Dimitris Bibikas

Software Co-development in the Era of Cloud Application Platforms and Ecosystems: The Case of CAST

Interest around cloud computing has been growing quite rapidly during the past few years, and the model of cloud computing is evolving into an indispensable component of innovation strategy across the software industry. We are witnessing a paradigm shift that will have a profound impact on software platforms and ecosystems and will give rise to new forms of software co-development. In this paper we make a first attempt to discuss the evolution of the relationship between software co-development, platforms and ecosystems in the era of cloud computing, and the role of cloud application platforms. We present the case of a cloud application platform designed to support advanced forms of software co-development, and to foster the emergence of a novel type of software ecosystem. As demonstrated, cloud application platforms can be designed in a way that facilitates the emergence of new forms of hierarchical cloud-centric software ecosystems.

Emerging enterprise social software knowledge management environments: current practices and future challenges

The purpose of this paper is to propose an organisational knowledge management approach, embodying next generation knowledge management systems characteristics, through the use of enterprise social software technologies and inter-related management perspectives. The limitations of current knowledge management systems in harmonising and integrating codification and socialisation approaches to knowledge management, as well as emphasising knowledge exploitation processes over knowledge exploration are discussed. An integrated approach is proposed, focusing on the management of less structured business processes, the development of a social network and informal knowledge worker community based approach, and finally, the need to underpin adaptive strategies in knowledge work processes.

MORMED: Towards a multilingual social networking platform facilitating Medicine 2.0

The broad adoption of Web 2.0 tools has signalled a new era of “Medicine 2.0” in the field of medical informatics. The support for collaboration within online communities and the sharing of information in social networks offers the opportunity for new communication channels among patients, medical experts, and researchers. This paper introduces MORMED, a novel multilingual social networking and content management platform that exemplifies the Medicine 2.0 paradigm, and aims to achieve knowledge commonality by promoting sociality, while also transcending language barriers through automated translation. The MORMED platform will be piloted in a community interested in the treatment of rare diseases (Lupus or Antiphospholipid Syndrome).

Pan-European entrepreneurial summer academies with impact: The case of STARTIFY7

Abstract Entrepreneurship is viewed as essential to the future prosperity of Europe and creating societies that are socially and economically inclusive. The information communication technology (ICT) sector has been identified as an area of great entrepreneurial potential for Europe and yet the continent struggles to create global leaders in the digital startup space. In response to this challenge, the European Commission launched its Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan to stimulate and support young people to become entrepreneurs and exploit the potential of ICT, in terms developing new digital products and services. This chapter reports on a project to develop and deliver a series of pan-European summer academies for entrepreneurship training funded by Horizon 2020. The chapter details the process of developing the academies and offer reflections on the impacts of the project.

When Pedagogic Worlds Collide: Reflections on a Pan-European Entrepreneurship Education Project

Through the Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan launched in 2013, the European Commission set out its agenda for how entrepreneurship could help tackle the problems associated with the 2008 financial crisis. In this chapter we present how STARTIFY7, a project funded by the Commission’s Horizon 2020 initiative, sought to respond to the Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan. The STARTIFY7 project was created as a thematically focused and lean-training summer academy system with the aim of creating pan-European teams of young entrepreneurs in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. The project and its underlying pedagogic approach, derived from Neck and Greene’s (2011) work on ‘worlds’ of entrepreneurship education, is discussed along with the outcomes achieved.

Design Thinking: Towards a Unified View of Organizational and Technological Realms

When is it appropriate to discuss the divergence of organizational and technological realms and based on which assumptions? Could the social and technical disconnection be merely a constructed phenomenon, and if so, what does design thinking has to offer towards the creation of aligned organizational and technological views? Drawing from these questions this paper argues that the two notions of organization and technology are both human artifacts with an intertwined and unfolding ontology. We base our argument inspired by i) structuration theory according to which organizational structures and technologies are mutually constituted and co-evolving elements, and, ii) a conceptualization of organizations and technologies as ‘epistemic objects’ with a lack in completeness of being. We finally discuss design thinking principles as a basis for an integrated reflection of the two notions hopping to invoke creative and constructive dialogue among communities of technologists, managers and academics alike.