Algorithms as co-workers: Human algorithm role interactions in algorithmic work

In algorithmic work, algorithms execute operational and management tasks such as work allocation, task tracking and performance evaluation. Humans and algorithms interact with one another to accomplish work so that the algorithm takes on the role of a co-worker. Human–algorithm interactions are characterised by problematic issues such as absence of mutually co-constructed dialogue, lack of transparency regarding how algorithmic outputs are generated, and difficulty of over-riding algorithmic directive – conditions that create lack of clarity for the human worker. This article examines human–algorithm role interactions in algorithmic work. Drawing on the theoretical framing of organisational roles, we theorise on the algorithm as role sender and the human as the role taker. We explain how the algorithm is a multi-role sender with entangled roles, while the human as role taker experiences algorithm-driven role conflict and role ambiguity. Further, while the algorithm records all of the human's task actions, it is ignorant of the human's cognitive reactions – it undergoes what we conceptualise as ‘broken loop learning’. The empirical context of our study is algorithm-driven taxi driving (in the United States) exemplified by companies such as Uber. We draw from data that include interviews with 15 Uber drivers, a netnographic study of 1700 discussion threads among Uber drivers from two popular online forums, and analysis of Uber's web pages. Implications for IS scholarship, practice and policy are discussed.     

Introducing a sales order processing system: the importance of human,organizational and ergonomic factors*

Abstract

This paper is a follow-up to an earlier study (Rowe 1985) and considers the addition of a computerized sales order processing system at Barrington's food factory. The earlier stock control system had not been without its problems, and the lessons learned from this experience enabled management to avoid repeating certain mistakes with regard to planning, office provision and training. However, once in operation, the new system also experienced a number of shortcomings, principally because management still overlooked important human, organizational and ergonomic factors. As the previous article pointed out, these factors are often less visible to management, and it resulted in problems with regard to day-to-day operations, office reorganization, work roles and inter-departmental communication. The concluding section advocates the abandonment of ‘technology-led system design’ in favour of a more evolutionary approach.     

A manufacturing-oriented model for evaluating the satisfaction of workers – Evidence from Turkey

Job satisfaction, in terms of worker's satisfaction, is one of the intensively studied areas in human resource and management. However, there is little information available on how ergonomics and the manufacturing environment affect job satisfaction. This study analyzes the extent of the relationship between job satisfaction and work and workplace related conditions. A conceptual model is proposed to evaluate job satisfaction that considers 34 elements in four categories: manufacturing systems, facility design, safety and ergonomics, and human resources and management. A survey of 169 blue-collar workers working in the automotive industry was conducted to investigate the applicability of the model. A comprehensive exploratory factor analysis was used to determine inter-related elements, their underlying factors and their effects on job satisfaction. The analysis revealed 6 factors with 18 related elements. From a multi linear regression analysis, we develop a job satisfaction model built on factors of human resource policies, safety, ergonomics, air quality, thermal comfort and disturbing equipment. The results reveal that ergonomics plays the most important role in workers' satisfaction for the respondent Turkish automotive workers. In contrast, human resource policies seem not play a critical role in job satisfaction because of higher standards in automotive industry compared to other industries in Turkey.     

The role of human resource management in implementing a 'new agreement' between employers and employees

When quality in an organisational context includes more employee-oriented arrangements and systems, the introduction of a new relationship pattern between employers and employees can rightly be considered a quality program. In this article we describe the shifting roles of HRM and 'people management' in general within a changing environmental and organisational context. We present an original 'FIT' organisational model, in which the role of HRM as 'partner-champion' is highlighted, and which was implemented during the 1990s in a multinational company. More specifically, we describe the company background, the motives for this new approach, the basic principles and the main phases of implementation of this new 'social contract'.     

Genetic classifiers for remotely sensed images: Comparison with standard methods

In this article the effectiveness of some recently developed genetic algorithm-based pattern classifiers was investigated in the domain of satellite imagery which usually have complex and overlapping class boundaries. Landsat data, SPOT image and IRS image are considered as input. The superiority of these classifiers over k-NN rule, Bayes' maximum likelihood classifier and multilayer perceptron (MLP) for partitioning different landcover types is established. Results based on producer's accuracy (percentage recognition score), user's accuracy and kappa values are provided. Incorporation of the concept of variable length chromosomes and chromosome discrimination led to superior performance in terms of automatic evolution of the number of hyperplanes for modelling the class boundaries, and the convergence time. This non-parametric classifier requires very little a priori information, unlike k-NN rule and MLP (where the performance depends heavily on the value of k and the architecture, respectively), and Bayes' maximum likelihood classifier (where assumptions regarding the class distribution functions need to be made).     

