| 1. |
- Viktorelius, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Automation and the imbrication of human and material agency : A sociomaterial perspective
- 2021
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In: International journal of human-computer studies. - London : Elsevier. - 1071-5819 .- 1095-9300. ; 145, s. 1-11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Automation is projected to transform many industries and work domains and enable both increased levels of safety and efficiency by reallocating many of the functions traditionally performed by operators. However, research on the relation between automation and work practice is lagging and needs to be further explored in order to ground the debate and design of automated work on a sound empirical basis reflecting work in actual organizational settings. In particular, research is needed that offers rich naturalistic representations of human automation interaction that accounts for the mutual shaping of human and material agency over time. The ethnographic workplace study reported in this paper draws on the sociomaterial practice perspective and on the theory of imbrication to analyze a case in which an automatic speed regulation system was installed onboard five large passenger ferries in order to improve the energy efficiency of the execution of voyages. The results show how the adoption, appropriation and use of automated technologies is inextricable from the local patterns of social interaction and collaboration. The study contributes with a deeper understanding of the relation and entanglement of the social and technological elements in human automation interaction.
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| 2. |
- Viktorelius, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Energy efficiency at sea : An activity theoretical perspective on operational energy efficiency in maritime transport
- 2019
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In: Energy Research & Social Science. - : Elsevier. - 2214-6296 .- 2214-6326. ; 52, s. 1-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The mitigation of emission from shipping will require improvements in energy efficiency. In order to achieve this, sociotechnical changes are required, affecting all stakeholders within the shipping sector. Ship crews and their everyday work practices will play an especially important role in the transformation of the sector. It is therefore crucial to understand how new energy efficient technologies and practices are being introduced and enacted onboard ships. The case study reported in this paper investigates an attempt to improve the operational energy efficiency in a shipping company that was made by installing an energy monitoring system and introducing an energy saving policy onboard the ships in the fleet. The analytical framework in this paper is inspired by cultural-historical activity theory which is suggested as a novel and useful practice-based approach in energy studies. It is used in analyzing the contradictions and tensions in the work practices onboard the ships that preceded and followed the implementation of the energy monitoring system and energy saving policy. The empirical results revealed how the initial demand for operational energy efficiency and the subsequent introduction of the new monitoring system and policy gave rise to tensions in the existing activity systems onboard which crew members then tried, but did not always manage, to reconcile. It is concluded that a better understanding of the sociotechnical change processes, associated with organizational energy conservation and energy management, can be achieved if the situated paradoxes of practitioners’ everyday practices are examined.
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| 3. |
- Arsovski, Slobodan, et al.
(author)
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Can urban environmental problems be overcome? The case of Skopje—world’s most polluted city
- 2018
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In: Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series. - : Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika/Nicolaus Copernicus University. - 1732-4254 .- 2083-8298. ; 40:40, s. 17-39
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The condition of the environment is one of the most fundamental concerns of cities worldwide, especially when high levels of pollution and environmental destruction exert immense impact on people’s quality of life. This paper focuses on Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, which often tops the charts as the world’s most polluted city. Despite associated problems such as congestion, ill health, and premature death, Macedonia’s scarce resources are instead spent on controversial projects, such as ‘Skopje 2014’, involving creating a national identity through massive and extremely costly constructions of neo-classical government buildings, museums and monuments. The aim of this paper is to compare the situation of Skopje to environmentally oriented activities conducted in several Polish cities and to discuss the possibility of their implementation in Skopje. Considering the scale and scope of Skopje’s environmental problems, the paper offers some priorities for action, including solutions that emphasize institution building, technical input and self-governance. It also highlights a number of economic, ecological, and socio-cultural contradictions involved in the process of achieving sustainable development.
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| 4. |
- Viktorelius, Martin
(author)
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Adoption and use of energy-monitoring technology in ship officers’ communities of practice
- 2020
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In: Cognition, Technology & Work. - : Springer. - 1435-5558 .- 1435-5566. ; 22, s. 459-471
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The paper offers an analysis of how an energy-monitoring system was implemented and eventually adopted by the crew members in a shipping company. It illustrates how the social process of enacting the system as a collaborative technology-in-practice, enabling a significant reduction in energy consumption, was contingent on the negotiation of meaning and mutual learning among crew members in their community of practice. The case study contributes to the literature on the relation between information technology, organization and energy efficiency by investigating the socially situated nature of technology implementation and work practice change. The findings’ implications for the role of information technology in improving energy efficiency in shipping are discussed.
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| 5. |
- Abbas, Nada, et al.
(author)
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Information Needs of Gravel Road Stakeholders
- 2022
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In: Infrastructures. - : MDPI. - 2412-3811. ; 7:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Within any ecosystem, information sharing is essential. In this paper, the Swedish gravel road ecosystem is studied, where information plays a crucial role for the effective management of operations and maintenance. However, efficient information sharing is not enabled due to the lack of appropriate information systems. For addressing this issue, this paper intends to elicit information needs of gravel road stakeholders to support the design of a cloud-based information system. The main purpose is to explore the information needs of stakeholders within the Swedish gravel road ecosystem. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 11 participants representing key stakeholders in the ecosystem. Template analysis was used for analyzing the interview results. The major findings were a set of information needs covering road identification and condition, weather conditions, accessibility and traffic, maintenance policy, and sensor data. The results form a comprehensive information model for the further development of a cloud-based gravel road management system that would contribute to increased traffic safety and comfort, lower maintenance and management costs, and better decision-making abilities.
