Carleen F. Maitland

Mobile information and entertainment services: business models and service networks

The mobile telecommunications industry is undergoing a rapid change, which is increasing the interdependency of firms in the sector. This trend increases the likelihood that mobile information and entertainment services will be delivered through inter-organisational networks of firms. These networks are the topic of this research. In particular, we examine service networks and the possible influence of business models on their characteristics. Using data from five case studies of mobile service networks, we examine the influence of revenue models and network membership benefits on network characteristics. The results of this exploratory research demonstrate that revenue models have a relationship with governance and that both revenue sharing agreements and governance mechanisms become less standardised with greater distance from the end user. In the conclusion we discuss the implications of these findings for research on both inter-firm service networks and business models.

Exploring Barriers to Coordination between Humanitarian NGOs: A Comparative Case Study of two NGO's Information Technology Coordination Bodies

Humanitarian nongovernmental organizations NGOs are increasingly collaborating through inter-organizational structures such as coalitions, alliances, partnerships, and coordination bodies. NGOs information technology coordination bodies are groups of NGOs aimed at improving the efficiency of ICT use in humanitarian assistance through greater coordination. Despite their popularity, little is known about these coordination bodies, specifically the extent to which they address inter-organizational coordination problems. This paper examines coordination problems within two humanitarian NGOs information technology coordination bodies. Based on data collected through interviews, observation, and document analysis, despite positive attitudes toward coordination by members, seven of eight widely accepted barriers to coordination still exist among members of these coordination bodies. Further, in a comparison of mandate-oriented, structural and behavioral coordination barriers, research finds mandate issues were most significant and structural factors were found in the greatest numbers. Findings suggest that effective humanitarian NGOs information technology coordination bodies must pay attention to both organizational design and management issues, although the former are likely to have a greater impact on coordination.

Design guidelines for mobile information and entertainment services: based on the Radio538 ringtunes i-mode service case study

The mobile telecommunications industry is undergoing rapid change, which is increasing the interdependency of firms in the sector. Mobile information and entertainment services will be delivered through inter-organizational networks of firms. This means the problems of service design must be resolved in the context of a complex value network. To shed light on these problems we present a case study of a ringtone service and from this develop guidelines for the design of similar services.

Resource-Based Interdependencies in Value Networks for Mobile E-Services

The advent of new electronic platforms, such as fixed and mobile Internet, is forcing firms from a range of industries to come together in so-called value networks for the provision of innovative e-services. Firms from different industries have widely varying resources. Our analysis is aimed at specific types of interdependencies, relating the actors’ own and others’ resource contributions to the value creation involved in bringing the service about. To better understand these interdependencies, we draw on theories about firm resources and interorganizational relations. We analyze the importance and relevance of different resources in a number of case studies of mobile information and entertainment services in terms of the actors’ resources and contributions to value in the provision of such mobile services. In the cross-case comparison, we contrast the power structures in the different value networks and identify similarities and differences in terms of the types of industrial players that assume positions of greater or lesser importance. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for value network research.

Entrepreneurship in mobile application development

The growth of mobile commerce will require development of both demand and supply sides of the market. On the supply side, the development of mobile applications (e.g. games, calendars, search engines) via cellular technologies will occur in a context partially defined by technical development dependencies that arise from the layered nature of mobile hardware and software technologies. This research finds that these technical application development dependencies shape both the strategies employed by entrepreneurs as well as the evolution of the mobile market. In particular, entrepreneurs are faced with technology choices and device uncertainties, while the market experiences fragmentation, intermediation and distribution integration. These results explain, in part, the slow development of mobile commerce in general, provide a basis for understanding future market developments, and are further evidence of the complex interdependency between technological and market evolution.

Community-Level Access Divides: A Refugee Camp Case Study

Despite the appearance of uniform availability of mobile services, in many locales granular network analyses reveal the persistence of physical access divides. It stands to reason these divides, similar to those at larger scales, are also reflections of community-level social and economic divides. In this research, we examine community-level physical access divides in the context of a Syrian refugee camp. The investigation combines detailed network and organizational analyses to characterize the divides and identify factors influencing their creation and potential solutions. Our findings show that even in the limited confines of a refugee camp, coverage patterns and bandwidth availability differ significantly both within and between the networks of three mobile cellular carriers. These patterns, together with the overall configuration of network infrastructure, demonstrate three community level divides: an inter-carrier congestion divide, a spatial distribution divide, and an inter-network divide. We identify a number of linkages between these divides and the social, organizational and humanitarian context of the camp. Building on these analyses, we provide recommendations to ameliorate these divides for both residents and camp management.

Beyond Harmonization: ICT Policymaking in Regional Economic Communities

Regional economic communities, which are growing in numbers and size, play an increasingly important role in information and communication technology (ICT) policymaking. As seen through the lens of complex adaptive systems theory, such systems should strive to generate adaptive policies through adaptive policymaking processes that position them to respond to rapid technological change. To date, however, regional policymaking has been overly concerned with policy harmonization as an outcome, possibly to the detriment of other important goals. Despite this bias, upon closer examination, one finds that regional communities do foster adaptivity through their roles in the formation of epistemic communities, capacity building, and resource pooling. These activities contribute to variation, interaction, and selection, all key processes for adaptation. It is this degree of adaptivity, and its required balance between policy harmonization and competition, that should be the basis for analyzing the effectiveness of regional policymaking.

Collaborative Analytics and Brokering in Digital Humanitarian Response

During large scale humanitarian crises, relief practitioners identify data used for decision making and coordination, as critical to their operations. Implicit in this need is the required capabilities for analyzing data. Given the rapidly evolving systems of collaborative data management and analysis in digital humanitarian efforts, information scientists and practitioners alike are keen to understand the role of data analytics in response operations. Through a case study of a digital humanitarian collaborative effort, we examine the processes for big and small data analytics, specifically focusing on data development, sharing, and collaborative analytics. Informed by theories of articulation work and collaborative analytics, we analyze data from in-depth interviews with digital humanitarians. Our findings identify key practices and processes for collaborative analytics in resource constrained environments, particularly the role of brokering, and in turn generate design recommendation for collaborative analytic platforms.

Unpacking Coordination Benefits in Supply Networks: Findings from Manufacturing SMEs

This paper examines how coordination among firms in supply networks generates benefits in the short and long terms for firms. It focuses on information technology (IT) and process improvement coordination. Analysis was performed on quantitative and qualitative data from a sample of SMEs in plastics manufacturing in Pennsylvania. Results indicate that coordination on both IT and process improvement leads to short- and long-term benefits. These relationships were mediated by the adoption of innovations (when coordinating on IT) and access to new capabilities (in process improvement coordination). These results extend the understanding of how participation in supply networks benefits individual firms.

The creation of capital through an ICT-based learning program: a case study of MOOC camp

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have recently received a great deal of attention from both researchers and the general public. Their free, open nature allows global access, including by individuals in developing countries. This study will explore ways in which MOOCs can be used as tools for development in these underprivileged areas. Using data collected through interviews with facilitators and students participating in a US State Department program, we apply and extend Bourdieus framework of cultural and social capital. Results show that MOOCs can be used to foster unique forms of cultural capital as well as both individual and organizational social capital. The research provides recommendations for both development agencies and MOOC platform designers.