Exploring the Impact of Food Craving and Pleasure Technologies on Aesthetic Experience in Digital Media

Humans are known to be good in creating pleasure technologies. In fact, some evolutionary psychologists believe that aesthetic experiences are biologically hardwired. This article reviews how the pleasure stimulus concept can be explored to enhance human experience in digital media. It is argued that the individual's consumption motivation is more than the by-products of the biological pleasure circuits. For instance, in daily life, one experiences various information processing, some of which does not emerge into one's explicit consciousness but relevantly contributes to one's experience. Although craving or desiring is mostly an explicit process, it can also manifest as an unconscious aspect of experience leading to an irrational or intrusive thoughts that can in turn alter or contribute to the aesthetic character of an experience. Using Quality of Experience assessment methodologies and extensive literature from a multidisciplinary standpoint, this article shows that intrusive mental concepts on food craving saliently affect the user's aesthetic experience and perception of quality in digital media.     

Predicting Attitudes Toward Knowledge Sharing by E-Mail: An Empirical Study

Social influence factors in sharing knowledge by e-mail are important issues in developing and understanding successful knowledge management systems and human–computer interaction. This article investigates important factors in shaping attitudes toward knowledge sharing by e-mail, based on social influence theory and self-determination theory. An empirical test of the proposed model using an online survey was conducted with a sample of undergraduate college students who use group e-mails for class assignments (n?=?566). All social influence factors significantly influenced attitudes toward knowledge sharing by e-mail (R ² = .57). Information systems researchers and practitioners will be able to more fully understand the roles of social influence factors in developing and designing knowledge management.     

Virtual Communities for Innovation: Influence Factors and Impact on Company Innovation

An extensive body of literature indicates the growing influence of virtual communities not only on social interaction, spending free time and working, but also on the interaction of companies with their customers to exchange information on products and to develop innovative ideas. However, engaging in virtual communities poses certain challenges to companies which more often than not results in failure to establish a successful collaboration with customers. This leads to the following questions: What are virtual communities and how can companies establish successful interaction? Why and how can interaction with a community lead to an improvement of the innovation process? This article develops a comprehensive concept of the collaboration between companies and virtual communities called community–company interaction quality (CCIQ). Based on insights from academic literature, this paper reviews factors influencing the quality of community–company interaction, suggesting an integrative framework. After developing a working definition for virtual communities in innovation, a summary of findings regarding interaction quality in context of human–technology interaction and behaviour related to innovation is proposed.     

计算机课程实验教学质量的模糊综合评价

计算机实验质量一直是高校实验教学管理的一项主要指标。根据影响实验教师质量的各种因素都具有模糊性和不确定性等特征,因此本文建议运用模糊的综合评估方式对计算机实验质量做出综合评估。尽量减少了人为或主观因素的影响,形成科学、合理、可行的计算机课程实践教学多层次模糊综合评估模式。     

基于物联网的农产品质量溯源系统设计

现阶段,随着社会经济发展水平的不断提高,人们更加重视生活质量的提高。饮食与健康的发展关系,逐渐引起人们的关注。社会科技的发展,使物联网成为解决农产品的质量问题,带来了希望。作为最基本的食物,农产品的质量与人们的身体健康之间存在这着重要的关系。但是在实际生活中,不断发生的农产品生产者滥用农药致使产品药物含量超标、重金属有害物质超标等事件的发生,使农产品的质量问题,成为困扰人们生活的重要问题之一。本文将简要分析,基于物联网的农产品质量溯源系统设计的相关内容,旨在促进农产品质量的进一步提高,为解决农产品的质量安全问题提供一定的便利。     

The Singapore Government's rˆole in national computerization efforts

Abstract

This paper examines the role of the Singapore Government in Singapore's computerization efforts. In restructuring Singapore's economy and sharpening its competitive edge, information technology (IT) is singled out as one of the economic boosting engines whose dynamic, innovative role will change the economic and social fabric of society leading to a better quality of life for Singaporeans. The government and its agencies have deliberately intervened in the IT diffusion process through proactive IT policies, effective regulations and implementation. The national computerization plans, namely, the National IT Plan and the IT2000 Report, contain a set of IT strategic initiatives. Although the socioeconomic conditions and the cultural factors do have a significant influence on the IT diffusion process, an understanding of roles different institutions play and the various institutional policies will provide a better assessment of the impacts of IT on Singapore's information economy.     

基于机器视觉与RFID智能引导停车场

随着城市化进程以及人民生活水平的提高,私家车的数量在近几年不断攀升,导致出现了大型停车场中找车难、服务差的问题.这对智能停车场的自动化程度以及服务质量要求越来越高.传统智能停车场以管理与检测为主,在车辆引导以及用户服务方面有所缺失.为此,本文将在嵌入式平台下,建立一个基于机器视觉的空位检测,人性快捷的RFID智能引导,以及完善管理系统和便民的微信公众服务的现代一体化停车场.     

Towards children's creative museum engagement and collaborative sense-making

Abstract

In this article, we elucidate a socio-culturally framed approach to supporting children's creative museum engagement. Specifically, we focus on social activities and socio-cultural resources that can act as boundary-permeating objects in mediating children's creative engagement and collaborative sense-making regarding cultural content within, across and beyond the spatio-material context of the museum. We contend that designing and organising children's creative engagement and collaborative sense-making in ways that cultivate boundary-crossing broadens opportunities for engagement and leverages children's creative potential and expansive learning. We build our argument by starting with a theoretical introduction to the design principles that constitute the Kids, Museums, and Technology Programme. We will illuminate the design principles of the programme with empirical examples and consider how the design principles and their situated construction can help us re-imagine museum exhibitions as hybrid, boundary-permeating spaces that afford novel transformative interactions, as well as new roles and identities for both children and museums.     

