw materials for their production units. In the final analysis, it turned out however that the Lahore Garments Consortium continued to function long after the IDA had discontinued its support to the cluster whereas the Lahore Fashion Apparel Network was terminated after a very brief period in existence. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9463 Filer i denne post: 1
Fayyaz.pdf (4.245Mb) -
Christoffersen, Jeppe (Frederiksberg, 2011)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: In recent years, we have witnessed multinational enterprises (MNEs) changing strategies to exploit opportunities for division of labor on a global scale (Hansen et al. 2009). In consequence these have received growing interest among researchers and governments as ‘agents of host country economic development’ (Scott-Kennel and Enderwick 2005, p.105). A general consensus of this research is that ‘FDI [Foreign Direct Investment] offers an additional channel for introduction of technology, innovation, new ideas, different organizational practices and new skills to a host country’ (Scott-Kennel and Enderwick 2005, p.112). Another consensus is that these knowledge resources were introduced into the host country through linkages between the MNEs and a local firm and would in the longer term diffuse to other firms through e.g. demonstration effects and labor turnover (Giroud and Scott-Kennel 2009).... URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8332 Filer i denne post: 1
Jeppe Christoffersen_SUMMARY.pdf (1.138Mb) -
An Empirical Study of Website Quality in the Public SectorSørum, Hanne (Frederiksberg, 2014)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: In the public sector, we find that traditional face-to-face interaction has, in many cases, been replaced by online communication and transactions during the last decade. The quality of public sector websites is, therefore, of particular importance in order to ensure quality participation in an increasingly digital society by all the citizens. In view of the fact that Norway and Denmark aim to be world leaders of the Web, with regard to innovations, technical standards and user-centred development, easily accessible facilitation for high quality interactions assumes considerable significance. With reference to this particular aspect, the following Ph.D. thesis focusses on perceptions and measurement of website quality and success, by emphasising and highlighting the performance of public sector websites in the Scandinavian countries (respectively Norway and Denmark). This thesis draws on both qualitative and quantitative data collected during the research process. A grounded theory approach is applied in order to investigate explanations of website quality and statistical analysis is performed to examine perceptions of quality and success in websites. In this regard, the webmasters’ perspectives are emphasised, as they are found to be pivotal figures and key contributors in website quality improvements. Website quality criteria, obligated by the central governments are also discussed. These criteria aim to minimise a gap between the governments and the citizens for provision of online information and digital services. The findings and explanations of website quality cover a variety of features and range from technical standards to a broad definition of usability. Pertaining to this fact, added emphasis is placed on actual usage and subjective issues concerning user-friendliness and ease of use, compared to the criteria implemented by the governments, which focus more on objective technical measures. This may explain why users are not actually satisfied with high quality websites, when compared to low quality websites, in an annual assessment of hundreds of public websites based on these criteria. Accordingly, explanations and measurements of quality within the public sector are perceived differently, when taking into account the citizens’ (users’) needs and requirements from websites. Based on the use of quality criteria and evaluation methods applied to such evaluations, there exists a potential argument for adopting an additional user-centred focus. Furthermore, user satisfaction is emphasised as a measure of success in websites and user-centred development is found to be a key contributor. In view of this fact, the findings also prove that the public sector in general should improve and extend their feedback channels, by extending frequency and methods applied in user testing and continuous quality improvements. The fact that government bodies perform testing to a minimal extent and that more sophisticated methods should be included, demonstrates a potential for advances in facilitation for improved and refined user experiences in online communication between citizens and the public sector. In this regard, organisations which perform user testing tend to see a stronger correlation between website quality, user satisfaction and net (user) benefits. The concluding observations in the thesis, suggest that further research can decrease a gap between the governments’ perceptions of quality, and the citizens’ needs and requirements from public websites. Future investments and quality improvements should devote increased attention to testing and issues concerning inclusion of real users, and the benefits of such actions. Implications for practice are also provided in order to move the sector forward and facilitation for improved and refined user experiences and success on the Web. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8922 Filer i denne post: 1
Hanne_Sørum.pdf (2.257Mb) -
Kallestrup, René (Frederiksberg, 2012)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: The Global Financial Crisis which started in 2007 is a defining economic event of our lifetime. Recessions and public bailouts of banking systems have resulted in concerns about the solvency of sovereigns in recent years as many Eurozone countries face substantial fiscal pressures. The exact causes of the Global Financial Crisis are still debated but it is unlikely to be the outcome of one single event. In a review of the Global Financial Crisis based on 21 books on the topic, Lo (2011) summarises the underlying causes and policy prescriptions: ”there is still significant disagreement as to what the underlying causes of the crisis were, and even less agreement as to what to do about it ... Like World War II, no single account of this vast and complicated calamity is sufficient to describe it.” The listed causes range from global capital flows, poor regulation, regulatory capture, inequality, high leverage, skewed economic incentives of borrowers and lenders, etc. Gorton and Metrick (2012) also contain an interesting summary of the literature written in recent years and in ”Lessons from the Financial Crisis” edited by Berd (2010) several chapters from academic researchers analyse the ongoing crisis. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8450 Filer i denne post: 1
Rene_Kallestrup.pdf (1.375Mb)