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| 6. |
- Geissinger, Andrea, et al.
(author)
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How sustainable is the sharing economy? On the sustainability connotations of sharing economy platforms
- 2019
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In: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786. ; 206, s. 419-429
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The sharing economy has evolved and spread to various sectors of the economy. Its early idea linked to the creation of more sustainable uses of resources. Since then, the development of the sharing economy has included a professionalization with self-employed suppliers rather than peers, and the question is whether the platforms following this development maintain the focus on sustainability. This paper describes and classifies the sustainability connotation of sharing economy platforms. It analyses 121 platforms derived through social media analytics to figure out whether they describe themselves as sustainable. The findings suggest that the sustainability connotation closely connects to specific sectors such as fashion, on-demand services and logistics. Meanwhile, the dominant role model platforms do not communicate about being sustainable. These findings contribute to previous research through (1) giving a systematic empirical account on the way various sharing economy platforms describe themselves in terms of sustainability, (2) pointing out the differences among the platforms, and (3) indicating the diversity in sustainability connotation among various sectors of the economy.
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| 7. |
- Haysom, Gareth, et al.
(author)
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Food systems sustainability: An examination of different viewpoints on food system change
- 2019
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In: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 11:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Global food insecurity levels remain stubbornly high. One of the surest ways to grasp the scale and consequence of global inequality is through a food systems lens. In a predominantly urban world, urban food systems present a useful lens to engage a wide variety of urban (and global) challenges—so called ‘wicked problems.’ This paper describes a collaborative research project between four urban food system research units, two European and two African. The project purpose was to seek out solutions to what lay between, across and within the different approaches applied in the understanding of each city’s food system challenges. Contextual differences and immediate (perceived) needs resulted in very different views on the nature of the challenge and the solutions required. Value positions of individuals and their disciplinary “enclaves” presented further boundaries. The paper argues that finding consensus provides false solutions. Rather the identification of novel approaches to such wicked problems is contingent of these differences being brought to the fore, being part of the conversation, as devices through which common positions can be discovered, where spaces are created for the realisation of new perspectives, but also, where difference is celebrated as opposed to censored.
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| 8. |
- Marcheschi, Elizabeth, 1980, et al.
(author)
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Physical-environment qualities of supported-housing facilities for people with severe mental illness
- 2014
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In: Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. - : Locke Science Publishing Company. - 0738-0895. ; 31:2, s. 128-142
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The physical environment of supported-housing facilities (SHF) for people with severe mental illness has mainly been investigated in terms of neighborhood quality and community integration, largely neglecting the design of housing attributes. This study investigated whether SHFs with high and low levels of physical-environment quality differed in their support of users' (residents and staff) needs, which were operationalized in terms of perceived visual pleasantness, homelikeness, and positive psychosocial processes. The perception of supportive characteristics in 20 SHFs was assessed by SHF residents (n = 72), SHF staff (n = 117), a user-group panel (n = 3), and environmental psychologists (n = 5). The results showed that SHFs with "high" environmental quality - characterized by features such as clear demarcation between the spaces, suitable facilities, and proximity to green environments - did a better job of supporting users' needs. Users and experts perceived physical-environment qualities in largely the same way The implications of these findings are important for those with severe mental illness, as the findings emphasize the relevance of physical-environment quality in SHFs for users' well-being.
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| 9. |
- Praetorius, Gesa, 1980, et al.
(author)
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Decision support for vessel traffic service (VTS): user needs for dynamic risk management in the VTS
- 2012
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In: Work. - 1051-9815 .- 1875-9270. ; 41:Suppl. 1, s. 4866-4872
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) is a shore-side service implemented by a “Competent Authority to improve the safetyand efficiency of vessel traffic and to protect the environment”. It is a service that operates through VTS centers, from which VTS operators monitor traffic, assist in navigational matters and provide information to all ships in a designated area. As VTS is provided by operators located on shore, they usually make use of several decision support systems to be able to monitor thetraffic and to provide information to the vessels. Although several new tools and approaches have been introduced in the VTS domain, there is still room for improvements.This paper summarizes the results from three studies conducted within the EfficienSea project to approach user needs for dynamic risk management in the VTS domain. Data was collected by conducting study visits and observations at VTS centers, a focus group interview as well as several semi-structured interviews. The paper summarizes the results and presents technical and organizational user needs for dynamic risk management within the VTSdomain.
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| 10. |
- Svensson, Idor, et al.
(author)
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The Effect of Reading Interventions among Poor Readers at a Forensic Psychiatric Clinic
- 2017
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In: Psychiatry, Psychology and Law. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1321-8719 .- 1934-1687. ; 24:3, s. 440-457
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a short period, 15 sessions, of reading interventions in a sample of adult forensic psychiatric patients: 61 patients with decoding difficulties – 44 in the experimental group and 17 in the comparison group – with an average age of 31.6 participated. Of these, 36% were female, and 29% had an immigrant background. The participants carried out a battery of reading tests. The results in the experimental group showed a medium effect size (d = .36 to .76) on all reading tests between pre- and post-test. The comparison group, however, showed no gain at all between the test occasions. The results indicate that a proportionally low reading intervention effort produces improvement in reading. This study discusses the importance of including reading assessment and offering remediation in order to reach optimal future social adjustment for patients in forensic clinics.
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