Automating and informating: roles to examine technology’s impact on performance

Previous studies on the impact of technology on performance (usefulness) have looked at the Information System (IS) in its role as supplier of information (informating role) and thus they have studied the influence of information quality and system quality on usefulness. However, an IS also has a role in the automation of tasks (automating role), which these studies do not take into account. Accordingly, this paper proposes a factor model that (1) includes explicitly both roles; (2) considers that informating and automating roles mediate the relation between these technological factors (information quality and system quality) and usefulness and (3) includes a system’s level of intervention (i.e. the degree to which technology participates in carrying out the tasks) as an additional factor that determines usefulness. Using a questionnaire, data were gathered on 229 Enterprise Resource Planning system users from different organisations and functional areas and structural equations model was used for analysis. Results show that information quality explains usefulness through both roles. System’s level of intervention explains usefulness through the automating role and system quality explains usefulness through the informating role. The factors’ differentiated effects through each role may help managers to establish more effective criteria and priorities in the various stages of an IS’s life cycle.     

针对复杂用户评论的代码质量属性判断

随着开发者社区和代码托管平台成为程序员获取代码的主要途径,针对代码的用户评论数量急剧增加.用户在使用代码后给出的评论中包含多种静态和动态的代码质量属性信息,但是由于用户评论多为复杂句,使得评论中包含的代码质量属性难以判断.针对复杂用户评论的代码质量属性判断将有助于分析用户评论中的代码质量信息,有助于开发者在了解用户的代...     

Corporate Motivation to Risk Prevention: Applied Exploratory Analysis in Construction Sector in Catalonia

In this article, we have undertaken an exploratory analysis of the extrinsic and intrinsic factors affecting an employer's safety motivation in the construction industry, and their correlation with firm size, management level, and perceived risk. We have employed a model based on previous research by Michael Wright for the Health and Safety Executive (UK). Methods: A sample of managers from 198 construction firms in Catalonia (Spain) were interviewed collecting relevant data. The exploratory factor analysis of this data detected two factors: extrinsic (prosecution, inspection, external pressure) and intrinsic (legal, responsibility, internal involvement). Confirmatory factor analysis did not rule out the presence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors (Wright), and the analysis with covariates (MIMIC model) showed significant positive relationships between extrinsic factors, management level, and perceived risk. It also showed a significant positive relationship between intrinsic factors and firm size. Conclusion: The aim of this study was to make a preliminary diagnostic of an employer's safety motivation. Our findings indicate that it is possible to develop external motivators (advice from inspection bodies, union activities, publicity of prosecution records, etc.) that are addressed to top managers and to firms more exposed to risk. We have also found that it is possible to develop internal motivators by introducing experience modification ratings, social accounting, advertising in the mass media, and promotion campaigns, particularly among bigger firms. Our findings will be useful to government agencies, company managers, and consultants and may be adapted for use in motivating midlevel staff to adopt participatory intervention programs.© 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Developing a lean and agile work force

This article examines the contribution that human factors practitioners can make to improve work force capabilities in the lean and agile manufacturing environments. The article addresses the demands that lean and agile manufacturing initiatives will place on the current and emerging work force to achieve increasing levels of quality and flexibility with lower costs and shorter product life cycles. The issues of worker selection, continuous skill development, work place design, equipment maintenance, process improvement, mistake proofing, and process reconfiguration for new products are discussed from a human factors perspective. The article concludes that a new production system where human factors play a central role will be needed to help work force members achieve greater success in meeting these demands. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Human factors in agile manufacturing: A brief overview with emphasis on communications and information infrastructure

Agile manufacturing has been promoted as a national strategy for improving industrial competitiveness. Agility refers to the capability to very rapidly go from a set of unique customer requirements to a quality, finished product. An appreciation of the human factors inherent to agile product development is pivotal to the successful integration of agility-enabling technologies, as well as the coordination of personnel working within a concurrent engineering environment. This article briefly summarizes human factors contributions to: (1) development of agile business practices; (2) design of enabling technologies; and (3) management of the introduction and fielding of new technologies and business practices. More detailed discussion is offered for human factors related to the communications and information infrastructure essential to an organization making the transition from traditional to agile product development. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

DRAMA MANAGEMENT AND PLAYER MODELING FOR INTERACTIVE FICTION GAMES

A growing research community is working toward employing drama management components in story‐based games. These components gently guide the story toward a narrative arc that improves the player's gaming experience. In this article we evaluate a novel drama management approach deployed in an interactive fiction game called Anchorhead. This approach uses player's feedback as the basis for guiding the personalization of the interaction. The results indicate that adding our Case‐based Drama manaGer (C‐DraGer) to the game guides the players through the interaction and provides a better overall player experience. Unlike previous approaches to drama management, this article focuses on exhibiting the success of our approach by evaluating results using human players in a real game implementation. Based on this work, we report several insights on drama management which were possible only due to an evaluation with real players.